Continual Battle

 Paul’s command to take up the armor of God is followed by these words:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” —Ephesians 6:12 

As we consider the equipment God gives us to do spiritual battle, there is so much to be said that to take it all in at once would mean we would have to go in at least a couple different directions in a single post. Instead of that, my musings may be shorter than usual, but that’s so we can concentrate on a single theme each night. 

That being said, notice that word “wrestle.” I wish I could say that once you’ve resisted temptation, the battle is over; you’ve won. Unfortunately, that word is in the present tense, which means the fight is never completely over. Even if you gain victory in one area, another problem will arise. Whether it’s fear, lust, anger, pride, dishonesty…we must continually be on our spiritual toes. Don’t be surprised or grow weary in the fight; it’s not going to get easier with time. The war continues; only the immediate battleground changes. Fortunately, we worship a God who never sleeps (Psalm 121:4), and is always watching over us, ready to come to our aid if we only ask. We wrestle, but not alone. Our God also fights.

Play Your Part

 July 30, 2024

A bit of a detour tonight. 

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

 —Ephesians 4:3

“then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” —Philippians 2:2-4 

I often hear pastors speak eloquently on the necessity of unity in the body of Christ and how if we want the world to believe in Jesus, we must strive for unity. So far, so good. Such talk is often followed up with a plea for everyone to get behind a particular ministry or program as an indication of said unity. My usual reaction to such pleas is guilt, plain and simple. I cannot, and don’t want to attend every function, volunteer for every “unity” event. I confess to frequent compassion overload.

In our pastor’s prayer meeting this morning, as we were reflecting on this passage from Philippians, a fellow pastor mentioned a musical metaphor that cleared things up for me. I play double bass for our church worship team and in a local jazz band. In the Spring and in the Fall, at our first rehearsal, the conductor passes out the sheet music we’ll be rehearsing for the next couple months. My folder contains music in the bass clef and marked “bass.” 

I never see the music for trumpets, trombones, saxes, or percussion. My job is to learn the music, to practice until I know the part almost by heart. If I don’t know my part well, in the concert, I will be concentrating so much on my music that I’m not paying attention to the others, and not keeping my eye on the conductor. I don’t need to know anyone else’s part, but I do need to know mine. If I play my part well, it will blend in with the others in a unity that is beautiful. That is unity. Trying to play anyone else’s part would be uniformity, which would destroy the harmony that is the beauty of the music.

In the Church, each of us has our own “sheet music.” Trying to play someone else’s part means we won’t be playing our own, and it destroys the harmony of the whole. Each of us needs to learn our part, practice it till we know it well; then we can listen to the others so we know how we fit in, and keep our eye on the Conductor who alone sees the whole. If I’m going to feel guilty, it shouldn’t be because I don’t latch onto every good idea fellow Christians have. If I’m going to feel guilty, it should be when I don’t know my part and cannot play it well for the good of the whole. That being said, I want to practice my part so I can play it well, and not feel any guilt at all.

Boredom in Prayer

 July 28, 2024

“Finally, become strong in the Lord and in the might of his strength. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil…”

—Ephesians 6:10-11

Yesterday I used the illustration of the British manor house where the lord of the manor is sitting at the table with the lady of the manor and their guests. While they’re eating, the servants simply stand behind the guests, ready to respond to the slightest nod from the lord. 

Here’s the kicker: Most of the time, the servants are standing, they’re doing nothing other than paying close attention to their lord. It is both boring and stressful—boring because they are doing nothing other than standing; stressful because in their boredom they must keep close attention upon the lord of the manor.

I think many of our problems today come because we insist on being constantly active. We HAVE to be doing something all the time, so we busy ourselves with all kinds of activity that distract us from paying attention to the lord of the manor. Our busyness makes us miss God’s will. It’s hard to simply stand before the Lord, but it’s our first and most important service.

