love for others

A Like-Minded Love for God’s Law

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Zayin

49 Remember your word to your servant,
    in which you have made me hope.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction,
    that your promise gives me life.
51 The insolent utterly deride me,
    but I do not turn away from your law.
52 When I think of your rules from of old,
    I take comfort, O LORD.
53 Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
    who forsake your law.
54 Your statutes have been my songs
    in the house of my sojourning.
55 I remember your name in the night, O LORD,
    and keep your law.
56 This blessing has fallen to me,
    that I have kept your precepts.

Heth

57 The LORD is my portion;
    I promise to keep your words.
58 I entreat your favor with all my heart;
    be gracious to me according to your promise.
59 When I think on my ways,
    I turn my feet to your testimonies;
60 I hasten and do not delay
    to keep your commandments.
61 Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
    I do not forget your law.
62 At midnight I rise to praise you,
    because of your righteous rules.
63 I am a companion of all who fear you,
    of those who keep your precepts.
64 The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love;
    teach me your statutes!

Teth

65 You have dealt well with your servant,
    O LORD, according to your word.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
    for I believe in your commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
    but now I keep your word.
68 You are good and do good;
    teach me your statutes.
69 The insolent smear me with lies,
    but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;
70 their heart is unfeeling like fat,
    but I delight in your law.
71 It is good for me that I was afflicted,
    that I might learn your statutes.
72 The law of your mouth is better to me
    than thousands of gold and silver pieces. – Psalm 119:49-72 ESV

Life for the psalmist was full of ups and downs and twists and turns. He knew what it was like to experience Yahweh’s blessings and the difficulties that come with living in a fallen world. He had his share of setbacks and sorrows, but remained faithful to Yahweh and committed to keeping His law.

The “words” of Yawheh gave him hope (vs 49) and provided comfort in the face of affliction (vs 50). As the psalmist considered the entirety of the Hebrew Scriptures, he found them to be filled with messages of Yahweh’s sovereignty, power, and provision for His chosen people. The stories of Israel’s past confirmed Yahweh’s promise that He would dwell among His people.

“I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.” – Exodus 29:45-46 ESV

“I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” – Leviticus 26:11-12 ESV

Yahweh had remained with them through thick and thin. Despite their disobedience and spiritual infidelity, He had maintained His covenant commitments. This did not mean that He overlooked their apostasy or that their sins went unpunished. Their track record of unfaithfulness cost them dearly, because Yahweh eventually followed through on His promise to punish them for their disobedience. Long before the Israelites had set foot in Canaan, Moses warned the Israelites that failure to obey Yahweh’s commands would prove costly.

“But if you refuse to listen to the LORD your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you:

Your towns and your fields
will be cursed.
Your fruit baskets and breadboards
will be cursed.
Your children and your crops
will be cursed.
The offspring of your herds and flocks
will be cursed.
Wherever you go and whatever you do,
you will be cursed.

“The LORD himself will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in everything you do, until at last you are completely destroyed for doing evil and abandoning me.” – Deuteronomy 28:15-20 NLT

Yet, the psalmist knew that Yahweh’s judgment was justified; the people of Israel had gotten what they deserved. But he also knew they had received what they didn’t deserve: Yahweh’s mercy and forgiveness. He had redeemed and restored them. That message of Yahweh’s persistence and patience with His unworthy people resonated with the psalmist because he also needed that undeserved grace.

The psalmist knew he was far from perfect. He struggled with sin just like everyone else, but strongly desired to live obediently.

LORD, you are mine!
I promise to obey your words!
With all my heart I want your blessings.– Psalm 119:57-58 NLT

Evil people try to drag me into sin,
    but I am firmly anchored to your instructions. – Psalm 119:61 NLT

He shared the experience of the Israelites, having chosen the path of disobedience until the LORD lovingly rebuked and restored him.

I used to wander off until you disciplined me;
    but now I closely follow your word. – Psalm 119:67 NLT

When he writes, “You are good and do only good,” (Psalm 119:68 NLT), he echoes the words of a song written by Moses. 

