Good Neighbor Project Devotional
“Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39
The above command, along with the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:19-20, serves as the foundation for the Good Neighbor Project.
A couple of questions that come to mind every time I read the passage in Matthew 22 is this…
“What does it mean, practically, to love God with all my heart…all my soul…all my mind?”
“Which aspect of loving God do I tend to gravitate towards (heart, soul, mind)?”
“How is loving my neighbor also an act of loving God?”
Understanding that loving our neighbor will look different for each of us, Acts 11, reminds us that our unity, as followers of Jesus, is the greatest testimony we can provide to a world that is crumbling under the weight of divisiveness.
I want to encourage each of you to take time this morning to read Acts 11, and as you do, be on the lookout for some distinctives these early believers shared that set them apart from the world they were living in.
Scripture tells us in verse 26 that the term “Christian” was first coined and distributed to the followers of Jesus in Antioch.
Before this term came about, people who believed in Jesus for salvation were called other names such as disciples, followers of the way, brethren, the church, Nazarenes and Galilaeans. And while some scholars believe that the name was ascribed to them by their enemies as a way of mocking who they believed in and stood for, Scripture simply doesn’t tell us outright. What it does tell us is that these early believers were given the name “Christian” because they demonstrated a strong Christlike character. In other words, they lived and loved as Jesus lived and as Jesus loved.
Question for Reflection
“How has the term or title ‘christian’ changed from the meaning above…(one who displays a Christlike character)?”
“What needs to change so ‘christians’ can once again be viewed as living as Jesus lived and loving as Jesus loved?”
The believers at Antioch stood out because of how they lived and loved like Jesus, shown in this chapter particularly in how they treated people who were not like them. One thing that set these early believers apart, was a clear demonstration of unity.
We see this play out through Peter’s actions in verses 1-17 and in particular verses 16-17. Here, Peter is saying, though these people (Gentiles) are different than me, think differently than me, may look differently than me, may live and move differently than me, if God has approved them, who am I to argue with that?
Who am I to withhold from them the love of Jesus?
Verse 18 tells us that instead of debating this point, the (Jewish) believers glorified God and accepted these new (Gentile) believers.
Take a moment and read what Paul wrote in Galatians 3:26
This means that if we are to truly demonstrate unity in the Body of Christ, we have to put aside the ways we label and define each other outside of the word of God.
Question for Reflection
“Are you guilty of withholding the love of Jesus because you view someone as your enemy or worse yet, as not being worthy of God’s love and forgiveness?
As we drop down to verse 26, we not only see a demonstration of unity, but also a declaration of unity.
So this whole chapter, provides us the background as to why they were named or called Christians. They were called Christians—those displaying the character of Christ—because of how they demonstrated unity in loving and accepting those who were vastly different from them. They then declared their unity by teaching the same truths about Jesus and His gospel to those who would eventually come to know Him.
But being a Christian is more than just a spoken word. Demonstrating and declaring our love and devotion to Jesus also requires action.
Look what happened next beginning in verse 27. These newly united believers now had the opportunity to showcase their love and care for others in a very tangible way.
Read Acts 11:27-30.
Just like in Acts 11, many people today are experiencing a personal famine…a social famine…a resources famine…and most importantly, a spiritual famine.
Now more than ever, the church must come together and stand united in our efforts to provide hope and healing that can only come through a relationship with Jesus Christ. As you love your neighbor today through serving, remember your calling as a follower of Jesus.
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” Matthew 5:44-45
As you spend time in prayer today…
As an act of showing love for my neighbor, today I will…
The above command, along with the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:19-20, serves as the foundation for the Good Neighbor Project.
A couple of questions that come to mind every time I read the passage in Matthew 22 is this…
“What does it mean, practically, to love God with all my heart…all my soul…all my mind?”
“Which aspect of loving God do I tend to gravitate towards (heart, soul, mind)?”
“How is loving my neighbor also an act of loving God?”
Understanding that loving our neighbor will look different for each of us, Acts 11, reminds us that our unity, as followers of Jesus, is the greatest testimony we can provide to a world that is crumbling under the weight of divisiveness.