Listen

July 27, 2024

“Finally, become strong in the Lord and in the might of his strength. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil…”

Yesterday, we learned that to stand in the presence of God is to recognize his authority. There’s another facet to standing. If you’ve ever watched a British manor house mystery, the lord of the manor and his guests are seated at the table in the dining room, but the servants stand behind the guests, ready to meet their every demand. Servants stand.

Too often when we pray, we act as if God were the servant and we were the masters commanding him to do our bidding. That’s backwards. We are the servants; God is the master. Our first responsibility in prayer is to listen to God, and to be ready at all times to do his bidding. So, stand today!

Master/Servant

 July 26, 2024

“Finally, become strong in the Lord and in the might of his strength. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil…”

Yesterday, we learned that to stand in the presence of God is to recognize his authority. There’s another facet to standing. If you’ve ever watched a British manor house mystery, the lord of the manor and his guests are seated at the table in the dining room, but the servants stand behind the guests, ready to meet their every demand. Servants stand.

Too often when we pray, we act as if God were the servant and we were the masters commanding him to do our bidding. That’s backwards. We are the servants; God is the master. Our first responsibility in prayer is to listen to God, and to be ready at all times to do his bidding. So, stand today!

Stand

 July 25, 2024

“Finally, become strong in the Lord and in the might of his strength. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil…”

I love that little word “stand!” Christians often imagine themselves standing strong against Satan and the world, only to find themselves surprisingly overwhelmed. “What went wrong,” they ask themselves. I can tell you: They tried standing against the world before they learned to stand with God. Listen to what Elijah said about himself: 

“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”” —I Kings 17:1 

Before he stood against Jezebel and her 450 prophets of Baal, he stood in the presence of God. He described himself this way again in 18:15. Someone once said, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” The something you want to stand for can only be found by standing in the presence of the living God. But what does it mean to stand before God? In Ephesians 1:20-21, Paul gives us a clue:

“He raised [Christ] from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” 

Christ is seated. This means two things. 1) His work is done, and 2) he has authority. Even today, it is proper to stand before authority. In a courtroom, the bailiff says, “All rise” when the judge enters the room. Only when he is seated does everyone else sit down, because he is the authority in that courtroom. 

When we stand in the presence of God, we are recognizing his authority. Stand before him today so you can stand against the devil tomorrow.

Battle gear

July 23, 2024

 “Finally, become strong in the Lord and in the might of his strength. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil…”

—Ephesians 6:10

Soldiers aren’t always fitted out in full battle gear. When not in actual combat, they wear regular fatigues or dress uniforms. The uniform does what it’s name implies—because they are all the same, they enable others to know which branch of the military the wearer belongs to. The individual may be tall or short, stocky or thin, but the uniform is the same.

Christians have their unique characteristics, but we should all be wearing the same uniform: Jesus Christ. People should be able to look at us and know we belong to Jesus. It’s not about the physical clothes we wear, but that we have put on the Lord Jesus Christ, as Paul says in Romans 13:14. 

Here’s a difference between our secular military and the army of God: We don’t get to wear dress uniforms yet. We must daily don battle gear, because we face the enemy every single day. So gear up! There is a battle out there, and you want to be ready.

Devilish Tools

 July 20, 2024

It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a circus, but back when they were popular, the act that really wowed the crowd was the lion tamer. Holding his chair and cracking his whip, he would make the lions paw the air and roar while sitting on a stool. He could make them jump through a hoop or sit meekly simply by skillfully using the tools of his trade.

That old lion the devil isn’t quite so meek. There’s no taming him at all, but we do have tools of the trade to deal with him. That being said, we’re going to take a bit of a detour to talk about those tools and how to use them. This detour takes us to Ephesians 6. It’s a long text, so bear with me. We’ll take it slowly.

“Finally, become strong in the Lord and in the might of his strength. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil, because our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Because of this, take up the full armor of God, in order that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Stand therefore, girding your waist with truth, and putting on the breastplate of righteousness, and binding shoes under your feet with the preparation of the good news of peace, in everything taking up the shield of faith, with which you are able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one, and receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, with all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit, and to this end being alert with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,” —Ephesians 6:10-18 

I like the way this version starts out: “Become strong in the Lord.” We don’t start there, but we can get there. If you aren’t feeling particularly strong against some temptation or problem, don’t give up. You’ll get there if you don’t quit. Tomorrow we’ll begin learning how.

