If you have been to more than one Christian wedding in your life then it is likely you’ve heard 1 Corinthians 13 quoted or seen it printed on the bulletin, invitation or something of the sort. This chapter known as the love chapter has become a text that is seen as a marriage texts. Books have been written about it, songs have been sung about it, and of course many couples have used the text in their weddings.

Maybe even you…

Here is the problem, with the over saturation of this text and the cultural ties that have been made between it and marriage the true context of the passage has been lost.

I hope I don’t shatter anyone with the following statement, but Paul, when he wrote that text was not thinking of marriage. Yes of course the principles of love laid out in the passage are good to apply to marriage, but the text isn’t about love in the husband/wife relationship.

The text is about how to utilize one’s gifts and properly serve within the context of the local church. That we should serve Christ through His church with the love and passion we’ve all applied to our wedding vows 🙂 We are to utilize our spiritual gifts in a spirit of love.

Now that I think about it, the text would be used more accurately if we recited it and asked for individuals to commit to it upon joining the church than in a wedding.

I don’t mind that it is used in weddings or in regards to the marital relationship, but I hope next time you hear 1 Corinthians 13 you’ll pause and ask yourself “Am I serving my church with the love principles of 1 Corinthians 13?”

Tomorrow’s Reading: Exodus 5-8

When is worship vain?

When our preferences are taught as MUSTS!

‘But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ -Mark 7:7

Mark 7:14-19 is a challenging text for Seventh-day Adventists in regards to our understanding/assertion that there remain unclean foods we should refrain from eating. The in-depth study of this passage is far to extensive for this blog and so I would like to direct you to this link which will take you to an article by my friend, theological mentor, and a Spencerville Church member Dr. Ekkehardt Mueller in which he helps us to better understand the true purpose and function of Jesus’ words in this passage.

In Mark 8:32 Peter is uncomfortable with what Jesus is teaching, so he pulls him aside and rebukes Jesus…quite a bold move if you ask me…but that moment gives context to verse 34–

“And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” -Mark 8:34

It seems in the context of what verse 32 and that which Peter did not like and what made Peter uncomfortable that to “deny himself” is about denying our pride and our perspectives on what “the Christian life should be.”

We don’t get to define the cross we must bear. Jesus defines it for us and we must be willing to deny ourselves and willingly receive whatever cross each of us must take on. Each of us have to give up something in exchange for our souls…not as an act of “works” but because Jesus knows it is that very thing that if we don’t give it up, it will ultimately become our god…little “g”!

What is that “thing” Jesus wants to remove from your life…which means you must bear the denial of that “thing” so that it won’t become your little “god” impediment to The ONE TRUE GOD?

Tomorrow’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 13 & 14

In each of these chapters God reminds the people, He’s appealed, just like He did to their ancestors and they have rejected, just like their ancestors did and thus destruction comes.

It is the truth we must all be reminded of. God as He describes it a couple times in this reading, “rose early in the morning” to speak truth and to guide them. The early in the morning means that God has gone before them, yet they have not listened. The truth is God has done the work humanity does not respond.

And then the call goes out in a question,

“Is there no balm in Gilead?” -Jeremiah 8:22a

God was trying to tell them there was He was trying to give them the answer but they would not listen.

Hopefully we will…

Tomorrow’s Reading: Mark 7 & 8

I continue to read Job as I have made this commitment, but I continue to read without great understanding. My previous two posts were easy, but Job has and continues to the struggle of my blogging.

I will share that I appreciate the contrast he makes in chapter 28 between digging for treasures in comparison to the search for wisdom.

For those who fancy themselves wise, based on Jobs understanding of which I believe are accurate, while we can find diamonds, and silver, and gold many places wisdom is only from one source, The Lord.

So the person who says they are wise but is not connected to Jesus…I’d be hesitant to listen to their wisdom.

Have a blessed night!

