Rekindle my faith. Isn’t that a perfect 3 word prayer when we lift our hearts to Jesus? It’s what the Apostle Peter is saying in 10 verses. It’s all about faith in Christ.

First, Peter praises God because of what our faith is based upon:

1 Peter 1: 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade– kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Be patient, Peter says. The salvation will be revealed some day. And the knowledge of that ought to strengthen your faith in difficult days. More than “Mama said there’ll be days like this, there’ll be days like this my mama said” Peter says that your faith is rekindled in suffering:

1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith– of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire– may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. 13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

A rekindled faith looks beyond the sufferings to the glories.

A rekindled faith looks beyond the hills to the heavens.

Give it up for Lent: Letting the world get you down

Questions for 1 Peter 1:3-13

1. How does Peter point us to new life, living hope, and a heavenly inheritance? Why does Peter do this?
2. What is the role of suffering? What does it produce in the disciple of Jesus?
3. How does Peter address the issue of believing without seeing? Does Peter say it’s “blind faith” or that there’s both rational reason and also a true goal?
4. Whenever we see a therefore in Scripture, we look to see a major point (i.e. what it’s “there for”). Because we have a genuine faith in a genuine Savior, what are we supposed to do?

ReKindle is the 2016 Lenten devotional series from Seminary Gal.

To receive these devotionals to your email inbox throughout Lent, please fill in your email address in the space provided on my Home Page in the sidebar (right) and respond to the verification email.  If you already receive devotionals and articles, no need to do anything else.  You’ll get them automatically.  Thank you!  Or log onto the SeminaryGal Facebook page and see them reprinted there.

Acknowledging that former years’ devotional series remain popular, Be Still and Know that I AM God can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014 and With Christ in the Upper Room  is archived beginning February 18, 2015.

Psalm 92:1 A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day. It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, 2 to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, 3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. 4 For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. 5 How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts! 6 The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, 7 that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed. 8 But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.

Tomorrow we resume ReKindle, the 2016 Lenten devotional series from Seminary Gal.

To receive these devotionals to your email inbox throughout Lent, please fill in your email address in the space provided on my Home Page in the sidebar (right) and respond to the verification email.  If you already receive devotionals and articles, no need to do anything else.  You’ll get them automatically.  Thank you!  Or log onto the SeminaryGal Facebook page and see them reprinted there.

Acknowledging that former years’ devotional series remain popular, Be Still and Know that I AM God can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014 and With Christ in the Upper Room  is archived beginning February 18, 2015.

Perseverance isn’t always advancing to new ground.

Sometimes it takes everything we’ve got simply to remain standing.

Have you taken any arrows lately for your faith in Christ?

Ephesians 6: 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

When our strength is failing and our perseverance is in doubt, still we can trust God to see us through it. If only we’ll believe. But it’s not a blind faith. It’s one that is not even naïve; it’s perfectly rational. We count the cost and we evaluate our resources and conclude it is better to stand firm than to give up.

Standing for God in a dark world won’t always be easy, but the crown of life awaits at the end for those who persevere by faith.

Give it up for Lent: The expectation that life ought to be easy

Questions for Ephesians 6:10-18:

1. How are we strong? (v.10)
2. Why isn’t our own strength going to be good enough? Who is our battle against? (v. 12)
3. What equipment does God give us? (v. 13-17)
4. How does prayer operate in 3 dimensions (upward, outward, and inward)? Look back over verses 10-18 and see how prayer equips the Church.

ReKindle is the 2016 Lenten devotional series from Seminary Gal.

To receive these devotionals to your email inbox throughout Lent, please fill in your email address in the space provided on my Home Page in the sidebar (right) and respond to the verification email.  If you already receive devotionals and articles, no need to do anything else.  You’ll get them automatically.  Thank you!  Or log onto the SeminaryGal Facebook page and see them reprinted there.

Acknowledging that former years’ devotional series remain popular, Be Still and Know that I AM God can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014 and With Christ in the Upper Room  is archived beginning February 18, 2015.

The whole point of a rekindled perseverance is a second wind.

Running the race all the way to completion. Finishing well.

