Four Reasons Your Work Matters to God

4 Reasons Your Work Matters to God

(From a sermon delivered on Sunday August 31, 2025)

My name is Jason. You usually see me up here leading the music team as your associate pastor of worship. Pastor Chris has graciously invited me to preach today on the subject of faith and work, which is a fitting topic for this Labor Day weekend.

Since it is also college Sunday, I’ll mention that I am a graduate of Florida State University, where I studied History & Religion. My daughter Grace just started her first semester in college at IUS, studying Digital Art. It feels like I was in college just yesterday, and now my daughter is starting her college journey.

While you know me as your music leader, you may not know that I have a day job as well, just like the other pastors here. I recently celebrated 17 years at Humana, in the IT department. Yes, I am using my history degree to do computer work for an insurance company. This week I will work both from home and in our Louisville office. I will answer emails, host zoom meetings, revise spreadsheets, and advise leaders on technology goals. I am a husband, a father, a worship leader... And I am also a worker.

All of us here will spend on average between 90k and 100k hours of our lives working. 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, for 50 years or more. This amounts to one half of your waking life. Whether your current calling is paid or unpaid work, or you are a student or you’re retired, your work is a core part of your life and your personal identity.

One of the biggest questions of faith I've ever faced is whether this half of my life even matters to God and his kingdom. Am I just working to pay bills, pay my tithe, maybe support a missionary and then someday retire? Is my Monday to Friday life less valuable than the few hours I spend serving at church or volunteering for a nonprofit? Or is there some way that my for-profit job can matter to God's kingdom? Does God’s word speak to this topic of faith and work?

Before I dive into how Scripture answers these questions, let me share some data points that might help you see how important this topic is to the mission of the church.

In 2018, the Barna research group conducted a qualitative survey of over 1,500 young adults, ages 18 to 29. They interviewed each person to discover their church background, beliefs, and life experiences. As many other research studies have found, about half of young people stop attending church after high school – about 22% give up belief in God altogether, and 30% might hold on to belief but stop attending church. The other half of young people either continue going to church out of habit (38%) or they become committed to their faith in an even deeper and lasting way (10%). This last group was termed “Resilient Disciples.” While many churches have panicked about why half of young people are leaving, Barna wanted to ask the opposite question: Why did half of these young people decide to stay in church?

What they found are 5 characteristics that mark a resilient young disciple who stays in church and deepens their faith. Four of these five traits are things you might guess: Personal relationship to Jesus, Doctrinal knowledge, Social connections, and a strong sense of Mission. But the fifth trait was a bit surprising, what Barna called “Vocational Discipleship.” Young people who stay in church overwhelmingly have a strong understanding of how their career path connects to the kingdom of God. They answered yes to questions like “I want to use my unique talents and gifts to honor God” and “God designs each person with a unique calling for their life.”

So, if connecting faith and work is a core trait of resilient young disciples, we must ask: Are we equipping our young people with an understanding of how their future jobs matter to God and his kingdom?

Let’s turn now to what Scripture says on this subject. I'd like to share 4 reasons your work matters to God, tracing this topic from the beginning to the end of the Bible. I like to give away the answers at the beginning, so here are my four points:

1. Your work is God’s design

2. Your work is broken by sin

3. Your work is transformed by Christ

4. Your work will echo into eternity

Reason #1. Your Work is God's design

A.W. Tozer famously wrote, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." I'd like to challenge you this morning to imagine the Living God you know and love, with everything you know about him from Scripture, and make sure you see him also as a worker. Consider how the Bible pictures God from the very beginning....

Genesis 1:1, 2:7 NIV

[1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth....[7] Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

From the first page of Scripture, we discover that God is a worker. Genesis 1 describes the vast variety of things God created through merely speaking them into existence out of nothing. Light, Sun, moon, stars, land, sea, birds, fish....Genesis 2 then zooms in to picture God forming man from the dirt, crafting us with his own hands. Why is God pictured as a creative worker with his hands in the dirt? I believe the answer is that God created because of the overflow of his generous self-giving character. He did not need to create anything, but the creation of life and beauty flows from him naturally and eternally. He is a worker by nature, and good work flows from him.

So it should be no surprise that God designed us to be workers as well. Consider how Scripture describes God creating man and woman, and then giving them a work assignment...

Genesis 1:27-28, 2:15 NIV

[27] So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. [28] God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it..."

[15] The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

If God is a worker, and we are made to reflect his image, then it makes sense that God made us to be workers as well. And therefore, work is essential to what it means to be human. Most every form of work can be part of God's command to be fruitful and have dominion over the earth. We are his stewards, caring for his good creation through our various workplaces. One powerful quote that conveys this idea is from the German reformer Martin Luther:

"Our works are God’s masks, behind which He remains hidden, although He does all things."

Every ordinary task we do can be done to reflect God's care for creation. Our work on Monday could be the mask of God, reflecting his purposes for the world. Consider one more section of Genesis, verses 1:31, 2:2:

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

God made us to rest and rely on Him. Just as God rested on the seventh day and enjoyed his work, he commands us to have a work/life balance that includes labor and rest each week. While we are made in God's likeness to be workers like him, it's important to remember how we are also not like God. We are limited, he is unlimited. We are finite, he is infinite. We can only be in one place at a time. He is everywhere all at once. You can't do everything you can imagine needs to be done. That limitation is not evil, it is by design. We were designed to be dependent on God, not working independently from him.

So the first reason our work matters is because God is a worker, He made us to be workers, and he designed us to work, to rest, and to rely on him.

Reason #2. Your work is broken by sin

Let's not forget that Genesis 3 throws a big curve ball into God's good design for work. After Adam and Eve betrayed God's command and God's trust, he describes the impact of bringing evil into our working lives....

Genesis 3:17-19 NIV

[17] To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. [18] It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. [19] By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Work is good but it is also cursed, because Adam and Eve chose to rely on their own wisdom instead of relying on God and trusting his guidance. When they listened to the serpent's false promises, they took their eyes off their God given calling to reflect his generous love and steward his creation. By disobeying and distrusting God's direct command, they fell under a curse that impacted the workplace from then on. The ground now fights back at us, instead of being the

harmonious productive work life that was originally intended.

Your work is where you sin and suffer. This is the part of work that we see and feel so often. The part of work that makes us "live for the weekend" or say "Is it Friday yet?" Or maybe we sing along with Jimmy Buffett "It's 5 o'clock somewhere." We have to endure bad workplaces or bad bosses that make life miserable. We might be unemployed for a season, or have limited opportunities for many reasons outside our control. And even when we are fully employed, the Enemy uses our workplace life for a variety of evils: Injustice, fraud, abuse, greed, laziness, idolatry, depression, fear, anxiety, loneliness, gossip, slander, lack of recognition, and burnout. God sees this suffering and he cares about the pain of our work life. And thankfully he does not sit back and leave us alone in that suffering. 

