I’ll bet you know somebody who will never put up with a slight or an insult. I’ll bet this person will react strongly and immediately in this kind of a situation and give the other person a piece of their mind: You can’t talk to me that way!
The Lord Jesus Christ was on the receiving end of quite a few insults, and probably a number of slights as well. I can’t recall that He was the sort to get into arguments and confrontations about such things. The only confrontations that I can think of that He was involved with are confrontations with people who directly opposed God’s purposes, and these were normally along the lines of teaching and instructing, never trading insults.
It seems that in some quarters these days, rough talk is in vogue, but it isn’t God’s way of dealing with a situation. I think God would have us look at it more like this:
A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
Here we are, the very first episode of “Sunday Reflection” which is intended to be a very short thought for reflection and (hopefully) inspiration. If I did everything correctly… and that is very much in doubt as of this writing… there should be a video below.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
To be a follower of Jesus, a person needs to set aside the old ways of living and thinking, and take up His ways. Of course, this requires a sort of surrender to God that recognizes His supremacy, and not our own. This is not difficult to say, nor is it all that difficult to understand, but it can be quite challenging sometimes to put into practice. Yet, God tells us that when we set aside the old to live according to His Spirit, we will bear fruit. The first of these is love.
True Godly love is the cornerstone of the Christian life, filling us with a caring concern for those around us, and enriching every sort of human relationship and interaction. Following closely on the heels of Godly love is the joy that we will experience when we live in the Spirit, for this is a life without guilt or regret or upheaval resulting in a deep inner peace that we have when we know that we are working and living within God’s plan for our lives.
Forbearance, or patience, becomes a testimony to our trust in God’s plans and timing. Kindness and goodness characterize our relations with others, expressing God’s love to them in a living and practical way. Faithfulness is another testimony to our new life in Christ, as we are seen as keepers of our word in all things.
Gentleness and self-control, so rare in our modern culture, are testimony of the all-sufficiency of our relationship with God, for He provides all that we need, removing so much of the stressfulness of modern life.
It’s occurred to me just now that the fruits of the Spirit are incredibly valuable… maybe even in monetary terms. Suppose I were to offer you a million dollars to forgo the fruits of the Spirit, would you take the money? Think carefully; you might miss out on the fruits of the Spirit, but you could really throw a party for a million bucks! How about 10 or 15 million? Think of the fun you could have… until the money ran out.
The fruit of the Spirit are blessings from God that are eternal― they never run out. We would have to be a special kind of stupid to even consider selling our blessings, don’t you think so?
I will soon be returning to Illinois after a few years in the Washington, DC area, and since I am about to leave here, I’ll let you in on the “secret” to seeing the sights of Washington. Oh yes, millions come here from all around the globe to see the sights, the great public buildings, the landmarks, the memorials, and museums. They descend upon the city in huge numbers, only to fight tremendous crowds and steamy hot summertime temperatures. If you want pictures to take home with you of the great sights, it can be almost impossible to get an unobstructed view in the summertime, especially on the weekend.
If you can, visit Washington in the off-season, when the kids are in school, then do your sight-seeing in the middle of the week, after rush hour, and you’ll be fine. But if you are taking the family on a summer Saturday, just show up early, at say, 6 or 6:30 in the morning. This has two great advantages: First, you will have the place virtually to yourself; the tourists are still asleep! Second, you can cover the great sights while it is cool; great time for your “walking around” part of the day. Then, as the temperature begins to climb, the museums open up and you can spend the hot portion of the day seeing the museums of the Smithsonian. Yes, they will get crowded, better a Tuesday morning in October, but if you can only come in the summer, this is the best way to see things… like the “natives” do.
This past Saturday, Mrs. M. and I took our last trip into town… that is, unless we do it again next week. At this hour (we arrived in town at about 6:15 am) there are actually parking places… everyplace… something that is normally only a dream. We parked near West Potomac Park, very near the Lincoln Memorial. Right next to our parking spot, I was greeted by this scene…
…and a bit of nostalgia as recollections of a Saturday morning over 30 years ago came to mind. I remembered being on a walk one fine October morning, and as I walked by this place, I came upon a group of young Congressional staffers, roughly my age, who were trying to make up a touch football game; they were a man short. I volunteered to play, and the game was on. Nine Congressional staffers, one White House staffer; opponents during the week, playing football together on Saturday; Washington was different in those days.
