Cruel Compassion
“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster will come upon you.’” (Jeremiah 23:16-17)
In today’s world, calling sin “sin” is itself sin! To hurt someone’s feelings by suggesting their attitudes or actions bring judgment or displease God is labeled bigoted and cruel. What’s needed, we’re told, is compassion. But, in this case, compassion means affirming every person’s choice. Compassion means praising every person’s lifestyle. Such is the “compassion” that drives our world today.
In the name of compassion, states are liberalizing abortion laws to “help” women burdened with unplanned pregnancies. In the name of compassion, “right-to-die” and assisted suicide legislation is seen as a means to provide terminal patients an escape from depression and pain. In the name of compassion, gay marriage is embraced as a civil right because, “No one should be denied their right to marry the person they love.” In the name of compassion, those identifying as transgender are urged to be true to themselves. If your feelings don’t match your body, change your body. Submit yourself to hormone treatment and genital “reconstruction.” This will end your turmoil. This will bring you peace.
But will it? Does today’s “compassion” deliver what it promises? Does abortion really set a woman free (baby conveniently ignored)? Is offering a depressed patient an irreversible “way out” a genuine act of kindness? Does men marrying men—and women marrying women—bring life? When your feelings don’t match your body, is it possible that addressing your feelings might be the better option as opposed to mutilating your body? In other words, is today’s “make no judgment” compassion genuine compassion—or will it ultimately prove to be cruel?
Make no mistake about it. Today’s compassion is infinitely cruel. Here’s why. Today’s compassion is cruel because it willfully discounts God. Rooted in self-worship—and an unwavering commitment to self-determination—today’s compassion dismisses the Creator of heaven and earth. It’s no surprise, then, that today’s compassion exalts human desire over God’s design, seeks present happiness over eternal joy, and refuses to acknowledge God’s holiness, our sin, the authority of Scripture, and the reality of eternal judgment. Stubbornly refusing to acknowledge human depravity (and, yes, “depravity” is the right word), we refuse to call sin “sin.” Not wanting to hurt feelings (after all, feelings reign supreme), we affirm (often by our silence) murder, sexual immorality, self-deception, and an obstinacy against God that can only lead to hell. Such “compassion” offers no opportunity for repentance. It shuts the door on God’s salvation, forgiveness and grace.
That’s why “compassion” that refuses to call sin “sin” is cruel compassion. If the God of the Bible is real, any “compassion” that leaves a man—that leaves a woman—enslaved to their sin is a “compassion” that forever condemns. The hope it offers is vain (Jeremiah 23:16).
How different God’s compassion is! God’s compassion always speaks the truth we need to hear—not the lies we want to hear. Refusing to affirm our sin and participate in our self-destruction, God confronts our rebellion. God defines right. God condemns wrong. Unwilling to turn His back on us, God lovingly convicts us of our brokenness by compassionately calling sin “sin”! In this, God shows us how desperately we need a Savior—the Savior He Himself provides in Christ. In Jesus, God Himself paid our sin penalty when He died on the cross. In Jesus, God Himself conquered death so we can live forever—and forgiven—with Him.
And so we see. Genuine compassion cares more about eternal destinies than soothed feelings. Real compassion refuses to affirm people in their sin! Why? Only when we call sin “sin,” do we find opportunity to repent. Only when we see how desperately we need a Savior will we find the Savior we need in Jesus.
Grumbling
Grumbling—it comes naturally for all of us. That’s why we need to be reminded over and over again that God hates it. God hates grumbling because grumbling destroys relationships. Grumbling destroys churches. And perhaps most important of all, grumbling destroys worship. It’s impossible to complain and offer praise to God at the same time. Grumbling and gratitude can’t co-exist. Paul reminds us that God judges grumbling. In 1 Corinthians 10:9-10 he tells us what happened to the Israelites in the wilderness when he warns, We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.
Grumbling—the possibilities are endless. We can grumble about our spouse. We can grumble about our children or our parents. We can grumble about our jobs and our circumstances. And, of course, we can grumble about our fellow believers—we can grumble about the church. Have you ever done that? Even now, do you find yourself grumbling about something or someone in your church family? Maybe you’ve grumbled about the pastor. Maybe he’s made a decision you don’t agree with. Maybe he’s wronged you or let you down. Maybe he wasn’t there when you needed him. So you grumble. We can grumble about a Sunday School teacher or the youth leaders or the church board. There are too many special offerings. There aren’t enough special offerings. Too many hymns. Not enough hymns. The music’s too loud. The music’s not loud enough. Grumble, grumble, grumble…
Our churches are led by sinners saved by grace and filled with sinners saved by grace. Believe me, I know—there’s plenty to grumble about. There always will be. Even so, this fact remains—God judges grumblers. He judged grumblers in the wilderness. He’ll judge grumblers in His church. That being the case, we’d be wise to address our frustrations in a different way. God shows us his way in Scripture. Colossians 3:12-13 instructs us, Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Please stop and ponder. When we are hurt, angry, or disappointed with each other, rather than grumble, God commands us to bear with one another. He commands us to forgive. In the book of Matthew Jesus tells us what steps we must take to make forgiveness real. In Matthew 5:23-24 Jesus says, …if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. Be reconciled to your brother… In Matthew 18:15, He adds, If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
Whether our brother has something against us or we have something against our brother, God’s instructions are clear. We must not grumble. We must go! Don’t talk about your brother or sister. Talk to them. And please, don’t allow a fellow believer to talk about someone else to you. Send them to the one who has offended them so they can forgive even as they have been forgiven in Christ. If we hold each other accountable in this, we will be blessed.