Your work needs God’s wisdom. Throughout God's Word, He gives wisdom for our work, to counteract the effects of sin and evil....

One way the Old Testament gave wisdom for work was through the wide variety of true workplace stories. The Bible describes dozens of various occupations: Baker, craftsman, musician, builder, soldier, judge, governor, Farmer, fisherman, tentmaker and so on. Major heroes of the Bible used their workplace

position and influence to serve God and love their neighbors - think of Joseph the governor in Egypt, Deborah the judge, David the king, Daniel the royal advisor, Esther the queen...

Some of God’s wisdom for work is very practical, like the ethical and financial advice you might find throughout the book of Proverbs. But elsewhere, God’s wisdom simply acknowledges the pain and apparent meaninglessness of our daily work lives. Consider how the book of Ecclesiastes honestly admits this frustration we all experience:

Ecclesiastes 2:22-23

What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? 23All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

That’s not very inspiring, but it is an honest description of what we experience in our work life in this broken world. Elsewhere, the law of Moses gives direct wisdom from God on how to work with excellence and fairness in different situations. One quick example....

Deuteronomy 24:14 NIV

[14] Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.

Moses gave instructions for certain kinds of workers in specific situations, including how to treat the poor and vulnerable. He specifically tells us to avoid favoritism as well, regardless of what your employees look like or where they’re from. Working for God's glory means working excellently, but it must also include acting justly in our work.

Our work matters to God because sin has cursed our workplace, and he feels that pain as much as we do. And so, God gave wise guidance for our work in Scripture. But even this divine guidance was not enough to overcome the impact of evil in our hearts and in our workplace. God himself would have to step into human history to save us, not only from the moral guilt of sin, but to transform our work life as well.

Reason #3. Your work is transformed by Christ

Pastor Chris has often taught us about two big words: justification and sanctification. Justification describes the finished work of Christ on the cross, to take our sin and give us his righteousness. The second big word, Sanctification describes the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, making us more like Jesus in our daily life. These two realities are both part of the salvation we experience through the gospel. And of course, this sanctification transforms us not only on Sunday but on Monday through Friday as well. What does that look like in the Christian worklife? Consider these examples of workers who were changed by the gospel. First, remember the crowds who came to see John the Baptist....

Luke 3:12-14 NIV

[12] Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” [13] “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. [14] Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

Notice that John the Baptist did not tell the soldiers and tax collectors to quit their jobs. Rather, he told them that repentance and living for God's kingdom means doing your existing job in a new way.

Here's another example... Remember Zaccheus was a wee little man, he climbed up in a sycamore tree to see Jesus, and then Jesus invited himself over to his house for lunch. Look how Zaccheus responds...

Luke 19:8 NIV

[8] But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

What does it mean for a tax collector or a soldier to follow Jesus? Do they have to give up their jobs and become pastors or missionaries? While that sometimes happens, the majority will continue their work in a transformed way. They will start to see their jobs as the mission field. They will realize that Your work can be ministry. That might include evangelism at times, but it's much more than that. It is seeing the intrinsic opportunity in the actual work you do...Opportunities to love your neighbor, reflect the kindness and justice of God's character, and live out the Lord's prayer for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Illustration: William Wilberforce, tempted to resign his position in Parliament to become a pastor, but he stuck with it and lead the campaign to end the slave trade in 1807, after 20 years of patient campaigning.

Illustration: Church member making time to listen and care for all 200 employees. Another church member finding creative ways to use her hairdressing skills for people in need.

Next, consider how these familiar words from Jesus apply to your workplace:

Matthew 22:37-39

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.

We are commanded to love God and to love our neighbor, and our jobs are the location where that happens day by day. Your work is where you love your neighbor. Start to think of how your daily tasks at work are a blessing to your customers and clients. God has designed your work and wants to redeem your work from the curse of sin. Through the power of Christ, and the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, you can see your work transformed into a ministry that displays the love of Jesus to the world.

Reason #4. Your work echoes into eternity

Finally, let’s consider how our work will impact eternity. Consider this passage in Colossians…

Colossians 3:23-24 NIV

[23] Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, [24] since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

"Whatever you do..." With very few exceptions, any job can be done for God's glory and for his pleasure. And he is the one watching and rewarding our work. Your work will be rewarded.

This passage is both challenging and liberating. This is challenging because it means I can't compartmentalize my job as separate from my Christian life. I can't act one way on Sunday and another way on Monday. But this is also liberating. It means the work I'm already doing has eternal value. I just need to change my perspective and optimize it for God's glory. My emails and zoom calls and spreadsheets, when done in love and with God's help, can actually bring God joy and glory.

In addition to our eternal rewards, this passage implies that your work can be worship. Paul says twice in this passage that we are really working for Jesus, and that he is pleased when our work is done for Him.

See this same idea at the end of the Parable of the Talents. Remember how Jesus describes a Master who entrusts his resources to three servants. The first two are good stewards and double the investment, while the third servant buries his talent and it never grows or impacts others. Consider how the master praises the first two workers...

Matthew 25:21 NIV

[21] “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!’

What gives God great joy in this passage? To see his children fully alive, investing their abilities in a way that multiplies blessing and love to others. Do you believe that a lifetime of serving others in your workplace will be answered with those precious words "Well done good and faithful servant... Enter into your Father's joy." Our work matters to God because he enjoys it, he receives our work as worship, and he will also reward that work one day.

But on top of that reward, I believe that you will have a job in heaven. This will be the most surprising point in my sermon, and some of you may actually disagree completely. God has a job for us to do in heaven. "But isn't heaven supposed to be our eternal rest? How can you say that we will have jobs in heaven? That is ridiculous." But I want to draw your attention to a description of heaven you may not have noticed. It is the description of the new heavens and new earth from the prophet Isaiah....

Isaiah 65:17, 21-23 NIV

[17] “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth...[21] They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit….my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. [23] They will not labor in vain.

Did you notice how Isaiah includes forms of work in his description of heaven? He says we will be building houses and planting vineyards. If work was God's original plan for us, and work predates the fall of Adam into sin, it should be no surprise that we have more work to do in the new heavens and new earth, where the curse is undone and all things are made new again. Isaiah 65 is a parallel story to Revelation 21 and 22 at the end of the Bible, where the new Jerusalem comes down and God's people are welcomed into his city for all eternity. Isaiah's version simply elaborates with vivid detail how we will forever enjoy the work of our hands - Work that we started here and work that will continue in the life to come.

What inventions and discoveries and research and explorations and projects and artistic creations are possible in an infinite world without sin or evil? Having a vision of heaven that includes some kind of work reminds us that our labors here also matter to God. When we do our work relying on him and for his glory, that work will echo into eternity. Work is not just a means to an end... It is what makes us fully human, fully transformed in Christ, reflecting God's generous nature as a worker, and will continue into all eternity.