One of the really neat things about taking pictures early in the day, particularly when there are clouds in the sky, is that as the sun rises and the clouds move, you can stand in one place for 10 or 15 minutes and take several completely different pictures of the same thing as the light and colors shift before your eyes.
The Arlington Memorial bridge only looked like this for about 45 seconds. After that, it looked just like every other picture you’ve seen of it.
Here, the Lincoln Memorial has a pinkish hue as the sun struggles to poke out above the low clouds.
Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial and looking down the reflecting pool towards the Capitol, the Washington Monument is in silhouette against the rising sun, lost behind the clouds giving a different effect than you usually see from here.
Millions come to Washington to visit the Vietnam Memorial. At this time of day, the only other people here are the crew cleaning the wall. In this light, the black wall becomes a mirror, as you can see.
In addition to the cleaning crews and the garbage collection crews, the squirrels are busy looking for tasty tidbits before all is collected…
Of all of the war memorials for which Washington is famous, my favorite is the Korean War Memorial. Since the Korean War is often called the “forgotten war” I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that it is not nearly as well attended as the others. Yet at least for me, it is by far the most poignant and moving. I don’t think there is any particular glorifying of war here, nor is there the great sadness of the Vietnam wall. This one is all about the men who fought. The central part of the Memorial is a life-sized group of figures in winter gear; a patrol. Here, nothing is way up on a pedestal, there is only you and the guys. They didn’t ask to be there, they aren’t the policy-makers calling the shots, they are the men who paid the price for the decisions and orders of others. This one is up close and personal; you can look these guys right in the eye.
We headed back to the car, there was still time for mobility. As we left the Korean Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial was in “regular” sunlight, and was beginning to look its normal self…
We moved to the Tidal Basin for a view of the Jefferson Memorial and a beautiful stroll along the water…
…and the reflections on the calm water, stirred only by the ducks that live there in the middle of the busy city. As in each of the other places we visited Saturday, memories flash through my head of earlier visits, earlier times, earlier experiences in a city that has vanished as time moves on and the world around us changes. Those were times that were not so bitter, not so divisive, in which people on different sides of politics could still work together to solve a problem… but that is all gone now… Maybe these are the tired reflections of an old man recalling the days of his youth in his sunset years. But then again, maybe not…
We know of course that our Lord rules this universe; if only He would open the eyes of Mankind to see the folly of our ways under the sun! But then, we also know that He sent us to bring His light to our dark world; so that He could shine through us. Maybe, instead of wistfully wishing He would do something, our time would be better spent doing the work He has called us to…
I have no idea whether or not I will ever see these sights again, but I took quite a few photos, many more of which will no doubt find their way into one of my blogs in the coming months. Yep, they are digital so they will last forever, which as we all know, really means until the hard drive crashes!
If you are a parent, I would imagine that your worst nightmare might involve a catastrophic injury to one of your young children; oh yes, I’ve heard many parents say this, and as a parent of 3 myself, it was my biggest nightmare scenario, no doubt about that.
Consider the story of Bob and Jennie…
Their 10-year-old son, Jack, had been climbing the big tree in the back yard one day, just as he had on so many other days. This particular day was not like those other days, however, for on this day, Jack lost his grip and fell from the tree. When Jennie found him, Jack was bloodied and unconscious. The paramedics took Jack to the hospital, and Jennie met her husband Bob in the ER where the news wasn’t good: He had a few broken bones, but nothing too terrible, bones heal. He needed some stitches, but again, nothing too bad in that area. The it hit them, he does, however, appear to have serious head injuries and the doctors aren’t sure just how serious they will turn out to be. No, Bob and Jennie cannot speak with him, he is in a coma, and there is no way to know how long that will last…
Neither of them spoke; they were in a kind of shock, yet their minds raced, full of terrible questions: Will he die? Will he ever wake up? Will he walk again? What if…?
