Fellowship With the Father and With His Son

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.                                                                                                    –1 John 1:1-4

The Gnostics were a religious sect who were contemporaries of the early Christians and who held particularly destructive views of life. To begin, the Gnostics believed that Jesus was not a real person but rather a phantom person. Also, they believed all physical matter was simply tainted and evil. However, a person's spiritual being was pure and unable to be tainted. Therefore, one's actions (whether good or bad) could not affect one's purity of spirit. Amidst the apostle John's eloquent dismantling of Gnostic thinking, he develops four themes in his letter to 1st century believers: light, truth, life, and love (1:2, 5, 6, 8; 2:4, 9-10).

In these beginning verses of John's letter, he is saying that the Gnostics have it wrong: Jesus was not a phantom spirit, but rather He was a real person whom John himself had seen, heard, and touched. Furthermore, walking in fellowship with Jesus and his followers means we cannot be like the Gnostics who had no regard for physical matter or our physical lives. We simply do not have the luxury of ignoring the manner in which we live, as if it doesn't matter. John says it like this: "Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did" (v.6). In other words, our physical lives do matter—not only in our fellowship with others, but in our fellowship with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ—for from this fellowship comes our joy.

May we all combat Gnostic thinking in our lives by reflecting upon how Jesus lived. May we walk as He walked. May we live in light and truth and love. May we have fellowship with the Father and with his Son, the one who was seen and heard and touched, the one who is alive and who makes our joy complete.

Finding Satisfaction in Our Work

A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. -Eccl. 2:24

The author of Ecclesiastes was a "preacher," (1:1) which could also be translated "assembler," which designated someone who assembled the people publicly in order to instruct them in the way of Yahweh. This assembler had "acquired great wisdom" (v.16), which may suggest Solomon (or perhaps a "king over Israel in Jerusalem" (v.13) after Solomon). Either way, the author of the book of Ecclesiastes was a preacher of wisdom who greatly valued the process of applying knowledge to life.

So, he came up with a grand experiment to test his wisdom and to find clarity, meaning, and fulfillment in life. He determined to experience all possible pleasures "under the sun" (1:14). He sought out laughter, wine, and celebrations (2:2-3). He built houses, vineyards, parks, and gardens (vv.4-5). He amassed great riches and material wealth, both herds of livestock and precious metals like gold and silver (vv.6-8). He had all sorts of parties and denied himself no pleasure (vv.8-10). In the end, his conclusion was "all was vanity and a striving after wind" (v.11).

He did make a few unexpected conclusions along the way, however. On the one hand, he concluded "What a heavy burden God has laid on men! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind" (1:13-14), but then he discovered he actually found some pleasure in his work of building houses and planting gardens (2:4). In fact, he actually said, "My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor" (2:10)!

One pleasant surprise we can take away from this grand life experiment is that work is a gift from God. Like building houses or gardens, we need to find things in our work that we enjoy, and press more deeply into them. We need to aspire to excellent work. We need to make goals, build progress, and work hard, for in so doing, we may be surprised just how much satisfaction God will give us in all our work under the sun.

The Good Portion

And a woman named Martha welcomed [Jesus] into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving...and said, "Lord...tell [Mary] to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion which will not be taken away from her."   –Lk 10:41-42

We don't need more serving and running around. We don't need more work. We don't need more money. We don't need more status. We don't need more significance and power and ego and recognition. We only need more of one thing in life—communion with God. Since Martha is preparing food, Jesus takes the opportunity to create a metaphor for this communion with Him. He says Mary has chosen "the good portion." In other words, enjoying God's presence and reflecting over His teaching is like enjoying a really, really, really good meal. 

Mary chose to minimize her distractions and focus on Jesus. Martha was preoccupied with food and serving Jesus, but He simply wanted her to enjoy His presence. Only initiative and self-conscious choosing will result in being satisfied by the good portion. What's more is the distractions will lose their luster, but time spent with Jesus will not be taken away from us. His presence and teaching will satisfy us and never leave us wanting. So, like Mary, may we all choose the good portion. May we all enjoy God's presence each day like a well-prepared meal.

Kindness and Truth

Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good repute
In the sight of God and man.
      –Prov. 3:3-4

The beauty of Proverbs is Solomon's (and others') ability to reduce life's issues down to their essence. Proverbs has a refreshing way of simplifying life for us. Everyone knows we have to relate to one another. Sometimes it goes well; sometimes it goes badly. Sometimes we are concerned for the other person; sometimes we are not. Sometimes we try to impress others; sometimes we try to ignore them. So, what is the best way to relate to others in all situations? 

