Willamette Students

Today’s reading focuses on God as the Great Provider, and us as His children. The point: because God cares for us, we can respond by trusting Him.

Let’s read Luke 12:22-28:

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27 “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!”

Jesus argues from the lesser-to-the-greater: if God takes care of birds (even ravens, which are really scavengers), He will take care of us. Beceause we generally live far above the level of “need” in our country, and more than often what call “needs” are really just “wants.” We say, “I need an iPhone,” or “I need to get _____” — but in reality those are not needs at all.

These words from the mouth of Jesus assure us that while God will not cater to meet our every little desire, He does take care of us as only the one great Father can. He cares. Do we trust Him?

God has called His people by name. He has removed every obstacle to make our knowing Him possible, removing the barriers of sin and shame. We are His. That means whatever experiences He sends our way, or are meant for our harm from the evil one, we will endure them with God suffering alongside us. Amazing!

Isaiah 43:1-2 bring God’s care into light:

1 But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

Do you see God’s promise? He will be with them. He will be with us! This promise was directed towards the Israelites in the midst of a dark season in their history. They were hardened against God in their hearts, and headed out into exile. But God was going with them. The great difference between the God of the Bible and the supposed “gods” of any other religion or philosophy is that Jesus is God who came near, and suffered with us. His nature holds true today. He will never leave us or forsake us.

• Think of this: What are you currently going through that makes God seem small and not present with you? How can your thinking be corrected? We must realize that He is with us in our pain. In fact, He’s closer then than when we all is going well. When going through tough times it is easy to ask God, “Can You get me out of this?” Perhaps we could ask a different question: “God, what can I get out of this, with your help?”

I confess. I’m a bread snob. Really. I only like really good bread. Especially homemade bread my wife makes. It’s awesome. Without her homemade bread in my sandwich eat day I don’t like my lunch very much. It’s that important. Bread is like the most basic of all foods. It’s so good and so necessary all at once.

Jesus talks to a bunch of religious people about bread in John 6:35:

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst….”

God tells them that He is more important than bread. He is all they need. He completely satisfies — “whoever comes to me will never hunger or thirst again!”

Do you know that about God? He totally satisfies. In fact, the reason we choose to sin is that we get unhappy with God. We lose our contentment in Him and then turn to other things. And those things are empty. They look good, as if they promised us some great life. But only God can truly satisfy. Jesus came to get us back to God. He made it possible for us to not only know God, but even more than that: love and enjoy Him. That’s the goal of this Christian life: to know, love and enjoy God in Christ more than anything else. Do you know Him? Do you love Him? Is He the greatest and more enjoyable one you know?

I’m afraid that alot of people call themselves “Christian” but are not happy about it. They go to church and just go through all the motions. Their rule-keeping makes them look good, and they act like they have their lives all together. But inside they are empty. No passion for God. They are still hungry and thirsty, but don’t realize it.

To become a believer in Jesus we first admit we are empty and hungry. We have tried to fill our bodies with all kinds of junk. We bit into the cotton candy and found it to be worthless and empty. It only satisfied for a moment. But then Jesus became real to us, He showed us that He is better than anything else in all the world. He is like bread and the most satisfying drink to us who were hungry and thirsty. He satisfies and never fails. We never grow tired of “eating” at His table or being nourished by His words (also called bread; see Matt. 4:4).

This story is worth retelling. It happened in the early church, more than 1900 years ago. Let’s read Acts 16:22-34:

22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Can you imagine the scene? Paul and Silas were put in jail for talking about Jesus. How did they respond to this difficulty? They busted out their favorite hymns and sang songs of joy and love to God. You couldn’t get these guys down, for they were so full of God’s love and the happiness of Jesus that daily circumstances just seemed trivial. They rose above the pain and praised God for His unfailing love. Do you think those around them took notice? You bet they did! And then an earthquake shook the foundations of the jail, and all the criminals could have escaped. Fearing what would happen to him from his bosses (in the Roman government), the Jailer in charge of the place wanted to end his own life. He was in despair. But Paul and Silas had compassion on him. The man turned to them and asked the all-important question: “What must I do to be saved?” Only believe. In Jesus. He is not like a ticket to heaven. Jesus is the Lord of the universe. Do you trust Him with your whole life? Believe that He is the only basis of our relationship with God, and you can know you stand in His love.

• Think on this: most of the world thinks that all we have to do to earn God’s favor is “be a good person.” By who’s standards? Are you better than the person next to you? Maybe. But there will always be somebody “better” than you. The point is not comparing ourselves with others. God is the only true standard. Jesus is the Perfect Man. He came, lived a sinless life, died and rose again to make it possible for us to not boast about how great we are, but to boast about how great He is. God treated Jesus like He was us (deserving death), so He could treat us like we are Jesus (His beloved, perfect Son). Believe in Him, and never stop believing!

Have you found it hard to keep up with the readings? You may have noticed I’m a little behind, and even hit and miss. Such is the nature of our commitments, as we are not entirely consistent people. Do you do everything you say you will?

As weak people, we need a strong God. Thankfully, the God who created all things by the power of His word, is a blazing center of both power and love.

Let’s read 1 John 4:7:

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”

Love is a verb. And it must have a source greater than it’s object. We cannot love unconditionally, as only God can. So, we need Him to empower us to love as He does. To see people as He does. To give our lives for the sake of other people. We naturally love ourselves. We prefer ourselves all the time. But to prefer God and consider others above ourselves we need God to change our hearts.

He can do this, because we read of His nature in verse 8: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

• Pray on this: Ask God to change your heart. Ask Him to make you the kind of person who cares for others, even when it costs you something. And ask Him to reproduce His life in you. That’s what the Christian life is: the life of God in the soul of man. Ask God to show you His love, and to make you know Him more. Nothing is greater than knowing, loving and enjoy God above all else.
  

