How to Handle Problems
Thank You for a good night’s sleep and safety through the night, Father. Align my heart with Yours so that I might be in the center of Your will. Amen.
1 Corinthians 16:15-24 (<<click here to read the passage)
Amid everything this weekend, Karen and I used one of our gift cards at the Cracker Barrell near us. They weren’t very busy, and things were pretty quiet…at least at first.
We hadn’t been there awfully long when a family with two young children came in and were seated several tables away from us. The younger one, a boy, immediately started fussing about something. He was not school-age but was old enough to know better. It began with fussing, and then there was some bawling. Eventually, Mom set his tablet on the table. It was turned up loud enough for us to hear, and he would periodically yell loudly when the character on whatever he was watching yelled. The peaceful atmosphere was peaceful no more.
Karen and I are both pretty well-acclimated to children—rowdy children included—and we have dealt with our fair share of them. Plain and simple, this child did not understand the word “no.” It seemed to be a foreign concept to him because he pretty much did whatever he wanted, and Mom and Dad just let him do whatever and, for the most part, ignored anything that might have disturbed anyone else’s peace.
As we wrap up the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, he sends his greetings and gives a few more directives, but at the very end, he says, “My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.” v24 NLT
Throughout his letter, he didn’t take them for a whoopin’ behind the woodshed or make them pick out their own switch for disciplinary purposes (like my grandmother used to do). I’m no worse the wear for my upbringing, but words accomplished what Paul needed them to in disciplining the Corinthian church. He did not shy from saying no but instead expounded upon it. My Life Application Study Bible states,
The church at Corinth was a church in trouble. Paul lovingly and forcefully confronted them and pointed them back to Christ. He dealt with divisions and conflicts, selfishness, inconsiderate use of freedom, disorder in worship, misuse of spiritual gifts, and wrong attitudes about the resurrection.
That last verse again reads, “My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.” v24 NLT It wasn’t easy, but they had to learn what “no” meant, and he diligently followed Christ’s example and did so in love.
The study notes close things up nicely.
In every church, there are problems that create tensions and divisions. We should not ignore or gloss over problems in our churches or in our life. Instead, like Paul, we should deal with problems head-on as they arise. The lesson for us in 1 Corinthians is that unity and love in a church are far more important than leaders and labels.
Lord Jesus, may unity and love prevail. Amen.
Apr 3rd, 2024, Wed, 12:35 pm
Wrestling
An uneasy beginning to this day, Father, with the darkness and the rain and with the potential of more storms heading our way, it is unsettling. I trust You, Creator God, to sustain us through these troubling times.
1 Corinthians 16:10-14 (<<click here to read the passage)
Recently, I’ve been wrestling with how we respond to the world around us. And as God does regularly, He is tying my work here with something else I am working on: my sermon.
This coming Sunday, I will speak about prayer, specifically the Lord’s Prayer. In examining “Thy Kingdom come…” Matthew 6:10a KJV as followers of Christ, we should have a burning desire to expand His Kingdom. But do we care that people are dying all over the world with no knowledge of our great God? Some children have never heard of Jesus. They cannot tell you a single Bible story. They’ve never heard a hymn sung or Scripture read. They have no idea that God loves them. So, yes, we are to pray for them, but more than that, we are to go to them. We need to be there to tell them. Our hearts should long for people to know and experience the God we know.
That’s one thing – to go – but what if they come instead? Are we prepared for that?
This passage in 1 Corinthians got me thinking. Here, Paul is sending his young protégé, Timothy, to the church in Corinth. I find it interesting that in the very first sentence, he says,
“…see to it that [you put him at ease, so that] he has nothing to fear in regard to you, for he is [devotedly] doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. So allow no one to treat him with disdain [as if he were inconsequential]. But send him off [cordially, and speed him on his way] in peace vs10-11 AMP
I don’t think Paul would have mentioned it if there was not some trepidation that they would make Timothy uneasy, treating him with disdain and as if he were inconsequential. After all, he was young and impressionable. He was not as “seasoned” as Paul.
Verses 13-14 set the parameters for the realm in which they should act. As you read them, ask yourself, “Are these my parameters?”
