Easter 6
Devotional
Pause Before The Pulpit
Personal Reflections For Pastors On The Lectionary Readings
John 15:9-17
John brings out two attitudes in this text that are so important for us to have in ministry. The first is joy. Few things are sadder than a pastor who has lost his joy. I know, for I was one of them. Now I'm not referring to feeling unhappy, or having a down day, or the Monday "blues." I'm talking about the absence of that deep-down joy that only comes from being a child of God and working for him. Do you remember a time when you were really excited about being a Christian and could hardly contain your joy? Can you remember when you were so excited and full of joy over your calling to be a pastor? That's the joy I'm talking about.
The devil is constantly trying to rob us of that joy. He does it with sin, with guilt, with self-condemnation, through wrong priorities, and he can do it through people (even our church leaders). He tries to wear us down until there is nothing left but cynicism, a bad attitude, and depression. The devil knows that if he can take away our joy -- both that which comes from our position in Christ and our position in the church -- then he has basically defeated us and our ministry. I know, for he did it to me.
The key to maintaining and sustaining our joy is in abiding and obeying. Whenever we fall out of close, intimate fellowship with God, we cease to abide in him to the degree that he wants with us. Not that we have fallen out of grace, but we have fallen out of his arms, so to speak. That nurturing, Father/child relationship just isn't happening and we know it, for we have not been abiding in him. All it takes to restore this joy is to get right with him and spend more time with him in Bible reading, quiet reflection, and prayer.
A failure to obey his commands is another thing that saps us of our joy. It might be secret sins that we refuse to deal with. It might be a root of bitterness toward a church leader, or some other member, whom we refuse to forgive. It might be materialism, pornography, selfishness, a need for control, or lying. All of it robs us of joy. David knew this. That is why in his famous confession, as recorded in Psalm 51, he asked the Lord to restore to him the joy of his salvation (Psalm 51:12). Only the Lord can restore our joy, but he's only going to do it after we truly repent of our sins and ask him for forgiveness.
The other attitude has to do with how we see ourselves in relation to God. Not only does he want us to be filled with his joy, but he wants us to be his friends! Notice again what Jesus said, as recorded by John, I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.
Pastors aren't merely servants of God who are slaving away in some church somewhere, barely noticed by our Master. No! We are his friends! We are working together on a huge kingdom-building project. Servants don't know what the master is up to. They just do the work he requires, often begrudgingly. Sadly, all too many pastors view their ministry with this attitude, for either they have never sensed the friendship relationship with God, or they feel abandoned by their friend. I have felt the latter, and it was really lonely and depressing. The truth of the matter is my best friend had not abandoned me. I had lost sight of the reality of our relationship and, coupled with my lack of joy, it became overwhelming for me.
When we revisit the tremendous privilege of having been let in on everything that Jesus heard from the Father, we realize that we are not servants who have been left with all the dirty work. We are in a partnership with our best friend. We are co-equals (to some degree) in this task of bringing the good news of Jesus to a lost and dying world. May that truth give us renewed vision, energy, and joy!
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
I confess to you all that I have allowed to come into my life and rob me of the wonderful joy you have given me. Please restore that joy to its fullest extent in my life, so that it overflows to all who come in contact with me. And Lord, thank you for the wonderful friendship! Again, forgive me when I have accused you of abandoning me and treating me like an ignorant slave. That was my fault due to my ignorance. We are a team, and I want to work alongside of you like the best friends we are. Thank you. Amen.
1 John 5:1-6
Do you ever feel defeated? Do you have those days where you feel like evil is controlling our nation and our world? I know I do. In this text, John gives us the key to avoiding such feelings of defeat -- our faith. Now it is not faith, in and of itself, but what (or who) we have put our faith in. If we put our faith in the economy, we will feel defeated when it takes a downturn. If we put our faith in our leaders, we will feel defeated when they fail. If we put our faith in worldwide peace, we will feel defeated when it doesn't materialize. If we put our faith in our congregation, we will feel defeated when they fall short of our expectations. So our faith needs to be in something infinitely greater than those things. It needs to be in something (or someone) that can't fail or disappoint. Clearly, it needs to be in God himself.
