Who do you show kindness to most of the time? Those who deserve it? Those who cannot repay it? David showed kindness to lame Mephibosheth. Jesus shows lovingkindness to us sinners on the cross. We can model the Gospel by showing grace to those who don’t deserve it.
The family is the fundamental block of society. However, ever since the fall every family and every social structure is inevitably corrupt. Thankfully, the gospel proclaims redemption not just on a personal level but on a social lever; starting with the family. In this passage, Paul shows how the gospel redeems what sin has hurt, redeeming our families to once again mirror the goodness of the image of God through loving human relationships.
Often times people compartmentalize relationships or behaviors to cope with dysfunctional aspects of our personalities of lives. As a result, we are often surprised when we hear of people in our jobs or communities acting in an immoral or unbecoming way. In order to live all in for Christ, believers cannot afford compartmentalizing sinful habits or behaviors. Christ must be Lord of all and our sinful nature must be put to death. Because Christ is Lord over our lives there is no are where he has no claim and no area where he has no say. To follow Jesus properly we must take his word in a very personal way.
The main battle field to grow in Christ-like maturity is not outside in the world but inside our heads in our minds. In these verses, Paul reminds us that it is all important for our walk to set our minds on those things that have eternal impact and define who we are as Christ followers. Unless we allow God to renew our minds by his word we will fall short from the life he has for us.
Our walk in Christ cannot be reduced to the moralism or ritualism of religiosity. As disciples of Jesus, we must resist the legalistic onslaught that seeks to conform us to the external conventions of human behavior and constantly recalibrate in our dependence on Christ for life. To grow into disciple-makers we must become less religious and more grounded in Christ.
Our journey with Christ is a developmental process in which we grow from accepting God’s grace in salvation into a lifestyle that puts his teachings into practice (our walk) and becomes ultimately rooted and establish in the very life of Jesus Christ. Along our way to maturity, however, there are many dangers and competing voices that will seek to detour our steps from ever reaching our destination of greater fruitfulness. In these verses, Paul shares his recipe for maturity- the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ for all of life. In Paul’s theology Christ plus nothing equals everything we need to live the fullness of life God has for us.
Our fast-paced lives naturally lead us to being busier, more stressed, and constantly exhausted. When we come to our senses, we are leading our lives as if Jesus had never been there. The rest He invites us to enjoy rapidly turns into a wasteland. How can we silence the oppressive demands that prevent us from entering God's rest?
When we pause and truly contemplate who Jesus is in contrast with our wickedness, if our hearts are not hardened by our own convictions and self-sufficiency, we will see that surrendering to Him is the only answer. Jesus, the radiance of the Glory of God, is the difference between Canaan and the Wasteland. We are ready for more when we leave our unbelief to find our hope in Christ alone.
Bucks and bodies have for long been metrics of ministry success. Leaders of churches with money and people are many times perceives as successful leaders. At their core, regard for these metrics alone, without the substance of spiritual maturity and transformation into Christ-likeness, betray the core of what ministry is all about. In these verses,...
