Tag: JEsus

Multiplying Division

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(Luke 12:49-53)

Before applying the cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol to the freshly scraped knee, a mom warns her child, “this is going to sting a bit.” In trying to determine the extent of the injury, whether it’s a sprain, a break, or something else, the doctor grabs hold and twists this way then pushing that way, all the while asking his patient to “tell me if this hurts.” Days or weeks of underlying tension between a husband and wife culminate with the words, “we need to talk.” Real pain is being experienced in these examples, whether it’s physical, emotional, or even spiritual.

Yet, while none of those examples are pleasant experiences – for the person on either end – they have in common that the end result is intended to make things better. The hurt happens so that healing can follow. One of the biggest lies we tend to believe is that our problems – and the hurt that goes with them – will eventually just go away if we avoid them. Rather than bring up an uncomfortable topic that will likely involve some tension or conflict, we just avoid it and convince ourselves that doing nothing is the better way. What we’re saying is that we prefer to avoid the hurt of a challenging encounter or conversation by riding it out until things improve.

But tell me, if you can, how many times things have ever actually improved, how many times healing has actually taken place, with that approach. Almost never. This “Wounds that Heal” series may be a tough one for many, but it’s essential that we understand that even when Jesus’ words hurt, that hurt is the necessary precursor to healing. So we pray that this series will be for us like making your way into the ocean on a beach day. At first the water feels cold and uncomfortable, but once you’re in, it feels invigorating and refreshing. May Jesus’ words in this series hit us like that.

The wisdom of Proverbs also provides helpful insights to our understanding of this series. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” The words of a friend may hurt or sting, but when you consider the source, you know they are being candid with you for your own benefit. An enemy, on the other hand, will schmooze and sweet-talk all day long, not because he’s interested in building you up, but because he wants to soften you to eventually serve himself. If wounds from a friend can be trusted, let’s go into this series remembering that we have no greater friend than Jesus, and trust completely that even when he speaks words that hurt or are hard to hear, his goal is always my healing and growth. 

We start off this series with words from Jesus that will hit home for some of us a little more than others. “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division” (v.51). How do we handle these hard words? When we address what looks like a contradictory statement compared to the way the rest of Scripture speaks, we’ll better understand what Jesus is saying. Then, as we do, we’ll start to see how his hard words actually help and heal us. 

Let’s address some of the passages that come to mind when we hear Jesus and peace in the same sentence. Right away, many of our minds likely go to one of the most comforting lists of titles given to Jesus that we associate with Christmas. Isaiah 9:6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” It seems like even more of an odd thing for the one called the “Prince of Peace,” to say he didn’t come to bring peace, doesn’t it?

Then there are also the words out of Jesus’ own mouth that he spoke: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). “In me you may have peace” sounds about as 180º from Jesus bluntly saying that he didn’t come to bring peace, but division! What gives?

The reason is really quite simple: we’re dealing with different understandings of peace. Take an example from the sporting world. Why will fans and analysts always debate about who is the greatest in any given sport? Why will that always be an ongoing debate that can never be settled? It’s because we aren’t working with the same definition of “great.” We can’t agree on a GOAT if we can’t agree on what greatness is. Does greatest mean the most championship rings, because there are plenty of players who were not superstars, but who had the privilege of being shuffled around and playing on championship teams. Does greatest mean the best statistics? If so, which statistics matter the most, and what if someone has great statistics but no rings? Does greatest mean record-holder in any given statistical category? What if a player dominates in only one statistical category, but is mediocre at best in others? And what about sports where different players play entirely different positions – a great lineman on the football field cannot be compared to a great quarterback by using the same metrics for greatness. 

Just as rabid sports fans will become rather unruly when discussing who is the greatest, should it surprise us that Jesus guarantees that division will come about as a result of the peace he came to bring? How does one define peace?

Ask yourself what most people on the planet have in mind when they think about peace. What does “peace” mean to most people? Tolerance? It means unity. It means we don’t let our differences divide us. It means we all get along. It means the absence of conflict. It means you don’t force me to share your views or opinions. You might have a few more thoughts to add to the world’s view of peace, but these about capture it, don’t they?

Now, what is God talking about when he speaks of “peace” in the Bible? We don’t have to wonder or guess, because he tells us. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Romans 4:25-5:2). The phrase we need to hear to get to the bottom of all of this is “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s the peace Jesus came to bring: peace between God and men.

So what we’re talking about is not the same thing at all, and realizing that gives us a better understanding about the apparent contradiction in Scripture. It all depends on which peace we’re talking about: the world’s varying definitions, or Jesus’ definition? Jesus came to bring the kind of peace we need, but not the kind of peace the world thinks it needs or wants. And, sadly, until anyone sees the need for Jesus’ peace, they’ll look in vain for it everywhere else. 

Their search for peace ends up looking like a guest trying to figure out the lighting in an unfamiliar room. If you live in or have stayed in a place with a room that has outlets controlled by a light switch, that can serve to help us understand Jesus’ words this morning. If you don’t know the outlets are controlled by a light switch, think of all the steps you’ll first take to address a lamp that doesn’t turn on. First, you might check the obvious to make sure there’s a bulb in the lamp, maybe even changing it if there is. If that doesn’t do the trick, then you check to make sure it’s plugged in. If it’s plugged in and still doesn’t light up, you maybe start to wonder if the lamp is just broken and needs to be replaced. So you spend all this time on the lamp, when all you really need to do is flip the light switch when you enter the room and it gives power to the outlets, turning on the lamp.

By nature, without Jesus, we all do the same things to address division – or a lack of peace – in our lives. We try to fix all of the symptoms without realizing the real problem: a lack of peace between God and me. So I work on this symptom and that symptom. Nothing improves – and often it gets much worse! – so I try a different approach with no luck. And on and on. 

It isn’t until the light switch is flipped on – which just so happens to apply perfectly to Jesus, the Light of the World – that the peace that is lacking in my life now starts to flow from the peace I have with God into all other areas of my life. We try to manufacture a horizontal peace when the solution is the vertical peace we receive from God in Christ Jesus. Only from that peace does the world ever receive what it’s actually looking for.  

That’s the irony, isn’t it? The world would have much more of the peace it is looking for, if only it pursued more of the peace Jesus did come to bring. But until it does, there will be division. Some will long for Jesus’ peace; others will dismiss it in frustration, demanding that an all-powerful God cater to their whims and provide their version of peace. And that is the reason for the division.

But the source of that division is also the solution to it. And we have it. Yes, these wounds that heal us mean that we need to expect they’ll do the same for others, because it is an undeniable reality of the ministry of the church. We are called to bring peace, yet God prepares us for the hard work of ministry by telling us that our efforts will result in even more division. So we aren’t surprised when we see the peace we pass along result multiply division.

