Rom 14.5-13

Psg: Rom 14.5-13 (http://biblia.com/bible/gs-netbible/Ro14.5-13)
Date: 4/29/12

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14:5 One person regards one day holier than other days, and another regards them all alike.* Each must be fully convinced in his own mind. 14:6 The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The* one who eats, eats for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from eating abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God. 14:7 For none of us lives for himself and none dies for himself. 14:8 If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 14:9 For this reason Christ died and returned to life, so that he may be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

14:10 But you who eat vegetables only – why do you judge your brother or sister?* And you who eat everything – why do you despise your brother or sister?* For we will all stand before the judgment seat* of God. 14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.”* 14:12 Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God.*

14:13 Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister.*

Record

Don’t pass judgment on others, because we will all be judged. Rather, everything we do or choose not to do (especially the things that tend to be judged) should be done or not done for the Lord, so that he is Lord of everything.

Reflect

• The things we do (or choose not to do) are for one judge only - the Lord. We have no need to seek the approval of others (which is not the same thing as accountability).
• When dealing with a brother over an issue that we’re tempted to judge, our goal with them should not be whether or not they engage in the behavior, but is their behavior something they are earnestly doing for the Lord. How can we spur one another on to do or to abstain only for the Lord?
• There are, of course, clear times when people are in sin. Paul is not making room for that here. God is the judge, and he will rightly assess all behaviors and thoughts.

Respond

• Father, I do sometimes take your place and judge others. When I do, I am certainly worthy of your judgment, whether or not the other person is. I confess to you acts of judging.
• Make me a positive agent in others’ lives to encourage them to do everything for you - to live for you and to die for you, and everything in between.

Mt 25.14-29

Psg: Mt 25.14-29 (http://biblia.com/bible/gs-netbible/Mt25.14-29)
Date: 4/29/12

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“For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work and gained five more. In the same way, the one who had two gained two more. But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it. After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, ‘Sir, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ The one with the two talents also came and said, ‘Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’ His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered, ‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter? Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest! Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

Record

Good and faithful slave / evil and lazy slave

Reflect

• By parallelism, the opposite of faithfulness is laziness.
• That doesn't mean that they are ontological opposites, but that they are opposites in this context.
• Faithfuness, then, is in terms of activity (of a certain kind).
• How am I "lazy" with faithless inactivity?
• We are slaves, either way. The question is, "What kind of slave am I?"
• In then parable, as well as in our normal life, we know the Master's will and the Master's character pretty well. Our lack is not that we don't know what he wants or what his character demands.
• How much do I mind hearing, "Evil and lazy slave!"?

Respond

• Father, I confess my spiritual laziness. It is especially apparent with assignments and responsibilities that I don't want to do.

Psa 96

Psg: Psa 96 (http://biblia.com/bible/gs-netbible/Ps96)
Date: 4/29/12

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Sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord! Praise his name!
Announce every day how he delivers!
Tell the nations about his splendor!
Tell all the nations about his amazing deeds!
For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;
he is more awesome than all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are worthless,
but the Lord made the sky.
Majestic splendor emanates from him;
his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength!
Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves!
Bring an offering and enter his courts!
Worship the Lord in holy attire!
Tremble before him, all the earth!
Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
The world is established, it cannot be moved.
He judges the nations fairly.”
Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy!
Let the sea and everything in it shout!
Let the fields and everything in them celebrate!
Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy
before the Lord, for he comes!
For he comes to judge the earth!
He judges the world fairly,
and the nations in accordance with his justice.

Record

Sing, ascribe, tremble, rejoice, shout

Reflect

• These are demonstrative words. What about those who are not demonstrative people?
• For us, it's more often "hum, give credit, twitch, be pleased, and mention."
• We can't really worship too differently than how we are wired, although all should have their worship expressions expanded.
• What are we to do with this kind of passage?
• Ignore part of Scripture?
• Fake it?
• Find relative equivalents?
• Is this psalm about how we are supposed to respond or what God is worth? Clearly, it is about the Lord.
• God is worth my admiration and bearing witness. He should have my awe. I should relate his qualities to others. He should be the one I am most impressed by.
• If this is not true for me, what should I do to get properly oriented? I can't really command myself to be more impressed.

