Even if you don’t have siblings, you have certainly heard siblings fight. It’s such a common theme. And when a parent scolds a son for hitting his brother, the response is most likely, “He hit me first!” As if that somehow makes it acceptable. But that’s the way we humans in this fallen world think. Retaliation and revenge and justification are a way of life.
In God’s kingdom, things should be very different amongst His children. But also kind of the same. Instead of retaliating the bad, we are told to retaliate with the good. Love begets love. God loves me and fills me up with so much love that I turn around and love my neighbor who turns around and loves his neighbors and so on.
When someone asks me where my love comes from — why do I give generously of my time and money, why do I not fight back in kind when wronged, why do I give a “bad” person a 2nd, 3rd, 4th chance — my answer can be to point to God and say, “He loved me first.”
Dear God,
Thank you so much for loving me so thoroughly when I absolutely did not deserve it. Help me to love this way too so that people notice, and I can point to you as the source of all love. I’m sorry for the many times when I fail and resort to human reactions and retaliations. Forgive me and teach me to represent you better.
Holding hands is an interesting phenomenon. It can be a comfort or a show of affection or a protective act or even used for control, depending on who is holding whose hand. And it’s an intimate gesture. As adults, it is reserved for lovers, at least in the United States. In other parts of the world it can just be a simple affection that two good friends enjoy. If a parent is holding the hand of a child, this can be for comfort, protection, and control all at once. For example, as a mother and young daughter approach a busy intersection, the daughter may grab the mom’s hand for comfort. The mom may grab the daughter’s hand for protection and control since she knows the girl doesn’t know the rules of when to cross and where to look. And even if she did, she isn’t savvy enough to be aware that sometimes people speed through red lights.
In today’s verse God’s hand is providing all those good things.
He is showing me that He loves me. God knows me and pays attention to me and cares about my circumstances. He doesn’t want me to be afraid to step confidently into His purpose for me. So He reaches down to hold my hand.
He is comforting me. Knowing God is holding my hand means I know He is right here beside me. He is not far away. He is so very close. I can grab His hand at any time.
He is protecting me. By either holding me back or pulling me forward, God keeps me safe. God knows where all the danger is. If I keep holding His hand, He will lead me to places He knows are good. And He will stop me from strolling into the wrong place at the wrong time.
He is controlling me. Controlling isn’t really the right word because it has all’s sorts of negative connotations. But did you notice that God is holding my right hand? There are some cultural ideas about that, but to me, as a right-handed person, this is a sign that He wants to keep me from reaching for the wrong things. My ability to do anything is hindered by my right hand being held. Why? Is God a controlling tyrant? No, but He does want me to let Him be in charge. And Him being in charge is a good thing!
But God does not force me to hold His hand. Even though He is all-powerful, I can let go at any time. I can say, no, I want to go this way, and He will allow it even though it hurts Him see me get hurt. Every day… every moment, I need to choose to reach out for God’s hand. Thank God it’s always there.
Dear God,
What a wonderful gift you have given me – to be able to hold your hand. That you want to hold my hand is amazing to me. I say yes, please hold my hand today. I need your love, your comfort, your protection, and your guidance. Make me aware of your hand and of when my grip is failing.
I visited the Sagrada Família church in Barcelona Spain several years ago. I remember it vividly. The outside details are jaw-dropping, but when I stepped inside, I was overwhelmed by the beauty. It brought me to literal tears which has never happened to me before, not because of architecture or art of any kind. The light coming through the unusual stained glass – sunrise colors of blues and greens on one side, sunset colors of orange and reds on the other – was breathtaking. I remember not being able to do or say anything for several minutes other than to stand in awe and worship God in that beautiful space.
This verse reminds me of that moment. John, the author, is experiencing a revelation from God. He’s been taken to God’s throne room in spirit and sees all manner of strange, impossible-to-describe beings all worshiping God, day and night without stopping. Today’s verse is what they say to God as part of their worship.
There are so many amazing and beautiful things on this planet and beyond. Way more beautiful even than Gaudi’s design of the Sagrada Família. Every evening in fact there is probably a sunset somewhere on earth that blows the church’s stained glass majesty away. The glint of a hummingbird’s throat, the delicate sweep of a flower petal, the sound of the surf on a tropical beach, the crisp curve of the moon on a clear night, a baby’s laugh… there is no end to the beauty and joy to be found in God’s creation.
