two things are needed

Towards the end of Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians we find a short benediction that captures something of his longing for these first century believers. This ‘good word’ contains two qualities that are necessary if our Christian lives are to flourish in a world that does not accept the authority of Christ.

Paul’s burden for the Thessalonians is expressed in the following sentence:

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.”

(2 Thess. 3:5)

Two characteristics are required if our lives are to resemble and reflect the life of Christ.

The first is…

➡️ Devotion 

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God…”

As we reflect on the love of God we find that it becomes the inspiration for Christian living.

We spend a great deal of our lives in front of other people. And Christian ministry can have a depleting effect on our souls; the streams of our inner world can very quickly dry up. That’s why Paul’s good word to the Thessalonians is indeed timely for all believers. “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God…”

Leave to one side for a moment your various roles in this world (e.g. husband, wife, father, mother, employer, employee, etc.) and come before our Father in heaven, recognising him as the God who loves us with an everlasting love. And appreciate again the stunning, beautiful and expansive love he has for his children.

Secondly, we find Paul urging the Thessalonians to reflect on the importance of:

➡️ Discipline 

“May the Lord direct your hearts…to the steadfastness of Christ.”

As we ponder the steadfastness of Christ we find motivation in Christian service.

Included in the second half of the prophecy of Isaiah are four poems that are often referred to as “the servant songs of Isaiah.” They contain vivid word pictures from the life and ministry of Jesus (written 800 years before his birth!). The third poem highlights the perseverance of Jesus in the face of much opposition:

“The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,
    to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
    wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.

The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;
    I have not been rebellious,
    I have not turned away.

I offered my back to those who beat me,
    my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
    from mocking and spitting.”

(Isaiah 50:4-9)

We have in our Lord Jesus someone who persevered through much hardship. As the Lord directs our hearts to consider this we find the impetus to keep going in Christian life and service. 

The apostle Paul recognises this when he writes to Timothy,

“In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ…”

(1 Timothy 6:13-14)

Our Christian lives flow out of our devotion the Christ so “may the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God…”

And they are sustained as we ponder the perseverance of Christ. “May the Lord direct your hearts…to the steadfastness of Christ.”

This is wonderfully expressed in the words of Hebrews 12:

“…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder 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.”

(Picture - Dumgoyne hill)

read the bible

During the 1990s I spent three years in pastoral ministry with a church in the city of Nottingham. As part of pastoral visits I spent time with an elderly gentleman who recounted on one occasion the moment his father became a Christian. I recall him telling me that the Bible which, to that point, had occupied the top shelf of their bookcase was brought down by his father and became an integral part of his life from that moment on. 

Many centuries ago the Lord gave instructions through his servant Moses about the place God’s Law ought to have in the lives of the kings of Israel.

See Deuteronomy 17:18-20

The Law was to be an indispensable part of the king’s life. 

He was commanded to fully immerse himself in its teachings. 

He was urged to write it out meticulously and was to be accountable to the priests for its content. 

The Law would teach him what it meant to fear the Lord and would enable him to serve God’s people with humility and single-mindedness.

That ancient instruction has timely relevance for us today. The value we place upon the Bible and its teaching will go a very long way in determining the fruitfulness of our Christian life. 

Regarding the Law of God, the kings of Israel were commanded to:

➡️ Write It Out

During my primary school years I was given punishment exercises by a number of teachers. One of them was called ‘lines’. Because of bad behaviour in the class I would be sent home and asked to write out 50, sometimes 100 times, “I must not speak in class” (or a similar sentence)! The process of writing out the one sentence was intended to teach me the lesson that I needed to act differently in the future (it never seemed to have the desired effect!). Lines were a fairly ineffectual punishment. 

The king’s instruction to write out the law was an enormous privilege. “He shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law…” (verse 18). The process would undoubtedly deepen his understanding of God’s Word. It would lead him to a close and personal connection with God’s Law.

➡️ Keep It Close

“And it shall be with him…” (verse 19)

One of my favourite pursuits is hillwalking. And when I plan a day in the hills I make sure that my rucksack only has the essentials. For our walk with God in this world a crucial companion is a copy of God’s Word. 

We can carry a copy of the Bible with us wherever we go or use a Bible app on our phone. However, more importantly we ought to store God’s Word in our hearts. “I have stored up up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). During lockdown I started to write out various psalms on small cards and when I took our dog a walk in the morning I gradually memorised them. I would recommend that practice as it proved to be a great blessing in my Christian life.

➡️ Read It Daily

“…he shall read it all the days of his life…” (verse 19).

Just as food on a daily basis is necessary for the nourishment of our bodies so the day-to-day intake of God’s Word is vital for the sustenance of our souls.

➡️ Obey It Fully

“…that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law…” (verse 19).

This would have the effect of keeping the king humble (“his heart may not be lifted above his brothers”) and steadfast (“he may not turn aside from the commandment”)

The prayer of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer from 1542 has been an inspiration to me for many years now:

"Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; 

Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, 

that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, 

we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, 

which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Amen."

In the manner of the kings of Israel may we read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest God’s Word in the daily rhythms of life.

(picture - the grounds of Culzean Castle)

 

a good man

One of my favourite films is the war epic, Saving Private Ryan. 

Beginning with the Normandy invasion of World War II, it tells the story of Captain John Miller who is assigned the task of searching for Private James Ryan who is somewhere in enemy-occupied France. Private Ryan’s three brothers have already been killed in action so the US generals are desperate to get him back home to his mother. He is eventually found but in reality Captain Miller and the small platoon searching for him end up sacrificing their lives in the process.