I will proclaim the name of the LORD;
    how glorious is our God!
He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.
    Everything he does is just and fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong;
    how just and upright he is! – Deuteronomy 32:3-4 NLT

Though he had experienced Yahweh’s judgment, he was not bitter or angry. Instead, he was grateful for having his eyes opened and his heart softened by the gracious hand of the LORD.

My suffering was good for me,
    for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees.
Your instructions are more valuable to me
    than millions in gold and silver. – Psalm 119:71-72 NLT

This personal experience with Yahweh’s loving discipline made him all the more committed to the integrity and efficacy of Yahweh’s commands. He had discovered the truth behind the ancient proverbial statement:

My son, do not despise the LORD‘s discipline
    or be weary of his reproof,
for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,
    as a father the son in whom he delights. – Proverbs 3:11-12 ESV

Rather than despise the LORD’s discipline, the psalmist despised those who dismissed or disobeyed God’s commands.

I become furious with the wicked,
    because they reject your instructions. – Psalm 119:53 NLT

He had no patience with the godless and lawless. He refused to tolerate or associate with those who promoted profligate living. Those who had chosen to disobey God’s commands were constantly tempting him to join in their camp, but he wasn’t taking the bait.

Evil people try to drag me into sin,
    but I am firmly anchored to your instructions. – Psalm 119:61 NLT

Yahweh’s commands were his anchor in the storm. The word of God was the solid rock on which he built his life and depended upon for peace, contentment, hope, and assurance for tomorrow. This reliance upon God’s truth prompted him to seek the company of like-minded individuals.

I am a friend to anyone who fears you—
    anyone who obeys your commandments. – Psalm 119:63 NLT

Surrounded by wicked and lawless people, he knew he needed the companionship of other faithful men and women who shared his love for and commitment to Yahweh’s commands. Godliness is not a solo activity; it is a team sport that requires the combined efforts of all those involved. The psalmist seemed to understand the concept that Paul expressed to the church in Corinth. This was a divided congregation suffering from unhealthy competition and infighting over spiritual gifts. Rather than working together for the good of the body, they were clamoring and competing for supremacy based on their individual spiritual gift. So Paul

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. – 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 NLT

God’s commands were given to the entire community, not just individuals. Faithfulness is a group endeavor that benefits everyone, which the psalmist and Paul both understood. A love for God’s law that lacks love for others is of no value to anyone. The apostle John summed up this need for communal love and a unified commitment to God’s commands.

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. – 1 John 4:20-21 NLT

Father, it’s so easy to turn my pursuit of Christlikeness into a solo sport that leaves everyone else out of the picture. We are prone to practice a form of Lone Ranger Christianity that misses the point of the body of Christ and our need for unity. It is amazing to consider that many of Your laws were horizontal in nature; in other words they had to do with the relationships between individuals. That is why Jesus gave a new commandment, that we love one another. Obedience to Your law without a love for Your people is useless. That is what the Pharisees practiced. Give me a love for Your Word that manifests itself in a love for others and a desire to live in unity with all those who share a common faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Law of Love.

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Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. – Romans 13:8-10 ESV

Paul had just finished encouraging his readers to, “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed” (Romans 13:7 ESV). And he was not alone in his thoughts on this topic. At one point in His earthly ministry, Jesus was approached by some Pharisees and supporters of King Herod, attempting to trick Jesus into saying something they could use against Him. Hypocritically addressing Him as “Teacher” they said, “we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us—is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them, or shouldn’t we?”(Mark 12:14-15 NLT).  Jesus saw through their scheme and requested them to show Him a Roman coin. When He asked whose image was on the coin, they responded, “Caesar.” And Jesus matter-of-factly told them, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God” (Mark 12:17 NLT). For Jesus, the issue had little to do with money, public policy, governmental authority or the rule of earthly law. It had to do with the Kingdom of God. And God’s Kingdom is not of this world. At his trial before Pilate, Jesus told him, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36 NLT).

