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LIVING THE BEST WAY

(Galatians 6:1-5 The Massage) Live creatively, friends.  If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself.  You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out.  Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law.  If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.  Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.  Don’t be impressed with yourself.  Don’t compare yourself with others.  Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

  What are God’s people here for?  Jesus made it clear for us; we are here to share the Gospel and take care of each other. Living the best way requires a humble and other centered lifestyle.  This lifestyle is difficult, because it goes against our fallen nature.  We need help from Jesus who often works through our Christian brothers and sisters.

We are each gifted from God to provide help for one another.  The Apostle Paul lists in

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 the gifts given by God: apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, healers, helpers, organizers, and those who pray in tongues.  Within these gifts we find brothers and sisters who are good with their hands. They can build and fix things.  Others are strong in compassion, encouraging, gifted in wisdom and knowledge, given to serve and take care of physical needs and many other abilities that enable us to use our gifts for the good of each other.  

Our scripture today calls for us to forgive and not criticize each other. We can also add in not judging one another.  I’ve learned that we can become proficient in forgiving others.  A trait we all need to develop.  And we can learn not to judge and constantly criticize each other but to leave judgement to the one who is untainted in his judgements.  These are the things we can learn from Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit.  The closer we are with Jesus the better we become at forgiving, not judging and limiting our criticism of each other.

We read in Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”  This sums up for us the means of living the best way.

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MAINTANING A GODLY MARRIAGE

(Ephesians 5:21-28 The Message) Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.  Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ.  The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does for the church, not by domineering but by cherishing.  So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.  Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church – a love marked by giving, not getting.  Christ’s love makes the church whole.  His words evoke her beauty.  Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness.  And that is how husbands ought to love their wives.  They’re really doing themselves a favor – since they’re already “one” in marriage.

(1Corintians 7:1-3 The Message) Now, getting down to the questions you asked in your letter to me.  First, Is it a good thing to have sexual relations?  Certainly – but only within a certain context.  It’s good for a man to have a wife, and for a woman to have a husband.  Sexual drives are strong, but marriage is strong enough to contain them and provide for a balanced and fulfilling sexual life in a world of sexual disorder.

The Bible clearly identifies that a marriage should be centered around Jesus.  The closer a husband and a wife grow toward Jesus – the closer they will grow toward each other.  As my wife and I have managed a marriage of forty-five years, I feel confident to say that we have grown closer to Jesus, and therefore we have grown closer to each other.

I have found that it is much easier to find the fault in my wife rather than in myself and trying to correct her is a bad choice.  Now, I concern myself with the fault in me, and I leave any fault that might be in her to be worked out between her and Jesus.  Jesus can amazingly correct us without causing an offence.

God forgives us in Christ Jesus and does not remember or hold our sins against us.  We should do the same.  As I mentioned last week, holding unforgiveness is destructive to ourselves and to our relationships.  If we let offences fester in our heart, love will diminish.  Unforgiveness can destroy a marriage.

We grow in Jesus through the continual guidance of the Holy Spirit.  In the loving relationship that is built with him, we grow to become a better person for our spouse.  One of my former pastors, Eric Nelson, once said, “Jesus is the answer to everything.”  I think we can build our lives on this truth.

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THE VALUE OF FORGIVING AND REPENTING

(Colossians 3:12-14) Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved cloth yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

One vital aspect of good family relationships is forgiveness.  God forgives us because he loves us with a perfect love. He demonstrated this love when he gave us his son to cover our transgressions.  The love we have for each other is tainted.  Our sinful nature causes us to resist forgiving.  Therefore, forgiving even insignificant offences tend to be a challenge.  It’s important then to overcome sinful tendencies and take care of the list of transgressions we are holding on to; otherwise, they can grow into a festering sore that will damage our souls as well as our relationships.    God has provided us with forgiveness and repentance for the healing of relationships.

I share these thoughts with you because I have experienced difficulties with forgiveness and repentance, and I have learned through these struggles the great value of forgiving and repenting.  I have found that forgiving someone reveals that their value as a person is greater than the offence.  This is a Godly perspective.  To repent is a humble expression of confession of the offence we have perpetrated. This initiates the process of forgiveness, but do we have to wait for someone to repent before we can forgive? 

