Faithful, Not Flashy nor Fickle

On April 11, 2023April 12, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional1 Comment

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:31, NIV)

I don’t know what comes to mind when you hear the word faithfulness, but for me the word conjures up the image of faithful men and women I have known personally who have proven themselves trustworthy and loyal for many years. With such people I can share my burdens without fear of betrayal or rejection.

I know I’m biased, but I think of people like my dad, who has remained true to his convictions throughout his many years as a pastor and has held the course morally. I think of my mom, too, who has been faithfully by his side through thick and thin times in ministry. I also think of people I know who right now are overseas and have literally given their lives to the mission of reaching people across the world with the saving message of the gospel.

I also think of people who have been doggedly committed to Jesus Christ throughout church history. Men like Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, and Charles Spurgeon. And women like Hannah More, Susanna Wesley, and Corrie Ten Boom. And many, many others who were mocked, maligned, and sometimes murdered for their unashamed commitment to Christ above all else.

I wonder who comes to mind for you when you think of those you consider to be outstanding examples of faithfulness. There’s something about these people that we just can’t help but admire.

A Rare Quality

Faithfulness is a word I don’t hear all that often outside of Christian circles. In fact, it’s listed as a fruit of the Spirit, meaning it’s something that God the Holy Spirit produces in us (Galatians 5:22). If I was to boil faithfulness down to one definition, I’d say this: Faithfulness describes you if you are consistently loyal to the persons, principles, and plans to which you have committed yourself.

While “faithfulness” might sound like a religious word, even secular people are drawn to this type of person. People may use words like “reliable” and “dependable,” but even better than that is one who is “faithful.” And you know something? While people can’t help admiring the genuinely faithful person, the reality is that such people are somewhat rare.

“Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6, NIV)

Hypocrisy doesn’t look good on anyone. But for the Christian, our integrity matters even more so, because we aren’t merely representing ourselves. We are ambassadors of Christ, representing His Name wherever we go.

That reminds me of the young man who came to his boss and asked for the day off to attend his grandmother’s funeral. His boss said, “Of course, you can.” The next day, the young man walked into the office, and his boss said, “Say, do you believe in resurrection from the dead?” The young man said, “Yes, in fact, I do.” His boss replied, “Interesting. Because after you left work yesterday, your grandmother came to visit you!”

Not Flashy nor Fickle

Faithfulness can be a powerful testimony of the Lord’s work in our lives, but we should be clear about something. Faithfulness is not about making a huge impact in the world. It’s not about getting your name in the paper or winning some Pulitzer Prize. Our motivation for faithfulness is Christ, and the fuel of our faithfulness is the faithfulness of God. God is supremely faithful to us. This is essential to get right, because we live in a world that values convenience much more than faithfulness.

Many people are motivated by the approval of others. It can be tempting for us to think, What others don’t know about me can’t hurt me. But the truly faithful person aspires to follow Christ even when no one is looking. Or even when obeying Him might earn us the disapproval or mockery of others. When you begin to hunger for the world’s approval, remember this exhortation:

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:3-4, ESV)

Others may have abandoned you, but God has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. Others may have deceived you, but God has never lied to you and never will.

Despite our best efforts, we will never master faithfulness in this life. I know that might not sound super encouraging, but the point is that this is something we always need to grow in. So, if you’re looking for the perfect example of faithfulness, don’t look at Billy Graham—though he was a great example of faithfulness—but instead look to Jesus Christ, the only One who was perfectly faithful.

People have all kinds of motives for wanting to do what is right. Maybe it’s that they don’t want to get in trouble. Maybe they want to look good in front of others. But for Christians, we have a much higher motivation. We should want to do what is right out of faithfulness to Christ. He’s our motivation! We are not our own; He has bought us with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Wherever He Has You

So, even though we want to love a lost and hurting world, we really shouldn’t be seeking the world’s recognition. If your motivation is the approval of others, your faithfulness will only extend as far as people are willing to applaud you. Seeking the world’s acceptance has led many Christians down the dangerous road of compromise. Certainly, we should care about our testimony, but ultimately we live for an Audience of One. And we are called to be faithful to Him wherever He has us.

The story is told of a man taking a long walk down at the beach when he noticed a young man picking up a starfish and hurling it into the ocean waves. The older man was a little amused, so he asked, “Son, why are you doing that?” The youth told him that the stranded starfish would die if left on the beach in the morning sun. The man smiled and said, “But the beach goes on for miles, and there are millions of starfish. How can your efforts make any difference?” The young man looked at the starfish in his hands and then threw it into the safety of the waves. “It makes a difference to that one,” he said.

We are called to make a difference where we are. Wherever you live, work, and have your being, God has sovereignly orchestrated the circumstances so that you can be a light in a dark world. That’s why God uses the entire church in His kingdom work on earth. The failure or success of the kingdom does not ride on the shoulders of any one of us. Christ promised, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18, ESV). But if we are faithful in the place that God has called us, it will make a difference that will find its echo in eternity.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

The Declaration of Creation

On March 23, 2023March 24, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional1 Comment

Recently, my family and I stopped to feast our eyes on an exquisite sunset, complete with a bright glowing blend of red, orange, and purple. Just after dusk, my three boys and I went frog hunting on my in-laws’ property. We crept up on a little pond, from which we could hear a chorus of croaks and chirps. As we closed in on the frogs, they suddenly fell silent in unison. It didn’t help that our dog, June, plunged into their pond a moment later.

On our way back to the house, we stopped to gaze up at the night sky above us, a deep black canvas dotted with tiny sparkling diamonds. It was sublime. We could even spot Jupiter and Venus. What a way to begin spring! Despite the cold March air, it was hard for the four of us to stop staring. In the midst of our shared excitement, I was reminded of the first line from Psalm 19:

“The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1, ESV)

Ears to Hear

According to the Bible, that starry sky above is making a declaration to us. It’s announcing to us that there is an Artist and Designer behind it all.

Everything you see in this world – towering trees, majestic mountains, fertile fields, mighty elephants, growling lions, chirping crickets – all of it owes its existence to an all-powerful Creator, who ordered and designed this world for the glory of His great name.

Some people might say, “I don’t hear any announcement.” But think of it this way. Someone can be shouting something to you from across the room, and you still don’t hear it. Maybe you’re deaf or you’re wearing noise-canceling headphones. Or maybe you’re just choosing to ignore that person. Although the stars don’t actually speak (v. 3), their message of God’s glory is being declared “through all the earth” (v. 4) to those who have ears to hear.

God’s glory is all the beauty and majesty of His character and nature. The word “glory” (kabod in Hebrew) gives the sense of something being weighty or having importance. So to say the heavens declare God’s glory is more than saying they point to His existence. All of creation is announcing His importance, His power, His worth. The starry skies are urging us to worship God as the One who deserves all the glory.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11, NIV)

Many people today like to say they’re not too sure about God’s existence; instead, they prefer to look for a scientific explanation. But the more we learn about the heavens, the more we should see God’s glory. The magnetosphere is a magnetic field surrounding the earth that stretches out into space 36,000 miles. It acts like a massive shield, protecting our planet from the sun’s harmful solar winds. When the charged particles of the solar winds are redirected to the north and south poles, they create the beautiful auroras, known as the northern and southern lights. Science should lead us to exult in God’s incredible design. Not only does the magnetosphere act as a massive protective bubble, but it also creates a breathtaking display in the night sky.

Interestingly, scientists have discovered a host of features like the magnetosphere that have to be just so for earth to be a habitable planet. This includes the size of earth in relation to the sun, the size of the moon in relation to earth, the amount of oxygen in our atmosphere, the amount of water on earth, the size of the surrounding planets, and even our location in the Milky Way galaxy. These are well-documented in The Privileged Planet, a book written by Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay W. Richards.