Paul understood what Jesus meant. That is why he told his readers, “there is no authority except from God” (Romans 13:1 ESV) and “whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed” (Romans 13:2 ESV). For Paul, it all had to do with the sovereignty and rule of God. As believers, we are to be far more concerned about what He would have us do. Unless those in authority over us are causing us to disobey God, we are to see them as placed over us by God. And we are to show them the honor and respect they deserve as God’s servants.

We are to be debt-free when it comes to our submission to earthly authorities. If fact, Paul says we are to owe no one anything except love. That debt is never paid off. We owe love to everyone because of the priceless gift of love that God showered on us. Paul has already reminded his readers, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 ESV). And now Paul says that when we love others we are fulfilling the law. For all the commandments, including not to commit adultery, not to murder, not to steal and not to covet, are really accomplished by love. When we truly love others the very idea of taking something from them that doesn’t belong to us would never cross our minds. That is why, when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He responded:

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments. – Matthew 22:37-40 NLT

Paul writes, “Love does not wrong to a neighbor” (Romans 13:10 ESV). In other words, the kind of love Jesus was talking about is incapable of harming or taking advantage of someone else. The law of God was designed to manage and legislate man’s relation with his fellow man and with God. But if we truly love God and love others, the requirements of the law will be naturally fulfilled. If we love God, we will not worship other gods. If we love God, we will honor His name with the way we live our lives. If we love others, we will treat them with dignity and respect, and never consider taking advantage of them for our own pleasure or benefit.

Earlier in his letter, Paul wrote, “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4 ESV). We have the ability to live according to the law, in love. Love is the key to fulfilling the law of God. And not only have we experienced the love of God through the gift of His Son, we have the power and capacity to love selflessly because of the presence of the Spirit of God within us. Jesus told His disciples, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:34-35 NLT). Our love for believers and non-believers is an indication of our relationship with Christ and His Spirit’s presence within us. In Paul’s way of thinking, we should worry less about what the government may be taking from us and concern ourselves with what God would require of us: Love.

Visible Faith.

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I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing that belongs to you in Christ.  – Philemon 1:4-6 NET

They say faith is hard to see, but Paul would disagree. Faith has fruit. Our belief in Jesus Christ should have a direct impact on the way we live our lives and should be visible to all those around us. Paul had heard of Philemon’s faith. Others had been able to see it and talk about it. They had been first-hand recipients of Philemon’s love – a direct byproduct of his faith in Christ. One of Paul’s other prayers, found in his letter to the Philippians, read, “May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation–the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ–for this will bring much glory and praise to God” (Philippians 1:11 NLT). As we grow in our faith, the fruit of that faith increases, impacting those around us. Which is why Paul prayed that Philemon’s faith would deepen his understanding of every blessing that belongs to him in Christ. Our faith in Christ should result in a growing awareness of the incredible blessings we have received from God as a result of our relationship with His Son. We enjoy His unmerited grace, mercy, forgiveness,and love. We have the ongoing assurance of His abiding presence. Nothing we do can ever alter our relationship as His child. He never falls out of love with His children. As the incredible nature of the our relationship with God sets in, our faith should increase, along with our love for those around us. When we realize just how much we have received from God, we should desire to share that same love, grace and mercy with others. The apostle John writes, “No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us” (1 John 4:12 NLT). God’s love for us was never meant to terminate on us. His love should flow through us to others, in order that they might feel the love of God in a tangible way.

As we grow in our understanding of the blessings of God available to us through Christ, we are able to turn from our normal and natural inward fixation to a Spirit-motivated love for others. We begin to live out what Paul described: “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3 NLT). We become known for our love for others. Our faith in Christ takes on a visible nature that others can see, feel and experience. We become less self-centered and more other-focused. Our selfishness slowly gets replaced with a spirit of selflessness and sacrifice. Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ should be accompanied by a love for others. That is the fruit of righteousness. Paul knew that as Philemon grew in his understanding of all that he had received in Christ, he would increase in his desire to love others. So that was the heart of Paul’s prayer for Philemon. And we should pray that same prayer for our brothers and sisters in Christ today. Our love for one another and our love for the lost are tangible expressions of God’s redemptive, restorative love for us. We are to love as we have been loved. We are to show grace as we have received grace. We are to extend mercy as we have had mercy extended to us. We are God’s ambassadors, His representatives on this earth. “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’’ (2 Corinthians 5:19-20 NLT). But the most effective way to get people to return to God is to allow them to experience the love of God through us. They can’t see God, but they can feel His love as we love them as He has loved us. Oh, that our faith would grow and that our awareness of God’s great love for us would continue to increase. Then that love would find expression in our selfless, sacrificial love for others. And the world would take notice.

