God Is In Control

 “God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭47‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

As we look at the world in which we live, we worry. As we listen to the news, we fret. We do so because it seems to us that all hope is lost.

It seems to us that the Lord has been forgotten. It seems that man has turned away. And it seems that the Lord has been largely rejected.

It seems to us that the Church is on the verge of extinction. It seems to us that the faith is in decline. And it seems to us that it will soon pass into the dustbin of history.

It seems to us that evil has won the day. It seems that righteousness is dead. And it seems to us that morality is a thing of the past.

It seems to us that the rulers of this world stand against the Lord. And in many cases they do. They promote ideas and enact policies that contradict the truth of Scripture.

This, then, causes us to question. It causes us to doubt. And it leads us to lose hope.

Yet, in spite of all of this, we are reminded by Psalm 47 that God reigns. We are reminded that God sits on his holy throne. We are reminded that he is over all.

He has not been toppled, nor can he be. No matter how things may seem, God remains King. He remains King of kings and Lord of lords. He remains ruler of the universe.

No matter how things may seem, he is still in control. Evil has not won the day, nor has his will been thwarted. Even when we can’t see or understand how, his will is truly being accomplished.

Even if we cannot see it with our eyes, perceive it with our ears, or understand it with our heart, this truth remains. The Lord reigns over all the earth. And he rules over all peoples.

Extreme Honesty

 “But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭9‬:‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Everyone values honesty. We encourage truth telling. And we consider it to be a virtue.

We believe that a person should keep his word. We believe that he should be true to his promise. Anything less is frowned upon.

We'd feel very different, however, if we'd been deceived. We'd feel very different if we'd been lied to. In that case, we wouldn't feel bound to our promise.  

If we agreed to buy a car, only to find that it had far more miles on it than we’d been told, we wouldn’t feel obligated to hold to our original agreement. If someone hired to make repairs on our home failed to follow through, we wouldn’t feel obligated to pay him. And if a motel at which we’re staying is found to have bed bugs, we’d demand a refund.

This way of thinking seems to make sense. It seems fair and just. But, in Joshua 9, the people of Israel felt bound to their promise even when they’d been deceived.

God had commanded that Israel destroy the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. And they were doing just that. However, they made an alliance with men who claimed to have come from a long distance.

They soon found that it was a ruse. The men had not truly come from a distance. They were from nearby cities that merely feared annihilation.

Yet the Israelites kept their promise, and considered it valid, even when they’d been deceived. They made the people of these towns their servants. And they even went to the defense of these cities when they found themselves under attack.

This may seem rather extreme to us. But it illustrates the importance of honesty. It highlights the importance of holding true to our word. And it makes clear the importance of faithfulness to our promise.

God, after all, is faithful in his promise to us. He’s faithful to it even when we are found to fall short. When we are faithless, Scripture tells us (2 Timothy 2:13), he remains faithful.

Our honesty, when it comes to those around us, reflects the faithfulness of Christ. As we stay true to our word, it reflects the Lord, who remains true to his Word. And when we keep our promise, it reveals the Lord, who keeps the promise he’s made us.

No Hiding It

 “In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭7‬:‭14‬ ‭ESV

We freely admit our imperfection. We readily admit that we make a lot of mistakes. However, even though this is true, we have a tendency to cover up or to hide our sins.

We seem to think that, as long as no one knows about our sin, it’s no big deal. As long as it remains hidden, it doesn’t matter. And as long as no one finds out, our guilt is inconsequential.

We fail to recall, however, that God is all-knowing. We seem to forget that he is everywhere present. And we fail to recognize that nothing can be hidden from him.

What I’m saying is that, even if our sins are unknown to any other, they are known by God. Even if it seems we’ve gotten away with it, our guilt remains. And even if it seems we’ve escaped the penalty we deserve, we are deluding ourselves.

We see this in the passage above. God had commanded that, as he gave the city of Jericho to the people of Israel, no plunder was to be taken. Everything and everyone in the city was devoted to destruction.

This meant that every man, woman, and child was to die. It meant that every animal was to be killed. It meant that every material object was to be burned. And it meant that whatever could not be burned, such as gold and silver, was to be put into the treasury of the Lord.

A man named Achan, however, took some of the spoils. He took some of it and buried it in his tent. And it seemed that he’d gotten away with it.