I want to encourage each of you to take time this morning to read Acts 11, and as you do, be on the lookout for some distinctives these early believers shared that set them apart from the world they were living in.
Scripture tells us in verse 26 that the term “Christian” was first coined and distributed to the followers of Jesus in Antioch.
Before this term came about, people who believed in Jesus for salvation were called other names such as disciples, followers of the way, brethren, the church, Nazarenes and Galilaeans. And while some scholars believe that the name was ascribed to them by their enemies as a way of mocking who they believed in and stood for, Scripture simply doesn’t tell us outright. What it does tell us is that these early believers were given the name “Christian” because they demonstrated a strong Christlike character. In other words, they lived and loved as Jesus lived and as Jesus loved.
Question for Reflection
“How has the term or title ‘christian’ changed from the meaning above…(one who displays a Christlike character)?”
“What needs to change so ‘christians’ can once again be viewed as living as Jesus lived and loving as Jesus loved?”
The believers at Antioch stood out because of how they lived and loved like Jesus, shown in this chapter particularly in how they treated people who were not like them. One thing that set these early believers apart, was a clear demonstration of unity.
We see this play out through Peter’s actions in verses 1-17 and in particular verses 16-17. Here, Peter is saying, though these people (Gentiles) are different than me, think differently than me, may look differently than me, may live and move differently than me, if God has approved them, who am I to argue with that?
Who am I to withhold from them the love of Jesus?
Verse 18 tells us that instead of debating this point, the (Jewish) believers glorified God and accepted these new (Gentile) believers.
Take a moment and read what Paul wrote in Galatians 3:26
This means that if we are to truly demonstrate unity in the Body of Christ, we have to put aside the ways we label and define each other outside of the word of God.
Question for Reflection
“Are you guilty of withholding the love of Jesus because you view someone as your enemy or worse yet, as not being worthy of God’s love and forgiveness?
As we drop down to verse 26, we not only see a demonstration of unity, but also a declaration of unity.
So this whole chapter, provides us the background as to why they were named or called Christians. They were called Christians—those displaying the character of Christ—because of how they demonstrated unity in loving and accepting those who were vastly different from them. They then declared their unity by teaching the same truths about Jesus and His gospel to those who would eventually come to know Him.
But being a Christian is more than just a spoken word. Demonstrating and declaring our love and devotion to Jesus also requires action.
Look what happened next beginning in verse 27. These newly united believers now had the opportunity to showcase their love and care for others in a very tangible way.
Read Acts 11:27-30.
Just like in Acts 11, many people today are experiencing a personal famine…a social famine…a resources famine…and most importantly, a spiritual famine.
Now more than ever, the church must come together and stand united in our efforts to provide hope and healing that can only come through a relationship with Jesus Christ. As you love your neighbor today through serving, remember your calling as a follower of Jesus.
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” Matthew 5:44-45
As you spend time in prayer today…
- Pray for our government, state, county and local leaders, regardless of their political, social or religious views.
- Pray for our school administrators, teachers and students.
- Pray specifically, by name, for those who are spiritually lost.
- Pray for the other churches and pastors in our community. Pray that they would remain committed to preaching the gospel.
- Pray for Parkside and our leaders, that we would be attentive to what God is doing and willing to follow Him wherever he leads us.
- Pray for the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of those who need prayer.
As an act of showing love for my neighbor, today I will…
- Write them a note of encouragement and let them know I am praying for them.
- Do a prayer-walk around my neighborhood.
- Get out a lawn chair, sit in my drive-way and say “Hi” to people as they walk by. I might even consider asking them if I can pray for them.
- Drop off some freshly baked cookies or bread to my neighbor.
- Mow my neighbor’s lawn.
Wilderness Moments
here have been numerous “plagues” throughout history. Christians responded in different ways – sometimes commendably and sometimes horrendously – but a common denominator is that Christians’ behavior during the time of crisis had a lasting impact on the church. After reading a half-dozen or so articles about plagues and the church, these principles stood out to me:
For those interested in an in-depth look at plagues and the church, I summarize my readings, in chronological order, below. For those who want to really go in-depth, you can click on the links and read the articles.
