Author: Jennifer Armstrong

Today’s reading: 1 John 5

I spent a good part of January finalizing the 2022 Business Plan for my department.  I am a pretty direct person, so working with some not so direct business partners to develop a succinct plan was a bit challenging at times.  My feedback often sounded something like this – in 2 sentences or less tell me what you are trying to achieve and how you are going to measure it.  Get to the point, bottom line it, cut out the weasel words.

Our text for today is 1 John 5.  Check out verse 12:

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12).

It doesn’t get anymore direct than this.  If you’ve accepted Jesus you have eternal life, if you haven’t accepted Jesus you don’t.  That’s it, any questions?

The Apostle John could have stopped there but he doesn’t, as a lot of people then (and now) needed to hear the message a little more gently.  In the remainder of the chapter, John offered a few encouraging words to Christfollowers so they could have confidence in their relationship with God.

• God hears our prayers.  This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us (1 John 5:14).
• God protects us from Satan.  We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them (1 John 5:18).
• God sent Jesus to provide a way for us to know him.  We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true (1 John 5:20).

Nonetheless, don’t let John’s encouraging words in verses 13-21 cloud the main point.  To have eternal life, you need Jesus.  If you haven’t placed your faith in him yet, it isn’t too late.  There is no better time than now!

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).

Today’s reading:  John 17

The setting for our assigned scripture today is the Last Supper.  Judas had departed the gathering to go get the Roman officials to arrest Jesus.  Meanwhile, Jesus was laying it all on the line, trying to prepare his disciples with everything they need to know.

It is easy for me to read this scripture today and see the full picture, so I’m quick to wonder how the disciples were confused and/or missed how everything fit together.  Then I remember.  In the midst of the events they didn’t have the “benefit of hindsight” that I have as I read this story all these years later.  In addition, the disciples were dealing with real-time emotions.  They were scared, confused, sad and timid all at the same time.  Things were happening so fast they didn’t have the luxury to stop and make sense of it all.

Today, let’s take advantage of our place in history and review Jesus’ powerful message from John 17 as a way to “hide his word in our hearts” so when we are in the midst of emotion – scared, confused, sad, timid – we can rely on him to carry us through.

• God gave Jesus authority over all people so he could give eternal life (John 17:2).
• Eternal life comes from knowing the one true God and his son Jesus (John 17:3).
• Jesus came to earth to glorify God and accomplish God’s plan (John 17:4).
• Jesus and God are one – all he has is God’s and all God has is his (John 17:10).
• Jesus was leaving earth and returning to God (John 17:11).
• The world does not know God, and is against followers of Jesus (John 17:14,25).
• God’s word is truth (John 17:17).
• God sent Jesus to the world to love people (John 17:23,26).

Jesus prayed for his followers.  Take note he was clear that his prayer was not for the world, but was specifically for those who believed in him (John 17:6-8, 20):

• • For their protection and safety (John 17:11,12).
  • That they may be “sanctified”, or set apart, by the truth (John 17:17)
  • That God would take them out of the world and protect them from the evil one (John 17:15).
  • For their unity (John 17:21-23)
  • For them to eventually be re-united with him (John 17:24).

• Today, after meditating on this passage, I share an old song God put on my heart.  The words are convicting.  Knowing all Jesus has given for you, how could you say “no” to him?

Thorns on His head, spear in His side
yet it was a heartache that made Him cry
He gave His life so you would understand
Is there any way you could say “no” to this Man?

If Christ Himself were standing here
Face full of glory and eyes full tears
He’d hold out His arms with His nail-printed hands
Is there any way you could say “no” to this Man?

How could you look in His tear-stained eyes
Knowing it’s you He’s thinking of?
Would you tell Him you’re not ready to give Him your life?
Could you say you don’t think you need His love?

Jesus is here with His arms open wide
You can see Him with your heart
If you’ll stop looking with your eyes
He’s left it up to you, He’s done all that He can
Is there any way you could say “no” to this Man?

(Mickey Cates and Billy Sprague (1984))

 

Today’s reading:  Luke 7:1-35

I ask a lot of questions.  Sometimes my motive is to find out what is going on so I can meet the demands of the situation – due dates, arrival times, transportation needs, etc.  Other times it is just because I’m interested in the subject or entertained by the art of the conversation.  Occasionally, however, I ask questions because I’m skeptical.  Either additional information is going to help me connect the dots and buy into the story, or it will help me see through the erroneous information and get to the truth.

Even though my motive for asking questions is generally good, my method isn’t always viewed in such a favorable light.  Just ask B.J. or my kids, I sometimes drive them nuts with too much asking.  They’ve learned that headphones over their ears is a deterrent and/or makes it easier for them to ignore me.  So, I just save my questions for later!

