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2 Timothy 1:2

Blessed are the merciful

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 18, 2023

In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he commends grace, and peace, and adds mercy to make it a triad of blessings. He repeats that greeting in the second verse of his second letter. He writes, “To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” Stott says, “We may perhaps summarize these three blessings of God’s love as being grace to the worthless, mercy to the helpless, and peace to the restless, while ‘God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord’ together constitute the one spring from which this threefold stream flows forth.”[1]

Paul’s mention of mercy in his two letters to Timothy is compelling. Paul knew God’s mercy. He persecuted the church and participated in Stephen’s martyrdom in Acts chapter seven. Who knows how many more lives were affected by Paul’s attack on the believers before his conversion? He referred to himself at one point as the “chief of sinners.” That was in his first letter to Timothy. 1 Timothy 1:15-16 says, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.  But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” At the beginning of Paul’s writing ministry in the book of Galatians, he defends himself as equal to all the Apostles, even Peter. In later books he calls himself “The least of the Apostles” (See 1 Corinthians 15:9). In Ephesians 3:18, he calls himself “the least of all the Saints.” But in the Epistles of Timothy, which were written just before his death, he refers to himself as the greatest of all sinners. I wonder if maturing in our faith may not be becoming better and better but just the opposite. Growing up entails a clear view of oneself in the presence of a perfectly holy God. Jesus told the story of the woman caught in adultery and publicly displayed by the religious leaders. They expected Jesus to have her stoned to death as the law required. Jesus hand them a stone and said, “you who are without sin, should cast the first stone.” The interesting ending of the story shows the crowd dispersing starting from the oldest. Isn’t it age and maturity that results in seeing ourselves as we really are?

I have received God’s mercy. He has forgiven many sins and even today helps me find forgiveness in my daily weaknesses. One commentator makes an interesting application regarding mercy. He writes, “God’s people often plead for his mercy (Gen. 43:14; Ps. 51:1). In the Gospels, Jesus’ mercy moved him to heal the sick (Matt. 9:13; 12:7; 15:22; 20:30). For Paul, God’s mercy brings salvation to sinners (Rom. 9:15). Peace and mercy are divine gifts that become elements of a disciple’s life. We then offer them to others, as Paul does here. Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the merciful.… Blessed are the peacemakers’ (Matt. 5:7–9). If we taste God’s mercy, we should also long to show mercy.”[2]

[1] Stott, John R. W. 1973. Guard the Gospel the Message of 2 Timothy. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

[2] Doriani, Daniel M., and Richard D. Phillips. 2020. 2 Timothy & Titus. Edited by Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani. Reformed Expository Commentary. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

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2 Thessalonians 1:3

My Cup Runneth Over!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 17, 2023

In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he thanks God for them, particularly mentioning their faith, love, and hope. In the third verse of his second letter to them, he says something similar, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.” Unlike the first letter, Paul explains that his giving thanks for them seems to be a compulsion – it is a moral obligation. That’s what “ought always” (ophello) means! I have a moral obligation to thank God for you, and it is right that I do just that! It is my obligation to do that because God has answered my prayers for you.  As mentioned in I Thessalonians Paul prayed for them to “excel more in faith & love.” I am obligated to thank God for both your growing faith and love!

The phrase “growing abundantly” is one word in Greek. It’s to grow but with a preposition prefixed to the word. The preposition is “hyper.” It’s kind of like “super” growth. I used Miracle Grow on my tomatoes sometimes. I’m not sure that it works all that well every year, but I want it to. I think God wants our faith to be in the “hyper” growth mode. We planted pumpkins one year in Michigan. I got the seeds from a special catalog. They were super-growth pumpkins and these things never stopped growing.  One vine had three pumpkins. One weighed 108 pounds, one weighed 94 pounds, and one weighed about 75 pounds. They were huge. They were “hyper-growth” pumpkins.

One website asks a great question, “God wants us to have faith and to increase our faith. But how? It’s not something we can just wish for or work up on our own. How can we grow in faith?”[1] I don’t care too much for their answer. Although there is some truth to their three-step process to increase faith, I think it’s bigger than just doing these three things. They say we should “Ask God for more faith.” That’s good. Then we need to “Focus on obeying God.” Of course, we should do that. Finally, they tell us to “Put God’s Word into your mind.” The importance of the Bible in our growing faith cannot be overemphasized. I believe that is how we get to know God most. Like any relationship, we grow in trusting someone by getting to know them better. We grow in faith by recognizing God’s positive disposition towards us. God loves us and shows that love to us every day. He fills the world with color and gives me eyes. He fills the world with music and gives me ears. He fills the world with good things to eat and gives me the ability to enjoy them. Noticing how God’s everyday sustenance of our lives is a clear demonstration of His love for us helps our faith grow. Even when we suffer hardships, God is at work in making it come out in the end for our best. This is growing faith. The more we see God at work in the minor details of our lives, the my “hyper-growth” we will experience. When we see how good God is to us in our everyday life, we will naturally grow in our love for Him as well. It has a lot to do with how we process the world around us and our experiences in life. Some people see the glass as half full. Others see the cup as half empty. Not me! Like the Palmist in Psalm 23, “My cup runneth over.”

