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For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power. 1 Corinthians 1:17
The more I grow in Christ, the more I am aware and amazed at the dichotomy of the human mind versus the ‘mind of Christ.’ Biblical scholars of the past and present remind us that we can not be friends (followers) of the worldly (human) mindset and true disciples of Jesus.
Jesus tells us that and his brother James (among others) does as well.
“You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.” James 4:4
In his first letter to the church in Corinth Paul points out the futility of following after people rather than keeping our focus on the cross. It’s vital in the Christian walk to remember the centrality and power of the cross. It’s also important to remember that while the cross is a symbol of victory for the believer today, it was a symbol of humiliation, defeat and evil in Jesus’ day. That is dichotomy #1 by the way.
Paul reminds the Corinthian believers, and us, that at there is power in the cross, not weakness.
Here are some points to ponder about the power and dichotomy of the cross.
Human thought sees power in status; Jesus sees power in humility.
Human thought sees power in strength, Jesus sees power in weakness.
Human thought sees power in revenge, Jesus sees power in forgiveness.
Human thought sees power in experience , Jesus sees power in faith.
Human thought sees power in self reliance, Jesus sees power in trust.
The cross is weakness to the world, for us it is ultimate power. Don’t settle for the power of human thought. Live powerfully because of the cross of Jesus.
“Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten.” John 6:23
Memories. They can sneak up on you. You may be driving through an area where something happened (good or bad) and you are instantly transported back to that time. It could be a song, an aroma in the air, or a multitude of other things that bring you back
Imagine what it must have been like for those in the crowd of 5,000+ to experience the miracle of Jesus feeding them from just five small loaves of bread and two fish. The news of the miracle spread as quickly as the disciples could deliver lunch.
“This came from where?”
“How can this be?”
“This is the best bread and fish I’ve ever had! I’ll have more please!”
“Oh, no thank you. I couldn’t eat another bite! It’s delicious! Where did you say this came from again?”
The next day many went back to the spot where Jesus had fed them, but he was gone. He’d moved on to another place. He was on a mission. Jesus never stayed in one place long. He rarely did things in the same way. His methods changed but his mission and message remained the same in every situation.
The people experienced Jesus in a way few of us ever have. Not being able to find him, they went searching. They went looking intently for what Jesus would do next.
Have you ever experienced Jesus in that way? Times when he showed himself in an answered prayer for comfort of strength? Times when the sunrise or sunset reminded you of his beauty and creativity? Storms that have shown you his power? A relationship strained that was reconciled?
It’s good to go back to those times when God has shown himself in a real way. It’s good to have those memories to build on. But memories are in the past and we should never stay there.
Continue to seek Jesus. Continue to draw close to him, to learn from him, to see the new things he desires to show you. Jesus is that same yesterday, today and forever. But he wants to show himself to you in new ways every day.
Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. Psalms 126:5
Growing up, my parents would always have a large garden to help feed our large family on a limited budget. I never enjoyed planting the garden for several reasons.
First of all, it was tedious. Spending hours in the hot sun putting seeds in the ground, making sure they were spaced according to my mother’s expectations and then covering them with the correct amount of earth wasn’t my idea of a great way to spend a spring day after a long, cold winter!
Secondly, we never really knew how well the garden would do. Summers in Wisconsin are anything but predicable. Sometimes they were hot and dry. Other times they were hot and wet. I didn’t always see the point!
Thirdly, I realized that planting seeds wasn’t the end of the story. Planting seeds also meant that in coming weeks there would be weeding to be done, cultivating to be accomplished and sometimes, irrigation to be implemented.
Lastly, I wasn’t looking forward to the process of canning and freezing these vegetables, which at our house was a family affair and usually took many hours away from some serious play time. Summers were short, time was valuable!
My problem was that. I wasn’t able to see the end result of all my seed planting. I wasn’t able to look ahead to my enjoyment of going out into the garden and picking a pod from the peas, those sweet morsels of enjoyment!
I couldn’t see my love for picking cherry tomatoes and snacking on them through the day.
I couldn’t see the joy of having fresh sweet corn and other vegetables, or the tastiness of BLT sandwiches made with tomatoes from our garden on mom’s homemade bread. I lost focus on the harvest.
