In step

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10

Timothy has . . . brought good news about your faith and love.
1 Thessalonians 3:6

Paul was overjoyed! He had sent his disciple, Timothy, back to the city of Thessalonica to check on the church they had recently planted there. And Timothy had returned with amazing news!

First, the background: Paul had spent only a short time in Thessalonica, establishing a community of Christ-followers, before an angry mob opposed to the gospel chased him off. Paul knew the deep challenges that the new Christians faced there in his absence, living in a culture that was deeply opposed to Christianity. He wouldn’t have been surprised if everyone had gone back to their former ways of life in Judaism or Greek tradition.

But Timothy came back with a report that the new Christians in Thessalonica were standing firm despite the challenges. They remained full of faith in Jesus. They even longed to see Paul again!

That doesn’t happen by accident. The God who raised Jesus from the dead also brought these people to life in him, and he kept them there. You might say that every standing-firm, new Christian was an ongoing resurrection story, a new creation, proof that God was up to something big: the renewal of all creation.

If anyone is in Christ, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians, there is a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come!

Lord, all of us who are new creations in Christ are glad to have your resurrection power at work in us. Thank you! The old is going away and the new is coming. Help us to see and rejoice. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — Romans 16:1-5

They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
Romans 16:4

What level of risk are you comfortable with? Are you willing to invest your money in something that could make a great profit but could also make a significant loss? Or would you rather keep your money safe in a bank?

Priscilla and Aquila were two ministry colleagues of Paul, and we can find parts of their story in Acts 18. These two new creations, people who were united to Christ in faith and becoming more like Jesus, did risky things in the name of protecting Paul and providing for him in order to share the good news of Jesus more widely. They were risk-tolerant when it came to spreading the gospel. They understood that risks taken in the name of Jesus are not necessarily risky in the long term. That’s because the future of all believers is secure in Christ.

Paul was grateful for these two new creations. The Gentile churches to whom Paul was able to minister, in part because of Priscilla and Aquila’s faith-filled risk tolerance, were also grateful.

I am grateful too. God made new creations out of these former unbelievers, and as new creations they have shown us what it means to hold everything but God loosely.

Thank you, dear Father, for re-creating Priscilla and Aquila through the Spirit of Jesus and calling them to work alongside Paul, taking risks for the sake of spreading the gospel. Turn our hearts in that direction as you re-create us too. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

[td]

One of the verses most sorely and regularly taken out of context is Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” We (rightfully) understand that the Bible calls individual believers into supernatural peace and practical rest. But this tranquil, green-pasture, Christ-my-shepherd picture is not the scene of Psalm 46. Here’s the intense song with its surrounding lyrics:​

[/td]​

[td]

“The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
‘Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!’
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Psalm 46:6-11 (ESV)​

[/td]​

[td]

The declaration “Be still!” interrupts a bloody conflict. Warring nations lay down their weapons in obedience to the Lord of Hosts, and He ushers in a total peace that makes His glory and utter sovereignty undeniable. The stillness that breaks into the psalm is all the more powerful given the chaotic setting of international war.​

[/td]​

[td]

What a word of hope for our Middle East news cycle. One day a ceasefire starts, the next day it’s violated, the next day its expiration date changes, and so on (catch up here). But the Lord will one day still war’s raging roller coaster.

[td]

Until that day, let’s come before our Great Peacemaker, asking that His will would be done on Earth as it is in Heaven:​

[/td]​

[td]

[td]

[td]

God our Fortress,
You have shed a glimmer of hope as weapons fall, skies quiet,
and the weary and war-torn burst with joy onto ruined streets.
Do we dare hope for peace?
One war spiraling into another has worn down Your people,
pressing in on all sides and reducing life to rubble.
Sons and daughters have been shipped off and lost.
Children have been orphaned and gone hungry.
Homes have been leveled and treasures lost.
The thorns of conflict have grown up
and choked out all that is good and beautiful,
and we are weary of praying for peace.
As this fragile truce totters, we offer an urgent, simple prayer:
May it stand.
King Who Holds All Things Together,
Hold together this agreement.
Grow in the hearts of all parties a true desire for lasting peace.
Bring clarity where vague terms undermine consensus.
Multiply the work of peacemakers to grow and bear fruit
across the Middle East and around the world.
Bring justice and freedom for prisoners of war,
and resolve tension about leadership and resources.
Open twisted, blocked lines of communication,
and grow buy-in and confidence so that peace endures.
Revive the people this war has devastated.
Bringer of Enduring Shalom,
You alone have the power to still raging armies
and usher in final peace.
But the rest You are bringing does not depend upon our enemy
agreeing to Your list of demands.
Your will—peace and renewal for the whole world—will be done.
May it be so in our world and in my life.
Amen​