And yet I think the beauty of the Creator far surpasses His creation. So much so that the beings that exist in the full glory of His presence cannot help but fall down in awe and worship Him. It’s impossible not to be overwhelmed by wonder and joy and love in the presence of God.
Dear God,
You are worthyto receive glory, honor, and all my worship because you created everything. You are beautiful so what you willed into existence for your children was beautiful too, until we mucked it up. I’m sorry for that and for any part I play in continuing to muck up your creation. Teach me how to care for your world instead. Thank you for the phenomenal wonders that exist even so and for the daily reminders of your unsurpassed creativity and majesty.
Paul talks a lot about our bodies in this part of his letter to the Corinthian church. Probably because he was suffering greatly. Our bodies are frail. They are easily injured. They are very slowly decomposing and wearing out. They get tired and sore and weak and infected and hungry and cold and hot. The human body is a beautiful piece of work, but it is temporary.
Meanwhile, Jesus promised us new bodies that are eternal. What an amazing promise!
Does it help knowing that any situation I find myself in is temporary, including pain in my own body? Pain from disease or injury or neglect or abuse?
Paul thought so. That’s why he urges me to focus on the unseen and the eternal, not just what I can see and feel, here and now.
I don’t have any idea what my new eternal body will be like, but I imagine I won’t have multiple sclerosis anymore. I’m guessing I won’t have pain or fatigue or ever be too weak to stand. There probably won’t even be hunger or thirst or aging or scars or brokenness of any kind.
I agree with Paul that endurance is easier when I know whatever I’m enduring will come to an end. Especially when what comes next promises to be so good.
Dear God,
Thank you so much for your promise of a new eternal body when you return and make all things new. Until then, remind me to focus on your love, promises, and purpose for me instead of getting distracted and discouraged by the problems of this life. I know you have more than enough power, wisdom, and love to give me strength for today and to make a beautiful eternity for all who choose you.
This is part of Hannah’s prayer after she gave her son, Samuel, to serve in the temple. She hadn’t been able to have children. Then she prayed for a child. God gave her what she asked for. Then Hannah was so grateful she decided to give Samuel “back” to God by having him spend the rest of his life serving in the temple.
This prayer is called “Hannah’s Triumphant Prayer,” but she must have had a more than a few mixed emotions about the whole thing. She’d waited until she’d weaned her son so her bond as a mother was strong.
As I read Hannah’s full prayer, it reminds me a lot of Job. Job learned how unimaginably powerful, wise, mysterious, and complex the Creator and Master of the universe is. He does what He wants, when He wants, and has complete control over intricate matters we will never understand. But fortunately, He is also unimaginably good, patient, generous, and loving.
Hannah saw this about God too. She was so grateful that God heard her and answered her by sending her a son. But she was also humbled and overwhelmed by the idea, by His greatness. Her prayer and today’s verse show it.
There is one God who created everything. One God who is ultimately in control of it all still. He is holy and unchanging.
Because of her experience, Hannah learned to trust this amazing God. She stopped obsessing about what she didn’t have and was grateful instead for always having a God who saw her and loved her. I can learn a lot from Hannah.
Dear God,
I’m so sorry for getting stuck worrying about things I don’t have. Thank you so much for all you have blessed me with. And thank you for giving me you! You are awesome, in the true sense of the word. I can’t believe that you care about me and yet the Bible tells me that you do. Teach me to trust you the way Hannah did. You are the one God and Creator, you are my God.
I’ve been watching the US Open tennis tournament lately. Some of the matches are grueling, lasting hours, sometimes well after midnight, in very hot, humid weather. They are all very skilled, but the conditions are so challenging that even well-practiced strokes being to fail. The competitors are all very fit after years of training, but by the end, they are completely exhausted. If they make it that far. Cramps and injuries aren’t uncommon.
Those players need both endurance and encouragement for sure.