Fifty-four Years

July 19, 2024

More than fifty four years ago, even before Linda and I were married, I pastored a small congregation in Alma, NY. The church building was tiny; 35 people in it would require sitting elbow to elbow. The people were wonderful; they took it as their personal mission to help young preachers get started. I know they helped this one get off the ground.

When we first started there, the congregation consisted of mostly elderly people (When you’re twenty, almost everyone seems elderly) who told us there weren’t any kids in the valley. We were naive enough to not believe them, and went door to door up and down the valley, looking for teenagers. In about two weeks, we had a youth group of twenty five or thirty kids who hung out at the parsonage, ate cookies as fast as Linda could bake them, and generally kept this young couple in prayer. 

Last week, our grandkids started talking about holding an “ultimate Frisbee” night. This evening after dinner, they descended upon our backyard as friends started drifting in, bit by bit. They played for nearly an hour, after which they gathered around the campfire I had started, eating S’mores, watermelon, and popcorn, telling stories, and enjoying each other’s company. The laughter was almost non stop. As I write, remnants of them are sitting at our kitchen table playing cards.

I caught Linda walking from the house to the fire around which everyone was sitting. “It looks to me like we are finishing up the way we started,” I said. “Our place is filled with kids.” It’s a good thing. We’ve been in touch with quite a few of those kids from years ago. They are grandparents themselves now; some are still walking with Christ, following the decisions they made as teenagers. Some have overcome life obstacles we never knew about, inspiring us with their stories of resilience and courage. If we can build into our kids’ lives today as we were allowed to do fifty-four years ago, I will be able to die (someday—I’m not planning on packing it in anytime soon) a happy and successful man.

 

Taming the Lion

July 18

It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a circus, but back when they were popular, the act that really wowed the crowd was the lion tamer. Holding his chair and cracking his whip, he would make the lions paw the air and roar while sitting on a stool. He could make them jump through a hoop or sit meekly simply by skillfully using the tools of his trade.

That old lion the devil isn’t quite so meek. There’s no taming him at all, but we do have tools of the trade to deal with him. That being said, we’re going to take a bit of a detour to talk about those tools and how to use them. This detour takes us to Ephesians 6. It’s a long text, so bear with me. We’ll take it slowly.

“Finally, become strong in the Lord and in the might of his strength. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil, because our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Because of this, take up the full armor of God, in order that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Stand therefore, girding your waist with truth, and putting on the breastplate of righteousness, and binding shoes under your feet with the preparation of the good news of peace, in everything taking up the shield of faith, with which you are able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one, and receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, with all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit, and to this end being alert with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,” —Ephesians 6:10-18 

I like the way this version starts out: “Become strong in the Lord.” We don’t start there, but we can get there. If you aren’t feeling particularly strong against some temptation or problem, don’t give up. You’ll get there if you don’t quit. Tomorrow we’ll begin learning how.

Roaring

July 17, 2024

 I want to touch on 1 Peter 5:8 again. Read it carefully, and think about what it says:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

If the devil is looking for someone to eat, it means he still hasn’t found him. His roaring is merely intimidation; as long as he is roaring, he’s not eating. Sometimes we get into scary or precarious situations where it seems as if the devil is nipping at our heels. You hear his roar, can feel his hot breath on the back of your neck, but trembling in fear or running away is never the answer. In the next verse, Peter tells us what do do.

“Resist him, steadfast in the faith…” 

When we resist him, we win. But we need to be steadfast in our resistance, because he doesn’t give up easily. He’ll come back again and again. Too often, our problem is that we pray about the problem, but if it doesn’t yield immediately, we give up. Resist STEADFASTLY! Don’t quit! And remember: if he’s roaring, he’s still hungry because he hasn’t caught you.

