Why Give Thanks?
November 22, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
What does the Bible tell us about thanksgiving?
Not about the American holiday. Not about pumpkins and Indian corn and turkeys. But about the giving of thanks to God. How does the Bible emphasize the importance of giving thanks? When are we to give thanks? To what end? For what reasons? In what manner should we give thanks?
In preparation for the holiday, I read all the verses of Scripture that contain the words “thank,” “thanks,” or “thanksgiving.” I encourage you to read a subset of these verses, available online at this link. Here are a few key verses to answer these questions:
How does the Bible emphasize the importance of giving thanks?
People are assigned to give thanks:
1 Chronicles 16:4 ¶ Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel.
Scripture commands us to give thanks:
Psalm 30:4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
Not giving thanks is a sign of hardness of heart:
Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
When are we to give thanks?
Always and forever!
Psalm 44:8 In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
To what end should we give thanks?
To glorify God!
Psalm 50:23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me.
2 Corinthians 4:15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
For what reasons should we give thanks?
There are numerous reasons given; I encourage you to go through the verses and list more. Here are a few:
His steadfast, never-ending love for His people:
2 Chronicles 20:21 “Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
Because He is our God:
Psalm 118:29 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you.
Because He delivers us from death:
Psalm 56:12-13 I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. 13 For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
Because He enables us to give generously:
1 Chronicles 29:13-14 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. 14 ¶ “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.
For provision of food:
Acts 27:35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat.
For victory over death:
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
For breaking the bonds of sin:
Romans 6:17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
For receiving the Word as God’s Word:
1 Thessalonians 2:13 ¶ And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
For being appointed to God’s service and granted the strength to fulfill it:
1 Timothy 1:12 ¶ I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,
For His spreading the Gospel through us:
2 Corinthians 2:14 ¶ But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
For God’s election:
2 Thessalonians 2:13 ¶ But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
For God’s sovereign reign:
Revelation 11:17 saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.
Indeed, for everything:
Ephesans 5:20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
In what manner should we give thanks?
With singing:
Psalm 92:1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; 2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, 3 to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
Out loud among other people:
Psalm 109:30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
With our whole heart:
Psalm 9:1 I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
May we all lead our families in offering thanksgiving to God during this next week, with hearts overflowing with gratitude to our Sovereign Lord and Savior.
The Desire for Selfish Gain
November 15, 2008
What does your heart go after? What does your heart desire?
Our hearts naturally desire abundance, ease, and security. Indeed, the candidates for various offices in this fall’s election all tried to attract our votes by claiming that they – and not their opponents – would be best for our pocketbooks. And such appeals work.
The psalmist warns us against these natural desires:
Psalm 119:36 Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!
There is an inherent trade-off between having a heart inclined toward God and His Word, and a heart inclined toward the things of this world. The two are like oil and water. They may be mixed for a brief period of time, as the Holy Spirit works within us. But in the end, one will come out on top.
Don’t weaken this warning by focusing on the word “selfish,” saying, “I can incline my heart to God’s testimonies and to gain – as long as that gain is not selfish.” One Hebrew word is translated “selfish gain.” Note that this word need not have a negative connotation; it is used on occasion to refer to gain by God, as in Job 22:3: “Is it gain to [the Almighty] if you make your ways blameless?”
In addition, don’t weaken this warning by thinking of gain solely in material terms. Different ones of us face different types of temptation to earthly gain. For some, the temptation is to money and possessions; for another, respect and a good reputation; for a third, security and rest; for a fourth, excitement and success. Every one of these potential sources of gain is dangerous.
So the emphasis in Psalm 119:36 is not on the particular type of gain. Every type of gain can be problematic. Instead, the emphasis in this verse is on the inclination of the heart. Does your heart see gain in this world as its chief good, its chief aim, its ultimate goal? Or does your heart see God’s revelation of Himself in His Word as its chief good?
