Scratching Itchy Ears

Scripture: For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4 ESV)

Observation: Paul warns Timothy to preach the word completely—correcting when needed, encouraging when needed. This is crucial because there is coming a day when people will turn from sound teaching to wander off into myths. That day has come. I used to think that myths referred to ‘liberal teaching.’ But the truth is, no matter the slant, any teaching that is in error is a myth. And no matter the bent, whether the teaching is licentiousness or legalistic, there will be devotees of it. This is often why people will complain or change churches. The teaching does not scratch their particular itch. They want it more grace filled, or more law filled. They want it more end-times focused or more practical focused. They often do not want to hear the word; they want to hear the word in a way they like, that scratches their itching ears.

Application: I can be like this too. I have particular teachings and teachers that scratch my itch, that I listen to. This is not necessarily wrong, but I need to be careful not to love the teacher, but to love the truth. I need to be a bigger fan of Jesus and his word, than Lewis Sperry Chafer, Craig Groeschel, or John Piper. These guys are great, but they do not have all the answers.

Prayer: God, help me love your word. Help me listen to what it says, even if it does not scratch my itch at the time. And help me be free from trying to scratch the itch of every person that comes to Pulpit Rock. Lead me to do what is right in your eyes and let the chips fall where they may.

To What Do I Sell Myself?

Scripture: There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. (1 Kings 21:25 ESV)

Observation: God told Ahab to kill the defeated king of the Syrians. In Ahab’s mind, sparing the king and making a treaty with him seemed more profitable than obeying God. So he spared his life. Later, Ahab decided he wanted a certain vineyard. He had this man murdered so he could profit from his land. Ahab spared who needed killing and killed who needed sparing. He sold himself to do what was evil. His choices were up for bidding. Whatever would bring him profit, he did.

Application: What is my price? For what would I sell myself? Maybe money is not my price, but what about comfort, or escape? Do my ends justify my means? How do I rationalize decisions in spite of God’s word? Ahab was able to come up with all kinds of reasons why his way was better than God's, but in the end, he simply sold out.

Prayer: Lord, let me not be like Ahab. Help me to obey you even when my way seems better or more ‘profitable’ to me. Help me put to death what is earthly in me that I might sell myself to do what is right in your eyes.

God's Mystery

Scripture: ...that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2-3

Observation: Paul was talking about some false teachers, who claimed to have special knowledge of the mysteries of God. Paul counters by saying the only mystery is Christ, and in him is everything we need to know.

Application: Sometimes I have nagging doubts about taking a year to explore the divine riches of Grace. I fear it is too much of a departure from our norm, that it is too theological and not as practical. That it is a focus on us and not the world we are called to reach. But then I read passages like this and it encourages me that we need to focus on Christ and what he has done for us. We need to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding of this. This will knit us together. It will propel us outward. I need to have faith and trust that the truth of God is a treasure and is more than enough for us.

Prayer: God, continue to help me focus on Christ and please prepare our hearts and minds to receive the encouragement, the unity, and the riches of searching out your divine mystery of Christ.

Keep Moving Forward

Scripture: Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. (Philippians 3:12 ESV)

Observation: Paul wants to keep moving forward in his life with Christ. To move forward in knowing Christ, the power of his resurrection. To move forward in sharing in Christ’s suffering, and becoming like him. This right relationship with God did not come from Paul’s own efforts to keep God’s rules, but from simple faith in Christ. Even so, Paul does not want to relax and sit back—he wants to keep moving forward.

Application: My relationship with Christ is not a result of my own effort. I was never going to be “good enough.” I am righteous simply because of Christ. My faith in what he did was so much better than anything I could have tried to do. Even so, I do not want to sit back and ride this thing out. I want to engage, to move forward, to press on. Yes, I do not have to do one thing to get God to like me better. But I *want* to, not to earn God’s love, but to explore and follow more of this life called faith.

Prayer: God, help me balance faith and works in my life. Help me desire more of you and not to rest or quit or feel like I have arrived. Keep me growing and teachable and hungry for more of you.

The Strength of His Might

Scripture: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Ephesians 6:10

Observation: Paul writes to people well versed in spiritual battles and supernatural opponents. He concludes his letter with a call to be string in the Lord. The strength they will need to withstand attack is not human. The strongest Christian lacks the strength to defeat the schemes of the devil. But the weakest believer has access to the strength of God’s might.