Our assigned passage for today opens with questions.  Jesus’ ministry was in its early stages.  His revolutionary teaching and the miracles he was performing were being talked about by everyone.  John the Baptist, who’s life’s mission was to prepare the way for the Messiah, was confused.  The reports he had been receiving about this man named Jesus were incomplete and inconsistent, so John was skeptical.  His response was to ask questions.  Either additional information was going to help him connect the dots and reveal Jesus’ identity as the Messiah or it was going to help him see though the false reports and shut down the impersonator.

When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else’” (Luke 7:20)?

So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me” (Luke 7:22-23).

Notice Jesus’ response to John’s questions.  He wasn’t annoyed, didn’t ignore him or try to shut him up.  Rather, he welcomed his skepticism and answered in a way only John would understand.  By explaining he had accomplished all the things foretold by the prophet Isaiah, John would conclude Jesus had to be the person for whom he had been waiting.

Jesus knew John had a lot at stake and that his doubts were normal human behavior.  See, even though John had given his whole life to prepare the way for Jesus to come, he didn’t have the whole story.  God didn’t reveal every detail of his plan to John, nor was there 24 hour news media to inform John of Jesus’ every move so he could more easily figure it out himself.  Jesus had to help him connect the dots.

In the same way, God understands our human nature.  He knows we don’t understand the whole story and are naturally skeptical about things.  He welcomes our questions.  Today, will you admit your doubts to God and ask him to guide you in finding answers?  If your motives are pure, I promise he will help you connect the dots and invite you into a trust relationship with him.

Today’s reading:  Revelation 19 and 20

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15).

Revelation 20:15 may be the scariest verse in the Bible. It describes the final judgment- the last chance for people to be in or out.  Either your name is written in the book of life and you will spend eternity with God or it is not and you are condemned to spend eternity in hell away from God.  Eternal torment.  This reality should strike fear, a truly distressing emotion, into the heart of anyone who doesn’t have confidence they are in.

If your question today is, “how do I have confidence I am in”, let’s review:

God’s invitation is open to all – Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

We all need it – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23); For the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6:23a). 

We can’t earn it – …but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23b); For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Jesus is the only way – “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Jesus paid the price for us – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

We must affirm faith in Jesus to be saved – If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).

Do you still need to put your faith in Jesus Christ?  If you haven’t already, would say this prayer with me today?

God, I confess I am a sinner and deserve the consequences of my sin. But, I believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection made a way for my forgiveness. Today, I am turning from my sin and putting my trust in Jesus and Jesus alone. Thank you Lord for forgiving me.  Thank you for saving me.  Amen.

Today’s reading:  1 John 1 and 2

The book of 1 John was written by the apostle John near the end of his life.  At this point, he was likely the last of Jesus’ disciples still alive.  He wrote this letter to the “next generation of believers”, those who were born after Jesus had ascended back to Heaven.  As someone who was an eyewitness to the Jesus in the flesh, John’s goal was to give believers confidence in their faith by presenting a clear picture of who Jesus was, and guide them on staying in fellowship with him.

John begins Chapter 1 by describing God as Light, what is pure, true and holy.  We know it is impossible for darkness to exist in the presence of light.  In the same way, sin cannot exist in the presence of our perfect and holy God.  God wants us to be in relationship with him, but in order to do that, we have to get rid of our sin.  How do we do that?  Confession.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7).

Confession is a paradox.  God, by his very nature, is omnipotent (knows everything).  The Bible also tells us that when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, all our sins are forgiven.  So if God knows, and has forgiven, all of our sin (past, present and future), why then do we still need to confess our sins to him?  Is confession a requirement of salvation?  If we die with unconfessed sins, we will still go to Heaven?  These are some of the questions with which the first century Christians were struggling, and are likely some of the questions with which we still struggle.

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Romans 10:9-10).

Confessing that Jesus Chris is Lord is required for salvation.  Regularly confessing our sins to God, however, is focused on fellowship.  See, sin puts a barrier between us and God.  By confessing our sins to him, we are able to remove that barrier by:

• Acknowledging to God that we know our actions are sinful.
• Being sorry for what we’ve done, and being willing to turn from our sinful ways.
• Recognizing that we don’t have the power to overcome sin on our own, but must rely on God’s power.

Confessing our sin isn’t telling God something he doesn’t already know.  Rather, it is about the condition of our hearts.  Getting rid of our sin makes us pure again and opens the door for God to draw near to us.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you (James 4:10).