The closing scene in the film moves to the modern day with Private Ryan standing by the grave of Captain Miller. His children are behind him and his wife is beside him. He turns to her and says, “Tell me I’ve lived a good life…Tell me I’m a good man.”

Those words had made a deep impression on me. “Tell me I’m a good man.”

In Acts chapter 11 we meet one of the first disciples of Jesus of whom it's said, “…he was a good man.” 

Over recents weeks I have been asking myself what Barnabas has to teach us about the marks of a good man or woman. 

➡️ His heart was sensitive to the ways and works and character of God?

Barnabas arrives in a season of great blessing for the church in Antioch. “A great number of people who believed turned to the Lord” (verse 21). On his arrival in the city it says, “When Barnabas came and saw the grace of God, he was glad…”

The cynics might have looked on and put all of this fervour down to emotional manipulation. Not Barnabas. He saw clearly that this was a work of God.

This good man reflected the character of the God he served. When it comes to the guiding truth of God’s people the north star has always been, “the Lord is good and his love endures forever” (Psalm 100:5). Barnabas lived by that truth. Barnabas reflected God’s character and will because God is good.

➡️ He was motivated by a concern for God’s honour among God’s people.

Barnabas’s actions and attitudes sprang from the person he was in Christ…”full of the Holy Spirit and faith…” (Galatians 5:22).

I listened to a song called “The Cause of Christ" the other day which concludes with these lyrics:

It is not fame that I desire

Nor stature in my brother's eye

I pray it's said about my life

That I lived more to build

Your name than mine

There is no question that Barnabas lived more to build God’s name than his own. How do I stand up to that challenge?

➡️ He was burdened by a desire to see God’s people grow and mature in faith.

The King James Version of the Bible describes Barnabas’s heart for the Christians of Antioch in this way:

“Who when he came, and had seen the grace of God was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord” (verse 23).

To my mind there is a weight and a depth in that word cleave. He longed that God’s people would be faithful to him with steadfast purpose.

We will have lived well if at the end of the day others say of us, as the did about Barnabas, 

    →He was a good man.

            →She was a good woman. 

                →Full of the Holy Spirit and faith.

(Picture - Kilnave Church, Islay)

w.o.w.

The Bible is full of many fascinating characters. In Genesis 6-8 we are introduced to one of the most famous. He's the boatbuilder called Noah. 

Three qualities stand out in these pages that take us to the heart of the man that he truly was.

✔︎ He Walked With God

✔︎ He Obeyed God

✔︎ He Worshipped God

➡️ Noah Walked with God 

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).

When humanity was drifting further and further away from God, Noah walked towards God.

Of all the metaphors in Scripture used to describe the Christian life the idea of walking has to be my favourite! 

In the early chapters of Genesis we read, “They (Adam and Eve) heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8). I believe you have in that sentence a picture of God’s original intention for his creatures. Therefore, from that moment on we read of people like Noah who “walked with God”. 

The magnificent words from Isaiah offer much encouragement in connection with this thought. 

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. 

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

(Isaiah 40)

Had I written that sentence I would have turned it on its head. I would have mentioned walking first because running and soaring are much more exciting activities, are they not? But Isaiah knows what he’s doing! 

And here’s why. There’s something about walking that is steady and continuous. It takes greater commitment to walk a steady, continuous path, than to catch the warm thermals of air and soar to new heights or engage in a 100m sprint which is over in seconds.

The rhythm, momentum, discipline and simplicity that we find in the art of walking is greatly commended by Isaiah. And to the believer, like Noah, who walks with God he promises spiritual renewal as we navigate the changing terrain of life.

Noah would encourage us to Walk On.

Secondly,

➡️ Noah was Obedient to God

“Noah…did all that God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22).

What appeared to be counter-intuitive is the very thing that Noah chose to do! He set about building an ark to the specific dimensions that were set out by God at a time when the vessel lacked any possibility of seeing active service.

Around 20 years ago I attended a leadership conference at Gartmore House, near Aberfoyle. The keynote speaker was an American professor from Dallas Theological Seminary called Howard Hendricks. Something he said over those few days has in many ways shaped my understanding of the Christian life. He said, “The Christian life is the life of Christ reproduced in a believer by the power of the Holy Spirit in obedient response to God’s Word.” That single sentence could be unpacked over many paragraphs. However, in connection with Noah and his obedience to God, Hendricks’ statement reveals how this is possible. It requires God’s Word, my willing obedience to it, over a period of time which will lead to the end result of spiritual growth.

Therefore, the central issue of Christian living is not how much I know about God’s Word but how much I am willing to put it into practice. There is a moment in Noah's life recorded in Genesis 9 (verses 20-27) when Noah wandered from the path of obedience into sin. However, the importance for believers in times like this is to recognise our sin, confess it before God and continue thereafter to walk with God in faithful obedience to his Word.

The hymn sang at my baptism on March 28 1981 puts it like this:

“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

Noah would implore us to Hold True.

And finally,

➡️ Noah Worshipped God

“Noah built an altar to God…” (Genesis 8:20).

The first activity that Noah engaged in after his adventure on the high seas was to offer himself in worship to God.

W.O.W. He walked with God…He was obedient to all that God asked him to do…and did it all out of a deep sense of reverence and love for God. He worshipped God.

John Piper once wrote, “True worship is a valuing or a treasuring of God above all things.”

Noah would ultimately urge us to Look Up because…

…nobody and nothing is greater than God.

(Picture - Near Callander)