Make Love Flourish

The Bible is filled with exhortations to trust God, and our faith is made evident through our actions.  What may seem a very inconvenient time might provide a great opportunity to make good on our "good" intentions.  God never promises believers a life of ease and convenience but that He will supply all our needs according to His grace.

I was reminded of this as I continue to read through 2 Corinthians.  In chapter 8 Paul told the Corinthian church about the churches in Macedonia, how they were afflicted and in poverty but gave generously to help meet the needs of others in the church who were struggling.  The previous year the Corinthians expressed their desire to give, and though they had far greater resources to draw upon than the Macedonians they never fulfilled their intentions.  After using the Macedonian church as an example, Paul wrote to the members of the church in Corinth in 2 Corinthians 8:7-8:  "But as you abound in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us--see that you abound in this grace also. ⁸ I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others."

The church in Corinth had abundant faith in Jesus, boldness to speak, great knowledge of the truth, were diligent in ministry, and demonstrated love for the saints, yet their giving to those in need lagged behind.  Paul, in a gentle and courteous way, encouraged them to focus on this area of weakness in their walk.  What I appreciate is how Paul did not start comparing the Macedonians with the Corinthians, using guilt or shame to manipulate them to financial giving, but he reminded them about what Jesus had done for them in 2 Corinthians 8:9:  "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."  Giving would be an expression of their love of God, acknowledged their Saviour Jesus Christ who gave all for them, and followed His example.  Through giving to meet practical needs their love flourished--not that they would be burdened and others eased--but so their abundance could supply what others lacked.

How fitting is this exhortation to the church today, and when I say church I mean the individual members of the Body of Christ.  May the love of God flourish through us as we give to meet the needs of others in what seems to be the season to stockpile; to supply generous provision instead of hoarding for ourselves.  I exhort you, believer, to seek the LORD's guidance and follow His directives to reach out today to at least one person you know:  a friend, family member, neighbour, or fellow Christian.  Ask them how they are faring, if they have any pressing needs, and consider how the LORD would lead you to contribute.  The LORD can use countless means to accomplish His good purposes and reveal His love and grace to others, yet it is amazing and awesome He chooses to use us to practically demonstrate His love.  It may not seem the most convenient time to give, but today is always the ideal day to cause the love of God to flourish through giving by faith in God.

Feeling Sorry?

"Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. ¹⁰ For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death."

2 Corinthians 7:9-10

Everyone knows what it feels like to feel sorry, to experience regret over mistakes we were personally responsible for.  We have also felt sorry for people because they were going through a difficult trial or season we had nothing to do with--or felt sorry because we realised we were powerless to change the situation.  The Strong's Concordance connects the Greek word translated sorry with distress and sadness.  Paul distinguished between a godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world.  While sorrow could be generally called a transient grief or a "bad feeling for everyone, the following results help identify what sort of sorrow we have experienced.

One of the definitions of "sorry" in Webster's 1828 dictionary is most appropriate for the human condition:  "poor; mean; vile; worthless; as a sorry slave; a sorry excuse."  We can feel sorrow but in comparison to God we are sorry indeed because we commonly make mistakes, are forgetful, unfaithful, and foolish.  Feeling sorry about these things is an appropriate response!  As children we are taught to apologise, to say sorry to those we have offended or hurt.  Conversely, we feel it is the duty of offenders to not merely say they are sorry but to really mean it--a very subjective aspect of conflict resolution for children and adults alike.  We mistakenly make how badly the other person feels as their dutiful penance to earn our forgiveness.

In the first letter Paul wrote to church in Corinth he took them to task for sinful behaviour rife in their church.  Upon receiving that correspondence they were cut to the heart and expressed great sorrow for their errors.  Paul rejoiced not that they were sorry or felt bad, but their response revealed they sorrowed in a godly manner because it led to repentance.  Their repentance went beyond feeling bad about themselves and what they had done, and this is the hopeless tomb where worldly sorrow dumps and holds everyone hostage.  Godly sorrow about our sorry selves leads to acknowledging our sin, our need to change for the better, and looks to God for forgiveness, cleansing, and seeks reconciliation with those we have wronged.  Paul shared the life-changing results of godly sorrow in 2 Corinthians 7:11:  "For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: what diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter."

Sinners deserve to feel sorry but do not deserve forgiveness.  Praise the LORD through faith in Jesus feelings of sorrow for our sins move us to repent and receive the gift of forgiveness God's grace.  Repentance, having received forgiveness according to God's promise, is intentional to make necessary changes to ensure the sin is not repeated, restitution was made as necessary, appropriate boundaries are set for the future, and steps are taken to live above reproach.  A godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation not to be regretted.  The most regrettable things can thus be redeemed in a believer's life for God's glorious purposes and great rejoicing.  Jesus compared repentance to a lost sheep being found by his rejoicing shepherd in Luke 15:7:  "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  Only God is able to turn tears of sorrow into joy.

