Tag: return

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Embrace the Gift of Repentance

Faithful Jesus,
Repentance is one of those religious words that has gotten a negative reputation. To some degree, that reputation is understandable, as repentance includes taking a good look at ourselves and owning up to our shortcomings and sin. However, such a reputation may also stem from too many billboard, picket, and sandwich signs that have framed repentance as a term of hate-filled hellfire and brimstone. 

Help me to see repentance for what it truly is, Lord: an invitation to find rest in your work without insisting on my own. My natural way is to pick the path of my own choosing that I think serves me best rather than relying on your rest. But any path I choose on my own only takes me further away from you. 

Your gift of repentance opens my eyes to see the need to turn off my own path and follow you, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Since sin continually entices me to step off your path, I daily need – and want – to repent and return back to you as often as necessary. I can be confident of the same response on your part every single time I repent: when I return to you, you promise to return to me. In fact by faith, I see that you never turned away from me in the first place, and never will.  

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

God Gives Return Gifts

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(Malachi 3:1-7b)

It’s good business for retailers to have a good return policy, since anywhere from 15% to one-third of Christmas gifts are returned. However, since those returns also amount to hundreds of billions of dollars in purchases needing to be refunded in, one might think retailers would make returns difficult or at least very inconvenient for shoppers. But one reason it pays for retailers to have a good return policy is that shoppers are more likely to buy from them in the first place. In other words, when purchasing gifts for others, if a retailer doesn’t have an easy or favorable return policy, shoppers are less likely to buy from them and will take their business elsewhere. Another reason to have a favorable return policy is that those returning gifts to the store from which it was purchased are more likely to spend their refund – and perhaps a little more – in that same store. So it bodes well for retailers to have good return policies. But shops and stores aren’t the only ones focused on handling returns; so was the prophet Malachi.

Malachi’s whole message is all about returns. While he isn’t the most well-known prophet in the Old Testament, Malachi does have the distinction of being the last one recorded. After the book of Malachi, the Lord silenced his notifications for about 400 years until Jesus’ birth, after which point the Holy Spirit picks up pen again through the New Testament Evangelists and writers and resumes recording the truths of his Word for us again.

Malachi served long after the era of patriarchs and kings in Israel. He was a messenger to the Israelites who had returned from their exile in Babylon. But, since things weren’t as magical as the Israelites expected them to be once back home, they took issue with God. The message recorded for us in Malachi is a back and forth between God and the Israelites, with their complaints directed at God, and God’s response, which essentially amounted to, “You are no different from your ancestors; you are the problem, not me. Return to me and I will return to you.”

He isn’t talking about returning gifts after Christmas, though. He’s got more important returns on his mind, and wants to make sure that God’s people do, too. So what are the returns Malachi mentions?

The Lord’s messenger will return.

The Lord himself will return.

The Lord’s people are called to return. A real Christmas is all about the returns.

The Lord’s Messenger Returns

The first return will be of the Lord’s messenger. “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me” (Malachi 3:1a). About whom was Malachi speaking? He is none other than John the Baptist. But wait. Why do we speak of John the Baptist’s arrival on the scene as a “return”? Because Malachi pictures him metaphorically as Elijah, one of God’s well-known and respected past prophets who lived and served in the past during the time of Israel’s monarchy. In one of the final verses of the whole Old Testament, picturing the arrival of John the Baptist, Malachi writes, “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes” (Malachi 4:5).

John the Baptist, the second Elijah, returned for a very specific purpose: to prepare the way. In the Christian Church year, the Second Sunday in Advent always focuses our attention on the messenger who came to prepare the way for someone greater. That was John’s role, he was well aware of it, and he carried it out faithfully. Another prophet, Isaiah, foreshadowed John’s work by illustrating the type of preparatory work that would need to take place in hearts to be ready for the Savior (cf. Isaiah 40:3-5).

The Lord Returns

Through John the Baptist, God prepared his people for another return: his own.“Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?” (Malachi 3:1b-2b).”  This “return,” so to speak, from Malachi’s perspective, looked ahead to two fulfillments: Jesus’ first coming and his return on the Last Day. 

While we spend a significant part of our lives in anticipation of our Christmas celebration each year, we are celebrating an event that already took place 2000+ years ago. God already came into our world in the flesh when Jesus was born. Malachi, along with so many other messengers in the Old Testament, looked ahead to that day, but we look back on it. For them it was an anticipation of a future event to come. 