James 1:4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Many of us would prefer to quit thinking something along the lines of “When the going gets tough, the tough…”

• wise up and quit
• decide it’s not worth the effort
• find other people to do the tough part …sort of like your own personal stunt double
• find someone to blame for making it tough
• proclaim themselves victims and look for someone to punish for making it tough
• find ways around it by compromising, cutting corners, or sacrificing standards
• go to grad school

Perseverance–by its very nature–is hard. But profitable!

Rekindled, perseverance is that second wind leading to maturity as a human being and a Christian. It leads to a sense of completion both of the task and more importantly, in the formative work in one’s own heart.

Persevere and you will not lack anything. Not lack anything for what? For the next task that lies ahead.  God is in your corner and has your back.  Press on!

Give it up for Lent: Being a quitter when God wants you to persevere

Questions for James 1:4:

1. In its context, what do the Scriptures say is the outcome of persevering? James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. 9 The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. 10 But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business. 12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
2. What kinds of things are not lacking as we persevere?

ReKindle is the 2016 Lenten devotional series from Seminary Gal.

To receive these devotionals to your email inbox throughout Lent, please fill in your email address in the space provided on my Home Page in the sidebar (right) and respond to the verification email.  If you already receive devotionals and articles, no need to do anything else.  You’ll get them automatically.  Thank you!  Or log onto the SeminaryGal Facebook page and see them reprinted there.

Acknowledging that former years’ devotional series remain popular, Be Still and Know that I AM God can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014 and With Christ in the Upper Room  is archived beginning February 18, 2015.

It’s not just in the Church where we are called to serve. I am presently doing civic work as a volunteer. Isn’t that a waste of my Christian time? Not at all!  We must rekindle our outlook toward an increasing sphere of service.

Look at all the spheres of life mentioned in Ephesians 6:1 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”– which is the first commandment with a promise– 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. 5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. 9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.”

Children and parents. Parents and children. Slaves and masters which can reasonably be applied to employees and bosses. Masters and slaves. The sphere of God’s work is as big as this world. It’s not just in the Church.  There is no need for some sad resignation to working outside of the Church as your calling. Underneath the skin of resignation is a core of ingratitude for God’s call.

Rather, we should embrace an increasing sphere of service…whether secular, familial, or church…and note that each has outcomes, every one in its season. The fruit of each sphere matters to God.

Give it up for Lent: Thinking that only church work or seminary work is of any use to God

Questions regarding Ephesians 6:1-9:

1. Why are children supposed to obey their parents? And what is the intended outcome?
2. Why are parents not supposed to aggravate and exasperate their children? Does that mean we let them off the hook? If not, what does verse 4 say we’re supposed to do?
3. What kind of service qualities are supposed to be shown by employees? Why are we supposed to show those?
4. When verse 9 says we’re supposed to treat our employees (slaves) in the same way, what way is that?
5. What about masters, bosses, and people in authority makes God add “Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him”? What might people in authority often get wrong?

ReKindle is the 2016 Lenten devotional series from Seminary Gal.

To receive these devotionals to your email inbox throughout Lent, please fill in your email address in the space provided on my Home Page in the sidebar (right) and respond to the verification email.  If you already receive devotionals and articles, no need to do anything else.  You’ll get them automatically.  Thank you!  Or log onto the SeminaryGal Facebook page and see them reprinted there.

Acknowledging that former years’ devotional series remain popular, Be Still and Know that I AM God can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014 and With Christ in the Upper Room  is archived beginning February 18, 2015.

Contentment and complacency are two different things. One is good. The other is not. Contentment and laziness do not go hand in hand either.  Laziness is incompatible with service which flows out of a contented heart.

Contentment is the passive receiving of God’s provision through an active trust.

Service is the active use of what God has provided. 

It’s time to have contentment and service rekindled.

You sometimes hear people say that God doesn’t waste anything. And that is true. So I look at my own life and how God took me out of the pulpit and plunked me into the sewer systems of my hometown to do community service for a while so that God could bless my neighbors. After all, what good is a preacher if he/she refuses God’s opportunities to apply Bible teaching?

Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

The genuine Christ-follower doesn’t resent such moves as from the mountaintop to the sewers. Every time I begin to question whether anything I do makes any difference, I remind myself of Jesus’ words in Luke 17:10 “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'”

It doesn’t truly matter if I think I’m making a difference.  Jesus’ call is enough.  Obedient service is my duty, plain and simple.

