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"But I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:27)
Just let the average Christian read the word "buffet" and instantly the taste buds perk up and the hunger pangs begin! We are notorious (especially we Baptists) for linking a meal to just about everything that we do! In fact, we would all have no problems whatsoever being obedient if God was actually challenging us here to "buffet" (buf-fay') our bodies in that respect.
But the Apostle Paul was definitely not talking about your favorite smorgasbord eatery! Rather he was letting the Corinthian believers know how important to him it was to "discipline" himself and to make sure that he controlled his physical body instead of allowing it to control him. The Greek verb hupopiazo means quite literally "strike under the eye" as in giving yourself what we used to call a good old-fashioned "shiner." Now Paul clearly wasn't referring to some strange form of self-flagellation but was instead speaking figuratively of his own system of spiritual discipline over his flesh and its desires.
One of the greatest problems which we seem to have as Christians today is the mastery of our flesh, beloved. And that brings me back to the thought of a "buffet" (as in food!) for an example. Eating at a buffet is the one area where you can be sure that all Christians will devoutly believe in "good stewardship"! How many times have I myself reasoned that I just had to have that second plateful of food so that I could justify the cost of the buffet! Sound familiar? I thought so! You see, in such cases we don't control our bodies but they control us. It is we who are the slaves and our desires that are the masters over us.
The Greek word doulagogeo means "bring into bondage" and is the picture of the victor leading the vanquished about in chains. Paul lets us know even today that as Christians we have only two options from which to choose. We can either be the slave or we can be the master. If we let our flesh dominate us, then we will become slaves to our flesh. But if, as Paul did, we are willing to "buffet" our body, to control ourselves spiritually, we will not find in the end that we have been "disqualified" from service.
Buffet my body? Absolutely! While the line for a clean plate at the local smorgy is a good place to start, beloved, we all need to discipline ourselves to think, talk, and act like Jesus. We need to "walk in the Spirit," as Paul told the Galatians, and then we will find that we will not fall prey to the desires of the flesh. Buffet anyone?
Ron
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Putting a Stopwatch on God
"And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary" (Galatians 6:9)
Anyone who has ever spent time around thoroughbred race horses, beloved, no doubt knows how important a stopwatch is to the training of such animals. In fact, the term to "put a stopwatch on" a particular horse means to time his speed so as to see what kind of racing potential he may have. All of us have probably seen that all too familiar scene from any of a number of movies where the horse's trainer and owner stand on the side of the track as the horse races past, one of them clicking the button on the stopwatch as the horse crosses the finish line. Without "putting a stopwatch" on a race horse, the owner would never have any way of knowing just how capable or incapable a racer his horse might be.
While such a practice makes perfect sense when it comes to race horses, beloved, it makes no sense at all when we as Christians try to "put a stopwatch on God"! Yet that is what we do each time that we come to Him in prayer and in anticipation of certain answers or blessings and we become discouraged or disillusioned if He doesn't respond to us in short order. Note closely here the term "in due time" or "in due season" as the King James Version has it. The Greek word kairos is difficult to translate adequately into English. It is not connected to "time" in the sense of a certain day or hour, but rather to various opportunities that are given to us by God. And the word "due" focuses upon just that fact, that it is God Himself who determines when it is the right "time" for something to occur in our lives.
God is not a racehorse, beloved, and should not ever have us try to "put a stopwatch" on Him. Rather as His children and His servants we should be willing for that divinely appointed "due time" to come. We need to learn to trust God and keep serving Him faithfully. Paul here stated that we will always "reap" when the time is right as long as we don't grow weary of waiting and serving and give up. As we choose to trust Him and keep serving, we will discover again and again that while God is certainly not in a race, He is never late!
Ron
Anyone who has ever spent time around thoroughbred race horses, beloved, no doubt knows how important a stopwatch is to the training of such animals. In fact, the term to "put a stopwatch on" a particular horse means to time his speed so as to see what kind of racing potential he may have. All of us have probably seen that all too familiar scene from any of a number of movies where the horse's trainer and owner stand on the side of the track as the horse races past, one of them clicking the button on the stopwatch as the horse crosses the finish line. Without "putting a stopwatch" on a race horse, the owner would never have any way of knowing just how capable or incapable a racer his horse might be.