But there is no other way. We cannot change doctrines or teachings for the sake of getting along better with other churches who do. We cannot ignore or avoid parts of the Bible which cause people offense. There is no other way. And those who think there is are not only fooling themselves, but also compromising the real peace Jesus came to bring, the real peace every man, woman, and child, needs: peace between God and man.

Yes, it will mean that our mission will multiply division. The ministry of the church will increase division in the world. But more importantly, it will also increase the number of souls that are saved. It might hurt to share it, but the best kind of healing will follow: the kind that provides the permanent peace our hearts crave, and can find nowhere else but in Jesus. 

Treasure That Satisfies Your Heart

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(Luke 12:22-34)

What picture comes to mind for you? The default image that I equate with the word treasure is an old chest filled with gold coins (with pictures of pirates not far behind, of course). Maybe you think of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (with pictures of leprechauns not far behind, of course). Those of us who grew up with Scrooge McDuck cartoons probably have the image of him swimming through his pool of money in his bank vault. I think associating these types of pictures with the word treasure is pretty common… but I’m not sure they’re really that helpful as we consider Jesus’ words from Luke 12. That’s because “treasure” as Jesus is teaching about it here is not at all limited to money or gold coins.

What does it mean to treasure something? Jesus provides for us a pretty good understanding of what it means. We can find it out by connecting the dots if we take note of where the word heart shows up in his teaching in these verses.

The most familiar verse of this section is the last one, verse 34: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” But don’t miss his other use of the word heart. Look again at verse 29: “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.” Can we replace the phrase “set your heart on” with the word “treasure”? So then, we could summarize what Jesus is saying this way: “Do not treasure what you will eat or drink. Whatever you treasure, that is what has your heart.” So I treasure what my heart is set on. Whatever receives my attention, my focus, my time, my energy – that is what I treasure. 

Another way to think about it? Treasure as Jesus defines it is really a matter of our personal values and priorities. With that understanding, we see that treasure can refer to just about anything under the sun. To what – or whom – do I attach the most value or worth? What is my greatest priority? The answer to those questions reveals where your treasure is. And, by extension, your heart.

Jesus highlighted two examples of what can fall into that category: food and clothing. “Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes’” (Luke 12:22-23). In these two examples, Jesus also reveals a simple indicator that will help us identify where our treasure is: worry.

In fact, we might be more used to this section of Jesus’ teaching being used to address our preoccupation with worry. These verses are very often referenced as much-needed reminders to us that worry is a waste of time because God will provide for all of our needs. That is absolutely true, and will always serve as an important takeaway from this teaching. But if we pull back the curtains on “worry” a little bit more, the connection between worry and treasure becomes even more clear.

What, after all, do you worry about? Do you stay up at night worrying if your neighbor’s landscaper will do a good job on his yard? Do you fret about the grocery store receiving its deliveries on time? Have you been beside yourself wondering about the new server hired at the local restaurant who seemed to be a bit behind in his training the last time you ate there? Are any of those things unimportant? No! Someone thinks that every one of those things is important.

But not you. Why? Because you don’t attach much value or worth to them. Because they aren’t priorities for you.

But you worry about your children. You worry about work. You worry about making ends meet financially. You worry about your health.

Why do you worry about such things? Because you attach value or worth to them. Because they are priorities for you. Because you treasure them. So if you’re struggling to get to the bottom of what you really treasure in life, ask yourself what you frequently worry about, and you’ll get closer and closer on your own personal treasure map to where X marks the spot for you.

But worry does more than just reveal where our misplaced treasures are; it also reveals a pretty embarrassing faith. After pointing out how God masterfully cares for nature in ways that never even cross our minds, Jesus arrives at a very pointed and convicting conclusion about us when we worry: we are “of little faith!” (v.28).

Ouch. Worry isn’t just a normal part of life. Worry isn’t just a harmless fixation on worst-case scenarios. Worry in any measure is a lack of faith. It is more a reflection of being a child of unbelief than it is a child of God. 

Think of it – faith itself is a gift of God, something undeserved, something we do nothing to receive, yet we even dishonor and dismiss God with that very gift when we worry. And, when allowed to continue unchecked and even to multiply, worry can result on unbelief. Jesus illustrated this with his parable of the sower and the seed when some of the seed was choked out by life’s worries.

So if there’s on thing we ought to worry about in life, we ought to worry about unchecked worry in our lives – it can lead to devastating results! Yet, while our own worry will help us identify what we treasure, and sadly, how lacking our faith is, we need more than that. A scolding and a slap on the wrist not just won’t cut it.

So here is something you’ll never need to worry about: how much God treasures you. Jesus may not have made a big, splashy statement to that effect in his teaching here in these verses, but that’s because it’s woven consistently throughout them. It’s a given. It’s the norm. It’s unquestionable and unchanging: God treasures you!

See how Jesus made that known when he used illustrations from nature about how God provides for the birds. “And how much more valuable you are than birds!” (v.24b). And, what’s more, God wasn’t reluctant or hesitant to call us into his kingdom and entrust it to us, but note how the Good Shepherd speaks tenderly to his sheep: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (v.32). 

Look also at Jesus’ own words about hearts and treasure once again. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (v.34). If one’s heart is where there treasure is, then find all the validation and worth you could even need in the beauty of Christ’s incarnation.

God took on human flesh and bones. Why? Not just because he wanted to experience what it would be like. Not just so he could say, “been there, done that.” No, he became man to live with man, to dwell with man, to rescue and save man. His heart – quite literally, along with the rest of his physical body – arrived on this earth so that it could be where his treasure was: mankind. You. Me. All people.

No degree of worry you could ever express, no amount of treasuring the wrong things in your life, could ever forfeit or cancel out how much God treasures you in Christ. He literally brought his heart to live and dwell and be with the human beings he treasured so much!

What on earth could ever provide you with that measure of being valued or loved? Who on earth could ever treasure you that much? No one. Not even close. And if we are treasured that much by God, then he alone is worthy of having our hearts in return. Yes, we need the Jesus who treasures us beyond our comprehension to properly direct our hearts to what he would have us treasure. And he does just that. 

Jesus directs us to, “seek his kingdom” (v.31), and maybe we do well to bring Matthew’s emphasis into it, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,” (6:33). What is Jesus telling us to do? Treasure his kingdom. Attach your value and worth to that. Make that your priority. 

The added bonus? There’s no worry attached to that treasure, because it’s guaranteed and never runs out. And it’s always at work. If you treasure your daily bread, which is silly because the Lord promises to provide it, you will always be plagued by worry. That’s the nature of treasuring the stuff of the world. You’ll keep worrying about it. Always. You won’t ever escape some degree of worry, and worst-case scenario, it can even choke out your faith. So seek his kingdom instead.

Eli Stanley Jones did just that with his life. The American missionary, known for his extensive mission work in India, suffered a stroke at the age of 88, which left him significantly impaired. Nevertheless, even though he was limited in sight, hearing, speech, and movement, he was able to dictate into a tape recorder his final book, called The Divine Yes.