I don’t play a five-set tennis matches in front of a stadium full of jeering onlookers, but just living life is challenging enough. Life is painful, confusing, frustrating, frightening, and often surprising. And no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop aging. Things I used to be able to do easily are now difficult, like seeing the words on this page. All this pain is due to “the fall” when we humans decided we wanted to do things our way, when Adam and Eve rebelled.
Fortunately, the pain and decay will one day come to an end when Jesus returns. This long, grueling tennis match will come to an end. And if I faithfully endure the struggle, I will be rewarded with the trophy of eternal, beautiful life.
But that’s someday. I’m in the middle. What do I do right now? The tennis players draw on endurance built by hours and hours on the practice courts. And they gather encouragement from their player’s box where people who know them and care about them can cheer them on and give them advice.
Like the athletes, I build up endurance by practicing obedience to God and watching His faithfulness. I study His word and pray knowing I can trust God when difficult situations throw me off balance. I gather encouragement from His word as well as from other people who know God and know me and love me.
The big difference between my life and a tennis match is that I am not in a competition, thank God. There isn’t just one prize. Other people are not my enemy or opponent. If we rely on the sources of endurance and encouragement that God has provided for us, we can all win the prize! Life, although it’s still a struggle, can be a shared joy as we work together in harmony because of Jesus’s forgiveness.
Dear God,
I am so glad that I don’t have to compete with anyone else for your love. You have more than enough to go around. Remind me to look to you for encouragement and endurance when things are difficult and confusing and painful. Show me who in my life I can go to for encouragement, and who I can encourage today.
When I was living in Seattle, I would always walk on the sunny side of the street if the sun was actually shining. When I was living in Texas, I would instead seek out the shady side of the street. My husband can attest to the number of times he had to cross the street if he wanted to keep walking with me. Fortunately he did.
Today’s verse says that if I want to walk with God, I have to walk in the light. Because He is light. The previous verse says “there is no darkness in Him.” And if I choose to walk in the light with God, a beautiful thing happens. I will suddenly find myself in the company of the other people walking in the light. Because of the light, I can see them, recognize them, get to know them, and maybe become friends. The Bible calls this “fellowship” which is a big, churchy word I never use in normal conversation. But it really is a nice word. In the light, I can see I’m not alone as I walk through the world. God is with me and so are my “fellows”.
So, how exactly do I walk in the light? The end of today’s verse is the key. Jesus’s sacrifice took my sin and darkness away. If He hadn’t done that, everywhere I went would be dark. I wouldn’t be able to approach God because He is light. Light and darkness are like polar ends of a magnet, except that unlike with magnets, opposites repulse. Light repulses darkness. And God’s pure truth and beauty repulsed me until Jesus gave me forgiveness, life, and light. He reversed my polarity (if we’re sticking with the magnet metaphor.) Now I can approach God with confidence. I can walk in the light.
Dear God,
Thank you so much for reversing my polarity so I can walk in the light with you. Remind me every day of my need to choose to walk in your light and to repulse darkness. Guide me toward fellowship with others in your light.
In today’s verse, Paul is speaking to his younger apprentice, Timothy. Apparently Timothy is in the midst of some so-called Christians who are teaching things that contradict the Gospel that Paul taught. The Gospel, or “the word of truth” that Paul refers to, is simple: Jesus is God’s son. He loved us so much that He came to earth as a human to save us by teaching us, healing us, and ultimately dying in our place so that we could have a relationship with God, despite our sin. After He died, He rose again, conquering death. And one day He will come again bringing a new heaven and earth in which those of us who believed in Him can spend eternity enjoying His beautiful presence. The end.
Anything extra is not the Gospel, is not the Good News, and is not the word of truth.
Part of my job as a follower of Jesus is to spread this Good News, like Paul did. Like Timothy did. But it’s so easy to get distracted by the hot topic of the day. To preach something else, to tack on other “important” things. But this is not at all my job and only confuses the true message of Jesus. It is not important to preach about abortion. It is not important to preach about homosexuality. It is not important to preach about gender roles. It’s not important to preach about the hot topic of Paul’s day, circumcision. It is simply not important to preach anything other than the simple word of truth: “God loves you SO much that He sacrificed everything for you so you could be with Him forever in peace if you just accept His free gift of forgiveness and love.” This is true for everyone, at any time, in any situation, with any sort of sin or lifestyle choice. It is not important whether I agree with my audience’s choices or not. It is important to love them enough to tell them about Jesus.