God is the source of all goodness. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” (James 1:17). Whatever we have, from material possessions to family to success to life itself, we have only because of His grace (Acts 17:25). Since even the ability to work and earn money is from Him (Deuteronomy 8:17-18), we can never say, “I worked hard for this possessions – therefore I deserve them!”
But the psalmist is not calling us to unending sacrifice, without benefit. As God inclines our hearts toward Him and His Word, as He removes their natural inclination toward worldly gain, we find true joy, true life. For the psalmist says in the next verse:
Psalm 119:37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.
These supposed forms of gain are ultimately worthless. They are vain. They are ephemeral. They look so important, so vital, so substantial and then – poof! – they are gone. But there is life in God’s ways, in following His Word. True joy is found only in God – and we find God solely through trusting Christ Jesus.
God may choose to grant you great worldly success. He may choose to grant you wonderful accomplishments, so that you receive the accolades of millions. He may choose to grant you a life filled with loss, sorrow, and seeming irrelevance. But if your heart is inclined toward His Word, if He Himself is the desire of your heart, then you will be rich indeed – and you will have a truly great gain (1 Timothy 6:6).
Note also that this is not a one-time decision. The psalmist doesn’t sit down one day and say, “OK, from now on my heart will be inclined towards God’s Word!” Instead, he looks at the natural inclinations of his heart, doesn’t like what he sees, and asks God to change him: “Lord, only You can change the inclinations of this heart of mine. Unless you work, today my heart will long after vain things. So do the work! Change me, today, into one who longs for Your Word!” And then the next day, he prays the same prayer.
Will you join him in that prayer? Will you ask God to incline your heart toward His Word? Will you put Him first?
O Lord, “incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain.”
Forget Not All His Benefits
November 7, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
David writes in Psalm 103:
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits
Pray with me as I recount some of those benefits:
- I praise You, Lord, for though I deserve your wrath and judgment, instead in Christ I have forgiveness for all my iniquities.
- I praise You that Your love and mercy follow me all the days of my life.
- I praise You for giving me health and energy – all the health and energy I need to fulfill Your plans for me. In particular, I thank You for the physical ability to go out for a run on this brilliant autumn day.
- I praise You that You work justice for all the oppressed – that You will eventually right all wrongs, that You will eventually see that perfect justice is done. In the present, Lord, I thank You that it is possible today for a man to be elected President of this country who only a few decades ago would not have been allowed to sit next to me at a lunch counter in this city.
- I praise You, Lord, that You are not silent. I praise You that you speak through Your Word, telling us everything we need to know for life and godliness. I thank You for the privilege of reading, studying, and proclaiming Your Word, and rejoice in the way You have worked in my life to make me into a pastor and teacher.
- I praise You, Father God, that you restrain the expression of Your wrath, displaying great patience and forbearance, waiting until all those who are Yours have come to repentance.
- I praise You, Father, for the breadth and length and height and depth of Your love.
- I praise You, Gracious Lord, for separating me from my sins as far as the east is from the west.
- I praise You, Holy Father, that You command my fear, and that You shower on me Your compassion.
- I praise You, O Creator, that You know my every weakness, You see my every sin, You discern my every thought – and yet, knowing all that, You call me Yours because of the sacrifice of my Lord Jesus.
- I thank You, Sovereign Lord, for this country and the ideals of equality and liberty that we espouse. I praise You also that like a flower of the field, all the riches, power, and accomplishments of this country will one day blow away, but that Your covenant promises endure forever in Your eternal Kingdom, where Your Son will reign in righteousness for all eternity.
- I praise You, Lord and Savior, that You have surrounded me with men and women who treasure You, who love You, who desire to keep Your commandments and to bring glory to Your Name. Thank You for showing me Yourself through their humble service, through their forgiving hearts, through their generous gifts, and through their enduring love. Thank You for showering Your love and mercy on us as a Body.
