kingdom travelin'

Many friends have been and are struggling. These are hopeful words:

“Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.”
‭‭(Psalm‬ ‭61:2-3‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

I was encouraged by this meditation in my Psalter just now:

Run to the strong tower!

These are words that small children say quite often. Bigger children (like this 65 year old) don’t say it, but think it. We want what we want and we want it now!

Sigh.

Psalm 40 has always been a favorite. It is a balm to the impatient soul. This meditation from the Paraclete Psalter (a beloved gift from a more beloved brother) was helpful.

“God is never late, and waiting is what brings us into line with his divine timetable.”

I closed a message I preached on Sunday from Colossians 4 with a prayer of Paul in Philippians 1.

I’m praying this for myself, you might find it helpful…

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:9-11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We live in confused times.

More than ever, I see people seeking their own truth rather than the truth. For some, answers seem secondary to questions. (Jesus used questions to get to truth, not posing them for their own sake.)

While under house arrest in Rome Paul heard of confusion in a town where some of his disciples helped start a congregation of Jesus’ followers.

So he wrote to remind them of the main thing: Jesus.

There were interesting (to some) mixtures of Judaism, mystery religions, and Jesus teachings going around. People were confused by the questions and accusations of these false teachers. Paul reminds them of the truth.

He pointed to Jesus (ch.1), as contrasted to the mixed instruction (ch. 2), and then how we look to Jesus to live for him (ch. 4).

Then, as a last nudge toward how to honor God in life, he says:

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
‭‭(Colossians‬ ‭4:2-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Pray, be thankful, seek God’s wisdom, and watch your mouth.

There it is.

Boy, is that last one hard.

God will help us.

When a soldier is wounded in a battle, he treats the wound and returns to battle. He may limp, he may struggle to carry his pack, but he returns. Likely wincing in pain, he stands beside his comrades in the battle.

Paul frequently uses images of athletes and soldiers. Perhaps among the best known is the armor of God:

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians‬ ‭6:11‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

As followers of Jesus, we are in a battle. Paul’s teaching might be summarized as: The battle between our flesh and our spirit that is filled by the Spirit. Or, we might simply say our ongoing struggle with sin.

As we read about the armor, we may notice that the only offensive tool in the armor is Scripture.

A friend reminded me yesterday of being intentional about Bible reminders through the day to combat anger.

So, let us remember the importance of the Bible in shaping our hearts and minds. If we have a realistic view of our sin, but that God is in and beside us at all times, we can engage the enemy who wants sin to take us out of the battle.

A while back I learned that I should not be surprised by my sin. I also know that I have the forgiveness of God. Paul reminds me that I am not condemned because I am IN Christ Jesus.

Yes, we are wounded, we are bandaged, we are limping, but in Christ, with the Bible helping us focus on Jesus, we can slow the enemy’s advance in his attempt to keep us out of the battle.

Let us not sit and wallow in a pitiful state of “woe is me”.

Let us pick up the sword of the Spirit, which may feel heavy at first, but let us use the Bible to stand against the enemy.

Remember, the war is won! Jesus has prevailed. Thanks be to God!

After feeding the 4,000 hungry people – probably in northern Galilee – Jesus and the boys head up north to the foot of Mount Hermon, to Caesarea Philippi.

He quizzes them about what people are saying and asks them who they say he is. Peter – ever quick to speak – affirms that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus tells them to keep this quiet. (Jesus understood the Father’s plan and that there was timing in the plan. He had been saying the time wasn’t right since his first miracle in Cana.)

Then, Jesus is pretty straightforward with the twelve about what is going to happen to him: suffering, death, and resurrection.

Peter – a well meaning, action oriented guy who often stepped out without thinking – took Jesus aside and criticized him (rebuked) for this teaching about the plan. I imagine Peter and Jesus may have had their backs to the others during this disagreement. Scripture says…

“But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭8:33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Jesus, ever the master teacher, uses this teachable moment and teaches not only the twelve but the gathered crowd. This begins one of those times where Jesus describes the high cost of being his disciple. (The emphasis on this hard teaching caused many to turn away from Jesus.)

Practically speaking, we can learn much from this. First, Peter was quick with opinion and criticism.

This is a common problem.

Jesus knew it was a common problem so he shares the teaching with all the listeners present.

Second, if we read the verse carefully, we can see that Jesus is saying that we should set our sights on God, not the world – which we may conclude is under the influence of the enemy.

“But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭8:33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The good news is that, though Peter’s quick (and thoughtless) actions and words would continue to get him in trouble, Jesus still chose and used him in awesome ways.

Lesson?

Just as Peter rebuked Jesus, you and I sometimes speak and act too quick. There are times we don’t like certain aspects of teachings in the Bible. (See Buffet Christianity in an earlier post.)

But Paul reminds us not to think of ourselves too highly.

When, like Peter, I’m free with reaction and criticism, that’s a pretty sure sign that I’m off course and need to reset my heart and mind to God, to the throne of grace. And, just like Peter received forgiveness and reconciliation for his too quick mouth and actions, I can too.

Much later, after describing his own wretchedness, Paul exclaimed “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! There is NO CONDEMNATION for we who are IN Christ.

In trouble? Reset your course and run with boldness to the throne of Grace! There we find forgiveness, grace, and course correction.

Thanks be to God!