Walk the Talk.

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Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. – 1 John 3:18 ESV

Life change. That’s really a big part of what John seems to be stressing in his letter. What we believe should impact how we behave. Who we are (children of God) should significantly alter what we do. And John focuses on one specific outcome of our relationship with Christ: our love for one another. After all, the world goes out of its way to hate us, just as it hated Jesus. But we are to love one another. We have passed from life to death, from being dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) to new life in Christ (Ephesians 2:5). If we fail to love, it is as if we are still dead, exhibiting the characteristics of our former spiritual lifelessness. The dead don’t love. The dead can’t love. But we are alive in Christ because “he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16 ESV). And as a result of that life-giving, new-creation kind of love, we have the capacity to love others – even to the point of laying down our lives for them just as Jesus laid down His life for us. Christ’s love for us was tangible and visible. He gave His life. He laid it all on the line. So for us to claim to love one another, we will have to give proof of that love in tangible, visible ways. John says, “if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (1 John 3:17 ESV). In other words, how can you claim to have the love of God abiding in you if you can’t seem to express love to someone else whose need could be met by your surplus? James points out the absurdity of that kind of lifestyle when he writes, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” (James 2:15-16 ESV). The old saying, “talk is cheap” is so true. Words that aren’t backed up by action are meaningless. John gives us two pairs of words. He says, we are not to love in word or talk. The word for “talk” can actually be translated “tongue”, as in the muscle inside our mouth. It is out tongue that produces words. In the same way, it is truth that produces deeds. The truth concerning Jesus and His transforming power in our lives shows up as actions that reflect our new nature. We are able to love others because we have been loved by Him.

John reminds us that our belief in the name of Jesus, as the Son of God and our Savior from sin, coupled with our love for one another provide evidence of our relationship with God. We abide in Him and He abides in us. It is His Spirit within us that enables us to walk the talk. He helps us turn truth into action, and we get to see the love of God perfected or completed (1 John 2:5). As the Spirit enables us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, it reflects God’s love flowing to us and through us to others. It doesn’t dead end with us, but continues on to others as we act as conduits through whom His love flows.

But the love we are to share is far more than some kind of emotional or sentimental feeling. It is not to be self-seeking or reciprocal in nature, demanding payback or expecting love in return. The kind of love we are called to show others is radical and not like anything this world has ever seen. Paul describes it this way: “

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

– 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT

We are to love in the same way that He loved us. And when we do, others will see it and know that we are His disciples. Why? Because that kind of love can’t be faked. It isn’t natural or normal. It’s not of this world. It comes from a different source. It’s full of life, not death. It builds up, instead of tearing down. It it other-focused rather than me-centered. It’s measurable, meaningful, tangible, helpful, and incredibly hopeful. When we walk the talk and love as He loved, we can know that He lives within us and He is in the process of transforming us, through His power and in His timing.

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2 Samuel 9-10, 1 Corinthians 7

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The Kindness of God.