- I praise You, King of the Nations, that You rule over all, and that You have ordained that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to Your great glory. Thank You that You give us the great privilege of sharing in the spreading of a passion for Your supremacy among all the peoples of this earth.
- I praise You, Lord of All, that all Your works shall praise Your Name in earth and sky and sea. I thank You that You have opened my eyes so that I might see the light of the Gospel of Your glory in the face of Jesus Christ. May my voice join with the angels and archangels, with the rocks and the hills, with deer and antelope, with sun and stars, with men and women throughout Your creation in proclaiming that You are God and there is no other, that only in You are righteousness and strength, that You alone are Author of Life and Conqueror of Death.
All that is within me, bless Your holy Name!
Ministry and Results
October 31, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
How does God use you? What is your personal ministry? Are you excited because you have seen results? Are you discouraged from lack of results?
Consider these words from the Apostle Paul:
Romans 12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Whatever our personal ministry might be, if we see good results, we are tempted to pat ourselves on the back. We’re tempted to think, “I’m really something, given what I’ve done!” But Paul says that when we think clearly, when we think soberly, we see that our faith is all that matters – our faith in the One with all power, with all authority, who has given us whatever gifts and skills we have, and who Himself accomplishes whatever He wishes through us.
Paul elaborates on this idea in 1 Corinthians, when writing to those who were lining up behind one or another leader:
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
Those God chooses to work through for His good purposes are His servants. The work they accomplish is God’s work, which He assigns. Paul goes so far as to say that the workers are nothing. The work is all of God, from beginning to end.
Consider the image of a farmer’s field. One plants the seeds. Another waters. Yet the one who plants and the one who waters are both nothing – God is the one who causes the crops to grow. He controls the sun. He controls the rain. He controls the frost. He controls the pests.
Should the farmer then talk like this? “Oh well, God is in control. So I don’t need to water. I don’t need to weed. I’ll just throw some seeds out in the field and pray that they produce a great harvest!”
No. As faithful stewards/gardeners we should plant and water wisely – because God enables us to understand what it means to be faithful. He gives us the power to be faithful. We are responsible for the way we plant and water, and should take the task seriously.
But once we have served faithfully, we should not think that the plants will necessarily thrive. God often delights to produce great crops when His farmers work wisely and diligently. But sometimes He works in other ways. Sometimes He delights to give increase when the one who waters is erratic or floods the field; sometimes He delights to give a bumper crop when the one who plants buries the seeds too deep or spaces them incorrectly. However large or small the harvest, and however wise or unwise the farming methods, the farmer in the end must thank God for his crops.
We see this pictured in the Israelite offering of firstfruits to the Lord. The farmer with the largest harvest might well have done the best job of preparing his land, planting his seed, and irrigating his ground. Another farmer, equally diligent, might have had most of his fields trampled by animals. Two other farmers might have both been negligent, yet one had a large harvest and one received almost nothing. Nevertheless, all are to offer firstfruits to the Lord. God gives the increase in every circumstance. All Israelite farmers – regardless of farming ability and effort – must make an offering to God from their harvest, acknowledging that every head of grain in every field was a gift from Him.
Just so with our areas of personal ministry. God gives us understanding of how we are to be faithful. He gives us health and energy so that we can be faithful. We must learn from errors, and work hard to be His faithful servants.
Yet any time I think, “Because of my talents and abilities, this ministry should grow, this service should succeed, this effort will produce results,” I am thinking of myself more highly than I ought rather than thinking with sober judgment. And any time I think, “I’ve blown it! This ministry has no chance!” I am, once again, thinking more highly of myself than I ought. I am considering myself – rather than God – as the key actor, as the most important determinant of the outcome.
Remember that our God uses both faithful and unfaithful servants: He took an unfaithful, angry prophet and used him to bring an entire city to repentance (Jonah); and He used the extraordinary sacrifices of the faithful Apostle Paul to start churches throughout the Roman Empire.