Backbiting, gossip, and grumbling are sin. God will not long tolerate these things in His Church. Is there someone you need to talk to today? Is there someone you need to forgive?
A Husband’s Calling
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. …Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” (NIV, 1984)
No subject is more controversial in our day than that of gender and gender roles. While many dismiss the idea that men and women are different—or that God calls husbands and wives to fulfill specific gender-based roles in marriage—such roles are clearly defined by Scripture. Regarding marriage, the gender-based role most violently rejected by our culture is a wife’s calling to “submit” to her husband as to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22). Of course, it must be understood that a wife’s calling to submit to her husband is not rooted in the assumption that men are somehow superior or more intelligent than women. Rather, God’s design for gender-based roles within marriage—and within the church—is rooted in creation order (Genesis 2:7, 18-24; 1 Timothy 2:12-14) and God’s intent that Christian marriage illustrate the relationship between Jesus and his Church (Ephesians 5:31-32).
Unfortunately, in our world today, the very idea of submission in any context is most often seen as degrading and offensive. But it is not. According to the Bible, submission is neither degrading nor dehumanizing. On the contrary, Ephesians 5:21 teaches us that the practice of submission is an essential expression of what it means to be “filled with the Spirit” as commanded in Ephesians 5:18. As such, submission to God and to each other is the calling of every genuine Christian.
So yes, wives are called to appropriately submit to their own husbands as to the Lord. But this week’s blog is for husbands. And because Ephesians 5:22 is directed to wives, not husbands, we must turn our attention to the submission God demands of us. We find it in in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…”
While wives are specifically called to respect and submit to their husbands, husbands are called to love their wives in the same way Christ loves his church and gave himself up for her. To understand the weight of a husband’s calling, we must consider the character of Jesus’ love. First, Jesus loves us (his church) unconditionally. His love never depends on our performance. It is not rooted in the expectation of receiving something in return. On the contrary, Christ died for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). He loves us even when we are yet unlovable. The cross, of course, is Christ’s deepest expression of his self-sacrificing love for us. On the cross, Jesus became our sin so we might gain his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). On the cross Jesus suffered hell so we can have heaven. On the cross Jesus paid our sin penalty so we can live forever in relationship with God—the very definition of eternal life (John 17:3)!
Christian husband, do you love your wife like Jesus loved—and is still loving—his church? Is loving your wife like Jesus loves you your aim at home? In the power of God’s Spirit, are you striving to love her unconditionally? Are you willing to act for her good without expecting anything in return? Do you strive to love your wife when she seems unlovable? Is your leadership marked by a pattern of putting her needs—both physical and spiritual—above your own? Is your love and leadership marked by sacrifice and servanthood?
In a light-hearted way, some men ask, “What’s a woman want?” For you and me the better question is, “What’s God want for a woman?” More specifically, “What’s God want for your wife?” Answer? God wants your wife to have a husband who loves her like Jesus loves his church. So, what about it? Does your wife—does mine—have what God desires for her?
Truth be told, in our fallenness, not one of us is able to love his wife like Jesus loves his church. Even so, in the power of God’s Spirit, we can love better today than we loved yesterday. By God’s grace, we can progressively grow in Christlikeness! And by means of our love and example we can lead our wives to grow in Christlikeness too.
Sexual Purity: Why It Matters
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things… Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 (ESV).
Tragically, sex outside of marriage has become the norm in our culture. And it’s not only “lost people”. Many who profess faith in Jesus engage in premarital sex with little or no sense of shame. How dangerous! How foolish! God condemns all sexual activity outside of a covenant, life-long marriage between one man and one woman. In 1 Corinthians 6:9, Paul declares that “neither the sexually immoral…nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality…will inherit the kingdom of God.”
There is no “wiggle room” here. As followers of Jesus, moral purity is not optional for us. Rather, the pursuit of sexual purity is an expression of our love for God and of our recognition that sanctification (growing in Christlikeness) is the goal of our redemption (see Titus 2:14). It’s no wonder God commands us to “abstain from sexual immorality” in our pursuit of holiness! It’s no wonder God calls us to “know how to control our own bodies in holiness and honor!” Consider the consequences of sexual sin:
First, when we sin sexually, we sin against ourselves. In 1 Corinthians 6:13-18 Paul writes, “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. …Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? …Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”
With these words Paul reminds us that sex is never a frivolous or meaningless act. In a way we can’t fully understand, intercourse involves more than two bodies. It involves two souls. This holds true even in a physical relationship as cold and impersonal as a visit to a prostitute. Think about what this means. In Christ, you are spiritually bound to Jesus. You are indwelt by God’s Spirit. Whenever you engage in sinful sex, you damage yourself by defiling the spiritual bond you have with Christ. In the same way—because every sexual relationship is a “one-flesh” relationship—every act of immorality defiles your relationship with your present, or if unmarried, future spouse. In other words, every sexual encounter you experience outside of marriage pollutes the relationship God wants you to enjoy exclusively with your spouse in marriage. That’s why, when we sin sexually, we sin against ourselves.
But that’s not all. When we sin sexually, we sin against others. Here in 1 Thessalonians 4:6 Paul calls us to “abstain from sexual immorality…that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter…”
Very often, sex outside of marriage involves little more than using another person’s body to selfishly satisfy one’s own physical desire. Using another person—a person created in God’s image—as an instrument to satisfy lust is to dishonor and sin against them. Likewise, to engage in sex outside of marriage is to take what isn’t yours. In God’s economy, the sexual intimacy you share with another outside of marriage rightly belongs only to their present or future spouse. God takes such theft seriously.