The Lord revealed to Joshua, however, that this sin had been committed. And he instructed Joshua as to how the guilty person would be revealed. We see these instructions in the passage above.

As they walked through this process, Achan was singled out. And, at this point, he admitted what he’d done. The items he’d taken were found right where he said they’d be.

Achan, then, suffered the penalty of his sin. He was given the penalty of death. And he was stoned by the people.

Again, even if it seems that we’ve gotten away with our sin, it’s not unknown to God. Even if it seems that no one knows, and that we’re in the clear, it is not hidden from God. And even if we escape the consequence of our guilt in this life, we cannot escape it when we stand before God.

The only thing we can do is confess our sin. The only thing we can do is throw ourselves onto the mercy of God. The only thing we can do is trust in Christ, who bore our sin and died in our place, that we might live.

The Basis of our Appeal

 “Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭44‬:‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

When we are experiencing a need, we pray. When we’re facing a crisis, we cry out to the Lord. And we do so, we look to him, knowing that he can help.

This is good. It is right. But when we appeal to God, we tend to do so on the basis of our goodness. When we cry out to God, we do so on the basis of our faithfulness. 

We believe and insist, in other words, that God owes us his help. We believe that, in light of our goodness, he is obligated to help us. We believe that, in light of our faithfulness, God is compelled to bless us.

This even leads us, at times, to accuse God. When we don’t receive the blessing for which we have asked, we believe him to lack justice. When we don’t receive the blessing of which we believe we’re deserving, we believe God to be unloving.

The problem, however, is that we are not good. What we fail to realize is that we are not faithful. What we fail to realize is that, if God’s help, if his blessing is dependent upon us in any way, we have no reason to be confident in it.

If his blessing is dependent upon us in any way, we’re left in a state of doubt and uncertainty. If his blessing is dependent upon us in any way, we’re without hope. In fact, if his blessing is dependent upon us in any way, we’re deserving of nothing but wrath.

As we look at the above passage, the Psalmist cries out to the Lord. And as he does so, he acknowledges the only basis by which we can appeal to God. He appeals to God, and he looks to God for help, based not on anything in or about himself.

He appeals to God on the basis of his (God’s) nature. He appeals to God on the basis of his (God’s) character. He appeals to God specifically on the basis of his (God’s) steadfast love.

He appeals to God for help because he is loving. He appeals to God for help because he is faithful. He appeals to God for help knowing that he is unchanging.

When we appeal to God in this way, the equation is completely different. When we appeal to God on the basis of who he is, rather than who we are, we know that our confidence is well placed. When we appeal to God on the basis of his nature and character, rather than our own, we can have a genuine hope.

As the Lord is God, his help is beyond question. As the Lord is perfect, his blessing is certain. As the Lord is sinless, his grace is certain. And as the Lord is unchanging, his favor is certain.

Set Free From Sin

 “Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.””

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

When it comes to sin, we have a tendency to excuse it. We have a tendency to believe that, as Christ forgives us, what we do no longer matters. We have a tendency to believe that, as his grace depends not on us or anything we do, we are free to do whatever we please. 

We see in the above passage, however, that this is far from the case. A crowd had brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery, reminding him that, according to the Law, such people were to be put to death. And they asked what he said.

He told them that whoever was without sin should cast the first stone. Hearing this, the people began to go away, from the oldest to the youngest. And they did so until no one was left.

Jesus then asked the woman who condemned her. She replied that no one had done so. And he declared that neither did he condemn her.

Although she had sinned, she received forgiveness. Although she deserved judgment, she received mercy. And, as we consider our own sin, this is something that is very comforting.

This, however, was not the end of the matter. After saying this, he said yet one more thing. He told her that, from then on, she was to sin no more.

The woman, you see, was not saved for sin. She was not saved that she might continue in sin. She was saved from sin. She was saved from the bondage and the condemnation of sin.

Although she’d received his forgiveness, and set free from the consequences of her sin, she was not free to continue her adulterous relationship. She was called to end it. And she was called upon to live a life of righteousness.

In saying this, Jesus was not expecting perfection from a sinner. He was, however, calling the woman to repentance. He was calling her to turn from her sin.

The same is true of us, as we receive his grace and mercy. We are saved not because of anything that we do, but by what Christ has done for us. We are, however, called to repentance. We are called to turn from our sin and, with his help and strength, to live a life that glorifies him.