But before getting into the historical research, take a minute to read this devotional about “wilderness moments.” It’s written by Ashley Hales of InTouch Ministries (Charles Stanley’s umbrella ministry organization).
Wilderness moments, while they can look and feel like death, can also be where God meets us. In this particular disorienting season, we may feel abandoned, alone, and forgotten by God. The pandemic feels too big. Even as we go through our own losses, anxiety, or pain, we lament the situations of people experiencing poverty or displacement—people who don’t seem ever to arrive in a “promised land” of their own. What are we Christians to do with so much suffering, injustice, sin, and death?
The wilderness place in the biblical story is never simply a place of abandonment. When Hagar ran from the abuse of her mistress Sarai, it’s in the wilderness that she met the Lord, whom she called “the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13 NIV). When the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt, it was the wilderness wanderings that tested them and reoriented them toward God. There, they were provided for, even as their resources were limited (Exodus 15-16). In seasons such as the one we’re now in, we find ourselves stripped of many comforts, any false sense of control, and other delusions we have about being autonomous from God. It’s here that we’re offered the chance to get to know a God who uses His power on behalf of His people—a God who hems us in, with cloud and fire
If you only click on one link, click on this one and read the full devotional.
https://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/faith-works/wheres-jesus-in-covid-19
The early plagues, 1st-4th centuries
Sociologist and historian Rodney Stark mounted a powerful argument that one of the principal reasons Christianity grew while Roman paganism waned in the 1st-4th centuries was because of the mercy Christians displayed toward people who physically suffered, and in particular, how Christians showed mercy during two plagues that ravaged the Roman Empire.
“No one knew how to treat the stricken. Nor did most people try. During the first plague, the famous classical physician Galen fled Rome for his country estate where he stayed until the danger subsided. But for those who could not flee, the typical response was to try to avoid any contact with the afflicted, since it was understood that the disease was contagious. Hence, when their first symptom appeared, victims often were thrown into the streets, where the dead and dying lay in piles.
Christians met the obligation to care for the sick rather than desert them, and thereby saved enormous numbers of lives! As William H. McNeill pointed out in his celebrated Plagues and Peoples, under the circumstances prevailing in this era, even “quite elementary nursing will greatly reduce mortality. Simple provision of food and water, for instance, will allow persons who are temporarily too weak to cope for themselves to recover instead of perishing miserably.” It is entirely plausible that Christian nursing would have reduced mortality by as much as two-thirds! The fact that most stricken Christians survived did not go unnoticed, lending immense credibility to Christian "miracle working." Indeed, the miracles often included pagan neighbors and relatives. This surely must have produced some conversions, especially by those who were nursed back to health.”
I found the reference to Stark’s work in an article by Kenneth Berding of Biola University, Pastor Doug’s alma mater.
https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2020/how-did-early-christians-respond-to-plagues
The Bubonic Plague, 1347-1350 with sporadic outbreaks afterward
From 1347-1350, the Bubonic Plague killed hundreds of thousands in Europe. It literally wiped out small villages and killed more than half the residents of some cities. There were smaller outbreaks each decade for the next 60 years. The response by Christians, unfortunately, was not all that different from society as a whole, according to Christianity Today. While there are examples of nuns and other Christians heroically risking their lives to help the sick, many became focused primarily on their own survival.
As the plague spread, Christians responded in even worse ways. Attributing the pandemic to God’s judgment, they turned first to self-flagellation before finding someone else to blame – the Jews. This led to persecution. Pope Clement VI, at the time the world’s most influential religious leader, condemned these responses to little avail.
Some credit the church’s dismal behavior during The Plague with laying the foundation for the Protestant Reformation a century later.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-49/black-death-christian-response-third-world-died.html
The 1918 flu pandemic
This Word & Way interview with John Schmalzbauer, a professor of religious studies at Missouri State University, looks at the effects of church closures during the 1918 flu pandemic. It offers the closet parallel to today, though their challenges were much greater since “virtual services” obviously were not an option.
Schmalzbauer review secular and religious publications from 1918 to see how churches responded. (Word & Way is the publication of Missouri Baptists, the equivalent of the Northwest Witness.) Here is one quote from the article, which I encourage you to read.
