Pattern of Teaching

Humans are creatures of habit. As for myself, every morning I follow the same routine in preparing to go to work. Then, I drive the same route to get to work, and once I arrive I go through a sequence of hanging my coat, putting my lunch in the refrigerator and turning on my computer before getting a glass of water. The pattern of behavior that I’ve built over the years I do without much thought. It is as if I’ve taught myself how to behave through the routines that I’ve established. We all have patterns and routines; sets of habitual behaviors that we do almost without thinking. Some of them are good, and some are not. Obedience to God can also become a pattern; a pattern that we can teach ourselves in an effort to daily reflect our allegiance to the Lord. Paul says in Romans, chapter 6, verse 17: 

“But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.” 

Obedience is a pattern of behavior based on a pattern of teaching. Later, Paul reminds us the we are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness. Are you teaching yourself to follow a pattern of slavey to righteousness? The term “slavey” may sound unsettling to modern-day Americans, but it was a common and accepted practice in Bible times. To us, slavery connotes an unwilling, or forced, servitude. But in this context, I believe it is more of a willing dedication; a heartfelt submission; a love for the one we serve. So, if we are no longer willingly dedicated to sin, but have now submitted ourselves to righteousness, and continue to follow that pattern on a daily basis, there should come a time when our walk becomes a pattern or even a routine. We may begin to daily wake up with Christ on our minds, pray before we get out of bed, look for opportunities to serve others and read our Bible before we settle in for the night all without thinking. That is the kind of pattern I hope we all adopt.

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What patterns have you formed in life? Some may be good, others neutral, and yet others evil. It should be our desire, as followers of Christ, to pattern our lives after him. I encourage you to read the gospels, the first four books of the New Testament, to see how Jesus lived and adopt his patterns and routines to your life. We should all take stock of our lives, examining our daily walk, and determining whether what we do, and how we behave without thinking, should be adjusted or maintained. Once we integrate a pattern of righteousness, we may be able to attest to the words Paul used when addressing the Romans; that we have come to obey from our heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed our allegiance.

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Grace Outpaces Sin

When Jesus came to earth to live for us, die for us and to be raised from the dead he impressed on the lives of every believer the power of his salvation. That is why we remember him often through the taking of communion and that is why we celebrate his love for us every year on Easter. But I would argue that his sacrifice did much more than what we see on the surface. If granting us eternal life through himself wasn’t enough, he set in place a new law of understanding. He set in place a paradigm of where sin increases, grace increases all the more. He put in motion the truth that through him, grace will always outpace sin. Paul says this in Romans, chapter 5, verses 20 and 21: 

“The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

Through Jesus grace reigns. We did nothing to deserve his grace or his mercy. On the contrary, we deserve his wrath and his judgment. The Bible reminds us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That is the love of our God. And not only do we receive his grace, but through Jesus we are made righteous. We are made right before God, where we were once separated from him. And as we continue to fall short, it is comforting to know that there is, and always will be, enough grace to cover us all.

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Paul said “where sin increased, grace increased all the more”. Isn’t it comforting to know that there will always be enough grace to cover our sin; that grace will always outpace our sin? It’s kind of like having more than enough money to pay for a life saving operation. Wouldn’t it be nice to say to the surgeon, “money isn’t an object. Spare no expense in saving my life”? That is what Jesus did for us. He spared nothing and provided us with more than enough grace to cover our sins. If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to bend a knee to our Lord and Savior today and thank him for what he did for us. He did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves, and he did it overwhelmingly. Even now, where our sin abounds, grace much more abounds. And if you are one who hasn’t accepted what Jesus did on the cross, know that his grace is available for you. His death and resurrection can put you in right relationship with God so that when you die, God will not see your sin, he’ll only see the righteousness of his Son. Then, you too will be admitted into heaven - not because of what you did, but only because of what Jesus did.

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Where Is My Mind?

I really like the secular song, “Where Is My Mind?” from the soundtrack of the movie, “Sucker Punch”. It has a soft sensical melody with lyrics that are unusually intriguing. But the question the artist asks himself throughout the song is “where is my mind?” This is a question that I think believers should pause to consider often. We need to consider what we have our minds set on; is it set on what our sinful nature desires, or is it on what the Spirit desires? The Bible is clear that we are all subject to falling to our sinful nature, but that doesn’t mean that we have our minds set on living according to it. We all can choose to have our minds set on what the Spirit desires; we can choose to allow our minds to be controlled by the Spirit. Paul writes these words in Romans, chapter 8, verses 5 through 9 which says: 

“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” 

How are you living? Where is your mind? Paul says that “those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” What controls you? I would encourage you to live in accordance with the Spirit; to have your mind set on what the Spirit desires. It is ultimately our choice. Yes, our sinful nature can be enticing, it can draw us away, and it can even cause us to stumble, but that doesn’t mean we are controlled by it. We can choose to set our minds on what the Spirit desires. We can choose to live in accordance with the Spirit. And we can ultimately allow our minds to be controlled by the Spirit. When we do, we will find life and peace. We will be in step with God - not hostile toward him. Our minds are affected and influenced by what we allow into them. So I would challenge you, as I challenge myself, to continue to feed our minds that which helps us in our walk and that which brings us in closer relationship with the Father. It is ultimately a choice, and it begins with determining where we will set our minds.