[1] https://lifehopeandtruth.com/change/faith/how-to-grow-in-faith/

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1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

Faith, Love, and Hope

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 16, 2023

According to the book of Acts, Paul narrowly escaped from Thessalonica. The Jews from Philippi came searching for him to kill him most likely. He was stoned on his first missionary journey at Lystra. He was beaten and imprisoned on his second missionary journey in Philippi, so I conclude that the enemies of the Gospel were out to silence him once and for all. They never go that job done! He continued his second Journey preaching the Gospel wherever he went and praying for those that he had to leave behind in places where he left believers. He left a small church in Thessalonica. In his first letter to them, he tells them in 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Because of the enemies of the Gospel, Paul knew those he had to leave behind in Thessalonica needed prayers. His prayer begins with giving thanks to God for them. He thanks God for “all of you.” I think his prayer is very general in that he is thankful that God allowed him to be successful in planting the church in Thessalonica and he prays for the whole body corporately. But then Paul also says he “mentions” them in his prayers. Richison thinks, and he might be right, that this implies Paul prayed for each individual. He says, “He calls people by name in prayer. This is the only good — gossip on your knees! Paul loved God’s people enough to pray specifically for them by name.”[1]

Paul says his prayer of thanksgiving for them is because of three things: Their work of faith, their labor of love, and their steadfastness of hope in Jesus. Faith, hope, and love are a triad that Paul uses often. They represent the three most important qualities desirous of Christians. I think Holmes understands it correctly when he writes, “This familiar triad of faith, love, and hope (cf. 5:8; Rom. 5:1–5; 1 Cor. 13:13; Gal. 5:5–6; Col. 1:4–5; Heb. 10:22–24; 1 Peter 1:21–22) functions almost as a shorthand summary of the essentials of Christianity: faith as the assurance that God has acted in Christ to save his people, love (‘poured … into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,’ Rom. 5:5) as the present expression and experience of the restored relationship between God and his people, and hope as the confidence that ‘he who began a good work … will carry it on to completion (Phil. 1:6), and that the future, therefore, holds not ‘wrath but … salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Thess. 5:9).”[2]

[1] Richison, Grant. 2006. Verse by Verse through the Books of 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems.

[2] Holmes, Michael. 1998. 1 and 2 Thessalonians. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

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Colossians 1:2

Grace and Peace from God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 15, 2023

According to the first verse of Colossians, the letter is written by Paul, but Timothy is also included as one of the senders of the letter.  Timothy is a very important figure in Paul’s writings. Paul and Timothy were very close.  Timothy was in Corinth on the second journey when Paul wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians. He was at Ephesus on the third journey when Paul wrote 2 Corinthians. He was in Rome during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment, when he wrote Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. You might also notice that two of Paul’s later letters are addressed specifically to him, see 1st and 2nd Timothy. In many ways, Paul and Timothy had been chained together. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “I would rather be chained in a dungeon, wrist to wrist with a Christian than to live forever with the wicked in the sunshine of happiness.” We all know that Paul was beheaded by Nero in about 65 AD.  According to Hebrews 13:23, Timothy was also a prisoner and very likely experienced a similar death.

In the second verse of the first chapter of Colossians, Paul extends a wonderful blessing to his readers. He says, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” Paul often wished these two things on his readers.  These two brief words contain everything we need to survive life’s trials, temptations, and troubles. He uses the same greeting for the Romans, the Corinthians, the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Thessalonians, and of course the Colossians. His greetings to Timothy and Titus vary slightly but contain the same concepts. Grace and Peace! Who could ask for more? Grace is most clearly seen in Christ’s work on the cross for sinners. What is deserved, judgment is taken for us on the Cross. What we don’t deserve, forgiveness, happiness, and eternal life is procured for us on the cross. This is Grace. Paul wishes it for us all! John Newton wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace.” As he thought upon the words: “By the grace of God I am what I am,” he said, “I am not what I ought to be. How imperfect and deficient I am! I am not what I wish to be. Though I am not what I ought to be, I can truly say that I am not what I once was—a slave to sin and Satan. I can heartily say with Paul: “By the grace of God I am what I am!”