While such a practice makes perfect sense when it comes to race horses, beloved, it makes no sense at all when we as Christians try to "put a stopwatch on God"! Yet that is what we do each time that we come to Him in prayer and in anticipation of certain answers or blessings and we become discouraged or disillusioned if He doesn't respond to us in short order. Note closely here the term "in due time" or "in due season" as the King James Version has it. The Greek word kairos is difficult to translate adequately into English. It is not connected to "time" in the sense of a certain day or hour, but rather to various opportunities that are given to us by God. And the word "due" focuses upon just that fact, that it is God Himself who determines when it is the right "time" for something to occur in our lives.
God is not a racehorse, beloved, and should not ever have us try to "put a stopwatch" on Him. Rather as His children and His servants we should be willing for that divinely appointed "due time" to come. We need to learn to trust God and keep serving Him faithfully. Paul here stated that we will always "reap" when the time is right as long as we don't grow weary of waiting and serving and give up. As we choose to trust Him and keep serving, we will discover again and again that while God is certainly not in a race, He is never late!
Ron
Monday, August 29, 2011
Why Does It Take a Hurricane?
"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me'" (Matthew 25:40)
Hurricane Irene pounded our region for twelve hours, beloved, and I began to wonder if that storm was ever going to leave! Thankfully she is just a fading memory now and we can see blue skies with bright sunshine and people everywhere, cleaning up their own property as well as lending a helping hand to their neighbors. This past Sunday we could not hold regular worship services because so many people were still without power. I had the privilege of joining with other believers to help clean up the aftermath. As I stood there in the woods among the fallen limbs and toppled trees, my thought was one of great joy: "Here is the church being the church!" We are outside the four walls and we are serving others to the glory of God and for the sake of His kingdom. Go, church!
But my question here is simply this: "Why does it take a hurricane to get us outside those walls?" As gratified as I was on Sunday and am today, for it still continues, to see so many people doing so much good for the benefit of others, why does that seem to rise to a crescendo more in times of crisis than as a daily reality of life when 'routine' is the order of the day? Oh, I know that much genuine ministry goes on unseen by most of us on any given day. But why does it seem to rise to new heights at times like this? Should it not be this way every day for every true believer?
I love the words of Jesus in response to the question put to Him about when they saw Him a stranger and took Him in, or naked and clothed Him, or sick or in prison and visited Him. He told them very frankly that to the extent to which any of us minister to those around us in times of their need, we are actually ministering to Jesus Himself!
My heart's desire, and I hope yours as well, is to be an "everyday" servant. I don't want to wait until the next hurricane comes roaring up the eastern seaboard to kick it into gear and get busy helping others. I want to be that pro-active in the sunshine and fair weather as well. Being a Christian is about people, beloved. As I have related to you recently, 'people' is what we do! We share with them the love of God in the person of Jesus Christ and we prove that love by striving joyfully to meet their needs. We don't fit them into our busy schedules - we make them our schedules! Jesus said that for us to make sure that we "save" our lives, we must gladly "lose" them for His sake and the gospel's (Mark 8:35).
Why does it take a hurricane? Let's not wait for the next one!
Ron
Hurricane Irene pounded our region for twelve hours, beloved, and I began to wonder if that storm was ever going to leave! Thankfully she is just a fading memory now and we can see blue skies with bright sunshine and people everywhere, cleaning up their own property as well as lending a helping hand to their neighbors. This past Sunday we could not hold regular worship services because so many people were still without power. I had the privilege of joining with other believers to help clean up the aftermath. As I stood there in the woods among the fallen limbs and toppled trees, my thought was one of great joy: "Here is the church being the church!" We are outside the four walls and we are serving others to the glory of God and for the sake of His kingdom. Go, church!
But my question here is simply this: "Why does it take a hurricane to get us outside those walls?" As gratified as I was on Sunday and am today, for it still continues, to see so many people doing so much good for the benefit of others, why does that seem to rise to a crescendo more in times of crisis than as a daily reality of life when 'routine' is the order of the day? Oh, I know that much genuine ministry goes on unseen by most of us on any given day. But why does it seem to rise to new heights at times like this? Should it not be this way every day for every true believer?
I love the words of Jesus in response to the question put to Him about when they saw Him a stranger and took Him in, or naked and clothed Him, or sick or in prison and visited Him. He told them very frankly that to the extent to which any of us minister to those around us in times of their need, we are actually ministering to Jesus Himself!
My heart's desire, and I hope yours as well, is to be an "everyday" servant. I don't want to wait until the next hurricane comes roaring up the eastern seaboard to kick it into gear and get busy helping others. I want to be that pro-active in the sunshine and fair weather as well. Being a Christian is about people, beloved. As I have related to you recently, 'people' is what we do! We share with them the love of God in the person of Jesus Christ and we prove that love by striving joyfully to meet their needs. We don't fit them into our busy schedules - we make them our schedules! Jesus said that for us to make sure that we "save" our lives, we must gladly "lose" them for His sake and the gospel's (Mark 8:35).