Today’s reading: Hebrews 2-3

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters.  Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.  You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God (Hebrews 3:12-13)

In February 2016, the second month of our Bible Journal journey, we studied Exodus.  At God’s direction Moses kept going to Pharaoh and asking him to release the Israelites from captivity.  At every visit, Pharaoh was unyielding.  His continued refusal brought God’s wrath on Egypt, ten increasingly worse plagues.  Through the first five – blood, frogs, gnats, flies, and death of livestock – the Bible says Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to set God’s people free.  But in the account of the last five plagues – boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and dead of the firstborn – the Bible says God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

I remember struggling with the thought of God intentionally hardening someone’s heart.  As I was reading our text for today, the subject of hardening our hearts came up again in Hebrews 3.  It prompted me to go back to 2016 and remind myself how I reconciled something that seemed inconsistent with the character of God.

To start, God is love.  He desires that everyone be saved by putting their faith in Jesus Christ.

“For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God, so turn, and live (Ezekiel 18:32).

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (I Timothy 2:3-4).

God, however, has also given us free will.  Like Pharaoh, when we persist in our unbelief, God will eventually leave us alone in our sin.  Sin, unless covered by the blood of Jesus, will lead to eternal separation from God.  See, God doesn’t choose to separate us from him by hardening our hearts.  Rather, we choose it for ourselves.  If we keep choosing sin instead of accepting Jesus, he will eventually leave us alone.  Very scary.

I am human.  My sinful nature leads me make selfish choices that are outside of God’s plan for my life.  But how do I prevent a consistent unbelieving heart that will lead God to check on out me?  I must choose to “stay the course” even when I don’t feel like it.  If I continue to have fellowship with other believers, regularly talk about my faith, maintain awareness of sin’s deceitfulness, care for others, and encourage them with genuine love and concern, I won’t be prone to chose unbelief.

For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ (Hebrews3:14).

Today’s reading:  Ephesians 6, Philippians 1

Paul begins the book of Ephesians thanking God for the spiritual blessings he has given us – plans to adopt us into his family, showers us with loving kindness, purchased our freedom with the blood of Jesus, and gave us the Holy Spirit as a helper (Ephesians 1:3-14).  The blessings of family membership, however, also come with responsibility, especially in our relationships with other people.  The end of Ephesians 5 and the beginning of Ephesians 6 take us through a handful of our most significant relationships:  husbands and wives, children and parents, slaves and masters (applicable to employee/employer relationships also).

The main idea of this whole section is, if our faith in Christ is real, it should show up in how we treat others.

• Wives should submit to their husbands as you do to the Lord.
• Husbands should love their wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
• Children should honor their parents regardless if they are good parents or not.
• Parents should care for their children even if they are disrespectful/disobedient.
• Employees should respect their employers and work hard as if they were working for the Lord.
• Employers should respect their employees and treat them well.

This sounds so much easier than it is.  When others wrong us, it is so hard to turn the other cheek, not seek revenge and keep from holding a grudge.  Fortunately as Christfollowers, we are not left to our own devices.  Accepting Jesus as our Savior and Lord gets us the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us live this way.  It is only with his help that we have any chance at coming close to God’s relationship standards.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21).

While this verse is written in the context of husbands and wives, it is the key to honoring God in every relationship we have.  Submission is simply putting someone else’s needs in front of your own.  Soak on this today.  How different would our world be if we lived up to this standard more often?

 

Today’s reading:  1 Corinthians 15 and 16

Have you ever had a friend whose presence seemed to alter the course of almost every situation (and not for the good)? Reflecting over my childhood years, a few of these people come to mind. I was generally a pretty good kid, but when one of these friends was around, things always seemed to go downhill. My parents knew who these “bad seeds” or “ring leaders” were. I knew it too, I was just never willing to concede. Admitting my folks were right may have propelled me to make a different choice, which may have led me to miss out on the fun. No thanks.

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Now that I’m old, and have kids of my own, the wisdom found in 1 Corinthians 15:33 means more to me than ever. Funny thing is, this truth applies no matter how old we are. While one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch, it works the other way too.  One good, influential person can also raise everyone else’s game.

On the way to Springfield last Saturday, B.J. and I were listening to Craig Groeschel’s leadership podcast. The topic for the day was – your potential to lead others is a result of how you lead yourself.  According to Groeschel, what you put in your mind is a main determinant of what comes out in your leadership.  If inputs are what determines outcomes, where should we focus?  You guessed it, on the inputs.

Groeschel went on to break down inputs into 3 main categories:

• What you consume – you conform to what you consume
• What you attempt – growth comes from doing more of something or doing something different
• With whom you surround yourself…sound familiar?

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn says we are the average of the five people with whom we spend the most time.  He asserts that surrounding yourself with people that look like you want to look and/or act like you want to act, increases your propensity to become who you want to be.  I’ve read other studies that refute this point, saying far more people influence you than your closest 5.  But either way, we are for sure influenced by the people with whom we surround ourselves.