In conclusion... once again, Scripture gives at least four reasons that our work matters to God:

1. Your work is God's design

2. Your work is broken by sin

3. Your work is transformed by Christ

4. Your work echoes into eternity

Having seen how our work matters to God, let me end with two practical homework assignments...

1. Bring God to work.

Pray at work. Invite God to work with you. This simple action will remind you that God cares about your tasks and your coworkers. Pray for ways to improve your work with excellence, innovation, and more fairness. Pray that your light would shine and others would notice. Talk with coworkers about what you're learning about God. Look for a chance to share your testimony. Bridge the gap between Sunday and Monday.

One way to apply this is a 30 day prayer challenge. Think about one problem you are facing at work right now. Do you believe that God can transform that problem? Commit the next 30 days to praying for the solution, and see how God might show up in unexpected ways.

2. Bring work to church.

Share your work life at church. Share with us what is going right and wrong at work. Find other church members with similar work. Find a mentor or be a mentor to those friends. Discipleship must include your work life. We will have a Wed night panel discussion in a couple weeks where you'll hear from fellow members how God is working in their weekday life.

Finally, we would like you to fill out a survey. No it's not printed on your receipt. It's not a customer satisfaction survey. This is a church survey called Scatter, developed by a national ministry called Made to Flourish. There is a QR code in the bulletin, and links are now posted on our website and Facebook group. Look for an email with the link as well. This survey takes 5 minutes and it will tell us about your work life and how the church can support your faith at work. We will share the data results with you on an upcoming Wed night in a couple weeks.

That's it. Bring God to work. Bring work to church. These are simple ways to see your work transformed and to use your work to impact God's kingdom. 

Do You Love Me?

John 21:15‭-‬17

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."  He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."  He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep."

...............

We live in a unique time in Christian history when it comes to Bible translations. At the turn of the 21st century, there are about 900 English translations of Scripture, most of these having emerged in the last 200 years of scholarship and manuscript study. You can access dozens of these for free online or using some form of Bible software. And with all this effort to learn the original Hebrew and Greek languages, it can be tempting to think that only a language scholar can know what the Bible really says.

As someone who has spent some time learning Hebrew, I can tell you that there are indeed some powerful insights that can come through doing word studies and trying to grasp what these words meant in their ancient context. But I can also say with confidence that your English translation will give you 99% of the original meaning and that there are abundant footnotes and commentaries that can supplement the few concepts that are lost in translation.

John 21 is a great example of this dynamic. The conclusion to John's gospel has a clear focus, dramatic imagery, and compelling emotion in the characters and dialogue. Jesus makes another post-resurrection appearance, multiplying a catch of fish and welcoming his friends to a lakeside barbeque. Following the responses of Mary Magdalene and Thomas, we now see the emotional response of Peter, perhaps Jesus' closest and most trusted friend.

Peter is clearly excited to see Jesus again. He jumped out of the boat to get to him! But then Jesus asks him a question that we must all come to terms with:

Do you love me?

Peter answers quickly. Of course I love you, I'm thrilled to see you alive again! Jesus charges him to feed his sheep. But then Jesus asks again.

Do you love me?

Peter answers again, maybe a little hesitant this time. Why is he asking again? Yes, I love you. And Jesus charges him again to shepherd his sheep. But then Jesus asks a third time.

Do you love me?

At this point, John diverts from the pattern and tells us that Peter is grieved. Why is Peter grieved?

This is where some would say that knowing the Greek words for "love" provides a deeper understanding of this passage. Jesus uses "agapao" in his first two questions, and this word is often used for sacrificial love. In contrast, Peter replies with "phileo," which often signifies brotherly love. In the third question, Jesus matches Peter and uses "phileo." And that is when Peter is grieved. But why?

Several interpreters have tried to insist that Peter was grieved by Jesus' change in wording, as if Jesus is confronting Peter's lack of sacrifice. That seems to fit the recent context, where Peter had just denied Jesus rather than face punishment for knowing him. Maybe Jesus is just putting him in his place.

But there is another interpretation that better fits the character of Jesus, and it doesn't require knowing Greek. It just requires counting to three. It is more likely that Peter is grieved, not because the word choice, but because of the three times Jesus says it. He is grieved because this mirrors the three times that Peter denied him. All the shame is hiding just under the surface.

But Jesus' goal is not shame. It is restoration. For each question there is a charge. And that charge is for Peter to rise to a privileged place of leadership in the church that Jesus would soon establish. He needed a leader who could feed and nourish a weak fellowship into a strong Spirit-filled movement which would go on to turn the world upsidedown. And Peter was the man for the job.

So the question remains for us today. Are we ready to move past our grief and shame, even if we've betrayed Jesus time and again? Are we ready to receive the power of the Holy Spirit and proclaim the resurrected Jesus? Are we prepared to bear our cross today?

Do you love me?

A King and His Bride

Psalms 45:6-7

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions

...............

This chapter stands out in the Psalms for several reasons. The first and most obvious is that this song is not primarily directed to God. We have gotten used to these prayers and petitions addressing God directly, and then we are greeted with this romantic love song about a king and his bride. Why is it here and what does it mean for us?

Surely we can relate to a love song. Our culture today is filled with pop radio hits which linger on the emotional and physical details of lovers. We are built for relationship and every culture and people have given voice to their love through song. The Hebrews were no exception.

This Psalm first addresses Israel's king. The writer gushes with admiration for this mighty leader. What strikes me most is that the king is praised for both his meekness and his military strength, for both loving righteousness and hating wickedness. The takeaway: a good leader and a good government is marked by this twofold character. That every act of strength against an enemy must have a heart of love and righteousness behind it.

The second half of the psalm addresses the king's bride. She is encouraged to leave her family and commit herself completely to him. Her clothing and her companions are described in turn, rich adornments for her beauty. Like the king, the emphasis is on how blessed and how glad she must be. This is a celebration of the bride and their committed relationship.

As we've seen throughout the Psalms, while there is a clear meaning rooted in the writer's own time and place, there is also a secondary reference to our own Messiah and King: Jesus. I can say that with confidence because verses 6-7 are quoted directly by the author of the letter to the Hebrews hundreds of years later (Heb. 1:8-9). The New Testament writer used this Psalm along with several other passages to highlight Jesus' authority, power, and worth above all angels or earthly powers. His kingship is the government par excellence, taking the characteristics that the psalmist praised to the ultimate degree.

Likewise we can project the praises for the bride onto the ultimate bride of Christ, the Church. For what is the image that the book of Revelation uses to picture the final culmination of redemption history? A wedding! A great feast where our bridegroom finally reunites with the lover he purchased with his own blood. May we learn to revel in this cerebration and marvel at his grace and majesty.

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

"Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."
(Revelation 19:6‭-‬9)

My Story

This is my story. My story is about how Jesus rescued me and how my heart and later my mind came to really believe that.

In November 1998, I was 16 years old and I was spiraling toward ruin. I remember my time in middle school and high school vividly. I remember being lonely. I remember craving relationship and not knowing how to fill that vacuum. I remember the crushes. I remember nights lying in bed crying and not even knowing why I was alive.