Why does it take a hurricane? Let's not wait for the next one!
Ron
Thursday, August 25, 2011
The Discipline of a Joyful Life
"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
"The discipline of a joyful life" - somehow that sounds vaguely familiar, doesn't it? Oh, right, that's where we left off last week as we considered together the joy of a disciplined life (1 Timothy 4:7). Here the Apostle Paul speaks directly to the issue of, first of all, the uniqueness of Scripture, followed by a vivid description of the usefulness of Scripture as God's instrument of discipline within our lives.
First, the uniqueness of Scripture - the term "inspired" means literally God-breathed in the sense of that which comes from the heart of God Himself. That one statement alone sets the Scriptures in a category all by themselves, beloved! While it is true that many today claim that the Bible has no authority because "it was written by man," the fact is clearly that it was written by God!
And what of the usefulness of Scripture as Paul declares it here to have? First, he makes clear that the Word of God is "profitable." I really like the word useful to explain the meaning of ophelimos. You see, to be profitable or useful, the Scriptures must have a practicality that many do not like to acknowledge. In fact, too often today we are more willing to study it, even memorize it, than we are to apply it!
Second, the apostle declared that the Scriptures are useful for "teaching." Here Paul's thought is that of necessary knowledge without which we as followers of Jesus Christ will never achieve personal holiness of life. Very simply, the Word of God contains all that we will ever need to know in order to live for Christ in this present world.
Next, Paul wrote that the Word of God is profitable for "reproof." The focus of that word is upon the confrontation of error. What good is any pursuit of personal holiness, beloved, if we are never willing to have our errors pointed out to us so as to remedy them?
Then, the apostle said that the Scriptures are useful for "correction." Once any error in thought or practice is confronted, it must of necessity be corrected. Restoration to a right path is always to be every believer's goal, first for ourselves and then for one another. How sad that so many today seem eager to reveal the error but not to restore the errant!
Also, we discover in the apostle's words that the Word of God is profitable for "training in righteousness." It is the truth of God's Word itself alone that can cause us to walk righteously before God in sight of a sinful world. Nor are there any shortcuts to personal holiness, that goal being reachable only as we give ourselves completely to learning and living out the Word of God.
Finally, Paul wrote that the Scriptures are useful in seeing us "adequately equipped" for the accomplishing of the plan and purpose which God has uniquely for each of us. The words "adequate" and "equipped" are from the same root and could easily be translated outfitted completely through having been made completely fit for every good work.
But unless we are willing to learn and apply the truths of Scripture, we will never be useful to God! The joy of Jesus Christ will never be ours unless we discipline ourselves through the application of Scripture.
Ron
"The discipline of a joyful life" - somehow that sounds vaguely familiar, doesn't it? Oh, right, that's where we left off last week as we considered together the joy of a disciplined life (1 Timothy 4:7). Here the Apostle Paul speaks directly to the issue of, first of all, the uniqueness of Scripture, followed by a vivid description of the usefulness of Scripture as God's instrument of discipline within our lives.
First, the uniqueness of Scripture - the term "inspired" means literally God-breathed in the sense of that which comes from the heart of God Himself. That one statement alone sets the Scriptures in a category all by themselves, beloved! While it is true that many today claim that the Bible has no authority because "it was written by man," the fact is clearly that it was written by God!
And what of the usefulness of Scripture as Paul declares it here to have? First, he makes clear that the Word of God is "profitable." I really like the word useful to explain the meaning of ophelimos. You see, to be profitable or useful, the Scriptures must have a practicality that many do not like to acknowledge. In fact, too often today we are more willing to study it, even memorize it, than we are to apply it!
Second, the apostle declared that the Scriptures are useful for "teaching." Here Paul's thought is that of necessary knowledge without which we as followers of Jesus Christ will never achieve personal holiness of life. Very simply, the Word of God contains all that we will ever need to know in order to live for Christ in this present world.
Next, Paul wrote that the Word of God is profitable for "reproof." The focus of that word is upon the confrontation of error. What good is any pursuit of personal holiness, beloved, if we are never willing to have our errors pointed out to us so as to remedy them?
Then, the apostle said that the Scriptures are useful for "correction." Once any error in thought or practice is confronted, it must of necessity be corrected. Restoration to a right path is always to be every believer's goal, first for ourselves and then for one another. How sad that so many today seem eager to reveal the error but not to restore the errant!