And remember that God at other times for His wise purposes chooses not to provide ministry “success” to faithful servants: Jeremiah proclaims God’s truths faithfully for decades, and no one ever seems to listen.
So how is God working through you these days? With obvious, encouraging results? With no results that you can discern?
Do not pat yourself on the back. And do not be discouraged. The one who plants and the one who waters are nothing.
Instead, praise Him for whatever harvest you have. Thank Him for the privilege of serving Him. Trust that God is at work even when you don’t see results. Learn how to serve Him more faithfully. And continue in faithful service, for the glory of His Name.
Responding to Economic Turmoil
October 25, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
Gyrations in the stock market. Banks losing billions. Dire predictions unless Congress does X. Congress does X, yet the situation deteriorates.
What does it all mean? How should Bible-believing Christians respond?
We should respond by trusting in God and in His Word.
Paul tells Timothy to know that hard times are ahead (in his case, from persecution and evil deceivers), but to “continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:14-15).
Just so for us. Remain steadfast. Remind yourself and others of the truths of Scripture. God does not change. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His Word is our anchor; His promise is our hope, a “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19).
His promise includes these words:
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:31-33).
Our God will give us everything that we need to fulfill His purposes for us, to enable us to accomplish the task He assigns us. At the right time – indeed, at the perfect time – He will take us to Himself, to His eternal kingdom, to our great joy. So do not be anxious.
But while we are trusting in His sovereign rule, what should we think about the turmoil around us?
First: God often uses stress and hardship to expand His kingdom.
Remember the persecution of believers in Jerusalem after the murder of Stephen (Acts 8:1). Our brothers and sisters suffered much in those days. But God used that very persecution to advance His kingdom. In the last sixty years, we have seen something similar in China. Who would have thought that the terrible persecution that followed the Communist takeover of China would in the end result in the phenomenal growth of the church? So pray for the suffering – and pray that God, once again, will use hard times for His good and wise purposes.
Second: All men are sinners – even government regulators.
Some analysts speak as if the solution to this upheaval is increased government regulation. There are indeed areas of additional regulation that will make sense. But too often analysts speak as if government regulators are the good guys and private agents in the financial sector are the bad guys. The Bible tells us that, yes, those private agents are sinners, but so are those government regulators. They too are subject to greed, to pride, to lust for power. Indeed, in the development of the present crisis, failure of existing regulators played an important role.
Third: All men are sinners – even politicians (of both parties).
Particularly in the middle of a campaign, politicians of both parties face tremendous temptations to distort reality when discussing such turmoil. They all are tempted to blame their opponent (or their opponent’s party) for the problems; they all are tempted to say that they know exactly what to do and if you will only elect them (and their fellow party members), all will improve. Furthermore, those holding office at present have a strong incentive to claim that apart from the legislation they’ve passed, the country would be ruined.
In my opinion, politicians from both parties have heightened hysteria and made matters worse through their rhetoric. Frankly, anyone who claims to know exactly what to do to solve the present turmoil is either lying or naïve.
So don’t believe the propaganda. Understand the incentives facing politicians, take account of their sinfulness, and take all they say with several grains of salt.
Fourth: All men are sinners – even those in the news media.
Those in the news media try to attract readers and viewers. If they don’t, in the end they lose their jobs. So they face incentives to hype big stories and, not surprisingly, those incentives drive many stories. Remember that when you read the next story about this turmoil – particularly when you read nonsense telling us why the stock market moved one way or another (read carefully over several days and you will see these explanations are either tautological or contradictory); or when you read that a change in price is an unmitigated disaster (when the price goes up, it’s good for owners and bad for buyers; when the price goes down, it’s good for buyers and bad for owners); or when you read predictions of huge future price changes (if the analyst really knew such things, he could make a fortune in futures markets).
So: Believe in God, and read with discernment. God is on the throne. Trust Him. Labor for Him. He remains at your right hand - even through economic turmoil.