“It’s touching to read the reports from the Baptist congregations that are in Word & Way,” he added. “They’re kind of somber and sad, you know, that we haven’t been able to meet. There have been a number of deaths here. And then there are other articles that talk about well, what’s the meaning of all this? How can we find meaning in our suffering? But there’s not this kind of resentment against public health officials. More or less, I think they were willing to comply.”
https://wordandway.org/2020/04/20/historian-1918-pandemic/
This Christian Post article focuses on what Christians can learn from the church’s response to the 1918 pandemic.
A few highlights. Relatively early in the pandemic, Billy Sunday, the leading U.S. evangelist of the time, held a revival service that drew 10,000 people. Sunday vowed to “pray down” the epidemic. Still, many who attended fell ill. Utimately, he canceled three weeks of his nightly services.
As noted earlier, there was no Internet, but pastors did use “alternative media” to get their messages to their congregations. Some published them in local newspapers (that’s not an option today). One pastor in Los Angeles enlisted Boy Scouts to deliver Sunday school lessons to church members.
One option that has been discussed today – outside services – was a somewhat common solution in 1918.
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/churches-closed-in-1918-too-heres-what-christians-can-learn-today.html
- Basic human instincts have remained the same for almost 2000 years. Psychologists call it “fight or flight.”
- The political divisions we see manifested today in the response to Covid-19 are not new. In fact, the similarities between today and 1918 are striking. If anything, the political environment is a little less challenging today – World War I was at its peak in 1918.
- In times of crisis, people – including nonbelievers – watch to see how the church will respond.
- During all the plagues, there were negative consequences when society try to resume large group activities (including church services) too soon.
For those interested in an in-depth look at plagues and the church, I summarize my readings, in chronological order, below. For those who want to really go in-depth, you can click on the links and read the articles.
But before getting into the historical research, take a minute to read this devotional about “wilderness moments.” It’s written by Ashley Hales of InTouch Ministries (Charles Stanley’s umbrella ministry organization).
Wilderness moments, while they can look and feel like death, can also be where God meets us. In this particular disorienting season, we may feel abandoned, alone, and forgotten by God. The pandemic feels too big. Even as we go through our own losses, anxiety, or pain, we lament the situations of people experiencing poverty or displacement—people who don’t seem ever to arrive in a “promised land” of their own. What are we Christians to do with so much suffering, injustice, sin, and death?
The wilderness place in the biblical story is never simply a place of abandonment. When Hagar ran from the abuse of her mistress Sarai, it’s in the wilderness that she met the Lord, whom she called “the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13 NIV). When the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt, it was the wilderness wanderings that tested them and reoriented them toward God. There, they were provided for, even as their resources were limited (Exodus 15-16). In seasons such as the one we’re now in, we find ourselves stripped of many comforts, any false sense of control, and other delusions we have about being autonomous from God. It’s here that we’re offered the chance to get to know a God who uses His power on behalf of His people—a God who hems us in, with cloud and fire
If you only click on one link, click on this one and read the full devotional.
https://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/faith-works/wheres-jesus-in-covid-19
The early plagues, 1st-4th centuries
Sociologist and historian Rodney Stark mounted a powerful argument that one of the principal reasons Christianity grew while Roman paganism waned in the 1st-4th centuries was because of the mercy Christians displayed toward people who physically suffered, and in particular, how Christians showed mercy during two plagues that ravaged the Roman Empire.
“No one knew how to treat the stricken. Nor did most people try. During the first plague, the famous classical physician Galen fled Rome for his country estate where he stayed until the danger subsided. But for those who could not flee, the typical response was to try to avoid any contact with the afflicted, since it was understood that the disease was contagious. Hence, when their first symptom appeared, victims often were thrown into the streets, where the dead and dying lay in piles.
Christians met the obligation to care for the sick rather than desert them, and thereby saved enormous numbers of lives! As William H. McNeill pointed out in his celebrated Plagues and Peoples, under the circumstances prevailing in this era, even “quite elementary nursing will greatly reduce mortality. Simple provision of food and water, for instance, will allow persons who are temporarily too weak to cope for themselves to recover instead of perishing miserably.” It is entirely plausible that Christian nursing would have reduced mortality by as much as two-thirds! The fact that most stricken Christians survived did not go unnoticed, lending immense credibility to Christian "miracle working." Indeed, the miracles often included pagan neighbors and relatives. This surely must have produced some conversions, especially by those who were nursed back to health.”
