Keep sowing

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:9-10 ESV

"Whatever one sows, that he will also reap." Why then might we become weary of doing good? 

Because the return is not immediate. It requires patience and endurance. Think of the example of the farmer who sows his seed. It takes effort to plough the field and to sow and plant and water. Imagine if he became weary and gave up? What would become of his harvest?

God's own kindness and goodness never fails. His mercies are new every morning. He is always sowing good seed. Even to those from whom he knows there will be no return. 

God invests some of that good seed to us. Good works prepared in advance. Opportunities to demonstrate the kindness and love of God to those around us. Especially towards those in the same household of faith.

Let us not become weary or disheartened when it seems like the good seed we have sown has gone unnoticed or has not been reciprocated. The seed is still there. Hidden, unnoticed , unseen. It grows in secret awaiting the day of harvest. In due season we will reap.

By the Law or by the Spirit?

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Galatians 5:14 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

The book of Galatians is Paul's great discourse on grace over law and the Spirit over the flesh. We do not try to fulfill the legalistic letter of the law by the efforts of the flesh. But rather by the power of the Spirit we are enabled to fulfill the righteous heart of the law. 

Love is the fulfilment of the law and the first-fruit of the Spirit.

No such thing as a free sacrifice

But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
2 Samuel 24:24 ESV

David has a significant encounter with the Lord at this threshing floor which would later become the site for the Lord's temple in Jerusalem (2Chronicles 3:1). A significant encounter with a significant revelation. David understood that although he could have accepted the threshing floor from Araunah (aka Ornan) for nothing, this would have invalidated the genuineness of his sacrifice to the Lord.

Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:7-8 ESV

Let us not think that we can offer an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord without fulfilling our debt of love to each other.

The prophet's mantle

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:27 ESV

There are several pictures of water baptism in the Old Testament. The most obvious one is the crossing of the Red Sea, but there are others. One that often gets overlooked is the transition from Elijah to Elisha.

Both the "old man" and the "new man" go down into the water, but only the "new man" returns. When he does he is clothed differently. He has put on something that gives him a new authority.

So it is when we are baptsied. We are already saved by putting our faith in Jesus. But the old man is still hanging around. In the waters of baptism he is left behind and only our new life in Christ continues.

Not only that but like Elisha, we have something new to put on. Elisha had the mantle of the great prophet who went before him. We have the mantle of Christ himself! It enables us to continue the same works that he did. It is a sign that his Spirit is upon us.

The excellent bride

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

Psalm 16:3 ESV

I love this verse! Just as it is important how we talk about our brothers and sisters in Christ individually, it is also important how we talk about each other corporately! We need to remember that corporately together we are the bride of Christ. The apple of his eye. The delight of his heart. The one he came to die for to redeem for himself. He is jealous for his bride. It hurts his ears to hear bad things said about her.

The church is not perfect, far from it, but when Jesus looks at us he sees what we are destined to become. The spotless bride without any spot or wrinkle or blemish. Not only that but he sees the excellence that there is in every true expression of himself that exists in the love and kindness shown within the church and out towards his world.

When he looks at us together he says, "Excellent!" He sees the quality. He wants us to do the same.

Appropriate approval

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10 ESV

As servants of Christ we all need a little encouragement, validation and approval. But it's important that we look for it in the right place. Paul here makes an astonishing claim. If the source of his approval and validation came from man he would have given up already!

It is a good test of one's own heart to ask of our activities and our service: Am I doing this to please man or to please God? Am I expecting some recognition or respect from man, or the satisfaction of knowing I have pleased the heart of God? What keeps me going? Is it the hope of a pat on the back from my fellow ministries or the knowledge of a "Well done good and faithful servant" from my heavenly master.

Your move!

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

Sometimes I think we get things backwards. We seek the presence of the Lord in worship and expect that as he prencences himself he will sort out the relationships in the church.

I'm sure it can, and sometimes does, work that way. Wonderful breakthroughs can happen in a moment in the presence of God that would have taken months or years with man's efforts.

So why do I think it's backwards?

Well, simply, because that's the pattern I see in Scripture... everywhere!

Live in peace and [then] the God of love and peace will live with you.

Elijah is known as the prophet who called down fire from heaven. But before he had this great demonstration of God's presence poured out from on high he first had to repair the altar. An altar of twelve stones. Twelve stones for twelve tribes. It represented the people of God.

Ezekiel was the prophet who "prophesied to the breath" and saw a great outpouring of the Spirit of God upon his people. But before he prophesied to the breath he first had to prophesy to the bones! The bones first had to come together joint to joint before the Spirit could be poured out. The bones, again, represented the people of God.