How Should a Christian Vote?
October 17, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
Is there a Christian position on the political issues facing us today?
We have seen that all in the body of Christ are exiles in this present world, citizens of another kingdom. Our primary responsibility in this period of exile is to serve as ambassadors of our King, speaking and living out His message of reconciliation.
At the same time, we are to “seek the welfare of the city” where we are in exile (Jeremiah 29:7). In a democracy, this surely implies voting; for some individual Christians, it might well mean deep involvement in the political process. But our hope is never to be in any political candidate or party; our hope is in our coming Redeemer King.
Here are some biblical principles concerning voting that I commend to you during this political maelstrom.
1) Our political involvement should include voting in a way that we believe will move our society to become more just, merciful, and moral.
God is specially concerned about the weak and powerless. Surely our voting should reflect His concern.
Zechariah 7:9-10 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”
Proverbs 24:11-12 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?
This has implications for numerous issues in political debate, from education to immigration, from health care in the US to the AIDS crisis around the world. As I argued last week, the abortion issue is clear, and in and of itself could disqualify a candidate from office. But on many other issues, Christians may well disagree on what public policies are more likely to help “the fatherless, the sojourner, [and] the poor.”
- Some may believe that cutting taxes on the rich will generate a more dynamic economy that will help the poor through job creation; others may believe that raising taxes on the rich and using that money to provide public services to the poor is a better option.
- Some may believe that US military power can be used constructively as a force to save lives, advance freedom, and prevent genocide around the world; others may believe that any exercise of military power will inevitably lead to abuse of power, deaths of innocent civilians, and a consequent stain on this country.
- Some may believe that the best, most humane way to deal with illegal immigration is to enforce border security while simultaneously streamlining and expanding the visa application process; others may believe that the emphasis should be on providing a clear path to citizenship for those already in this country with a track record of honest hard work.
- Some may believe that vouchers for use in any type of private or public school would improve substantially the education of children from poor families; others may believe that this would divert needed resources from public schools that already serve the vast majority of the poor, and would thereby make most of the them worse off.
These and other disagreements could well lead Christians to vote for different candidates. But surely the passages quoted above and the overall thrust of the Bible should lead all of us to vote not for our economic self-interest, but for the candidates that we think move our society towards greater justice.
2) Our political involvement should include voting for candidates who have the character to make wise decisions when facing the unexpected crises and challenges that will arise in the years ahead.
Political campaigns put a lot of emphasis on specific policy proposals to solve problems facing the country. But most politicians end up governing quite differently from the way they campaign. In some cases, this is simply deceit; the candidate says whatever he thinks will get him elected. But in very many cases, the most important decisions politicians make concern unexpected, unanticipated challenges.
Thus, when voting we need to look past specific policy proposals and to the character of each candidate. For character will be necessary when facing the unforeseen challenges ahead.
But discerning character isn’t easy. We certainly can’t listen simply to what the campaigns on either side say. Instead, we can often discern much about a candidate’s character by looking more at what he has done in the past rather than what he says. Has he displayed a heart of genuine compassion? Has she been firm when under attack?
Here’s one piece of data on character: The candidates for president and vice-president have all tried to convince us that they really care about other people. They all have many ideas about how to use taxpayer money to help the country. Question: How much of their own money do they voluntarily contribute to charitable causes? The answer is disappointing: None of the four is exemplary. From 2000 to 2004, the Obamas gave an average of less than 1% of their income to charity. From 2005 to 2007 they gave 5.5%. The Bidens were worse, giving less than one quarter of one percent of their income to charity from 2000 to 2007. The Palins gave about 2.3% of their income to charity in 2006 and 2007 (and have released no earlier returns.) While at first glance John McCain looks considerably more generous, he and his wife Cindy file returns separately, and she earns the vast majority of the couple’s income. The information released is not sufficient to calculate the McCain’s total charitable giving, but in 2006 it was definitely more than 2 percent and almost certainly less than five percent of their combined income.
