We can learn as much from life about what not to do as what we should do. All but two of the Ten Commandments are in the negative. “You shall not …” How many of your parents’ and teachers’ messages to you were things like “Don’t touch that,” “Don’t go over there,” and “Don’t speak that way”?

Campaigns they showed us in high school to avoid smoking cigarettes would often give us stories or pictures of what could happen after years of heavy smoking. “You don’t want to spend the equivalent of a new house on cigarettes over the years, do you?” “You don’t want your health to be affected like the lady in the photo, right?”

When we hear about “examples” our first inclination is probably to imagine . . . . good examples. Examples we want to follow. Having examples not to follow can be just as useful.

The first section of 1 Corinthians, chapter 10, is dedicated to a bad example. The example is of the Israelites in the desert. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did (1 Cor 10:6), the Apostle Paul writes. There are plenty of spiritual lessons there. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were … (v.7). We should not commit sexual immorality … (v.8). We should not test Christ … (v.9). We should not grumble … (v.10). All these things have already been done by the Israelites. Let’s not repeat them!

But, of course, the same testing of God happens among all people, and among Christians today. We fall into the same temptations. God says, “Do not,” and we do.

The same Jesus Christ who grants us forgiveness in his grace when we repent and believe in him is ready to strengthen us. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it (v.13). God’s strength helps us hear a “Do not” in Scripture and make it an “I won’t” in practice.

Don’t Detour from the Path the Lord Has for You

Every job or role has its tough parts. I knew a man who worked as a forklift operator in a warehouse. He’d be (usually lightly) made fun of by his coworkers because half of the time he could sit on his forklift and be on his phone or take a quick nap. But when he was on, he was on! He had to fly back and forth for a long time with ceiling-high stacks of heavy goods. If he made a mistake he could ruin thousands of dollars of merchandise, and would get a good talking-to from the boss. Parenting, waiting on tables, doing surgery, managing a team, and just about everything else all have their fun and easy moments, and their tough and stressful moments.

Prophets had direct communication from God and could sometimes see the future or do miracles. Pretty fun! Overall, though, the Old Testament prophets had it tough. They were very often not well received.

Listen to how the people of Israel responded when Jeremiah the prophet preached to them in chapter 26 of his book:

But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, “You must die! 9 Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?” (Jeremiah 26:8-9)

The reaction of the people and their leaders is typical. It’s to be expected. Who wants to listen to a prophet say they’re in the wrong? Who wants to hear that their beloved . . . . city of Jerusalem and their temple will be destroyed? The messenger must die!

Jeremiah wasn’t fazed. He simply answered them, “Do what you have to.” “The Lord sent me to prophesy … all the things you have heard” (Jeremiah 26:12).

Christians can boast that by grace they are children of their heavenly Father who fills them with every spiritual blessing. They live under the protection of the Most High. All is directed for their good by God himself. They will be transformed with heavenly bodies in the place of perfect peace through faith in Jesus. What a glorious life!

But they all have their moments like Jeremiah. We all have our moments like Jeremiah. Try calling your friend and neighbors to repentance. Try living in holiness among those who are not even making an attempt. You often will not get a flattering response, even if it is the Word of God you are sharing.

Life with God is not intended to be easy all the time. Keep speaking the truth of Scripture. Don’t allow the tough spots to derail you from this wonderful life of living under God’s grace and eternal blessing!

“OPEN DOOR POLICIES: God’s Surprising Strategies for Getting Sinners Back Home”

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
(2 Corinthians 5:20)

When a wayward child wanders far from home, how does a loving parent pursue them without driving them further away? One thing that parent does is let the child know that there is an ongoing open-door policy. The child knows they will always be welcomed back home. Likewise, when we wander from God, he always keeps his door open for us. But God doesn’t just passively wait for us to return. He lovingly pursues sinners in ways that make them long for home.

In the Church Year, we have come to the season of Lent. The word Lent comes from an old English word for spring: “lengthen,” when the days grow longer. For over 1400 years the Church has set aside the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter as a time of repentance and renewal. In this 40-day journey to the cross and tomb, we will see the surprising strategies our heavenly Father uses for getting sinners back home, close to him and the loving care he offers.

God’s Glory Is a Different Glory
It was a unique gathering, the one on the Mount of Transfiguration. Not all of the Twelve disciples were there. Just three handpicked by Jesus – Peter, James, and John. Those three, plus Jesus, plus two more men long dead, Moses and Elijah. It would have been quite a group to stand around with and have a chat!

When we get together with friends we might reminisce about our moments of glory. That tournament in high school we came back and won by just a point or two in the last seconds. The time our child won a spelling bee. Maybe a brief moment of fame from appearing on a game show or exchanging words with a celebrity. “Glorious” moments are fun to talk about.

Jesus, Moses, and Elijah could have brought up Moses’ high point of raising his staff and leading the Israelites across the Red Sea. They could have also recounted . . . . Elijah’s unique and amazing journey to heaven at the end of his life accompanied by a chariot of fire and horses of fire.

The moment of glory on their minds was different. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). Jesus’ departure was his exodus. That’s the word there. “Exodus.” In the first exodus God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt. Now Jesus’ exodus in Jerusalem – his death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven – would free his people from sin and eternal death. As Paul writes to the Ephesians: …6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (1:6-7).

Jesus’ glory would take suffering. Glory, suffering, and deliverance through forgiveness and eternity go together for him. His suffering was glory, because it brought good for the world. Our most glorious moment is not ours. It’s Christ’s.