Respond

• I confess that I spend too little time dedicated to observing, enjoying, pondering your attributes and deeds.
• Father, put psalms like this into my heart.

Isa 6.1-8

Psg: Isa 6.1-8 (http://biblia.com/bible/gs-netbible/Is6.1-8)
Date: 4/27/12

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In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the sovereign master seated on a high, elevated throne. The hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and they used the remaining two to fly. They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord who commands armies! His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!” The sound of their voices shook the door frames, and the temple was filled with smoke.
I said, “Too bad for me! I am destroyed, for my lips are contaminated by sin, and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. My eyes have seen the king, the Lord who commands armies.” But then one of the seraphs flew toward me. In his hand was a hot coal he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Look, this coal has touched your lips. Your evil is removed; your sin is forgiven.” I heard the voice of the sovereign master say, “Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?” I answered, “Here I am, send me!”

Record

• See God's glory and holiness
• See own unholiness, repentance
• Purified by God's holy fire from the temple, and forgiven
• Called
• Willing response comprised of obedient action

Reflect

• This is the basic pattern for the people of God, OT and NT.
• Any departure from this pattern is most likely a derailment into uselessness.
• Isaiah's mission in the following verses is not glamorous or wildly successful by human standards, and yet it is his call.
• Although this results in human action, this should never lose sight of the glory and holiness of God. That is the foundation, the motive, the thing that gets us passed the barrier of just being overwhelmed sinners.

Respond

• Help me to stop cluttering up and complicating this simple pattern. This is the pattern you are using in my life, and my tendency is to make it more complex, mainly with fleshly additions and conditions. Your pattern needs no additions; it is complete. Your pattern needs no conditions; it is comprehensive.
• You are worthy of complete, simple obedience. Your glory and holiness are sufficient. Plus your call carries its own authority - just because you uttered it.
• Show me the ways that I am anything other than completely and simply obedient.

Cranberriology

There is only one food item that I crave - cranberry juice. There are lots of foods that I desire, and I have a few favorites. But there's only one that I crave. When I see cranberry juice commercials, I crave to have a glass. When I see the bottles of this tart-and-sweet nectar of perfection, I am compelled to buy some. I am never compelled to buy any other food or drink. There is hardly a time that having a glass doesn't sound particularly good.

There is also on one food item that I'm allergic to. If I have even a little of it, I get an asthma attack that can get bad enough to incite a bit of panic. In a twist of cruel fate, the one food I'm allegic to is ... cranberry juice!

I don't mind having a food allergy. But why does it have to be the one thing I crave? Do I crave it because I can't have it? I knew of my craving long before we identified what I was allergic to, so I don't see how it could be psychosomatic. If I wasn't allergic, would I still want it? Why does my body have such a strong desire for the only thing that makes my lungs close up? I even had a doctor once tell me to drink more cranberry juice for my health - even doctor's orders wouldn't prevent the wheezing.
Sin works on the same principle. We crave the thing that we are spiritually "allergic" to. Satan counts on it. If we didn't crave what we were "allergic" to, then he could not trap us. If we weren't allergic to what our flesh craves, then there would be no harm, and he would be powerless. No, for temptation to work, we've got to be allergic to what we crave.

I can't stop wanting cranberry juice. No matter what I do, I still want it. Even possessing the knowledge that it will cause me to sound like a lifetime smoker on a treadmill, I still struggle against myself to just say, "To blazes with it! I'm having a glass!"

Sin is that way. We can't will ourselves to stop wanting what tempts us. No matter what we do, we still want it. Even the knowledge of how it will damage or destroy our lives doesn't take away the struggle of saying, "To blazes!"