3) Our political involvement is no substitute for our personal involvement.
We do not discharge our responsibility to love our neighbor as ourselves by voting in an election. Nor do we do so through advocating a particular political position. By all means, contemplate the issues. By all means, inform yourself. By all means, discern what you can about the candidates’ character. By all means, vote. And by all means, display kindness and mercy personally. By all means, help the sojourner and the widow personally. By all means, spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples personally.
God is advancing His kingdom. We have a key role to play in that advance. We also have a minor but important role to play in making this country more just through our involvement in the US political process. Keep the key role in view – even while you play that minor but important role. Please vote.
(As a follow-up to last week’s devotion: Two articles written by Robert George of Princeton University this week address last week’s topic of abortion. The first helps substantiate my point 6, that Obama is the most extreme candidate on this issue ever nominated by a major political party. The second addresses Obama’s comments on abortion during the third debate.)
Receive the Spirit
October 3, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
Have you received the Holy Spirit? Are you filled with the Spirit?
While these questions look similar, biblically they are distinct.
Two weeks ago I exhorted you from Scripture to be filled with the Spirit. We need the power of the Spirit to fulfill God’s purposes for us, to live the Christian life to His glory. This is true in every area of our lives, from craftsmanship to marriage. So in Ephesians 5:18 Paul exhorts those who are already believers to be filled with the Spirit.
But in the text we will consider the next several Sundays, Peter, speaking to those who are not yet believers, says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Peter is clear: All those who repent and trust in Jesus for forgiveness will receive the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Himself says something similar in John 7:37-38. Giving a great invitation on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, He cries out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” John then explains this in the next verse. “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Prior to His resurrection, there were those who believed in Jesus who had not yet received the Spirit. Something changed at Pentecost. (I’ll say more about this in the sermon on October 19.)
But hear Jesus’ promise: Everyone who believes in Him, everyone who sees Him as the One who can meet their desires, as the One who is Himself the object of their delight and satisfaction, will receive the Spirit. That is, the Spirit will dwell in the heart of every believer. We become God’s people not only in name but in character through receiving the Spirit.
Paul says the same. In Romans 8:15, speaking to believers, he says, “you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” Every believer is a child of God, adopted into His family. And we receive the Spirit as part of that adoption, testifying in our inner being that we are children of God.
Paul makes a similar point in Galatians 3:13-14. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us . . . so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” All those in Christ, Jew or Gentile, have the Spirit.
So the question, “Have you received the Holy Spirit?” today is equivalent to the question, “Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord, Savior, and Treasure?” All who are saved have the Spirit. They continue to need the filling of the Spirit in their everyday lives, but the Spirit dwells in their hearts through faith.
Praise God for such a gift! Praise God for His plan of redemption that takes those who deserve His punishment and transforms them into temples of His Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)!
The gift of the Spirit in us works greatly to our joy. But there is another purpose. Look again at John 7:37-38. We not only have the Spirit in us; He also flows out of us, out of every believer, as living water. Jesus’ verbal picture in these verses implies that as the Spirit works in us, we become the source of true refreshment to others. God does not send His Spirit on us only for our personal joy, but also so that we might spread that joy in Him to His glory among all those we encounter.
So believe in Christ and receive His Spirit! This is God’s down payment, guaranteeing all His promises to you. And He is a fountain of living water, so that you might refresh with new life all those around you. May those fountains flow!
Christians and Politics
September 25, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
What is the relationship of the Christian to politics?
As we move towards November’s election, what should role should Christians play?
As a church, we explicitly say in our vision and values statement: “We are not tied to any political party. We value speaking biblical truth to the issues that confront our society, regardless of what parties might be made uncomfortable by the proclamation of that truth.” Over the course of the next several weeks I will address issues facing us this election. My goal is to do just that: to bring out the ways that biblical truth sheds light on the issues discussed in this election.