My answer to this question is no.  Forgiveness is ultimately a righteous act before God.  It’s nice if a person repents, yet our forgiving does not depend on their repentance.  When we repent before God it clears our soul and opens the door to rebuilding our relationship with him.  The same is true when we repent to each other. It provides the initial step to rebuild a relationship.

There is great value in following God’s command to forgive.  Unforgiveness resides in our soul and does much damage.  Forgiveness frees our soul.  The same is true about repentance.  To repent frees our soul.

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THE KEY TO ETERNAL GLORY RESTS IN FORGIVENESS

(Ephesians 4:31&32) Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Our fallen nature has the ability to produce bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and malice.  These are all counter to what God desires for us his children.  He wants us to be kind, compassionate and forgiving.  This is perhaps the greatest challenge for a Christian.  We live in a world where there is little of what God wants and much of what our fallen nature generates.  The key to living a Godly life lies in our ability to forgive one another.

Jesus set the stage for us to forgive, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (see Romans 5:8) God made provision to forgive us through the sacrifice of his Son.  If God was willing to sacrifice his Son for our forgiveness, we should be able to forgive those who sin against us. 

Sometimes the sin against us seems impossible to forgive.  That’s when we need help from the one who knows the cost of forgiveness.  Jesus humbled himself, even to the humility of death on the cross.  If we are willing to set aside our pride, Jesus can patiently guide us through the process of forgiving.  As we work through the difficult challenge to forgive, we can rest assured that God will be pleased, and there is a blessing coming for those of us who are willing to surrender to God’s way.

(1Peter 3:8&9) Finally, All of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.  On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

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WHEN EVIL THREATENS

(Psalm 64:1-6) Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy.  Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the plot of the evildoers.  They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.  They shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear.  They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, “who will see us?”  They plot injustice and say, “We have devised a perfect plan!”  Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

In these first six verses of Psalm 64, King David is before God asking for protection from the evil that constantly threatens him.  King David lived some three thousand years ago, and today we still face the same evil.  As an example, we know that hackers and scammers continually lurk around us.  They use our electronic devices to lore us into their schemes.  They plot how to steal from us with little care for the damage they do.  Yes, we can agree with King David that the human mind and heart are cunning.

Can we stop this evil? Well, since it has gone on for thousands of years, I think not.  Only God can finally put an end to it.  King David trusted that he could turn to God when evil threatens. He continued his Psalm with these words.

(Psalm 64:7-10) But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down.  He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.  All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done.  The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; all the upright in heart will glory in him!

When evil threatens, remember, we can take refuge in the Lord.

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GOD HEARS OUR EVERY WORD

(Ezekiel 35:13) You boasted against me and spoke against me without restraint, and I heard it.

This was the word of the Lord given to Ezekiel to prophesy against the nation of Edom.  The Edomites were descendants of Esau, and they were the enemies of Israel for many centuries.  When Judah, the southern kingdom of divided Israel, fell to the Babylonians, the Edomites plotted to take over their land.  They boasted against the God of Israel and spoke against God himself.  God heard them!  And that led to their demise.

Isn’t it interesting to know that God hears what we say?  Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:36, “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgement for every empty word they have spoken.”  It is beyond our ability to comprehend how God can know every word that has been spoken – for all of time since the beginning and on to the end.  I am very glad that I have been given grace through Jesus Christ.  I hope you have received this great gift of God.

There are those who say that God doesn’t exist, and they use many other words that dismiss the existence of God.  They use his name in vain without restraint. I hope they repent before they come to the day of Judgement to avoid having Jesus speak to them the words he gave to Ezekiel for the Edomites.

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WE EACH HAVE A PART IN GODS PLAN

(Ephesians 2:8-10) 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.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

In the first sentence of this scripture passage, the Apostle Paul points out that we are saved by grace, not by works that we might think we deserve salvation; but it is by God’s gift that we are saved.  Then he tells us that we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works.  However, we don’t have to think up these good works because God has already prepared them for us to do.  How do we know what these good works are?

Obviously, since God is the one who prepared our good works, we need to go to him to discover these good works he has set for us.  There are clues that are found in those abilities and talent that are inherent in our character.  There are things that we do that makes us feel fulfilled, but we need God’s direction and guidance to lead us to those specific works that he has prepared for us to do.