The Sufficiency of Scripture

David, the psalmist, goes on to say that while creation declares there is a glorious Creator, it doesn’t tell us how to get right with Him. General revelation (nature) tells us there is a Creator, but we need special revelation (Scripture) to learn that there is also a Redeemer.

“The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
    making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:7, ESV)

While astounding things can be learned from observing the created world, true wisdom is found in God’s law. Such wisdom comes from above; it is more precious than gold (V. 10). Most people don’t realize what an extraordinary privilege it is to have a Bible in their home. It’s like they are sitting on a storehouse of treasure, and they’ve never realized it. God’s Word alone is perfect, flawless, and true. Through Scripture, our eyes are opened to see that this wise Creator has made a way for us to be forgiven and granted eternal life. Many have chased after gold and riches, but David reminds us that “the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever” (v. 9).

David wants us to understand the sufficiency of Scripture. The wonder of God’s Word is that you don’t need to have an advanced degree in physics or philosophy to know what God is really like. Scripture itself imparts wisdom to even the “simple” or uneducated (v. 7). It tells us plainly of God’s goodness, justice, and grace. And most importantly, it tells us about the Redeemer Jesus Christ, who alone lived a life acceptable in God’s sight (v. 14) and then offered that life as an acceptable sacrifice in the place of sinners (Ephesians 5:2).

So while creation declares God is powerful and wise, Scripture declares that God is loving and gracious. The Bible alone is “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15, ESV).

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

The Kind of Person God Blesses

On March 14, 2023March 15, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life1 Comment

Those immersed in the modern world of dating are often encouraged to look for the ideal man or woman of their dreams. Online dating applications often use algorithms to match users with those who meet certain criteria, such as age, location, and a host of other preferences. While most everyone agrees that romantic connection could never be reduced to matching two sets of data points, the idea is that the algorithm will at least narrow the field to those who are at least potentially compatible with you.

I don’t have much of an opinion on online dating. I am happily married, so thankfully I’m already matched up with my dating partner. The point is that most people still seeking a romantic match have some idea in their minds of what that special someone might look and act like. The same thing could be said of an employer seeking a certain type of employee. They have a particular set of experiences and qualifications that they are looking for.

Supreme Happiness

Psalm 1 gives the description of the kind of man (or woman)[1] God is seeking, the type of person He intends to bless. It’s a basic summary of one who has the ideal characteristics God is looking for. When the Bible speaks of someone being “blessed” (esher in Hebrew), it’s describing supreme happiness. While some have likened Christianity to a moral straitjacket, the Bible actually urges its readers to pursue genuine happiness. Granted, this is a happiness that doesn’t always align with our natural inclinations. But it’s a joy that is deep and abiding, not fluctuating with the ups and downs of life. The psalm begins by telling us what the blessed man is not like.

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” (Psalm 1:1, ESV)

The psalmist describes the downward spiral of sin. He’s warning us about how sin gets its talons into us. First, we are influenced by “the counsel of the wicked.” Then we grow accustom to “the way of sinners.” Lastly, we are so comfortable with sin that we begin to laugh at corruption alongside other “scoffers.”

Examine Your Habits

Most Christians are far more influenced by the world than they would care to admit. They spend far more hours watching TV or YouTube than they do in God’s Word. They are constantly joining conversations that make light of sin or listening to music that makes immorality sound fun, but rarely listening to the voice of their Lord. Although they would probably deny it, they are regularly walking “in the counsel of the wicked.”

Examine your habits and you will see the kind of person you are becoming. The Apostle Paul offered a similar warning: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals’” (1 Corinthians 15:33, ESV).

As a father of three boys, this is something often on my mind. What kind of friends are they making? How are they spending their time? What are the things that most influence their thinking? Are they growing in their love for the Lord or for the things of this world?

Don’t misunderstand me. Christian parents can’t isolate their children from the world. If you try to raise your children in a bubble, that bubble will eventually pop. I want to live in faith, not fear. But at the same time, one of my goals as a dad is to train them to think differently from the world they are immersed in. I want them to learn to be respectfully critical of godless ideas. I pray that they learn to be wise and discerning. Every Christian parent can turn Romans 12:2 into a prayer for their children:

“Father, I pray that my son (or daughter) would not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but that he (she) would be transformed by the renewing of his (her) mind. Then he (she) will be able to test and approve what Your will is—Your good, pleasing and perfect will. Amen.”

Rather than pretending sin always appears gross from the outside, I want them to know that sin can sometimes appear attractive. But I also want them to know that the pleasure of sin is always empty and fleeting (Hebrews 11:25) and that the consequences of sin always outweigh the momentary thrill. I want them to know that they will sometimes need to stand alone as scoffers try to make following God look foolish.

Fruitful in Each Season

As for the blessed man, “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). Rather than seeing God’s law as an obstacle to self-expression, the blessed man loves the law because he delights in God Himself. He wants to please his Lord, so he spends each day reading and reflecting on His Word.

Unlike a wild tree growing randomly in the forest, the blessed man is like a tree intentionally planted in fertile soil by streams of water. His roots go down deep in the Word of God, so his life “yields fruit in its season” (v. 3).

What does it mean to produce fruit in its season? I take it to mean that the fruit of a blessed man will show up in various ways and seasons of life. When trials afflict him, he shows the fruit of patience. When good things happen, he grows more thankful and generous. When called to lead, he shows both courage and humility. When slandered, he responds with love.

The Truly Blessed Man

If I am honest, however, I must admit that I don’t always look like the blessed man of Psalm 1. There are times when I have listened to “the counsel of the wicked” rather than meditating on the law of the Lord. In fact, no Christian can say they have perfectly listened to God’s voice over the siren’s call of the world. That’s a problem because, as Willem VanGemeren has observed, the perfect mood of the Hebrew grammar in Psalm 1 “emphasizes that the godly are never involved with anything tainted with evil.”[2] So where does that leave us?

Ultimately, only Jesus has perfectly lived as the blessed man of Psalm 1. He alone never followed the path of sin and perfectly obeyed the Father’s will. The good news of the gospel is that when we repent and trust in Christ, we get to share in the blessing that Jesus alone deserved (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Not only that, but as we walk with the Lord, we become more like Him. The more we are emptied of our own selfish desires, the more we can be full of Christ. The more we seek joy in His will for our lives, the more we will be fruitful and prosper (v. 3).

“The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” (Psalm 1:4, ESV)

I think of a combine harvester in the Willamette Valley where I live, separating the grain from the husks. The psalmist says the wicked are like empty husks, with no kernel inside. They are weightless and driven by the wind. The righteous, by contrast, are like a solid tree that can withstand even hurricane force winds.

As I think about such a blessed person, I can’t help thinking of my wife’s grandmother, Ruth Bell, who recently died. Despite living as a widow for several years and struggling with various health challenges toward the end of her life, she always exhibited the fruit of someone whose roots go down to the waters of life. Knowing her Savior and His Word deeply made her increasingly like Him.

This is the Lord’s goal for all of us, that we would be shaped by His Word and that we would have the blessing of being known by Him (v. 6). True success and blessing is found in living a fruitful life for the Lord.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] The Hebrew uses a term that can speak of both men and women.

[2] Willem A. VanGemeren, Psalms, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 79.

The Rich Will Fade Away

On March 2, 2023March 3, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

As a society, we tend to revere the wealthy even while denying that fact, don’t we? Sure, some may say, “Down with the rich!” But even then, their actions demonstrate they actually want to be the rich. Think about how much focus is on the wealthy in our news media. If a wealthy couple walks into a restaurant, don’t they tend to get special treatment? Even closer to home, isn’t this often the case in a church?