2 Samuel 9-10, 1 Corinthians 7

So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet. – 2 Samuel 9:13 ESV

The story of David and Mephibosheth is a remarkable picture of the grace God has extended toward undeserving mankind. After becoming king over all of Israel, David could have taken vengeance out on any of the descendants of Saul. After all, Saul had repeatedly tried to eliminate David as the God-ordained successor to his throne. It would have made perfectly logical sense for David to eliminate any of Saul’s potential heirs in order to solidify his rule. But instead, David sought out the remaining household of Saul, not to destroy them, but to show them mercy and grace. David said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” (2 Samuel 9:3 ESV). David’s words are significant. He wanted to show the kindness of God – the same kindness God had shown to him. David recognized that his position as king of Israel was not deserved. He had not earned it. It had been made possible by the grace and kindness of God. So he wanted to extend that same kindness to the remaining heirs of Saul. When Mephibosheth, the grandson of Saul, was brought before David, he was told, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always” (2 Samuel 9:7 ESV). Shocked by this news, Mephibosheth could only respond, “What is your servant that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?” (2 Samuel 9:8 ESV). Mephibosheth knew he was undeserving of David’s kindness. He did not merit the grace, mercy and unbelievable generosity of the king.

What does this passage reveal about God?

As has been said before, David was referred to by God as a man after His own heart. He had a sensitivity to the ways of God. In this story, we see that David was fully aware of God’s kindness and grace towards him, which made him predisposed to turn around and extend that same kindness toward others – not because they deserved it. What is amazing is that David was willing to extend this kindness to a young man who had nothing to offer in return. The passage makes it clear that Mephibosheth was crippled. He wasn’t even a real threat to David’s kingdom. He was lame in both of his feet and would never have been considered a viable candidate for the kingship of Israel. But David showed him kindness anyway. And what David did for Mephibosheth was shocking. He restored to him all the lands that had belonged to his grandfather, Saul. He gave him a permanent place at his royal table. David made Mephibosheth a part of his royal family, and Mephibosheth is stunned by this turn of events. He recognizes his undeservedness and couldn’t help but marvel at David’s astounding kindness. But all of this is just a shadow of what God has done for us as believers in Jesus Christ. He has taken sinful men like us and made us His heirs and permanent residents of His eternal kingdom. Paul reminds us, “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10 ESV). To the Colossian believers Paul wrote, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him” (Colossians 1:21-22 ESV). There was a time when all believers were in the same state as Mephibosheth. We were living in exile, separated from God, deserving of death, and incapable of doing anything to save ourselves. But God showed us mercy. He extended to us grace. He showered us with kindness. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:4-9 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about man?

Mephibosheth had everything going against him. He was not only the grandson of Saul, David’s arch enemy, he was crippled. In that day and age, to be lame was seen as a curse from God. The Jews believed that physical illness was directly tied to sin. Even when Jesus and His disciples encountered a blind man, the disciples asked, ““Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2 ESV). The disciples wrongly assumed that the man’s blindness was a result of sin. As a crippled man, Mephibosheth would have been viewed with disdain. He would have been an outcast, even as the grandson of the former king of Israel. And as a descendant of Saul, Mephibosheth would have had another strike against him. He would have been seen as an enemy of David, a constant reminder of the former regime and fully deserving of the wrath of the newly appointed king. But again, Mephibosheth represents us. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8 ESV).

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

Like Mephibosheth, I am undeserving of God’s kindness. I was a sinner, as good as dead, unable to save myself or do anything to redeem myself from the righteous judgment of a holy God. And yet, I was shown mercy and grace. I was the recipient of God’s kindness and love – not because of me, but in spite of me. David had experienced the kindness of God. He had been rescued from his exile in the wilderness where he was hiding from the wrath of Saul. He had been restored to fellowship with the people of God. He had been placed on the throne of Israel as their king. And none of this escaped David’s notice. In return, he wanted to show that same kindness – the kindness of God – to others. He chose to show it to the “least of these.” David extended mercy in the same way that he had received it. He didn’t base it on merit. He didn’t do it in order to get something in return. Paul makes it clear that the mercy we have received from God was undeserved – “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5 ESV). I must be willing to show others the same kind of mercy, grace, and kindness I have received from God. Not based on their merit. Not based on what they can do for me in return. But solely based on the kindness that God has shown me.

Father, what an amazing picture of Your grace. I was Mephibosheth, crippled, hopeless and helpless, and yet You showed me kindness. You restored me to fellowship with You and made me Your heir. You have given me a permanent place at Your table and now call me Your Son. Help me to extend that same amazing kindness to all those I meet, whether I think they deserve it or not. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

1 Corinthians 9

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The Law of Christ.