I was a good student. I was a class clown. I had friends. I was successful on the outside, but there was darkness within.

But one night, a friend invited me to church and everything changed.

I saw people singing about Jesus and I felt something powerful happen. I heard that Jesus died for me. I experienced the presence of God, an awareness that something supernatural did exist and could be present in my life. And my friend's mom prayed with me right there to accept Jesus as my Savior.

I remember driving home just filled with energy! I had met God and I knew things were different now. I was not alone.

And life was different. I made Christian friends. The church's youth pastor stuck a bass guitar in my hand and gave me a stack of songs to learn. I learned through new friends and through new music and through hearing God's Word. I was starting to grow.

But then I went to college at Florida State. I started taking classes from professors who criticised Christian faith and treated it as a mere myth among other myths. I began to wonder how I could claim Jesus was the only way. I saw that other religions have community and compassion and music and mystical experiences. Why did I think my experience of God was more true than theirs? My heart had felt God, but my mind was not convinced.

One night, my dorm roommate, who was not a Christian, directly confronted me with these questions. And I didn't have answers. I went to bed not knowing if I'd wake up still believing.

By God's grace, I did not give up. I looked for answers in the Bible. I continued talking with my Christian friends and older members of my church. I read. I studied. I pressed on.

I came to Louisville to attend seminary, still hungry for answers. I learned about the historical validity of the New testament and the verifiable facts supporting Jesus' resurrection. I met several mentors who introduced me not just to apologetic arguments for God's existence, but to the full spectrum of the Christian worldview. I learned why the biblical view of the world is in fact the most intellectually consistent view on every major topic: on the nature of reality, on man's identity and purpose, on how we know what we know, what is the basis for good and evil, why do we perceive beauty and crave a sense of wonder, how can we thrive in our families, our work life, and our community. I started getting answers. My head was catching up to my heart.

Today, I am a product of my past, a finite person who is still hungry for answers and hungry for relationship. I am still a sinner and I still break promises and I still fight the darkness within. But I am also a redeemed sinner. I stand on the fact of Jesus' resurrection. I stand on the fact that my faith and my feelings are now rooted not in myself or anything I can do, but rooted in what He had done for me. These words are my hope and I know nothing can undo it or take it away:

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

Hearing, Seeing, Believing

John 20:11, 25

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb...

So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe."

...............

John 20 is about the resurrection of Jesus. But it's also about how we respond and arrive at our own belief in the resurrection. Two characters in particular are highlighted here: Mary Magdalene and Thomas.

Mary's reaction to recent events truly captures the emotional gravity of what has transpired. Facing the empty tomb and thinking that someone had stolen Jesus' body, Mary stood weeping, certainly holding her face with both hands, grieving deeply for this shocking loss.

We can imagine what Mary was feeling as she stood by the tomb. We forget that Jesus' death was such a shock. Just days before, he was welcomed to Jerusalem with shouts of Hosanna. The King, the Messiah had arrived! He taught in the temple courts. He shared a meal with his dearest friends. Despite Jesus' own hints and predictions, the disciples had no idea what was coming.

Processing this shock and grief, Mary stood by the tomb, and the tears came fast and she let them escape freely. He's gone, she thought. He's really gone.

But she looked in the tomb one last time. What did she see? She was met by an unexpected sight indeed. First two angels addressed her. And then she was met by Jesus, though she doesn't recognize him, her grief and despair blinding her. And what do they each in turn say to her? They ask why she is weeping. They comfort her. And then Jesus opens her eyes by calling her by name. She hears this familiar voice she knows so well, calling her personally by name, and she believes.

In contrast to this intimate picture, John 20 next highlights the doubting response of Thomas. Following the encounter with Mary, Jesus appears miraculously in a locked room and presents himself to all the disciples - all except Thomas. Later, when told about this, Thomas is incredulous. He says he will only believe it if he can see and touch Jesus for himself.

Thomas's response is not unlike the objections we hear in our present day and age. When you share the good news of Christ's miraculous resurrection with 21st century Americans, you may find that our post-enlightenment culture refuses to accept any truth-claim that cannot be verified empirically.

There is actually some validity to this cultural intuition. While the Bible describes an open system where divine intervention is real and accepted, there is also an observable order to the natural world where rules of cause and effect are our default expectation. The scientific method was actually built on Christian assumptions, that natural laws implied the existence of a Law-Giver. Generally, we should base our beliefs on observable and verifiable fact, and various Scripture passages support this (cf. Deut. 18:20-22, 1 Cor 15:12-19, 1 Pet 3:15, 1 John 1:1).

But what do we make of John 20:29? Jesus presented his wounds to Thomas. We see the incredible humility of a holy God, who has already left heaven and suffered a criminal's death on our behalf, but is here condescending to the objections of a doubting friend. Jesus complies, proves his divine nature, and rightly receives worship from Thomas in response - he believes and proclaims that Jesus is in fact God the Creator in the flesh. And then, as he often does, Jesus concludes the episode with a word of explanation, and this one is especially pointed to all of us reading about it centuries later.

Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (20:29)

Have you believed? Though you cannot hear or see Jesus today, will you be blessed by believing the good news of the resurrection? There are facts and clues upon which to base your faith today. Have you searched the scriptures, passed down faithfully and accurately through the years? Have you trusted the testimonies of dear friends, or listened to the hymns and stories of old? Do you hear the ring of truth in a God who becomes man and suffers in your place? Will you receive this blessing and find life in his name? (20:31). He is calling - how will you respond?

According to Plan

John 19:30

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

...............

Jesus died according to plan.

We know this from the first chapter of John, where the writer alludes to his rejection and where John the Baptist calls Jesus the lamb of God. We know this death was planned from Jesus' description of himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. We saw in John 17 how Jesus prayed about this plan which was set in place from all eternity. And we know it was planned from how so many scripture passages were fulfilled in such detailed ways. John 19 gives four explicit fulfillments:

1. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, "They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." So the soldiers did these things. (19:24)

2. After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), "I thirst." (19:28)

3. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken."  (19:36)

4. And again another Scripture says, "They will look on him whom they have pierced." (19:37)

Why does it matter that Jesus' death would fulfill these detailed predictions? For one, it is evidence that gives credibility to Jesus' claim to be the Son of God and long-expected Messiah. Jesus had claimed to be older than Abraham. He claimed to speak for God. He claimed to have shared glory with the Father from eternity past. In short, he claimed to be God, and these fulfillments of Scripture are mentioned by John to further prove who Jesus really was. He even says so in verse 35:

He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe.

John knew that many would find these claims outrageous and that many would accuse the early Christians of believing a lie. So, these Scripture fulfillments matter because they make it hard to claim a coincidence has occurred. The fulfilled prediction of events makes it appear that it was all planned -- and therefore it has real meaning for us.