Many churchgoers today assume that wealth is an inherent sign of God’s blessing. Some will even assume that those who have great faith will have great wealth. But the Book of James says nearly the opposite:

“Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5, ESV)

Shattering Expectations

Certainly, this is a general statement, not particular to every case, but we shouldn’t let that diminish the force of what James is saying here. Contrary to expectations, God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith. This is ironic, because isn’t it our natural tendency to look down on the poor? Of course, we see great importance in supporting and caring for the destitute. But who are you more likely to ask for advice: a wealthy man or a poor man? How many times have you come to a street corner, seen someone holding a sign asking for something, and immediately thought: Man, I sure wish he would just get a job and contribute something to society?

Isn’t that how we tend to think?

Earlier in James, we read something else unexpected:

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.” (James 1:9-10, ESV)

You see what James is doing here? He’s flipping the script. He says it’s the little guy of little means who really has reason to boast. Why? Because his confidence is in God. Without money, it has to be! He knows full well that he can’t count on his financial resources, so he’s truly rich because he’s relying fully on God. Meanwhile, the rich will fade away like the wildflower.

Fading like the Flower

“For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” (James 1:11, ESV)

If you consider yourself a gardener, you know how much work is involved with the endeavor. You might spend hours just in preparation. After weeks of waiting, you finally see those buds of your favorite flower first begin to open. You’ve given much time and effort to reach this moment, and now you get to see that beautiful chrysanthemum open up, with all its beautiful and tiny petals reaching out.

Or maybe you’re more into peonies, and you see your flowers bloom in May, with all the soft pinks and whites. It’s exquisite. But then what happens? The summer heat of June and July comes and that once-glorious flower ever so quickly wilts, turns brown, and fades away.

What a picture. All the beauty and glory of that flower lasts for only a very short time – sometimes only a handful of days – and then it’s gone.

In the Middle East, where James is writing, this is even more evident. There will be times in the spring where you can look out over a hillside and see all kinds of wildflowers in bloom, a beautiful sea of purples, oranges, and yellows. But in a very short time, that east wind will come and the desert sun will beat down on them and those beautiful flowers will fade, just as quickly.

James says that those who put all their stock in their material possessions are like those flowers. They are certainly beautiful; there is a glory about them. But it’s oh so temporary.

And the image of a flower is perfect because flowers are so flimsy and fragile aren’t they?

My boys will often pick flowers for my wife Whitney from the park or our backyard. Their intentions are great. They want to give their mom a flower. But sometimes, before making their floral delivery, they will climb the slide or roll around in the grass. By the time they give the flower to Whitney, it’s limp and pulled apart. Why? Because they are boys and flowers are fragile.

In God’s economy, the rich and powerful of this world are like that flower. Although there is a beauty and glory to their wealth and luxury, they are actually very lowly because nothing they own will last. In reality, their lives are so fragile.

It’s been said… Money will buy:

A bed, but not sleep.
Books, but not brains.
Food, but not appetite.
A house, but not a home.
Medicine, but not health.
Amusement, but not happiness.
Finery, but not beauty.
A crucifix, but not a Savior.

And notice James says, “the rich will fade away” even while they are going about their business, even in the midst of their spending endless hours studying the stock market, coordinating deals, or spending many nights away from home. The world has taught them to define their lives by their financial gains, but it all will eventually fade away.

This is a warning to all of us about the dangers of relying on material wealth. Of infinitely greater value are the spiritual riches that come from reliance on Christ.

The True Riches of Christ

Way back in the 1890s, Youssuf Ishmaelo, was an international wrestling sensation known as “the Terrible Turk.” Ishmaelo was a man of enormous proportions, known for his incredible strength. And of course, as his popularity rose, so did his wealth. At one point, he demanded his winnings in gold and strapped them into his belt, which he never removed.

On his way back from a victory match in America, he was sailing across the Atlantic and his ship sank. According to the surviving eyewitnesses, Ishmaelo was “like a wild beast,” barreling through crowds and knocking people out of his way. At one point, he jumped onto one of the life boats already full of passengers, and the force of his enormous weight capsized the boat and knocked everyone into the water. Ishmaelo was an incredible swimmer, but he alone sank under the waves, dragged to the bottom by the weight of his $10,000 gold belt.[1]

Many people have eternally sunk because they were clutching so tightly to their wealth and looking to money for the security that only our sovereign God can give.

But this isn’t just a warning for the rich. It’s a warning for anyone who would bank all their hope on how much they have. When things get tighter financially, our hearts are being tested, aren’t they? Are we really trusting that God can provide for our every need, or does our confidence in God rise and fall with the stock market or the amount in our bank account?

But in the midst of this warning, God wants to encourage us. He wants us to see that we who have Christ are truly wealthy. We have eternal riches in Him, and He is worth more than anything that money could buy. As Jesus so memorably put it:

“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36, BSB)

If you have Christ, you really do have everything. He is the mainspring of all true joy. You can find your identity in Him. And when you are in Christ’s family, the new heavens and the new earth are your future inheritance. God’s children are headed for nothing less than unhindered access to the unfading glory and beauty of God Himself. Even today, God promises to care for His own.

Keep your lives free from the love of money; and be satisfied with what you have; for God himself has said, “I will never fail you or abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5, CSB)

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Randy Alcorn, Giving is the Good Life: The Unexpected Path to Purpose and Joy.

The Affectionate Husband

On February 21, 2023May 1, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

“You have captured my heart, my treasure, my bride. You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes, with a single jewel of your necklace.” (Song of Solomon 4:9, NLT)

Marriage is serious business. In His Word, God speaks of marriage as a holy and sacred covenant we make before Him (Genesis 2:24; Proverbs 2:17); it is a relationship to cherish and protect from all potential dangers. God expresses righteous indignation toward the one who disregards his wedding vows (Malachi 2:13-16). So marriage is serious business, but it’s also meant to be a relationship of joy and delight.

In fact, these two concepts of reverence toward marriage and delight in marriage support and sustain each other. Contrary to popular belief, to regard something as “holy” does not suggest the absence of joy. Unfortunately, many today want to characterize marriage as boring and rigid, even as a form of slavery. But to view marriage as holy simply means that we should regard it is as special and set apart before God. When a man and woman wed, they are embracing one another in a union that is set apart from all other relationships. Through their vows, the bride and groom are essentially saying to one another, “I give myself exclusively to you and promise to delight in you in a lifelong covenant that I share with no one else.”

Bring Happiness to Your Wife

Maybe you’ve heard the quip that marriage is a three-ring circus. First, there is the engagement ring, then the wedding ring, and lastly, you have the suffering. However, this is completely contrary to the Bible’s portrayal of marriage. God intends for husband and wife to experience the joy of their union far beyond the honeymoon.

You get a sense of God’s intention for marriage through some of the laws that He gave His people. For instance, through Moses, God said:

“When a man is newly married, he shall not go out with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife whom he has taken.” (Deuteronomy 24:5, ESV)

When my wife Whitney and I were engaged, I began considering going to seminary. My friend and mentor, Pastor Matt, wisely counseled me to wait at least one full year after the wedding before enrolling. He pointed to this law for support, saying that God would have me give my full attention to my new bride for the first year. It made perfect sense, and I’m so glad I heeded his advice.

That first year of marriage is pivotal because you are setting a pattern and laying a foundation for the rest of your life together. Notice that God’s high standard for marriage is seen in the way He expressly commands happiness for newlyweds. Translated literally, the husband is commanded to “bring happiness to the wife he has married” (TNIV).

Catch the Little Foxes

Like all God’s laws, this is intended for our good and growth (Deuteronomy 10:13). But how many husbands today have made it their goal to make their wife happy?

Research has shown that a newly married husband will often pour all his attention into establishing his career. He tells his wife (and himself) that he’s only thinking of their future together, but he doesn’t realize he actually is setting a dangerous pattern. Rather than giving his undivided attention to her as an affectionate husband, he postpones affection by spending most of his time away from her.

For some husbands, it’s not until they reach middle age that they suddenly wake up and realize they have neglected their responsibility of showing their wife affection. Instead, they have made career aspirations their first priority.