I found the reference to Stark’s work in an article by Kenneth Berding of Biola University, Pastor Doug’s alma mater.
https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2020/how-did-early-christians-respond-to-plagues
The Bubonic Plague, 1347-1350 with sporadic outbreaks afterward
From 1347-1350, the Bubonic Plague killed hundreds of thousands in Europe. It literally wiped out small villages and killed more than half the residents of some cities. There were smaller outbreaks each decade for the next 60 years. The response by Christians, unfortunately, was not all that different from society as a whole, according to Christianity Today. While there are examples of nuns and other Christians heroically risking their lives to help the sick, many became focused primarily on their own survival.
As the plague spread, Christians responded in even worse ways. Attributing the pandemic to God’s judgment, they turned first to self-flagellation before finding someone else to blame – the Jews. This led to persecution. Pope Clement VI, at the time the world’s most influential religious leader, condemned these responses to little avail.
Some credit the church’s dismal behavior during The Plague with laying the foundation for the Protestant Reformation a century later.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-49/black-death-christian-response-third-world-died.html
The 1918 flu pandemic
This Word & Way interview with John Schmalzbauer, a professor of religious studies at Missouri State University, looks at the effects of church closures during the 1918 flu pandemic. It offers the closet parallel to today, though their challenges were much greater since “virtual services” obviously were not an option.
Schmalzbauer review secular and religious publications from 1918 to see how churches responded. (Word & Way is the publication of Missouri Baptists, the equivalent of the Northwest Witness.) Here is one quote from the article, which I encourage you to read.
“It’s touching to read the reports from the Baptist congregations that are in Word & Way,” he added. “They’re kind of somber and sad, you know, that we haven’t been able to meet. There have been a number of deaths here. And then there are other articles that talk about well, what’s the meaning of all this? How can we find meaning in our suffering? But there’s not this kind of resentment against public health officials. More or less, I think they were willing to comply.”
https://wordandway.org/2020/04/20/historian-1918-pandemic/
This Christian Post article focuses on what Christians can learn from the church’s response to the 1918 pandemic.
A few highlights. Relatively early in the pandemic, Billy Sunday, the leading U.S. evangelist of the time, held a revival service that drew 10,000 people. Sunday vowed to “pray down” the epidemic. Still, many who attended fell ill. Utimately, he canceled three weeks of his nightly services.
As noted earlier, there was no Internet, but pastors did use “alternative media” to get their messages to their congregations. Some published them in local newspapers (that’s not an option today). One pastor in Los Angeles enlisted Boy Scouts to deliver Sunday school lessons to church members.
One option that has been discussed today – outside services – was a somewhat common solution in 1918.
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/churches-closed-in-1918-too-heres-what-christians-can-learn-today.html
Passion Week Devotional - Thursday
Passion Week Devotional - Wednesday
Passion Week Devotional - Tuesday
Passion Week Devotional - Monday
Partners with Christ in His Suffering
Good morning, Parkside!
I hope you were able to watch the live feed yesterday as I preached the sermon, “The Pursuit of Holiness.” If not, it is posted in the church’s Facebook page. The audio version is also available on the church website.
Today, we continue with our weekly devotional. The devotionals align with "The Cross: 10 Studies For The Easter Season" by Christianity Today. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday!
For the week of March 30-April 5, please read: 1 Peter 4 & Luke 9.
********************************************************
SUBJECT: Partners with Christ in His Suffering
*Following our crucified Lord means willingly following him into persecution.*
“Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” – 1 Peter 4:12-13
The devotional today leans toward persecution and suffering at the hands of other humans, but I couldn’t help but stop and think how the lesson also applies to the suffering we endure by the fallen world itself.
READ: 1 Peter 4:12-13
QUESTION #1: Are you surprised at the suffering we are currently enduring? Why?
QUESTION #2: Should we rejoice in suffering? Why? Why not?