Tomorrow’s Reading: Jeremiah 7-11

A verse that has come to mean a great deal to me and there is another verse similar to it later in the Psalms (Psalm 90:12) is Psalm 39:4 and then I appreciate the subsequent two verses that tie into it as well. But of particular blessing to me that I believe has helped me is verse 4,

“Show me, Lord, my life’s end
    and the number of my days;
    let me know how fleeting my life is.”

It may cause wonder why a text like that is helpful to me and has helped my ministry. Maybe the following will explain…

Possibly because in my career I am often around death, I was just at a funeral today; possibly it is the melancholy in me, but I don’t see the span of my life as long. I don’t expect to die soon by any means, I am only 38…I say only, even though 38 seemed very old not so many years ago…but I am only 38, yet in spite of that I don’t view life or my life at least as a long expanse, I don’t see that I have that much time, I see my days or the days I have left “as a mere handbreadth.” (v. 5a)

I also look upon my life the totality of those 38 years and I see a lot of waste. Many years spent in absolute sin…and still to this day I see far too many moments wasted in sinful living and I know that is time I’ve lost, I am losing that belongs to God.

Therefore with these two thoughts in mind, I’ve found that this text (Ps. 39:4) and Psalm 90:12,

“Teach us to number our days,
    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” 

or as I like to think of it based on the song lyric…

“Teach me to count my days, teach me to make my days count.”

affirm that I only have a short life to live for Jesus. I only have this span of time to make a difference for Him and then I am gone.

Within a generation or so no one will remember me. No books will be written about me. My name won’t be in the church annals of history.

The only legacy I will have is the people I played a small role in helping to fall in love with Jesus and their names written in the Lambs Book of Life and because I don’t see my life as long and I view life as very fragile and because I was careless with so many years and so many minutes these texts are special to me because they remind to drive, to push, to strive, to dream, to work, to talk, to share, to prod, to demand excellence in ministry from myself and my team, because I only have a short span to serve Jesus and then I’m done.

“Show me, Lord, my life’s end
    and the number of my days;
    let me know how fleeting my life is.”

I will share something with you, in my quiet time sometimes when I am alone and no one else is around (of course it happens sometimes when everyone is around in church during a hymn or something) I may hear a song about the love of Jesus, or I’ll read a scripture about Jesus’ love, or the Holy Spirit will just speak to my heart of His love through the stillness or through the love of one of my boys, or through a memory I’ll recall and I start to cry…I cry first because I am so grateful for Jesus’ love, but honestly I cry just as much because I’m worried, I’m worried that I have not done enough, not in regards to my own salvation, I trust that I am “saved by grace through faith”, but I cry because I am worried that I have not done enough to reach others.

I think of my uncle who I love so much and I think of my friend who died last year. I think of my close friends that are living now. I think of the young men I’m coaching in baseball. I think of the people I ruined my witness to because of my sin. I was overzealous and drove them away or I was lazy and didn’t follow through, and I cry, because I don’t know if I’ve done or did everything I could to introduce them to Jesus.

This text, coupled with my melancholy self reminds me that my life is fleeting and I only have yea long to be a witness and that knowledge drives me to never settle for status quo in my personal witness or in the ministry sphere I have influence on.

So if you wondered why I would say this text has been a blessing to me and has helped me in my ministry, that is how this text has helped me. And maybe some of you that get annoyed or wonder about my obsession with evangelism will understand it better now.

Well that was more than I planned on writing but there you go 🙂

Tomorrow’s Reading: Job 27 & 28

From day one David did nothing but improve and enhance Saul’s kingdom, and yet Saul found hatred in his heart for David. We see here the clear signs of an insecure leader.

Leaders should celebrate with the victories that come from the team around them.

Leaders should work to improve the position of those around them.

Leaders should enable further successes of those around them.

Saul did none of this. Yet the integrity of David was so great, he continued ’till he could no longer strive to be not only a servant of Saul, but a close companion.

Both David and Saul when anointed had the Spirit of God come over them in a strong way. In our leadership the Spirit of God only remains in us to the extent that we choose to have Him stay.

David and Saul were both chosen. They both were mighty. They both were handsome. But one chose self and one chose sacrifice and God honored the latter.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Psalm 39-41