Don’t Give In

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Pete

The cross was on the horizon and Jesus had set His face toward the horizon (Lk. 9:51). Though His disciples didn’t see it, the shadow of impending death hovered over Jesus. It was going to get hard — really hard — very soon. Not just the physical suffering of Roman execution but the unimaginable spiritual anguish of being forsaken of the Father (Matt. 27:46) as He who knew no sin became sin for those He loved (2Cor. 5:21). And though they were yet to fully appreciate it, if it was going to get hard for Jesus, it was going to get hard for those who had decided to follow Jesus. And that’s why Jesus told them to pray.

And [Jesus] came out and went, as was His custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him. And when He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”

(Luke 22:39-42 ESV)

Pray that you may not enter into temptation . . . that’s what I’m chewing this morning. Well, not just the what, but more so the why.

Jesus didn’t say His disciples should pray not to be tempted. Jesus was tempted (Lk. 4:1-13). Jesus knew we would be tempted; that’s the human experience. That’s why we’re told He was tempted just like us, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15).

No, Jesus told His followers, Pray that you may not enter into temptation. Pray that you don’t give in to it (MSG). Temptation’s gonna come knockin’ . . . pray for power not to answer the door. It’s gonna whisper in your ear . . . pray for the awareness to recognize its voice and then plug your ears. It’s gonna look like the right thing to do . . . pray for discernment to deny it. The night they were together in the garden, that’s what Jesus counseled His friends to do.

But why? Because things were going to get very tense very soon. The pressure cooker was about to be set on high. On a scale of 1-to-10, the testing was about to become an eleven. And when the going gets really, really tough, it’s really, really easy for us mere mortals to enter into temptation. Combine high levels of uncertainty with low levels of control and the crucible has a way of surfacing gut-level, instinctive reactions — what Proverbs refers to as “a way that seems right to a man” (Prov. 14:12) . . . what Paul often refers to as “the flesh.”

Jesus knew that. It’s why He prayed. In His flesh He knew the intense, blood-sweating longing for some way to bypass the cross (Lk. 22:44). Yet, He prays, “Nevertheless, not My will but Yours be done.” And, it’s why He tells us to pray. So that when (not if) the temptation, testing, and trial brought on by the fire of ambiguity and angst comes, we will not enter into it.

What Jesus’ disciples were about to walk through was unprecedented. It defied their understanding of what it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah. They knew that to follow Jesus was to swim upstream, but they hadn’t expected to have to scatter. They knew they were a minority, but soon they would fear they too were on the Jews’ most wanted list. And in that confusion, they would be placed in a crucible, they would be tested, they would be tempted. Pray, says Jesus, that you don’t give in.

Don’t give into the temptation to just give up and go away. Don’t give into the temptation of addressing evil with evil, even if you can rationalize it as leveraging the lesser of two evils (Rom. 12:17, 21). Don’t give into the temptation to fight fire with fire and do something crazy like pulling out a sword and taking off someone’s ear with it (Mt. 26:51).

So, pray. Pray, because things are going to get crazier. Pray, because things are going to get harder.

A word for our current, crazy, seemingly out-of-control cultural moment? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Pray that you don’t give in.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Gracing It Out

Posted on September 4, 2024 by Pete

I’m thinking there’s probably any number of reasons why a runner might slow down, or even stop, before crossing the finish line. Could be because of an injury. Could be because they are overcome with weariness and feel like there’s no more gas in the tank. On a marathon in particular, it might be because they view themselves as having fallen so far behind others that they wonder, “What’s the point?” Or, maybe they slow down simply because they’ve become distracted and have focused on something else. We could brainstorm more “how comes?”, but you get the idea.

The Christian life is a likened to a race, isn’t it? Yeah, it is. Check out Acts 20:24, 1 Corinthians 9:24, 2 Timothy 4:7, and Hebrews 12:1.

For those of us who have run the race for a while, we know it’s not a sprint. It’s not even just a marathon. Instead, it’s a lifelong race. Crossing the finish line is not something we are going to attain this side of eternity, but something we press on toward in anticipation of eternity (Php. 3:12-14). And in running that race, there are a number of reasons why we might pull up before the end. But this morning my reading in Hebrews whispers, “Don’t do it. Don’t slow down. Don’t stop running the race.”