Lion Slayer

July 16, 2024

Do you remember when yesterday I pointed you to the Lion of Judah, the Root of David? Remember also that he himself was a lion-slayer. In 1 Samuel 17, David is getting ready to face off against Goliath. Everyone who was watching was holding their breath, expecting the giant to wipe the earth with David. Everyone except David himself. He knew something the others didn’t—he had killed a lion!

“David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” 

—I Samuel 17:34-37 

Jesus came from good stock. The Lion of the tribe of Judah’s ancestors was a lion-killer.  David was able to confidently face the giant because he had faced a lion…and won! You may be facing a giant of a problem right now, but if you’ve killed a lion, if you’ve won smaller tests, you can be sure that the God who delivered you before will do so again.

So, Lion-slayers…Go! And get your Goliath!

 

Lions

 July 15, 2024

Recently I heard a sermon that touched on 1 Peter 5:8 where he speaks of the devil as a roaring lion. Then yesterday at our men’s morning prayer time, Psalm 34 mentioned a lion, so I got to thinking about lions, which will be the subject of my thoughts for awhile.

I want to start with Revelation 5:5. John sees a scroll sealed with seven seals. The scroll represents the unfolding of the future, and when no one is found worthy to unseal it, John weeps. If the scroll cannot be unsealed, history continues as an endless repetition of war, injustice, sorrow, and death. In verse 5, John is stopped: “But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.””

Remember that in 1 Peter 5:18, the devil is compared to a roaring lion? Sounds ferocious and fearsome, but don’t forget that he is no match for the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, who himself was a lion-slayer. Our Lion is stronger than the devil lion. Never forget that.

Get Over It

 July 14, 2024

“The Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.”

—1 Samuel 15:35

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” —1 Samuel 16:1 

Have you ever looked back on a past decision and regretted you had made the choice you made? Maybe it was a relationship or a business deal. You prayerfully chose your college or job, and though everything began well, somewhere along the way, the wheels fell off the bus. The person you trusted betrayed you, the job you were promised was given to someone else, the terms of agreement changed, and you were left holding the bag.

You look back and wish you had chosen differently back then. But back then, you didn’t know what you know now. That person, that job gave every appearance of being everything you dreamed of. Either the fatal flaw wasn’t there, or you weren’t able to see it. You see everything now through the lens of regret.

That’s where Samuel was. He was so sure God told him to anoint Saul king of Israel. It went well for awhile, but then Saul’s pride got the better of him and everything began to fall apart. I would imagine Samuel felt he never should have gotten behind the kingship of Saul. But what is interesting is, even God regretted his initial choice, so I guess we can’t be too hard on Samuel. Or ourselves.

But when reality set in, it was time for action, not for mourning. Crying and whining over what might have been wasn’t going to help. Out of the ashes of Saul’s failed kingship, God was already on the move. “Be on your way,” he told Samuel. Quit crying and get going! I have a new and better king. 

When your best plans come up empty, it’s like a kick in the teeth. When someone lets you down, it’s a sucker punch to the gut. But God won’t let you stay, wallowing in your grief. “Get up,” he instructs. “I have moved on. It’s time for you to do the same.” Don’t let someone else’s failure or even your own define your future. God alone has that right. Get in line with his plans and the future which seemed so bleak will become a door of hope for you.

Putting In

 July 13, 2024

I’ve been in a bit of a Bible funk lately. This morning, I read through the assigned text for the day, and nothing settled with me. I’m not in a place of great and deep joy, nor of melancholic sadness. 

I got to thinking—“Maybe today isn’t about receiving from the Lord a special blessing, but is more for me to give to him the blessing of gratitude and willing service.” I had no sooner come to this conclusion when Linda told me she had just hung up the phone from a couple who wanted to come over for a visit. It wasn’t what I had planned, but it sure fit my question, and this particular Scripture:

“What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? 

I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. 

I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.”

—Psalm 116:12-14 

Sometimes, it’s not about what you’re getting out of it, but rather, what you are putting into it.