The Third Person

I am grateful I attended a Bible-teaching Christian church as a kid.  But my experience shows even a church that systematically teaches through the Word of God has limitations:  my understanding!  I grew up with a lot of misunderstandings about God and the interpretation of scripture not due to bad exegesis but my own legalistic folly.  I read the Sermon on the Mount and other teachings of Christ as a new law to be followed by the letter and somehow missed the whole "Love one another as I have loved you" which was only possible by being born again through faith in Jesus and walking in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus exposed His disciples (and all people) as judgmental, sinful rascals:  we tend to judge others before we judge ourselves.  He questioned them in Matthew 7:3-5, "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  Jesus illustrated the folly of judging others according to appearance instead of first judging ourselves righteously.  He pointed out the intense scrutiny of others to locate a speck in a brother's eye whilst having a twig from a tree hanging out of your own!  We can be very earnest about removing the speck from our brother's eye while being quite comfortable with the plank in our own eye.  Jesus commanded His followers to actually remove the plank with repentance and turning from it (not just admit it could or does exist) and then with clear vision unobstructed with hypocrisy help restore a brother (Galatians 6:1-3).

I wonder if it is common for Christians to do what I did with this passage:  I conveniently invented a third person in this story who had neither plank nor speck in their eye.  Can you guess who this person was?  It was me, of course!  The reality is in every situation or conflict we are one of the two believers in the parable with either a speck or plank in our eye.  In imagining myself as the third person I foolishly and dangerously placed myself on the level only Jesus Christ is worthy of, being the sinless Son of God and only Judge with perfectly clear vision.  Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks upon the heart and sees the hypocrisy concealed within.  How critical it is for our growth we would take the scripture personally by relating the most ugly and wretched conduct we see as a glimpse of the reality of who we are and remain apart from Jesus.

When confronted with his inability to meet the demands of Hebrews in the wilderness, Moses cried out to God in Numbers 11:15, "If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now--if I have found favour in Your sight--and do not let me see my wretchedness!"  It was impossible for Moses to provide a BBQ meal in the desert for a million people, and dealing with our own hypocrisy and wretchedness is an impossible task by the effort of the flesh alone.  We cannot love like Jesus asks us to, to love even our enemies like Jesus loves us!  Moses touched on an important point:  he despaired his condition and wished to die.  Jesus provided us an example by dying on our behalf, revealed our total bankruptcy of love and inability to do as He commands, and here's the awesome part:  when we are born again through faith in Jesus we can die to self and the life of Jesus begins to miraculously be lived out through us.  It is not our love but the love of Jesus even for enemies which shines through when I admit I am the one with the twig in my eye, the hypocrite in desperate need for cleansing from sin and grace to humble myself before God and man.

Jesus is the only One worthy to be the third person in the illustration of the story, for there is none of us without sin.  Isn't it amazing God would demonstrate such love, grace, and patience to selfish, proud, unloving hypocrites like me and you by sending His own Son?  Praise be to God now and forever!

Light Affliction and Eternal Glory

Regardless of the state of the world, Christians can peaceably rest in the comfort and goodness of God.  Australia has recently experienced drought, bushfires, floods, an economy reeling from the impact of COVID-19, not to mention the risk of infection from the ongoing pandemic.  I do not know if my generation has ever experienced such upheaval that affects daily life.  Billions have been wiped from the stock market and for those who find security in savings the future looks increasingly grim and bleak.  It is situations just like this which illuminate the blessings God graciously gives those who trust in Him with contentment and freedom from fear, worry, and hysteria.  We can rejoice knowing in the supreme confidence God loves us and is in control.

Followers of Jesus Christ are not strangers to trials and difficulties faced in this life and have continued to joyfully thrive.  On the heels of informing the Corinthian church he and fellow believers were troubled, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down--at times even despairing of life--rejoiced how the life of Jesus was manifested through them.  Their bodies were perishing but God continued to renew them from within day by day.  Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ¹⁸ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."  When Paul called his suffering "light affliction" he was not downplaying it but comparing it to the eternal glory which awaited him and all those who trust in Jesus Christ.  Their suffering would have an end but the glory they would experience was eternal and far outweighed negative experiences in life which would ultimately be redeemed according to God's good purposes.  Paul lifted his eyes above the problems and pains and fixed them on the eternal God in His holy habitation.

Without being born again by faith in Jesus the best men can do is place their hopes on circumstances changing for the better, labour to make the best out of bad situation, habitually check news reports, hoard goods out of fear, and funnel anger by blaming someone or something for their present state.  It is true there are practical steps we can take to be prepared for disasters and limit exposure to illnesses, but the Christian is given by God strength, comfort, and rest confidently knowing we are safe in Him.  Professors and "experts" are giving predictions about best and worst case scenarios concerning the economy or the viral pandemic but they cannot change a thing.  No matter what happens in the world or to us personally, we need not worry.  Even when our personal reality exceeds a worst case scenario it is light affliction which is but for a moment which is working for our good and God's glory forever.

Where are your eyes fixed today, believer?  To whom do you look for hope?  Are you focused on what you can see (worrying about what you cannot see) or on the eternal?  David prayed in Psalm 27:7-10, "Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. ⁸ When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek." ⁹ Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. ¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me."  Cry unto the LORD all who desire mercy, for He will hear and answer.  The God of our salvation will not leave or forsake us in volatile seasons of life because He is faithful and eternal.  Seek the LORD you His beloved children and all our needs will be abundantly met according to His grace and "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."