For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

(Hebrews 6:10-12 ESV)

Don’t be sluggish . . . that’s the meat for this morning.

Literally, don’t be slow or languid. Keep up the enthusiasm and energy.

Tired? Weak? “Keep on keepin’ on,” as my friend, Wynn, would always say.

Don’t be sluggish. The original word is pretty rare, found only one other place in the New Testament — in yesterday’s reading, where it’s translated as “dull”, as in “dull of hearing” (Heb. 5:11). Don’t be dull. Don’t be lazy. Don’t stop leaning in. Don’t stop pressing forward. Don’t be sluggish.

Okay! I get it! Boy, do I get it. Beat up sometimes? Exhausted other times? Been there, experienced that. So far behind at times I can’t even imagine, must less see the finish line? Yup! Distracted? Oh yeah! That too!

So how do I do it? How do I gut it out? How do I press through the wall when I hit it? How do I not be sluggish?

Well, as I noodle on it a bit, I’m reminded that it’s not really about gutting it out as much as it is about gracing it out.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:28 ESV)

Wait on the LORD . . . and you won’t be sluggish. Fall on the LORD and you won’t faint. Rely on the LORD and He will renew your strength.

Dealing with sluggishness, dullness, weariness, and fear of coming up short is not found in anxiously asking, “Lord, how I do I press on,” but in believing with quiet confidence the question really needs to be, “Lord, how do WE keep on keepin’ on?” For we have been crucified with Christ, our life hidden in His, so that it is no longer we who run, but Christ who runs in us (Gal. 2:20, Col. 3:3). The One who declared “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30), securing our victory on the cross, is also the One who will see to it that we cross the finish line (Php. 1:6).

Mine is to recognize the sluggishness. Mine is to have a holy disdain for the dullness. And then, mine is to abide. Abide in the Vine, apart from Whom I can do nothing (Jn. 15:5). Abide in my weakness, for it is there that the power of Christ, by His all-sufficient grace, will rest on me (2Cor. 12:9).

Not gutting it out but gracing it out.

By His grace overflowing without end.

For His glory all-deserving forever and always.

Amen?

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Addicting

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Pete

Here’s the problem I think is being addressed in my reading this morning: if we consider the gospel something that relates only to “getting saved” and is not an active dynamic in how we think about “being saved”, then we’ll fail to mature. We’ll remain children in our faith. While we should be growing up to speak in full sentences, if the gospel is only for the un-saved, we’ll find ourselves content to just repeat our ABC’s.

But the gospel is not just the good news of how our sins before Jesus were dealt with. It is, just as importantly, the good news — the current news — of how the gospel continues to deal with our sin as we seek to follow Jesus. And when we see our need for the gospel every day, it’s addicting.

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

(Hebrews 5:11-14 ESV)

Trained by constant practice . . . That’s the phrase I’m chewing on this morning.

Training by constant usage. Trained by leveraging it, over and over again. Trained until it becomes habitual, until it becomes addicting. That’s the idea I think the author is going for here.

Trained in what? Trained in the word of righteousness. The word in which “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith”, the gospel (Rom. 1:16-17). Thus, the gospel is to be “constantly used.” It is to be “practiced”, over and over again. It is to become habit forming. Something we lay hold of afresh when we wake up in the morning. Something we cling to throughout the day. Something that helps us know the rest of the redeemed at night.

But good news is only active as we live in the acknowledgment of the bad news. It is only power where there is weakness. If the gospel is just about sins past, then there’s no need to put it into play today. No need to practice it again and again. No need for it to become addicting.

If, however, we have sin and weakness and failure and great need to deal with today, and tomorrow, and the day after that, then we will be casting ourselves continually upon the grace found in the gospel. We won’t be able to get enough. Thus, we’ll find ourselves trained in the word of righteousness by constant practice and growing up in Jesus just as we were saved to do.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

(1John 1:8-2:2 ESV)

Confession, forgiveness, cleansing. An Advocate and an Atonement. Not just something we needed to kick in when we “prayed the prayer” back in the day. Not just something for our past. But a desperately needed, on-going, ever-present dynamic for our present. And when we admit we need it, and we seek to apply it, then it becomes addicting. And it’s then that we grow up in our faith.