Finally—and most sobering—when we sin sexually, we sin against God. Regarding the consequences of sexual sin (unrepented of) Paul writes, “…the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity but in holiness. Therefore, whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God who gives his Holy Spirit to you” (1 Thessalonians 4:6-8).
Here we find both a warning and a promise. First the warning: In spite of its prevalence in our culture, God takes sexual sin seriously. So must we! Those who sin—in this case sexually—and refuse to repent will be forever condemned (1 Corinthians 6:9). At the same time, it’s essential to understand that sexual sin is not the unpardonable sin. All who repent and entrust themselves to Christ as Lord and Savior will find forgiveness and new life in Christ!
Now the promise: The same God who condemns sexual immorality gives us his Holy Spirit (verse 8). In Christ we find all the grace and strength we need to express our sexuality in ways that honor Him as our Savior and our Lord. In Christ we have been washed, sanctified, and justified in his name (see 1 Corinthians 6:11)! May we honor Him in all our thoughts, attitudes, and actions.
Discipline Required
“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (NIV, 1984).
The titles are inviting. The One Minute Bible; Seven Minutes with God; or—if you don’t have seven minutes to spare—One Minute with God. The implication is clear. If you want a meaningful relationship with God, speed dating works. Going deep with God requires no more time or effort than preparing a daily bowl of oatmeal.
But is that true? Not according to Scripture. 1 Timothy 4:7-8 says growing in godliness is hard work. Negatively, growing in godliness requires recognizing and rejecting worldly myths and fanciful spiritual speculation. Positively, Paul says we must actively train ourselves to be godly. In verse 7, the word “train yourself” pictures an athlete subjecting himself to a strict course of physical discipline in pursuit of a goal. In verse 8, Paul acknowledges this kind of training has value. But only in this world. Spiritual training, on the other hand, is beneficial both in this life and in the life to come. In this world, believers who “train themselves to be godly” enjoy increasing fruitfulness for God and deepening intimacy with God (John 15:5-11). Additionally—in the new heaven and earth—God promises all who “train themselves to be godly” an abundant entry into heaven (2 Peter 1:11, NASB) along with eternal reward (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
How, then, do we train ourselves to be godly? The answer? By practicing what we call “spiritual disciplines.” These include disciplines related to the Bible—reading, hearing, studying, memorizing, meditating on, and obeying God’s Word in our daily lives. Equally important are the disciplines of prayer, church fellowship, and serving. To these we can add witness, solitude, submission and more. Too often we view these disciplines as legalistic duties rather than God’s gracious provision. Author Richard Foster reminds us that spiritual disciplines are a means of grace. He illustrates, “A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do is provide the right conditions for the growing of grain. This is the way it is with the Spiritual Disciplines. …The Disciplines are God’s way of getting us into the ground; they put us where he can work with us and transform us. By themselves the Spiritual disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done. …God has ordained the Disciplines of the spiritual life as the means by which we place ourselves where he can bless us.”
Do you genuinely trust Christ as Lord and Savior? Are you intentional about answering his call to “train yourself to be godly”? Sure, one minute—or even seven minutes—with God is better than no minutes at all. Even so, at best it can only be a starting point. If an athlete sacrificially disciplines himself for the sake of an earthy crown, why wouldn’t we discipline ourselves for the sake of both earthly fruitfulness and heavenly reward?
Will you make time for God? Will you embrace God’s gift of spiritual disciplines? Will you put yourself in that place where you can receive everything God wants to do in you and give to you? In your daily walk with him, will you train yourself to be godly?
Dealing With Death
In 1981, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Willian Saroyan, was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer that took his life in a matter of months. Five days before he died, Saroyan called a surprised Associated Press reporter and lamented, “Everybody has to die, but I always believed an exception would be made in my case. Now what?”
William Saroyan was not alone in denying death’s inevitability. We live in a world filled with death. We feel death in our bodies as we age. We grieve death in the loss of our loved ones. Nonetheless, when it comes to our own death, we too often live as if, in our case, an exception will be made. This is a foolish thing to do. Since physical death is certain, shouldn’t we acknowledge it? Shouldn’t we order our lives in light of its reality? In Psalm 90:10, Moses reflects on death’s certainty. Having spent decades watching an entire generation of Israelites die in the desert he writes, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty…they are soon gone, and we fly away.” Knowing this, Moses pleads with God, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Moses reminds us. Rightly reflecting on the certainty of our own coming death is a path to wisdom. Solomon advises, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth” (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4).
Have you taken to heart the certainty of your own physical death? Are you wisely preparing for the day of your departure? Certainly, your preparations will include making provision for those left behind. However, your eternal destiny is of far greater concern. Hebrews 9:27 reminds us, “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” What a sobering reality! After death, we will each stand before God to give account for the lives we’ve lived—thoughts words, attitudes, deeds. Left to ourselves, we have no hope (see Hebrews 4:12-13 and Revelation 20: 11-15).
Now, here’s the good news. God has not left us to ourselves. While “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). In other words, for we who believe, Jesus not only paid our sin penalty when he died on the cross—he forever conquered death when he rose from the grave. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
This is the death of death. All who entrust themselves to Jesus as Lord and Savior will be raised by him on the last day. Jesus promises, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).
Well, do you? If not, will you?
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-56).
The Choice
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (NIV, 1984)
Proverbs 3:5-6 assures us that life really isn’t that complicated. Ultimately, there’s only one basic decision we have to make. We must choose who to trust. Each of us must choose who gets to govern our life. Day by day, month by month, year by year—will you orient your thoughts and actions around God’s word and wisdom? Or, will you choose to be governed by your own impulses, your own understandings, and your own feelings? According to Proverbs 3:5-6, that one decision determines the outcome of your life. Proverbs 3:5-6 says,
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
So what does it mean to “trust in the Lord…” and to “acknowledge him” in all your ways? First, trusting in the Lord and acknowledging him requires a true knowledge of God. It’s impossible to trust someone you don’t know! And you cannot know God apart from the Bible—which is His gracious self-revelation. There’s more. In Scripture, we discover not only who God is, but also who we are. In the Bible we discover our need for a Savior and the provision God has made for us by grace through faith in Jesus. At its most basic level, “trusting in the Lord” and “leaning not on our own understanding” is the act of repenting of our sin and trusting Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Charles Bridges’ commentary on Proverbs helps us understand the character of biblical trust as it relates to our daily walk with Christ. First, the trust spoken of in Proverbs 3 “is the trust of the heart, of all the heart. It is a childlike, unwavering confidence in our Father’s well-proved Wisdom, faithfulness, and love. …He is Truth itself. Therefore, He would have us take Him at His Word.” Second, Bridges writes, “But our trust must not only be entire: It must be exclusive. No other confidence, no confidence in the flesh, can exist in harmony with it. …Many bring God’s truth to their own judgment and find fault with it, as an excuse for rejecting it.” This, of course, is the very definition of “leaning on your own understanding”! Regarding the understanding of man, Bridges continues, “At one time, man’s understanding was reliable… That was man’s high and rightful power when he was created in the image of God. But now, degraded as it is by the fall, and darkened by the corruption of the heart, man’s own reason is certain to be a false guide.”
Finally, Bridges writes, “Next, let our confidence be uniform—in all your ways acknowledge Him. Take all your difficulties to Him to be resolved. Be in the habit of going to Him in the first place. Consider no circumstances so clear you do not need His direction. In all your ways, small as well as great; in all your concerns, personal or relative, temporal or eternal, let Him be supreme.”
And so, God’s promise is clear. If we will trust in Him entirely (like a child), exclusively (not leaning on our own understanding), and uniformly (in all our ways) “he will make our paths straight.” In short, when we trust in the Lord by believing and obeying his word, we escape unnecessary, self-inflicted, life-complicating confusion, anxiety, and pain. What could be better than that?
A Life That Counts
2 Timothy 2:20-21 reads, “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (NIV, 1984).
I enjoy reading Christian biography—biographies of men and women who made a difference for God in this world. Biographies of people like Amy Carmichael who served God for 56 years in India without a furlough. People like Hudson Taylor who, in spite of his physical weakness, was used by God to take the gospel to millions of people in China. Or people like William Wilberforce, who at the end of the 18th century, struggled for more than 20 years to bring an end to the slave trade in England. Reading the stories of such men and women creates a longing within me to be useful to God like they were. Which raises a question—what kind of people does God use? What must we do—who must we be—if we want to make an eternal difference in the lives of those around us?
2 Timothy 2:19-22 answers that question. In order to be useful to God, we must pursue holiness. While living in the world, we must not be of the world (John 17:14-19). In verse 19, Paul writes, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” In verse 22, Paul reminds Timothy that being useful to God will require him to “…flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” In verses 20-21 Paul contrasts those who, through their pursuit of holiness, make themselves useful to God with those who, by their spiritual apathy and sin, render themselves unproductive in his saving work. Those who willfully refuse to “depart from iniquity” are compared to a household vessel useful only as a toilet. In contrast, the believer who cleanses himself of sin is like a household vessel made of gold or silver useful to the Master for honorable purposes!
So, what about you and me? Do we hunger to live lives that count for God? Does it show by the way we live our lives? In this life we will never be perfect. Still, do we pursue holiness? In the power of God’s Spirit, do we strive to cleanse ourselves of all that is sinful and dishonorable? Do we make ourselves useful and available to God by the things we value, the way we think, and the choices we make? How can we be useful to God in the world if we are not distinct from the world?
One thing is certain. We will never be vessels “useful to the Master of the house, ready for every good work” without each other. Verse 22 is clear! When we pursue the “righteousness, faith, love, and peace” that makes us useful to God, we must do so “along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” God cannot and will not make us clean vessels useful to him in isolation from each other. We must invest ourselves in the fellowship of His church! By God’s design we will never grow up in Christ if we do not grow up together (Ephesians 4:15-16).
Every human heart cries out for significance. Every one of us wants to live a life that counts! No life counts more than a life lived for God. Let us strive together to be vessels useful to our Master for every good work. Let us strive together to live lives that count for God.
A Living Sacrifice
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2, NIV 1984)
Romans 12:1-2 represents a major turning point in the book of Romans. With these verses, the apostle Paul moves from explanation to application. In the first eleven chapters of Romans, Paul has focused on explaining the gospel. Paul has revealed how hopelessly lost we are apart from Christ. But here’s the good news! God has not left us to ourselves. In Romans 5:8, Paul declares that God “demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” In other words, God offers us forgiveness of sin through faith in Jesus because, on the cross, Jesus absorbed the Father’s wrath—the wrath we deserved. By means of the cross, God justifies (declares “not guilty”) all who trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior. But that’s only the beginning. According to Paul’s gospel, God not only delivers believers from the penalty of sin, he also delivers us from the power of sin (see Romans 6:14-22). Then, in Romans 8:29-30, Paul explains how God’s gospel secures our eternity with him! God finishes what he begins. Those he predestines he calls. Those he calls he justifies. Those he justifies he also glorifies. Not one of his children will be lost along the way.
Now, having explained the wonders of God’s gospel (Romans 1-11), the apostle turns to application. Here in Romans 12:1-2 Paul defines our only proper response to God’s gospel. Filled with a wondrous sense of gratitude for God’s grace, Paul declares that our only proper response to salvation through faith in Christ is to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God”!
So what does that mean? First, to present your body as a sacrifice to God represents the offering of your whole self—nothing held back! God does not offer us the option of compartmentalizing our lives. For believers there can be no division between “sacred” and “secular”. In Christ, nothing is secular. All is sacred. In response to God’s mercy you must offer up your career. Likewise, your pastimes, your recreation, your sexuality, your marriage, your family, your friendships must all be laid on the altar for God. In other words, properly responding to God grace towards us in Christ means joyfully and gratefully presenting all that we are and all that we do as an offering to the One who first offered himself for us.
But notice, offering our whole selves as a living sacrifice to God is not a one-time event. Paul says we must offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. A living sacrifice is the sacrifice of a life that keeps on serving and keeps on submitting to God. So many speak of their willingness to die for God. How many are willing to persevere in this world by fully devoting themselves to God one day at a time.
Finally, Paul says we must offer ourselves to God not only as a living sacrifice but also as a holy sacrifice. To be holy is to be “set apart” for God and his purposes. Offering yourself as a holy sacrifice means constantly making the choice to set yourself apart from habitual sin for the sake of being useful to God. Offering yourself as a holy sacrifice means you can’t think like the world thinks, act like the world acts, or value what the world values. Only then will your light shine in the darkness.
So how do we do it? How do we joyfully and gratefully offer up our bodies as living and holy sacrifices to God? In verse 2, Paul tells us we must consciously and consistently decide to “not be conformed to this world.” Rather, we must always be choosing to be “transformed” by the “renewing of our minds.” This we must do in the strength of God’s Spirit and by means of God’s word, prayer, and the fellowship of God’s people.
This really isn’t rocket science. If we invest the bulk of our lives in reading this world’s books, watching this world’s movies, concerning ourselves with this world’s opinions, pursuing this world’s goals—guess what we’ll end up being conformed to? This world! But, if we invest ourselves in God’s word, prayer, and God’s people we will discern God’s will and know what is pleasing and acceptable to him. Then our lives will be a living and holy sacrifice to God and our joy will be complete.
Dealing With Anxiety
In Matthew 6:26 Jesus tells his disciples, “…do not worry about your life.” This isn’t friendly advice. It’s a command. In Luke 21:34 Jesus warns these same disciples about the consequences of being unprepared for his return at the end of the age. He cautions them, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.”
No believer wants to be caught flat-footed at Christ’s coming! We all know it wouldn’t be good for Jesus to find us carousing—that is living a careless party-focused life—when he comes again. In the same way, no professing Christian wants to give account for a life marked by drunkenness or addiction. These things are obvious. But did you notice the third sinful lifestyle Jesus warns against? Not only must we take care to ensure our lives are not “weighed down” by carousing or drunkenness—we must take care to ensure our lives are not weighed down by the anxieties of life! We must guard against the sin of worry!
When you think about being ready for Christ’s coming, how often does gaining victory over worry enter your mind? Carousing? Yes. Drunkenness? Of course. Sexual immorality? No Christian would deny the importance of dealing with that. But worry? It’s probably not at the top of your “sin list.” But there it is! Jesus says that when he comes again, he doesn’t want to find us being weighed down by the “anxieties of life”! And that only makes sense. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Since worry and faith are mutually exclusive, it’s no wonder Jesus demands that worry be set aside. But overcoming worry is no easy task. In fact, in our own strength, it’s an impossible calling. In this world there’s simply too much to worry about—broken relationships, health, job security, bills to pay, children late coming home, rising crime, government scandals, the economy, and more!
So how do we do it? How do we go about “casting all our anxieties” on God (1 Peter 5:7)? We find our answer in Philippians 4:6-7. We properly deal with our anxieties by looking to God. In the strength of his Spirit, we conquer worry with prayer. Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (NIV).
How do we overcome worry? We make a habit of telling our concerns to God in prayer. Do you believe that God doesn’t want you to carry your own burdens? Do you believe that God wants to carry those burdens for you? Do you know why 1 Peter 5:7 instructs us to cast our anxieties on God? Answer: “…Because he cares for you.” Do you believe that? I mean, do you REALLY believe that God cares for you—that he’s involved in the details of your life? If not, you’ll probably find yourself worrying more than praying.
But Philippians 4:6-7, Paul not only tells us that we ought to pray when we’re anxious. Paul tells us how to pray when we’re anxious. First, we should pray expansively. We should pray about “anything” and “everything” that concerns us! If we are anxious, nothing is too big. Nothing is too small. Second, we should pray specifically. We should ask God to intervene as he sees fit by making specific requests concerning our circumstances. And finally, instead of worrying, we must pray about our concerns with thanksgiving. While we cannot thank God for every circumstance in our life, we can always thank him for his sovereignty and his promise to “work all things together for our good” (Romans 8:28-29). More than that, we can thank God for the privilege of prayer itself! Dare we take for granted the invitation God extends to live in relationship with him and to bring our every concern to him—and to know that he hears us?
In a world full of injustice, sin, and the consequences of our own failures, our path to the peace that “surpasses all understanding” is prayer. For biblical examples of the power of this kind of praying see Daniel 9:1-19; Nehemiah 1:4-11; and Acts 4:23-31.
God’s Line in the Sand
I’m a college football fan. I root for two teams—Oklahoma State and Utah. For years I never had to choose between the two. They were in different conferences. They never played each other. Until they did. When conference realignment happened, they both ended up in the Big 12. Then I knew—there comes a time in life when you have to choose. I chose my Alma Mater, Oklahoma State. And, of course, Utah won.
Here’s the good news. Choosing a football team to root for isn’t a destiny-defining decision. Who wins or loses has no eternal bearing on our lives. But Christmas does! Having just celebrated the birth of Christ we need to remember that. Christmas is a line God draws in the sand. The Word become flesh—God become man—forces each of us to choose. What will we do with Jesus? How will we respond to him?
The story of the Magi (Matthew 2) reveals three options. Like Herod, we can actively resist Jesus (see verses 13-16). This, of course, is insanity. Jesus is “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Those who resist him are destined to perish. But open resistance isn’t the only condemnable response to Christ’s coming at Christmas. We can also choose apathy. Apathy was the response of the chief priests, religious teachers, and people of Jerusalem. There’s no indication any of them openly resisted Jesus. They simply ignored him. They knew their Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. But when the Magi informed them of his arrival, no one seemed interested in taking the six-mile trip to welcome him (see Matthew 2:1-6).
It’s the Magi who model the only proper response to the birth of “God with us”. Worship! In Matthew 2:1-2 we read, “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’”
But what does genuine worship look like. In the example of the Magi we discover that genuine worship of Jesus is first marked by intentionality. We are fallen people. Worshiping anyone other than ourselves doesn’t come naturally. There’s a price to be paid—a commitment to be made.
The Magi were likely in Persia when they saw the star that announced Christ’s birth. I suppose they could have stayed home, sang a few songs, said a few prayers—and then gone out for a bite to eat. But for them, that wasn’t enough. The Magi had been looking for that star a long time. Hundreds of years before, it seems men like Daniel had told the Persians about the coming King. So, when the Magi saw his star, their hearts compelled them to find him. They had to see him for themselves. They longed to bow in his presence. That’s why they procured their supplies, loaded their camels, and set out on a six-to-eight-hundred-mile expedition across the desert in search of the newborn King.
They were intentional. For months on end, the Magi ordered their schedule, expended their energy, and invested their resources for the sake of genuine worship. Do we do the same? Are we intentional in our pursuit of an ever-deepening relationship with Christ through prayer, God’s Word, and the fellowship of other believers?
Of course, along with intentionality, genuine worship requires submission. Matthew 2:11 reads, “On coming to the house, they (the Magi) saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and incense and of myrrh.
Can you picture the scene? The Magi were powerful men. They were the royal priests of Persia. They played a significant role in choosing kings. And here we find them, bowing down to a toddler in a diaper—laying their treasures at his feet—acknowledging him as Lord. Have you done the same? Do you acknowledge Christ, not only as Savior, but also as Lord? Is your life marked by submission to him?
That said, let me ask: Is genuine worship a dutiful, humorless task? Is God’s call to intentionality and submission burdensome? I’ll let the Magi answer the question. In Matthew 2:9-10. We read, “After they had heard the king (that is King Herod), they (the Magi) went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were…” What? “When they saw the star they were overjoyed.”
Don’t miss it! In the end, choosing worship is choosing joy! Whatever their sacrifice, once in the presence of their King, the Magi would have gladly sacrificed more. Never forget! Choosing worship is choosing forgiveness and life. Choosing worship is choosing reconciliation and friendship with God. Forever. What could be better than that?
On the first Christmas God drew his line in the sand. On Christmas, the Word became flesh! And now we must choose. What will you do with Jesus? Resist him like Herod? Ignore him like all Jerusalem? Or worship him like the Magi? Choose wisely. Your decision determines your destiny.
Thanks for reading. If you have questions or comments contact me at deanpshriver@gmail.com.
Why Jesus Came
Today we celebrate the birth of Christ. During the past few weeks we’ve drawn from the Christmas story as told by Luke and Matthew. Let’s take a moment to reflect on the Christmas story as told by John. In John 1:1-3 we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” In verse 14 John continues, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” This is how John describes the birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary in Bethlehem.
On this Christmas Day, it will be good to stop and ponder John’s account. “In the beginning…” That means before the mountains rose, before the oceans roared, before the stars were spread across the sky, before our planet teemed with life, or even existed—"in the beginning was the Word. He lives from everlasting to everlasting. Next John adds, “And the Word was with God…” He lives in eternal fellowship with the Father. But there’s more. John continues, "the Word was God”! The “Word” himself is Maker of all things and giver of all life. And only when we remember that can we appreciate how seemingly absurd the statement of verse 14 really is. There John writes, “And the Word became flesh… Stop. Think about that. The Word who is God entered fully into our world. He became human like we are human. The infinite, sovereign, omniscient, omnipresent God was born a baby—wholly dependent and helpless. In Christ, God walked where we walk. In Christ, God felt like we feel. In Christ, God got tempted like we get tempted—although without sin. And most unfathomably, in Christ, God died a physical death like we die.
Which leads to the obvious question—so what? It’s a nice story, but what difference does the “Word become flesh” make for you? For me? For our world? Why do we bother celebrating the physical birth of God in Christ? The fact that the Word became flesh means nothing until we understand why the Word became flesh! Why did our Creator become creaturely? Why did the King of Kings leave heaven, where He is continually worshiped, and come to earth where He is continually despised? Nowhere is that question more clearly answered than in 1 Timothy 1:15. There Paul writes simply, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world—that is, the Word became flesh—to save sinners…”
This is the good news of Christmas. John further explains, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation (the atonement) for our sins.
Have you made the good news of Christmas good news for you? Have you let “the Word become flesh” save you from your sin? By his grace have you acknowledged your sin and repented by entrusting yourself to Jesus as Lord and Savior? If so, rejoice! If not, why not make this Christmas Day the day of your salvation?
The Fear That Leads to Life
Luke’s record of Christ’s birth is understated. It goes like this: “The time came for Mary to give birth. Mary gave birth. Mary wrapped her son in a blanket. Mary put her son down for a nap” (See Luke 2:6-7). Frankly, it’s a bit pedestrian. The Maker of Heaven and Earth becomes human and that’s all we get? But if Luke’s record of the incarnation is understated, it’s only because the event of Christ’s birth was understated too. By God’s design, the birth of Creation’s King took place in an animal stall in an insignificant town called Bethlehem in an occupied territory called Palestine. Predictably, no one noticed.
Or should I say, almost no one noticed. There was a group of working stiffs pulling the night shift just outside of town. They noticed. And it wasn’t because they were spiritually sensitive or more astute than the rest of humanity! They noticed Christ’s birth because God made not noticing impossible.
In Luke 2:8-11we read, “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
While our first two Christmas angels came to Mary and Joseph to tell them what would happen, our third angel came to tell shepherds what had happened, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” That’s good news! But, as we’ll see, the coming of a Savior is only good news for those who understand that a Savior is what they need!
Consider the shepherds’ response to the angel’s explosive arrival. Luke says, “they were filled with fear”. The jarring brightness of “the glory of the Lord” brought them trembling to their knees. They are not alone. Throughout Scripture, those subjected to the manifest “glory of the Lord” instinctively respond with terror! The reason is clear. The radiance of God’s glory exposes sin! When God’s angel appeared to the shepherds and “the glory of the Lord shone around them” they had nowhere to hide. That glory exposed their pride, lust, bitterness, coveting, apathy towards God and more! In an instant, every one of those shepherds understood how worthy of hell they were! And that’s precisely why the angel’s announcement that a Savior had been born was so precious to them.
Can I ask? In the light of God’s word, do you recognize your own depravity like the shepherds recognized theirs? Do you understand that—left to yourself—everything you are, do, and think is tarnished by your self-centeredness and sin? Because, if you’ve never recognized the depth of your sin, I don’t see how the coming of a Savior can mean anything to you.
Jesus says he came to save sinners. If a sinner isn’t what you are, of what relevance can Christmas be? However, if—left to yourself—you’re a sinner worthy of hell, take heart! Rejoice in what the angel says, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Do you know him?
Believing the Impossible
Mary went to visit relatives. She was only gone three months. Then again, a lot can happen in three months. Apparently, in Mary’s case, a lot did. Is that a baby bump? “Mary, what have you done? With whom did you do it? Does our engagement mean so little to you? Now what? Do I subject her to public shame? No! I will divorce her privately. Two witnesses will suffice. Then she can get on with her life. And maybe, in time, I’ll get on with my life too. Please Lord, help me sleep.”
And so, he did. Joseph slept. Joseph dreamed. And in the dream Joseph dreamed, there came an angel who commanded him to believe the impossible—that a pregnant woman can be virgin. In Matthew 1:20-21 the angel says, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Really? “Don’t worry, Joe? What’s conceived in your fiancé is from the Holy Spirit”? Right. Of course. How silly of me to think otherwise.
I’m pretty sure Joseph’s first thought after discovering Mary’s pregnancy wasn’t, “No problem, virgins get pregnant all the time.” He wasn’t stupid! Virgins don’t have babies! To think otherwise is to believe the impossible! But that’s exactly what the angel commanded Joseph to do—believe the impossible!
So what about you and me? Do we believe the impossible? On the basis of Scripture, are we convinced that Jesus was born of a virgin? Many aren’t. For them, rejecting the virgin birth is a simple matter of science. And what difference does it make? The virgin birth of Christ is no big deal. Except the Bible reveals it is. In his Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem tells us why:
First, Grudem reminds us, “The virgin birth of Christ is an unmistakable reminder that salvation can never come through human effort. …Our salvation only comes about through the supernatural work of God.” In other words, the miraculous conception of Jesus is a demonstration of God’s power to save!
Second, Grudem explains, “The virgin birth made possible the uniting of full deity and full humanity in one person. …It helps us to understand how God, in his wisdom, ordained a combination of human and divine influence in the birth of Christ, so that his full humanity would be evident to us from the fact of his ordinary human birth from a human mother, and his full deity would be evident from the fact of his conception in Mary’s womb by the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.” This is important. We must know that both the full humanity and the full deity of Jesus is critical to our salvation. If Jesus were not fully human, he could not be our high priest “who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Apart from his humanity Jesus could never have “become sin for us” when he died on the cross (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). At the same time, if Jesus were not fully God, he could never have satisfied the divine wrath that is our due. Only the eternal God can pay the eternal penalty for our sin.
Finally, Grudem explains, “The virgin birth also makes possible Christ’s true humanity without inherited sin. …Jesus did not descend from Adam in exactly the same way in which every other human being has descended from Adam. And this helps us to understand why the legal guilt and moral corruption that belongs to all other human beings did not belong to Christ.” Gabriel speaks to this when he tells Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be call holy…” In other words, born free of a fallen nature.
In the end, of course, Joseph did believe the impossible. He believed his fiancé was both pregnant and a virgin. Matthew says, “When Joseph woke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus” (Matthew 1:24-25).
Today, the ball’s in our court. Do we believe the “impossible” like Joseph believed? Do we rejoice when we remember the supernatural birth of Christ? The virgin birth gives evidence of God’s power to save. It bears witness to the reality that the name of Jesus is, in fact, the only “name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)?
Thanks for reading. If you have comments or questions contact me at deanpshriver@gmail.com.
An Inconvenient Grace
Every children’s Christmas play has its angels. And that only makes sense. In the Bible, angels play a major role in the story of Christ’s birth. It’s an angel who informs Mary she’s about to be a mom. It’s an angel who assures Joseph that, in spite of her pregnancy, his fiancé has been faithful. And it’s an angel—accompanied by an angelic choir—who announces Christ’s birth to shepherds tending their flocks by night.
In the three weeks between now and Christmas, we’ll reflect on each of these angelic visits. As God’s messengers, what did each angel come to say? Who did they say it to? Most important, how does their message apply to you and me today?
We begin with an angel named Gabriel. God sent Gabriel to deliver a message to Mary. So, who was Mary? From a this-world perspective we can only say that she was “common”. Though strong in faith, she hailed from Nazareth—a backwater Galilean village with a bad reputation among the religious purists of the day. It’s almost certain she was a teenager—a virgin engaged to be married to a descendant of King David. Was Mary attractive or plain? The Bible doesn’t say. Either way, it’s Gabriel himself who reveals Mary’s greatest attribute. Addressing her in Luke 1:28-30 the angel announces, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you! …Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
So how did Mary find favor with God? Did Mary earn favor with God? Was the Lord with Mary because she was such a “good person”? The Bible says no. While some believe Mary was sinless, the thought betrays her own testimony in Luke 1:46-47. There she acknowledges her own spiritual need in her song of praise, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”
And so, we see that the favor Gabriel assigns to Mary is not rooted in personal righteousness. God’s favor is a gift offered to all. Paul affirms this in Ephesians 1:6 when he describes God’s “glorious grace” using the same Greek wording found here in Luke 1:28. In other words, the “favor” Gabriel refers to is the favor of saving grace!
Can I get personal? If Gabriel came to you today, would he call you “favored one”? Could he rightly proclaim, “The Lord is with you”? In other words, have you experienced God’s saving grace? It’s the grace that comes by means of repentance and faith in Jesus who died on the cross to pay our sin penalty and rose from the grave to share his life with us.
If so, may I remind you of what God’s saving grace meant for Mary in regard to her earthly life. In this world, being favored in Christ will mean being inconvenienced by Christ.
Gabriel’s visit changed everything for Mary. Read Luke 1:26-38. You’ll see it. While glorious, God’s favor wasn’t easy for Mary. Not in this world. For Mary, God’s favor meant being pregnant out of wedlock. Her reputation was tarnished. Her engagement to Joseph threatened. When she came to term, God’s favor meant delivering her firstborn in an animal stall—then fleeing to Egypt under the threat of death. Later, God’s favor meant hearing her sinless son wrongly condemned and watching him die an excruciating death.
Of course, on the day of Gabriel’s visit, Mary could not have anticipated every trial God’s favor would bring. Nonetheless, convinced of his faithfulness, she confidently replied, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
As sinners saved by God’s grace can we not say the same knowing full well “that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18)?
Lord, may we trust you like Mary trusted and rejoice in the “inconveniences” we encounter in this world because of the favor you’ve bestowed on us in Christ.
Be the One
Proverbs 19:3 says, “When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord.” It’s strange. Why do we find it easier to blame God than give thanks to Him? Short answer? Our bent towards ingratitude is the fruit of self-centeredness and sin. In our fallenness, we are not inclined to recognize—let alone giving thanks for—the blessings God showers on us.
Luke 17:11-19 drives this truth home. It’s a story about Jesus and ten lepers. Luke writes, “On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’ When he saw them he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.’”
Ten lepers cry out for mercy. Ten lepers obey Jesus when he tells them to show themselves to the priest. And, along the way, ten lepers are healed. But only one stops. Only one returns to Jesus. Only one gives glory to God! The other nine continue on their way—rejoicing but ungrateful. Their bodies restored, their hearts devoid of praise.
On this Thanksgiving Day, consider the goodness of God. If you’re a believer, think of all you possess in Christ. Beyond the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, the shelter that warms us, the relationships we enjoy—consider the spiritual blessings that are ours!
Ephesians 1:3-14 proclaim them. In Christ, God has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places… God loved you and chose you before you were born (verse 4). In spite of your sin, in Christ, you’ve become holy and blameless in God’s sight. You are an adopted child of God (verse 5). By grace through faith, you have been redeemed by means of Christ’s death on the cross (verse 7). Your sins are forgiven—all of them—past, present, and future. God has lavished his grace on you (verses 7-8). An eternal inheritance awaits you in heaven. You are rich beyond imagination (verses 11 and 14). And if that’s not enough, you are forever secure in your salvation having been sealed with the Holy Spirit who forever lives in you (verse 13).
So let me ask. Are you like the one who returned to Jesus to worship and give thanks? Am I? Or, are we more like the nine who, having been so richly blessed in Christ, ungratefully continue on our way? No praise. No worship. No thanksgiving.
By God’s grace, let’s be like the one! By the work of His Spirit within us, may we always be slow to complain and quick to give thanks to God our Savior. As followers of Christ, let’s make every day Thanksgiving Day!