Song of Solomon is a lengthy poem about King Solomon and his beloved bride. The love poem pictures the marriage union as a garden or vineyard that needs to be protected and cultivated. If you have ever tried to maintain a garden, you know the importance of giving it enough attention and care. There are weeds to be pulled, water and fertilizer to be given, and branches that must be pruned. At one point, Solomon’s bride even laments the “little foxes” that sneak in and destroy their “vineyard”:

“Catch the foxes for us,
    the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
    for our vineyards are in blossom.” (Song of Solomon 2:15, ESV)

Many marriages suffer from a lack of proper care and cultivation. When this happens, the “little foxes” of stress, financial hardship, and other distractions can slowly start to corrode the relationship.

So what is the solution? It’s actually quite simple: As the husband, you are to lavish your bride with love and affection. Pursue her with the same tenacity you did to win her heart. Become a lifelong student of your wife, her needs, her hopes, and what brings her joy.

Rejoice in Your Wife

Solomon’s bride exults:

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine.” (Song of Solomon 1:2, ESV)

When her husband is away, she is less sure of herself (1:5-6). She craves his swift return (2:8) and is distressed when he is gone long hours (3:1-3).

In the TV series Everwood, there’s a scene where a wife confronts her husband, a traveling salesman, about how frequently he is away from home. She tells him how hard it is when he’s gone, not only for their little boy, but for her. With tears in her eyes, she says, “Do you need me that way? Please tell me you still need me that way.”

In God’s design, the wife is designed to long for her husband’s affection, and the husband is designed to fulfill this longing. That’s why Solomon seizes every opportunity to shower his bride with affection, calling her “most beautiful among women” (1:8; also see 1:15; 4:1). As the husband practices this kind of affection, loving his wife is no longer a wearisome duty, but a wonderful delight.

Some might even blush at the way the Bible unabashedly urges the husband to delight in his wife:

“Let your fountain be blessed,
    and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
    a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
    be intoxicated always in her love.” (Proverbs 5:18-19, ESV)

When the husband leads the way in tenderly expressing love for his wife, their union is strengthened and their love made secure.

In their book Love Lock, Marty Trammell and Rich Rollins describe the deep longing we all have for security in our love relationships. One of the best ways to show love for our spouse is through attentive listening. They write, “When our spouse knows that her world is becoming more important to us, she feels our love more deeply.”[1]

All of this is encompassed in the straightforward command: “Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly” (Colossians 3:19, NLT). The affectionate husband recognizes just how essential this lasting love is.

[1] Marty Trammel and Rich Rollins, Love Lock: Creating Lasting Connections with the One You Love, 29.

Grace First

On February 8, 2023February 12, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life3 Comments

From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, He went around healing, teaching, and calling people to follow Him. When people followed Jesus, they began a life of transformational discipleship. In other words, people did not have to meet certain criteria before becoming His followers. They only had to leave their life of sin. Jesus didn’t call people to clean themselves up. He simply said, “In whatever place you find yourself, come to Me. Come to Me and begin a new life following Me as Lord, Teacher, and Savior.”

Interestingly, in the call to follow Him, Jesus included a call to reach others. Jesus told those rugged fishermen on the Galilean shore, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). He tells them that part of following Him is calling others to follow Him, too. Multiplication is at the core of what it means to be a follower (disciple) of Jesus.

Jesus was teaching these fishermen about discipleship using language they were familiar with: “Look, you guys know how to catch greasy fish in a net. I’m appointing you to catch greasy sinners in the net of grace.”

In other words, you don’t see any indication in the Gospels that it’s possible to faithfully follow Jesus while pursuing a monastic life of perpetual solitude or taking a “just Jesus and me” approach to spirituality. If you truly want to follow Jesus, then you should be concerned about helping others follow Jesus, too. Put another way: True disciples make more disciples (see Matthew 28:18-20).

This was true for those fishermen, and it’s true for everyone since then.

The “Grace First” Approach

Jesus called people with what I call the “Grace First” approach. In other words, Jesus called people to follow Him and forsake their life of sin, but He didn’t say, “Let me take a look at your track record and see how you’ve spent your life so far. Let me see if you check all the boxes of true righteousness.”

For goodness’ sake, just look at the kind of people that Jesus picked, and you’ll know they weren’t exactly on the honor roll for holiness. You’ve got Peter, a man with no verbal filter. Then you’ve got John and James, brash brothers who seem bent on incinerating those who look or think differently from them (Luke 9:52-55). Somehow, these three were considered His closest friends! All twelve came with lots of baggage, terrible habits, and troubling issues. They came with checkered backgrounds. Yet, Jesus didn’t say, “Go back and get your life straight, and then come follow Me.”

He showed grace first. He came to them with the clear mindset that He wanted them, even if they were woefully unworthy of Him. And you know something? Followers of Jesus can forget this, but this is how we all came to Jesus. Here is every Christian’s testimony in a nutshell:

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” (Titus 3:3-5a, NIV)

We didn’t become Christians “because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.” It wasn’t by our holy records. It wasn’t by our outstanding moral achievements. It was by His blood shed on the cross. It was by His call to trust in His sacrifice for sins. It was always grace first.

And so, because He welcomed us with grace first, He expects us to do the same to others.

Matthew the Tax Collector

Matthew was a disreputable tax collector, and his own people hated him for it.

Today in America, our stomach tightens when someone mentions “taxes” or “the IRS.” But this is nothing compared to the way first century Jews viewed tax collectors. They were seen as vile, corrupt, and loathsome. The scum of the earth. Jewish tax collectors were commissioned by the occupying Roman Empire to tax their own countrymen, and they were notorious for overtaxing their own people in order to skim off the top an extra portion for themselves. In other words, in the eyes of their fellow Jews, tax collectors were not only turncoats who had betrayed their nation, but also greedy cheats who had become wealthy by extorting their own people.

More respectable and religious Jews were probably saying, “You know what’s wrong with our country? You know why God isn’t blessing us like He used to? It’s because we have guys like that tax collector over there running around!” They were utterly despised.

That was Matthew. Just imagine how seared your conscience must be for it to be your daily practice to cheat your own people in order to pad your wallet! Nearly everyone hated Matthew. Nearly.

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. (Matthew 9:9, NIV)

The account is simple and straightforward, but to watch this scene unfold would have left every upstanding citizen scratching their head. The other disciples might have been thinking, Oh no, Jesus. Not Matthew. Anyone but him.

Changed by Grace

It’s not just Jesus’ choice of Matthew that’s shocking. Equally surprising is Matthew’s sudden willingness to go with this Jewish rabbi. Could it be that Matthew, hardened though he was, sensed a love from Jesus that he had never experienced before?

At the beginning of Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables, Jean Valjean is a recently released criminal. 19 years in a French prison have left Valjean bitter and hard-hearted. After being turned away at every inn and tavern, he stumbles upon the house of a bishop, Monseigneur Myriel. When Valjean tells Myriel who he is, he expects to be turned away once again. But instead, the bishop says, “You need not tell me who you were.” He tells Valjean, “This is not my house – it is the house of Jesus Christ.” After feeding Valjean, the bishop invites the ex-convict to stay the night. In the middle of the night, Valjean’s old habits get the better of him. He stuffs the bishop’s silverware in his knapsack and slips away while the bishop sleeps.

Before long, some policemen catch him with the silverware and force him to take the walk of shame back to the bishop’s house. Valjean knows that he is done for – he had blown his only chance and would likely be imprisoned for the rest of his life.

But then something astonishing happens. Before the officer can explain the crime, the bishop marches right up to Valjean. “Oh! Here you are! I’m so glad to see you. I can’t believe it. You forgot the candlesticks. They are made of pure silver as well… Please take them with the forks and spoons I gave you.” Valjean is stunned. So are the policemen. After dismissing the officers, the bishop says, “Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. I have bought your soul from you. I take it back from evil thoughts and deeds and the spirit of Hell, and I give it to God.” From that moment on, Valjean is a changed man… changed by grace.