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Where is your mind today? How are you living? Might I encourage you to live in accordance with the Spirit and to have your mind set on what the Spirit desires? If we are able to do this it would mean that we are submitting to God’s law; that we would agree and obey his word. And to obey his word, implies that we need to know his word. Our minds control so much of who we are. What we fill it with can encourage us toward a deeper relationship with Christ, or it can draw us away from him. It is my prayer for you and me that every morning we consciously, and purposefully, set our minds on what the Spirit desires. Every believer has the Spirit of God leaving inside of us. So we shouldn’t have to look far to find him. Let him guide you, let him speak to your heart, and let him teach you what he desires.

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Lamb of God

When I was a child, I remember being in a store with a friend who shoplifted something. My job was to serve as the lookout while he did the deed. I confess, I didn’t really want to do it, but I was guilty all the same. We didn’t leave the store before being found out by security. When asked who was involved, my friend took all the blame. He was taken away and I was free to go. I don’t think I’ll ever forget what he did for me. I deserved to be punished, but was given grace. When Jesus walked the earth his primary role was to be the Lamb of God; to be the agent of grace for all mankind. He was to serve as the atonement for all because all have sinned. John the Baptist knew this and wasn’t shy about proclaiming it to all those around him. In John, chapter 1, verse 29 it says: 

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” 

Though I was guilty in the store incident, my friend was too. Even though he didn’t deserve all the blame, he wasn’t exactly innocent. Jesus was innocent and he took the blame for me, for you and for anyone who is open to receiving the gift of salvation. Jesus was known by many names; the Son of God, the son of man, the prince of peace, the messiah, Emmanuel, and the list goes on. But the most precious title that he carried was the “Lamb of God”, because it was his sacrifice on the cross that freed us all. He took the blame for that of which he was completely innocent. He was killed so that we would go free - a sacrifice that I hope you and I will never forget and will never take for granted.

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John proclaimed that Jesus was the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. Today, I challenge you to consider those words; consider who Jesus is and what he did for us. About once every two months our church remembers Jesus’ death and resurrection through communion. If you are a regular church goer, I’m sure you’ve partaken of this sacrament as well. It helps us to remember and honor the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world - your sin, my sin, and the sin of the entire world for generations past and generations yet to come. I encourage you today, to thank Jesus for his sacrifice. He paid the price so that we don’t have to. He died, so that we would be set free.

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Higher Ways

It always amazes me how we, as a human race, think we are so wise. Proverbs warns us not to be wise in our own eyes, but often times we are quick to ignore that warning. As a society, we think we know best, purposefully ignoring the will of God or denying his existence. Even those of us who call ourselves Christ-followers fall into the trap of thinking we are wise in our own eyes. We my find ourselves questioning God, ignoring his leading or neglecting his counsel before we make a decision or go in a certain direction. And when things don’t go the way we think they should, we my even blame God as if he should be following us. When we forget that God is the potter and we are the clay, not only do we forget our place, but we forget that his ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. That is why we need to remind ourselves of Isaiah, chapter 55, verses 8 and 9 where God says this through Isaiah: 

“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” 

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways higher than our ways. It is our pride that elevates us to think we know better than God. But it is our humility that helps us remember the truth of this verse. We are nothing compared to God. If he is wise enough to have created you, me, and the entire universe with all of its laws and complexity, we should remember that he is wise enough to guide our future, wise enough to answer our prayers in his way and in his timing, and he is sovereign enough to allow certain levels of hardship and pain for our benefit or for his will. God is God. He is almighty, all-knowing and his ways are higher than our ways. I would encourage you, as I encourage myself, to never forget that.

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If you are a chess player, you might be able to appreciate someone who is a master at the game. Somehow they are able to anticipate what their opponent is going to do almost as if they can read their mind. They are able to see several moves ahead as if they are in complete control of the game. And they are able to know what moves to make to put them in a position to win. But as great as they may be at the game of chess, they still have their limitations. God has no limits. When it comes to the game of life he is not merely a master at the game, he created the game. He created the board, the pieces and all of the rules. He has the power to manipulate the pieces, is wise enough to see infinite moves ahead, and even has the authority to change the rules. We will never comprehend his ways, and we will never fully understand his thoughts. That is why he says about himself in Isaiah, “for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” So I would challenge you to never rely solely on our own wisdom. But in everything humbly seek the Lord and his wisdom.

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