I think that these fulfillments matter for another reason: they reinforce the feeling that something historic has just been accomplished. When a Scripture is fulfilled hundreds of years after it was written, you know something climactic has occured. This death was the culmination of a much longer story -- the story of man's broken relationship with their Creator. This sense of culmination is underscored by the phrase "it is finished."

What exactly did this death finish? It's honestly not clear from the context. Was Jesus just stating the obvious, that his life is now ended?

No, this means far more than that. The early believers would flesh out the atoning work of Christ in fascinating detail in the other books of the New Testament. In Romans 8, we learn how Christ's death fulfills the law for us. In 2 Corinthians 5, we learn how his death was an exchange that makes us righteous before a holy God. In Hebrews, we learn even more aspects of this finished work and how it atones for us in ways that the priests and sacrifices of old could never do.

In fact, we will spend an eternity pondering the riches of this finished work. There will always be more to understand and appreciate as this work is applied to us personally by faith. Consider the finality of this forgiveness and remember that nothing you do can undo it. It is final and it is complete and it is effective. Live in that freedom and rejoice!

And when before the throne
I stand in him complete
"Jesus died my soul to save"
my lips shall still repeat.

Jesus paid it all!
All to him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
he washed it white as snow.

Slaughtered yet Loved

Psalms 44:20‭-‬23

If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!

...............

On first glance, this Psalm appears to be a simple cry for help. The psalmist is clearly in the depths of despair, feeling abandoned by God. There is a familiar pattern we see in many of the laments. The structure of the poem breaks down like this:

A recounting of God's past faithfulness (v. 1-8)
An accusation of God's present rejection (v. 9-22)
A plea for God's future deliverance (v. 23-26)

Granted, no painful crisis is simple, and pleading for God's intervention is not all that simple either. We are reminded again of the importance of remembering God's real intervening actions in times past. We are reminded that great men and women of faith had times of real doubting and even voiced honest accusations in prayer to God. God can handle our honesty, and that is often the path of reflection that reconnects us to our merciful Savior in the midst of deep pain. He empathizes with our weakness and temptations because he too bore them in Christ.

But compared to other Psalms, this does not appear to break new ground or reveal anything new about who God is or what he has accomplished. That is, until you recognize how this Psalm is quoted by Paul in Romans 8. Let's focus there for a moment:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35‭-‬39)

This passage in Romans is one of the richest promises in all of Scripture. The assurance and permanence of the love of Christ is described with absolute certainty, no matter the circumstance. And here we find that the more we grasp the depths of Psalm 44, the more rich and relieving this promise becomes.

That must have been Paul's intention. His Jewish audience should have been familiar with this painful Psalm and the emotions it would invoke. And despite the sense of rejection the persecuted Roman Christians felt, God had not fallen asleep or forgotten his precious children. Nothing, absolutely nothing in all creation, could separate them from the love of God now fully revealed in the finished work of Christ.

Lord, help me to bring my crisis to you in honest prayer. I am weak and short-sighted. Help me to see and believe that you remain faithful even in this hard time. And I know this is true because you have offered your Son who has conquered death and now lives in me. All I have and all I will ever need is found in you:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:31‭-‬32)

The Upsidedown Kingdom

John 18:36‭-‬38

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world."  Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice."  Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, "I find no guilt in him."

...............

The Creator has been put in chains. Our Maker has been betrayed by his closest friends. The King of the universe stands humiliated before the governors of men. Moments before, he was describing the glory he shared with the Father before the world began. Now, he is condemned by a kangaroo court and rejected by a crowd who preferred a known murderer. What does he say in his defense?

My kingdom is not of this world.

As we have seen time and again, the Gospels portray a Savior who is not what we expected. From his humble birth by an unwed teenager, to his obscure upbringing in Nazareth, to his ministry of parables and dining with sinners -- this is not the Davidic Messiah that they were hoping for.

John 18 brings this upsidedown narrative to its climax. Clearly Peter thought that striking the high priest's servant with a sword was fitting with Jesus' mission. The disciples had lived through decades of government oppression, unable to worship and govern themselves freely. Other zealots and insurrectionists had come and gone, offering a rebel's hope against the monolithic Roman empire. And Jesus had proven his supernatural power before their very eyes. Surely he would turn that power against the injustice of Rome and free Israel once and for all!

But this hope was false and it shows how our biases can deceive us, even when the truth is explained over and over.

No, the kingdom of Jesus would not come through violent force, but through a humble sacrifice. Our Darwinian intuition, that might makes right, had blinded us to the beauty of a better way. What we really needed, more than a political Savior, was the forgiveness and new heart that only a resurrected Jesus could offer. Our sights were set too low -- why would Jesus defeat one Roman ruler when he had the power to destroy death itself for all time and open up eternal life to any one who believes in him?

What does this mean for us today? Even for those who know and love this upsidedown gospel message, are we quick to put our trust in political promises? Or even more likely, do we forget to turn the other cheek, and instead hold a grudge or take revenge on others in small subtle ways? Each day we are offered choices between the way of the Cross and the way of the world. If our King was willing to swallow his pride and take a hit for us, surely we should expect to do the same. He even promised it would be so.

Lord, give me grace today to be more like Jesus. Help me to love even my enemies who are right now working to hurt and ruin me. Let me be a faithful citizen of that kingdom which is not of this world.

When Jesus Prays for Us

John 17:1‭-‬5

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,  since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.  And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.  I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.  And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

...............

John 17 is called the High Priestly Prayer, and that will only matter to you if you have a deep appreciation for what a priest is meant to be. As the book of Hebrews repeatedly claims, Jesus took the role of priest and did so in a way far superior to the earthly priests of Israel. He not only intercedes for us before a holy God, but does so in a way that is perfect and permanent. He is also unlike the human priests in that he did not offer an imperfect lamb -- he offered the perfect gift of himself to atone for our sins completely.

So, what does this prayer tell us about the priestly role of Jesus? And what does this matter in our own lives?

First, in this prayer, we are given a rare glimpse into the intimacy between Jesus and his Father. The Gospels have so far described Jesus' prayer life from the outside, but here we get an emotional peak behind the curtain. We are given an idea of what else Jesus was thinking and feeling in Gethsemane, just hours before his trial and execution. Jesus twice refers to his relationship with the Father existing before the world began, confirming again his divine nature. So, we are seeing Jesus' divinity, his special relationship with the Father, and all in the context of him facing the ultimate sacrifice. We see a man deeply concerned for his friends who are about to face many fears and threats of there own. We see the heart of Jesus toward his Father and toward us his followers. This is the only kind of priest we can put our hope in.

Second, we are shown some of the specific things which Jesus prays for, which include some incredible life-changing promises for you and I. These include eternal life, which he says consists primarily of knowing the Father and Son personally. He prays for his friends, for their protection in the face of a hateful world. He prays that they would be sanctified in the truth, set apart to know and proclaim the good news. He prays for those who would believe through their preaching, including us reading this today centuries later. He prays for our unity, and the means of that unity -- that we would know the love that is shared between the Father and Son.