If I know what it is to be forgiven, over and over and over again, than I can testify to others with a fresh testimony of what it means to be forgiven. If I know what it is to ultimately rest in His righteousness which was credited to my account and not have to rely on my own good works — over and over and over again — then I can build on my ABC’s and learn to form sentences which convey “the reason for the hope that is in me” (1Peter 3:15). If I am regularly confessing my sin, then by “constant practice” I am learning “to distinguish good from evil.” For, when I recognize it within myself, I can recognize it around me.

The gospel should be addicting. Shouldn’t it?

And when it is addicting, we mature in the things of Christ and His kingdom.

All by His grace. All for His glory.

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A Stream of Water

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Pete

Hovering over a proverb this morning. At first its flavor is that of God’s sovereignty. But as I keep chewing, I start to taste the sweetness of God’s Son.

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will.

(Proverbs 21:1 ESV)

Initially, it hits me as an apt verse for an election year. A good reminder that whether it’s a David, a man after God’s own heart, or a Pharaoh, a man with a hardened heart, God channels the hearts of those to whom He has given earthly kingdoms and reign (Dan. 4:17). A good reminder that while we care who gets into office, we are also confident that whoever rules is still but a stream of water in the hand of the LORD.

But chew on it a bit more, and what if “the king” spoken of here is The King? What if the verse is not just about a sovereign God directing kings as He please, but about a saving king who willingly places his heart wholly in the hands of a sovereign God? A king whose heart is ready to be turned wherever the LORD wills?

When Christ came into the world, He said, “Sacrifices and offerings You have not desired, but a body have You prepared for Me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings You have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God, as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book.'”

(Hebrews 10:5-7 ESV)

Isn’t Jesus the King whose heart is fully in the hand of the LORD? I’m thinkin’ . . .

His “food” was to do the will of the One who sent Him and to accomplish His work (Jn. 4:34). He neither claimed nor sought independence from the Father, refusing to do anything on His own. Rather than seeking His own will, He instead set His face only to “carry out orders” (Jn. 5:30 MSG).

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.” ~ Jesus

(John 6:38 ESV)

The heart of Jesus is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD, channeled as the Father determines.

But more than His heart being a stream, from His heart flows a stream. Yet, not just a stream but a river — a river of living water able now to satisfy every imaginable (and unimaginable) thirst. Self-perpetuating water, water becoming “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn. 4:13-14, Jn. 7:37-38). Not only providing soul-quenching water today, but promising a tomorrow when He will be our guide to greater “springs of living water” where the Father will Himself wipe away every tear (Rev. 7:17). Jesus is King of kings, the stream of water who will bring His own to “the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:1).

Jesus, the root and descendant of David, the bright Morning Star, is the King with a heart fully disposed to God’s determination to show His eternal mercy, grace, and steadfast love.

And the One who is Himself the channel of the goodness of God beckons, even this morning, “And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price” (Rev. 22:16-17).

Be exalted my King! Flow heaven’s Stream! Spring up O’ Well!

With overflowing grace!

For Your everlasting glory!

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The Burden is Lifted

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Pete

It is the burden of the message the prophet, Isaiah, was called to carry. The words no one wants to say to his people yet were strained from his platform. And, as one commentator puts it, “with dirge-like monotony” the words echo this morning as I read.

The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this His anger has not turned away, and His hand is stretched out still. . . .

. . . for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger has not turned away, and His hand is stretched out still. . . .

. . . Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh; together they are against Judah. For all this His anger has not turned away, and His hand is stretched out still. . . .

. . . Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this His anger has not turned away, and His hand is stretched out still.

(Isaiah 9:12, 17b, 21; 10:4 ESV)

Do I dare type it again? For all this His anger has not turned away, and His hand is stretched out still. What heavy, heavy words. What a burden!

His people’s persistent rebellion had invited God’s reluctant retribution. Their stiff-necked determination to pursue sin’s degraded way must finally be addressed with His disciplining wrath. Though repeatedly pled with to repent, they refused. Though beckoned to turn, they would not. Though called to stretch out their hand to their Maker and Deliverer, they instead gave Him their back. And so, holy justice demanded that His anger be not turned away, and that His hand of wrath be stretched out upon them.