In an even more profound picture of grace, Jesus sought out Matthew, even while he sat in the tax booth, and called him to Himself. Jesus Himself says in Luke 19:10 that “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

“He Left Everything and Followed Him”

Like Valjean, Matthew was utterly lost. He was a man without a lick of spiritual potential. And yet, Luke tells us that when Jesus called Matthew, he “left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:28, NIV). That’s significant. Matthew was forsaking his old way of doing life and embracing the call to follow Jesus in the new way.

Interestingly, we learn that Matthew invited Jesus over for a dinner party at his house, and many of his old pals were there. This created quite the scandal. After all, these people were the gangsters, thugs, and prostitutes of this time. For a Jewish rabbi to associate with that ilk was unheard of, because by eating with someone, you are in some sense identifying with them. The religious leaders grumbled about Jesus eating with “sinners and tax collectors.”

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:31-32, NIV)

Notice that Jesus had no problem identifying Matthew and his friends as the sick and sinful, those in need of repentance. But He showed astonishing love to them by eating with them and expressing a genuine concern for them. His call to repentance was adorned with grace.

If Jesus called others to repent with a grace first approach, then as His disciples who are called to make more disciples, we should do the same.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

A Word Fitly Spoken

On February 1, 2023February 1, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional4 Comments

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.” (Proverbs 25:11, ESV)

Christians need one another. Whether we go through times of triumph or defeat, we need a brother or a sister to come alongside us and encourage us to walk the path of faithfulness.

Imagine a scenario where someone slighted you or put you down. This person made a point of saying how awful you are at your job or how lousy you are as a parent. They made cruel remarks not only about you but about your family. The targeted attack spewing from this person’s mouth seems intended to make you feel small and worthless. Perhaps it’s not so difficult to imagine this scenario. Maybe you’ve lived it!

In such a situation, how do you respond? Better said, how would God have us respond when we are shamefully mistreated and insulted?

The Future King

We find an example of this in 1 Samuel 25. This story occurs when David is not yet the king of Israel, but is instead a fugitive on the run. King Saul, jealous of David for being a better man than him in every way, has been hunting David down. Knowing many in his kingdom long for David to be on the throne – including his own son Jonathan – Saul is determined to kill David.

Twice during this season of exile, David has an opportunity to assassinate Saul. Even when his men encourage David to slay the king, David refuses, saying, “The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 26:11; cf. 24:6). David’s Christlike character never shines brighter than in these moments when he chooses to trust God and spare the man who has made his life miserable.

But situated between these two incidents is another time when David’s faithfulness is put to the test. It involves a foolish and ill-tempered man named Nabal, and his wife Abigail, “an intelligent and beautiful woman” (1 Samuel 25:3, NIV). David has something like a business partnership with the wealthy Nabal. Nabal owns many flocks, and David and his 600 soldiers have protected Nabal’s flocks and servants for some time. These were dangerous times when large flocks and their shepherds were vulnerable to raiders and wild animals. The servants even say that David’s men “were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them” (v. 16).

It was generally understood that when soldiers provided protective services, it is only right that they be well fed by the owner of the herds. Nabal is about to throw a big feast, so David sends a warm and friendly message to him, asking whether he and his men can join. You could call it a polite request for a fair business transaction.

The Wealthy Fool

But Nabal’s response is crude and thoughtless. He basically says, “David who? Never heard of him. He sounds like one of those runaway slaves who tries to take advantage of respectable individuals like myself.”

This was a pretty low blow. David was well-known everywhere in Israel. He had gained renown for defeating the Philistine giant Goliath. Not only was Nabal not practicing fair exchange, but he was slapping David across the face, telling him to go beg somewhere else. Nabal was living up to his name, which meant “fool.”

Nabal’s reckless words were especially foolish in this ancient honor-shame society. Those who were shamed by others were expected to protect their own name by taking vengeance on the wrongdoer.

David’s response is quick and decisive. He tells 400 of his men: “Strap on your swords!” (v. 13). Nobody insults David and gets away with it. It’s payback time!

The Wise Woman

It’s at this time that Abigail, Nabal’s wife, learns what her idiotic husband has done and that David plans to destroy every man in his household. She wastes no time in putting together a peace offering and running out to meet the enraged David. Abigail humbly falls at David’s feet and pleads with him to reconsider.

Noting that what her husband did is both foolish and hateful, Abigail says, “Please forgive the trespass of your servant” (v. 28). Then, with astonishing wisdom, she reminds David of Yahweh’s tender care for him and that God will one day set him on Israel’s throne, establishing a lasting dynasty.[1] It’s crucial that Abigail does this. When we forget about God’s deep love for us, it can be far easier to be reactionary and impulsive. Abigail then says, “It’s not just for my husband that I’m pleading, David, but for you. I don’t want you to have his blood on your conscience.”

Abigail’s counsel is a word fitly spoken. She appeals to God’s justice and love. And because Abigail speaks with respect and kindness, David is cut to the heart. She is a “wise reprover,” and he has “a listening ear” (Proverbs 25:11).[2]

David recognizes that really it is God who sent her to speak these words to him. He will not take vengeance into his own hands. Because of Abigail’s wise words, David chose to trust the Lord to be his defender instead of responding in a fit of anger. Rather than piling sin upon sin, Abigail guided David to live out what we read in Romans 12:

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:19, 21, ESV)

David let God be his defender. In fact, we read that only ten days later God struck down Nabal, and David later married the widowed Abigail (1 Samuel 25:38). That doesn’t mean we pray for God to smite all those who mistreat us, but we do show trust in God by letting Him deal with our enemies.

The Essential Church

In our age of rage and social media, people are encouraged to slap back when they are slapped across the face. We think it is up to us to right every wrong and defend ourselves against every offense. In many ways, we are still a shame-honor culture. In a world that urges you to protect your own honor, God’s Word says:

“Good sense makes one slow to anger,
    and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” (Proverbs 19:11, ESV)

How often are you willing to listen to an Abigail when you are hurt or upset? The two biggest reasons Christians make foolish decisions is that they don’t listen to God’s Word and they don’t listen to the wise counsel of other believers. Certainly, we must seek the Lord’s leading through prayer, but we must take care not to use “I’ll pray about that” as a reason to exclude the guidance of others.

The church is an incredible gift we must never take for granted. When we make decisions in isolation or reject the advice of others, we are walking down the path of foolishness – sometimes even running down that path!

Christ called the church His body, because we are both united to Him and mutually interdependent on one another, just as the eye needs the ear and the hand needs the foot.[3] The Holy Spirit unites believers to one another so that they can share divine wisdom and encourage one another to follow Christ faithfully. We cannot forsake the fellowship of other believers.

When we respond in fleshly haste, we put ourselves in danger, sometimes both spiritually and physically. We need to seek the wisdom of others in the church, because a word fitly spoken might just spare us from the pangs of conscience later.

[1] The Lord Himself promises David that he will have a son reign on his throne forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16), a promise fulfilled by King Jesus in His present and future kingdom (Isaiah 11:1-10).

[2] It’s ironic that many skeptics claim the Bible is denigrating to women when you have many stories like this one, where the woman is clearly the voice of reason and godly wisdom. For other examples, see: Genesis 38:25-26; Judges 4:4-10; Ruth 2:20-22; 1 Samuel 1:12-17; Esther 7:1-7; Luke 24:9-12; John 12:3-8; Acts 18:26.

[3] See 1 Corinthians 12:12-26.

The Amazing Grace of God

On January 11, 2023January 13, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life, Why I Believe1 Comment

“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.”

Thus begins the well-known hymn, “Amazing Grace.” Those words were written by a former slave trader turned gospel minister from the 18^th century named John Newton. While the hymn “Amazing Grace” is known and loved by millions, the author of that hymn is not as well known in our secular age.