This last part of the prayer is worth focusing on, because it is requested as if it were already guaranteed:

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.  I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:24‭-‬26)

What initially sounds like a prayer request ends up sounding like a guarantee. Jesus desires us to be with him, to see his glory that has existed from all eternity. And he promises to continue making this glory known to us. What a promise! And what does it mean to know his glory? It means experiencing the love which the Father has for his precious son. It means having Jesus himself in us, the object of God's eternal affection.

What could possibly matter more to our daily life? What fear, what anxiety, what disappointment could possibly stand up in the face of such a phenomenal promise that is ours today? Christ in us, the hope of glory! Consider the great exchange Jesus has made with us. He is our priest and our sacrifice, and in his place we now stand -- forgiven, accepted into God's family, filled with his power and presence, and promised an inheritance we didn't deserve.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Talk to Yourself

Psalms 42:9‭-‬11

I say to God, my rock:
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?"
As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
"Where is your God?"
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

............

Psalms 42 and 43 together form one song with a repeating refrain. This is one of the few Hebrew poems with a chorus, making it suddenly familiar and similar to our modern pop songs and worship ballads. What makes it a little different than most Christian worship songs is that the psalmist is talking to himself. Rather than addressing God directly or even addressing fellow believers, he is talking to himself. And since he repeats it three times, it's worth focusing on this verse as the key phrase in the passage:

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

Notice there is a question and an answer. This reflects the turmoil the psalmist is experiencing within himself. The surrounding verses include reference to feeling desperate for God's help, thirsty for God, aching for relief. Verse 8 describes a man so oppressed by enemies that he goes around mourning, wondering why God has abandoned him. But the chorus turns the question from God to himself. It is a turning point, a step away from despair and toward resolution. And the resolution is an effort of faith:

Hope in God for I shall again praise him.

I call this an effort of faith because believing in the midst of trials can be a real effort. Some circumstances can be so loud that they drown out other voices. His enemies are asking "where is your God?" And he is tempted to ask himself that as well. But, notice that the psalmist instead chooses to remember times past when he felt closer to God and enjoyed his blessing (verse 4). This is part of the effort to fight despair and believe in God's goodness. When we recall better days, we can hope for future blessings with more confidence.

For another example of this practice of talking to yourself, consider Lamentations, where Jeremiah was facing terrible trials of his own:

But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
(Lam. 3:21‭-‬23)

So, talk to yourself. Instead of just listening to your surroundings or your own doubts, fire back with the objective truth of the gospel. Once you've voiced your fears to God, go a step further and choose to remember the truth of God's goodness and preach it to yourself. This is more than the power of positive thinking. This is exercising real choice in what you think about and applying the truth to your own heart when you need it most. Call him your Rock, your salvation, your God. Sing along with the saints the words that your heart desperately needs to hear.

Here's another example from the hymnal to keep you talking to yourself:

Arise, my soul, arise,
shake off your guilty fears:
the bleeding Sacrifice
in my behalf appears:
before the throne my Surety stands,
before the throne my Surety stands,
my name is written on his hands.

My God is reconciled;
his pard'ning voice I hear;
he owns me for his child,
I can no longer fear;
with confidence I now draw nigh,
with confidence I now draw nigh,
and "Father, Abba, Father!" cry.

(Charles Wesley 1742)

Why Did He Leave?

John 16:5‭-‬7

But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'  But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.  Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

...............

Christians believe some pretty strange things. The most peculiar is also the most important to us: that God the creator became a man. And not just any man at any time, but a particular Jewish carpenter in first century Palestine. And that he not only lived a life of truth and love and holiness, but that he was actually God. And not only that he was God, but that he died a sacrificial death and then defeated death itself by rising again. We believe all this.

And yet sometimes the hardest thing to believe is that he did all this and then chose to leave! He didn't stick around. It seems like believing and following him would be much easier if he was physically here to lead us and protect us.

Of course, we know that the disciples saw Jesus in person and still had many doubts and fears. Even here in John 16, they were very confused by Jesus' teaching. "A little while? We won't see him for a little while? What's that mean?" So belief is hard even when Jesus is standing right in front of you. Remember John 6? Most of his followers gave up and walked away, even when the miracle maker was right in front of them.

So we come to chapter 16 and we find that Jesus warned his friends that he would be leaving and he even explains why. He tells them that it's actually better that he leave. Why? So that instead of seeing Jesus, they could receive the spirit of God into their very selves. Jesus makes some incredible promises about the benefits of this indwelling presence of God's Spirit. Here are just a few:

1. Conviction of sin. The hatred of sin that we so desperately need must come from within.

2. Conviction of righteousness.  Likewise, the love for holiness must also come from within.

3. Conviction of judgment. Specifically judgment on the ruler of this world, which comes through his spirit-filled people.

4. Timely reminders of truth. Notably, Jesus says there are things we should know, but we cannot bear to hear them until the time is right and we are ready. Lifelong learning directly from the Spirit within us.

5. Answered prayer. A new kind of access to God and assurance of answers comes only when he himself lives within us.

6. Joy and peace. When God himself lives in you, you experience his joy and his contented peace, even in the face of the most difficult circumstances. And those trials are promised in this passage as well.

And there are countless other benefits which explain why Jesus left and why the Spirit had to come. One more passage comes to mind, which reveals that this indwelling experience of God was no afterthought, but was in fact the plan of redemption all along. Lord, help us to treasure this incredible privilege of knowing you so truly and intimately.

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jeremiah 31:31‭-‬34)

Fruit from God, Fruit for God

John 15:5‭-‬8

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Genesis 1:28

And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

...............

What makes a fruit different than a vegetable? Fruit is what a plant produces. A vegetable is itself a plant or a root. Fruit is vibrant, sweet, living. Vegetables are starchy, dense, filling. It is no mistake that we call a lazy person a "couch potato" or someone who "vegetates," while we associate being "fruitful" with every manner of productivity. One is associated with life. The other associated with death. (You're welcome to all those veggie-haters out there!)

In John 15, Jesus uses yet another earthy metaphor to once again define who he is and who we are called to be, and this time it revolves around fruit.

Jesus tells us that he himself is like a vine, and that we are the branches. In John's typical style, the logic of the passage is not linear, but spirals back and forth, revolving around a central idea. The references to Jesus and to us his followers are intertwined, much like the Vine and branches he describes. With each spiral we get more clarity on what is meant, until finally the meaning is laid bare towards the end.

I am the Vine, you are the branches.

Abide in me, and I in you.

Apart from me you can do nothing.

Abide in my words, and I will abide in you.

My command is love, and you will prove you are mine by this love.

The greatest love is to die for a friend.

You are no longer servants.

I have called you friends.