[/td]​

[/td]​

[/td]​

[/td]​

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — Romans 16:7

Andronicus and Julius, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me . . . are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
Romans 16:7

The text that has shaped our month’s devotions (2 Corinthians 5:17) has an important, little phrase that shows up again here, in Romans 16:7: “in Christ.”

This phrase is one of the apostle Paul’s favorite descriptions of people who have come to believe in the Lord Jesus, are redeemed in him, and are being transformed into the likeness of Christ. They are “in Christ.” Christ is their home, their resting place, their source of life.

Today it is more common to say that these people are Christians. Paul said that they are “in Christ.”

Andronicus and Julius are new creations “in Christ,” along with all of the other people Paul mentions in Romans 16. And, according to Paul, they were believers “in Christ” before Paul himself was. In addition, their “in Christ” character led them to follow Christ into imprisonment alongside Paul. Their service for the Lord was so remarkable that Paul described them as “outstanding among the apostles.”

How did these two people become “in Christ”? God drew them into faith in Jesus, the one and only Savior. God’s love for them turned them into people who loved God. The Lord made them into new creations. And their transformation hints at something big: God’s new creation!

Thank God with me if he has done that for you too!

Thank you, God, for your work in all who are “in Christ,” from the early days of the church to the present. We are all your new creations! Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — Romans 16:12

Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. . . . [And] Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.
Romans 16:12

For the past few days we’ve looked through Paul’s greetings to helpers, coworkers, and other saints here in Romans 16, highlighting just a few of them. These people are all “in Christ,” and they are therefore new creations, as Paul puts it in our theme verse, 2 Corinthians 5:17.

In our text for today Paul highlights three women who are hard workers in the cause of Jesus Christ. Paul doesn’t tell us anything about their work, just that they embraced it as part of their service for Jesus.

Maybe you know people like that. I do. In my work as a consultant for church leaders, I have often seen council chairpersons step into challenging conversations, meet with angry church members, and provide calm leadership in tense council meetings. Many of them have told me they never would have thought they could manage situations like those when they were first called into office. But there they are, doing hard things, to the best of their ability, equipped with wisdom, humility, and persistence from God.

Let’s thank God for these people, and for all of the other new creations we know whose lives and hard work are signs that they are “in Christ,” pointing ahead to the new creation.

Lord, thank you for wise church leaders who are “in Christ” and whose work for the church reveals that you are living within them. By the power of your Spirit, strengthen them for calm times and challenging times. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — Romans 16:13

Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
Romans 16:13

Today let’s look at one more set of people whom Paul mentions in Romans 16: Rufus and his mother.

First, Rufus: Paul’s comment about Rufus is that he is “chosen in the Lord.” We’re not sure why Paul says that about Rufus, because the phrase “chosen in the Lord” describes every believer in Jesus. Could there have been some doubt within the Christian community in Rome about Rufus’s commitment to Christ? If so, Paul means to quell any sense of doubt by including Rufus here. In any case, Rufus is “in Christ.”

Next, Rufus’s mother is noted as being like a mother to Paul. In various ways, it seems, she revealed that she was “in Christ” through her care for Paul, a traveling missionary who rarely experienced the comforts of home. When people like Paul received hospitality, care, and welcome while traveling, they remembered people like Rufus’s mother.