It’s the apprehension of Grace that settles God’s peace deep within our being. Paul’s prayer is that each of us will comprehend the marvelous depth of God’s grace and that it will settle so deeply within us that no external circumstance could ever unsettle it. He prays for us all in Philippians 4:7, “may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

 

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Philippians 1:1, Acts 16:10

Visionary Leadership

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 14, 2023

The letter to the Philippians was addressed from “Paul and Timothy.” But Paul had three companions. We know that Silas went with Paul on this journey from Antioch. On his way to Troas, Paul picked up Timothy in Lystra, had him circumcised to make him acceptable to a Jewish audience, and then brought him with him into Macedonia. In Troas, he picked up Luke as his third companion. The story in Acts 16:10, shifts from the third person plural to the first person plural meaning that the writer must have joined the group in Troas. Acts 16:11-12 says, “So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi.”  Paul did not plant the church in Philippi by himself. He had Timothy, Silas, and Luke with him.

Paul was a visionary leader. In Luke’s account recorded in Acts 16:10, he makes it clear that it was Paul that God called with the vision, but they all knew God wanted them to be in on it. Luke writes, “And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”  They didn’t just say, “Ok Paul we’ll go with you.” They didn’t say “Paul called us.” No, they said that through Paul’s vision “God called us.” They already understood the mission to “make disciples” by preaching the Gospel, but they needed strategic direction regarding the where, how, why, and whom they should try to reach. These three men experienced God’s call through Paul’s vision. They were visionary followers!

Every Christian is called to be a visionary leader. But most Christians don’t realize that calling because before anyone can be a visionary leader, they must learn how to be a visionary follower. Luke, the Physician, became the greatest apologist to ever live. His historically accurate and extremely detailed Gospel has convinced millions of the truth of Jesus Christ. After following the visionary leadership of Paul for many years, Timothy became recognized as the visionary leader for the Church at Corinth and later at Ephesus. Two books in the Bible were written to him! After following Paul’s visionary leadership, Silas became a visionary leader for the church at Antioch. It was Silas who carried the decisions of the Jerusalem Council to Antioch. Terry Muck said, “As editor of Leadership Journal for ten years, I visited hundreds of churches across the country and met thousands of pastors and lay leaders. Among the many things I learned, one issue stands out: how difficult it is to lead a church community today. It is not difficult, mind you, to grow a church, manage the day-to-day affairs of a church, or chair committees and task forces. True leadership, however, is another matter. It’s tough to lead primarily because people don’t want to be led.” If you can’t embrace the visionary leadership of someone else, you will never become a visionary leader!

 

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Ephesians 1:2-3

Every Spiritual Blessing In Christ

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 13, 2023

Ephesians is another letter by Paul which commends grace and peace to his readers. It begins, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He then sends blessings to God who has blessed us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Believers have been blessed with “every spiritual blessing.” Not physical blessings! The Old Testament promised physical blessings for obedience. Deuteronomy 28 – 32 lays out the Mosaic covenant well. If you obey my commands, you will have fruitful wombs, plentiful crops, fat & prolific flocks, bread to eat, respect in the eyes of your neighbors, and every kind of prosperity. Physical blessings are the result of our hard work. And this rule applies to believers and non-believers alike.  You follow my principles, and I will bless you physically, says the Lord Our God.

It’s hard in a world of nearly 8 billion people to see our individual value. We’re just one of the multitudes. Only the famous have value.  Especially in a world of idolatry! A world in which we take ordinary flesh & blood people and let Hollywood make idols of them. We pay them millions of dollars. In comparison, the world does not value the contribution of teachers, policemen, firemen, or soldiers at all. We are misled to believe as ordinary people, we’re not worth very much. But that’s in the world’s system – the natural, physical realm, not the spiritual realm. This is the place of Christ’s throne! In “heavenly places” believers have every possible blessing. We often pray “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The last will become first and the first will become last.

Now if I were to take the gender of this phrase to heart as a couple of good translators do, it might mean something a little different. It is masculine in gender, not neuter. Places & things are usually identified with neuters. People & beings are identified by masculine & feminine nouns. This phrase is masculine and might be translated, as “blessed us with every spiritual blessing with or among the heavenly beings.” But God is telling us here that even in that place “the heavenlies” where dwell dominions, powers, and authorities, we have every spiritual blessing. We are better & greater than Satan, than all of the angels, and all the powers, etc…  Not because of anything in us, but because of the little, teeny prepositional phrase, “In Christ.”

The Bible says that in our natural, human state we are all sinners. It doesn’t matter how famous, popular, or wealthy we might be. Our rap sheets contain every sinful thought, attitude, or action we have ever committed. No amount of self-cleansing can make us pure enough to warrant forgiveness and a relationship with a holy God. When we accept His sacrifice on our behalf, He switches accounts with us. He exchanges our list of sins for His perfect account that is totally pleasing to God. A Divine Exchange takes place at the foot of the cross: our old sin nature for His perfect one! To be “in Christ” means that God no longer sees our imperfections; He sees the righteousness of His own Son. Only “in Christ” is our sin debt canceled, our relationship with God restored, and our eternity secured.