In that regard, we can relate to the anticipation of a future event to come when we speak of Jesus’ return on the Last Day. Just as Malachi’s audience in his day understood his words to speak of a coming event, so we see his words also referring to a coming day, when on that Last Day he appears again for judgment, and the question is asked, “Who can stand?”

When Jesus returns on the Last Day, it will be as a judge, and he is right to ask “Who can stand,” based on the evidence stacked against the Israelites. Malachi exposes them. “‘So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them’” (Malachi 3:5, 7a).

Indeed, who can stand before the Lord with all that evidence stacked against them? Here is the good news. That day of Jesus’ second and final return, Judgment Day, even with all the sin stacked against mankind, will not be be a day of dread for those who by faith receive the work Jesus did when he came the first time. 

Malachi described that work, too, using pictures to illustrate why the Lord would have to return to his people and the work he would come to do in Jesus Christ. “For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years” (Malachi 3:2c-4).

Jesus came first to refine and purify, to wash away sins and make us presentable before God. Now we can stand! Jesus came to bring the righteousness we needed and to remove the sins we didn’t. Since we have been made holy by faith in Jesus, we have nothing to fear when thinking about standing before the Lord at his Second Return.

That day will be radically different from his first coming, where joy was initially confined to a local hillside among a group of shepherds on a hillside and an angel chorus. The whole world will be the audience when Jesus returns, and the outcome for all people at that return will be entirely dependent upon what each individual believes about Jesus’ first coming at Christmas, and his perfect life, death, and resurrection that follows. 

But until that day, here we stand, sandwiched in the middle. In the past, the Lord returned to his people when Jesus was born into this world on Christmas. In the future, Jesus will return on the Last Day. How do we spend our days in the meantime? The same way. By returning. Returning back to God. 

Our Returns

Why is that such a priority? Because Satan and sin do not take days off. They do not stop doing everything possible to turn you away from God permanently. We already saw the evidence Malachi presented in verse five, but when we read through a list like this, it might be natural for us to presume it’s referring to someone else – those wayward Israelites. But we must know better, right? It’s not an exhaustive list – there could have been many more sins included.

If Malachi was alive today, his warning to us would read a bit differently. “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against, drunkards, greedy shopaholics, sex/pornography addicts, lovers of violence, foul & filthy language, worshippers of sports, celebrity idolators, etc.” He would name different sins, but the sin doesn’t matter – it all does the same damage, trying to gain the upper hand and lead us off the path of righteousness along the path of selfishness that leads to permanent separation from God. 

So Malachi’s message then, along with the other OT prophets, along with John the Baptist, along with any Jesus-loving, Bible-treasuring believer today, is the same: return. For example, listen to just one other Old Testament prophet,  Hosea. “Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses. We will never again say ‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.” Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them” (Hosea 14:1-3,9). Return to God. As often as it takes, return. Get back on track and don’t step too freely and frequently on that other path so that it becomes comfortable. Return to grace, return to goodness, return to God. 

That’s really just another way of saying “repent.” We often think of repentance as being a call to get our act together and stop sinning so that we can somehow make ourselves presentable before God, and that he’ll will be happy with us as a result.

But if we know the gospel, then we know that God’s happiness with us isn’t based on our repentance or lack thereof; it’s based entirely on what Jesus already did for us. So we don’t return to God in hopes of winning his affections; we return to God because we already have God’s affection. And don’t let sin and Satan fool you – they cannot ever offer you anything better than what you already have with God because of Jesus Christ. 

God says to you through Malachi, “Return to me, and I will return to you” (v.7b). Is there a better gift than that permanent promise? God’s returns are the best gifts. He returns his messengers to us as often as we need to hear their message. He himself will return on the Last Day to make all things new. And in the meantime he give us the gift of returning to him through repentance, and attaches to it his promise to never turn away from us when we do. 

When it comes to your Christmas gifts this year, hang on the ones you like. Return the ones you don’t. It doesn’t really matter. But what does matter is that you don’t miss out on the best return gift of coming back to God again and again. That’s his gift to you, and it’s the key to A Real Christmas. 