John pointed out that whatever is born of God conquers the world. Clearly that refers to Christ, for he was born of God and single-handedly conquered the world. But we too are born of God, by faith in Christ, and can therefore conquer the world as well.
The world is all that is under Satan's temporary control. God has ultimate authority and control over everything and everyone, but he is allowing the devil temporary, free reign and control over the whole earth. That is why it appears at times that evil is prevailing, because in a sense it is. As one looks back over history, there have been many times that evil seemed to have had the upper hand, but God was not defeated. He allows evil in the world to go only so far and then he seems to stop it, often by causing it to self-destruct.
Is there any way that we can conquer evil? Yes there is, but it is often a slow, painful process where, day by day, we battle against the potential for evil that lies within our sinful nature and lurks in our own homes and churches. It is here that we fight the devil, the world, and our own flesh. It is here that we can conquer and experience victory.
The good news, though, is that we do not fight this battle alone! We have the armor of God, as Paul wrote the Ephesian church: Take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day ... fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:13-17).
God has thoroughly equipped us for battle against the evil in our world, but keep in mind that the battle first begins in our own hearts and minds. It is tempting to rush off and fight some great evil in the world as a warrior for God's kingdom work. However, when we have not first dealt with our own personal struggles with evil, we will be going off to do battle with our armor poorly fitted and, in many ways, not even in place. This, of course, makes us vulnerable to serious injury and a menace to the cause of Christ. When Christians go off to fight the evils of the world half-cocked and unprepared, they most often prove to be hypocrites and their poor witness turns into an object of scorn and embarrassment.
Jesus is our perfect example of how to fight evil in our world. He did it humbly, fully prepared, and with the proper use of God's Word. It was costly for him, but very effective. For when the battle was over, Satan, death, and the grave had all been defeated. What a capable warrior we have on our side! And all who put their faith in him will experience victory in this life and for all eternity.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for conquering evil once and for all. Help me to remember your victory whenever I feel personally defeated by sin or discouraged with the evil in the world around me. Teach me how to fight these battles, both the ones within me and the ones around me. Protect me and empower me to fight as you fought, that I too may share in your victory. Thank you. Amen.
John brings out two attitudes in this text that are so important for us to have in ministry. The first is joy. Few things are sadder than a pastor who has lost his joy. I know, for I was one of them. Now I'm not referring to feeling unhappy, or having a down day, or the Monday "blues." I'm talking about the absence of that deep-down joy that only comes from being a child of God and working for him. Do you remember a time when you were really excited about being a Christian and could hardly contain your joy? Can you remember when you were so excited and full of joy over your calling to be a pastor? That's the joy I'm talking about.
The devil is constantly trying to rob us of that joy. He does it with sin, with guilt, with self-condemnation, through wrong priorities, and he can do it through people (even our church leaders). He tries to wear us down until there is nothing left but cynicism, a bad attitude, and depression. The devil knows that if he can take away our joy -- both that which comes from our position in Christ and our position in the church -- then he has basically defeated us and our ministry. I know, for he did it to me.
The key to maintaining and sustaining our joy is in abiding and obeying. Whenever we fall out of close, intimate fellowship with God, we cease to abide in him to the degree that he wants with us. Not that we have fallen out of grace, but we have fallen out of his arms, so to speak. That nurturing, Father/child relationship just isn't happening and we know it, for we have not been abiding in him. All it takes to restore this joy is to get right with him and spend more time with him in Bible reading, quiet reflection, and prayer.
A failure to obey his commands is another thing that saps us of our joy. It might be secret sins that we refuse to deal with. It might be a root of bitterness toward a church leader, or some other member, whom we refuse to forgive. It might be materialism, pornography, selfishness, a need for control, or lying. All of it robs us of joy. David knew this. That is why in his famous confession, as recorded in Psalm 51, he asked the Lord to restore to him the joy of his salvation (Psalm 51:12). Only the Lord can restore our joy, but he's only going to do it after we truly repent of our sins and ask him for forgiveness.
The other attitude has to do with how we see ourselves in relation to God. Not only does he want us to be filled with his joy, but he wants us to be his friends! Notice again what Jesus said, as recorded by John, I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.