Whenever we sin, we come to him, confessing our guilt, seeking his forgiveness. We receive the grace, obtained for us by Jesus’ death and resurrection. And we seek his strength, and we might live for him.

Challenges

 “This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV

As people of faith, we are often confronted by those with questions. And these questions are not just any questions. They are questions that directly challenge our beliefs.

These questions are asked not to learn about us. They are asked not to learn about our faith. They are meant to produce a “gotcha” moment.

What they are seeking to do, in that moment, is to discredit us. They are seeking to eliminate any type of influence we may have. And they may even be seeking to destroy our own faith.

This is what the crowd was seeking to do with Jesus in the eighth chapter of John. They had brought to him a woman, caught in the act of adultery. And they reminded him of what was prescribed by the Law.

Such people were to be put to death. They were to be stoned. And they asked Jesus what he had to say about this.

Whichever way he answered, they thought they had him. If he failed to condemn this woman, they could accuse him before the people. They could say that he didn’t hold to, or that he denied, the clear teaching of Scripture. But if he did condemn the woman, they could accuse him before the Romans. They could accuse him because, as we read in John 18:31, it was not lawful for them to put anyone to death. They could accuse him, then, before the Romans of violating their law.

Jesus, however, is God. And his wisdom far surpasses that of man. He, then, was able to answer them in such a way that he could not be accused.

He told them that whoever was without sin should cast the first stone. He reminded them, in other words, that they were all guilty. And, for this reason, they were all deserving of judgment. Like the adulterous woman, they were all deserving of death.

We, of course, are not God. And we do not possess the same level of wisdom. For this reason, we may not be able to answer such challenges in a way that preserves us from accusation.

We should, however, expect such challenges. We should expect that people will seek to discredit us. And we should expect that they will seek to undermine our faith.

We, therefore, must seek the wisdom of God. We must ask that he will strengthen us in faith. And we must entrust ourselves to his care.

Condemnation or Mercy?

 “And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.””

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

When we sin, we tend to think that we are deserving of forgiveness. We tend to think we are deserving of mercy. And we tend to believe that others owe this to us.

We, however, are quick to criticize. We’re quick to rebuke. And we’re quick to condemn.

This is true of all of us. It’s true of the righteous and the unrighteous. It’s true of the rich and poor. And it’s true of men and women.

We are quick to see the sin in others. We are quick to point out their shortcomings and flaws. And we’re quick to demand that justice be served. 

We want to see the sinner receive his due. We want him to receive what he has coming to him. Anything less, we believe, is unfair.

What we fail to remember, in those moments, is that we too are guilty. We fail to understand that we too are sinners. And we fail to acknowledge that we too deserve the penalty of our sin.

Jesus was making this plain to the crowd which had brought to him a woman caught in the act of adultery. As they did so, they reminded him of the Law, and what it said in such a case. Such a woman, they pointed out, was to be stoned.

Their motives, however, were not pure. They sought to test him. They sought a way to accuse him, regardless of the answer he gave.

Jesus, however, did not contradict the Law of God. Nor did he insist that they violate the law of Rome, which forbade such executions. He said that, whoever was without sin, should cast the first stone.

He was telling them, in this way, that they were all sinners. And he was reminding them that they all deserved to die. Each and every one of them were deserving of the consequences of their sin.

Hearing this, they all began to go away. One by one, they left. And, soon, no one remained to accuse her.

This is the reminder that Jesus gives to each of us, as well. We are all sinners. We all deserve judgment. And we are all in need of God’s mercy.

More than that, we should desire mercy not only for ourselves. We should desire it for each and every sinner. We should long for all, even those guilty of the most heinous of sins, to receive the blessing that Jesus came to provide.

An Essential Lesson

 “And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”

‭Mark 10:20 ESV‬

When we think of the Christian faith, we tend to think of it as a system of rules. We think of it as a list of things we’re to do and as another list of things we’re not to do. And being faithful, we believe, means doing our best to obey God.

We then, from time to time, evaluate ourselves. And, as we do so, we conclude that we’ve done a pretty good job of keeping the rules. We conclude that we’ve, generally speaking, been faithful.

We know that we’re not perfect. And we know that we make a lot of mistakes. But, overall, we believe that we’re doing pretty well.

This is natural. It flows out of our sinful nature. But if we’re to receive the salvation that Christ came to provide, we have to understand how wrong we are.