It was in that book that he used a mountain climbing rope to illustrate his personal situation. Rope that is used for mountain climbing has incredibly strong strands in its center. So even as the outer layers of the rope rub and fray against the rock, the rope is still able to hold the climber because of its strong center. E. Stanley Jones said that to him, Christ represented that center strand. Even as his stroke damaged the outer strands of his life, his center, his heart, where Christ was, held strong.

He wrote, “Many of the strands of my life have been broken by this stroke, for I can no longer preach and I cannot write as my eyesight is so poor that I cannot see my own writing. I can only dictate into a tape recorder. The things that were dear to me, for the time being, are broken. The innermost strands belonging to the Kingdom and the Person of Jesus and my experience of him holds me as much as the total rope, for the innermost strands are the strongest. I need no outer props to hold up my faith, for my faith holds me” (E. Stanley Jones, The Divine Yes [Nashville: Abingdon, 1975], 64). 

Maybe that should be our picture that comes to mind when we think about the word treasure as Jesus teaches it: mountain climbing rope. And we don’t even have to be world-renowned evangelists for it to apply. We simply treasure Jesus and his kingdom above all else. We pursue the gospel and everything about its work in our lives and in the lives of others, and we won’t ever be let down. He will hold us fast. His treasure alone will truly satisfy our hearts.

Raised & Renewing

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(Colossians 3:1-11)

Significant past milestones can sometimes have an affect long after they happen. How much do the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution affect not only the United States, but the entire world still today? Events like Pearl Harbor and 9/11 had an immediate impact on people enlisting in the military. Once the smart phone was invented, life afterward will never be the same.

Such past events can impact the present for individuals, too. Listen to the stories of individuals who survived a life-threatening accident or injury talk about how much more they value life in the present. The sedentary heart-attack survivor becomes a regular exerciser. The at-risk diabetes diagnosis results in radical dietary changes. The person who had to file for bankruptcy rebounds by dramatically changing his financial habits and becomes wealthy enough to retire way ahead of time. Some event happened in the past that triggered ongoing changes ever since then and into the present day.

One such event took place in the past, 175 years ago. On May 26, 1850, in Milwaukee, WI, after several months of ongoing discussion about the possible formation of a new Lutheran synod in Wisconsin, the initial convention took place and the Wisconsin Synod was born. It was just a handful of pastors at the time, serving congregations around the Milwaukee area. While the majority of them shared connections from mission societies in Germany, they had not had very extensive theological training (and, although the WELS is often pegged as being too conservative or strict theologically, it is somewhat ironic that part of the original wish to establish another Lutheran synod was driven by the desire to be more tolerant than the existing Lutheran synods, who were perceived as being too theologically stiff and inflexible). That little Lutheran synod survived and this year we celebrate the 175 Anniversary of the WELS.

That past event is responsible for ongoing blessings ever since then and into the present. In our American landscape of Christianity, which continues to see churches and church bodies split and fracture as unbiblical teachings are tolerated, pursued, and even celebrated, God has blessed our church body with an even firmer theological confession than when we first began. And how does one track all of the other blessings continue to happen right up into the present? We are able to carry out ministry together as a church body that our individual congregations would be incapable of carrying out individually. We support a robust school system at the high school, college, and Seminary level, specifically in place to train our future pastors and teachers, ensuring faithful adherence to all of Scripture. We are in mission fields all over the world, both sending and supporting missionaries. We are in the middle of a plan to start 100 new churches over ten years right here in the U.S. While these are the significant priorities and focus of our WELS, we’ve barely scratched the surface of the total ministry we’ve carried out together. So that event that happened in the past, 175 years ago, is responsible for more blessings that we can count in the present day.

Another significant event took place in the past, sixty years ago. Noticing the growth taking place in and around La Mesa, our sister congregation, Reformation Lutheran Church, expanded its ministry sixty years ago to include the start of worship at Grossmont College in the very infant stages of our Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. The goal was to establish another congregation in East County that could share the responsibility of proclaiming that Jesus has been raised and we are being renewed. Shepherd of the Hills Evangelical Lutheran Church was formed in 1965 with nineteen communicants and met originally at Grossmont College in the Fine Arts Lecture Hall. The first service was conducted on March 21, 1965, by Pastor Lowell K. Smith, who was serving Reformation Lutheran Church, San Diego. 

That past event is responsible for ongoing blessings ever since then and into the present. How many total souls have come to know Jesus and the confidence of his grace, forgiveness, and salvation, through our congregation’s ministry? For how many Christmases, Good Fridays, and Easter Sundays have we eagerly preached the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus? How many students have received not just a good education, but a Jesus-centered education, and a deeper understanding of the Bible and its place in their lives, through our K-8 school? How many hearts have been brought closer to Jesus through our Bible studies and various ministries for sixty years? How many hands have been held at bedsides, easing our brothers and sisters in Christ across the threshold of their heavenly home? That event that happened in the past, 60 years ago, is responsible for more blessings than we can count in the present day.

But you’d have to go back further than 60 years, and even further back than 175 years, to get to the event that is at the heart of it all: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, 2,000 years ago. Without that event, there is no WELS. There is no Shepherd of the Hills. There would also be no letter from Paul to the Colossians, for he would have had nothing on which to base his letter to the them.

But Jesus did rise from the dead, and it is that event which allowed Paul to remind the Colossians and us, “you have been raised with Christ” (v.1). The Resurrection is the lynchpin of the Christian faith. It is everything. Jesus dying in our place and remaining dead would have been just another religion, but Jesus rising again and crushing death by proving to the world that it isn’t the end – That’s everything! And faith connects us to that powerful historical event so that Jesus’ resurrection is ours!

And, as a result of what has happened in the past, something is also happening in the present: you are “being renewed in knowledge in the image of [your] Creator” (v.10). Something is still happening. You are being renewed. Change is happening. In you. Right now. Continually. You are changing. You are becoming more like Christ. 

You have been raised. You are being renewed. That may be a simple way to explain why the church exists, to help with those two purposes. And, it might be worth noting that they fit well with the tag line that captures our mission: Seeking the Lost, Serving the Found. We seek the lost with the news of resurrection and the eternal life that is guaranteed with it. We serve the found as we are being renewed in our Christian living.

Paul ties together the past with the present by reminding his listeners that what happened in the past changes how they think, focus, and feel in the present. It changes our priorities. It changes what is important to us. It changes everything about our lives, including the behaviors and thoughts and sin that we now want to leave in the past. Those are the things Paul listed in verse five and following: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices…” (v.5-9). That’s the old you. That’s the you you’re striving to leave in the past. 

Right? You are putting those behaviors to death, right? Or… do you see a thing or two on the list that you’d prefer Paul didn’t include? Are you putting those things to death, or do you suppose that you can somehow allow a few of them to just linger harmlessly? Do you imagine you can return to this or that sin from time to time, as long as it isn’t all the time? Do you pretend that you’re in control of whatever belongs to your sinful nature just because you don’t give in to it as much as someone else? Do you have a part-time relationship with something from Paul’s list, imagining that having a mistress won’t negatively impact your relationship with Christ?

