Parkwood Baptist Church

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us.” – 1 John 4:7-12

God is the Author…the source…the “beginner” of our story.  He started it long before we entered the picture and yet, He had us in His thoughts.  We were already part of the plan.  That’s right!  The Bible tells us that He knew of you and planned on creating you from the beginning (Psalm 139:16).  God is the initiator.  He has always been ahead of us.  The Bible says that He is the “first” and the “last” (Isaiah 44:6/Revelation 22:13).  When it comes to our relationship with Him, He is the One who has made the first move.  He knew us first…He loved us first…He chose us first.  He made all of this possible.

The Apostle John reminds us of this Truth and what impact it should have on us.  It is John who finishes out our journey through the Scriptures with his short letters and the Book of Revelation.  This will take us up to our celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and the promise of His return.

In today’s Scripture, John addresses the issue of God’s love for us and the effect it should have on our walk with others.  We have already talked about our story being integrated with the stories of those who have gone before, as well as, the stories of those around us presently.  Therefore, we recognize that our story…the One story…is not just about us.  This can sometimes be a temptation for us.  We get so caught up in our own story that we become self-absorbed and end up treating the rest of the world poorly.  John reminds us throughout this short letter that this is not the way we should live.  In fact, John states that since God loved us…we should love one another.  He even goes so far to say that,

“If anyone says, ‘I love God’, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” – 1 John 4:20

Wow.  This is quite convicting for most of us.  Once we come into the Kingdom and put our trust (faith) in the heavenly Father, we begin to enjoy the personal blessings of His forgiveness, His love and care for us, etc…it can become easy to neglect our relationships with the world around us.  Critics of the Church identify this as “putting our head in the sand” or being “aloof” to the problems and needs of people in our society.  Someone said, “Christians can be so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.”

Today, let us take this to heart and use the words of John to direct our thoughts.  First, the good that is in us…the capacity to love comes from God.  It is because God, through the sacrifice of Jesus has made it possible for you to do or be anything good.  Second, because of that…the mercy…grace and love that we have received, we should pass that on to others who need it as well.  If you have received love, you will be generous with your love.  If you have received forgiveness, you will be one who freely forgives.  This is the reality of genuine transformation!  It is the center of your story.  Your story makes an impact on the story of others and together they contribute to the ONE STORY!  This is awesome!  This is the love of our God!  This is the life we are called to!

Today let your story impact another one’s story!  Be a blessing!

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” – 1 Peter 5:6-9

Our Story is a beautiful one with faith and hope and love…but…there is a bad guy in our story.  There is an antagonist…an enemy that brings tension and sometimes chaos into our story.  The devil is real and his goal is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).  From the beginning he has tempted the people of God to follow their own way…to distrust their Creator and reject His design.  We saw  this enemy in the garden of Eden in the form of a serpent who brought down Adam and Eve.  In today’s Scripture, Peter describes him as a lion prowling about…hunting an hungering for a soul to devour.  This struggle is different than the “testing” we talked about yesterday.  James reminded us that we will be “tested” by God in order to strengthen our faith and grow us as the children of God.  What Peter is talking about is a different battle that we face.  Peter is now saying to us that there are also temptations…traps…spiritual “trip wires” that are only meant to harm us. These do not come from God.  They come from a very real enemy…the devil.

No one would know this better than Peter.  He loved Jesus and was a devoted follower but constantly struggled with pride and his own personal ambitions.  In fact, he is probably best known by his “epic fail” in the courtyard when Jesus was arrested.  As he stood by the fire warming himself, he denied even knowing Jesus, three times.  The rooster crowed and he remembered what Jesus has said that very night, “before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times” (Mark 14:72).

As we know, Peter found his way back to Jesus and received the forgiveness that restored their relationship.  But what do you think Peter thought about every time he heard a rooster crow the rest of his life?  Peter must have been reminded on a daily basis that he was vulnerable.  He knew there was a gap between what he wanted to be and what he was.  He could do nothing more than come to the feet of Jesus and ask for mercy.  He knew first hand of this enemy he is referring to.  He wanted us to know that no matter how strong you think you are…you could fall.  The enemy looks for the weak moments to pounce and devour his prey.  Peter’s own pride had blinded him to the enemies advances…”I will not abandon you…I will lay down my life for you!” (Matthew 26:33).