But prior to looking at specific issues, we need to understand our fundamental role. To that end, consider some key biblical texts:
Peter addresses his readers as “elect exiles” (ESV), or “God’s elect, strangers in the world” (1 Peter 1:1 NIV). He later refers to them as “sojourners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11); similarly, the author of Hebrews commends Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah for realizing that they were “strangers and exiles on the earth.”
The point: This world is not our home. This country is not our homeland. Instead, we are “fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household” (Ephesians 2:19 NIV). We are united with Christ; He defines who we are. We are truly united with all His people. Our loyalty is to Him above all. Our home, our country, ultimately is in His presence. For all our time in this world, we are ambassadors from a distant country, representing our Sovereign, proclaiming His message.
Our situation, therefore, is similar to the Jewish exiles in Babylon during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. The great city of Babylon was not their home. Indeed, the Babylonian army had destroyed Jerusalem, had torn down the temple. But God had a purpose in sending them to Babylon, and He instructed them through the prophet Jeremiah: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). So Daniel and his friends served Nebuchadnezzar faithfully, advancing in the civil service, doing all the king asked – up to the point where there was a conflict between loyalty to God and loyalty to the king. At that point, they disobeyed the king.
How do these scriptural principles apply to our role in the election?
We too should “seek the welfare of the city” where God has sent us. We too should participate in ways that will improve the lives of others in this country. Thus we should pray for this country and its leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2); we should inform ourselves of the issues, analyzing them from a Christian worldview; we should vote wisely. We may choose to campaign; we may choose to run for office.
But our hope is not in any political candidate. Our security does not rest in any political state. We know that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will” (Daniel 4:32). We know that nations rise and fall, and that should Jesus delay His return, the United States, like other great world powers, will fall from its preeminent position.
So register to vote, if you have not yet done so. Invest some time in understanding the issues. Vote in such a way that you are seeking the welfare of this country, this state, this city.
But do not despair if your candidate loses. And do not entertain particularly high hopes if your candidate wins. God is sovereign. He is in control. He is our King. We are citizens of His country. So our hope is in Him.
Filled with the Spirit
September 19, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
How can you live the Christian life? How can you fulfill the purpose of your creation through glorifying God? How can you resist temptation and obey the command to rejoice in the Lord always?
The message of the Bible is: You can’t. That is, in your own power, through your own resolution, by means of your concentrated effort, you can’t.
But you can – by the power of God.
Jesus says, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). But that same verse implies that with Him, when you are connected to Him, leaning on Him, depending on Him, you can live to His glory: “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. . . . By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:5, 8).
God gives us power for living the Christian life through filling us with the Holy Spirit. Next month, as we consider Acts 2 for three or four sermons, I’ll have much more to say about the different images that Scripture gives of the activity of the Spirit within Christians. For today, consider these different passages that discuss the filling of the Spirit.
Why does God fill His people with His Spirit?
For glorifying God through craftsmanship
Exodus 35:30-33 “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, 32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, 33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft.
For glorifying God through effective leadership
Deuteronomy 34:9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
For glorifying God through preaching to sinners
Micah 3:8 But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.
Acts 4:8-10 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead–by him this man is standing before you well.
For glorifying God through pronouncing blessing on another servant of God
Luke 1:41-42 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
For glorifying God through ministry to the physical needs of others in the church
Acts 6:3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.
For glorifying God through persevering and rejoicing in the midst of persecution
Acts 7:55 But [Stephen, while being stoned to death], full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
For glorifying God through living the Christian life in our closest relationships
Ephesians 5:18: Be filled with the Spirit. [This expresses itself partly in our] 21: submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. [Paul then explains how we submit to one another in our most intimate relationships]:
- Wives to husbands: 5:24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
- Husbands to wives: 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
- Children to parents: 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
- Parents to children: 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
- Employees to employers: 6:7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,
- Employers to employees 6:9 do the same [referring back to verse 7] to [your employees], and stop your threatening
We live the Christian life through dependence on His power. Apply these truths to yourself – and ask God to fill you with His Spirit, to His glory.