Essentially, we need neither to impress nor ignore. According to Solomon, we simply need to treat everyone with kindness and truth. Doing so will uphold the dignity of all and communicate that everyone matters. It may even lead to greater influence and opportunity of joy in relationships. Let us treat everyone, including ourselves and God, with kindness and truth. Then, we will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.

Rejoicing, Praying, and Giving Thanks

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. –1 Thess. 5:16-18

The Christians in Thessalonica had undergone various trials in their day, including being accused before the city authorities of disloyalty to Caesar (Acts 17:5-9). Also, some members of the church recently had passed away (1 Thess. 4:13), which raised questions among those church members still living. How do we know Jesus hasn't abandoned us? Where exactly did our dear friends go when they died? Is walking with Christ an empty endeavor? What is God's will for us right now, anyway? Paul compassionately takes the time to answer their questions in his letter and to encourage them in their lives with Christ. In a nutshell, Paul explains whether we pass away or the Lord returns, "we will always be with the Lord" (v.17).

Right now, however, what is God's will for us? In chapter 4 of his letter, Paul tells the Thessalonians that God's will is their sanctification (4:3). Then, he picks up on this theme of God's will again at the end of the letter, saying, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances—for this is God's will for you..." (5:16-18).

So, part of God's will for our lives is rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. We rejoice that we will always live with Christ (4:17; 5:10). We pray about everything. We give thanks in all circumstances—both that God has showered us with many blessings but also that He is able to bring good things into our lives, even out of the bad. May we practice God's will by learning to rejoice and to pray and to give thanks!

Waiting for God Alone

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.   –Ps. 62:1-2

In Psalm 62, David is distressed. He has people attacking him and Israel, and he's not sure what will be the outcome of the situation. However, he takes time to compose a song for the entire congregation of Israel to sing to God.

In verses 1-2, David directs his soul to God, as a model for the entire congregation of people who look up to him as their leader. He states bluntly that God alone can save him and steady him like a "rock." David is preaching to himself, "I shall not be greatly shaken" (v.3). Next, he states the problem that is facing him and his nation—attackers who want to "thrust him down from his high position" (v.4).

After stating his problem, David immediately repeats what he is going to do: "For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress" (vv.5-6). He is going to wait for God only—to steady him, protect him, comfort him, and direct him. Now, with slightly more confidence, he adjusts his opening refrain: "I shall not be shaken" (v.6). Finally, David instructs his countrymen directly to "trust in God at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us" (v.8).

May we all wait for God alone: to steady us and give us renewed hope. No other person can do that for us. In the meantime, may we pour out our hearts before him because he is a refuge for us. In his timing only, as we wait on him, we will not be greatly shaken.

Destroying Speculations and Obeying Christ

We are destroying speculations and every lofty opinion raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive into the obedience of Christ. And we are ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. –2 Cor. 10:5-6

Paul's dealings with the Corinthian Church over the years could be summarized as challenging and corrective. Paul established the Church in Corinth with the help of Aquila and his wife Priscilla over a year-and-a-half period in the early 50's A.D. (Acts 18:2-3). Over the next 5-6 years, Paul wrote at least 4 letters to the Church at Corinth, two of which survive today as 1 and 2 Corinthians, which are the 2nd and 4th letters, chronologically (1 Cor. 5:9; 2 Cor 2:4, 9). Corinth was a port city (located on an isthmus between the Aegean and Ionian seas), with many people passing through on a regular basis, including entertainers, rhetoricians, travelers, and the like. In this context, sexual immorality and false apostles crept into the Corinthian Church. According to Paul, these two issues were the main reasons he wrote so many letters to the Corinthian Church (1 Cor. 5:9-10; 2 Cor. 7:8-9; 11:12-13; 12:21).

According to the false apostles, or "super-apostles" (as Paul liked to call them), Paul was not a true apostle sent from God, salvation was not by grace through faith in Christ alone, and Paul was "weak, and his speech of no account" (2 Cor. 10:10). In response, Paul argued, "If someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the one we proclaimed...or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you will put up with it readily enough" (11:4). In other words, they would reap what they sowed—the dissatisfaction and emptiness of false teachings and promises. Nevertheless, Paul compassionately expressed his concern that the Corinthians' "thoughts w[ould] be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ" (11:3).

No wonder Paul is concerned for the Corinthians to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. If they don't watch over their minds, they will end up following false apostles instead of Christ! So, Paul intensely instructs the Corinthians to destroy wrong thinking. At the same time, they are to make their mind captive to all that Christ Himself taught. Undoubtedly, this internal discipline of one's mind will generate a more complete obedience of Christ all the way out to one's own life and actions.

Therefore, may we all search and destroy wrong thinking in our minds. May we make our minds captive to all that Christ taught us. May our obedience to Him be more and more complete as our lives and actions glorify Christ each day from the inside out!