Rufus’s mother reminds me of Jesus, whose hospitality and welcome were beautifully consistent and authentic. Picture Jesus providing food for large crowds, for example (Mark 6:30-44; 8:1-13). Picture him graciously calling Peter to serve again (John 21:15-19; April 12). Think about Jesus’ Spirit living in the heart of Rufus’s mother, a new creation whose care and kindness pointed to God’s work in the new creation, leading her to become like Jesus.

Live in us too, Lord. We want to see Christ’s resurrection at work in us. We want to see signs that we too are new creations. Give us that joy and peace, Lord. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:4-10

You are a chosen people . . . a holy nation, God’s special possession. . . .
1 Peter 2:9

While God is busy preparing the new creation, he is working on a special project. He is building a chosen people, a holy nation, the “special possession” that Peter talks about in our text for today.

Peter’s labels for God’s people are borrowed from the Old Testament. They were first used to describe ancient Israel, to signify their special status as God’s chosen nation. Now those labels are given to the collection of all who are “in Christ,” people from every nation and language that God calls to himself, believers in Christ who are waiting for God’s new creation.

All who believe in Christ as Lord and Savior are a part of that crowd, gathered from across the globe and throughout the ages. We whose lives are “in Christ” are living signposts of the great multitude that God is gathering, an important part of the coming new creation.

Look in the mirror today with this biblical lens: If you are a believer in Christ, you are gazing at a new creation—someone who is being made new in Christ. You are gazing at a living signpost of the big new creation that God is—even now— building. And you are somehow gazing into a global, timeless, and much-loved gathering— God’s holy people. All of this is proof that the old has gone, and the new has come!

What a joyous gift, O God, to be “in Christ” and looking forward to life with you as part of your holy people in your new creation. We praise and honor you for making all things new, including us. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:4-10

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession. . . .
1 Peter 2:9

We are often our own worst critics. I find that many of my inner thoughts tend to be negative about myself. “Kent, what were you thinking?” “You keep doing that. . . .” “Now they are going to think you’re a jerk.” And so on.

The truth is, we often have good reasons for chewing ourselves out. We mess up. Daily.

That’s why we need to go to the Bible and remind ourselves what God thinks of us. This beautiful text in 1 Peter helps us see how blessed and loved we are. We are chosen by God to become part of his family. This means we are royalty. We are princesses and princes in the kingdom of God, the Lord of the cosmos. We are also a priesthood, meaning we are made holy, pure, and dedicated to the One who is totally holy and pure. And we are called to praise this amazing God who has called us “out of darkness and into his wonderful light.”

Wow! We are not total screwups! No other creatures in the universe have more going for them than we do. Oh, sure, we don’t see the final product yet. But what Peter describes is the reality that God sees, and this is the reality we need to see.

When you are tempted to be negative, try talking to yourself this way: “Yes, I messed up. But I am chosen by God to be part of his family—holy, royal, and called to serve the King of the cosmos faithfully.” This is how God sees you.

Lord, thank you for remaking us in your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for calling us to live in your glorious light. Help us to think of ourselves as you do. In Jesus, Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — Mark 12:28-34

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”
Mark 12:30

As Jesus answers a question about the greatest commandment, he quotes from Deuteronomy 6 in the Old Testament. He emphasizes that loving God involves our whole being—every part of us. In this way Jesus draws attention to the Hebrew teaching of the heart as the center of our being, the seat of our mind, our will, and our emotions. Our mind is a fundamental part of our whole being.

Our mind is at the core of our self. Our everyday living flows from our thoughts and desires, and these are reflected in our words and deeds—all that we do and say. Most of our thoughts and desires go unnoticed by us and others, however. So if we want to obey the greatest commandment, we need to pay attention to our thoughts and desires. We need to pay attention to our mind.

With our mind we can tell the difference between right and wrong. We can make plans and figure out how to reach our goals. Our mind reflects our character and disposition. No wonder Jesus reminds us how important it is to love God with all our mind.

Yet I find that I rarely examine my mind to see if it is focused on loving God or on a swamp of ugly thoughts and desires. Is that true of you too?

This month let’s focus on serving God with all our mind. Let’s consider how God can transform us to live as he calls us to live—like Jesus.

O God, help us to think about what we think about. May our thoughts and desires be worthy of the children you call us to be, in Christ. Amen.