This is one of the most important, yet easily overlooked, commandments that Paul gave. It is crucial that we abhor what is evil. Paul leaves us no doubt as to what our relationship to evil is. It is not a vague discomfort. It is not a slight dislike. It is most definitely not a flirtation. It is an absolute abhorrence. Evil has no place in the life of a Christian. We are to be holy as God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). Sin is repugnant to God. It should be the same for us. Read the rest of this entry »

Romans 5:3

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;

     “It will build character,” are some of the most feared words a child can hear from their parents. Usually when parents are telling their kids that an activity will build character, it means hard work and little fun. The child wants to go and play games or watch television. Those things are enjoyable. Tasks associated with character building, yard work or house work, are often viewed in a less favorable light. Yet the parents understand that such chores are valuable for a child, because it will indeed the them about hard work and discipline.

     Paul uses this same reasoning for why we have tribulations. He states, oddly enough, that Christians are to exult in their tribulation, and then he gives his reasoning for this. Most people do not view tribulation as a good time, but Paul’s perspective is different. He says in the following verse that after trials build endurance, they build character, and finally hope. Ironically, Paul takes the position of a parent here. He tells the Christians that they should be thankful for tribulations because, well, it builds character.

     Tribulations refine us and make us stronger, if we take advantage of them as we should. Most character changes happen in time of great difficulty. When everything is okay, most people do not see the need to mess with the status quo. In tribulations, we learn the patience that we need to have good character. This is indeed a great blessing, because as our character goes stronger, we know that we will grow closer to God. This assures us a place in His heavenly abode. That is the hope that we receive if we will build our character. A Christian can rejoice when trials fall upon him because any trial that he faces can be used to make him a better servant for the Lord.

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;

1 Corinthians 3:4

For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?

In our lives, we will be in constant need of teachers. There are many difficult passages in the Bible that need further illumination in our studies. Even the oldest Bible student will still tell you there is much that they do not know. Even if we did not need guidance on what the Bible said, we still need help at times understanding the application. How the Bible impacts our day to day decisions is not always easily seen. Direction from another is always helpful.

We should be thankful that the Lord provided us with a church that was created for the purpose of giving us such help. It is not always from the same person, but there are those who can help us when we struggle with a lack of understanding. However, this does not reduce our responsibility in learning. We cannot allow ourselves to blindly follow what other people say. We must always remember that we are of only one person, and that person is Christ.

When we go to others for help with God’s word and with our lives, we need to follow the example of the Bereans. When they heard Paul preach, they studied the scriptures daily to make sure that what he taught was true. They made sure that he was not misleading them. Their faith and spiritual life were too important to leave to someone else. We need to follow that same attitude. We need to make our faith our own. We need to be able to understand why we act in a certain way, rather than just listen to what someone else advises. We each will be held accountable for our own actions, so we need to take personal responsibility for our actions that they are what God desires.

For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?

Mark 1:35

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

     A look at our society today in America shows that we are a bag of contradictions. One of the most amazing ones to me is how we have so many things that are faster now, and yet the faster things go the less time we have. We have fast food, we have microwaveable dinners, and even pre-made easy to cook meals. All of these things are meant to make life easier and more efficient. The preparing and cooking a meal can be cut down from the couple of hours of yesteryear to as quickly as even five minutes. You would think that this gives us more free time. And yet, with the convenience we find ourselves having more we can do and thus more we feel obligated to do.

     The problem with our society being so busy is that many times people do not take time to be with God. To be a Christian requires true devotion. Take Jesus for example. If there was anyone who could do without the spiritual blessings that accompany prayer (stronger faith, etc.) it would be Jesus. He was God after all. And yet here we see that he takes away from His busy schedule of healing and teaching to go and spend time with God. We need to share a similar devotion ourselves. If Jesus needed prayer, we need it more so.

     Often times we claim that we are too busy to make time to pray or study. Yet that excuse shows us where our priorities lie. If there is something really important in our lives, we schedule time for it in advance. We need to do the same with our time with God. Time with God is vital to living a strong Christian life. It is also important to help make the relationship grow. Even Jesus understood that. What better excuse could there be to not go out to pray but to say, “Look I healed people and taught them about God, thought should suffice as my spirituality for today.” Instead He understood that His time with His father was more important than those other things. We too should understand this lesson for our lives today.

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

1 Corinthians 13:11

When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul brings up the very natural process of growing. One aspect of that is that a child does certain things that are not acceptable as the reach maturity. They have much more leeway in their speech, their attitudes, their shedding of clothes and the like. We understand that as a child that they do not understand the norms of society and that they have to learn the proper behavior for a given situation. Even if they may know it, it still takes time for them to memorize, recall and apply what it is they need to do.

While this is not Paul’s main point in 1 Corinthians, I do think that it has a application in our Christian walk. His observation about the changes that come about with time for our physical lives also apply to our spiritual lives.  When we are first baptized, we are new babes in Christ, just recently born. It takes time for us to learn the new norms and laws that God has provided for us. Even after our conversion there are times where we learn that we are babes in other areas. When we run into a problem we do not know how to handle, it may make us realize that we are still inexperienced in some ways. We are still children needing to learn how to act.

While at first it may be discouraging to think of ourselves as “children” in Christ, there is also hope. God understands that we are children sometimes, that we may not yet have all the answers. And even if we know the answers, He also realizes that it may take us a while to actually put into every day practice. Sometimes we may expect too much of ourselves, that we need to have all wisdom and understand as well as perfect actions. While we should continually strive for these things, we must also understand that there is a learning curve involved. If we fail we must not give up, but increase our diligence in learning the lessons needed.

When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

2 Peter 3:18

but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen

At church one night, my six year old cousin came up to me exclaimed about his new tooth. He was very excited to show it off. For him it was a sign of growth and maturing, and of course it did not hurt that he knew the tooth fairy would be visiting him soon. However, the growing of a tooth, while exciting, can also be a bit difficult for a young child. Sometimes it is uncomfortable or even hurts. The entire process seems odd, the idea of being able to wiggle a tooth. Yet it is a part of the natural process of growing up. It is necessary for the tooth to fall out so that the new and improved one may grow in.

This process is not that far removed from our own spiritual growth. Peter tells us that we need to grow in our grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. To do this may cause discomfort of even pain in our lives. It seems odd that God would ask us to do the things that he does. We do not understand our need for change. We are comfortable the way it is, and we do not like the discomfort of becoming the new man that God desires us to be. Yet it is important that we do so because it is necessary for us to remove old parts of our life to make room for the new and improved man that God expects us to be.

However, we need not view this as a negative process. Change, while at times uncomfortable, can be an important marker for us. My cousin was exhilarated about his new tooth because it  should  his maturing and it came with rewards. While our removing of old ways from our life may be painful or difficult, we can also find that there are ways to take joy in. We can rejoice that the awkwardness is a precursor to greater things. We can look forward to the spiritual rewards that growing up in Christ brings. And we can use it as a guidepost. We can be excited to see that we are indeed growing up in the Lord. After all, that is what we should be desiring, so it should bring us great joy to see that we are meeting our desire.

but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen