August 24, 2015
As Job maintained his righteousness, his friends continued to disagree with him. Job, who had lost his children, most of his possessions and whose body was covered in sores, now had to contend with the accusing advice of his three “friends.” While there is much to learn about the problem of evil and human suffering in the book of Job, there is also something to be learned about how to be a friend to one in grief. Job’s three friends did a couple of things right at first. They showed up. They sat quietly with Job for the first seven days. These are good things. But then, they began with the advice and the accusations. When we seek to comfort a friend in grief, be present and listen, grieve with them. But stop telling them you know how they feel, or how they should feel, or what they did wrong, or what they should do next. If you don’t know what to say, don’t say anything. Just pray for them, hug them, bring them food, clean their house, offer to run errands. If they want your advice, they will ask. Don’t be like Job’s friends.
August 23, 2015
Paul made it clear to the Corinthians that the gospel he “delivered” to them was the same one that he had “received.” This is the gospel by which he was saved and by which they too would be saved, if only they would believe. This gospel is good news. It has certain particular facts that are well documented with a list of eye-witnesses. Paul is like a newspaper boy, he didn’t write the news, nor make the news, he is just the one who delivers it. And he delivers it whole and unchanged just as he received it. This is our task today. First, to receive the gospel ourselves and then, to deliver it to others, just as Paul did.
August 22, 2015
Apparently, the worship services in Corinth had become quite chaotic and confusing. This was not the pattern that Paul had given them when he planted the church. So, his letters to them are prescriptive in nature. He wanted them to understand that when God is present in worship there is order and peace, not chaos and confusion. Perhaps the ecstatic pagan practices of the Corinthian idolaters had infected the church. Or perhaps the disunity he described earlier concerning factions in the church had led to these tumultuous services. Whatever the cause, the church of Corinth, in a city of 800,000 population, was in danger of losing God’s presence in their worship. For wherever the Spirit of God is, there is peace.
August 21, 2015
Satan, whose name means “Accuser,” appears prominently in the book of Job. When God asked him from where he had come, Satan answered, “From going to and fro on the earth.” This response described his wandering existence since being cast down from heaven. So filled with rage and restlessness against God, he continually circles the earth like a lion looking for prey, desiring to destroy those whom God loves. This is why the apostle Peter wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
August 20, 2015
In Paul’s chapter on why love is the greatest gift, he explains that the gifts of prophecy, tongues and knowledge will pass away. While love will never end, these three gifts will no longer be needed. Why? Because prophecy will be fulfilled, language will no longer be confused (Gen. 11:7), and knowledge will become experience. Recently, someone asked whether we would know one another in heaven. The answer we see here is clear: Yes, we “shall know” just as we are “known.” And most wonderful of all, we shall finally be “face to face” with the One who saved us, Christ Jesus our Lord!
August 19, 2015
The orphaned Esther won King Xerxes’ beauty contest and was crowned as his queen. She went from being a Jewish orphan to a Persian queen. Yet, her cousin, Mordecai, who had raised her as his own when her parents died, asked her not to forget her people and to consider God’s purpose for her new position. When God elevates us to a new job or position, we should always consider how we might use it as a platform for doing His will. “Who knows?” Perhaps God put you just where you are today, so that you might tell someone about the One who can rescue them from sin and death.
August 18, 2015
The apostle Paul’s teaching concerning the Lord’s Supper was faithfully passed on from the Lord to the church at Corinth. Paul reminded them that his authority as an apostle came from the Lord, as did his message. Having established his credibility, he corrected the unworthy practices of the Corinthians concerning their remembrance of the Supper. His desire was that they handle it with the same discernment with which he had given it to them, always recognizing the Lord’s body and blood, broken and shed for their redemption. Paul used this same “received/delivered” phrase in 1 Cor. 15:3 concerning the gospel. He recognized his calling to pass on intact and unchanged that which was given to him. Are we delivering the faith to the next generation just as we received it?
August 17, 2015
Headship is a biblical title of relational authority. It is a beautiful word that unfortunately rubs many of our generation the wrong way. In 1 Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul was trying to restore God-honoring order to their worship services, which had fallen into disarray. He reminded them that Christ is the perfect picture of headship and submission. As the Head of the Church, He lay down His life as a sacrifice for sin and will one day return to receive her as His bride. At the same time, Christ did all of this in submission to the Father, who is His head. They are coequal, yet the Son always submits to the Father. In like manner, those who would lead in worship must submit to appropriate headship and lead as servant-leaders. Clearly, men and women are to follow the order of creation and the intent of the Father in this. God’s Word, not human culture should be the “head” of how we worship.
August 16, 2015
David wrote this psalm during a low period in his life. While hiding from King Saul who sought to kill him, he stooped to playing the madman to escape the Philistine king, Abimelech. Yet, in spite of all of his afflictions, no bones were broken. Clearly, David must have borrowed this turn of phrase from the instructions given in the law concerning the Passover lamb, which was to be sacrificed without breaking any bones. Both the Passover lamb and David are Christological types, preparing us for the Righteous One, who was sacrificed for our sins, yet not one of His bones was broken.
August 15, 2015
After the rebuilding of the wall surrounding Jerusalem there was great enthusiasm for God’s Word and for the giving of tithes and offerings. The people willingly and joyfully entered into a covenant to be faithful in these things. Yet, before the walls were rebuilt, the people were filled with doubt and fear, resulting in neglect of God’s house. What was it about the broken down wall that caused their neglect? And what was it about the rebuilt wall that helped them refocus their priorities, putting God first?