Pastors aren't merely servants of God who are slaving away in some church somewhere, barely noticed by our Master. No! We are his friends! We are working together on a huge kingdom-building project. Servants don't know what the master is up to. They just do the work he requires, often begrudgingly. Sadly, all too many pastors view their ministry with this attitude, for either they have never sensed the friendship relationship with God, or they feel abandoned by their friend. I have felt the latter, and it was really lonely and depressing. The truth of the matter is my best friend had not abandoned me. I had lost sight of the reality of our relationship and, coupled with my lack of joy, it became overwhelming for me.
When we revisit the tremendous privilege of having been let in on everything that Jesus heard from the Father, we realize that we are not servants who have been left with all the dirty work. We are in a partnership with our best friend. We are co-equals (to some degree) in this task of bringing the good news of Jesus to a lost and dying world. May that truth give us renewed vision, energy, and joy!
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
I confess to you all that I have allowed to come into my life and rob me of the wonderful joy you have given me. Please restore that joy to its fullest extent in my life, so that it overflows to all who come in contact with me. And Lord, thank you for the wonderful friendship! Again, forgive me when I have accused you of abandoning me and treating me like an ignorant slave. That was my fault due to my ignorance. We are a team, and I want to work alongside of you like the best friends we are. Thank you. Amen.
1 John 5:1-6
Do you ever feel defeated? Do you have those days where you feel like evil is controlling our nation and our world? I know I do. In this text, John gives us the key to avoiding such feelings of defeat -- our faith. Now it is not faith, in and of itself, but what (or who) we have put our faith in. If we put our faith in the economy, we will feel defeated when it takes a downturn. If we put our faith in our leaders, we will feel defeated when they fail. If we put our faith in worldwide peace, we will feel defeated when it doesn't materialize. If we put our faith in our congregation, we will feel defeated when they fall short of our expectations. So our faith needs to be in something infinitely greater than those things. It needs to be in something (or someone) that can't fail or disappoint. Clearly, it needs to be in God himself.
John pointed out that whatever is born of God conquers the world. Clearly that refers to Christ, for he was born of God and single-handedly conquered the world. But we too are born of God, by faith in Christ, and can therefore conquer the world as well.
The world is all that is under Satan's temporary control. God has ultimate authority and control over everything and everyone, but he is allowing the devil temporary, free reign and control over the whole earth. That is why it appears at times that evil is prevailing, because in a sense it is. As one looks back over history, there have been many times that evil seemed to have had the upper hand, but God was not defeated. He allows evil in the world to go only so far and then he seems to stop it, often by causing it to self-destruct.
Is there any way that we can conquer evil? Yes there is, but it is often a slow, painful process where, day by day, we battle against the potential for evil that lies within our sinful nature and lurks in our own homes and churches. It is here that we fight the devil, the world, and our own flesh. It is here that we can conquer and experience victory.
The good news, though, is that we do not fight this battle alone! We have the armor of God, as Paul wrote the Ephesian church: Take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day ... fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:13-17).
God has thoroughly equipped us for battle against the evil in our world, but keep in mind that the battle first begins in our own hearts and minds. It is tempting to rush off and fight some great evil in the world as a warrior for God's kingdom work. However, when we have not first dealt with our own personal struggles with evil, we will be going off to do battle with our armor poorly fitted and, in many ways, not even in place. This, of course, makes us vulnerable to serious injury and a menace to the cause of Christ. When Christians go off to fight the evils of the world half-cocked and unprepared, they most often prove to be hypocrites and their poor witness turns into an object of scorn and embarrassment.
Jesus is our perfect example of how to fight evil in our world. He did it humbly, fully prepared, and with the proper use of God's Word. It was costly for him, but very effective. For when the battle was over, Satan, death, and the grave had all been defeated. What a capable warrior we have on our side! And all who put their faith in him will experience victory in this life and for all eternity.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for conquering evil once and for all. Help me to remember your victory whenever I feel personally defeated by sin or discouraged with the evil in the world around me. Teach me how to fight these battles, both the ones within me and the ones around me. Protect me and empower me to fight as you fought, that I too may share in your victory. Thank you. Amen.