Live While Watchfully Waiting

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(Mark 13:26-37)

While it may make the productivity proponents among us cringe to hear it, there are areas of life in which complacency or indifference isn’t really the end of the world. Deciding where to eat on date night is not a life or death decision – food will be consumed regardless of where it will be. This or that color of paint on the wall will not result in visitors black-listing your home due to poor color choices. The dirty dishes washed before bed or first thing in the morning are still getting washed. It’s pretty harmless to be indifferent or complacent about these kinds of things. 

But that same approach doesn’t work if you’re planning a trip when there are only so many flights on the date or around the time you need to travel. Complacency may result in pretty significant changes to your travel plans or itinerary. The same attitude about a job opening could easily result in someone else jumping on it and getting hired before you. Indifference toward your retirement plans may find you without any actual plan when the time comes, leaving you working right up until the day you die. So there are also areas in life when being indifferent or complacent can leave you reeling.  

If you’re picking up what Jesus is laying down in these verses from Mark 13, one of the areas of life where indifference is not an option is being ready for Jesus’ return on the Last Day. Yes, some of you have been hearing this type of warning for as long as you can remember, having grown up in the church and being used to the ongoing warnings to make sure you’re ready for the last day when Jesus returns. With each passing year, and then decade, it becomes easier and easier to tune out, because Jesus still hasn’t returned.

Of course, this underscores precisely why Jesus gives the warning! He knows that the more time passes as he is patiently waiting for more of the spiritual lost to come to repentance, the more inclined we are toward indifference. So all the more reason – not less – for us to heed his warning. We do well to listen to his words: “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (v. 37). The time is coming when Jesus will return, so let us live while watchfully waiting.

To highlight the immanence of Jesus’ return, he gives us a botany lesson. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door” (v.28-29). Jesus could well have used any other type of tree or plant to make his point. When you pay attention to the stages of growth, they indicate what is coming next. A sprout that sports leaves is maturing. A fruit tree that buds is going to blossom, and after it blossoms it’s getting ready to bear fruit. We can see what’s coming next by paying attention to what the signs are showing us right now.

So it is with Jesus’ return. Since he has provided numerous signs that would precede his return on the Last Day, and we’ve seen and continue seeing those signs take place, his return is immanent. So what does it look like for us to live while watchfully waiting in the meantime? It involves working wisely. Working wisely includes 1) focusing on what lasts, 2) guarding against what doesn’t, and 3) staying on task. 

Focus on what lasts

Jesus basically covers one and two with a contrasting statement. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (v.31). Did you catch what lasts from Jesus’ words? Do you see what is never a waste of our time to focus on? If Jesus’ words will never pass away, doesn’t it make sense that they would receive much of our attention?

Not only will his words never waste away, but their power will always be present for us to take advantage of. When your sin’s guilt, shame, and embarrassment have had their way with you and you can’t shake them no matter how hard you try to make it right, turn to the words that will never pass away. The prophet Isaiah provides a beautiful example of such words: “But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail” (Isaiah 51:6).

Do those words from Isaiah help you appreciate why one of the best questions you can ask yourself when facing nearly and struggle is, “What has my time with Jesus in his Word been looking like?” If Jesus’ words will never pass away, and his words point us to who we are and what we have in him because of what he has done for us, why would we possibly start anywhere else? Rather than working backwards through a process of elimination after trying everything else that hasn’t worked and then finally turning to the Word, let me provide you with a helpful cheat code: start with the Word! Start with the powerful words that will never pass away. Focus on what lasts.

Guard against what doesn’t

That Word, which will never pass away, is unlike everything else. “Heaven and earth will pass away…” (v.31). Working wisely isn’t just focusing on what lasts, but also guarding against what doesn’t. To do that successfully, we have to be really honest with ourselves about what so easily gets our attention.

Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to do just that. As loved ones gather together and at some point take the time to share what they’re thankful for, take note of how many of the blessings mentioned are physical, temporal blessings that fall under the “will pass away” category. Now, it’s never wrong to be grateful for those things at all! However, when our expressions of gratitude default to what passes away rather than what will never pass away, that may be an indicator of some priorities that need adjusting.

Moreover, if we conclude that an unbalanced and unhealthy focus on what is passing away isn’t really that big a deal, then we have really failed to capture the tone of Jesus’ whole teaching here. For what else does Jesus have in mind by his repetition of warnings like “Be on guard! Be alert” (v.33) and “keep watch” (v.34 & 35) and “do not let him find you sleeping” (v.36) and “Watch!” (v.37)?