When God tells you to share opportunities but you want to hoard, do your duty. When God asks you to bless a fellow Christian by encouraging him/her in the work God has called that person to do, do you duty. Some Christians don’t realize that their brothers and sisters may be languishing in doubt, bondage, or poverty, etc. simply because we aren’t getting out of our comfort zones. Some Christians don’t realize that as much as they like to be encouraged, maybe someone else could use some too. Some Christians don’t realize that God intends our serving those He calls the least of these–and that service rekindled is our duty!  Not our hoarding of God’s provision for our own advancement.  Frankly, some are so busy promoting themselves that they miss out on the greater blessing of serving others and promoting them…and joyfully watching them grow. Moreover when we’ve done our duty of serving others, what does God say?

2 Corinthians 9:12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

Give it up for Lent: Control

Questions related to Galatians 6:10, Luke 17:10 and 2 Corinthians 9:12:

1. What character qualities of the Christian are brought into focus when we serve others?
2. What does the Church get out of things when we let go of control, prestige, other people’s expectations, and preferred positions in order to serve others and let them serve each other?
3. Are we supposed to serve everyone or only those in our Christian clubs? Why would God say “especially to those who belong to the family of believers?”
4. What does God get out of it when we step down and serve others? How does this relate to the previous question?

ReKindle is the 2016 Lenten devotional series from Seminary Gal.

To receive these devotionals to your email inbox throughout Lent, please fill in your email address in the space provided on my Home Page in the sidebar (right) and respond to the verification email.  If you already receive devotionals and articles, no need to do anything else.  You’ll get them automatically.  Thank you!  Or log onto the SeminaryGal Facebook page and see them reprinted there.

Acknowledging that former years’ devotional series remain popular, Be Still and Know that I AM God can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014 and With Christ in the Upper Room  is archived beginning February 18, 2015.

1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Among the things you don’t really care about: I typically use the NIV’s English translation for my work for no reason other than it’s a pretty easy read. Why do I tell you this if you don’t care? Because today, I’ve gone with a different translation: the New American Standard Bible. And why, if they all say basically the same thing? Because it’s fuller in pointing to contentment.

NAS 1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.

The opposite of that statement reminds us that godliness by itself doesn’t necessarily produce great gain. If we’re Bible scholars who are not content with what God has provided along the way, we’re just being holy rollers. Bible thumpers. Christian legal beagles with a crosses for collars.

I’d argue contentment is the litmus test that reveals whether we truly believe God loves us and trust that He provides for us.

So how do we rekindle a character of contentment?

By routinely looking up, letting go and opening our hands to receive what God has to give instead of focusing on this earth and working so hard with our own two hands that we have tight fists regarding our future.

Contentment requires a character of focus and priority on God.

NAS Hebrews 13:5 Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” 6 so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?”

See? Contentment is when we stop striving and worrying and simply trust

• that God loves us,
• He is our helper,
• He is our provider,
• He will never abandon us,
• and He will preserve us even in circumstances that might not be our preferred ones.

It doesn’t mean laziness. Tune in tomorrow for that one, but for now…

Give it up for Lent: A character that begrudges God’s provision

Questions for 1 Tim 6:6 and Hebrews 13:5-6

1. For context read all of 1 Timothy 6. It’s pretty amazing. You’ll recognize some familiar lines (NIV this time). 1 Timothy 6: 6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Why is money such a lure?
2. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” How does this explain why we need to be content?
3. In Hebrews 13:5-6, the contentment we have is by allowing ourselves to be free of the love of money. By analogy, if the love of money is what we actively put into our character like forcing air into a balloon, contentment is externally applied to us like the air pressure around the balloon when we deflate it.  A full balloon is at constant pressure with the air around it and waiting to pop.  A balloon emptied of air is at rest.  Look at what God promises to us and in response, note what we can confidently do when our character is emptied of competing pressures and loves.  Why can we do it confidently?

ReKindle is the 2016 Lenten devotional series from Seminary Gal.

To receive these devotionals to your email inbox throughout Lent, please fill in your email address in the space provided on my Home Page in the sidebar (right) and respond to the verification email.  If you already receive devotionals and articles, no need to do anything else.  You’ll get them automatically.  Thank you!  Or log onto the SeminaryGal Facebook page and see them reprinted there.