And there, but for the grace of God, would I be found, as well.

Yet, because of the grace of God, His anger HAS turned away and His hand is stretched out NO LONGER. Read about that also this morning.

Therefore [Jesus} had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

(Hebrews 2:17 ESV)

Propitiation . . . the removal of divine wrath. A sacrifice made which satisfies God’s holy anger toward hard-hearted, unholy rebellion. An offering presented that meets the just demand of a holy, holy, holy God. And my Savior was both the Offerer and the once-forever Offering.

Thus, the prophet’s strain is displaced by faith’s salvation. Dirge-like monotony replaced with joy-filled assurance that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). Or, as Peterson puts it, that “with the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud” (MSG).

Because the work is finished (Jn. 19:30) and sin’s debt has been paid in full, gone is the “continuous, low-lying black cloud” of fear that His anger has not turned away. Because not even an iota of condemnation hangs over the head of those made righteous through union with Christ (2Cor. 5:21), there is no suspicion that His hand is stretched out still.

The burden is lifted. What is left is to believe. The price has been paid. Ours then is to praise. The offering once-forever made to take away our sin. The only fitting response to such overwhelming mercy, hearts that long to walk in obedience.

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.

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Aman, Aman (2022 Rerun)

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Pete

I don’t normally rerun posts which are relatively recent. Making an exception this morning.

How come? Because, while it is the ancient Scripture in Isaiah that caught my attention this morning, it’s a recent post from two years ago that I am chewing on.

How come, again? Because these 2022 thoughts were typed only a few months before my world came crashing down. Not trying to be dramatic, but neither can I look back on the events of late ’22 as anything less than traumatic. And so, sitting where I’m sitting today, thinking back on the train wreck that I started going through back then, the abiding principle I wrote about two years ago rings even more true today. More true because experience has born it out. More true because having the truth of August ’22 “in my pocket” when November ’22 unexpectedly occurred is ultimately what allowed me to get past ’22. “Firm in faith” . . . that’s the foundation that holds fast when other foundations are ripped away.

By His grace . . . for His glory.

It was an ancient prophecy, but it contains an abiding principle. And in the original language, it looks like at its core is a twice-repeated word. Aman, aman.

Back story: In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, the kings of Syria and Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it. And, in the face of this massive military aggression, the hearts of Ahaz and the people of Judah “shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind” (Isa. 7:1-2). Appropriate response, I would think. Makes sense to me.

The LORD, however, sends Isaiah the prophet to the king and commands him, “Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint” (7:4a). How come? Because, declares the LORD, though they advance together to conquer Judah, “It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass” (7:7a).

Hmm . . . An enemy army is advancing. Their intent is to terrify us, conquer us, and rule over us. But we’re not to fear, faint, or fret. Because Isaiah says that You have said, Lord God, “It ain’t gonna happen.” Your word, is that all we’ve got to go on? Apparently.

And here’s the abiding principle. The LORD God then says,

“If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.”

(Isaiah 7:9b ESV)

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all (CSB). If you will not believe, you surely shall not last (NASB). If you will not confide (aman in the original), you shall not abide (aman in the original). Aman, aman — a Hebrew play on words.

Believe and be still. Believe and be strong. Not complicated. Not easy either.

To be faced with what would naturally bring fear but to stay calm, be quiet, and trust that what God has said will be, will be. To face a situation that rightfully causes the heart to faint, and yet, by switching out just one letter, stand firm because of faith. That’s the principle I’m reminded of in this passage.

It is the way of the people of God. The way since the beginning of God choosing for Himself a people. Check out the first occurrence of aman in the Scriptures:

And [the LORD] brought [Abraham] outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed (aman) the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness.

(Genesis 15:5-6)

Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). Without faith it is impossible to stand before God (Eph. 2:8-9). Without faith it is also impossible to stand with God (Isa. 7:9). Lord, I believe; help my unbelief (Mark 9:24).

Chewing on this ancient prophecy. Confessing how often I fail to rest in this abiding principle.

Believe and be still. Believe and be strong. Aman, aman.

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.

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It Is Turned!

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Pete

There it is! Found it!

Have been reading in Esther for the past few days. Fascinating story, but no mention of God. Mesmerizing plot development, but not a hint of Messiah. But there, in chapter 9, there it is — the gospel as clear as day.

Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them.

(Esther 9:1 ESV)

The reverse occurred. The opposite occurred (NKJV). Quite the opposite happened (NLT, CSB). It was turned to the contrary (NASB). The tables were turned (NIV, MSG). Read it in whatever translation you want, and there’s the good news. Drop the mic!

Esther a nobody ends up a somebody. Mordecai of the shadows ends up in the spotlight. Haman who lived to exalt himself ends up honoring his enemy, and the gallows built by him end up receiving him. The Jews who were to be eliminated by government edict are rallied and defend themselves by government edict. The reverse occurred.

Tell me that isn’t our story of redemption. A sinner declared a saint. Enemies of God adopted as sons and daughters of God. Those once dead in sin now made alive in Christ. Once without hope, but then, quite the opposite happened.

And the translation that captures it best for me this morning? Young’s Literal Translation.

And in the twelfth month—it is the month of Adar—on the thirteenth day of it, in which the word of the king, even his law, hath come to be done, in the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to rule over them, and it is turned that the Jews rule over those hating them—

(Esther 9:1 YLT)

It is turned!

Do you detect a familiar ring in that phrase? I do.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished,” and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

(John 19:30 ESV)

This morning I can sit here and confidently say, “It is turned!” because Jesus sacrificially hung there and declared, “It is finished.”

It is finished, and thus, it is turned. The lost are found and the dead are made alive. The weak are made strong and the foolish are made wise. And jars of clay convey the glory of God.

Yes, praise God, it is finished — the price once-and-forever paid for all.

Yes, praise God again, it is turned — a poor, bankrupt, debtor to sin has become an heir of eternal riches.

Chew on it. Rejoice in it. Cling to it.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Sharing Your Faith

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Pete

I think it’s the only time you’ll find the phrase in your bible. And here’s the thing, it’s not talking about witnessing, it’s talking about works.

I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

(Philemon 1:4-6 ESV)

The sharing of your faith . . . That’s the phrase I’m chewing on this morning, and this is the only place it’s served up.

Context? Paul’s writing and Philemon, a rich guy and slave-owner, is receiving. Writing how come? Paul’s gonna appeal to Philemon to take back an AWOL slave, Onesimus. A lost slave who Paul led to the Lord when, “by chance”, they crossed paths in Rome. How radical is the ask? Pretty radical! Runaway slaves would have normally been beaten back into forced labor not welcomed back as brothers in family love.

So, why does Paul think there’s even a chance of Philemon honoring his request? Because Paul’s heard of Philemon’s love for the saints and his faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows about every good thing that is in us now that “us” is in Christ. And he’s counting on that every good thing in Philemon to be the fountain from which good things flow from Philemon. Paul calls it the sharing of your faith.

The old King James refers to it as the communication of faith. It’s the exhibiting, the embodiment, the proof of faith.

Communicating the faith . . . that’s what Philemon would be doing by not only reconciling with Onesimus but by regarding him also as a beloved brother (v. 16). Philemon would be embodying the gospel by receiving a sinner for the sake of another who was willing to pay for any wrongs and make right any debt that was owed (v.17-19a).

Sharing his faith not only through “a reason for the hope” that is in us (1Peter 3:15), but also sharing his faith out of the store of every good thing that is in us. In us because Christ is in us.

James would have supported Paul’s ask.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

(James 2:14-18 ESV)

Sharing your faith. Sometimes it’s as simple (or as hard) as living out the faith. As straight forward as witnessing through our works. As mundane as stewarding every good thing that is in us as service to others around us. For the sake of Christ.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Easy? Nope. Necessary? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Pete

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way . . .

This morning, an exhortation in Titus has me wondering what the world would be like if the church were simply to trust and obey. But I’m also noodling on the fact that, at least in some matters, it’s impossible to obey unless we trust. This morning’s case in point? Perfect courtesy to all people.

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

(Titus 3:1-3 ESV)

Paul’s instructing Titus on how to teach his church (Tit. 2:1). A lot of “to do’s” and “to be’s” in these last couple of chapters. One in particular has got me thinking. Show perfect courtesy toward all people.