We win the fight against temptation like I win the fight against cranberry juice. Not by "only having a little." Not by trying really hard to stop wanting what tempts us. Not by sheer will power. The only way I win the fight against cranberry juice is to yield. I don't double up my will - I give up my will. The craving is still there. I don't rely on my sheer will power to resist. I just give up to the reality that it sucks the life out of me and that I don't have the personal resolve to best it. I give in to the truth that the only way to win is to lose - lose what I crave, lose the demand to get whatever I want, lose the false promise that I will be happier with a glass if juice than without.

The same with sin. But with sin, we also have the Holy Spirit within us, constantly blowing us "uphill" against sin's gravitational pull.

Eph 4.17-24

Psg: Eph 4.17-24
Date: 4/22/12

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So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn about Christ like this, if indeed you heard about him and were taught in him, just as the truth is in Jesus. You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new man who has been created in God's image in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.

Record

Put on the new man who has been created in God's image.

Reflect

• Since we did not learn Christ through darkened thinking, fleshly impulses, ignorance, or hardness of heart, we should put on the new man through the renewed spirit of kind. The old man is in the image of this fallen world, but the new man is in the image of God. Put him on like a garment. Make choices consistent with the new creation, because that's how we initially came to know Christ. Sanctification will be by grace, just like salvation (cf. Gal 3). Live according to positional truth.
• There is no real reason given here, no "What's in it for me?" There's more of a sense of "Why would I live incongruously with the grace that saved me?"

Respond

You have saved me by grace. You are sanctifying me by grace. You are worthy of nothing less than living by grace, putting off the old man and putting on the new man.

Col 3.1-11

Psg: Col 3.1-11 (http://biblia.com/bible/gs-netbible/Col3.1-11)
Date: 4/23/12

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3:1 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 3:2 Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, 3:3 for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 3:4 When Christ (who is your* life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him. 3:5 So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth:* sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion,* evil desire, and greed which is idolatry. 3:6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.* 3:7 You also lived your lives* in this way at one time, when you used to live among them. 3:8 But now, put off all such things* as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth. 3:9 Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices 3:10 and have been clothed with the new man* that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it. 3:11Here there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave* or free, but Christ is all and in all.

Record

"Keep seeking the things above."
"Keep thinking about the things above."
("You will be revealed in glory.")
"Put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth."
"Put off all such things."
"Do not lie to one another."

Reflect

• "Therefore"
• From chapter 2, we have received Christ by grace, and therefore should live by grace. We have died to the elementary principles of the world.
• Indicative - imperative: Because these things are positionally true about you in Christ, therefore do these other things.
• There is no sense of the reverse - that these things are true about you because you have done these things.
• There is no sense of garnering God's favor through these actions.
• Rather, the rational and good outcome of salvation by grace is the pursuit of Christlikeness.
• Revelation of glory is coming, which brings a telos to these actions.
• So, because of what God did in the past and will do in the future, pursue Christlikeness.
• For the things above, seek them and think about them. For the things that belong here, put them away, put them to death.
• Colossians is in large part about the supremacy of Christ. That figures into the motivation and appropriateness of this exhortation, too. 
• "He is all in all!"
• And therefore, these other pursuits are not. Neither will they satisfy or make me better or give me a better life.
• There is no room for coasting in the Christian life. 
• The assurance of salvation doesn't mean that the intensity of the pursuit changes, but that the object of pursuit does.
• It is not sufficient to avoid sin - the Christian life is about pursuing Christlikeness.
• God will be at work renewing the new man.

Respond

• Change my heart's pursuit! My heart is divided, pursuing my own glory (which you are going to reveal in perfection one day, anyway) and my own joy (which pales in comparison to the joy you have for me), as well as pursuing you and the likeness of your Son. Make my heart singular for Christ! Make it singular for his person as well as for his character in me.
• Thank you for:
• Raising me up in Christ.
• Hiding me in Christ.
• Promising to reveal me in glory.
• Bringing wrath on sin.
• Renewing the new man you've declared me to be.
• For Christ being all in all!