“Put to death” is strong language! Think in terms of the DNR on the wrists and rooms of hospital patients – Do not resuscitate! Kill sin and put it behind you. Be done with it. Paul emphasizes how serious God is about putting sin to death by reminding us of what will happen regarding everything on that list: “Because of these, the wrath of God is coming” (v.6). An on-the-side relationship with anything Paul calls us to put to death won’t cut it. We can’t be raised to life while also welcoming and allowing sin to live and breathe and exist in our lives. Wrath – that alone is what awaits such sin. Don’t fool yourself into thinking otherwise. In fact, speaking of thinking, Paul encourages an entirely different way of thinking. 

The life God had in mind when he raised us to faith in Christ includes this kind of thinking: “set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (v1b-2). Our hearts and minds are focused in a different direction after we’ve been raised. We’re being renewed to dial into things above, spiritual things, eternal things, salvation things.

This is so essential, first and foremost, because it takes us back again and again to the past event that reminds us of who we are in the present. Jesus’ resurrection not only guarantees my victory over that list of sins that Paul says “do not resuscitate”, but also lines my heart and mind up with the heart and mind of Christ. The Christian life isn’t just a matter of putting the bad behavior behind you, of having “taken off your old self with its practices,” but also a matter of “put[ting] on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (v.10). It’s remembering that you are dressed with baptismal righteousness of Christ. You are new and you are being renewed – because that’s what it means that you were raised. Some events happened in the past that triggered ongoing changes in the present.

There’s more. That past event which resulted in ongoing changes in the present also yields future results. In many of the health scenarios mentioned at the beginning of the sermon, the future results include an extended life or improved quality of life. Financially the past bankruptcy experience that triggered changes in managing finances resulted in an early retirement. 

Jesus being raised in the past and your ongoing renewal in the present promise to yield an amazing future result. Paul alluded to it: “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (v.3-4). You will appear with Christ in glory! That’s the future that is in store – a glory that you better believe will blow any worldly concept of glory or acclaim out of the water. It won’t even be close! The glory waiting for you when Jesus returns, because of what Jesus did for you and what Jesus is doing in you, will surpass everything you could ever think or imagine! 

What a great way to celebrate sixty years – by getting back to the roots of why our congregation was established in the first place.

May it also rekindle our zeal and desire to get back to the basics: proclaiming Jesus raised and Jesus still renewing, so that many more will be ready for Jesus’ returning! 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Put on My New Self

Loving Lord,
Only in and through you can I expect success in the war between my old and new self. I prayerfully and consciously strive to put down the old self and keep him in check. But just as important in winning that battle is my need to rely on your righteousness and the armor of God with which I am equipped for battle. In baptism, you covered me with your very righteousness, preparing me for a lifetime of conflict with the evil one. Grant me the daily confidence of the victory you already won against him, so that I can also stand against him and face him fearlessly. When my old self betrays me, let my new self courageously respond. Remind me that I never go into battle alone, but that you are always right there beside me, ultimately ensuring my eternal victory.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

Pray for What Pleases God

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(1 Timothy 2:1-7)

What’s the first step? Figuring that out can be the difference between getting a task or project off the ground or sitting on it for days, months, or even longer. When we focus on the scale of a project – how many different steps are involved or how long it’s going to take or the endless questions that will need to be answered or the research that needs to be done or the skills that need to be learned – we understandably get overwhelmed.

And then we shut down. And put it off. It’s too much. It’s more than I can handle. I don’t even know where to begin. 

But knowing – and then taking – that first step, is everything. Yes, hiccups will follow. Yes, things won’t go as planned and will need to be adjusted. Expect all of that. But it all seems so magically manageable once we just take that first step and get the ball rolling. Traction ensues and things get done and accomplished. 

And of course, the more serious the situation, the more important it is to address.

I went through this not too long ago when putting down flooring in the garage bathroom of the parsonage. At about the worst time, the toilet tank started to leak. After realizing the bolts were rusty and corroded, compromising the seal, I elected to turn off the water, empty the tank, and remove it. That’s when I realized the line to the tank wouldn’t shut off completely, resulting in a slow leak on the floor. After not being able to stop that leak, I shut off the main water line for the whole house. Guess what didn’t stop leaking?

I was starting to panic a little, because I couldn’t stop this slow leak, which would have eventually flooded the whole garage floor if left unchecked all night. Eventually, I removed the toilet base and directed the leaking hose directly into the toilet drain. That worked to give me peace of mind until being able to call for some additional help to come the next morning. So the more serious the situation, the more important it is to take that first step – it’s not an option to leave it undone when the stakes are high.

How high were the stakes when Paul was writing to his fellow pastor, Timothy? The first chapter spills the tea: false teaching was creeping in, and it was already having the damaging effect of leading some astray, whom Paul even mentioned by name. So putting off that matter was not an option. Something needed to be done, and done right away. The first step needed to be taken. What was it?

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (v.1-2). Prayer. “First of all,” Paul writes, pray “…for all people.” The first step in dealing with the challenges laid out in the first chapter was to pray. 

But we often do it the other way, don’t we? We act first, pray last, after we feel we’ve exhausted all other options. Think of how foolish it would be to paint a room that way. You open up the can of paint and start rolling it on and cutting in the corners. Then, after all the walls are covered with a second coat, you decide to go back and fill any holes or cracks and make any drywall repairs. Then, after you fill all the holes and cracks or make the repairs, you decide to tape off the baseboard and any light fixtures or switches. Why would you do all of that after you’ve already painted? It’s backwards.

Just like our prayer lives often are. We want to figure out what we need to do first. What’s the plan? Who needs to be involved and who needs to be talked to? What solutions do we have to come up with to figure out the problem? Then, after we do all of that, we wrap it all up with the nice bowtie prayer. After all, “all we can do now is pray,” right? Not according to Paul! Paul says that prayer should happen first of all and for all people.

Who is included in “all people?” “Kings and all those in authority” (v.2a). Or presidents – no matter the party. Or government officials – no matter the political affiliation. Or bosses – no matter the dumb policies. Or community, church, and home leaders – anyone in any capacity of authority, regardless of our own personal feelings toward or about them. All of them are to be included in our prayers, and not as a last resort, but “first of all.” 

Why? “That we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (v.2b). No, by “peaceful and quiet lives,” Paul’s concern is not that you could live the care-free life of a recluse or hermit, a life to yourself, uninterrupted by anyone else’s problems. He wasn’t urging prayers for those in authority with the goal of improving your quality of life by limiting hardship or adversity.