Also, we discover in the apostle's words that the Word of God is profitable for "training in righteousness." It is the truth of God's Word itself alone that can cause us to walk righteously before God in sight of a sinful world. Nor are there any shortcuts to personal holiness, that goal being reachable only as we give ourselves completely to learning and living out the Word of God.
Finally, Paul wrote that the Scriptures are useful in seeing us "adequately equipped" for the accomplishing of the plan and purpose which God has uniquely for each of us. The words "adequate" and "equipped" are from the same root and could easily be translated outfitted completely through having been made completely fit for every good work.
But unless we are willing to learn and apply the truths of Scripture, we will never be useful to God! The joy of Jesus Christ will never be ours unless we discipline ourselves through the application of Scripture.
Ron
Friday, August 19, 2011
The Joy of a Disciplined Life
"But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness" (1 Timothy 4:7)
"Discipline" was not a very comforting word when I was growing up, beloved! In fact, it reminded me of those times when I would have to sit down gingerly following one of Mom or Dad's visits to my room. No, discipline was definitely not a very comforting word!
Today the same word carries for me personally thoughts of those daily trips to the Y for a good workout on the treadmill. So clearly "discipline" has a variety of meanings and experiences in our lives. But the one kind of discipline that seems to be least understood and most neglected is that of self-discipline.
Here we find the Apostle Paul exhorting young Timothy to "discipline" himself for the purpose of attaining a life of personal godliness. It is interesting that this key word comes from the original Greek word gumnazo from which we derive our English words "gymnasium" and "gymnastics." The primary meaning is that of training oneself in a certain direction. And the context of the apostle's words makes it clear also that his focus was that of spiritual discipline. Very simply, we as Christians need to establish within our lives a system of consistent spiritual discipline.
And the direction which all such self-discipline is to take is that of "godliness." The Greek word eusebeia means quite literally "well-directed reverence." It does not, however, refer to one's inner holiness but rather his outward practice of that holiness. The whole picture for the believer, then, is that of personal devotion or devoutness. Thus, our "godliness" as believers will be visible for everyone who knows us to see!
So much more could be said here about our need for self-discipline, beloved, but let's leave that for another time. Instead, why not stop right now and ask yourself how "disciplined" your daily living as a Christian is? Are you working out spiritually through such "exercises" as the study of God's Word, meaningful prayer time with God, strong friendships with people of like-minded faith, serving others through your God-given spiritual gifts, and carrying within you a burden for the lost so that you do not miss a single opportunity to share the good news of Christ with anyone? If not, may I encourage you to start "working out" today? As Paul went on to tell Timothy, such living does not only "hold promise for the present life" but also "for the life to come" (v.8).
Ron
"Discipline" was not a very comforting word when I was growing up, beloved! In fact, it reminded me of those times when I would have to sit down gingerly following one of Mom or Dad's visits to my room. No, discipline was definitely not a very comforting word!
Today the same word carries for me personally thoughts of those daily trips to the Y for a good workout on the treadmill. So clearly "discipline" has a variety of meanings and experiences in our lives. But the one kind of discipline that seems to be least understood and most neglected is that of self-discipline.
Here we find the Apostle Paul exhorting young Timothy to "discipline" himself for the purpose of attaining a life of personal godliness. It is interesting that this key word comes from the original Greek word gumnazo from which we derive our English words "gymnasium" and "gymnastics." The primary meaning is that of training oneself in a certain direction. And the context of the apostle's words makes it clear also that his focus was that of spiritual discipline. Very simply, we as Christians need to establish within our lives a system of consistent spiritual discipline.
And the direction which all such self-discipline is to take is that of "godliness." The Greek word eusebeia means quite literally "well-directed reverence." It does not, however, refer to one's inner holiness but rather his outward practice of that holiness. The whole picture for the believer, then, is that of personal devotion or devoutness. Thus, our "godliness" as believers will be visible for everyone who knows us to see!
So much more could be said here about our need for self-discipline, beloved, but let's leave that for another time. Instead, why not stop right now and ask yourself how "disciplined" your daily living as a Christian is? Are you working out spiritually through such "exercises" as the study of God's Word, meaningful prayer time with God, strong friendships with people of like-minded faith, serving others through your God-given spiritual gifts, and carrying within you a burden for the lost so that you do not miss a single opportunity to share the good news of Christ with anyone? If not, may I encourage you to start "working out" today? As Paul went on to tell Timothy, such living does not only "hold promise for the present life" but also "for the life to come" (v.8).
Ron
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