Be on guard; stand firm in your faith [in God, respecting His precepts and keeping your doctrine sound]. Act like [mature] men and be courageous; be strong. Let everything you do be done in love [motivated and inspired by God’s love for us]. AMP
And here is what I have been wrestling with: What if they come knowing nothing or, at the very most, very little about Jesus and the “workings” of the church – where to sit, how to act, when to be quiet, how to talk. In most of our experience we know, but many of them may not. What should our response be?
Let everything you do be done in love [motivated and inspired by God’s love for us].
If we are to reach the world – to expand Christ’s Kingdom – forcing them into molds of our own making will be counterproductive at best and disenfranchising at worst.
May we take Colossians 3:14-15a to heart.
Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others]. Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise].
Amen.
Apr 2nd, 2024, Tues, 12:52 pm
Pull in the Reins
It has been a full day, Father. Though I struggled with it, I know what kept us occupied most of the day was of utmost importance. Thank You for the love that drove it all, and may that love continue to burn brightly. Amen.
1 Corinthians 16:1-9 (<<click here to read the passage)
The Apostle Paul frequently refers to the fact that he is open to the Lord’s discretion of how his time is used. This is exemplified in today’s passage. He is wrapping up this letter, which speaks of his involvement in his “missionary” journey and his desire to visit with them there in Corinth. He says in verse 7,
This time I don’t want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me. NLT
For Paul, it is a state of mind. He has plans. He has wishes for things he’d like to do and places he’d like to go, but as a devout follower of Christ, he is 100% open to doing and going wherever Christ leads him.
I need to be honest here. I alluded to it in my opening prayer, but most of today was spent with Karen’s mother. As some know, her mom is dealing with advancing dementia. Over the weekend, she fell and broke her nose. They sent her to the E.R. to ensure there were no other issues. We spent several hours with her yesterday after the hospital sent her home, confirming that there were no other issues.
Through the course of events, she was given medication to deal with pain and the combative nature that had arisen from everything. Long story short, it put her to sleep…like a hard, cannot-wake-you kind of sleep.
She’s never been a napper and still doesn’t sleep long at night, but she was out! We left yesterday, never really talking with her because of it. After hearing she was up this morning and had eaten breakfast, we stopped to see her, and upon our arrival, we found her once more sound asleep in her room. We could not wake her.
Mid-afternoon, we grabbed some lunch and headed back to see how she was doing. She finally woke up enough that we got her to dinner and returned to her room, with plans to connect her with Karen’s brother out of state. I thought we were heading home at that point…well we didn’t. Over an hour later, we headed home. After a long and wearying weekend, I was not a happy camper. I didn’t start writing until almost 8:00, and I try to be in bed by 9:00.
When I started to write, the Lord called me out. What was most important? My schedule…or Karen’s mom, and for that matter Karen, too.
He showed me that I needed Paul’s mindset. I wished for something (selfishly), and God pulled the reins in on me and accomplished what His love wanted to accomplish. I know Karen feels much better about the whole situation and will sleep better tonight, having done what she did.
Lord Jesus, I am still a work in progress after all these years. Continue to pull the reins as needed. Refine my mindset to continuously be, “…if the Lord will let me.”
Apr 1st, 2024, Mon, 7:50 pm
Flashing through Our Minds
Thank You, Father, for the energy and drive to accomplish as much as we did today. May our time be productive as well. Amen.
Matthew 26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:54-62, John 18:15-18, John 18:25-27 (<<click here to read these passages)
Something that happens pretty regularly while driving my school bus is that in my head, I hear my trainer from over five years ago correct me. One thing that flashes through my mind is to keep my hands on the steering wheel at 9:00 and 3:00. Learning to drive as a teen, I was taught to keep them at 10:00 and 2:00. Somewhere along the line, they decided you had more control in case of an emergency with your hands a little lower on the wheel. I often felt that if she could have, she would have rapped my knuckles with a ruler to drive home the point.
In today’s passage, I think we have to give Peter a little bit of credit. John was the only other disciple closer in proximity to Jesus than Peter was at this point, because John had some family connections. No other disciple was to be found anywhere in the vicinity. Though his bravery was well-meaning, that was as far as it took him. Remember that the freight train was still out of control (An Out-of-Control Freight Train!), and Peter’s mind had to be scrambling to figure out how things had gotten so crazy so fast.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, his reverie was broken.