QUESTION #3: How are suffering and joy related according verse 13?
Terms for deeper reflection: Doxa, Already & Not Yet
Faith in Christ does not shield us from suffering or pain. In fact, Scripture assures us that our faith in Jesus will often BRING suffering. Our natural instinct is to avoid pain, yet when Jesus foretold his crucifixion, he linked his suffering directly to our discipleship: “The Son of Man must suffer many things…and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life…Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:22-23).
Jesus wants our idea of suffering and pain to be transformed to such an extent that we begin to see it as a positive way of life. Our human view of happiness as the absence of suffering, sorrow, and pain must give way to Christ’s perspective. “People who believe that Christians should enjoy life on earth free from suffering or persecution of any kind do not fully understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus” (from the “Africa Study Bible” notes).
READ: Philippians 3:7-11
REFLECT: What things grab your imagination? What do you naturally think on when you are alone?
If we see suffering only as a terrible thing that we must resist or avoid, we fail to grasp its significance. Suffering is meant to help us find the secret of real joy and true happiness – the kind that can be attained only through persecution. Suffering exposes our vulnerability but also causes us to dare greatly. In this sense, suffering can be an expression of God’s love – a method of pruning, refining, and purifying us. And Jesus – the Son of the Father of all creation, God’s Chosen One – has majestically displayed the significance of suffering by taking away its pains, curses, and shame and replacing them with blessings, honor, and eternal glory! What Christ has done on the cross can transform our perception of human suffering into a rich experience with far-reaching implications for this life and the life to come.
REFLECT: In what ways has your life changed since COVID-19/Coronavirus began?
SING/RECITE: What song, poem, work of art, or other creative outlet comes to mind?
SCRIPTURE: What verse or verses sustain you in times of suffering?
Blessings,
Roger Sharp
I hope you were able to watch the live feed yesterday as I preached the sermon, “The Pursuit of Holiness.” If not, it is posted in the church’s Facebook page. The audio version is also available on the church website.
Today, we continue with our weekly devotional. The devotionals align with "The Cross: 10 Studies For The Easter Season" by Christianity Today. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday!
For the week of March 30-April 5, please read: 1 Peter 4 & Luke 9.
********************************************************
SUBJECT: Partners with Christ in His Suffering
*Following our crucified Lord means willingly following him into persecution.*
“Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” – 1 Peter 4:12-13
The devotional today leans toward persecution and suffering at the hands of other humans, but I couldn’t help but stop and think how the lesson also applies to the suffering we endure by the fallen world itself.
READ: 1 Peter 4:12-13
QUESTION #1: Are you surprised at the suffering we are currently enduring? Why?
QUESTION #2: Should we rejoice in suffering? Why? Why not?
QUESTION #3: How are suffering and joy related according verse 13?
Terms for deeper reflection: Doxa, Already & Not Yet
Faith in Christ does not shield us from suffering or pain. In fact, Scripture assures us that our faith in Jesus will often BRING suffering. Our natural instinct is to avoid pain, yet when Jesus foretold his crucifixion, he linked his suffering directly to our discipleship: “The Son of Man must suffer many things…and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life…Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:22-23).
Jesus wants our idea of suffering and pain to be transformed to such an extent that we begin to see it as a positive way of life. Our human view of happiness as the absence of suffering, sorrow, and pain must give way to Christ’s perspective. “People who believe that Christians should enjoy life on earth free from suffering or persecution of any kind do not fully understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus” (from the “Africa Study Bible” notes).
READ: Philippians 3:7-11
REFLECT: What things grab your imagination? What do you naturally think on when you are alone?
If we see suffering only as a terrible thing that we must resist or avoid, we fail to grasp its significance. Suffering is meant to help us find the secret of real joy and true happiness – the kind that can be attained only through persecution. Suffering exposes our vulnerability but also causes us to dare greatly. In this sense, suffering can be an expression of God’s love – a method of pruning, refining, and purifying us. And Jesus – the Son of the Father of all creation, God’s Chosen One – has majestically displayed the significance of suffering by taking away its pains, curses, and shame and replacing them with blessings, honor, and eternal glory! What Christ has done on the cross can transform our perception of human suffering into a rich experience with far-reaching implications for this life and the life to come.
