Discernment and Acceptance

Acceptance is a virtue that is easy to applaud. It feels good for everyone involved when we are approving, supportive, and accepting. Often that is precisely what life calls for—a broad, sympathetic, and inclusive heart that embraces someone even when they don’t deserve it (Rom.15:7; Col.3:13). But there is a complementary virtue that Jesus frequently taught us to possess. Perhaps it was emphasized so frequently throughout the Bible because it often feels bad, and is rarely applauded. I am talking about the biblical call for godly men and women to “beware” (Mt.7:15), “watch out” (Mk.8:15), “avoid” (Rom.16:17), and even “separate from” (2Cor.6:17) those who claim Christ, but practice and promote the things that are contrary to God’s word (1Cor.5:11). The core of this virtue is called “discernment” and it has certainly fallen out of favor in our day. But because, as the Bible warns, “false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you” (2Pt.2:1), we must be on guard. Especially because the twisting of the truth is rarely obvious. The wolves’ most effective work is done in sheep’s clothing (Mt.7:15). “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2Cor.11:14). So be discerning, and carefully consider when it is godly to be accepting and when it is not.

For more sermons and devotionals on Discernment and Acceptance, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Deliverance and Gratitude

It is easy to simplistically assume that if we trust in Christ and are considered by God to be his favored and adopted children then all should go relatively well for us—but of course that is not what the Bible teaches. Throughout the Bible we are reminded of the wide variety of reasons God chooses to providentially lead us through “the valley of the shadow of death.” The good news for God’s favored children is that he delivers us—even in our dying. And when he “redeems” us from our trouble, whether temporal or eternal, we should be careful to broadcast his deliverance as broadly as possible. Consider Psalm 107, which says that some of God’s children “wandered in desert wastes” (v.4), others “sat in darkness and in the shadow of death” (v.10), some had trouble on the seas (v.23), and others simply fell into all kinds of problems due to their own foolish decisions (v.17). No matter the dilemma, in each case in Psalm 107 the sufferers call out to the Lord, experience relief, and rejoice in God’s mercy toward them. Each act of “redemption,” we are told, needs to be celebrated. So when the Lord grants relief, regardless of how small it may be, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble” (v.2).

For more sermons and devotionals on Bearing Real Fruit, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org.  

Real Love

Having spent years walking through Israel with Jesus, having listened to him teach, and having seen him heal the sick and even raise the dead, the Apostle John distilled Christ’s love into this intriguing statement: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16a). Without reference to any warm feelings or emotions, John elevates the painful sacrifice of Christ’s execution as his defining act of love. While the connection of biblical love with Christ’s tortuous death may sound familiar to experienced churchgoers, I would argue the paradox is often missed in the minds of modern Christians. Maybe we can more readily see it when we read the rest of John’s sentence: “…and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16b). As we imagine the biblical call to love our fellow Christians, I suspect we envision the joy and camaraderie of spiritual brothers and sisters happily encouraging each other over a meal or after a prayer meeting. I don’t think we visualize the pain of death. Yet, our call to “love” each other is a call to sacrifice our comfort, our freedoms, or our advantages for the good and benefit of others. This “dying” to ourselves and our own agendas comes incrementally when we love in the manner of Christ. But don’t miss the fact that those painful sacrifices are the essence of Christlike love. So don’t hold back today. Go the extra mile, stay the extra hour, or spend the extra dollar for the edification of a brother or sister in Christ.

For more sermons and devotionals on Real Love, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Giver of All Good

The Bible tells us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” (James 1:17). God is certainly benevolent and generous to us. He gives a variety of good things, from the gift of life in a newborn baby, to the satisfying experience of a good meal after a long day’s work. No matter how profound or how seemingly mundane, the good we experience comes from the mind and intentionality of a good God. One of the reasons the connection between the good gifts and the generous Giver is so critically important to keep in mind is because, like spoiled and presumptuous children, we can easily become ingrates. Thanksgiving is not an extracurricular activity reserved for the deeply pious or the overly thoughtful. Being purposefully thankful is at the heart of true Christianity. To celebrate the redemption of Christ, or to be grateful for a good night’s sleep is a reflection of our awareness that God is God, and that we are utterly dependent on his kindness. So today, be cognizant of the blessings that God is dispensing in your life, and take the time to express your sincere gratitude to the Giver of all good things.

For more sermons and devotionals on the Giver of All Good, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Tree of Life

Proverbs 13:12 says that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” While that principle holds true for all varieties of hopes and desires, the ultimate hope of the Christian life is bound up in the arrival of Christ and his kingdom (Titus 2:13). That is one reason the “tree of life” finds a prominent place in the descriptions of our eternal home in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 2:7; 22:2, 14, 19). So then, if our supreme hopes and desires are in the right place we should expect that a healthy Christian life would always carry some palpable level of “heart sickness,” as we ache for the consummation of God’s eschatological plan. Paul often revealed his godly and mature “unsettled spirit” that “groaned” and “longed” to see us all “put on our heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:2). He knew that “to be with Christ” was “far better” than any pleasurable experience this world could possibly afford (Philippians 1:23). Therefore, if you sense you are growing in Christ, but can’t shake that blue sense of dissatisfaction about your present experience and the state of the world, rest assured your spiritual growth is right on track. That ache is a sign of your increasing maturity. Make sure it is tempered with a joyful anticipation, and don’t allow it to degenerate into bitterness. Be reminded each day that with the imminent arrival of our King, the definitive “tree of life” will be here before you know it.

For more sermons and devotionals on the Tree of Life, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org.