So, he gives us some helpful advice in living out our story.  First, humble yourself.  Realize that we are all capable of falling and we are all in need of God’s protection and help.  Secondly, our worldly concerns and anxieties are often the source of our lack of dependence on God.  Instead of bringing these concerns to our heavenly Father, we panic and begin to doubt His love and try to navigate on our own.  This leaves us open to the attacks of the enemy and puts us in danger.  Therefore, Peter says, take these cares to the Lord because He DOES care for you!

Lastly, he encourages us to be alert and hang on tight to our faith.  Solomon said, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart” (Proverbs 3:5) and Paul said,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6, 7

The faith that is the theme of our story is also the strength of our story.  Yes, we WALK by faith through our journey, but we also WIN by faith over the things that could distract us.  Hang tight  today.  You don’t have to be afraid or worry.  Trust in the God who holds you in the palm of His hand.

Because of Jesus, your story is one of victory!

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” – James 1:2, 3

“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” – James 1:22

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? – For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” – James 2:14, 26

The theme of our story…the One story…is faith.  It is the thread that ties the whole thing together.  It is not only our belief in God but the placing of our trust in Him.  It is a relationship…a bond…a communion with One who loves us back.  The Book of James is important in our story because he reminds us that faith is more than just believing in God.  It is more than just giving lip service to a divine “other”.  Faith is not just acknowledging an impersonal “higher power”.   Faith is an interactive relationship that involves believing and listening and submitting and doing and…get the idea?

If you truly have faith in God it will get messy.  Faith is when our relationship with God permeates every aspect of our lives.  It becomes a driving force in every decision and directs our steps…even when it seems difficult.  In fact, faith invites God, our loving Father, to intervene into our lives whenever He wants to.  Faith gives God permission to get into your business…to stretch you…grow you…take you to your limits…”test” you.  Why?  Because that is what vital relationships look like!  This is not just some horrible game that God plays in order to torture us.   Like a cat playing with the mouse before it finishes it off.  No, my fellow traveler, our God loves us and, therefore, He disciplines us and challenges us in order to grow us and strengthen us…not to torture us.  It is the tough times…the trials in our lives that help determine where our heart is.  It has always been that way in the One story.  In Deuteronomy 8, God says through Moses that He let them wander in the desert so they would realize that they depend upon the provision of the LORD to meet their needs.  Solomon said, “the LORD disciplines those He loves” (Proverbs 3:12).

When we encounter regular testing and challenges, it drives us to the LORD and strengthens our resolve.  As James says above, it produces “steadfastness” in our faith.  In other words, it strengthens your relationship with God.  Faith is a belief that stands up no matter the circumstances.  Faith doesn’t run from God during trials and hard times…it runs to Him!

Faith is also the living out of the things that we believe and cherish in our life with God.  I like to say that faith is the “legs” to the things that we believe.  James says that “faith without works is dead”.  Belief in God that doesn’t change the way that you think, talk and behave is not faith!  Do you believe in God?  Sure.  Most do.  But, do you have faith in God?  Do you have a relationship with your Creator that drives everything in your life?

Today, let your belief in the God who loves you make a difference in your life!  Let your life show the faith that lives in your heart.  When we “know” Jesus it changes everything!  Jesus said,

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

Today, let your story be one grounded in a visible Faith!

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For by it the people of old received their commendation.  By faith we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God…By faith Abel…by faith Enoch…Noah…Abraham…Isaac…Jacob…Joseph…Moses…by faith the people crossed the Red Sea…” – Hebrews 11:1ff

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” – Hebrews 12:1-3

Our story is a story of faith…trust…assurance…the conviction of things not seen.  It is a story about a relationship between God and His people…between your Heavenly Father and you.  As we embark on this last week of our Lenten journey we are reminded that our personal story is part of the bigger story….an “epic” tale that started “In the beginning” and continues to this day.

