Operating Agenda

The scripture for my devotion this morning was Philippians 2:1-11. Paul David Tripp wrote the following as an application for life from this passage:

"And this sacrifice forms the operating agenda of the kingdom from that time on. Jesus, by his bleeding and broken body on the cross, not only gave the kingdom of God its life and hope, but its paradigm for living as well. That history-changing death on the cross is also the life-changing call of Christ to everyone who would follow him. And as it did on the cross, that willingness to die will always result in life. This kingdom is a kingdom of the cross, and everyone who celebrates that sacrifice is called to drag a cross along with them every day."

What is the real operating agenda of your life and mine? What is the paradigm through which we are approaching and living life today?

What caught my attention in reading the text in Philippians was what Paul says next (Philippians 2:12-17), specifically verses 14-16a: "do all things without grumbling or questioning (murmuring), that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life."

The way of the cross, the way of sacrifice, the way of Jesus in Philippians 2:5-11 is the paradigm for us to shine like lights in the darkness of the world. We are called to "light up the darkness" (from the movie I am Legend) with the light of the gospel. This is the way of "holding fast to the word of life" and holding it forth.

Blogscoop for March 16, 2015

Do you reflect a follower of Jesus?

7 Suggestions for the first 7 years of marriage

10 Predictions about the future of the church - These are some interesting thoughts on the future of the church.

How to protect yourself from these 10 toxic people - This is a good article AND a bit convicting if we use it as a mirror for our own lives instead of those "other" people.

Technology and the Christian Life - An excellent word on the matter here.

Blogscoop for February 24, 2015

Connecting with First-time Visitors - pretty good

Making Disciples - Pretty good definition of a disciple

Why Racial Reconciliation is a Gospel Issue?

Why Churches are less evangelistic

The Bible's Little Words

God's Faithfulness and the Extension of Grace

This was a really good devotion this morning by William Smith from the devotional, Heart of the Matter. I pray that God will use it in your life to encourage and strengthen your faith:

Have you made mistakes so big that the promises of God can’t hold for you any longer? If you think so, focus on God’s response to his people’s multiple failures. He gives Isaac, the child of promise, to Abraham despite Abraham’s faithlessness. He remains faithful to Isaac, giving him offspring to continue the promise. God never abandons Jacob. He sends Joseph to Egypt ahead of his murderous brothers to provide for them during a famine that would have killed them all and ended the promise. God never gives up on the first families he chose. He remains faithful despite their faithlessness. The Old Testament doesn’t tell stories of perfect people who are blessed for their goodness. They’re just as much a mess as most of us. God exposes all of the sordid things his people do to give you hope. He is not only the author of their faith but the finisher as well. He overwrites their failings—and overwrites yours as well. The golden thread running through Scripture does not belong to any faith-filled, loyal human. It belongs to our fiercely faithful God, who towers benevolently above the mess of his people’s lives. See beyond the flawed people in the foreground to a gracious God behind them, a God who continues to reconcile and redeem, creating a family for himself, a family of faith.

I was particularly struck by the part that says, "the Old Testament doesn't tell stories of perfect people who are blessed for their goodness. They're just as much a mess as most of us." That was very comforting to me.

I am very much grateful for the mercy and grace of God. As we grow in our understanding of the grace that has been extended to us, we are able to extend that same grace to others. Who needs an "extension of grace" in your life today?

Jonah, the Great Commission, and You

This past Sunday at our church, Beulah Baptist, we finished our series through the book of Jonah. The story of Jonah began with a rebellious & runaway prophet who heard the call of God to go to the "nations", represented by the city of Nineveh, but refused. Then we saw a relentless God pursue Jonah through a series of circumstances to draw Jonah back to himself; God was working on Jonah so he could work through Jonah. As God worked on Jonah, we saw a repentant prophet as he spent time with the Lord in the belly of a big fish. As Jonah preaches in obedience to God's call, God's mercy is demonstrated in the repentance of the people of Nineveh and the relenting of God to bring disaster on them. However, Jonah doesn't like that, so we see a pouting prophet in Jonah 4:1-11. God continues to work on Jonah's attitude through a few object lessons so Jonah can see his own limited view of God's mercy and justice and his own ethnic idolatry (as one commentator called it).

So, what were our "takeaways" from that series that connect Jonah with the Great Commission and us?

Here are four of the big ones:

1. God is working in this world to redeem for himself a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation through the advancement of the Great Commission.
2. God is more interested in the advancement of the Great Commission than in our personal comforts in this world.
3. God works on us in order to work through us for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
4. God will not tolerate sinful attitudes among his people toward people of other races or ethnic groups.