Doing what God has designed us to do answers the question why we are here. As we follow Gods plan for us, we discover fulfillment that gives purpose for our lives.  We are now part of a very complex worldwide team of believers. Our part fits into a tapestry where each tread has an important part of the whole picture. 

God alone knows the whole picture.  We walk by faith trusting that what he has assigned to us represents a significant part of the fulfillment of his overall plan for his creation.  What we experience when we are in line with God’s plan for us is our best possible life here on earth.

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GOD DISCIPLINES HIS CHILDREN

(Hebrews 12:4-6) In your struggles against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.  And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son?  It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

This scripture was foundational for me as a young Christian.  One evening at Bible study, I was sitting distressed over difficulties I had been encountering.  One of the brothers came over to me and said, “the Lord told me to share this scripture passage with you.  It was Hebrews 12:4-6.”  I opened my Bible and read the scripture.  It was a perfect insight at a perfect time.  Tears welled up in my eyes as I took in what God was saying to me.  My whole perspective on Christian life was altered in those few moments.  God was disciplining me because he had accepted me as his son.

(Hebrews 12:7) Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.

Going on to read verse seven, I realized how God disciplines his children.  The hardships I was encountering were being used by God to teach me to seek him in times of trouble and to trust him to help me.  This understanding was a big step in my Christian development. 

I continued to read on, and when I came to verse eleven, I found even greater comfort:

(Hebrews 12:11) No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Yes, being disciplined is never pleasant, but we need the training to stand against the devil’s schemes and our sinful nature.  Our Father in heaven desires the best for us.  He loves us and is only doing what a good father would do.  Fortunately, he is a perfect father, and he loves us with a perfect love.

I hope you find this as encouraging as I did those many years ago. I’ve learned that God can be trusted through the hard times.  He is always with us.  He is the best Father.

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RESTING WITH JESUS

(Matthew 11:28-30) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

(John 16:33) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

Paul and Barnabas as they were returning from their first missionary journey, stopped on their way back to Antioch to encourage the new believers in the budding churches they had started.  We read in Acts14:22 this quote, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”  They apparently wanted these new believers to know that it’s not easy to be a committed Christian. 

In our scriptures from Matthew and John, we find Jesus talking about rest and peace for believers.  This is an interesting contrast with trouble and hardships, but Jesus explains how rest and peace can be found amid trouble and hardships when he says, “Come to me,” and “Take my yoke upon you.” 

I love the idea of being yoked with Jesus.  A yoke is a mechanism that binds two animals together. The animals can only go in the same direction, and they must agree.  Faith and trust are the mechanism that binds us to Jesus, and the work of God’s kingdom provides us with a direction.  When we are in yoke with Jesus, his power and strength are with us.  When hardships and difficult times come, Jesus has the power and strength to get us through.  Trusting Jesus with our lives gives us peace and rest.

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WE ARE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF ALL BELIEVERS 

(John 1:12) Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

John is telling us that as believers we have gained the right to be God’s children. Paul tells us in Romans 8:17 that we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Collectively, all believers will inherit the Kingdom of God.  The inheritance is already ours to share with brothers and sisters through all eternity.  Okay, so we must die before we reap the full benefits but just think of all the amazing people that will be there to share the joy, peace and wonder of the Kingdom.

When we arrive in heaven, imagine who we might visit with.  Perhaps a visit with our brothers Noah, Abraham or Moses.  Maybe we could talk with our sisters Esther, Ruth or Mary.  These visits will go on for as long as we’d like, because time is not a factor in eternity.

 I’ve been reading in the book of Acts.  The people of the early church experienced some amazing moments with the Holy Spirit.  Won’t it be fascinating to meet these remarkable people. While reading in Acts and thinking of the ones who lived the stories, I had this revelation; though they lived two thousand years ago, they will be there in heaven when I arrive.

These thoughts helped me to recognize that we are full brothers and sisters.  Chosen by God from the beginning of creation to be his children.  The joy to be experienced in heaven is for all his children.  What an amazing future our Father has set before us.  Let there be in our hearts gratitude and great rejoicing at the fellowship we are destined to enjoy.