It takes some mental energy to tie all these thoughts together, but it is very important that we do. Each thought hangs on the one that precedes. Pull one out, and the reality fades away. For example, we might agree that love is important. But if we do not begin with Jesus and our abiding connection to him and his word, we will quickly miss the uniqueness of the love that is required here. Not just any love will do. It must be a love that gives, a love that is like fruit emanating from the connecting vine. The personal connection to the living God must exist, for this is a kind of love that cannot be mustered or even imagined apart from his direct involvement.

I've included the passage from Genesis 1, because it occurs to me that this is not a new idea that Jesus is offering. He is simply restating God's good design which was there in the beginning. Humans are made in God's image, uniquely crafted to reflect God's nature. And that nature is to overflow in giving and creating.

The idea of being fruitful and multiplying should conjure images of rainforests, oceans teeming with life, and yes, bustling cities and thriving rural communities. The earth is brimming over with life and energy and ideas and plans being executed day after day.

And you and I are being called to participate in this global multiplication of new life. We are called to be more than consumers. Rather than spend our days taking from others, we should be drawing inspiration directly from a relationship with God and then spilling out his love into the world that so desperately needs to see Him.

Lord, convince me once again that I am made to bear fruit for you and so glorify you the ultimate Creator. Let me drink daily from your life-giving word, remembering the love you gave by dying for your friends. Let the fruit come directly from you and let it be all for you as well.

Faith Like Abraham

Romans 4:18-5:1

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

...............

Let's work backwards in the passage and see how Abraham is an example of faith for us today.

Romans 5:1 tells us we have peace with God through Jesus. We know that our sin and selfishness have separated us from God. And furthermore, because God is holy and just, we deserve to be treated as enemies of God. So how do we obtain this peace? The verse says it is through being justified by faith.

The "therefore" in 5:1 is referring to the entirety of Romans 1-4. The first four chapters of Romans explain why faith is more effective than works at making us right (or "justified") with God. In summary, the human race has proven by our behavior that we have exchanged the glory of God for idols. Both the religious and non-religious alike. We all fall short. We have all gone astray. But something changed in human history when Jesus came:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Romans 3:21-24 ESV)

This is all setting the stage for chapter 4, where Paul backtracks to the story of Abraham to prove that faith is more effective than works and more glorifying to God. He points out several key points:

- That Abraham's faith was "credited to him as righteousness." (4:1-3)

- That it is more blessed to receive a gift than to receive wages for work. (4:4-8)

- That the blessing of being declared righteous by faith occurred before Abraham was circumcised, so it is clearly not dependent on Jewish ritual. (4:9-12)

- That this righteousness by faith is available to the gentiles, who are true children of Abraham if they share the kind of faith he had. (4:13-17)

- That Abraham modeled faith by trusting God's promise that he would father a child and many more descendants. (4:18-19)

And then to this incredible statement in verse 20-22:

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:20-22 ESV)

First of all, I am struck by how Abraham is here honored for his unwavering certainty, but if you read the story in Genesis, he did not seen very certain at all. He actually goofed up and wavered on this very topic, taking Hagar and fathering Ishmael. There were many ramifications for this error for generations to come. But Paul honors him for his faith. That gives me huge encouragement that, through the eyes of grace, I too will be remembered for my faith and not my sins.

Second, notice the object of faith: the promise of God. We must remember that our faith may sometimes be weak, but it is the strength of the object that really matters. My car is approaching 200k miles and likes to stall when it idles. It is not a strong object of my faith. But I still trust it everyday with my life! How much more should we trust God, who calls things into existence out of nothing and can give life to the dead?

Third, notice that Abraham's faith needed to grow, and the way faith grows is by giving glory to God. Even if our knowledge of God is small and our faith weak, we can grow by exercising that faith. Take it out for a test drive. Practice thinking about what God has promised. Practice banking on that promise. Practice acting on it. And it will grow stronger, because you are testing the strength of the object of your faith and actually experiencing its trustworthiness. If a man pushes a wheelbarrow across a tightrope, you might trust he can do it. But what if he asks you to jump in?

Finally, acting on your certainty of God's promise gives him glory and makes him look good to others. It is important that we practice trusting and obeying even when it doesn't make sense immediately. God will at times call you to obey in ways that are not intuitive, not convenient, that interrupt your plans, that may even feel foolish or hurt your pride. But trusting him in those moments makes God look good and wise. And you are displaying your humble dependence on him.

Now remember, Abraham is our example. So we know that obeying when it's hard may lead to us making mistakes along the way. And that's okay! The point is not getting every decision perfect. The point is to display faith like Abraham and try again until you get it right.

Towards the end of his life, Abraham faced such a test. He offered up his son. An act of obedience that made no sense. But over the decades of walking with God, Abraham had tested God over and over and found He was right every time. So he was prepared to do the hard thing. And he is now honored for that act. And it turned out to be a symbol of God offering up his own Son for our sakes.

Verse 22 says this is why his faith was counted as righteousness. It's not just any kind of faith that makes you righteous. It's a particular kind of faith in a particular God, with particular trustworthy attributes, who gave particular promises that cannot fail.

Questions for application:

1. Name one of God's promises. (Any promise)
2. Name a time that you really trusted one of God's promises and it made an impact on your life or your decisions.
3. What can you do this week to help your faith in God's promises grow stronger?

Repaying Evil with Good

Psalm 41:9-10

Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. 
But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them!

...............

At first glance, Psalm 41 appears to endorse revenge - you hurt me, now I will hurt you. Many of the psalms lament the injustice of bloodthirsty men and include prayers for God to bring relief and repay the evildoer. In this case, the evildoer is a said to be a close friend of the psalmist, adding further insult to injury. The writer is clearly asking for God's help so that he can repay his betrayer. So, what makes this different than the typical Tarantino movie? Is the Bible allowing or even encouraging revenge?

First, we should remember that the Psalms are poetry. And while that doesn't mean we can reinterpret them however we want, it does mean they are often very honest and personal in nature. Not everything uttered by the psalmist is necessarily an example for us to follow, since he too is a sinner struggling with faith in the midst of great trials. With some statements, we should mimic the honesty before God, but also mimic the overcoming of doubts, fears, and hate with patient faith in the One who will act on our behalf.

Second, this particular verse is actually referenced much later by Jesus himself, during the last supper.  Jesus gives us a bigger picture and a clearer example to follow when it comes to betrayal and revenge:

And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me." They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me.  For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." (Mark 14:17-21)

When faced with betrayal by one of his closest friends, Jesus conveyed the psalmist's honesty and emotion. He stated that this man whom he trusted will indeed see vengeance. But that revenge doesn't come with an immediate show of force from Jesus, though he had every right and the power to do so. No, Jesus held his peace, accepted the will of God, and trusted that God would bring the vindication he so powerfully desired. Rather than draw his sword, he washed his disciples' feet, wore the crown of thorns, and hung on the cross, while praying for those who killed him. What a display of trust in the justice of God!