A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.” Matthew 26:69b NLT
With everyone’s eyes on him, his knee-jerk reaction was.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mark 14:68b NLT
Later, as they stood around a fire to warm themselves (John 18:18), someone else said,
“This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said. Matthew 26:71b-72 NLT
A little of the old pre-Jesus Peter oozed out…the pressure was on, and the heat was coming from more than just the fire.
In rapid succession, one more person proclaimed for all to hear,
“You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.” Matthew 26:73b NLT
And despite his efforts, despite his bravery, in the blink of an eye, the old Peter came out in full. Verse 74 of Matthew 26 says,
Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” NLT
Luke’s rendition states,
And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. Luke 22:60 NLT
With the crowing still echoing throughout the court, three of the four Gospel writers record that Jesus’ words flashed through his mind,
“Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
Only Luke specifies that when the rooster crowed…
At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter.
He was done; despite his best intentions, despite his determination, he had done exactly what Jesus said he would do…he had failed and failed miserably.
Often, we are in the same boat as Peter. When we fail, Jesus’ words may flash through our minds, but hold tight. Just because we can’t seem to forgive ourselves doesn’t mean that Jesus won’t, for though He knows us through and through, He still loves us.
Mar 26th, 2024, Tues, 7:46 pm
An Out-of-Control Freight Train!
It was a productive day on many fronts, Father, though some things didn’t go as planned. May the Holy Spirit’s presence hover over those other things, and may His will be done. Amen.
Matthew 26:17-75, Mark 14:12-72, Luke 22:7-71, John 13:1-18:27 (<<click here to read these passages)
Wow! That is a lot of Scripture! And amazingly, it all happened in a roughly 24-hour period. One of my favorite lines from this Sunday’s service spoke of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. The line read, “That donkey might as well have been an out-of-control freight train as far as some of the Pharisees were concerned. They hoped that by squelching the shouts of the people they would break the momentum and somehow stop this significant moment of proclamation.”
An out-of-control freight train… From the disciples’ perspective at the get-go, it was just going to be another Passover Meal with Jesus, nothing more, nothing less. But their preparations were just the train pulling out of the station. I am not the least bit surprised that the disciples’ reactions were all knee-jerk ones. They had no time to think, much less process what was happening. Yes, Jesus had told them – more than once, mind you – what would transpire, but it had never sunk in. And the thing is, in those kinds of circumstances, the “prepared, thought-out” you ceases to exist, and the real you is all that is left standing.
Think about it. In a 24-hour span, they had experienced the first Lord’s Supper with all of the ramifications of sacrifice and atonement – it, of course, was far from their comprehension at the time…but they would remember. The shocking announcements of betrayal and denial. Jesus’ pouring himself out in agonizing prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, along with the disciples’ inability to stay awake. Then, in the stupor of sleep and exhaustion, Jesus is betrayed and arrested. Their minds had to be racing! Peter reacts but does not know what he is doing; it is not what is needed at the moment. In confusion and fear, they all scatter, and Jesus is hauled before Caiaphas, the high priest. Peter and John find their way to where Jesus is before a kangaroo court, and though all the accusations are false and conflicting, He is still found “guilty,” and the fury of the entire Jewish religious hierarchy is expelled. In the midst of it all, Peter, the Peter who had sworn his loyalty and undying love for Jesus, crumbles in fear and disbelief and fulfills Jesus’ second prophetic statement, and he runs weeping bitterly.
The out-of-control freight train has done its damage…
Over the millennia, people have tried to point fingers…but to no avail. Yes, they all should have stood valiantly by Jesus’ side, but in fear and utter confusion, they ran.
I would have done no better…none of us would in those circumstances. Yet, Jesus bore it all. In a matter of hours, as He hung on that cruel cross, His plea to the Father, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” Luke 23:34 NIV would apply to all there and everyone today as well. That’s why He did what He did—out of love for us all.
Mar 25th, 2024, Mon, 6:28 pm