Rather, he urged prayers for those in authority so that their work permits peaceful living, so that we can let our light shine as Christians when we live “lives in all godliness and holiness.” Our godliness and holiness is God’s version of attraction marketing to draw people to the cross and to Christ. Our godliness and holiness is a direct reflection of him. Our godliness and holiness may be exactly what the Spirit uses to create curiosity in unbelieving onlookers. So pray for it and then produce it. You. Me. Live quiet lives in godliness and holiness. 

When you do, you stand out. That sounds odd, doesn’t it? We’re not used to standing out by being quiet and focusing on living godly, holy lives. In a world of “who can yell louder and shock more,” we fall into the trap and get sucked up into all the noise, thinking we can out-scream everyone else. We can’t. But you’ll get the attention of your neighbor or your coworker when your godly, holy living is so awkward looking to them because so few operate within any ethical or moral framework like that. You’ll stand out because you’re odd. 

And that’s part of God’s plan through prayer and producing the kinds of lives he calls us to live. It all fits in with his ultimate goal, which Paul reminds us of in the next verse. “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (v.3-4). There’s two pretty good reasons for prayer: one, it pleases God; two, it is directly tied to his desire to see all people saved.

This kind of prayer pleases God. Just stop there for a moment and ask yourself how important that is to you. In general, how much of your time and thoughts are focused on pleasing God? Do you consciously think about pleasing God? How differently would we live if more of our thoughts and words were framed by the ongoing desire to please God? Prayer pleases God. Praying for others and for those in authority pleases God. If for no other reason than that, we have more than enough reason to give more time and attention to prayer in our lives because we want to please God. 

It’s also good because it’s the game plan God put together to accomplish his goal of saving all people who come to know and believe in him. God wants everyone to be saved. Think about it. God didn’t just drum up some plan for salvation hoping that it would stick for a few people; he outlined – and then carried out – the perfect plan, a plan that would disqualify no one, a plan that would be possible for everyone, regardless of social status, intellect, or natural ability. It’s a plan entirely dependent on his work from start to finish, and he wants everyone to know about that plan of salvation and to be saved through it. And your prayers and my prayers are included in that plan. 

And don’t forget, it isn’t just your prayers that are included in that plan: so are you. You are the beneficiary of it. You know the certainty of it. You have peace through it. His desire to save all people has already played out in your life. Paul reminds us how. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (v.5-6a).

A mediator is called in to work with two parties in an effort to get what is best for each side. Jesus alone did that. He satisfied God’s justice and paid the ransom price for our sin and rebellion. He died and suffered hell. He also provided for us the holiness we could never manufacture on our own. He tore down the barricade of our sin that separated us from God. He did that for you and me. What he did for you and me, he also did “for all people.”

Paul backed up that precious truth by reminding Timothy that he was not dwelling in the realm of theory or philosophy or even prediction of what might happen, but confirming that it already had. “This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles” (v.6b-7). The ransom price paid by Jesus was witnessed. It happened.

People saw it. People testified to it. People were still testifying to it – people like Paul. And, people like Timothy, to whom Paul was writing this letter. And, people like you and me, who not only can pray first of all, but also witness, testify, herald the good news to others. When that message accompanies our lives of godliness and holiness, we’re packing a powerful one-two punch for the gospel. 

In the meantime, first things first: pray. Take that first step. Pray for what pleases the God who wants all people to be saved. 

Free From Me

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(Galatians 5:1, 13-25)

All student loans have been cancelled. Any remaining car payments have been eliminated. All remaining criminal sentences have been commuted and records have been expunged. Great news! … that is, if any of those apply to us. But if none of them do, then it’s rather ho-hum news. Freedom only matters to those who need to be freed from something.

Paul talks a lot about freedom in the verses from Galatians 5. We know that we have freedom in Christ. But, what exactly is it we are free from? He mentions not being “burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (v.1). What exactly does Paul mean? The rest of Galatians makes it clear that the good news of the gospel means we have been freed from being enslaved by the law. In other words, we don’t get to heaven by keeping the rules. That means we aren’t bound to the unattainable standard of perfection in our lives. 

We want to make sure we know why that’s such a big deal. While the relationship we believers have with God’s law is always going to be conflicted, we need to know why. It’s easy and natural for us to find relief from knowing that our salvation isn’t found by keeping the law, because we all know that’s impossible. Very few of us stay up at night wondering if we’re good enough to get to heaven. We know keeping the law doesn’t save us; Jesus does. 

But we may not have the best understanding of why. See, it isn’t the law’s fault. We don’t find relief from salvation by works so appealing because the law itself is unbearable or problematic or too strict. God’s law is perfect. We have to understand that the real reason we naturally take issue with the law is on our end. It shows who we are. It shows that we – not the law itself – are the real problem. 

It’s like the insurance adjuster assessing the status of a car after it’s been in an accident. There’s the hope that the car can be fixed, that whatever damage was done can be replaced or repaired by a mechanic and we’re back up and running in no time and on the road again. But the law doesn’t reveal that about us. Instead, it shows that we’ve been written off as a total loss, just like that car that has been totaled and is beyond repair. No, our problem isn’t God’s law; our problem is that we’re broken beyond repair. We’re the problem.

We sometimes refer to our spiritual enemies as the “unholy trinity,” referring to the threats of Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh. When Paul writes that we are free, he means we are free from being enslaved by these three enemies.

But of these three, which freedom do you appreciate the most? You might answer Satan. And indeed, he is a threat. But I wonder if that’s part of what makes him so effective. When our attention is on him, when we are concerned about the possible damage he can do to us, we let down our guard against the enemy inside us: our own sinful nature. And if we think of Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh as allies coordinating attacks against us, they don’t really care who gets the credit – they just want to see us spiritually and eternally crash and burn.

For now, let’s give our attention to the very real threat of self, which the writer of Galatians is very well qualified to address, since he demonstrated a keen awareness of this struggle. He shared it in another of his letters to the Romans, where he wrote, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:15-19). 

Why is self such a sneaky sinful threat? Let’s consider an example from the outdoors. Think about all the different kinds of bugs there are outside. Think of the bee. When a bee does its thing, you know it right away. It stings. Or a mosquito. It itches. So when you see or hear a bee or a mosquito nearby, you’re on the lookout.

Then there’s the tick. Ticks aren’t like bees and mosquitos. They don’t announce their presence. Ticks can be such a pain because you don’t even know they’re there until you spot them, and that may not happen until days later as they swell and become big enough to be seen with the naked eye. 

That’s your sinful flesh. The other stuff is easier to watch out for. Satan’s temptations. The world’s allures. We know what to watch out for. And, to some extent, because they are external temptations, we can still disassociate a bit from them. Because, while we may have a sinful desire for those things, it’s still just the desire that is the problem – not us, we convince ourselves. We’re still able to differentiate between right and wrong, and able to identify those wrong desires that we shouldn’t have, all the while still thinking pretty highly of ourselves when we succeed.