In today’s Scripture, God gives us a summary of this “faith” story by listing a few that have modeled for us what it means to follow this path.  Yes, we are walking the same path as Abraham and Moses.  We need to be reminded regularly that we are the continuation of this great and wonderful narrative.

The faithfulness of those who have gone before us has laid a foundation for us to stand on and set an example for us to follow.  They lived lives of faith and persevered so that we might have the same opportunity to participate in the story.  Hebrews 11 is known as the “Hall of Faith” because it reminds us that our story is one that has been going on a long time.  A story scripted by a Divine Author where every person is important to the greater story.

Chapter 12 begins with the word “therefore” which tells us that this rich heritage should motivate us to also be faithful in our individual faith story.  It is a “race” that has been set before us.  It is a relay race that has passed a baton from believer to believer through the ages…and, now has been passed to you!

Our part is to keep our eyes on the Author and finisher of our story…Jesus.  In order to do that we must lay aside the things that would so easily distract us and the sins that can trip us up.  Even though we are forgiven and free we still have a responsibility to pursue the design for our life that God has set before us.  This comes easier as we trust our Father with every aspect of our journey.  This is a part of “growing” or “maturing” in our faith.

We should also be inspired by Jesus Himself who modeled for us an obedience that persevered through suffering…the cross…in order to receive the joy that awaited Him.  In other words, there are rewards in our story!  There are benefits…blessings…that we enjoy when we live by the faith defined above.  The deep joy, the inner peace, and an unshakable hope are just some of the things that can be ours when our focus is on our relationship with Jesus.

It is believing the promise and holding on to these things that give us the strength for day to day living in a world that can be quite challenging at times.

So, the challenge today is to lay aside the distractions and get your focus back on Jesus and His great sacrifice that makes your life possible.  You may be weary today…Don’t give up…you have the privilege of carrying the baton passed down through the ages and you will be responsible to pass it to the next generation.

Today, your story continues the One story.

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy Name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.  He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the people of Israel.  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  He will not always chide, nor will He keep His anger forever.  He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.  As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him.  For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.  As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.  But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep His covenant and remember to do His commandments.  The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His Kingdom rules over all.  Bless the LORD, O you His angels, you mighty ones who do His word, obeying the voice of His word!  Bless the LORD, all His hosts, His ministers who do His will!  Bless the LORD, all His works, in all places of His dominion.  Bless the LORD, O my soul!” – Psalm 103

Whew!  This Psalm of praise is a Psalm that brings contentment.  We can relax!  We are not in trouble anymore.  Why?  Because of the steadfast love of the LORD.  The phrase repeated throughout this Psalm is the “steadfast love” of the LORD.  He doesn’t quit…He doesn’t second guess…He doesn’t decide to get rid of you…or give up on you!

We can experience Sabbath rest only because He is the LORD whose love is “steadfast”…unchanging…consistent.  Read this Psalm again today as we get ready to journey through the week leading to Easter.  Allow the knowledge of God’s love for you to bathe your soul in peace as you prepare your heart for the celebration of what Christ has done for you.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then, with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:14-16

We have said that “our” story is unique to each of us.  It is part of the greater “One” story but our individual tale is specific to us…tailored to what we were created to be.  Jesus, and His work on the cross is that which unites all of our stories together.  But, let us be sure to be reminded today that Jesus knows your story and wants to be a part of your story.  In fact, Jesus wants to finish what He started when He created you…when He began to write your story.

For these reasons, the writer of the Book of Hebrews takes us back to the work of Jesus on the cross.  These verses today remind us that we have an “advocate”…a “High Priest”…who stands in the gap for us.  He has forgiven us of our sins and made it possible for us to be reunited with our loving Father and Creator…the Author and Finisher of our story.  On our  own we cannot stand before a holy God, but Jesus intercedes for us.  He makes it possible for us to bring our story to the throne of God and receive His mercy and Grace…to get our story back on track.  “How can He do that?”  “Why would He forgive me?”  “How does He know what I am going through?”  “He doesn’t know me…He cannot relate to me.”

