Philemon 1:10-21

“If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self.” vss. 18-19

Paul is doing everything he can to ensure that Philemon will receive Onesimus with love when he returns. He knows that when Onesimus ran away he may have left some debts behind or even stolen something, so he offers a deal. He will do what it takes to cancel the debt, including repaying it himself. And then Paul reminds Philemon of his own indebtedness to himself! It’s a very human argument, one that we may have used ourselves a time or two. It’s the sort of thing parents say as they attempt to persuade a particular action from a child, “Think of all I’ve done for you!” It’s a reminder that Paul wasn’t above using manipulation to accomplish his aims. He understood the human heart. It would have been nice for Philemon to act purely out of love, but sometimes reminders of indebtedness don’t hurt. It’s that way in our relationship with God too. All of us are debtors and God has done so much to set us free, starting with unlimited forgiveness and unconditional love. And if that doesn’t persuade us to act with love and kindness toward others, it’s unlikely that anything will.

Thought for the Day: How do I respond to reminders of indebtedness?

Philemon 8-9a

“For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love…vs. 8

Paul has a favor to ask of his friend Philemon, a leader of the congregation at Colossae. Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus, a new Christian, has become a companion to Paul in prison. Paul would like Philemon to welcome Onesimus back as a brother in Christ and to set him free. Paul believes that he could command this, but he prefers that Philemon do this good deed on the basis of love. His example is instructive–the way of love can be painstakingly slow while commandments get more immediate results. Parents who wait for their children to do their chores out of love will more than likely end up doing the chores themselves. It’s a lot easier to just order things to be done! But that isn’t how love works. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Love is patient; love is kind.” It may take a while for desired results to take place, but when loving change does occur it will be from the heart, and last forever. We might get impatient, but in the long run, loving a person into goodness is the way of Christ. And it works! Even the most resistant people will eventually be moved by love if only we have the patience to keep on loving.

Thought for the Day: Am I a commander or a lover?

Psalm 1

“They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.” vs. 1

The very first psalm clearly states the conviction of Jewish religious leaders that there are two ways to live in this world. We can either walk in the way of the Lord or follow the path of sinners. It’s a distinction that is sometimes lost among people of grace, especially those who believe that all are sinners. But the psalmist is actually making a point that even people of grace can embrace. Some folks are just blowing in the wind, following the ways of the world, while others have their roots firmly planted by the waters of life. We all know such people. They live by grace, acknowledging their sin, and are, at the same time, firmly committed to filling the world with the fruits of righteousness. They love the Lord and all that exists, including their needy neighbors, and do not weary of using their days for acts of kindness and compassion. Year after year they are a source of strength and joy for their communities–their witness does not waver. They have a variety of religious beliefs but are united in their desire to make this world a better place, and when disaster strikes, rise up as one to bring healing and restoration–and as the psalmist says, they are blessed!

Thought for the Day: When do people impress me with their goodness?

Deuteronomy 30:19-20

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live…” vs. 19

Those who have drunk deeply from the gospel of grace sometimes don’t quite know what to do with the emphasis on choice that is found in Deuteronomy. We imagine that since salvation is in Christ and not dependent on our works it really doesn’t make much difference what we do. But our hearts tell us otherwise! Almost instinctively we know that our behaviors make a huge difference to the quality of our lives in this world. And we do have huge choices to make, both as individuals and as nations. And the consequences of our decisions are enormous–one road will lead to blessings, the other to curses, both for ourselves and for others. At its essence our choice is between God and self. Will we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, or will we pursue self-glorification and self-indulgence? To love God is to lose ourselves in the pursuit of justice and mercy, in caring for the poor and the hurting, in loving our neighbor as ourselves. Such a decision lived out over the course of a lifetime will bring blessings and full life, and that’s what many have chosen to do! We see the results of their labors all around, and all are blessed. And as we choose to join them in loving and serving, the blessings are multiplied and the kingdom of God flourishes!

Thought for the Day: When have I made consequential choices?

Deuteronomy 30: 15-18

“If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord…then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.” vs. 16

Our faith ancestors cherished the book of Deuteronomy, and rightly so! It was carefully crafted to describe how Israel should behave as a nation–it was like their constitution. In this section the writer indicates that the whole future of Israel is dependent on whether they obey the commandments of the Lord so skillfully summarized in the book. And, to put it plainly, it all starts with loving the Lord! While it is not true that America is the new Israel, many believe that these words could well be adopted by our country, not to make it a theocracy, but to ensure that it will be a blessing to our world. It is becoming more obvious with the passing of the years that love of God is not a primary concern for most people. In fact, it appears that few folks even give a rip about God! Given the opportunity we will steal from the poor, swindle the government, and utter every kind of untruth to gain an advantage over others. While a majority of people still claim to believe in God there is little evidence that such faith has touched their hearts. And if that’s the way it is, perhaps it is right to be concerned about the future of America?!

Thought for the Day: How am I feeling about our country’s future?

