Meditations

John 20:19-23

“Peace be unto you.”

The Prince of peace spoke peace for their present fears: the threatening Jews and His own sudden materialization among them.

He also spoke peace to them for their mission. As the Father had sent Him, He was sending them. As He had come to bring peace on earth, so He was sending them forth with a message of peace and redemption. But the world would hate them for that (John 15:19). Hence, “Peace be unto you.”

He wanted them to have peace despite the hateful world. He also wanted them to be at peace among themselves (1 Thessalonians 5:13), for the evil one would surely strive to turn them against each other.

The One who is our peace had given them the ministry of reconciliation (Ephesians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 5:18,19). He was calling them to be peacemakers between God and man. And among men. So the One who preached peace (Ephesians 2:17) said to them twice, “Peace be unto you.”

Got peace? Read it all

Matthew 16:13-28

Following Jesus requires that I quit following myself. But we must not confuse mere self-denial with following Jesus. Self-denial can easily become a substitute for following Jesus. We are called to deny self and follow Jesus. Whoever would be His disciple can do so only by surrendering completely to His will. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

How ironic that we humans can strive so hard to attain personal purpose and fulfillment while avoiding the very path that would lead us to that goal. We don’t want to waste our lives on purposeless emptiness, yet we tend to flinch from applying the only principle that will most assuredly make our lives worthwhile. Anyone wishing to make his life worthwhile will achieve that goal only by giving up his life for Jesus and His work. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:35).

Denying ourselves and taking up our cross can seem like such a waste of life, potential, and opportunity. Sometimes it seems more like a loss. And in such cases we may find ourselves yielding to the desire to prevent such a loss by opting to indulge our selves. Read it all

John 16:4-15

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, sent the Comforter.

Jesus, the Truth, sent the Spirit of truth.

But first He had to leave. Then He could return by the Spirit to live His life from within His disciples. As long as He stayed here in the flesh, He couldn’t do that. Thus it was expedient for Him to go away.

Now that He indwells His people, He empowers them to be comfort givers and truth tellers.

Did you know that truth involves more than merely being factual and knowing the facts? Absolutely! In fact, I suggest to you that you can be far from truth even though you know the facts.

Truth…

• loves God first and supremely.
• seeks first God’s kingdom and righteousness.
• embraces those values which exalt Jesus, for He is truth.
• refuses association with that which is ungodly.

Read it all

Matthew 15:1-14

How do we distinguish between positive and negative traditions in the church and in our lives?

The next four paragraphs come from some of my comments on a parallel passage.

“This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Mark 7:6). When we observe a tradition (or practice a doctrine or live an application) solely for outward show and not from the heart, we mock God. We can allow tradition to become a mere form, a duty we perform with no thought of God. Even our singing can degenerate to that level, becoming the vain worship so despised by God.

“Laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men” (Mark 7:8). A tradition can so absorb us that we disregard what the Bible teaches. This can happen quite unintentionally. God forbid we should ever allow any tradition to displace a zeal for knowing and obeying God’s will as shown in His Word.

“Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition” (Mark 7:13). Some people, in their commitment to tradition, purposefully set aside what God Himself has to say about a given matter. For them what the Bible says does not matter anymore; they deem tradition to supersede what the Bible declares. Other people, with similar zeal for tradition, allow themselves to become that hard soil in which God’s Word cannot sprout and develop into a fruitful plant. For them tradition has become the means and purpose of spirituality; they can no longer respond to the Scriptures.

The basic problem isn’t with tradition but with our own flesh. When we allow God to create a new heart within us and daily renew our spirits, we will use (and respond to) tradition in a way that brings glory to the All Glorious One. So treasure the godly traditions you have…but keep a watch over your heart! Read it all

John 14:15-26

16 — We are not alone. No, not alone. At all. The follower of Jesus has the Holy Comforter abiding with him, sustaining and empowering him to do the impossible.

17 — The Holy Spirit abides with the Christian because He dwells within the Christian. Such a common truth in the church. We accept it by faith and rarely think much of it. It’s too mind-warping to try to figure out. So don’t even try it. Rather, let that truth be life-shaping for you. Live as the holy vessel you are, indwelt by the pure Spirit of truth.

18 — Comfortless. The Greek term is used one other time in the New Testament. In James 1:27, where it’s translated fatherless. Go ahead and look it up in Strong’s Concordance; you’ll likely be surprised at the meaning of the Greek word.

18 — So it isn’t just the Comforter that comes to abide with us, the Advocate does also. Ah, the wonders of the Trinity!

19 — “Because I live, ye shall live also.” Exactly. Be sure to read Galatians 2:20 for more on that. Read it all