REFLECT: In what ways has your life changed since COVID-19/Coronavirus began?
SING/RECITE: What song, poem, work of art, or other creative outlet comes to mind?
SCRIPTURE: What verse or verses sustain you in times of suffering?
Blessings,
Roger Sharp
Renew Devotionals
Free At Last!
*The nature of sin is bondage. The nature of the gospel is liberty.*
I had to chuckle as I was preparing this devotional – Free at Last! It somehow is and isn’t ironic considering our current social distancing environment. Some may soon desire to be ‘free at last’ from the house. Others may wish family members were ‘free at last.’ Haha! Of course, I am being silly – I think…
The United States of America is built upon the ideal of freedom. Though it has not always lived up to the true meaning of its creed, the great struggle in the conscience of America has been the struggle for freedom. On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry spoke the immortal words in defense of free and the American Revolution: “Give me liberty or give me death!” For Henry, it was liberty or death. For Jesus Christ, it was liberty BY death. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ set us free. Yet, as all Americans know, freedom is not free. This is never truer than of the freedom we have in Jesus.
READ: Romans 5:1-12
QUESTION #1: What is the Good News?
QUESTION #2: Should we rejoice in suffering? Why?
QUESTION #3: If we are no longer slaves to sin, why do our actions speak otherwise?
Terms for deeper reflection: Seminalism, Federal Headship, Imputed
Following the Emancipation Proclamation and the formal end of slavery in the United States, there came a new kind of slavery, namely the oppression of Jim Crow laws. In some regards, this was more insidious and demeaning than the first. It gave the IMPRESSION of freedom, yet it systematically and institutionally kept black Americans in bondage. This new slave system was not formal bondage, but it was oppression and bondage nonetheless and, as such, needed to be broken. Similarly, when a person has been set free from the penalty of sin through the cross of Christ, often that person may remain in bondage to the guilt and shame of his or her sin. The Cross sets us free from both slavery to sin and its guilt. This is where the promise and pronouncement of Romans 8:1 is critical to the Christian life.
READ: Romans 8:1
Memorize: Romans 8:1
Live: Romans 8:1
If the enemy can get you to despair and to wallow in your failures, he can keep you from living in the freedom Christ secured for you on the Cross. And thus, he can bind you in a new kind of slavery – daily living below the dignity of your freedom in Christ and the joy of your salvation.
READ: Romans 8:31-35
What comes to mind as you read this short passage?
The Irish hymn writer Charitie Lees Bancroft said it well:
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Blessings,
Roger Sharp
I had to chuckle as I was preparing this devotional – Free at Last! It somehow is and isn’t ironic considering our current social distancing environment. Some may soon desire to be ‘free at last’ from the house. Others may wish family members were ‘free at last.’ Haha! Of course, I am being silly – I think…
The United States of America is built upon the ideal of freedom. Though it has not always lived up to the true meaning of its creed, the great struggle in the conscience of America has been the struggle for freedom. On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry spoke the immortal words in defense of free and the American Revolution: “Give me liberty or give me death!” For Henry, it was liberty or death. For Jesus Christ, it was liberty BY death. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ set us free. Yet, as all Americans know, freedom is not free. This is never truer than of the freedom we have in Jesus.
READ: Romans 5:1-12
QUESTION #1: What is the Good News?
QUESTION #2: Should we rejoice in suffering? Why?
QUESTION #3: If we are no longer slaves to sin, why do our actions speak otherwise?
Terms for deeper reflection: Seminalism, Federal Headship, Imputed
Following the Emancipation Proclamation and the formal end of slavery in the United States, there came a new kind of slavery, namely the oppression of Jim Crow laws. In some regards, this was more insidious and demeaning than the first. It gave the IMPRESSION of freedom, yet it systematically and institutionally kept black Americans in bondage. This new slave system was not formal bondage, but it was oppression and bondage nonetheless and, as such, needed to be broken. Similarly, when a person has been set free from the penalty of sin through the cross of Christ, often that person may remain in bondage to the guilt and shame of his or her sin. The Cross sets us free from both slavery to sin and its guilt. This is where the promise and pronouncement of Romans 8:1 is critical to the Christian life.