First, we know that by the cross of Jesus He has forgiven our sin and removed that barrier from between us.  Paul said in Colossians,

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses…, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.  This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.” – Colossians 2:13, 14

Yes, our sinful state keeps us from coming into the presence of a holy God, our Father.  We stand condemned as a result, but Jesus has “canceled” even the record of that debt!  What?  Yep, even the record of it.  It has been removed “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).  We are set free (Galatians) and given life through the loving sacrifice of Jesus!

Secondly, we read in today’s verses that Jesus also relates to our daily struggles.  His act on the cross was a one time event to forgive sin, but it was also a testimony to us that Jesus knows our pain.  He is not a Savior or “Priest” that doesn’t know how we feel.  He is a loving Father who can say, “Been there.  Done that.”  He was tempted but made it through without sin.  He knows what you are going through today!  He knows what its like to struggle with loneliness, grief, anger, and doubt.  You have a Redeemer who knows exactly what you need…go to Him for the comfort and strength that He is ready to give you.  He died so that you could come.  The One who cried out in agony on the cross died so that you could come today and experience His mercy and grace.

These verses also tell us that we should come with “confidence” into His presence.  We do not need to be afraid that God will, for some reason, cast us out.  You will not be stopped at the door and asked for your ID.  You don’t have to go through a background check.  Thanks to the cross there is now NO reason that you cannot come into His presence.

So, what holds you back today?  Why are you so afraid to come in and just let the love of Jesus flow over you.  It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or how far away you have wandered…today…today, you can come “confidently” into His presence thanks to the cross of Jesus.

Come today and let Jesus continue to write your story.

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophesy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” – 1 Timothy 4:12-16

We have learned throughout this Lenten journey that our story is a part of the bigger story…the One Story.  This means that our story is integrated with the stories of people around us and we are a part of their’s as well.  This brings both challenges and blessings.  We have already addressed the challenge we have to work together in harmony with each other in love and generosity…respecting our diversity in gifts and personality.  Today, we address the temptation to write another person’s story the way we think it should go and how we deal with others who want to write “our story” for us.

The letters of Paul to Timothy encourage this young church leader to stay true to his story and to work hard at helping others stay true to theirs.

Human beings have a tendency to discriminate.  It is part of our selfish pride that we treat people who are different from us differently.  This shows itself in culture, age, economic status, gender, height, what kind of food you like, etc.  We measure people by our own experience.  This, of course, is not good and we have seen the havoc it has wreaked throughout history.  It can be seen in the body of Christ as well.

The Scripture above implies that young Timothy is encountering some criticism in the church simply because he is young…age discrimination.  Maybe people were saying things like, “He doesn’t have enough experience to lead”, “There’s nothing that young guy can teach me”.  And so it goes, once again, we begin to put our requirements and preferences as barriers to people’s involvement in the work of the Kingdom.  We pick up the pen and we begin to write these opinions and limitations into their story.

News flash for us all!  There are no age restrictions in the Kingdom…there are no height requirements to get on this ride.  God invites all of us, men and women, young and old, black and white, tall and short, to be a part of His story and to contribute to it.

So, there are two things to take away from this today.  First, I encourage you to live out the calling God has put before you.  At a minimum, that is reading the Scripture and living your life as an example in the things that you say and all that you do.  David said, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)

Second, we must be careful not to quench the work of the Spirit in the lives of others by holding them to our opinions and preferences.  We must not force them to write their stories exactly like ours.  God calls us to appreciate the differences in His people and to allow those differences to help us to grow. In the Book of Acts we find this given as evidence of the Kingdom’s presence,

“I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams...” -Acts 2:17

So, today, stay true to your story.  Let the words of your mouth, the meditation of your heart and the work of your hands be acceptable in the Father’s sight.  May the Name of Jesus be lifted up in all you do…and encourage those around you to do the same!

Live “Your story”!