1 Corinthians 9

When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. – 1 Corinthians 9:21 NLT

Paul continued to address the questions raised in a letter he had previously received from the church in Corinth. In it, they had communicated a number of concerns regarding a variety of topics. In chapter nine, he addressed a question regarding the validity of his apostleship. Evidently, there were those in the Corinthian church who were raising doubts about his apostleship in an attempt to diminish his authority over their lives. Paul didn’t spend a lot of time defending his apostleship, but instead used the whole issue as a chance to talk about rights and their relationship with the context of the Body of Christ. Six different times in this section of his letter he brought up the topic of rights. This was in direct response to the claims of the Corinthian believers that they had every “right” to eat meat sacrificed to idols, because the “gods” behind these idols didn’t really exist in the first place. Paul has been trying to get them to understand that their rights had to take a back seat to their love for others. And he used his own life and ministry as an example. As an apostle, Paul had the right to expect compensation for his work among them. He had the right to expect the same kind of treatment that they had afforded Peter when he had come to minister among them. He had the right to expect the same kind of support the Corinthians had given to other ministers of the gospel.

But rather than demand his rights, Paul said, “We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:12 NLT). Paul was not interested in demanding his rights. He was more interested in preaching the Good News. He was compelled to do so. He wasn’t in it for the money or the material benefits. “What then is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the Good News without charging anyone. That’s why I never demand my rights when I preach the Good News” (1 Corinthians 9:18 NLT). For Paul, it was not a matter of rights, but responsibilities. He had been given a “sacred trust” by God to preach the gospel and he would not let anything – including his own rights – stand in the way. As a result, Paul took the attitude that he was a slave to all. Yes, he was a free man who had all kinds of rights he could have demanded, but he willingly set aside those rights so that his rights would never stand in the way of leading others to Christ. When he lived among the Jews, he willingly kept their Jewish laws and dietary practices, even though he no longer obligated to do so. When he ministered among Gentiles, like the Corinthians, he set aside those very same Jewish laws because he knew that they would confuse them, causing them to consider the law necessary for salvation. But Paul made it clear that he was not ignoring the law of God. He was simply obeying the law of Christ.

“The Law of Christ is the moral Law as found in the Old Testament, preached by the prophets, and interpreted, lived, and applied by our Lord and His apostles—only now in a new covenant context. The term ‘law’ here refers to the commandments Jesus and His apostles give us and which constitute a holy life, pleasing to God and beneficial to men and women. The Law of Christ is the standard for the Christian and Christian community, not our feelings or uninformed ideas. It calls us to a righteous and holy life. Holiness has particular reference to our relationship with God and righteousness involves the living out of that relationship with those in the world” (Greg Herrick, Beliefs Leading to Christlikeneess – The Spiritual Life, Bible.org).

In his letter to the believers in Galatia, Paul wrote of the same law of Christ. “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important” (Galatians 6:2-3 NLT). In his letter to the Romans, Paul encouraged them with the same idea. “We must not please ourselves. We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. For even Christ didn’t live to please himself” (Romans 15:1-3 NLT). Later on, in that same letter, Paul would write, “Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law” (Romans 13:10 NLT). Jesus Himself had said, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13 NLT). Love should be our motivation. Love for God and love for others should be what drives our actions and attitudes. Not rights. Paul was willing to set his freedoms and rights aside for the sake of others. For Paul, the Christian life was not about rights and privileges. It was about discipline and required determination. The Christian life was like a race and he ran it to win. He ran it with purpose in every step. He disciplined his body. He set aside his rights. He gave up certain privileges. All so he could see others come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Father, I worry way too much about my rights. I spend far too much time worrying about whether my rights have been respected or even violated. But give me the attitude that Paul had. Help me obey the law of Christ. May I learn to make self-sacrifice and selfless service the norm for my life. May I learn to give up my rights for the sake of others. Forgive me for spending so much time trying to please myself instead of serving others. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org