Wretched Sinner and Slave Trader

John Newton was drafted into the Royal British Navy at 18. But early on, his rebellious spirit got the best of him. Newton attempted desertion, which earned him a public flogging on the main deck in front of his entire crew, an ordeal that was equally excruciating and shameful. Filled with bitter rage, Newton began mocking his captain and leading a life where he regularly blasphemed God and committed all kinds of indecent acts.

After leaving the Navy, Newton entered a new career aboard a slave trading ship. His actions became more and more revolting. In his own words, Newton said, “I was exceedingly vile… I not only sinned with a high hand myself but made it my study to tempt and seduce others upon every occasion.”[1] One biographer said of Newton: “Although he had been brought up in the Christian faith by his devout mother, who died when he was six, Newton had become such an aggressive atheist and blasphemer that even his shipmates were shocked by his oaths.”[2]

When his ship was caught in a violent storm, Newton surprised even himself by crying out to God for mercy. Eventually, the storm calmed and Newton began to sense that perhaps “there is a God who answers prayer.”[3]

Eventually, he felt compelled to study the Scriptures. As Newton read, the God of the Bible seemed to come alive to him. He felt drawn to Jesus, the very same Jesus he had once mocked and ridiculed.[4] But realizing that his debt of sin had piled up high over the years, he assumed that God would want nothing to do with him. Yet, to his amazement, he found that the God of the Bible is a God of astounding grace who offers sinners like himself forgiveness. Newton came to see that in Jesus Christ alone, there was a path to grace, freedom from sin and total acceptance with God. He renounced his sinful ways, and trusted in Christ for salvation.

After beginning a pastoral ministry in Olney, England, Newton continued to be amazed by the favor God had shown to one so undeserving as he. Not only did Newton leave behind his life as a slave trader, he eventually preached against this cruel practice. His sermons and writings carried great weight, because he was speaking as one who once lived the wickedness he now condemned.

In his diary, Newton wrote a prayer to God, “Thou hast given an apostate a name and a place among thy children—called an infidel to the ministry of the gospel. I am a poor wretch that once wandered naked and barefoot, without a home, without a friend: and now for me who once used to be on the ground, and was treated as a dog by all around me, thou hast prepared a house suitable to the connection thou hast put me into.”[5]

Today, Newton’s legacy is not merely that he was a terrible sinner, but that he came to understand—to really understand—what Christianity is all about. It’s all about the amazing grace of God found in Jesus Christ.

What Christianity Is All About

It took some time for Newton to truly grasp the wonder of God’s grace. In a similar way, so many people today simply don’t understand just what God is offering them. They can hardly believe that God is as gracious as the Bible describes Him to be. Complete forgiveness of sins? Assurance of eternal life? A love relationship with God Himself? How could this be?

We assume that we must somehow earn acceptance with God. That’s the default perspective for every single one of us. Grace sounds too good to be true. We think that there must be something that we must do in order to be forgiven, and in order to be welcomed into God’s family. We don’t understand how God could offer the unfathomable riches of grace, forgiveness, and acceptance apart from any work from us (Romans 4:5-6).

And to be honest, this is why such a large number of people simply don’t understand Christianity. They think they do, but they don’t really. They think that Christianity is all about a God that is for good people. And so, in order to become a Christian, we must clean up our act, walk the straight and narrow, and live an obedient life—maybe even with God’s help. And then after we have cleaned ourselves up, God will welcome us as one of His own.

But that’s not what Christianity is all about. Christianity is all about Jesus and what He has done. First and foremost, it’s not about us and what we can do for God. Christianity does not say that, in order to be saved, you have to become more religious, do good works, do penance, and be obedient to laws and ordinances to somehow make yourself worthy of God. No!

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV)

Incredibly, the Bible says that God credits righteousness “to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly” (Romans 4:5, NIV). In fact, you know what the Bible says about good works that are done to earn God’s acceptance? It calls them things like “filthy rags” and “sewage” (Isa. 64:6; Phil. 3:8). Why? Why would God view even our best works as filth? Here’s what the Bible says:

“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6, ESV)

Isaiah is saying that when good works are done to earn God’s acceptance, even our most righteous deeds are actually foul to God because they are still tainted by our sin. Why? Because every one of us, ever since the fall of man in Genesis 3, has come into this world with a sinful heart. Some are offended by this teaching. Many would rather believe that people are basically good.

But when we are most honest with ourselves, we can see that this is absolutely true. There is a darkness in us that keeps us focused primarily on ourselves. If we would stop and examine our own thoughts and actions, we would all have to admit that we are incredibly selfish creatures.

Even in our best moments, we are nearly always looking out for ourselves. We lie to make ourselves look better. We often ignore the needs of others. We don’t always show love to others like we should. We envy others when they succeed. And the root of the problem is this: We have all chosen to live as if our lives belong to ourselves and not to God. We’ve lived as if God doesn’t exist or doesn’t have a say over how we live our lives.

But we don’t belong to ourselves. We belong to God. We are His by divine Creator rights. When an artist creates art, that art is his. It belongs to him because he created it. As our Creator, we owe our very existence to God alone. We were created for His glory, and yet we have committed the great sin of turning our backs on Him.

Are You Thirsty?

Now enter grace. This is what Isaiah says—or really this is what God says—Isaiah’s just the one delivering God’s message:

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?...
Give ear and come to me;
    listen, that you may live.” (Isaiah 55:1-3, NIV)

This is just incredible. Here is God, the very God who we have all rebelled against, saying to every one of us, “Come!” Rather than turning us away or annihilating us for all our rebellion, He’s calling us to Himself in love. And, remember, because we’ve committed the infinite offense of sinning against the almighty God of the universe, He would be perfectly just to simply judge all His creatures for what they have done. It is not an overstatement to say that each one of us, myself included, is deserving of hell (Romans 1:32, 6:23).

As an ambassador for Christ, I am compelled by Christ’s love to warn you: There really is a coming day of judgment. And more importantly, according to Scripture, God Himself “is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Jesus Himself repeated this same invitation to whomever would heed His voice:

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38, NIV)

We owed a debt of sin we could not pay, and yet full forgiveness is offered to each one of us through simple faith in Christ. The reason God can do that and still be just is that He took the sin that we are guilty of, and He laid it on His own Son, Jesus Christ, when He hung on the cross.

“He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14, NIV).

In his astounding love, Jesus paid the price for our sin. Although we could never pay such an awful price, Jesus could, because He is both God and man. Only as a man could Jesus bear man’s sin, and only as the infinite God could He pay the infinite cost.

And before Jesus died, He cried out on the cross, “It is finished!” (Jn. 19:30). It’s finished! It’s done. The price for sin has been paid. The work of atonement is complete. Now, whoever will yield their lives to Jesus, trusting in Him alone, will receive everlasting life and be forgiven of their great debt of sin.

What a shame it would be to have such an amazing invitation offered to us and then ignore it.

He Will Abundantly Pardon

Remember, John Newton had lived a contemptible life. He had squandered the opportunities he had been given and chosen to live a life of complete rebellion. He mocked others, sexually abused many of the slaves on his ship, and lived an utterly wicked life.

But God chose to forgive Newton of his countless sins. Even Newton struggled at first to believe that God could love him and want anything to do with him. “What mercy could there be for me?”[6] Newton asked himself as he first considered the gospel in light of all his terrible sins. And yet, God showed grace to him and gave him a new heart with new desires.

Newton realized that God was the God of second chances. God extended the invitation to Newton to come to Him, to come to the cross of Christ where the great burden of his sin could be removed and he could fully receive the love of God. And Newton never ceased being amazed at God’s grace in rescuing him, an utterly undeserving “wretch” in his own words. He spent the remainder of his life working to end the slave trade and spread the gospel of grace.

On his deathbed, Newton told his close friend, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior.”[7]

Many of us can think like Newton did when he first heard the gospel. We can think that we’ve sinned one too many times, that we’ve failed too many times. So—we think—surely God wouldn’t want anything to do with me… would He? Wouldn’t He just give up on me?