“…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work His good pleasure.  Do all things without grumbling or disputing…” – Philippians 2:12-14

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” -Philippians 3:8

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:4-7

People like stories that have an element of joy in them.  There needs to be some hope for people to want to listen.  Many are under the impression that the Bible’s story…the One story is a “bad” story of the condemnation of the human race.  A story that highlights our faults and leaves us at the mercy of a tyrannical God.  We have already seen through our journey that there is nothing further from the truth.  The story of the Bible is a joyful story!  It has twists and turns…ups and downs…struggles and victories…but it is a JOYFUL story.

Therefore, your story should be one filled with Joy.  The small letter to the Philippian church is known as one of Paul’s most uplifting in the New Testament.  He expresses his appreciation for their part in his story and encourages them to rejoice with him.

Each of these smaller letters in the New Testament remind us of different aspects of our own story.  Many of them were written by the Apostle Paul addressing issues that the communities were facing at the time.  We find ourselves wrestling with the same problems in our individual stories.  For example, Paul reminded the church in Corinth that their stories were all connected and woven together in God’s greater story (1 Corinthians).  In a second letter he encouraged their stories to be generous ones (2 Corinthians).  And yesterday we saw Paul reminding the Galatians that their story was being set free!

Today, he tells the church at Philippi that their story is a joyous one and that joy should give them a unique perspective on their life and, therefore, enable them to bring that perspective into the world around them.  God’s people should be a positive people!

But, how can we do that in a world that seems to be more and more negative every day?  The levels of hate and distrust are at an all time high in our country and anger abounds at every corner.  The people in the city of Philippi lived in a world that was also filled with violence and corruption.  They were constantly tempted to focus on their bad circumstances and commiserate with folks around them about the hopeless condition of the world.  Like today, people love to complain about what’s wrong with things but they are a little thin on offering hope.

Paul uses this letter to encourage the church…the people of God…to be a people who bring hope into a desperate situation.  We can do this because we know the bigger story.  This story…our story…addresses the basic issue that we all are dealing with…the destructive power of sin in our lives.  We cannot deny the results of our rebellion against God and following our own ways.  We see that every day.

To be clear, Paul is not calling Christians to be people who stick their head in the sand or simply deny the existence of problems.  To the contrary, he calls us to bring the message of hope into the situations around us.  And, he challenges us to live lives of joy that back up the faith that we proclaim.  We are not to fall into the river of negativity around us and get swept away in the current of “grumbling and complaining”.  Instead, we are to be a people of joy who confidently stand in stormy times and point to a loving Father who calls us to return to Him where we can find peace…hope…and joy!

Your story should be a joyful story!

“Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world...?”   – Galatians 4:8, 9

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”   – Galatians 5:1

“For you were called to freedom, brothers.  Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”   – Galatians 5:13

From the beginning, our story has been about rescuing the lost…healing the brokenhearted…setting the prisoners free.  We were “slaves” of our sinful nature which had pulled us away from God’s design and, then, continued to lie to us about the One who truly loved us.  The further we got away from the original story the more  blurry the memory became and we forgot what it was like to be free and to be in fellowship with our Father.  Then, when all hope seemed lost and things were at the worst…Jesus.

He brought light into our darkness and broke the chains of our sin…our selfishness and pride…our doubt and fear.  The One we were told we could never trust has demonstrated His love for us “in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).  By responding to His love and taking hold of His extended hand, we were pulled from the muddy deception of this world and experienced freedom for the first time in our life…we were born again.

Now that we are reconciled to Him we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light (1 John 1:7).  But…we are very forgetful people and we are constantly being tempted to return to our bondage.  The one who held us in chains is still trying to get us to live like slaves.  He is still whispering in our ear to get us to doubt all that Jesus has done for us.  “You cannot trust Him.”  “He is not concerned about you”  “He is the one who wants to enslave you”.  Lies…lies…lies.  It is his language (John 8:44).  He is a liar.  Do you remember the beginning of our story?  Nothing has changed.

