Category: Year C

2 Peter 1:2-15

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            I will admit that I am not much of a cat person.  I especially do not care for housecats.  I personally think their nocturnal behavior is creepy.  What is more, they get spoiled and finicky quite easily.  Some cats can get so fat and sassy that they turn up their nose on food that I would like to eat myself.  Yet, just as easily as a housecat can take for granted all she has, we as believers can far too easily lose sight of the incredible grace that we possess in Jesus Christ.
 
            Today’s New Testament lesson is meant to be a wake-up call to be reminded of how good we really have it.  God has given us his very great and precious promises.  He has given us everything we need for life and godliness for this present time.  And, yet, like a housecat sticking up her nose, we do not feed upon the grace that has been given to us.
 
            We need to come to our senses and make every effort to supplement our faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, steadfastness with godliness and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  This is how we make our calling and election sure.  We are to recall these things on a continual basis so as to not become fat and sassy Christians only showing up when we want something from our owner.
 
            Instead, be a dog person.  Have unbounded joy when God shows up.  Lay at the Master’s feet.  Eat whatever is put in front of you with happy abandon.  Anticipate the delight of walking alongside the owner as you stroll together through the neighborhood of life.
 
            Do not just pass over these wonderful verses today.  Read them over several times.  Drink them in and feed on them.  Savor the words of Holy Scripture.  Let the Holy Spirit teach you.  Enjoy Jesus today, my friend.
 

 

            Gracious God, thank you for giving me everything I need for life in this old world.  Your divine power is all I need.  I lack nothing in you.  I only ask that you help to live into the grace you have already given so that I can be effective in my Christian life for Jesus Christ, my Lord.  Amen.

Romans 8:22-25

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Advent is a season for patience, waiting, and anticipation.  As Christians, we have the confident hope that Jesus is coming.  His arrival is certain.  It will happen.  When my wife was pregnant with our firstborn daughter, the nine months seemed to go agonizingly slow.  And the closer the time came for her to be born it seemed she would never come!  But, of course, she did.  My first gander at a live childbirth was not a pretty sight; there was nothing at all romantic or glamorous about it.  It was not easy seeing my wife in such unique pain.  Yet, after it was all over, it was as if she had forgotten the difficulty of pregnancy and birth because her joy was so immense.
 
            In this world which is so full of physical, emotional, and even spiritual pain, we groan inwardly longing for the day when the promise will be realized and Jesus arrives.  Christians have a settled expectation that Jesus is coming.  If we keep our focus on this future reality, it helps to give shape and purpose to what we do now.  If we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it with patience.
 
            But sometimes we lose sight of our hope.  How do we hold on and not give in to discouragement?  How might we remain vigilant and steady, especially when times are difficult?  One way we persist is by not going it alone.  Christians all share the same common experience of needing to embrace hope.  We are to remind one another of our forgiveness in Christ, our shared love of Jesus, and our commitment to remain true to the Lord’s way of love.  Perhaps today you need to be vulnerable enough to openly share with a trusted believer how much you need your hope reawakened; or, maybe you have noticed someone who is losing hope and needs an intervention of encouragement.  Let us keep reminding each other that better days are coming….
 

 

            God Almighty, although this is a season of hope, many suffer in silence with hurting hearts.  Open my eyes to those around me who need their hope reawakened today, and use me to remind them of your abiding grace in Jesus Christ, our coming Savior.  Amen.

Philippians 1:12-18

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            It was President Ronald Reagan who said, “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.”  The ability to have a disinterest in attention and freedom from selfishness comes from a place of humility and strength – the strength to know oneself well and be secure in that knowledge, as well as the humility to care more about the cause than self.
 
            The Apostle Paul had so learned humility from his Lord, and was so thoroughly convinced of the gospel’s centrality that he did not care who got the credit when it came to proclaiming Jesus.  “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will….  The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.  What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.”
 
            The burning, driving, constant, and passionate pursuit of Paul was the advance of the gospel.  He wanted the entire world to know Jesus Christ crucified, risen from death, ascended and coming again.  And Paul would do anything and drain himself of every drop of self-centeredness in order to champion that great cause of seeing people repent and believe the gospel.
 
            Is your heart enamored with Jesus?  Is it hot with the desire to see the gospel of grace transform the world?  Do you lay awake at night wondering how to introduce Jesus to others?  Is the great cause of your life to find ways of meeting the world’s deep need with the deep love of Christ?  Attention and recognition are overrated.  Instead, give up your life and you will find it.
 

 

            Gracious God, thank you for the example of your servant Paul.  I rejoice in what you did in and through his life.  I am available for your purposes.  Use me in the advance of your gospel of grace so that I might more fully participate in your grand forgiveness mission.  Amen.

Luke 11:29-32

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Just when we think we might have a handle on Jesus as the meek and gentle Savior we get a picture of Jesus behaving badly.  When the crowds begin increasing we might expect Jesus to be pleased.  After all, we can have more being reached; wider influence; greater impact; good for business.  But Jesus isn’t down for all the people following him around.  He opens his mouth and says to them, “This generation is an evil generation.”  Jesus went on to chide the people who were looking for a cool miracle and a neat sign of his power and authority.  Nope.  Instead, Jesus lets them know that they have ample opportunity to accept him but are not moving in that direction.
 
            Sometimes we so desperately want to make Jesus cool and acceptable so that others will follow him.  If only Jesus will heal this person, we reason, lots of people will believe.  If only Jesus will compassionately and powerfully perform a great miracle, we think, the world will take notice and put their trust in God.  But Jesus simply points people back to characters of the Old Testament.  If people won’t take notice of what they already have, they are not going to be swayed with a shiny new sign.
 
            Jesus defies stereotypes.  And he ought to, because he is King.  This is why we need a steady daily stream of God’s Word to help ground us into the ways of Jesus.  The more we allow the Scriptures to shape our spirituality, the more our lives will be formed into the likeness of Jesus.  It is a process.  It is often slow.  There are not a lot of bells and whistles to it.  On most days, there is not a lot of drama – just the pedantic plodding of a faithful believer trying to make sense of living the Christian life.  And those are the people I think Jesus most likes to hang-out with.
 

 

            Astounding God, you sometimes shake us out our pre-conceived notions about you and invite us to see Jesus from a different viewpoint.  Help me to see Jesus so that I might more fully embrace him and walk in his ways in the strength of the Spirit.  Amen.