Although they did not speak, they looked at each other and each knew exactly what the other was thinking. They had never felt so alone, so vulnerable, so helpless, so desperate. Jennie whispered something to Bob, who could barely make out what she was saying:
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
This took Bob by surprise, for Jennie wasn’t one to walk around quoting the Bible! Then, he was even more surprised when he heard these words:
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18
Bob was especially surprised when he realized that these words were coming out of his own mouth― where did that come from?
An unaccustomed calm came over the couple as they realized that they were not alone and that God was right there with them. They still didn’t know how this was going to turn out, but they did understand that with God’s help, they would get through this difficult time. They went to the hospital chapel and found a Bible. Bob opened it and Jennie read the words that seemed to her to have jumped off the page:
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
In due course, Jack recovered from his mishap, and would spend many happy afternoons climbing that old tree, only now he was quite a bit more careful. The entire family told their story to many people in the years that followed, of how God had met their needs, saving them from their darkest hour, and in the process, they brought hope and comfort to many who needed it, and thus they all lived happily ever after.
Our study of 2 Corinthians is over, and here we are in the midday time slot on Life Project Blog; what shall I post? One of the reasons that I started blogging through books of the Bible in an expository Bible study format was so that I would almost never need to answer that question…
Now what do I write about???
For me, that has always been the hardest part of writing, teaching, speaking at meetings, or preaching, and here I am again. This time, however, is slightly different because I have the chance to write about what to write about― the perfect way to buy a little more time to decide.
By the way, I am planning on making a few little changes here. I re-started the weekly feature “Photo of the Week” that I ran on Wednesdays for several years before running out of photos (and time to get new ones). This Sunday, I plan to begin a new feature post that will be called “Sunday Reflections” consisting of a 1-3 minute inspirational (hopefully) video to start off the new week, running at 6 am Eastern (US) time.
I’ve also started a new project that should roll out in early December, called “Gospels” which is the name of an undergrad class I used to teach, I think it was BIB 351 and 352, but don’t quote me on that, it was a very long time ago. That is a study of the life of Christ, using all four Gospels, side-by-side that develops a harmonized narrative of Jesus’ life and Ministry, while taking note of the fascinating differences in the way the four authors approached the subject. In doing so, we see patterns that develop which give us additional insight into the Apostles, their points of viewing life, and their purposes for writing, and how God was able to use them to accomplish His purpose.
That project, if nothing else, will be a fun challenge for me, because it might surprise you how great the logistical and technical problems are, in bringing a class like that to a blog site. It is really better suited to a You Tube presentation, but Good Lord willing, and helping, I’ll sort it out.
So then, tomorrow I’ll probably run a redux post and Monday we’ll begin a new adventure and a new Bible study.
If you have ideas, suggestions or comments, please don’t hesitate!
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
Romans 1:16
The Apostle Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel message for He completely understood what it is. He knew that it wasn’t just Good News, although that’s what “Gospel” means. It is more than just information, for it is power― God’s power.
Consider for a moment Paul’s journey: He was a great up and coming Pharisee. He was full of zeal, so much so that he was a leading persecutor of the early church in and around Judea. He even left that area to travel abroad to Damascus to attack the believers there, but on the way, something happened to Paul, then known as Saul: He met the risen Christ face-to-face. We recall the story from Acts 9; Jesus demanded to know why Paul was persecuting Him!
Wait, hold on, wasn’t Saul persecuting the early church? Of course, that’s true, but if you attack the church, you attack the Head of the Church, the risen Christ Himself. That confrontation, and the events that followed began a process in which Saul, now Paul, was completely transformed into God’s Apostle to the Gentiles.
That transformation is the power of the Gospel.
For Paul who lived the transformation, it’s power and majesty were all too apparent:
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
Philippians 3:8
This transformative process was so great in Paul’s life that he came to consider all of the things of this world to be garbage, when compared to all that he gained in Christ. We also have begun the process of transformation. Some of us have been undergoing transformation for many years, while others are just beginning. We have Paul’s example before us; how are we coming along? Are we ashamed of the Gospel?