Seven Years On
September 13, 2008
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
This week marks seven years. Seven years since the towers fell. Seven years since terrorists hijacked four planes, aiming to kill tens of thousands of innocent people. Seven years since they succeeded in killing almost 3,000. Seven years.
In God’s providence, the Bible reading plan I developed eight years ago schedules for the 11th reading in September Jeremiah 39 and 52 – the accounts of the terrible destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. In the following days I read the Psalms that look back on that event – Psalms 74, 79, and 94 – as well as the book of Lamentations. On September 11, 2001, I read of Jerusalem’s fall without much feeling in the morning; that evening, knowing of the attack and the destruction of the towers, I reread the account, and continued to read these psalms and Lamentations – and wept.
Today, much of our visceral reaction to that attack has faded from memory. Newspapers this year used more ink talking about lipstick on pit bulls and pigs than they devoted to remembering 9/11.
But we must remember. We must remember.
What must we remember?
First: The crime is horrendous, and justice demands that it be recompensed. As the psalmists say:
They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.” (Psalm 94:5-7)
How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever? Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them! . . . Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day! Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually! (Psalm 74:10-11, 22-23)
O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! (Psalm 94:1-2)
This is not vindictiveness. This is a righteous call for justice. Those who planned and carried out the brutality of the destruction of Jerusalem, those who scoffed at God as they did it, deserve to experience His wrath. Those who planned and carried out the brutality of the destruction of the World Trade Center likewise scoffed at God and likewise deserve His wrath. God is just. We are right to call upon Him to exercise that justice.
Second: Our sins are horrendous, and justice demands that they be recompensed. Again, consider what these same psalmists say:
Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake! (Psalm 79:8-9)
The psalmist is not saying that the sins of the Jews are morally equivalent to the sins of the invaders. He’s not comparing sin to sin. Instead, he is confessing that the people sinned – and they did, horribly, turning their backs on God and His prophets, mocking His messengers who called them to repentance. The psalmist knows that the Jews too deserve God’s wrath, that God has brought this destruction upon them, and that unless He atones for their sins, they have no hope. Furthermore, he knows that the only basis for that atonement will be God’s glory, His name’s sake.
We too have sinned. We too must acknowledge that we deserve His wrath. We too have hope only on the basis of God providing atonement through the blood of His Son, our Savior, Jesus.
Third: God is sovereign, and He alone is our hope.
Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. You split open springs and brooks; you dried up ever-flowing streams. Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter. (Psalm 74:12-17)
God has always controlled all forces. All times and all powers are in His hands. Nothing is hidden in the night from His sight; He limits the waters, the night, the seasons – and He similarly limits evil men. Perpetrators of evil are responsible and deserve wrath; yet God is fully able to stop any sinful act by any man.
Acknowledging God as sovereign provides neither an excuse for sin (“God didn’t stop me, so it’s really His fault!”) nor a rationale for being lackadaisical (“Since God is sovereign, we need not capture the terrorists or improve airport security.”) Instead, God’s sovereign goodness provides us reason for hope in the midst of disaster and carnage. He is just. He is good. He is gracious and merciful. He is completing His plan of redemption. His Son will rule for all eternity; He will right all wrongs. His blood covers the sins of all who come to Him, weary and heavy laden, of all who come to Him with broken and contrite hearts.
So on this seventh anniversary, let us remember:
- There is terrible evil in this world, but God will judge it.
- There is terrible sin inside each of us, but God’s Son will cover it, if we have faith in Him.
- There is tremendous mercy, grace, and sovereign power in our Lord and God, and He will shower all that on His people. We will respond by praising Him forever: “We your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise” (Psalm 79:13).