This is what Jesus was explaining to the rich young ruler. He came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. And Jesus told him to keep the Commandments.

We almost gasp as we read this, knowing it contradicts the gospel. The gospel, after all, tells us that we’re saved not by what we do, but through faith. We, however, have to look at Jesus’ words in context. 

As we do so, it’s clear that Jesus wasn’t suggesting it’s possible for man to keep the Commandments. Nor was he saying that it’s possible for us to save ourselves. He was, in fact, demonstrating the opposite. 

Hearing Jesus’ words, the ruler responded much as you or I would. He responded, saying that he’d done so from his youth. He sincerely believed, in other words, that he’d kept the Commandments. 

Jesus, then, sought to show him otherwise. And he did so by telling the ruler there was yet one thing that he lacked. He was to go and sell all that he had and give to the poor.

This is something the ruler was unwilling to do. Jesus, you see, addressed the very sin with which he struggled. And we know this because he went away sad. 

The point of Jesus’ words is not that, as believers, we must give away all that we have. Again, he sought to show the ruler that he was not as good as he believed himself to be. And this is the lesson that we too must learn.

Although we tend to believe we’ve done a pretty good job of keeping God’s commands, this is far from the case. Although we don’t all struggle with the same sin, we are all sinners nonetheless. And for this reason, like the ruler, we are in desperate need of the grace of God.

God of the Living

 “And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭ESV‬‬

These words have been going through my mind as my father’s death approached and finally came. And in them, we find great comfort and hope. We find comfort and hope as we grieve those who have gone on before us, and as we consider our own mortality.

The Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, came to Jesus and posed to him a hypothetical scenario. He answered them, saying that they knew neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. He then shared with them the words seen above.

In the Scriptures, God declared that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And notice the tense. He didn’t use the past tense, but the present.

He didn’t say that he was their God. He said that he is their God. He is their God even though they’d died long before.

He is not the God of the dead, Jesus says, but of the living. These men, in other words, were not dead and gone. They were yet living.

In the context of the gospel, we understand what Jesus was saying. When we die, our life does not cease. Even though our body dies and is laid in the grave, that is not the end of our story. As believers in Jesus, our spirit goes to be with the Lord. And, in the end, our bodies will rise from the grave to be with him forever.

In the same sense, I can say that the Lord is my father’s God. He is his God even though his life in this world has come to an end. He is now present with the Lord in spirit. And one day, at the end of this age, his body will rise to live forever in the new creation.

Further, the Lord is my God. And this will remain true even when my life in this world comes to an end. He is and will be my God throughout all eternity.

Yielding Not

“If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which neither you nor your fathers have known, some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other, you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him."

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭13‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We live in a very pluralistic culture. And, as I say this, I’m not talking about race or heritage. What I’m referring to is the variety of faiths and belief systems that are held to and promoted all around us.

For this reason, we often encounter those who seek to evangelize us in these other faiths. We encounter those who seek to draw us in and to disciple us in these other faiths. We encounter those sharing their scriptures and their version of the truth.

While this may include the Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Mormon missionaries who come knocking on our door, it also includes those who are much nearer to us. It can be a religious leader. It can be a family member or a friend. And it can be a neighbor or a teacher. 

We are often inclined to listen to such people. We are so inclined because we respect them. We are so inclined because they are intelligent or influential. We are so inclined because we love them, and it seems that they love us. And we are so inclined as we desire to be accepting.

We fail to recognize, however, what it is they are doing. We fail to recognize that, by encouraging us to pursue another god, another religion, or another belief system, they are leading us away from the Lord. And we fail to recognize that, in this way, they are leading us away from salvation.

It’s this that Moses is addressing in the above passage. If we read the chapter in its entirety, this is even more clear. He addresses the prophet who sought to lead them away. He addressed family members who sought to do so. And he addressed worthless fellows who were drawing away the people of their city.

Moses is clear that, regardless of who they were, the people were not to yield to them. They were not to listen to them. They were not even to pity or spare them as they receive what they’re due. And they were not to conceal or hide them, seeking to protect them from their fate.

This, to our modern ears, sounds harsh. We must realize, however, their motive. And we must realize the gravity of their sin. 

As we rightly condemn those who take human life in this world by way of murder, we must also recognize the sin of those who seek to take or to keep from us eternal life. We must recognize the sin of those who seek to take from us the eternal life, provided to us by the Son of God and received by faith in him. And we must refrain from falling into their trap.

