Tag Archive | faith

Chaplain’s Corner – To Be or Not to Be

Jun30

Chaplain’s Corner – To Be or Not to Be

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” (2 Peter 1:3-7).

We started this series on Godliness several weeks ago, looking at Peter’s instructions about growing in our godly life. After building on faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, and perseverance, we now come to the main objective: godliness. We are to add the pursuit of godliness to our efforts.

Just how are we to do this? What does this even mean? When I start down a line of questions like this, I can get hung up on seemingly trivial things. Take the word “am” for example. That is a small word, but oh, so deep! God calls himself, “I am who I am.” How can you get more essential, more fundamental than that?

That brings me to another small word: “be.” Ponder that one! “Be” could mean a state of being. It can also mean a continuing pursuit. For example, how many times has a loved one told you to “be careful” or to “be good.” My grandmother used to tell me to “be sweet.” Are they telling us that careful, good, and sweet are states of being, or are they telling us to pursue these things? Likely both. If you are like me, I did not immediately take steps to be careful, good, or sweet; however, those admonishments did linger in my ears as a sort of reminder or conscience-pricker when I strayed off the path.

In Ephesians 4:1-2, Paul tells the Ephesian church “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Paul picks up in verse 20 with a set of instructions for how to be Christ- (or God-) like. He says “That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life:

  • to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
  • to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 
  • and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
  • Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
  • In your anger do not sin.
  • Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry;
  • do not give the devil a foothold. 
  • Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
  • Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 
  • And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 
  • Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” 

And Paul sums it up in verse 32: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

All these challenges are ultimately a call to holiness. God declares that he is holy. The simplest and most accurate definition of holy is “set apart, separate, different, dedicated, consecrated.” Think about it like this: the word “holiday” is a corruption of “holy day.” Whether it is holidays or holy days, we know these days are different from the other days, they are set apart from the rest of the calendar. So, to be godly is to be holy. And God calls us to be holy as he himself is holy. All those challenges listed above call us to be different from the world, to be holy, to pursue godliness.

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2).

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Godly Wisdom, part 1

Oct30

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere (James 3:17 ESV).

Last week we pondered James’ question “Who is wise and understanding among you?” (James 3:13). This is a convicting question. I think most of us agree that we desire wisdom. We talked about the opposite of wisdom, which is foolishness. None of us desires to be fools in anyone’s eyes. So, allowing James to be our guide, we will explore the first of eight elements of wisdom and how it applies to our Christian walk.

  1. Wisdom is pure. Ivory soap was advertised as 99.4% pure, meaning that it did not contain impurities. Likewise, wisdom is wholeheartedly pure, meaning that it is innocent and free from moral fault or blame. Wisdom is also free from mixed motives, intending only good. When one tries to be wise in some areas but exhibits foolishness in others, even those that seem to be insignificant, the entire being is tainted with foolishness. “’Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities’” (Luke 19:17).
  • Wisdom is peace-loving. Godly wisdom is concerned with the truth but looks for solutions that bring about wholeness, not division. In other words, wisdom actively seeks unity. “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).
  • Wisdom is gentle. The quality of gentleness includes a willingness to yield to others. Jesus described himself as “gentle and lowly in heart.” Gentleness, as is peace, is a fruit of the spirit. Although not explicitly stated, it is also an element of the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13:5 which says that love does not insist on its own way. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” (1 Peter 3:15).
  • Wisdom is open to reason. Being open to reason means being quick to listen and slow to speak, taking into account the views of others and being willing to defer to others when matters of moral or theological truths are not at stake. “To answer before listening— that is folly and shame” (Proverbs 18:13).

As you can see from these descriptions, wisdom is more than being able to spout pithy proverbs. Wisdom is wisdom is God-focused and other-focused (both/and not either/or). To be both sometimes takes time and effort, with reliance on the Holy Spirit for the best outcome. Remember James’ question in the opening verse—who is wise and understanding? The fifth of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People advises to “seek first to understand and then to be understood.” We cannot ultimately be wise if we have not put in the effort to understand—to understand God’s will, our own hearts, and the perspectives of the other person.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5).

In Christ,

Judy

P.S.: If you would like to talk more about any of these devotions or matters that concern you, please stop by my office, or call or text me at 615-804-3453 to arrange a time, and I will be happy to speak with you.