Spiritual Earache

 July 12, 2024

My ear started aching on Independence Day. At first, I thought little of it, but four days later, I was in the doctor’s office. “There’s goo in your ear; you have an infection,” intoned the PA. She prescribed antibiotic eardrops, but three days later, the throbbing I could manage, but the sudden spikes of pain like someone jabbing an ice pick in my ear was a bit over the top. Last night, it was 3:30 before I was even able to doze fitfully. 

My brother and sister in law had come down for my birthday, so spoiling our time by whining was out of the question. We had a wonderful visit, but when they left for home, I left for another visit to the doctor. A different PA irrigated the ear, but wasn’t able to dislodge the “goo.” She did say that whatever was in my ear was fuzzy around the edges, not exactly the news one likes to hear.

At the moment, the medicines and prayers seem to be doing their job; I’m feeling much better as I reflect on St. Paul’s words about the body of Christ: “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” —I Corinthians 12:26-27 

One tiny member of my body contracted an infection. In response, the entire body was awake most of the night. I’ve witnessed too often how one person—a brother or sister in Christ—through anger, jealousy, greed, lust, or laziness can infect the entire body. One person acts out his or her hurt or pride, and before long, people are taking sides, hurling accusations at one another, or dropping out altogether. 

Spiritual and emotional infections are as inevitable as physical ones, and the remedy is similar: diagnose the issue and deal with it early before it leads to serious or even fatal consequences. Everyone will feel better for it.

A Dusty Soul

 July 11, 2024

“My soul clings to the dust.” —Psalm 119:25

From this, the longest psalm extolling the wonder and glory of God’s Word, come these plaintive words describing our too-often human condition. We have the capacity to envision the glory of eternity, to contemplate the wonders of salvation, the deep love of God in Christ, and what do we do? We cling to the dust. 

Haven’t you found that to be true of you? Something inside us gravitates to the negative, the bizarre and macabre. You’re driving down the road and come upon an accident. The rescue squad is there taking care of the situation, but you slow down, rubber necking to see the damage. The daily news is nothing but tragedy and perversity, and we suck it up eagerly. People crowd to the movies to salivate over the most dreadful shock and gore, the worse, the better. Our souls cling to the dust.

That’s why the second half of this verse is so important: “Revive me according to your Word.” The only thing that loosens our grip to the dust of this world is the Word that comes from the God who has conquered this world in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Whenever I find my soul clinging to the dust, the Word of God wrenches it from my grasp and binds it to heaven. And it is that same word that is preventative, loosening my soul’s grip on the dust before it grabs tightly. O the power and glory of the Word of God! Keep your heart and mind focused on it, saturated by it, strengthened in it, for in it is life itself as it directs your heart to Jesus Christ, our Savior and its Author.

What We Worship

 July 10, 2024

“Their idols are silver and gold, 

The work of men’s hands. 

They have mouths, but they do not speak; 

Eyes they have, but they do not see; 

They have ears, but they do not hear; 

Noses they have, but they do not smell; 

They have hands, but they do not handle; 

Feet they have, but they do not walk; 

Nor do they mutter through their throat. 

Those who make them are like them; 

So is everyone who trusts in them. 

O Israel, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.”

—Psalm 115:4-9 

“Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them.” These are among the most frightening words in the Bible. We moderns scoff at those who worshipped idols made of wood and metal, but are we so much different? We too, worship the work of our hands. We will invest thousands of dollars in exotic cars, sports venues, fancy houses, investments and get rich schemes. We spend money we don’t have to buy things we don’t need to impress people we don’t like.

All the stuff we have we will someday leave behind. That’s bad enough, but even worse is becoming like the stuff we spend so much money and time on; cold, lifeless, unfeeling. 

So what do we value? If it’s not stuff, who do we follow? Are the musicians, politicians, media stars the kind of people we want to be like? We become like what (or who) we trust in.

Turn the question around: “Am I the kind of person someone else would do well to follow, to emulate?” We become like what we worship, which is why the Bible consistently commands us to worship the LORD, and him only.