Remembering the Lord

 "Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day."

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭8‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Growing up, especially in the United States, we’re raised with a “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” mentality. We believe that, if we’re to succeed, we must simply work hard. And if we haven’t obtained all that we want in life, we simply need to work harder.

Consequently, we have a tendency to take credit for all that we have. We have a tendency to take credit for all that we’ve done. And we have a tendency to take credit for our successes.

We fail to realize, however, that this tendency results from our sinful nature. It results from our sinful nature that wants to keep the focus on ourselves rather than the Lord. It results from our sinful nature that wants not to receive, but to achieve and attain.

It was against this mentality that Moses warned the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 8 as they prepared to enter into the land of promise. As we see in the verses above, he warned them against saying in their heart that their power and that the might of their hand had gotten them the wealth they possessed.

He told them, instead, to remember the Lord their God. They were to remember the Lord who gave them the power to get wealth. They were to remember the Lord who had blessed them in accordance with the covenant he’d made with their fathers.

We are called, in Scripture, to work. And hard work is certainly a virtue. Likewise, laziness or sloth are condemned in Scripture.

The strength to do so, however, is a gift of God in itself. Apart from the life given to us by God, we could not work. Apart from the strength given to us by God, we could not work. And apart from the gifts and abilities given to us by God, we could not work.

It’s clear, in this way, that there is nothing we have attained in ourselves. Every blessing, from the greatest to the least, is a gift from the hand of God. It is a grace he has bestowed due to the great love he has for us.

While this is true of believers, it is true of unbelievers as well. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 5, the Lord makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good. And he sends rain on the just and the unjust.

So, rather than taking pride in our accomplishments, let us praise God. Rather than taking credit for our wealth and possessions, let us praise God. And rather than claiming our successes as our own, let us praise the Lord.

Forget Not

 “…and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We often hear how people struggle with their faith in times of hardship. We hear how they lose faith in times of sorrow. And this indeed happens.

As people are diagnosed with a serious medical condition, they can begin to question God. As people lose loved ones, they can struggle with their faith. And as they suffer a job loss and struggle financially, they can begin to doubt.

The opposite, however, is also very common. What I mean is that people often lose faith when times are good. They often turn from the Lord when things are in their favor.

This reality is brought out in the above passage. Looking at the immediate context, Moses had just shared with the people who God is. And he told them that they were to hold fast to his Word. They were to be guided by it in every aspect of life, and they were to teach it diligently to their children, lest it be forgotten.

He then reminded them how the Lord was bringing them into the land of promise. He was bringing them into a land where everything was provided for them. He’d provided for them cities that they did not build and cisterns that they did not dig.

These blessings, in other words, were not things they would provide for themselves. They would not be attained by their hard work. Nor would they be produced by their own effort. 

They were being given to them freely by God, as promised to their forefathers. They, in other words, were being graciously provided to them. They were undeserved blessings, freely given to them by God.

He then, however, went on to warn them. As they enjoyed these blessings, they were not to forget the Lord. And this implies that forgetting the Lord was a very real danger. 

This, then, is a warning we also need. After all, we too are recipients of God's salvation. And we too are recipients of blessings we do not deserve and cannot produce on our own.

As we enjoy these blessings, we must not forget the Lord. We must not forget the Lord who saved us. And we must hold fast to his Word.

We must continue to look in faith to the giver of these blessings. We must look to him in a spirit of thanksgiving, acknowledging our dependence upon him. We must look to him with an ongoing trust as we continually experience needs of various kinds.

Then & Now

 “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today.”

(‭Deuteronomy 5:2-3 ESV‬)

As we read Scripture, it seems that everything happened so long ago. After all, even the most recent writings of Scripture were penned almost two thousand years ago. And, for this reason, it doesn’t seem that it applies to us. It doesn’t seem that it speaks to us.

In reality, however, it does. Words that were spoken hundreds, even thousands of years ago, speak also to us today. And events that happened so long ago happened also to us.

This is brought out in the passage above. As the people of Israel were about to enter the Promised Land, Moses spoke to them these words. And, as we read them, we can only imagine how strange they must have sounded.

I say this because the people to whom Moses was speaking were not alive at Mount Horeb. Or, if they were, they were young children. It was their fathers who experienced the events to which Moses refers.

