“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Individual’s rights.

Individual’s responsibilities to others.

Which is greater? Which is more Christian? What happens when one’s individual rights are in conflict with one’s responsibility to the welfare of others? Which wins? Which value is greater?

It is impossible to read the New Testament and advocate for a position where individual’s rights usurps one’s responsibility for the welfare of others. It is IMPOSSIBLE!!!

Jesus made it clear:

• “Many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Mark 10:31).
• “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for man” (Mark 10:43-45).

The Apostle Paul made it clear:

• “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Christians, the church ought to lead the way in placing the well-being of others. The church ought to lead the way in protecting the most vulnerable amongst us.

I too wish we could fellowship the way we used to. I too wish we could worship without our masks. I too wish we could open up the church fully to activities.

But the reality is that we have people in our church who are immuno-compromised, people who are medically unable to receive the vaccine, children who have not been vaccinated. Therefore, we will mask up even when most of us have been vaccinated. Why? Because that’s what Christ would have us to do.

It is impossible to read the New Testament and advocate for a position where individual’s rights usurps one’s responsibility for the welfare of others.

Let us all do our part to love and honor the most vulnerable in our midst. Thank you all for doing your part to share Christ’s love and grace with others.

God bless you!

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4).

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.”

Wow. I love it when God’s will is crystal clear. We don’t have to second guess it or wonder about it. You don’t have to pray about it. This is about as clear as you can get.

This is God’s will…that you should be sanctified!

But this is not God’s will for everyone. This is God’s will for Christians. This assumes that we have received and accepted God’s gift of eternal life through his Son, Jesus Christ.

What does sanctification mean? Sanctification literally means to become holy. It is referring to the work of the Holy Spirit to make Christians more like Christ. Unlike justification, sanctification is partnership between the Holy Spirit and the believer.

Let me explain:

• Justification – the process by which God makes sinners into sons and daughters
  • This is all God’s work
  • We can’t earn it. We don’t deserve it. It’s all grace, all mercy, all God
• Sanctification – the process by which disciples become more like Jesus
  • This is partnership between the Holy Spirit and the disciple
  • When the Holy Spirit guides, it’s up to the disciples to obey
  • This takes huge effort on the part of the disciple because the flesh will wage war against the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus

It is God’s will that disciples be sanctified. It is God’s will that disciples become more like Jesus.

Before we end, I want you to notice that the first thing that Paul mentions after talking about sanctification is how disciples practice sex and control their bodies. The starting place for sanctification is how disciples manage and steward their bodies as followers of Jesus Christ.

Use your bodies, not for your own pleasure, but for the glory and honor of Christ and his kingdom.

Christians, it is God’s will that you become more like Jesus today. And, tomorrow…you should be more like Jesus tomorrow than you were today. And the day after that, and the day after that, until Christ returns or until you die. It is God’s will that you work on your sanctification.

Let’s get to work!

“The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple of the LORD…They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening” (1 Chronicles 23:28, 30-31).

Interesting.

Came across this passage in my daily reading of the Bible. The Levites were a tribe of Israel who were tasked with serving at the Temple in Jerusalem. One of their main jobs was to stand in the Temple to thank and praise God every morning and evening. Their job was to thank and praise God on behalf of the people of Israel. It didn’t matter whether they felt like it or not. This was their job.

But what if they didn’t feel like they had a reason for praising God? What if they were having a really bad day? How were they supposed to praise and thank God when the last thing they were feeling was thankful?

While these questions may seem relevant, they are wrong because they are starting with a false assumption.

Let me explain.

For us moderns, we start with our personal experience, feelings, and thoughts as the basis of all knowledge and truth. So what can be true for you may not be true for me because our personal experiences, feelings, and thoughts may be different.

But, personal experience, feelings, and thoughts are not to be the basis of knowledge and truth for the people of God. For the people of faith, the basis for all knowledge and truth is the reality of salvation. Salvation through Jesus Christ has already happened. Salvation is the basis and the foundation of our reality.

That’s why the most important truth of the Ten Commandments is not the commandments themselves but the phrase, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Deuteronomy 5:6), which precedes the Ten Commandments. It is because of what God had already done for Israel that, “You shall have no other gods before me…You shall not make for yourself an image…You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God…etc.”

Since God’s salvation is the basis of reality for the people of faith, thanksgiving and praise is ALWAYS appropriate because salvation is something that God has already done for his people. That the people of faith give God thanks and praise him has nothing to do with our personal experiences, feelings, or thoughts. We give thanks and praise because of all that God has already done for us in Jesus Christ.

Just as praise and thanksgiving were the job of the Levites, this is our calling as recipients of God’s grace and love through the cross of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.