From Father To Son

Focus verses: I Timothy 6:3-21

Today's reading is the entire letter of I Timothy. Here we have a father-figure speaking to someone he loves as a son. The letter covers the gamut of Christian conduct and church structure. It contains encouragements and admonitions from Paul to Timothy.

I am sure that Timothy treasured this letter, read and re-read it over and over. And he probably shared it with the churches he was planting.

But I want to focus on the last two verses.

²⁰Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, ²¹which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.
Grace be with you.

When Paul says "guard what has been entrusted to your care," he is talking about the gospel, the good news of Christ's redemption of sinful man. Earlier in this letter, Paul has talked about himself as the worst of sinners, recalling how he once persecuted the church.

This good news that Christ can change the vilest sinner into the serving saint will change our lives, if we but hear and believe. What we believe shapes our actions, and our actions shape our lives.

Paul admonishes Timothy not to be drawn into "godless chatter and the opposing ides of what is falsely called knowledge." We have a lot of that going on in our lives right now. We have scientific theory being taught in our schools as if it were proven fact when it is in direct opposition to the Word of God.

There is an arrogance in the intellect that wants to believe that we can "know it all," that we can wrap our puny finite minds around the knowledge and purposes of an infinite God. That's never going to happen.

Paul's concluding remark is "Grace be with you." Grace, God's endless mercy, God's righteousness at Christ's expense. Grace, you were bought with a price. You are not your own.

Father, God,

Help us to be faithful to Your word at all times. Keep us from wandering into endless philosophies and arguments about the faith. Remind us that Your word is the final word on everything.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Grace

Focus verses: Romans 11:25-36

You may have seen this acronym for grace:

God's
Riches (or Righteousness)
At
Christ's
Expense

We sing about grace. We talk about grace. But do we really understand grace?

The unmerited favor of God is our richest blessing. It means that He loves us with a boundless love. He called us forth from our birth to be His chosen children. He has made provision for every turn in our life's journey.

He knows well the sins of the flesh that we are heir to. He recognizes our arrogance and pride. And yet He loves us.

To me, that is the greatest miracle of all. Healing a body is wonderful, but healing a spirit is more wonderful. Turning water into wine is spectacular, but turning a pagan into a follower of God is more spectacular.

This grace, greater than all my sin, blesses us richly. Our response to this grace of God determines our eternal future. Grace is offered freely. We must accept freely. We need to take God at His word and remain faithful to that word, even when we don't see the fruit of it.

Our response to His grace must be our unending, unwavering faith in His word. For our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He never changes. He is the one certainty in this uncertain world. When all else fails us, He never will.

He is our eternal security. There is no other.

Father, God,

Help us to rely upon You and your grace to us. Teach us Your ways, that we may remain steadfast in the storms of life. Let us see Your grace in our lives, that we may extend a similar grace to those whom we encounter on this journey.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

The Witch of Endor

Focus verses: 1 Samuel 28:3-25

Saul's visit to the witch at Endor was the last straw in his fall from God's grace. He had progressed from anointed, to arrogant, to disobedient, to envious, to cruel, to fearful, to divination.

But notice that the first step on that slippery slope was arrogance. He got puffed up with himself. He forgot that God was sovereign, that he held the crown of Israel only at God's pleasure.

He forgot that the primary duty of the child of God is obedience. He second-guessed God at several turns. Then when God stopped speaking to him, he forced the witch to conjure up Samuel.

The witch reminded the men who came to her that Saul himself had forbidden witchcraft and conjuring of spirits. But it was Saul, himself, who was seated before her, asking her to break his own laws. The witch was not the cause of Saul's fall. She was merely the last symptom of his depravity.

We do well to watch ourselves. When you are faithful to God, sometimes the world begins to praise you. If you believe the praise of the world and forget that God is the prime mover for all that you do well, you are in danger of starting down that same path Saul took.

Father, God,

Save us from arrogance and pride. Teach us humility and obedience to Your will and Your words. Tune our ears to hear you so that we are not tempted to seek information from other, less reliable sources.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Parting the Waters - Part Two

Focus verses: Joshua 4:19-24

God seems to be in the business of parting the waters for Israel. This time, it's the Jordan. In obedience to God's command, the Ark of the Covenant went before Israel and the priests who carried it stood in the middle of the dry river till all of Israel had passed over. But twelve men were commanded to pick up stones from the place where the priests stood and carry them over as well.

Then Joshua erected a memorial of the stones at Gilgal.

God's in the business of making a way for His people. And His people respond to God's gracious provision -- by forgetting. How often do we forget the provision of the Lord?

God parted the waters of the sea before the Israelites and closed them over the pursuing Egyptians. And the children of Israel built a golden calf. This time God tells them to erect the memorial so they remember and tell their children.

The moment another need comes along we seem to forget God's past provision and wallow in the fear of "what if". We need to set up memorial stones in our lives to recall God's grace and mercy toward us. Reciting these past events will help us get through the current crisis.

Remember the Lord, to make Him first in your life.

Father, God,

Keep us ever mindful of Your presence in our world. Nudge us when we forget your past mercies and sink into despair over circumstances. Help us to set up memorials in our lives.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.

Law and Grace

Focus verses: Numbers 9:1-12

The rules and regulations, the details and nuances of the temple and sacrifices have consumed the book of Leviticus. The Israelites are well aware of the penalties and ramifications of ignoring God's laws and ordinances.

The celebration and offerings of the Passover are the most important commemoration of the Jewish year. But sometimes circumstances intervene with participation. And the people went to Moses with a query because they didn't want to miss Passover, nor did they want to risk offering unworthily.

God provided an alternate date - the following month - so that they could celebrate Passover worthily. God is a god of grace as well as of detail and regulations.

How often do we remember that God's grace is an answer to our frailties? We are dependent and weak. We have limitations that God does not have. So he has provided allowances for us. The most important of which is Jesus, our intercessor, our high priest, our Redeemer.

Without Jesus there is no hope. He is the way, the truth and the life. But we don't have to do without Him. He is available if we simply accept His invitation to believe in Him.

Father, God,

Thank You for paying attention to the details and granting us grace for special circumstances. Thank You most of all for Jesus, the Word incarnate.

In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.