Luke 14:12-14

“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” vss. 13-14

Most of us take pains to maintain a kind of social equilibrium in our relationships. We track the interactions that we have with our friends and relatives and make sure that they don’t become one-sided. No matter what it is, from dinner invitations to picking up the check from a meal, we want to make sure that we have repaid every kind gesture. This generally results in a lengthy cycle of invitations and counter-invitations, and when we’re aware of an indebtedness we move heaven and earth until we are confident that the ledger is square. Jesus was aware of those tendencies–they were happening in his time too–and he used the custom to make an important point about generosity. He tells us not to get caught up in these little societal legalisms. Instead we are to deliberately seek to do acts of kindness to those who can’t possibly repay us. We’re not in the business of being his followers to reap the benefits of our goodness. When we are faithful to our calling we’re not going to get rich or gain social standing through our serving and loving. Will we ever be rewarded? Of course, God takes care of us, and ultimately we always get what we deserve.

Thought for the Day: Who do I owe a dinner invitation to?

Luke 14:1, 7-11

“For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” vs. 11

When Jesus went to the house of the leader of the Pharisees on the sabbath, Luke says that they were watching him closely–and he was watching them! And their behavior in choosing a place at the table triggered some choice comments from him about self-exaltation. Their culture, like ours, placed a huge premium on honor and people would go to any lengths to impress their peers. We see the same sort of thing. Our children learn quickly that they need to put themselves forward to get recognition and clever self-promotion has become essential for advancement in business. Admittedly that’s probably not going to change in the kind of society that we’ve built for ourselves, especially since nearly every business or profession is dependent on aggressive marketing for survival. But once in a great while we find someone who goes against the grain, a person who has chosen to live humbly in this world of competition. They are like a breath of fresh air! They are who they seem to be, with no airs or sense of entitlement. And they really don’t care if they get honors or recognition. Content to be who they are, they love deeply and serve faithfully–and if they remain anonymous, that’s perfectly okay with them. And because they don’t care if they are ever exalted, they become blessings to us all!

Thought for the Day: What are the blessings of humility?

Hebrews 13:6-8, 15-16

“Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” vs. 7

We like to imagine that we make our own decisions about life without any outside influences, but the truth is that all of us are strongly influenced by leaders, both inside and outside of the church. The writer of Hebrews has in mind faith leaders, those who have been our guides in the spiritual and ethical realms. We are advised to consider how they live in the world and watch how their lives unfold. Sometimes they may have been charletons, saying one thing while doing another. In that case it would be wise to get another leader. But when we’ve known people for a long time and admire their consistency and integrity, we’d be wise to imitate their faith. The surest guides to fruitful and rich lives are not the political pundits and evangelists we know only from television and social media. They can put on a good show, but we know nothing of their souls! A leader’s values become visible most clearly through conversation and personal connections–and the best of them will always point beyond themselves to the Christ. It’s not that they will have led perfect lives–the most genuine leaders will always have stories of failure and pain. In fact their vulnerability and lack of pretense will draw us even closer, and we will gladly walk in their ways.

Thought for the Day: Who has been my greatest faith influence?

Hebrews 13:1-5

“Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.’” vs. 5

The writer of Hebrews concludes his letter to early believers with some words of encouragement and advice. His admonitions are consistent with the words of Jesus and the testimony of scripture, but still we seem reluctant to accept what he has to say about money. There are some who believe that if people didn’t love money our entire economy would grind to a halt. From our youth we have been told that the goal of life is accumulation: bigger and better homes, new cars, and extravagant travel. And to get all of that we need to have more money–and that becomes the dream for the majority of us. Some have set goals, believing that if they can get millions into their retirement pots, contentment will follow. But an even greater aspiration would be simple contentment with what we have–even if we didn’t manage to win the lottery or cash in on our stock portfolios. Some people live like that! They adjust their lives to whatever they have, and that is enough for them. As long as they have love in their lives, food in their bellies, and a pillow to rest their heads they will be happy. Some would even say that these are the great winners in the game of life, and we sense that Jesus would agree. 

Thought for the Day: What do I need for contentment?

Psalm 112:5-10

“For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever. They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.” vss. 6-7

It’s easy to get discouraged at times like this. There is a constant barrage of warnings about climate change and “breaking news” of threats from all parts of the globe. Nations are competing to perfect missiles that cannot be defended against and we wonder if more attacks will soon be launched by our unfriendly competitors. And it’s even harder to stay upbeat when election campaigns are kicking off and we see warnings of doom and destruction if the wrong candidates are elected. Every commercial break, even in golf matches, brings heavily edited news clips and fabricated accusations. It’s hard to remember that in the midst of all this garbage there are good and righteous people who are sincerely working on behalf of the poor and in the pursuit of justice. The psalmist bids us not to be afraid of evil tidings, to continue with a spirit of optimism even in the midst of disaster, and we wonder if such an attitude is even possible. Our history as people of faith gives us hope. When our hearts are firm and secure in the Lord we will continue to trust in every circumstance, most especially when the politicians we detest end up winning elections. Such persons come and go, but the Lord continues forever!

Thought for the Day: When is it most difficult for me to be optimistic?