Psalm 133 speaks of an anointing that is poured out on all God's people from the head right down to the hem of his garment. Where does God command such a blessing? Where brothers dwell together in unity.

And what does Jesus himself say...

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Matthew 5:23-24 ESV

Judge for yourself. Which comes first? The encounter with God or the reconciliation between brothers?

Whose move is it then? God's or ours?

If we are truly those who earnestly seek and desire transformational encounters with the Lord in our times of worship then perhaps it is time we focused less on the quality of our musicians and more on the quality of our relationships!

Favour in the unfavourable

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV

Insults are unfavourable opinions. Hardships are unfavourable circumstances. Persecutions come from those who are unfavourably disposed towards us.

None of these determine the favour of God that is toward us in Christ. Even if everything else was against us he would still be for us.

When we try to find the strength to deal with all these things within ourselves we, like Paul, can find we fall short. But our loving heavenly father wants us to know that no matter what or who sets itself against us there is a grace in God that is sufficient for the moment. The more exceptional the circumstance the more exceptional the grace.

When we find our strength and our value in him it is always enough.

Don't do the devil's work for him!

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 ESV

I don't like to talk a lot about Satan. I'd much rather talk about the Lord. But as there is much misunderstanding about him and his ministry sometimes things need to be said.

Satan is a liar. The father of lies and a distorter of the word of God. Some of his "best" distortions are concerning himself! He is not a mini-god responsible for everything that does not fit into our narrow view of God's goodness, but nor is he an insignificant rebel with no genuine authority.

Consider a courtroom scene. If a judge condemned a man without giving a defense attorney a  chance to defend the accused against the charges brought against him we would, quite rightly, consider this a travesty of justice. But consider now if it was an appeal hearing. The man in the dock is already condemned but new evidence is being presented that would allow him to go free. Would this same judge be considered righteous if he acquitted the guilty man without first giving a prosecution attorney the right to bring his case to the contrary? This is how it is in the book of Job. Satan appears before God in the courtroom of heaven, requesting the right to cross-examine Job to reveal the motives of his heart and test if God's confidence in him is just.

Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10) The word "satan" means adversarial accuser. He is the one who opposes the redemptive work of grace towards us by bringing his accusations. He is a roaring lion who would try to devour us with his shouts of condemnation. But thanks be to God that we can say, like Daniel, that God sent his messenger (Jesus) and shut the mouth of the lion!

But, like most bad guys, Satan likes to find others to do his dirty work for him. He has undercover agents. The shocking thing about this verse is that is says, quite plainly, that some of those are "servants of righteousness!"

Before we look around and point the finger at others trying to discern who these ministers of Satan might be, let us consider this... Could this mean that we as servants of righteousness could at sometimes, unknowingly, unwittingly, become agents of Satan?

What?! Surely not! How could it be? I am a servant of God. I am full of the Holy Spirit. How could Satan use me?

Well, consider Peter. One moment he is declaring Jesus as the Christ by revelation from the Father himself. The next Jesus is rebuking him as though he was Satan himself!

Or consider what James says...

But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.
James 3:8-10 ESV

James is right. Such things should not be. We should not be streams that pour out fresh water one minute and salt water the next. We should not be those who are ministers of God, yet at times used by Satan. It should not be... but if we do not learn to tame our tongues it can be!

Accusing my brothers and sisters in Christ is Satan's job. Not mine! It doesn't matter how wronged or hurt I may feel. If I allow myself to speak ill of a fellow servant of Christ I am doing the devil's job for him! 

Remember what you signed up for

“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
2Corinthians 10:17-18 ESV

It is a dangerous trap to seek one's own honour. It is important to remind ourselves every now and then what we signed up for. We are not serving the Lord for recognition or respect. We surrendered our life to him so that he could be honoured. We are living for his glory not our own.

Jesus told a parable about the workers in the vineyard who, as they laboured and gave their energies in the heat of the day, got an increasing sense of entitlement. They started to think more about what they were owed than what they had agreed to work for.

Let us focus on the Lord and living for his honour. Trusting him that as we seek first his kingdom he will take care of us.

Seed for the sower

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
2 Corinthians 9:10 ESV

Each morning, well most mornings, I start the day with the word of God. I use the ESV Daily Reading Bible. I have found in my morning meditations in the word that this verse is true. God does not just give me "bread for food" - something for my own spiritual nourishment, but also "seed for sowing" - something to give away to bless others.

This is where this "breakfast boy" will share the insights from his morning devotions with the Lord in his word, in the hope that they will bless others and be a seed that will produce a harvest of righteousness. Both in my life and yours.