But that is exactly what Paul is warning against in these verses. Don’t believe the lie that you are basically a pretty good person who just has to wrestle with some wrong desires here and there. The truth is, you as a person are what’s wrong, and the reality is that if you ever have even a single good, right, pure, thought, it’s only because by faith, the Spirit has worked that into you. When we admit this, when we quit trying to downplay it or balk at our sinful nature, it starts to make sense why we struggle the way we do. 

It’s why marriage is so tough. When I work with couples in their marriage, do you know what the problem is 9 times out of 10? It’s the spouse. The husband or the wife lays out for me everything that is wrong with their spouse. You know what almost never happens when I’m working with couples in marriage? I can’t think of the last time a spouse wanted to talk to me because they were struggling with being the reason their marriage wasn’t better. They knew they were the problem. They knew they were selfish. Isn’t that odd? It’s a wonder any marriage works when most every spouse is convinced that their partner is the problem!

Paul provides two examples in the verses from Galatians which demonstrate we’re the problem. He warned, “But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14). Have you ever wondered why the Bible directs us to love others as ourselves? Why would that be the metric, the standard? Why not, love your neighbor as your parents, or as your spouse? Because we are in love with ourselves, that’s why! We’re experts at loving ourselves! We think the world of ourselves! That’s what the sinful flesh does: it loves – and will fiercely defend and justify – self over everything and everyone else. 

It’s why we struggle so much even to serve others unselfishly. It isn’t about how much I do or how I serve someone else; rather, it’s how in my own mind I constantly keep tabs and am comparing all of the deposits that I have made in the relationship with how infrequently the other person has made any deposits and how often they seem to make withdrawals. See, I am not serving anyone else out of love for them, but out of love for me, and as I am constantly comparing, the other person always falls short. That’s what our sinful flesh does. That’s what is always at work within us. That’s the first example. 

To see Paul’s second example, take a focused look at the laundry list of sins Paul mentioned, starting in verse 19. “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (v.19-21).

By my count, the list mentions 15 different examples. But if we take away the external temptations that include sex and alcohol, do you notice anything about the remaining ten? Each one of them is 100% a “me” issue that is entirely my fault and no one else’s. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealously, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy – there is no one to blame for each of those sins but me! In other words, while ultimately every sin we commit is our fault, two-thirds of Paul’s list is made up of sins that very directly expose my heart as the problem! You have no one to blame but yourself for the damage sin does in your life!

That’s why Paul’s struggle in Romans 7 was so frustrating for him; he knew he was the problem. And ultimately, that awareness led him to the only conclusion any of us can arrive at. Listen to the rest of his words from that section of Scripture: “So I find this law at work:  Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:21-24). There can only ever be one conclusion: thank you, Lord, for Jesus, and the deliverance he provides from myself!

And that is the freedom about which Paul is raving in these verses before us from Galatians. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free” (v.1,13). When Paul says that Christ has set us free for freedom, that freedom includes the freedom from your own selfish heart. On the cross, Jesus didn’t just pay for your sins; he introduced you to a world that is no longer governed by the dictatorship of your own selfish heart. That is true freedom – to be free from the deception of believing that my time, energy, and resources during my lifetime on earth are best utilized in service to self. That if I keep after it, eventually I will find utopia here on earth that finally has my perfectly designed life just the way I want it.

There is no such thing. It is a mirage, and the only reason I believe it is because I fall back to the lies of my own sinful flesh. Real freedom means I can stop chasing after that lie. Real freedom means so much more. 

When I understand the true freedom I have in Christ, then I also become aware that when I have an issue with serving someone, it is never truly about the other person, but about me. Because the other person has no bearing on the freedom I have in Christ. No matter how good or how horrible the other person is, my freedom allows me to find joy in the act of service.

That freedom craves the pursuit of Paul’s famous fruits of the Spirit: “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. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (v.22-25).

Look, no one would dare to claim that the acts of the sinful flesh Paul listed earlier is desirable or noble. No one. But everyone here this morning absolutely agrees that everything listed as the fruits of the Spirit are not only noble and worthy of pursuit, but a blessing to everyone anytime they are put into practice.

Dear friends, You. Have. Freedom. You are free to pursue this good and worthy fruit. You are free to put it into practice in service to your neighbor and to Jesus, no matter what. At all times. No matter the circumstances. Let us give our undivided attention to putting this fruit into practice and loving Jesus and our neighbor, since the freedom we have in Christ, the freedom from our own sinful flesh, means we have a heart that is filled up to the brim when loving our neighbor as ourself. We know what it’s like to love ourselves. But more importantly, we know how much more fulfilling it is to love our neighbor even more than ourselves. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Students Preparing for Public Ministry

Holy Spirit,
Be with the many young people at the high school, college, and seminary level of education who are studying and training to serve in the public ministry as pastors and teachers. Thank you for the encouragement and support they received to lead them down this important path. When they are discouraged or frustrated by their workload or requirements, keep in front of them the future joys that accompany the splendid privilege of bringing Jesus to others. Provide them with a variety of positive ministry experiences to spur them on and to guide them in discovering their unique gifts and preferences for ministry. When they are feeling the burden of the cost of this path of education, use your church to meet their needs, and in doing so, endear them even more to ministry. Keep them faithful and focused in their studies, so that they take the same faithful focus with them into ministry.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

The Needed Privilege of the Public Ministry

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(Luke 10:1-12, 16-20)

You never seem to have enough. Of what? While the answers may differ, none of us would have too much trouble identifying something in our lives that seems to be lacking; some area where we don’t have enough. We don’t have enough hours in the day to get it all done. We don’t have enough time together. We don’t get enough sleep. We don’t have enough money. We don’t get scheduled for enough hours at work. We don’t have enough gas, enough time off, enough rain, enough… the list goes on. We know the feeling, whether our feeling that we don’t have enough is backed by data or merely based on our perception. As ironic as it is for us who live in the country with the world’s largest economy, we’re not strangers to the feeling of not having enough,

But maybe that shouldn’t surprise us. After all, doesn’t it seem like the Lord delights in dealing with perceived deficiencies, in our not having enough? We have two very clear commands in Scripture: to trust God to provide and to be content. Each of these is put to the test when under perceived deficiencies, when it seems there isn’t enough of something. In other words, it isn’t as difficult to trust that God will provide when I have more money than I know what to do with, right? And doesn’t contentment seem to be much easier to achieve when I have plenty and am more than satisfied in every area of life? 

Therefore, when it appears that we don’t have enough of something, does God allow that to happen so frequently in our lives because, well… we’re half right? Maybe there is something we need more of?

Yes… but it isn’t what we think; instead, what we need more of is trust and turning to God. So he allows us to go without so that we look less within and more to him. Then, when we do just that, he shows himself to be the trustworthy God he has always claimed to be, delivering on his promise to provide whatever we need.