While 1 Corinthians 5:33 puts us on our guard to avoid surrounding ourself with bad influences, is this enough?  Its kind of like physical health.  Cutting out junk food and not sitting all day helps, but just cutting things out won’t make us healthy.  We have to intentionally engage in healthy activities – eating right-sized portions of healthy foods, regularly exercising and getting enough sleep.  In the same way, avoiding bad company helps, but it alone won’t lead a fulfilling, God-honoring life.

Today, I challenge you to consider who you are spending time with and how they are impacting you. Are they influencing you for good?  Are they modeling spiritual disciplines?  Are they spurring you on to a closer relationship with Christ?

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).

 

Today’s reading:  Romans 9 and 10

Sovereign – having the highest power or being completely independent (Cambridge English Dictionary).

Romans Chapter 9 is about God’s sovereignty.

The chapter begins with Paul expressing sadness that his fellow Israelites, God’s chosen people, had missed their long-awaited messiah.  Jesus didn’t look or act like the Savior they had dreamt of, so when he showed up, they were too wrapped up in doing the “right” things that they didn’t recognize him.

Paul goes on to explain that it isn’t family lineage (physical descent) or good works that makes someone a child of God, rather, faith in Jesus is what makes them a “descendant of Abraham” or a child of God.  You can’t earn God’s favor or salvation, it is the free gift of God.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

This is where God’s sovereignty comes in to play.  If God is the highest power, he can decide what he is or isn’t going to do, who he is and isn’t going to bless, and who he is and isn’t going to save.  How does this make you feel?  Does God’s sovereignty give you hope or cause you concern?

Tyrant – a ruler who has unlimited power over other people, and uses it unfairly and cruelly (Cambridge English Dictionary).

Sovereignty often times makes us squeamish because it is usually connected with tyranny.  Putting your trust anyone with that kind of power very likely will put you at the mercy of someone who doesn’t have your best interest in mind; someone who may try to harm you.  As a result, we resist trusting anyone with absolute power over us.  This makes sense until it comes to God.  While God’s has the authority to do what he wants, his sovereignty is what gives us hope.

The apostle Paul pointed out that his hope came from understanding of God’s sovereignty in conjunction with the knowledge of God’s goodness.  God, by his nature, is love. Here’s  how the Bible describes it:

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

Understanding God leads us to recognize him as the ultimate authority.   The real question is whether we can trust the sovereign authority of a God who is Love, and who has our best interest in mind.

Today’s reading:  Acts 19

Have you ever been in a situation where you think someone is going to ask you to explain or defend your theological beliefs?  I have shied away from those conversations many times out of fear I don’t know enough or will say the wrong thing.  Rather than draw others to Jesus, I have been afraid I will turn others away from him because I say the wrong thing or completely confuse them with explanations that make no sense.

I love how our pastor Mike Baker usually describes his response to people when they ask him to opine on a hot topic.  When asked, “what do you think about…”, his response is always, “Why do you care what I think?  Let’s see what God has to say about the topic.”

The apostle Paul was known for his willingness to take on any subject with anyone.  Paul’s third missionary journey, as described in Acts 19, was no exception.  Check out these examples.

The chapter begins with Paul meeting up with a group of “disciples” in Ephesus.  Right off the bat, he asks them if they received the Holy Spirit when they believed (verse 2).   Why in the world would Paul lead with this question?  Did the actions of these men cast a doubt on whether they were really Chrisfollowers, or had someone tipped off Paul to their questionable theology?  I’m not sure, but I’m positive I would never have “picked that scab.”  I would have been way too fearful that my question would have been greeted with a counter-challenge that I was ill-prepared to address.  Turns out, Paul’s question led the group to discover they knew about John the Baptist, but didn’t really know about Christ or the Holy Spirit. When Paul shared the gospel message and challenged them to put their trust in Christ, they were quick to accept and be baptized.  As Paul prayed over them, they received the Holy Spirit.

If Paul wouldn’t have been bold enough to ask the question, these men may have never put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Jump forward to verse 23.  Craftsmen in Ephesus made their living making various idols, gods and shrines to the Greek goddess Artemis.  Paul had gone on record stating that gods made by human hands were/are no gods at all.  This caused riots in the city not only because it challenged the religious beliefs of the Ephesians, but also because it threatened their livelihood.

And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all (Acts 19:26).

If Paul wouldn’t have been bold enough to speak the truth and risk offending Ephesian business men (which he did), large numbers of people in Ephesus and the province of Asia may have never come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Just like God used Paul to share the gospel message and lead others to faith in Jesus in the first century, God still works through us to lead others to faith in Jesus in the 21st century.  But we must be faithful to our calling.  When we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit and are filled with his presence and power, God does amazing things.  Be bold!