The reading for today is 1 John 2:15. Let’s read it and the surrounding verses (1 John 2:15-17):

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

This passage is all about affections. Desires. What you love the most? Is it God, or things. Is it God or being popular? Do you love ____________ more than God? It might be too easy to say no, of course not. I love God more than anything or anyone? Yet, what comes into oru mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.

(Note: when John writes, “do not love the world,” he is not saying that we shouldn’t lvoe people. In another place he records Jesus’s words, that “God so loved the world …” (John 3:16). God demonstrated His love for people by sending and sacrificing His own Son. But, we are not to love the world system, and the values of our culture — given in vv. 16-17: what everyone longs to think about (”cravings of sinful man”), look at (”lust of his eyes”), and act like we’re important and should be respected (”boast of what he has and does”). All that is worthless, and ruins us, and defames God. He has something so much better for us!)

Back to the question: what comes into your mind when you think about God? When you think about God, are you frustrated because He has not given you something you’ve asked for? Has He let you down? Or, is your heart and mind so filled with awe that you just want to get to know your Creator and enjoy Him more than anything else. Seeking Him, and living our His will and purpose of our lives is the most enjoyable and pleasureful experience. Other things give empty promises.

Think on this:

• What robs your contentment in God?
• How you can be more intentional about loving God and loving other people?

It has been said, “love is a verb.” What we mean is that love is not this sappy, emotional “feeling,” where we just have a sense of happiness. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s good to refocus our minds on what love is and is not.

Let’s read of God’s incredible love; in John 3:16 we read the words of Jesus:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

I am always amazed at people who think we deserve God’s love and kindness. Are you kidding me? We are messed up people, and while we are far worse off than we even realize, we are more loved than we ever dared to hope. That is the point of the Gospel. God the Father sent — and gave as a sacrifice — His precious Son, so that whoever trusts in Him alone can enjoy God forever. Eternal life would be meaningless if with it we did not get God. That is the whole point of eternal life: in Jesus we get God. Do you want Him?

Think on this: God has made true love possible, by showing us what true love is. It is paying whatever price was needed to get us back. That kind of relentless, unflinching love deserves our best response. How can we show God we love Him? How can we show other people they are valued by us, and valuable to God?

Let’s dive into the text. Ephesians 6:17 reads:

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Two items, one to protect the head (helmet), and one as a weapon for battle. This is serious stuff.

We read of the key offensive weapon the soldier has (we also have prayer too, which we’ll talk about tomorrow). What is this weapon? It’s a sword, but not just any old sword. It is the Sword of the Spirit. Do you see it’s other description? It’s the Word of God.

A sword is only has valuable as the one who uses it. And is only as strong as the blacksmith that forged it. Who made this sword? None other than God Almighty Himself. Who carries it? We do.

• Think on this: Are you carrying the sword? Do you know how to use it?

So many Christians simply run around with nothing other than the “helmet of salvation” on, assuming that all they have to do is say a little prayer and then they’re alright. But surrendering our lives to Jesus is much more than repeating a prayer. (Even if we really, really mean it.) The Master and King of the universe deserves total commitment. Are you “all in”? In fact, without His help (enabling), we can’t even believe in Him, let alone live for Him.

So, we must keep the helmet of salvation on our heads — always keeping the Gospel at the front of our minds. What is the Gospel? In short, it is the truth that we are worse off than we ever imagined, but more loved than we ever dared to hope. While we grow and learn many new things, we never ever outgrow our need for this one key truth. We never outgrow our need for Jesus.

Also, we also must carry the Sword — God’s Word, written by His Spirit. This is no ordinary book. It is infused with God’s power. It accomplishes and does whatever He pleases. With the word of His power He created all things. Jesus came as “The Word of God” (John 1:1-18). The Bible is written down for us to know God’s words, as His final message to us. All of it points to Jesus. And all of it comes with the power of the Spirit, who does the work of God in and through us.

• Think on this: But the real question is: are you picking up the Sword — the Word of God, the Bible — and learning how to use it?

I’d love to show you how. Just ask!

One tension in all of this is to realize that God probably did not have in mind a disjointed soldier with random pieces of metal on his body. A ready soldier must wear all of his armor, and is essentially naked without any one piece.

Roman soldiers had lots of armor attached to their bodies, but only a couple weapons in their hands. A sword (which we’ll look at in verse 17) in one hand, and a shield in the other.

Today’s reading looks at the shield. Let’s read Ephesians 6:16:

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

Do you see the purpose of the shield? To put out the flaming arrows of the enemy — the evil one (the Devil). Without this shield — the covering and protection of faith — the soldier would be easy to pick off and defeat/kill.

Also, notice that no soldier goes to battle alone. At least not if he or she wants to win! We need one another, like those who on a battlefield promise to the others, “I got your back!” But how many Christians try to do this life on their own?

We don’t know exactly how big the shields would be, but they were pretty substantial — maybe 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Heavy and hard to move. But great to hide behind.

Grouped together, soldiers would move like one giant person in a formation called “The Turtle” or “The Tortoise” [see picture to the right].

Can you see what it’s called that? That’s because when all their shields are put together a shell is formed — like a turtle or tortoise. Arrows and rocks are shot and catapulted towards them just bounce off.

Also, the shield of a Roman soldier would have a leather outside, dipped in water. It would be wet — so that a flaming arrow would be extinguished. Putting out the fiery darts of the enemy, and moving together as one are key traits of successfully winning the battle. We need one another!

The shield of faith speaks of both our faith in Christ, but more than that — it is God’s unswering promises to be all and do all that only He can do in Jesus. We are His, and He will protect us.

• Think on this: How can faith in Jesus hold of attacks from the evil one?