Jesus pointed to something that was lacking during his ministry, something there wasn’t enough of. What is that “something,” or better “someone”? Workers. People dedicating their lives to the work of the church, which we refer to today as the public ministry. Jesus was saying that there weren’t enough church workers in his day.

Not much has changed in over 2,000 years, has it? It appears we’re still short of workers for the harvest. We currently have around 120 pastoral vacancies and about the same number of teacher vacancies in our church body (WELS). Now, not all of those represent a single congregation without a pastor or school without a teacher; some have multiple pastors and are functioning with fewer than are ideal, as are schools short on teachers. But regardless, they are not at the full capacity they feel they need to carry out their ministry.

More important than the actual number of how short our churches and schools are is the solution to the shortfall. How would Jesus have us address this shortfall? He gives two pretty clear directives: “Ask” and “Go!”  

When you ask someone for something, it demonstrates two things. First, it shows you have been giving thought to whatever the topic of your request is. When we ask the Lord to send out workers, it demonstrates our concern for the important work of his church, the need to flood the earth with the good news of the gospel. To ask for workers shows the Lord that he and his church are on our hearts and minds. Second, it shows that we know he is the One who can do something about it. We don’t have to come up with clever gimmicks or try to make ministry appeal to others with attraction marketing. The Lord sends the workers. He just wants us to ask him.

Then immediately after the invitation to ask for workers, what does Jesus do? He sends out the seventy-two, telling them, “Go!” So when we ask, as the Lord directs us to, we also have to be open to being an answer, as the seventy-two were. If all of God’s people only ask the Lord of the harvest for workers, while at the same time avoiding any consideration of the call into ministry, there would be no workers! There would be no answers to the asking. So be open to both the asking and the answering, the praying for the workers and potentially playing the part of a worker.

Recall in the last post in this series, we had the opportunity to see what it looks like when one answers the call to go. While we focused on how undivided attention means complete commitment, we saw what that looked like in the example of Elisha. I want to return back to that incident to highlight two aspects of Elisha’s behavior that reflected that his heart was in the right place for public ministry. 

First, he cared about people. Yes, he went back to say goodbye to his parents. But he didn’t stop there. He threw a big party with a steak dinner for everyone! He cared about others and serving them – sacrificing his own plowing equipment and oxen in the process – which leads to his second ideal attribute for ministry: he trusted the Lord to provide.

I don’t know about you, but if I was asked out of the blue to make a big life change like that, facing all kinds of uncertainties, one thing I would want to make sure of is that I had enough in my piggy bank to ride out the rough times. Couldn’t Elisha have sold the plowing equipment and oxen and at least had a little financial cushion in his pockets as he went on his way into the unknown? Instead, Elisha made a clean break from that chapter of his life and followed God’s call, completely trusting that God would provide for him. He cared for people and he trusted in God’s providence. 

It has been my own personal experience that God often uses the one to deliver on the other. It shouldn’t just be on anniversaries or special occasions that a pastor gets to express his gratitude, so I am grateful for the care my congregation provides for my family and me. We have been blessed through our congregation’s generosity our whole time serving at Shepherd of the Hills. A pastor gets to take care of God’s people, and God uses his people to take care of their pastor. It really is a beautiful thing, and it’s right in line with the words Jesus spoke this morning. 

That kind of care allows the called worker to keep the main thing the main thing. Jesus made sure the seventy-two didn’t lose sight of that upon their return. “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name’” (v.17). They were like the kid in the world of superheroes who just figured out his superpower – only this wasn’t made up; this was real power they had been given to even put demons in their place!

Jesus then validated their abilities, reminding them that demons were real, in service to the very real Satan whom Jesus himself had seen “fall like lightning from heaven” (v.18). Then, Jesus raised the bar and foreshadowed more of the amazing abilities he would give them as they served in his name, along with the promise of safekeeping. “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (v.19). 

Yet even in light of all this power and authority they would be wielding as they went out with the Word, none of it was to be the ultimate source of their joy. That ALWAYS must find its foundation elsewhere. Jesus made it clear where. “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (v.20).

I can also relate to Jesus’ final words in these verses. Do you what I love about getting to be a pastor? My name is written in heaven. Is it written in heaven because I’m a pastor? Is God somehow especially pleased that I chose this path over any other? Of course not. He is no more pleased with this path than he is with the faithful gas station clerk. One is not better in his eyes.

But, every single day I get to spend time in the Word, and it reminds me that my name is written in heaven. And no, one doesn’t have to be a pastor to spend time in the Word every day to find that out. But it is just one of the many perks of the job that you take home a paycheck for reading the Bible, teaching the Bible, preaching the Bible, and studying the Bible with others. It’s a sweet gig!

I began this post by pointing out how often we don’t seem to have enough. But I have to conclude with the reminder that God also promises to provide more than we can even ask for. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). Do you suppose this promise is limited to any one area of life, or could it be applied to workers for the harvest, too? Is God able to fill all of the current vacancies in our church body with pastors and teachers? Could he exceed that by providing even more than necessary?

Yes, in fact that was the case when I graduated from the Seminary. In contrast to not having enough pastors at that time, the concern was about not having enough spots for all the soon-to-be pastors. This need prompted the class ahead of me to come up with a plan for tent ministry, or bi-vocational ministry. While that class didn’t end up needing to utilize that plan, as all of the graduates were assigned to pastor congregations, my class did have an opportunity. And in fact, I was one of the two graduates assigned to a tent ministry mission field in Tucson, AZ. That is where I served for three years prior to arriving at Shepherd of the Hills.

So yes, God can provide more workers that we can imagine. Yet, rather than thinking in terms of shortages or surpluses, let’s simply be confident that the Lord will provide exactly what is needed. “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Rest assured, this applies to called workers, too.

In fact, that is exactly what Jesus promises regarding the plentiful harvest and few workers, when he invites us to pray, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2). From our vantage point, it appears we’re short on workers, we don’t appear to have enough of something. So what do we do? Turn to God in prayer. Ask. And, while asking, consider the ways we can also go and be an answer to that prayer. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Worship to Spur on Ministry

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Use your Word and worship today to equip your people to carry out the mission of your church. Let worship serve to remind believers about the unique role the church serves in both growing and going. As we carry out our calling together, we use the same gospel to grow in our faith and to go bring others to faith. While your Holy Spirit does all the heavy lifting of converting souls and nurturing spiritual growth, he does that important work through us.

Since you send pastors and teachers to help prioritize that work and equip and train believers for it, lead many more to choose the path of public ministry so that our congregations and classrooms are not lacking in manpower. Raise up around them zealous disciples who are eager to work together in ministry and give focused attention to your mission of growing and going. Spur on your people all over the world to embrace the joyful privilege of ministry, to be faithful and diligent in carrying it out, and to fully trust in you for the results. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

Complete Commitment

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(1 Kings 19:19-21)

Recently I was listening to someone explain what a headache they had been enduring because of recent flooding inside their house. There’s a lot of different types of damage that flooding can cause! Certain personal belongings can be damaged beyond repair. The concern of mold is very real. The challenges of dealing with contractors’ availability and scheduling them to get the work done is a hassle.