Their fathers heard the voice of God, speaking from the mountain. Their fathers trembled at the sound of his voice. And their fathers responded to the Lord, saying they would do all that he commanded.

But Moses emphasizes to the people, on the verge of entering the Promised Land, that God’s covenant was made with them. He emphasizes that God’s Word was spoken to them. He emphasizes that it was they who trembled at the sound of his voice. And he emphasizes that it was they who had received the salvation of God.

And the same, you see, is true for us. Words that God spoke to his people, thousands of years ago, he speaks also to us. The promises of Christ, given to his disciples, are given also to us. Jesus’ suffering and death were not only for the people of that one point in time, but also for us. 

We, then, are called to receive them as such. We are called to believe them. And we are called to proclaim them in this way.

God’s Word, you see, speaks across the generations. His work blesses the generations. And we receive the benefits of this by faith in his Son.

The Priority of Service

 “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.””

(‭John 4:34 ESV‬)

Satisfying our basic needs is fundamental to life. The drive to satisfy these needs is instinctual. If these needs are not satisfied, after all, we cannot survive.

What I’m referring to, of course, is our need for nourishment. What I’m referring to is our need to have our thirst satisfied. And what I’m referring to is the need for shelter and warm clothing. 

There are other needs we could discuss, but you get the point. We have certain needs that are fundamental for life. And, unless these needs are met, our life will not be long in this world.

This is what makes the statement of Jesus, seen above, so curious. Jesus had been sitting by a well, while his disciples went into town to buy food. And, as they returned, they found him talking to a Samaritan woman.

As the woman left that she might tell the townspeople about Jesus, his disciples urged him to eat. Jesus, then, responded as we see in verse 34. He told them that his food was to do the will of him who had sent him and to accomplish his work.

As we read this, it’s clear to whom Jesus is referring. He’s referring to God the Father. His food, then, was to do the will of the Father and to accomplish his work.

Jesus was explaining to his disciples, in this way, that doing the will of the Father was needful to him. Accomplishing the work of the Father was necessary for life. Like physical hunger, which has to be satisfied if we’re to survive, this was absolutely essential.

You and I don’t think of our service of God in the same way. While we may think of it as something that’s good to do, we don’t view it as essential. And while we may think of it as important, we don’t think of it as necessary.

It’s for this reason that doing the work of God and accomplishing his will falls lower on our priority list. We feel that we must first ensure that our needs are satisfied. And only then will we consider using our time, energy, and money to serve the Lord.

We certainly don’t earn life or salvation by doing the will of the Father. And we can in no way become deserving of these blessings. They are provided only by the death and resurrection of Jesus and received by faith in him.

This, however, is our purpose. It’s why we’re here. God has made us to be his own that we might accomplish his work. 

As we read in Ephesians 2, starting in verse 8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Constant Trust

 "…if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister."

‭‭(Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

The gospel offers to us the assurance of salvation. It assures us of our salvation, which was obtained for us by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it assures of our salvation, which is received by faith in him.

We have a tendency, however, to believe that our salvation cannot be lost. We have a tendency to believe that we remain saved, regardless of our faith and life. As long as we’ve said the prayer, been baptized at the font, or answered an altar call, we believe that we will always remain saved.

Even if we no longer trust in Christ, we believe that our salvation is sure. Even if we no longer believe in him, we believe our salvation is certain. And even if we live only to satisfy our sinful appetites, we believe that we remain saved. 

This mindset, however, is not consistent with the gospel. It’s not consistent with the gospel which tells us that it’s by faith we’re saved. Nor is it consistent with the gospel which tells us that we have been saved from sin.

We see this, in the above passage, as Paul discusses the salvation of God. We were once alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he says. But, in Jesus, God has reconciled all things to himself, making peace by the blood of the cross.

We learn, here, that God is the source of our salvation. It is dependent not upon us, but upon him. And it was provided to us not by our activity, but his own.

This is true of us, we are reconciled, Paul says, if indeed we continue in the faith. It’s true of us if we continue in faith, stable and steadfast. And it’s true of us if we do not shift from the hope of the gospel we’ve heard. 

The faith by which we are saved, you see, is not a one-time event. It’s a constant throughout our life in this world. And it’s by this faith that we receive the promised blessings of God.

Apart from faith in Christ, there is no certainty. Apart from faith in Christ, there is no hope. And apart from faith in Christ, there is no salvation.