TerryLema

Nothing like two old people who have been married for 52 years trying to paint a small bathroom, covering yellow with an off-white. He can’t bend well, so I’ve got the low parts, although he needs to help me up. He’s trying to finagle a ladder around the commode and shower and vanity, while I hold the roller pan as he paints the ceiling. He’s got cataracts so he can’t see what he’s missed, and my eyes are blurry from low blood pressure so I’m squinting while trying to get around doorframes and baseboards. After it dried, it was evident that off-white does not cover yellow very well, so we had to do it all over again. 

 Of course, all this has made us a bit testy with each other, especially as I point to the places he missed, and he lets me know about the places I dripped paint where it should not be.

I have read all those lovely articles about people who have been marred a long time who say they have never fought or argued. I bet they have never had to paint a small bathroom together either. I love my husband.  We’ve been together for 52 years, but I will never be able to look back and say we never fought or argued. We are strong, stubborn people with our own opinions and ways and often that creates conflict.

 But we made a vow that contained the words “until death do us part.” Solomon mentions in Ecclesiastes 5:5 that “It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”  He was referring to a vow made to God, but I don’t think I’m mishandling Scripture by applying that thought to vows made to others also.

 It hasn’t always been easy, in fact, it’s seldom been easy. There have been tears and regrets. But we’ve made it this far so I think we might make it to the finish line. That is, if we don’t have to paint another small bathroom together.

In 1 Peter, chapter 4, sandwiched between an opening section about “Living for God,” and the ending section regarding, “Suffering for Being a Christian,” Peter gave us a few things to consider.  Prayer. Love. Hospitality. And the last, using God’s gifts.  “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”  [1 Peter 4:10-11]

 Peter then sums up the “various forms” of God’s grace given two ways. “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

 The two ways we display the grace of God are speaking and serving. When speaking we speak the words of God. We don’t revise what God says or omit or add to God’s truths. We simply speak the very words of God with wisdom and grace. Some will like them; others will reject them. Our job, however, is to remain true to God’s truths.

 We are also to serve, not in our own weaknesses but with the strength that God supplies. Servanthood is the vocation of everyone who call Christ Jesus Lord and Savior. We are to serve from a willing heart, wherever God plants us. We are to minister to Him in worship and praise, we are to minister to others in love, kindness, compassion, and generosity.

 If we use the gifts God has given us to serve, God will be praised. He receives the glory – not us. “To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

1 Peter 4 has a small list of actions and attitudes which are to aid us in how he begins the chapter, “Living for God,” and how he ends the chapter, “Suffering for Being a Christian.”  The first two are prayer and love, then he turns his attention to ungrudging hospitality.  “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”  [1 Peter 4:9

Hospitality is hospitality in either the Greek or the English. It’s opening our homes, our hearts, to others without grumbling or complaining about it

In Peter’s day there weren’t any Motel 6s or Holiday Inns where travelers could find rest on their journeys. Peter encourages his readers to make their homes a bed and breakfast for fellow Christians

Remember how he began this section?  “The end of all things is near, therefore

Peter anticipates that the times are going to get tougher as we approach the return of the LORD. Not only do we need to engage in watchful prayer and covering love for each other, we may need to actually open our homes and hearts when the time comes, as we may find ourselves without church buildings, without homes, facing persecution – even martyrdom

As the family of God, the body of Christ, we need to look out for each other.

1 Peter 4 contains two sections, the first labeled in one of my translations as “Living for God,” and the second labeled, “Suffering for Being a Christian.”  Between those two sections, Peter outlines a small series of attitudes and actions that are necessary to do both. The first is about prayer, the second is about love.  “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”  [1 Peter 4:8]

 We are to love each other “deeply” or as the NKJV translates it, we are to “have fervent love for one another.”

 That means a love that never ceases. It never grows cold. It never diminishes.  That kind of love covers sins. That kind of love is agape love … the love God has for us. Just as we are in a covenant relationship with God to forgive (He forgave us; we forgive others), we share a covenant relationship with Him to love (He loves us; we love others).

 It is God’s love that covers our sins. God doesn’t display our sins to others, He doesn’t blab them on the evening news or write them across the skies. He could, but He doesn’t. When we repent, in His love He forgives us, then buries our sins in the deepest part of the seas, as far as the east is from the west. He grants us righteousness and dignity in Him to go on “Living for God.”

 He expects us to do the same. We are to love each other, forgive each other, protect each other in agape love. Once that sin has been repented of and forgiven, it needs to be forgotten in love.

I was reading in 1 Peter this morning, chapter 4. My Bible subtitles the beginning of chapter 4 as “Living for God,” and the ending as “Suffering for Being a Christian.”

In the middle there is a paragraph that lists a few attitudes and actions that we should note. When reading I thought these attitudes and actions were vital for both “Living for God” and “Suffering for Being a Christian.

The first is verse 7: “The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” 

 The NKJV translates it, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.”

 The end of all things is much nearer now than it was in Peter’s day. If it was important to be clear minded / serious and self-controlled / watchful then, how much more so now.

Prayer is vital. Peter recommends prayer that isn’t frivolous. Somehow the idea of prosperity prayer seems at odds with “Living for God” or “Suffering for Being a Christian.” But good solid, serious prayer that flows from a heart that is controlled by the Spirit of God, watchful prayer that sees the dangers and traps around us – that kind of prayer is essential.

Holy Spirit, help us to have a serious prayer life, one that is dependent upon You and recognizes that “the end of all things is near.” Amen.