But, friend, if you think that God would ever give up on you, you’re not thinking of the God of the Bible. You’re thinking of a false god. God is more gracious than you could possibly imagine. In the words of Philip Yancey, “Grace, like water, always flows downward, to the lowest place.”[8]

The New Testament describes Jesus as One who came with “grace upon grace” (John 1:16). See, that’s the most amazing thing: for those who rest in Christ, there is no end or limit to God’s grace. In Jesus, there is grace that is greater than all your sin.

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7, NIV)

God “will abundantly pardon” you when you turn from sin and trust in Christ. Jesus is inviting you right now—come to Him. Embrace His offer of life and forgiveness. Come to Christ and discover what it truly means to be forgiven.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace, Jonathan Aitken. P. 18.

[2] Ibid., p. 19

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid., p. 77

[5] Ibid., p. 12

[6] Ibid. p. 76

[7] Ibid. p. 347

[8] Ibid., p. 11

Death I Do Not Shrink From

On January 5, 2023January 5, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

For most people in the world, the grave is a terrifying prospect. Not many like to even think about it, but we all know deep down that these bodies don’t last forever. We all know the shadow of death looms on the horizon, inching its way toward us. No matter how much exercise we get or kale we eat, we won’t live forever!

One journalist, Tom Chivers, wrote: “I’m terrified of death; my own, my loved ones, everyone’s … 100 years after my death, no one will really know who I was. Do you even know your great-grandparents’ names?” Some think of death as the final end to our existence. Former CNN broadcaster, Larry King, once said, “My biggest fear is death, because I don’t think I’m going anywhere.” More humorously, Mel Brooks put it this way, “If Shaw and Einstein couldn’t beat death, what chance have I got? Practically none.”

As a human race, we try to push away the thought of death because it’s terrifying to think of life as we know it coming to an end and departing from our loved ones forever. At the same time, we also have this nagging sense that there is something beyond the grave. The Bible teaches that every single person who has ever existed is headed to one of two places: eternal joy in Heaven or eternal ruin in Hell. This is true for you, me, and everyone you have ever known.

In one very clear statement, Jesus said:

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels… And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.'” (Matthew 25:41, 46, ESV)

A Fixed Day on God’s Calendar

What if reminders of death are actually a gift from God, urgent warnings meant to get our attention? Every time we attend a funeral, we are granted one more nudge about the brevity of life. Through these cues, God puts us on notice to be ready for death and what comes after.

Hebrews 9:27 says, “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” The real reason humanity fears death is because God has given us a sense that we will all stand before the bar of judgment one day. No one gets to call in sick for this exam day. The Lord of all will judge every one of us by His perfect and holy standard.

And therein lies the rub. This is our great predicament. God urges us not to shrug off this idea of a coming judgment. You can be casual with what you wear, but don’t be casual about one day facing God. Paul proclaims:

“So having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent, because He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all people by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:29-31, NASB)

When God sets a day on His calendar, it is irrevocably fixed and certain. And on this day, you and I will have to stand before God and give an account of the life we’ve lived. Once you have felt the weight of this truth, your need for Jesus should become crystal clear. Because it’s at that precise point of our failure to ever measure up to God’s righteous standard that the gospel of God’s free grace becomes the most precious thing imaginable.

Perfect Righteousness in Christ

Many have seen they don’t measure up, so their solution has been to “get religious” and work as hard as they can to live a life pleasing to God, hoping that this will help them fare better on this coming day. Many even consider Jesus to be the One that helps them become the person they need to be, still aspiring to be good enough for God.

But the standard for entering Heaven isn’t “good enough;” it is perfection. We need a perfect righteousness, but only Jesus Christ, the God-man, is perfectly righteous. So our only hope is to be found in Christ.

In Jesus Christ, God offers us perfect forgiveness. When we repent and trust in Jesus alone as our Savior, all our sins are washed away in His blood—all our sins—because He bore them in our place on the cross. At the cross, the judgment for our sins fell on Jesus, so that by faith in Him we wouldn’t have to fear the judgment to come.

If you have found refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ, having cast yourself on His mercy alone to save you, you no longer need to fear death. Your eternity will be secure in His loving hands.

“Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.” (Romans 13:14, BSB)

When we are “clothed” in the righteousness of Christ, we are justified in Christ and reconciled to God. To be justified in Christ means that God declares us to be as righteous as Christ Himself, because we are united to Him by faith.

To Live Is Christ

Above, I quoted men who have dreaded the thought of death. In contrast, consider these remarkable words from Paul:

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (Philippians 1:21-23, ESV)

Understand that Paul is not saying he’s longing for death itself. This is not the murmuring of someone contemplating suicide. He’s not looking forward to death itself, but to what comes after death. He says, “I am torn between the two. I so want to stay on with all of you and encourage your faith, but even more than that, what I really want is to just be with Christ. I want to be with my Savior, for that is far better.”

At the end of the day, Paul yields to whatever God sovereignly determines for his life. But if it were solely up to him, Paul would rather go through death, because nothing beats being in the presence of his Savior. This is not something true only of Paul, but of every person who has found refuge in Christ. Paul is simply taking eternal truth out of the abstract realm and applying it to how he faces every circumstance in life—including death.

When a Christian dies, there’s no soul sleep or purgatory that he or she must pass through. These teachings are man-made and not found in the Word of God. No, at the very moment of death, you are immediately ushered into the Savior’s presence (2 Corinthians 5:8).

But what does Paul mean when he says he eagerly expects and hopes to honor Christ “whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20). How will Paul’s death honor Jesus Christ? If he dies as one who is confident in his Savior’s power—not as one terrified of the grave—but as one assured that he will see his Savior face to face, he glorifies Jesus in his death.

When Paul says, “to live is Christ,” he’s saying, “As long as I’m here, I’m all in for Jesus. I live for His glory wherever he has me—whether preaching in the streets or in the court of Caesar or writing letters in a stinky jail cell.” When we come to Christ, we yield our lives to Him. Every follower of Jesus can say with Paul, “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” because at death we finally reach our reward—being with Jesus in Heaven.

Every day, millions of people live for something other than Jesus—entertainment, comfort, pleasure, career. But when you live for something other than Jesus, death results in the loss of everything. On the other hand, if Jesus is our Supreme Treasure in life, death results in gaining everything.

He Is No Fool

When we live all in for Jesus, He removes all fear of death. Death is no longer that looming specter that promises to take everything we hold dear. Strange as it may seem, death now becomes the doorway to joy, because all we could possibly want is found in Christ Himself.

John Chrysostom, an early church father, was known for criticizing the wealthy of his time for their lack of love for the poor. He was constantly getting into trouble because of the things he said. In fact, the authorities banished him twice. One of his followers once asked him if he feared for his life.

Here’s how Chrysostom responded:

“What can I fear? Will it be death? But you know that Christ is my life, and that I shall gain by death. Will it be exile? But the earth and all its fullness is the Lord’s. Will it be the loss of wealth? But we have brought nothing into the world, and can carry nothing out. Thus all the terrors of the world are contemptible in my eyes; and I smile at all its good things. Poverty I do not fear; riches I do not sigh for. Death I do not shrink from.”[1]

The great preacher Dwight L. Moody once said, “Some day you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody, of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now.”[2]

It is this undying confidence in the Savior’s power to save that has compelled missionaries into grave dangers all over the world. Christians can die with courage, not because we are so great, but because we know a great Savior who loves us.

The martyr Jim Elliot put it best: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”[3] For each of these godly men, their firm conviction about the life to come meant they could live boldly for Christ in this life. In the same way, Paul did not shrink back from death, if that’s what God has appointed. He continues:

“But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.” (Philippians 1:24-26, ESV)

Paul says, “I’m not afraid to die. In fact, I’d gladly go to Heaven now. To die is gain. However, it seems that God isn’t ready to call me home. He has some work for me to do first.”