The world is a noisy place and sometimes we forget where we have come from.  We forget what it was like to be enslaved to our sin.  Like Israel when they complained to Moses, “Why did you take us from Egypt?  We had plenty to eat there and they treated us well.”  What?  How could they have so quickly forgotten their horrible…hopeless situation.  When we review the story, it is obvious that they have been dramatically rescued and we wonder how they could be so ungrateful.  But, spiritually we do the same thing.

As time goes by and life is still hard and God doesn’t make everything good, we begin to complain and the memories of our old misery begin to take on a certain comfort and desire.  We forget the pain and the despair and we begin to listen to what the world has to offer.  Temporary pleasures and empty promises.  “Come back”…”Remember when you could do whatever you wanted?”

Some of those in the Galatian church were struggling with these same things.  Especially when life gets a little tough…or a lot tough…we are tempted to long for the old days when we were at the whim of every selfish desire.  We forget the depth of the suffering caused by our sins and we long to go back.

Shake it off!  O Christian, do not use your blessed freedom to wallow in self-pity!  You have been set free!  You have a Savior who has not only rescued you but walks with you at this very moment.  He has promised never to leave you alone no matter what.  Yes, life is hard at times and doing the right thing is not always convenient but before you start complaining…remember…YOU ARE FREE!  Thanks to Jesus you are free!  And He is there to give you strength…hope…and to just hold your hand through it all.

Paul reminds us all today, that our story is one about being set free.  Let us use it to to follow God’s lead!

Your story is about being set free!

“The point is this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:6, 7

As we have already seen, our story is a love story and, therefore, it is a story of generosity…of being a blessing.  Giving is a natural byproduct of genuine love and we cannot be a blessing without being willing to give freely.  Therefore, if your story is a love story, then it will be a story of generosity.  And, if it is a story of generosity it will be one that blesses.  God modeled this connection in one of the most well-known verses in our story, “For God so loved the world that He GAVE.. that whosoever…” (John 3:16).  God’s generosity revealed His love and was a blessing to all who would believe.

In this second letter to the Church in Corinth, Paul is letting the young church know what this love looks like practically.  He is reminding the believers that the grace that each of us  has so freely received from our loving God should inspire us to give to others…and to give generously.  In other words, we are loved so that we can be loving.  We have been blessed in order to a blessing to others.  Remember Abraham earlier in our story?  You see, God has always remained consistent in our story from the very beginning.  He has always loved, He has always been generous and…He has always called us to do the same.

So, in our ever increasingly self-absorbed society, how do we become more “bountiful” givers?  How do we keep the story…our story…on track?  I think today Paul gives us some practical “How to’s” and it begins with recognizing how blessed we are.  If we realize that all that we have or will ever need comes generously from our loving Father, we gain perspective on the things that we “possess”.  You see, our story is financed and resourced by the Author Himself.  He is not only the source of our story but He is the Executive Producer!  He has provided you everything that you need to live out the life you were created to live.  Paul said to the people of Corinth,

“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity…” 2 Corinthians 9:10, 11.

God will take care of us and, therefore, we are free to be generous with all He gives us!  This allows us to give “bountifully” and “cheerfully”.  Generosity cannot be forced anymore than love can be forced.  It is a natural response to the grace of God to us.  We love because He first loved us and we give because He first gave to us!  Generosity is a way of life…an attitude…better yet, a “heartitude”.

You can give without being generous.  Like Paul says above, you can give under compulsion or begrudgingly.  You can be forced to give like a brother forced to share his candy stash with his sister…this is not generosity.  You can give but really not want to…complaining the whole time…this is not generosity.

True generosity is excited about giving.  It anticipates and looks for opportunities to bless others.  It is a giving that doesn’t need to receive credit for the gift because the joy of the recipient is reward enough.  Have you experienced that?  I’m sure there were moments you can remember when you sat on the edge of your seat as someone you loved tore into a present that you had given them.  Then to see the joy as they say, “Oh you shouldn’t have.”

O Believer, our story is to be a loving one and a generous one!  A story of being blessed and being a blessing!  How can you bless someone today?  How can you show generosity to another?

Today, make sure your story is a generous one!