Of course, we can have fun remembering with friends and family big moments of accomplishment. We can also reminisce with joy about God giving us his grace through Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Who knows who might be listening and wonder about this “different” glory in our Savior?

God created family as a loving support system in faith and in all areas of life. It is, and we thank God he gave us family as a blessing all the way back to perfection of the Garden. In the imperfect world of sin we now inhabit, however, that blessing can be twisted into what it was not intended to be. We can even experience the unfortunate truth of the saying that those who are closest to us can be the ones who hurt us the most.

The early patriarchs of the faith had their share of family conflict. There were land disputes between Abraham and his nephew Lot. The half-brothers Isaac and Ishmael were the subject of controversy as to which one was the heir of the promise. Jacob and Esau famously fought for their father’s blessing, and were separated for about 20 years. Some of the same continued in the generation of Joseph and his brothers.

It’s true that Jacob, Joseph’s father, favored him over his other sons, which was not a wise . . . . parenting strategy. It led to jealousy and anger at the young Joseph.

But it certainly did not justify the actions of Joseph’s brothers. They allowed their anger to reach a boiling point. One day they were out alone in the fields with Joseph and decided it was time to end it all. The first suggestion was to kill him and pretend it had been a wild animal. The more “reasonable” brother, Reuben, finally convinced them to sell Joseph as a slave. What a terrible thing to do to their own flesh and blood, especially with Joseph being at the tender age of around 17! Joseph was off on his own in the foreign land of Egypt, as a slave, with no idea how his life would go.

By God’s grace Joseph did not let anger or revenge become his driving emotion. He knew and believed the Lord was with him in all things and faithful to his promises (Genesis 39:2). He still saw God’s purpose in his life. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20) He realized in faith that ultimately God was the judge. Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? (Genesis 50:19)

God’s mercy to him brought about a forgiving reunion and reconciliation some 13 years later. 14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. (Genesis 45:14-15)

None of our family challenges take away from the wonderful blessing of family life under the Lord. It does point us to the ongoing need for forgiveness, whatever the situation, just as God gives us ongoing forgiveness in Jesus Christ, our Savior. There’s no better place to practice this than in family.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21)

A worldwide goal of all people is to find a happy and blessed life. It’s also clear there are countless different ways to go after it.

You can find plenty of churches now that will preach to you some form of “Blessed are the rich, the well-fed, those who are laughing, and regularly praised for who they are.” That’s really just churches imitating the ways of the world and trying to give the people what they want.

What a shocker to read that Jesus puts all those words and phrases of earthly comfort into the category of “woes” (Luke 6:24-26). If your life is filled with ease because . . . . you are not following Christ faithful to his actual teachings, woe is you! You can’t expect God to consider that to be a blessed life or shower you with heavenly treasures.

Blessed instead are the poor, the hungry, those who are weeping, and the insulted (Luke 6:20-22). Very contrary to what anyone would think without God’s Word to guide them.

This is all true when it is because of the Son of Man (v.22). Even though we’re not here to pursue earthly riches, we don’t want to be confused on the other side by these verses. Struggles or poverty or sadness in themselves are not commands of Christ to his disciples, or in any way meriting the reward of heaven. Put simply, just suffering doesn’t open heaven for us.

Christians may have some disadvantages in accumulating earthly wealth or enjoying the praise of society because we have different priorities. But if we find ourselves in that situation, we are still blessed. We still have God’s gracious reward of heaven through faith alone in Jesus Christ who gave his life for us.

God rearranges our view of being blessed and distressed. What we see and feel naturally as humans can easily trick us. Listen to the voice of the Lord on this one (as well as in any question of life). What a joy to know God’s favor to us has nothing to do with our ease of life or the favorable opinion of others!

The Apostle Paul tells us where our blessing lies: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (v.3). Blessing is in the spiritual gifts of the heavenly kingdom we receive through Jesus Christ. Leap for joy! You are blessed by the Lord.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. (Luke 6:23)

Fishing usually brings out feelings of relaxation, not fear. Maybe you have a day off or it’s the weekend. There’s the soothing rhythm of casting over and over. And if anything bites, maybe the reward of sitting down to a fresh-caught meal and great conversation with friends.

Some fishing is extreme and dangerous. There are fishermen who spend days and weeks sailing through icy seas with little sleep. I just heard about a small group on the East Coast that wades out at night in stormy, shark-filled waters to catch the largest of the striped bass. Not for the faint of heart!

One of Jesus’ early acts was the miraculous catch of fish. But that miracle was really just . . . . the lead-up to a bigger call to “go fishing.” The first disciples, Peter, James, and John, were told they would now “fish for people” (Luke 5:10-11). Peter was filled with fear and awe right before that call: “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). He wasn’t scared to be a fisherman. That was his job. But he was afraid to be in the presence of a holy and powerful God.

God doesn’t just go about ministry by himself. He calls sinful people. That can be intimidating to any of us. Why me? Why would I be the one to serve or lead God’s people or share the precious and mighty gospel of Jesus Christ? Fear can be a big hindrance in our personal work for the Lord.

Jesus says to Simon, “Don’t be afraid.” He has redeemed us on the cross. We are fully and completely washed of all sin through faith in him. We can do ministry without the fear that we’re not the right person for the job. God makes us all as believers the right ones to go fishing for people!

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:10-11)