And here’s what I want you to see. Because Paul had this eternal perspective, where God could call him home at any moment, he could be most effective for Christ. If he had an earthbound focus where all he cared about was the here and now and what he could accumulate for himself in this life, he would not be prepared to serve. The fact that Paul knew he had a great reward coming compelled him to spend his life for the glory of Jesus rather than himself. And this made him fearless in the face of death and danger.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Robert Wheler Bush, The Life and Times of Chrysostom (London, England: Religious Tract Society, 1885), 245.

[2] The Autobiography of Dwight L. Moody, 1.

[3] Quote found in Jim Elliot’s journal.

The Power of the Word

On December 28, 2022December 29, 2022 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life, Why I BelieveLeave a comment

Micah Wilder is a former Mormon missionary who was powerfully transformed by Christ during his two-year mission trip in Florida. While a Mormon missionary, he was passionate to see everyone he met come to what he deemed “the one true church of Jesus Christ.” His great ambition was to convert a Baptist minister. Ironically, God used the love and patience of a Baptist minister to turn Micah’s world upside down.[1]

As Micah explains, “Much like Saul of Tarsus, I had a zeal for God, but that zeal was misplaced. I was ignorant of the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and I was seeking to establish my own righteousness by my works.”[2]

Micah thought of himself as a righteous young man, a deeply devout Elder in the LDS church. And yet, it was shortly after an encounter with a Baptist pastor named Alan Benson that his life began to radically shift. Pastor Alan lovingly challenged Micah to “read the New Testament like a child” and see that salvation is entirely the work of Christ. Determined to prove the minister wrong, Micah accepted the challenge and began reading the New Testament every day.

As Micah will tell you, it is the power of the Word of God itself that transformed his thinking, something every Christian ought to expect. Scripture claims to be God-breathed text and thus able to supernaturally work in hearts and lives.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12-13, ESV)

The Word of God has the power to cut right through to the heart, exposing our innermost thoughts and intentions. Micah has said, “In Christianity, it can be all too easy for us at times to focus so much on history, apologetics, and the intellectual side of the gospel that we forget the greatest tool we have: the Word of God.”[3]

Christians should never be ashamed of Scripture or think it is ineffective when sharing our faith. Many Christian apologists will encourage their fellow believers to set aside the Bible when interacting with unbelievers because they don’t accept it as divinely authoritative.[4] But the question is: Do you see the Bible as divinely authoritative? Do you believe it has the power to transform hearts that are hardened to the gospel?

A Rock-Breaking Hammer

Consider how Scripture speaks of itself:

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:7, ESV)

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29, NIV)

While we cannot force people to believe through clever persuasion, the Word of God has the power to break through the hardest of hearts and humble the greatest sinners so that they see their need for Christ.

This doesn’t mean that sharing your faith should be reduced to quoting Bible verses. However, it’s important that you make clear from the beginning that your authority is the Word of God. It’s crucial that Christians challenge their unbelieving friends to get into the Word itself.

Martin Luther, the courageous Protestant Reformer, said this about Scripture:

“I will preach it, teach it, write it, but I will constrain no man by force, for faith must come freely without compulsion. Take myself as an example. I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept [cf. Mark 4:26-29], or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything.”[5]

This is classic Luther, making profound theological statements colored with wit and earthy humor. But Luther’s point is simple: he was not responsible for the Reformation. It was the Word of God itself that exposed the corruption in the papacy and transformed people with the truth. That is the power of the Bible; it is sufficient to regenerate souls and renovate hearts.

God’s Word never comes back void, and it always accomplishes what God intends (Isaiah 55:10-11). Not only is it like a hammer, but it is also like a well-watered seed that germinates and grows. “You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).

God’s Law as a Mirror

In his classic passage on evangelism, Paul begins by saying how he prays for his fellow Jews, “that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1). Like the former Paul, his fellow Jews are passionately religious, but are “ignorant of the righteousness of God” and so they are trying to earn a right standing with God through their own righteousness (Romans 10:3). Such efforts are always fruitless, because while we may think of ourselves as “pretty good,” Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18).

When we are confronted with the Law of God, we see our paltry righteousness next to the perfect and righteous standard of God. The Spirit of God uses His Law like a mirror to show us who we truly are—desperate sinners under the just wrath of a holy God (John 3:36; Romans 1:18). That’s exactly what Jesus did for the young man who asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). Jesus took this young man through the Ten Commandments:

“You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” (Mark 10:19, ESV)

The Law of God shows us our brokenness. Take the ninth commandment, for example. Have you ever lied? We all have, and yet we all know it is wrong. That’s why we like to call our lies “white lies” and try to justify why we lied when we are caught telling one. It’s for this same reason, that people are easily offended for being accused of sin—a word that speaks to how we have each violated God’s Law. We are rebels, but we are rebels in denial.

But after people have heard and understood the Law’s diagnosis, the remedy in Christ must be presented.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17, ESV)

“Thy Word Is Truth”

The Bible says we are truth suppressors, because we know we aren’t everything we should be or even everything we would like to be.[6] These are all indications that something has gone terribly wrong with us. That is what the Word of God does. It shows us the error of our ways. Like a surgical scalpel, it wounds so that it can heal. And that healing can only come through the cross of Christ, where Jesus bore our sin in His body and endured the wrath of God in our place (Isaiah 53:4-6, 10; Romans 5:8-11).

Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth” (John 17:17, KJV). He said that what will mark His followers is that they have been set apart by the Word of God.

I have spoken with atheists who refuse to even touch a Bible, but isn’t their strong allergy to Scripture just one more indicator of its inherent power? Is there any other book they so vehemently hold at arm’s length? Some are so hostile, they are not ready for such a challenge. But for those who are open, you can always challenge them to read the Bible “as a child” to see if it doesn’t prove itself to be the very Word of the living God.

Although the Old Testament is equally God’s Word, I usually encourage people to start with one of the Gospels in the New Testament – Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. If someone just wants a full explanation of the Christian message, I sometimes direct them to the Book of Romans. But wherever you point them, have confidence that the Word of God has the power to break through the thickest barriers of the heart.

God’s Word is powerful because it alone is His perfect self-revelation. It is the Rock on which Christ’s followers can stand.

“How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!”[7]

This proved true for Micah Wilder. In the Bible, Micah found that our only hope of being justified (declared in the right) before God is through faith in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished through the cross and resurrection. When people ask what’s different about him now, since the LDS church claims to follow Christ too, Micah explains it this way:

“When I was a Mormon, I would have claimed that I believed in, trusted, and followed Jesus Christ. In reality, He was only a portion of what I believed I needed in order to be reconciled to God. As a Mormon, Jesus was just one of many pillars of my testimony. Now He is the Rock and the foundation of my faith. He’s not just part of my testimony, He is my testimony! I know that my good standing with God is independent of any religious system, denomination, man, work, ordinance, or anything of my own merit. It is, however, completely dependent on Jesus Christ. There is salvation outside of Mormonism, but there is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ.”[8]

To see the full testimony of Micah Wilder and other members of the band Adam’s Road, check out Unveiling Grace: The Film, found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl0c5nl6u48.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] See Micah’s full story in his excellent book Passport to Heaven (Harvest House Publishers: Eugene, OR, 2021).

[2] Micah Wilder, quoted in Eric Johnson and Sean McDowell, Sharing the Good News with Mormons, 111.

[3] Ibid, 112.

[4] I had a seminary professor who said if you use the Bible in evangelism, you’ll only turn people away. Micah’s story is but one example—there are countless!—of why that is simply untrue.

[5] Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, 51:77.

[6] Romans 1:18.

[7] “How Firm a Foundation” is a Christian hymn written by John Rippon and published in 1787.

[8] Johnson and McDowell, Sharing the Good News with Mormons, 114.