I tend to be wary of all-encompassing words like “perfect”. Tend to be skeptical of all-inclusive terms like “all”. Are those words used to really say what they seem to say, or are they used as just altruistic hyperbole in order to get our attention by setting a stretch-goal no one really believes is achievable with the hope that it will evoke some level of effort resulting in some degree of obedience which would be something better than nothing? Is that how it’s intended? I’m guessing not. I don’t think God’s word works that way.

So, when it says show perfect courtesy toward all people, I’m guessing that’s really what it means. And that’s what got me thinking and why I’m chewing on what it would like for the church to really live out perfect courtesy toward all people.

The word the ESV translates courtesy is the word for gentleness, mildness, or meekness — as in the fruit of the Spirit is gentleness (Gal. 5:23). So, we’re to show all meekness to all men.

Note too the charge is made in the context of the instructions to speak evil of no one and to avoid quarreling. Hmm . . . Speaking evil of others . . . quarreling . . . sounds remarkably like our current cultural moment. So, do you understand why I’m trying to imagine what it would like if we as the church simply purposed, by God’s enabling grace, to trust and obey?

What would it look like if our engagement in what’s often referred to as “the culture wars” was marked by an absence of slander and a refusal to verbally brawl, but instead marked by showing perfect courtesy to all people? Perfect courtesy, as in authentic gentleness and real humility. Toward all people — yeah, “all” as in “all” people. Those on our side and those on the other. Those who embrace our platform and those who embrace another platform. Those who fit nicely into our echo chambers and those who just create an irritating dissonance. Not that we don’t contend for truth, we just don’t do it by trashing others — any others, and all others — who are blind to the truth. And how come? For we ourselves were once foolish . . .

Avoid quarreling . . . Kind of hard in a culture so defined by, and used to quarreling. Kind of hard but kind of what the Spirit says is the right thing to do. So trust and obey.

Show perfect courtesy toward all people . . . Easy? Nope. Necessary? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

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An Old Man for Jesus

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Pete

It’s not very often I laugh out loud when I read something in my bible. This morning, I almost did. And that because, for the first time, as I read in Titus, I realized I was reading something specifically addressed to me. Not really a laughing matter . . . but kinda’ . . .

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

(Titus 2:1-2 ESV)

Older men . . . That’s what caused a double take, evoked a smile, and produced a chuckle. Paul’s writing to Titus about old men, about aged men. Oh brother! Paul’s writing to Titus about me!

I say, “Sixty-five” and it sounds old. I look at sixty-five in the mirror, and it kind of looks old. But, I do sixty-five and I don’t feel old . . . whatever old feels like.

But, if I’m gonna be real, I am one of the older men Paul’s talking about here. So, listen up old man, ’cause the word of God made alive by the Spirit of God is speaking to you — specifically to you — this morning.

And that which Paul presents as the old man’s “to be” list is in fact that which accords with sound doctrine. It’s resulting behaviors that should be born from right beliefs. The fitting fruit of following Jesus. The persona produced from persistently participating in the sanctifying work of the Spirit. For us aged men, it’s the way of those who have determined, by God’s grace, to be disciples.

Being an older man doesn’t mean I can be a coasting man, or a drifting man, or an I-don’t-care-what-others-think-of-me man. My work’s not done, the race is not yet won. I don’t get to retire, for the good fight still needs to be fought. I don’t get to self-select for the sidelines for there’s still a stewardship entrusted to me.

What I do get to do, however, is present as one who has a few years under his belt and has learned a thing or two about following Jesus. To be someone with tales to tell about what it’s meant to deny one’s self and take up a cross (Mt. 16:24); with stories to share about dealing with perpetual thorns of weakness (2Cor. 12:7-9); with a narrative of need for a Savior as much today as when I first believed (1Tim. 1:15).

Paul tells Titus to remind us old guys that character counts. And that character comes only through Christ. And that character needs to be communicated. Because Christ-created character is needed in the community of believers and as salt and light in the world.

Oh Father, fulfill Your promise to conform me (Rom. 8:29).

Oh Spirit, continue Your work to transform me (Rom. 12:2).

Oh, blessed Son, how I need You to sojourn with me, as we (Gal. 2:20) live out what it looks like to be an old man for Jesus.

Only by Your grace. Only for Your glory.

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