Is that how it is with you? To often we focus on the current situation and the struggle ahead without realizing the joy of the harvest.
Marriage can be hard, yet those who have stuck it out in the hard times will tell you that those hard times ended up being the very thing that cemented the relationship.
Those who’ve gone through business or financial failure will tell you how much they appreciated the lessons learned and the resulting joy they live in now.
The drought of relationships gone bad can seem hopeless, yet those times of drought often are God’s call to draw closer to him, not people. To sense his love and faithfulness.
The analogy breaks down though. Sometimes the seeds we plant result in a harvest we never see. Kindnesses to strangers. Patience with those who let us down time and again. The pain of watching out kids make choices that go against the things we taught them.
But keep on planting seeds! Even though you may not see a harvest in your lifetime, the Father who brings the increase, will reward you in the life ahead because of your faithful seed planting in Jesus’ name.
Fear of the Lord is a life-giving fountain; it offers escape from the snares of death. Proverbs 14:27
Our dog, Oakley, is terrified of loud noises. Fourth of July, thunderstorms, hunting season and any other loud noises he hears will send him cowering to the floor and looking helplessly at us, almost as if to say, ‘Can’t you do something about this?’ Nothing we can do will comfort him. Fear conquers reality in his life. He is in no danger, but fear conquers facts!
All of us are famliar with fear. Sociologists have found that up to 90% of the things we fear never happen, and the remaining 10% were easier to get through than first thought. Fear conquers facts!
Yet, doesn’t the Bible say we should ‘fear the Lord?’ The answer is yes…and no. To fear the Lord isn’t to be afraid of the Lord. God isn’t some angry old man in the heavens with lightning bolts in his hands, ready to zap you with cancer, divorce, financial ruin, lay-offs and political unrest.
Fearing the Lord means we are in awe of His power. Where do you see His power manifest most often? I see God’s power most often in the person of His son, Jesus Christ. The power of Jesus was love, understanding, grace and mercy shown to those who rejected Him. Yet in all this he didn’t stray for the holiness of the Father.
The more we see God for who He is, the more we will revere, honor, serve and emulate him in our lives. To believe God is angry with you for past choices is a lie from Satan himself. Perfect love (God’s love) casts out all fear!
The more we learn about God through His Holy Spirit, the more He will show us the wisdom we need for each and every day. He becomes a life-giving fountain that refreshes us in the droughts, wildernesses and storms of life.
The difficulties we face in life are the consequences of sin not the revenge of an angry God. He promises to forgive our sins but may allow the consequences to help us grow stronger.
Don’t let FEAR keep you from the FACTS!
What if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us? Psalms 124:2
We are wired for relationship. From the very beginning God knew this. The only time he saw something was not good was when man was alone.
He created woman for relationship. Not just the marriage relationship, but relationship in the emotional, physical and spiritual realm.
But when sin entered our world, relationship was irreparably damaged. Greed, jealousy, shame and hopelessness replaced the unity, love and mercy of relationship. Faith, hope and love, the cornerstones, of relationship died.
We talk about how Jesus came to offer forgiveness of our sins and that is true, but the ultimate reason for that sacrifice was to restore relationships, first with God the Father, and then each other.
The effects of the pandemic are just now starting to bloom. Violence has increased. Distrust is at an all-time high. Fear and anger seem to run rampant.
Ironically, while we are wired for relationship, we also have a penchant for revenge.
When your beliefs are challenged. You may react defensively in the name of Jesus. (FYI, God doesn’t need our help in this regard.)
When you are told to do something you know is wrong. You are tempted to attack the person who is in charge.
When you are ridiculed and judged for your failures. You may feel guilty or anger at the person.
When your words of encouragement return void. You may try to shame those who didn’t respond as you’d hoped.
When you sit down at an empty lunch table at school and no one joins you. You listen to the lies that you’re not worthy.
When those times, come, remember the words of the Psalmist. God is on your side. Jesus is there with you and totally understands. The Holy Spirit will remind you of who you are if you listen to His voice.
The psalmist finishes his song with this reminder, “Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalms 124:8)
The enemy voices have no power over you unless you choose to give them the power.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 