Category: A Moment with the Master

The Bible is full of incredible descriptions of Jesus. I love considering the various ways Jesus is described, especially by people He healed. In John 5, Jesus healed a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Some Jewish leaders saw this man walking that same day and carrying the bed he’d been lying on, and they were indignant because it was the Sabbath. When they asked why he was carrying the bed, he responded, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’”

This story has many wonderful lessons, but I want to linger over that description of Jesus—“the man who healed me.” What a beautiful description. Perhaps we haven’t been healed of some physical illness or injury, but if we’ve been forgiven of our sins by Jesus, we can also describe Him as “The man who healed me!” What a blessing it is to be healed by Jesus!

Being wrong is embarrassing. Even though we all make mistakes, we’re ashamed when we mess up. Because of this, we often get upset when someone corrects us. We would do well to remember the Bible’s counsel about being correctible. But we should also be humble and loving when correcting others. Knowing that being rebuked or corrected is difficult, we should be as gentle as possible. And we should do all we can to ensure we are helping, not hurting.

In 1 Corinthians 4:14, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, “I don’t write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.”[1]  Paul needed to correct the Corinthians but offered such correction out of love and for their benefit. Paul’s goal wasn’t to belittle or humiliate. When we need to correct others, we should have the same attitude. Even when others need to be rebuked and corrected, our goal shouldn’t be to shame them but to lovingly help them.

[1] WEB

Do you know what you worship? That may seem like a strange question—even an unsettling one. Surely, we all know what we worship, right? Well, just because we worship doesn’t mean we worship correctly. Just because we go through spiritual motions doesn’t mean we truly worship. When Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman in John 4, she asked Him about worship. See, the Samaritans worshiped differently than the Jews. Jesus said to her, “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.” Jesus didn’t rebuke the Samaritans for not worshipping. But He did claim that by not obeying what the Law of Moses taught, they didn’t even know what they worshipped.

As New Covenant Christians, we no longer worship according to Moses’ Law, but we still must worship and do so in spirit and truth. So, once again, do you know what you worship? Do you worship in spirit and in accordance with the truth revealed in God’s Word?

Did you know that Pilate preached the gospel? Now, he wasn’t a preacher or even a believer, but in a sense, he did preach the gospel, even though he was unaware of it. In John 19, Pilate presented a bruised and bloody Jesus to the crowds and said, “Behold your king!” When they said, “away with him,” Pilate asked, “Shall I crucify your king?”

The kingship of Jesus is at the very heart of the gospel. Pilate may not have believed in Jesus’ kingship, but when we preach the gospel of Jesus, we are saying to others, “Behold the King!” But when we are confronted with the kingship of Jesus, we have a choice. Will we reject the king or crucify our old man of sin? Have we opted to be crucified with Christ and thus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires,[1] or through disobedience, are you guilty of “crucifying once again the Son of God?”[2] Jesus is King. How will you respond to His kingship?

[1] Galatians 2:20; 5:24

[2] Hebrews 6:6

How often do you build altars? Now, I hope you aren’t building physical altars for animal sacrifice or anything like that. But how often do you praise and worship God? In Genesis chapters 12-13, we meet Abraham and read about his early interactions with God. Four times in those two chapters, we read that Abraham “built an altar to the LORD.” Abraham was quite preoccupied with building altars! Now, that was a different time. That was before the Mosaic Covenant, the Tabernacle, and the Temple. It was certainly before the New Covenant era. But at that time, it was appropriate for Abraham to build altars in various places to sacrifice and worship. And it appears he did this regularly and frequently.

So again, how often do you build altars? Do you regularly assemble with the Lord’s people to worship? Do you regularly offer praise to God or spend time with Him in prayer? Let’s strive to be altar-building people like Abraham!

Have you ever spoken to someone and realized they weren’t listening? Maybe they were playing on their phone, watching TV, or just thinking about something else. It doesn’t feel good. It hurts to be ignored. We’ve probably all been guilty of not listening at some point, but imagine not listening when a spouse or friend asked for our help. What if someone had something important to tell us, but we just ignored them? Well, that’s rude, disrespectful, and even unloving. But here’s a question: do we do that to God?

Many people claim to love God. But far fewer actually listen to Him. Yet it is impossible to truly love God but reject His Word. Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,” and also, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”[1] Do we really love the Lord? If so, we will listen to His Word and obey it.

[1] John 14:15

Sometimes, understanding the Bible can be difficult, especially in sections of Scripture like the Old Testament prophets. And yet, even in those sections of the Bible, there are also profoundly simple truths. For example, listen to Amos 5:14-15:

“Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

That’s pretty straightforward. What should we do today? We should pursue good things instead of evil things. As you make decisions today, ask, “Is this good or evil?” and choose what’s good. Love good and hate evil. Don’t seek to be entertained or fulfilled through things that go against God’s will. Pleasing the Lord isn’t a great mystery. Choose goodness and love what is right.

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus is one of history’s most potent and dramatic conversion stories. A man who was persecuting the church was confronted by Jesus Himself. In Acts 22, Paul tells the story of his conversion. He explained his background, his plan to go to Damascus to persecute the church, and then the Lord’s appearance. In verse 10, Paul says that after Jesus appeared and spoke to him, Paul said, “What shall I do Lord?” That is a simple sentence in a dramatic story. But it’s a powerful one.

In those simple words, Paul showed an attitude of repentance. He didn’t continue to fight the Lord. He didn’t make excuses for his sinful behavior. He recognized he was wrong, acknowledged Jesus’ lordship, and sought direction from the Lord on how to do right. Don’t persist in sin, and don’t excuse sin. Turn to the Lord, seek His way, and humbly obey His Word.

Action movies often depict a man or woman who is so skilled at combat that they are considered a weapon. And I suppose that’s not too far-fetched. Elite soldiers are often trained to such extremes that they not only handle weapons with expertise, but their very bodies become dangerous weapons. And, of course, governments certainly use the bodies of men and women as weapons in their various wars. But what about you? Are you a weapon? I don’t mean in some Rambo, action movie way. I mean spiritually.

Romans 6:13 says, “And do not offer any parts of [your body] to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.”[1] Christians are to be God’s soldiers. Are we soldiers of Christ who are useful in overcoming the enemy? Are we trained and prepared for godliness? Are we weapons of righteousness in God’s army?

[1] CSB

When someone tells you to “be careful,” usually it’s because you’re about to do something risky that requires caution. Maybe it’s driving a car in a storm, climbing a tree to get something out of it, or fixing a flat on the side of the road. But have you been told to “be careful” about obeying God?

Deuteronomy 6 opens with two verses about the commandments and statutes of God. Then verse three says, “Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you…” Moses did not just tell the Israelites to obey the law. He admonished them to be careful to do what God said. We get so busy and distracted that we often forget how risky life is. Not just physically but spiritually. We are engaged in a war for our soul, and if we are going to find eternal life, we must practice care and caution in assuring we are hearing and obeying God.