READ: Romans 8:1
Memorize: Romans 8:1
Live: Romans 8:1
If the enemy can get you to despair and to wallow in your failures, he can keep you from living in the freedom Christ secured for you on the Cross. And thus, he can bind you in a new kind of slavery – daily living below the dignity of your freedom in Christ and the joy of your salvation.
READ: Romans 8:31-35
What comes to mind as you read this short passage?
The Irish hymn writer Charitie Lees Bancroft said it well:
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Blessings,
Roger Sharp
SAINTLY and SINFUL
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*We are justified by his grace - and called to extend that grace to others.*
Folks will use and abuse you if you let them. People are takers, and loving them demands more than I have or care to give. Unfortunately, living in Christian community sometimes corroborates these old messages. There are needy members within the household of faith. These people take up space in my thoughts, my phone, and the chairs around my kitchen table. From my perspective, I'm constantly checking on, meeting with, praying for, forgiving, encouraging, challenging, and feeding people whose responses don't always deliver the fruit I want for my labor...perhaps I can be friendly at a distance. Loving your neighbor as yourself is a hard practice. It is difficult to be self-sacrificial.
Many of us are disconnected from people who are not across the country but cross the pew.
READ: Romans 3:10-31
QUESTION #1: What is the bad news? (v23)
QUESTION #2: What is the greatest news ever?
QUESTION #3: How is it possible for the Judge to also be our Justifier? (v26)
In "Knowing God," J.I. Packer calls Christ's coming "a great act of condescension and self-humbling." For the sake of our atonement, God the Son descended to take on humanity. He was made like us in every way but sinfulness (Hebrews 2:17; 4:15)...Jesus' great act of condescension culminated on a cross. There, he humbled himself to the point of death (Phil. 2:6-8). Out Justifier became sin "so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21).
Brothers and sisters, may we remember "the Son of Man [who] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28). He doesn't stand at a distance but is ever drawing us closer to himself and to each other.
WHAT HAS GOD TAUGHT YOU THROUGH THESE VERSES?
****************************************************
As we spend time away from the church building, let's challenge ourselves to find ways to draw closer to each other as a body of believers.
IDEAS:
Pray for me and Doug as we look for ways to stay connected to you.
Blessings,
Roger Sharp
Folks will use and abuse you if you let them. People are takers, and loving them demands more than I have or care to give. Unfortunately, living in Christian community sometimes corroborates these old messages. There are needy members within the household of faith. These people take up space in my thoughts, my phone, and the chairs around my kitchen table. From my perspective, I'm constantly checking on, meeting with, praying for, forgiving, encouraging, challenging, and feeding people whose responses don't always deliver the fruit I want for my labor...perhaps I can be friendly at a distance. Loving your neighbor as yourself is a hard practice. It is difficult to be self-sacrificial.
Many of us are disconnected from people who are not across the country but cross the pew.
READ: Romans 3:10-31
QUESTION #1: What is the bad news? (v23)
QUESTION #2: What is the greatest news ever?
QUESTION #3: How is it possible for the Judge to also be our Justifier? (v26)
In "Knowing God," J.I. Packer calls Christ's coming "a great act of condescension and self-humbling." For the sake of our atonement, God the Son descended to take on humanity. He was made like us in every way but sinfulness (Hebrews 2:17; 4:15)...Jesus' great act of condescension culminated on a cross. There, he humbled himself to the point of death (Phil. 2:6-8). Out Justifier became sin "so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21).
Brothers and sisters, may we remember "the Son of Man [who] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28). He doesn't stand at a distance but is ever drawing us closer to himself and to each other.
WHAT HAS GOD TAUGHT YOU THROUGH THESE VERSES?
****************************************************
As we spend time away from the church building, let's challenge ourselves to find ways to draw closer to each other as a body of believers.
IDEAS:
- Send a random text of encouragement to someone
- Call a friend or family member
- Offer to pickup groceries for an elderly neighbor
- Create a personal prayer list
- Volunteer your time
- Read & share your thoughts online
Pray for me and Doug as we look for ways to stay connected to you.
Blessings,
Roger Sharp