Acknowledging that former years’ devotional series remain popular, Be Still and Know that I AM God can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014 and With Christ in the Upper Room  is archived beginning February 18, 2015.

In the script from the movie Chariots of Fire, Harold M. Abrahams is preparing to run in his final race in the 1924 Paris Olympics. He addresses his fellow athlete, Aubrey Montague saying, “You, Aubrey, are my most complete man. You’re brave, compassionate, kind: a content man. That is your secret, contentment; I am 24 and I’ve never known it. I’m forever in pursuit and I don’t even know what I am chasing.”

Don’t you kind of wish your secret was contentment? It seems so elusive and even contrary to the American pursuit of individual excellence.

Is it possible to experience contentment even while being driven to your personal best?

What about Harold Abrahams made his drive and his passion not contribute to his contentment? I’d argue he lost sight of the goal. He didn’t know what he was chasing, even if he’d ever known it. It became chasing for the sake of chasing. Pursuing for the sake of pursuing. An addiction to a feeling of pursuit not a passion for a goal of eternal significance.

Eric Liddell, on the other hand, was also on that Olympic team. Did he have passion and drive? Absolutely! Did he want to win? Sure, he did! What made his pursuit different?

When the drive to win was set alongside the goal of bringing glory to God through his life and his pursuits, he didn’t lose sight of the goal.

Even when it meant he couldn’t run the race he’d intended because of the qualifying heats on Sunday, which pitted his excellence and commitment as a runner against his excellence and commitment as a Christian. He had regrets at not participating, but no doubts about it. Therefore, God gave Liddell’s witness extra visibility and he was shown to be excellent both as a runner and as a witness.

What about you? Do you know contentment or are you forever in pursuit of a feeling?

Philippians 4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Give it up for Lent: An endless chasing after what cannot satisfy

Questions for Phil 4:11-13

1. According to Paul, is contentment found in circumstances?
2. How ought this to inform our understanding of “giving something up” for Lent?
3. In our culture, there are a lot of people who have an insatiable appetite. They chase after many things hoping to find themselves satisfied. Why aren’t they, no matter how much money they accumulate, how attractive their spouses, how quickly they climb the ladder of success or how many friends/followers they have on social media?
4. Will the “leap day” today be different for you because it’s one more day? Or will it make no difference if you do the same old same old which won’t satisfy? How can you enter March with a heart for contentment?

ReKindle is the 2016 Lenten devotional series from Seminary Gal.

To receive these devotionals to your email inbox throughout Lent, please fill in your email address in the space provided on my Home Page in the sidebar (right) and respond to the verification email.  If you already receive devotionals and articles, no need to do anything else.  You’ll get them automatically.  Thank you!  Or log onto the SeminaryGal Facebook page and see them reprinted there.

Acknowledging that former years’ devotional series remain popular, Be Still and Know that I AM God can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014 and With Christ in the Upper Room  is archived beginning February 18, 2015.

Jeremiah 17: 4 “Through your own fault you will lose the inheritance I gave you. I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for you have kindled my anger, and it will burn forever.” 5 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

7 But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 10 “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” …

13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water. 14 Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise… 19 This is what the LORD said to me: “Go and stand at the gate of the people, through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem. 20 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem who come through these gates. 21 This is what the LORD says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers. ‘”

The Sabbath is for our benefit: to rest, to reflect, and to be refreshed as we worship…in our sober acknowledgement of Him.  In a spiritual sense, with the loads of life aside, we will keep the Sabbath as a day for the Lord.  God reminds us to keep it holy. 

Tomorrow we resume ReKindle, the 2016 Lenten devotional series from Seminary Gal.

To receive these devotionals to your email inbox throughout Lent, please fill in your email address in the space provided on my Home Page in the sidebar (right) and respond to the verification email.  If you already receive devotionals and articles, no need to do anything else.  You’ll get them automatically.  Thank you!  Or log onto the SeminaryGal Facebook page and see them reprinted there.

Acknowledging that former years’ devotional series remain popular, Be Still and Know that I AM God can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014 and With Christ in the Upper Room  is archived beginning February 18, 2015.