But by far the biggest issue in this case was the matter of insurance. Unfortunately, as it turned out, they had been in their home for some time, but as the value of the home increased over the years, the level of their coverage had not increased along with it. So not only were they dealing with the flooding issues, but also the financial woes of being able to cover all of the expenses when their insurance wasn’t current and complete. Whether it’s home, auto, or life insurance, we want to make sure that whatever coverage we have is complete, so we that aren’t lacking anything if the need comes to utilize it. 

While I’m not writing to sell you insurance, I am writing to remind you that God is looking for something else that is not partial or lacking, but complete: complete commitment to him. The interaction Jesus had with several potential followers in Luke 9 showcased what incomplete commitment looked like. “As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:57-62).

That is the opposite of this current series theme, “Undivided Attention.” That is what divided attention looks like. That is also what incomplete commitment looks like. It essentially says, “Yes, Lord, I am very interested in following you… as long as it’s OK that you are good with playing second fiddle, because honestly, it’s not always convenient, and I’m always going to have other things to do that will have to come first. But if that’s OK with you, then I’m on board with following you after I get all of the other stuff done.” That’s not complete commitment.

So what does complete commitment look like? There is quite a remarkable incident recorded for us in 1 Kings 19. Outside of the writings of other notable prophets in the Old Testament, Elijah’s ministry and miracles make him the most prominent prophet. In fact, many of those amazing miracles are recorded in the verses and chapters preceding these verses from 1 Kings. They tell of the widow at Zarapheth and raising her son from the dead. We ascend Mt. Carmel with Elijah, where God utterly embarrassed the prophets of Baal in an unforgettably epic showdown. And we see God using one of the creatures of his creation to feed Elijah in an unprecedented way. From there, God directed Elijah to appoint his successor, Elisha, to begin mentoring him for his own prophetic ministry. 

The manner in which he did it seemed rather… ordinary. Elisha was out farming the fields, when suddenly “Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him” (1 Kings 19:19c). That was the equivalent of our practice or ordaining a seminary graduate into the pastoral ministry. At that service, the pastor-elect is installed and, for the first time, receives his stole, the colorful strip of fabric around a pastor’s neck, which is symbolic of being yoked to Jesus and his words in his ministry. In Elijah’s day, instead of a stole, his cloak was a symbol of the Spirit’s power being on him, and he was now designating Elisha to receive that power and privilege.

What happens next sounds an awful lot like what I referenced in Luke 9 earlier in this post. “Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” (v.20). Wait a minute. Why wasn’t Elisha’s request met with the same sort of rebuke Jesus issued to his potential followers? We might expect almost an identical response to what Jesus gave: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9: 62). Not only was Elisha making the exact same request to say goodbye to his family, but it was even more appropriate, given that Elisha was literally driving a plow! So why no rebuke?

Because of what happened next.

“So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant” (1 Kings 19:21). Elisha wasn’t distracted; he was determined. His attentions weren’t divided; he was devoted. And he showed it by cutting ties with family, friends, and his soon-to-be former farming way of life. His commitment was complete. 

That kind of response from Elijah to God’s calling may lead you to think of another well-known decision in history. In 1519, Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez eventually landed in Mexico. Once he and his crew had disembarked, he famously directed them to burn all of the ships in their fleet. At that point, there was no going back; there was no returning. They were committed to their commission to explore and find wealth, glory, and fame. Regardless of how questionable the actions of Cortez were from that point after, no one could question his commitment. It was complete. 

Is yours? When it comes to your calling for complete commitment to Christ, does your commitment measure up? I’ll answer for you, because I know that everyone, including myself, can only respond to that question in one way: absolutely not. Our commitment to Christ is far from complete. It ranges anywhere from curious investigator to actively engaged church member, but no matter where we fall in that range, it’s all a far cry from complete commitment. 

How do we know? You be the judge: what kind of criteria would you expect of a Christian who claims to be committed? Is a believer who only once in a blue moon brings up Jesus in conversations outside of church committed? Is a follower of Jesus whose words and actions in daily life rarely reflect the words and actions of Jesus committed? Is a Christian who hasn’t supported the gospel ministry of Jesus’ church with so much as a dime for years committed? Is the child of God who hasn’t been in the house of God for over twelve months committed? Is the one quick to claim the title of Christian who never has time for Christ really committed?

When these questions are raised, they may cause us to dig in our heels and quickly point out that only God can judge hearts, not us. That is 100% true! But sadly, we don’t have to judge hearts when a person’s words and actions plainly reveal so much… or so little. It isn’t difficult to see when a believer’s fruits are so spoiled or sorely lacking.

There is another reason that God is concerned about our commitment to him. He knows that a lack of commitment to him is not just a lack of commitment to him; it’s also a deeper, increasing commitment to whatever it is we think is more worthy of our time than Christ. And what do you think happens over time as our indifference toward Christ coincides with more time, energy, and resources going toward whatever it is that is keeping us from him? That thing, that person, that priority WILL eventually be treasured more in our heart. And if nothing changes, it WILL completely crowd out Christ. Then we will finally have what we’re after: complete commitment – to unbelief and its final destination: hell.

Do you understand how much Jesus doesn’t want that for anyone? Do you have any idea? Can you comprehend the level of commitment he showed, sacrificing not just himself on the cross – for this we know so well and too quickly gloss over – but also the lifestyle sacrifices he made. Jesus didn’t have his own bed or place to live during his ministry, so there were no visions of dream homes or remodels that he had to busy himself with. He didn’t care about having the nicest ride on the block, whatever that might have been. He didn’t throw himself tirelessly into chasing friendships or looking for that special someone. He wasn’t interested in keeping up with the Joneses or making sure he didn’t miss the latest show everyone’s talking about. He didn’t concern himself with where he was going to go out to eat each night. He didn’t have kids to idolize.

Instead, Jesus, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:2-3). Jesus’ attention was undivided. Jesus’ commitment was complete. He was singularly focused on carrying out every last detail of our salvation. Why? Because he knew the price that had to be paid for uncommitted followers to ever have a place in heaven. He didn’t just know the price; he paid it. Completely. 

So be at peace, for our incomplete commitment is overshadowed by our Savior’s perfectly complete commitment in every single detail and nuance of his entire life. And not just in words and actions, but even in his thoughts and emotions! His commitment to his Father and to holy obedience to his calling provides everything that is lacking in each of us individually. And his commitment to us fans into flame our desire to level up our commitment to him. What does that look like? 

Here’s a question for you to wrestle with: is your level of commitment not where it should be because of other distractions in your life that get in the way, or do the other distractions get in the way because your level of commitment is not where it should be? Get to the bottom of that question, while embracing your Savior’s complete commitment to you, and you’ll be on the right path toward a deeper commitment to Christ.