Warnings aren’t issued when nothing could go wrong. No one says, “Watch out, your grandkid is coming in for a big hug!” or “Be alert, someone is about to give you a gift!” Warnings are issued when there is potential danger or risk involved. Jesus’ warning is to guard against attachments to and distractions from the “heaven and earth” stuff that is on its way out. So while we’re focusing on what lasts, it’s equally important that we’re guarding against what doesn’t. 

Stay on task

To help us in both of these areas, working wisely also includes staying on task. Jesus compared our watchful waiting to a man leaving his servants in charge while going away for a time. “It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch” (v.34). His absence doesn’t mean an extended break or vacation for his servants; quite the opposite! Instead, they were to take care of things, “each with their assigned task.” You, Christian, have been assigned tasks to tend to until Jesus returns. 

That is to say, the Christian life is not one of spiritual unemployment. When Jesus paid a dear price for you, you were brought into God’s family by his grace. You were hired not for your qualifications, and not because you deserved some amazing compensation package, but by grace. And by grace you were paid salvation and eternity up front. They’ve already been credited to your account. We are saved by grace, not by works

But we are saved for works. As Christians, we are not sluggards. We are not slouches. Just because we don’t run ourselves ragged like much of the world busying itself with chasing after what will pass away doesn’t mean we check out and sit on our thumbs all day. Quite the opposite!

We have every reason to work harder than anyone else who only has this world to live for! Your work matters because you are the lips and the ears of Jesus, you are his hands and feet. You are how he gets his work done in this passing world, so work as hard as you can for him before the owner of the house returns on the Last Day.

Christians often assume the most important work they can do is the work within the church. To be sure, that work matters, too. To have leaders to keep us all moving in the right direction, to manage our finances and pay our bills, to teach in our classrooms, to edify our worship with their musical and creative gifts, to roll out the welcome mats every Sunday, to manage the kitchen and meals, by greeting, by handiwork, through overseeing technology, coordinating events, facilitating Bible studies, etc. Yes, all of this and so much more is essential to the health and growth of any congregation, not just numerically, but more importantly, spiritually. This is all certainly included in the “assigned task(s)” of working wisely. 

Let’s widen our field of view, though. Let’s realize that each of us also has more than our share of assigned tasks to carry out for the kingdom right where we are in our own little station in life. When you clock in at work, you do so as a Christian, so let that be clearly known to others as the light of your faith shines so brightly that it cannot be ignored. As a student, you carry out the assigned task God has given you by studying hard, participating in class, and helping to encourage your classmates and show respect to your teachers whenever possible. As a parent, you have more influence on your child’s spiritual growth than any pastor or teacher ever will have, so carry out your assigned task with intention, highlighting Jesus daily. As a friend, you carry out your assigned task to others by listening patiently, speaking the truth in love, and being deliberate about drawing others – believers and nonbelievers – closer to Jesus. There is no shortage of work to be done ahead of Jesus’ return, so let’s make sure we stay on task.

“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” (v.26).

Imagine, for a moment, just how amazing that day will be. Our Savior, arriving once again on the scene, visible for all to see, without question will be the single most spectacular event the world will ever get to witness. And all of that glorious display and all of that fanfare will be… for you.

Knowing all of that is coming, and knowing how supremely superior your eternity will be from that point on, what place does complacency have in our lives? There’s far too much to live for right now as we watchfully wait, so let’s make as much of a difference as we can with the time we have left by working wisely.

Focus on what lasts.

Guard against what doesn’t.

Stay on task. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Those Returning to Worship

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. Thank you for freedom and opportunity we have to worship each week, and for moving so many of your people to gather together for this special purpose. What a blessing it is! 

Today I pray for those returning to worship who haven’t attended for some length of time. Whatever reason is behind it, I am grateful that you used it to prompt their return. Setting foot in a church after an extended absence is no small thing, as the lengthy time away allows fearful or anxious thoughts to build up in people’s minds. Let those who notice their return respond positively and make an effort to welcome them without judgment. As the father rejoiced at the return of his prodigal son, may your people respond with rejoicing, too. Use your Word to speak what their heart needs to hear so that their return is a celebration of their long-term reconnection and reengagement with their church family.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.