If I do that, I can “present myself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.”
Dear God,
Thank you for your simple and clear instructions about what you care about and what my message should be as your follower. Thank you for loving and saving me. Show me how and when to share this Good News. Forgive me for the times when my message gets muddled by other things that seem important. Remind me to return to you constantly to be reminded of the only truth and to discard everything that isn’t important.
You can learn a lot about a person from what they write. You can learn even more from what others write about them. The purpose of reading the Bible is to learn about God, who He is, what He cares about, does He have a sense of humor (yes), what makes Him happy, what makes Him angry… It’s all there. Because God wrote it AND it was written about Him.
Today’s verse is written by a prophet, one of God’s messengers and transcriptionists. And in this one little verse he has a lot to say about God. And God has a lot He wants me to know about Himself. And it’s all wonderful!
He is among us. God loves to be in the midst of His people. He’s not up in the clouds, too far away to see what’s going on. He’s not falling asleep or busy planning His next universe. He’s right here. And that’s exactly where He loves to be.
He is a warrior who saves. Not a warrior who kills and destroys, although that is probably required in order to do the saving. But He highlights His main goal of the battle: to save. I don’t need saving if I’m not in harm’s way. He fights hard to protect me from certain death. Every day, He is right here fighting to help me make the right choices, to choose love, to choose Him.
He will rejoice over me with gladness. This is incredible. The Creator of the universe is rejoicing over me? He’s glad He made me. The one who made sunsets and peacocks and hibiscus flowers rejoices over me. Despite my flaws and failures, He is delighted that I exist.
He will be quiet in His love. As an introvert, this feels really good to me. I need quiet time of refreshment and peace. If I stop being busy, His love is right there for me to soak in. Although it is quiet, it is not weak. He is a warrior, remember. His love is powerful. Fierce even. But I must be quiet to experience its refreshing power.
He will delight in me with singing. This is my favorite. Once I am quiet, I can hear His voice. And it is singing. The One who created music is singing with delight over me. And His voice is more beautiful than any sound any human has ever heard. The Bible often talks about the angels singing, but here, God wants me to know that He likes to sing too. With delight. Because of me. And you.
Dear God,
Thank you for this beautiful verse and the amazing gifts of your presence, your protection, your love and your song! I am so humbled by your care for me. Remind me of this verse when I am afraid or feeling alone. And teach me to live with confidence and joy because of who you are and how much you love me.
When I first read today’s verse, I was a little shocked. It’s not something I’m likely to hear anyone preach these days. With concerns of low self-esteem and suicides, especially in children, hearing “my life is of no value to me” is unsettling.
But the truth is, when I gave my life to Jesus, I gave my life to Jesus. He can do what He wants with it. My priorities are all different now. My top priorities are no longer me, myself and I. My number one priority now is how to please God.
The good news is that God, the One now in charge of my life, is a loving and good God. I trust that His will for me is much, much better than my decisions could ever be. By giving control of my life to Him, I will be more fulfilled, blessed, joyful, and at peace than I could ever be if I insisted on doing things my way.
In today’s verse, Paul is saying goodbye to some good friends. He knows he is heading to a place where he will find trouble. But he’s going there anyway because God told him to. He’s being obedient because He knows that whatever happens to him will not be the end. His obedience will be richly rewarded by our loving God. Either in this life or the next.
I’m not asked to put my literal life on the line to obey God very often. (Ever?) But I am asked to sacrifice comfort very often. To get off the couch, turn off the TV, and pray, for example. Or stand out in 100 degree heat to distribute food. Or have an awkward conversation. And I am often asked to sacrifice money and other resources. And I am frequently asked to sacrifice my time and my plans for the day. I have to decide what my priorities are. Do I have the faith to say that my time, money, comfort… life… is of no value to me if it can be used instead to further God’s kingdom and message of love?
Dear God,
Thank you for the example of the apostle Paul who gave everything to spread your good news. I want to have the faith I need to give my life, in its entirety, to you. Show me what that means today. I am so glad that you love me and that I can trust your will to be good and beautiful in the end.
CamDevo 