Thirdly, and similarly, the early church gave specific instruction on the topic of revenge, apparently because it was a common temptation we all would face:

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 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.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21)

Do we see how this does not contradict what we read in the psalms? Both parts of the Bible are actually conveying the same truth: vengeance belongs to God. After we make our honest prayers for God to bring justice, we must trust God completely. Then, we must overcome evil with good and even be willing to bless our enemies rather than curse them. That is the fullest expression of trust in God's timing and justice. And that act of trust may even turn that enemy into a friend.

The psalmist takes the desire for revenge and redirects it to God in honest and emotional prayer. The Savior modeled for us the patience and trust we will need to overcome evil with good. And the early church fleshed out these truths in direct application in the midst of injustice and trials.

Lord, see the injustice that we face each day, especially in cities and nations where your Word is forbidden and your name is dishonored. Look upon your children who are victims of violence and persecution. Have mercy and bring justice, for your glory and for the good of those you love. For only you have the wisdom and patience to respond to evil and overcome it with good. Fill us with that same spirit as we face today's temptations to take revenge into our own hands.

The Way, The Truth, & The Life

John 14:6-7

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

...............

Verse six is easily the most familiar verse in this chapter. It is the clearest statement of the exclusivity of the Christian faith - that there is only one path to know the true and living God. In the 1st century then, and in the 21st century now, this statement continues to shock and confound. How could a poor Palestinian man claim to be himself the only way to God? This is ludicrous! How could millions of people believe this?

The short answer is: the empty tomb and the witnesses thereof. The only way that such a ludicrous claim could be justified is if it was true and proven true by the public defeat of death itself. There are many arguments I could dive into to defend this narrow belief - the sacrificial martyrdom of the disciples, the journalistic quality of the four Gospel accounts, the simple beauty of the God-made-flesh offer of reconciliation. And I strongly encourage you to research further, for these questions are worth far more time than this space affords.

But, what I want to meditate on here is to take this verse a step further than the question of exclusivity. There are three obvious questions that are begged from this verse:

1. The Way, to what?
2. The Truth, about what?
3. The Life, how?

The first question might be the easiest to answer, since the verse itself explains: no one comes to the Father except through me. The goal of this way is to get to the Father. Likewise, verses 2-5 preface this statement by describing the Father's "house" where Jesus is going to prepare a place for us.

So, beyond the topic of exclusivity, where is this "way" taking us and why do I want to go there? Simply put, the end goal of this "way" is reconciliation with our Maker and entrance into his presence, with no more sin separating us - this will be the fulfillment of our hearts' deepest need. The idols we have craved will pale in comparison to the vision of glory that awaits us. And Jesus himself is the way to this reunion, because he is in the Father and the Father is in him, as the chapter goes on to say.

The second question is not as obvious, but it too is answered in this chapter. For Jesus to call himself the Truth, he must embody the truth itself. This should remind us of John 1, where Jesus is referred to as the Word, the "Logos." He is claiming to be the message of God in the flesh. And what does God want to tell us? What is this truth we need to hear and believe?

The message is that God has come to be near to us, so that we can then be brought home to him.

Verses 23-24 further elaborate, stating that the word, the commandment, that Jesus gives us will be our guide on the path to restored unity with the Father:

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

The third question is closely connected to the last: what is this Life that Jesus offers? We know from John's theme verse that he wrote this whole book so that we might know that Jesus is the Christ and that we might have "life in his name" (20:31). We also know that Jesus offers a "new birth" after hearing his conversation with Nicodemus in chapter 3. So, what is the nature of this new life? Why should I want it?

Again, the context provides the answer. Jesus is here comforting his disciples, who are starting to realize that their leader is leaving them soon. He tells them that he will not leave them as orphans - that he will send a Helper. And here we start to understand what is meant by the Life that he offers.

Jesus is promising that his very spirit will live inside of us!

We may be familiar with this idea, but have you really just stopped and thought about that? The life that I could not find or create for myself, Jesus is offering to put into me. And not just any life, but his very own perfect, loving, God-glorifying life. This includes reminding us of his own message, the truth of his words resounding in our hearts (v 26). And this includes comforting us with his very real presence when we feel abandoned, never again to be orphans as we so deeply fear.

The Way home to be with our Father.

The Truth that is a message of love embodied in Jesus.

The Life that is fueled by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus offers these to us in his very nature. When we get lost, he himself becomes our way home. When we doubt, he himself reminds us of the true message of God's heart. And when we feel dead to the world, his Spirit within us makes us truly alive!

By This All Men Will Know

John 13:12-17, 35

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?  You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.  Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

...............

There has truly been no greater teacher. Having walked a hard road and now facing the hardest trial of his life, Jesus spent a last night together with his closest friends. Knowing he would be betrayed by one of these friends, he bends down to wash their feet. And, as if this tangible act of love was not enough, he explains what he is doing in some of the clearest words imaginable.

"Do you understand?" He cares not only that his words and deeds are true, but also that we are getting it. He is going to any lengths to get the message across. I love you. Now go and share my love.

"I have given you an example." A truly great teacher will give examples. Not just catchy illustrations, but personal testimony of how God's truth and grace are active in their life. A great teacher shows you. But the implication is that the learner is willing to watch, willing to get close enough to the teacher to be led firsthand. We must know him closely in order to live like he did.

There is also an implication here that we should be actively pursuing mentoring relationships with fellow believers. By seeing how an older brother or sister has applied their faith to real life situations, and hearing their specific advice for our own situations, we will drink deeply of the most potent source of strength available. Don't hesitate - find a mentor!

"If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." Zing! It hurts to realize when your knowledge of truth far outweighs the examples in your life where you are living it out. But Jesus didn't just guilt us into walking in fear of our own hypocrisy! He promised we would be more blessed (happy) if we put our knowledge of his love into practice regularly, rather than sit on it and let it fester unused. Hide it under a bushel? NO!

"By this all people will know." True knowledge occurs in both the heart and the mind. We hear propositional truth and give mental assent. But we must also know the One who is the Truth and let his love touch and shape our hearts. And other people will see the truth only when both realities are present. If they only get preached at, that is a half truth. If they only get physical care, that is also a half truth. Jesus displayed both and people will know we follow him by doing likewise.

I pray that we can take active steps to seek wise mentors, that we seek the personal guidance of the great Teacher himself, and then take active steps to love one another today. Grab the towel. Wash someone's feet today. Pursue what Schaeffer called the "final apologetic":

“Yet, without true Christians loving one another, Christ says the world cannot be expected to listen, even when we give proper answers. Let us be careful, indeed, to spend a lifetime studying to give honest answers. For years the orthodox, evangelical church has done this very poorly. So it is well to spend time learning to answer the questions of men who are about us. But after we have done our best to communicate to a lost world, still we must never forget that the final apologetic which Jesus gives is the observable love of true Christians for true Christians.”

Francis Schaffer, The Great Evangelical Disaster, pgs. 164-165