Application: There continues to be battles I face in the strength of my might. I prepare by rehearsing, or steeling myself to be strong. But I don’t rely on his strength. A simple pause and plea—“God, I need your strength to face this conversation”—would be better than being strong. I see two areas where God is calling me to stand in his strength.

Prayer: God, forgive me for foolishly thinking I have the strength. Thanks for the strength of your might. Help me pause and rely on you throughout this day.

The End of a Thing is Better than its Beginning

Scripture: Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Ecclesiastes 7:8

Observation: Solomon observes that even in a world of vanity, wisdom can help us know how to live right. Here, he points out that a goal accomplished is better than setting the goal. When we embark on a goal, a task or project, we are full of hope, full of expectation, full of promises. And sometimes, we can be a little full of pride as well. The arrogance of goals is that we declare what will happen. This is not entirely bad, but can be a necessary side effect of setting objectives. However, when we reach our goal and we look back, we see all the obstacles, all the challenges. We see all the missteps and failures along the way. We see how God time and again had to come through. Looking back, we see God’s hand in it, and how big his part truly was. Being patient in spirit, not giving up, clinging to God, gets us to the end of a matter, where pride melts in the face of God’s involvement.
So in the setting of the goal, there can be some pride in our spirit. But how much better is the end of the matter, where our patience has helped us see God as the true accomplisher of our purpose.

Application: Right now, I am facing something in my life. A challenge unlike any I have faced. I have some directions and some tools and some goals. But I also have some doubts and concerns. I am clinging to the hope that the end of a thing is better than the beginning of it. That God will step in and change direction and the second half of this thing will be so much better than the first. I hope and pray today that is true. As for me, I want to be patient. I want to keep working for the end of the thing.

Prayer: God, I give this thing to you. You alone can accomplish it. Having tools and techniques make me feel better, make me feel I can effect it, but I lay down that pride and trust your heart in the matter. Help me to be faithful in this, and patient, which is a fruit of your Spirit. I trust your end in this.

The Gospel Makes Us...

Scripture: This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Ephesians 3:6

Observation: Paul is explaining to his gentile audience about his calling to them. He says he is a gift to them, to help them see who they are in Christ. He goes into detail to explain that even though they are not Jews, they are able to be rightly related to God. These gentiles might have struggled to believe that they were truly the great men and women of God the gospel said they were. They could have felt second rate, or inferior. Paul affirms that they are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise—all because of the gospel.

Application: The gospel makes us great men and women of God. We have not yet plumbed the depths of that truth. Even Ephesians 3:6 gives us some overwhelming truths about our status before God. This is further confirmation to me that we need to spend a year at Pulpit Rock talking about what God has done to and in us through the gospel. In a small way, I feel like Paul, whose job was to present truth to a group of believers about who they truly were in Christ. I am going to be spending time today studying and preparing for this year-long series.

Prayer: God, speak to me today as I study and prepare. I want to be fully impacted by these truths before I begin to share them. Help me hear from you and put together this series.

The Glory of Kings

Scripture: It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. Proverbs 25:2

Observation: Part of what separates us from God is that God’s thoughts are so much more vast than ours. His knowledge and wisdom is limitless. Job learned this when he dared question God. So the fact that God knows more than he has revealed to us is part of his glory. We, on the other hand, are creatures of learning. Unlike God, we have room to grow and learn. Our glory as “kings” is to apply ourselves to live our lives by wisdom.

Application: I have been praying about our church going through a year of searching out what truly happens to us at the moment we believe on Christ. I think we have barely scratched the surface of this transformation. The Bible lists 33 realities that occur to us at the moment of salvation. This endeavor is daunting, as it will challenge much of my comfort zone. But what is outweighing the risk is the wonder of what could happen if we searched things out, if we spent a year unpacking the divine riches of God’s grace. I think that God is saying to me today that it is to our glory to do this. God’s glory is to effect all of this salvation; our glory is to search it out and live by what we learn.

Prayer: God, I continue to yield this to you. Guide me in what you want us to search out. If you want me to do this, I will. I trust you and the sufficiency of your word. As I search out this idea, would you reveal to me your plans?