 

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Galatians 1:3, 2 Peter 1:1-2

Love Versus Law

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 12, 2023

In Galatians 1:3, Paul begins his address to the Galatians who have wandered away from the truth by saying, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The emphatic subject is “Grace.” He’s commending God’s grace and Jesus’ grace to his readers who are being beguiled by legalists who are commending law to them. Imagine them greeting the Galatians from their gospel (which is not a gospel at all). It would say “Law to you.” It argues that God and Jesus send us laws that we must follow through which we can win God’s favor and acceptance. The phrase might be “Law to you, and strife, or stress, or anxiety, from God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ.” Relating to God on the basis of law is a relationship that is totally unsettling, uncertain, and unloving. I’ve known married couples that relate to each other based on law rather than love. It feeds a miserable life.

Paul wants the Galatians from the very beginning of his letter to them to consider the difference between what is being offered by the legalists and what he has preached to them about what is being offered from God through Jesus Christ. With Grace comes peace from God. Paul isn’t the only Apostle to commend Grace to us. Peter begins his second letter with an even stronger greeting regarding grace and peace. It took Peter some time to comprehend the extent of God’s grace with which He would deal with sinners. But once he got it, grace and peace became the central theme of Peter’s life as well. He writes in 2 Peter 1:1-2, “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” His opening greeting acknowledges that our righteousness is that of “our God and of Jesus our Lord.” It’s not a righteousness earned through obedience to a law. He calls for it to be multiplied! The more we get to know Christ, grace increases exponentially.

Whereas we need law in our societies to maintain peace in the world, we don’t need law in our personal relationships. God wants us to be in a personal relationship with him. That’s why He sent Jesus to die for us. God (like my wife) doesn’t want to relate to us based on laws. We don’t really want our relationships to be based on law. People need God’s grace and peace. Most people are well aware of their failures and shortcomings, even if they are unwilling to admit it. They know they have a need for help. I’ve heard people say they don’t want grace they want justice. If God gave us justice, as we deserve, we would all need to go shopping for a flame-retardant suit. What we want and need from God is grace and mercy. God extends his gracious hand to the whole world from the cross of Calvary. God is so rich in mercy that he saves us by His grace. God loves everyone. He extends a gracious, merciful hand to everyone. He wants no one to perish or none to be fearful of perishing. Through Christ Jesus we find God’s grace and it gives us peace with God. Law brings stress and anxiety. Grace brings eternal life, an abundant life.

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Galatians 1:2

Leaving “Religion” Behind

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 11, 2023

Paul isn’t the only believer or Apostle that preaches the good news of God’s grace. We are saved by grace through faith plus nothing. The law is always alien to the concept of Grace. If it’s by grace, it’s not law. If it’s by Law, there’s no grace. Paul will make this clear in his letter, but in Galatians 1:2 he says that his letter to them on this subject is not only from him but also “…all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia.” I believe Paul is insisting that they are also joint writers with him. He means something very specific when he says that these brothers are “with” him.

I think the Greek preposition will shed some light on this for us. In English the word “with” means many different things and only the context can help us determine which definition is best. I can fight “with” my brother. This actually means “against.” I can fight “with” the 51st Airborne. This actually means “alongside of” for a common cause. It’s this later sense that the Greek preposition “syn” signifies. In this case Paul is saying that the other “brothers” are in complete agreement with him. Paul usually names his co-writers of letters but in this case he left their names out. Many commentators say that they wish Paul had included their names so there would be more information on which to base some interpretation or that “the letter could be better defined historically and geographically” (UBS handbook). But Paul wants his readers to know that his message is not dependent on others. He leaves the “brothers” anonymous. The divine origin of Paul’s message is all that matters as he prepares to defend himself against the attacks of the legalists and religious leaders of his day.

He then identifies his recipients as the “churches in Galatia.” These churches were planted on Paul’s first missionary journey after he had assumed the leadership role from Barnabas. After the event in Cyprus in Acts 13 where Saul – the Pharisee – became Paul the apostle to the gentiles, John Mark left the ministry and returned to Antioch. I’ve always been of the opinion that Paul’s new leadership with a gentile focus was too distasteful for the Jewish John Mark who became Peter’s disciple. Paul’s message was the divinely inspired message of salvation by grace through faith apart from the Jewish Law. Those who had strong religious convictions had difficulty with this message. Even Peter struggled with it when God insisted that he violate the dietary law and eat as the Gentiles ate. People were so offended by the gospel of God’s grace that all across Galatia Paul and his companions were beaten, stoned, imprisoned, and driven out of town. Christ calls us to leave everything behind and follow Him. For most people, the most difficult thing to leave behind is not their money it is their religion.

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