When we enter a covenant relationship with the LORD Jesus through our salvation, we also enter a covenant of forgiveness.  Jesus told us when we pray, we are to say … “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive the debts of others.”  [Luke 11:4]

The Apostle Paul reiterated the covenant in both his letters to the Ephesians and Colossians: “forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you,” and “forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” [Eph 4:32, Col 3:13-14].

A covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are numerous examples of covenants in the OT. Most have similar attributes. Both parties are responsible for keeping the covenant, they were often sealed by blood sacrifice, and there were consequences for not keeping them as they were a sacred commitment.

The covenant of forgiveness is simple. God forgave us; we forgive others.  Simple. But certainly not easy.

When someone hurts us and repents and asks forgiveness, it is a lot easier to forgive than when people don’t know or care that they hurt us.  The thing about the covenant of forgiveness, our part isn’t founded on what’s in the heart of the offender – only what is in the heart of the one granting forgiveness.

It doesn’t matter if the offender repents or not. It doesn’t flow from our feelings. It is an act of the will.  We choose to forgive others because we remember (and are eternally grateful for) the magnitude of forgiveness we received in Christ Jesus. 

I was reading Psalm 27 this morning. It’s begins with a very familiar verse – “The LORD is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?”  Whom, indeed.

One of my translations describes this song as “An Exuberant Declaration of Faith.” David expresses his confident faith in the LORD God Almighty even in the face of being surrounded by evil men. He trusts the LORD to rescue Him. Then David says, “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD….”  [vs 4]

One thing. David wanted to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of his life for one purpose, simply to behold, to gaze upon his beautiful Savior. As I meditated on that verse this morning I realized that David sought that one thing – to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD – because he knew that is the only way his faith would remain strong “when evil men advance[d] against [him] to devour [his] flesh.”  [vs 2]

David knew that he would be safe in the day of trouble if he remained in the presence of the LORD, if he kept his gaze on God and not on the evil, the danger around him.  The writer of Hebrews tells us the same thing when he urges us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”  [Heb 12:2]

The world is a dangerous place, it always has been, and will continue to be so for those who profess faith in Christ Jesus as LORD. Persecution and martyrdom have always accompanied faith. The only safe place is in the presence of the LORD, fixing our eyes upon Him, gazing upon His beauty.

I was in Walmart early Monday morning walking through the boxed furniture aisle when I met with a dear pastor and his wife who share our church building. It must have been a divine “coincidence” … no one is in the Walmart boxed furniture aisle early Monday mornings. I know that because while we talked for about 30 minutes, no one even came near the boxed furniture aisle.

We had a great time talking about the LORD. As we talked, we discovered that our messages have even been similar over the last few months. (I’m pretty sure that’s because “what the Spirit is saying to the churches” is the same warnings and encouragements everywhere.)

God is calling all the Body of Christ to put aside the things that keep us apart. Sure, we may think differently on some things. Our church meets on Sunday, theirs meets on Saturday … may I say, who cares! What if we all just decided to meet on Tuesdays? Or Mondays? I doubt it matters much to God which day of the week we meet as long as we gather to worship Him.

As we shared Monday morning, it was clear that the core of our focus is one.  We both lovingly and faithfully serve the LORD Jesus (Yeshua), Him crucified and raised from the dead. We are brothers and sisters in the LORD, not rivals but sister churches who meet in the same building.  When we first began our church, they blessed us enormously, helping us to continue when times were tough. Now times are a bit tough for them and we have been granted the privilege of blessing them.

I loved our conversation Monday morning in the boxed furniture aisle in Walmart. I was blessed. Maybe I need to hang out there more often!

I just responded to a “question of the week” sent to my email.  It asked me, “have you ever felt uncomfortable being labeled as a Christian?” The choices to respond: Yes. No. Not sure.

What kind of a question is that? How can you answer it with only those three responses?  And what exactly do they mean by “labeled?” Labeled by whom?

Have I ever been uncomfortable being a Christian?  You bet, especially when I hear a message and feel the prompting of the Spirit of God in my heart that I need to change. The Gospel at times has made me very uncomfortable because I know I’m not measuring up.

Have I ever felt uncomfortable when other Christians are acting very un-Christlike? Yep. Nothing more embarrassing than being around people who call themselves Christian but don’t act any differently from the world.

Have I ever felt uncomfortable being labeled a Christian by someone (or society) that doesn’t want to hear the truth of the Gospel of Christ Jesus? That would be a negative response. I feel sad that people don’t want to hear the Good News – perhaps some of that is of our own making because we have been far less compassionate and kind than we should have been. Still, I’m hanging with Paul on this.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes …. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’“  [Romans 1:16-17 NKJV]

If we are going to do this Christian walk correctly, it’s not going to be easy. What is “freely given” – our salvation – costs a lot! Jesus even warned His followers that they needed to “count the cost.”  [Luke 14:28]

Paul commanded his readers to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Then he told them what that would cost to do so.  “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” [Eph 4:1-3 NIV]

That means it’s going to cost me my arrogance (to be completely humble) and my anger (to be gentle.)  I’ll need to throw in my irritation (so I can be patient), and my indifference (so I can bear with others in love.)

And if I am going to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, that will cost me my divisiveness, murmuring, gossiping, envy, and resentment.

Paul didn’t stop there either. He came right out later in his letter and identified even more cost! “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”  And finally, He said we are to “be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  [Eph 4:31-32 NIV]

It’s going to cost even more when I must get rid of my rudeness (so I can be kind), my heartlessness (so I can become compassionate) and finally my unforgiveness (so that I might reflect the forgiveness I received in Christ).

Yes, to do this walk right will cost quite a bit.