I sure hope not, for it can complete re-make a person into the image of Christ, that is how powerful it is. May each of us reflect and consider how fortunate we are to have been so greatly blessed by our God.
It’s been a very long time since I posted a photo of the week. I thought I’d revive the feature here starting with the new month so, you can expect a photo of the week each Wednesday, right here, and you can also be on the lookout for some other new features here in the coming days.
It would appear from these verses in Chapter 13 that Paul is wrapping up this final defense of his ministry by taking the offensive. He will shortly make another trip to Corinth, and when he arrives, any remaining opposition will be dealt with in strength, not by Paul’s strength, but with the strength of the Lord.
This will be my third visit to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him in our dealing with you. (13:1-4)
Paul has had enough of the Corinthian rebellion; Jesus has had enough of the Corinthian rebellion― it’s about the get real.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. (13:5-6)
In these remarkable verses Paul is telling the people in Corinth to examine, to test themselves to determine whether or not they are in Christ at all. If they are, they should have the Holy Spirit within them, and if they do not, then they have failed the test and were never in Christ: Ouch!
Of course, should they pass this self-examination, the Spirit will confirm that Paul is for real and that their whole rebellion is wrong, a complete fake. This assumption of Paul’s brings us to the heart of the entire matter and to a point that all of us need to learn. If we are in Christ and someone comes along and challenges the church or its leadership, we usually insist that the church, or its leadership must defend themselves against such charges, for this is the way of Men. Yet Paul has just turned the tables entirely, by telling them to examine themselves, their motivations and whether or not they are really followers of Christ. If they are really followers of Christ, they need to seek God’s guidance and be prepared to prove their allegations with two or three honest witnesses― God is not amused by people who sow dissention and division in His Body, the church.
Naturally, God is even less amused by people in positions of authority or leadership who abuse their positions in the church, so if you are indeed His follower, you must have your facts straight and be prepared to prove them before you launch an attack against anyone.
That is where these individuals in Corinth have gone wrong.
It would seem from our text that this is going to be their last chance to get things right in Corinth, because when Paul comes to town, there will be no end of trouble for anyone who hasn’t either repented or gotten their facts straight, for the truth will come out. It would seem that Paul is optimistic about the result:
Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All God’s people here send their greetings.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (13:11-14)
As we’ve seen before, most of the Corinthians had come to terms with what was happening in their congregation and had come to realize that the outside instigators of these problems were troublemakers who simply desired to tear down the Church. With these words of encouragement for everyone, coming after Paul’s injunction for self-examination, I think that Paul believed the Corinthians would have the issues settled before his arrival there. Things happen in this life, sometimes people are led astray for a time by criticism, by lies, by instigators… Sometimes people who appear to be the very strongest in the church are fooled and have a hard time recognizing their mistake; this is the human condition.
Yet in the final analysis, people who truly love the Lord and who honestly seek His guidance, not to win the argument, but to follow Him, will find the path of truth. As long as the others will adopt the path of love and allow the ones in error to repent and be restored, harmony, love and unity will endure.
Oh, and just in case, Paul is on his way to make sure they get it right.
Consider the opportunities to share our faith, and the opportunities to show the example of Christ’s love to those around us. Consider the chance we’ll have to bring Christ to others, and to walk side-by-side with Jesus through our day.
When we stop to notice, His glory is all around us. If we are in the country, maybe we can see His awesome creation; the mountains, the trees, the pastures, and forests. If we are in the city, maybe we will notice His glory through vegetation, planters, and trees; we might even see His work in the sky overhead. If we are near the shore, we might see and hear His majesty in the breaking surf or the rolling thunder of a storm. No matter where the day might take us, God’s glory is all around.
In the workplace, though, there is an even better chance to see His glory, for in shining His light to others in the way we speak, the way we behave, and the manner in which we approach problems, we can become part of His reflected glory when others see Christ in us.
What an opportunity: Let’s all have a blessed day!
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