Command Them To Do Good

 

Command them [the rich] to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

—1 Timothy 6:18

The Season of Advent and the Season of Christmas are times of year where people’s minds and hearts turn towards giving. That’s why so many charities and other non-profit organizations make a concerted effort to attract donors during this blessed time of the year.

But giving should be something we do generously all year long. Of course, not everyone has the means to give large sums of money to charity. But, even with the most meager resources, it is good to give as much as one can spare. Remember the story of the widow’s offering—often referred to as “the widow’s mite”—found in Luke 21:1-4:

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Generosity is not an option for “Christ’s-ones.” We Christians must become such good stewards of the resources that God has given us that we are able to give generously whenever the Holy Spirit moves us to do so. The Apostle Paul offered these instructions to his “son in the faith,” as found in 1 Timothy 6:18:

Command them [the rich] to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

When God has uniquely blessed certain individuals with a great abundance, He expects those so blessed to give generously. So, at this special time of year, let’s examine whether we are willing to help others by sharing with them what God has given to us, even if we only have meager resources.

 

_{Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

God With Us

 

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

—John 1:14

Just seven days from now, as we move through the Season of Advent, we will come to the day when we will celebrate the Incarnation of the Son of God. The Lord Jesus Christ was sent to earth by His Father, in order to take on our human flesh, live a godly, sinless life in this world, and ultimately give His life on a cruel Roman cross of torture and death. By so doing, Jesus became the fully sufficient, once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus was born, lived, suffered, died, and was buried. And, on the third day, He rose from the dead, conquering sin, death, and Satan. After forty more days of fellowship with His disciples, Jesus ascended into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of His Father ever making intercession for us.

In the musical review, “For Heaven’s Sake,” ¹ Helen Kromer begins a song with these words, sung by a baritone soloist:

I’m nothing, I’m nobody, no one.
But Someone made something of me.
He put on my flesh.
And He walked in my bones.
And He saw all the grief that I see.

That is the essence of the Incarnation. Jesus took on human flesh in order to become the One sinless man who could finally become a blameless sacrifice for all other men and women who had ever lived and who ever would live. The Apostle John described the Incarnation this way in John 1:14:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

As we move ever closer to the time when we will celebrate this holy—yet joyful—Christmas Day, let’s remember that, through Jesus, our sins are forgiven. As we respond to the wooing of the Holy Spirit—who draws us irresistibly into God’s mercy, grace, and love—we can truly rejoice that Jesus paid the full price to redeem us. We are free from the penalty of sin. Once we belonged to sin. But, now we belong to Jesus.

______________________

1  Kromer, Helen. For Heaven’s Sake—a Musical Review. Ada, Michigan: Baker Publishing Company, 1963. Partial lyrics presented for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. Absolutely All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

_{Blog Post Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Least Likely

 

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

—Micah 5:2

Sometimes, the most precious and powerful gift can come from the least likely source or location. If you look at the biographies of some of the great men and great women, who have had an overwhelmingly significant positive impact on our nation, you will find that many of these individuals came from families, circumstances, or locales that might genuinely be considered unlikely sources of such greatness.

No person has had more of an impact on the early success of freed slaves than George Washington Carver. Born under slavery in Missouri, his family became free as a result of The Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln. As Carver grew to adulthood, he recognized the plight of southern farmers, who had far too long relied solely on cotton to provide a major source of income. He suggested several other far more lucrative crops, including peanuts, that would eventually help thousands of newly-freed slaves rise from sharecropping poverty to heights they would never have dreamed. Out of a very humble beginning, came a man who would change the world.

As we consider this Season of Advent, we must also recognize that the Incarnation of God’s one and only Son, Jesus, came at place considered lowly and unimportant. Hundreds of years before the birth of the Christ child, the Prophet Micah had shared these words, found in Micah 5:2:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.

When we consider our own lives and spend time to carefully examine who we are, we need to put aside any fears we have that we are too unimportant to really matter. It is God who determines who’s important. He chooses to use those who are willing, ready, and able to be used, no matter who we are or from where we have come.

Take comfort this day from the reality that God doesn’t care about our origins or our pedigree. He chooses to use those who offer themselves as living sacrifices day after day on behalf of His Kingdom. Just as our Savior came from an insignificant place, born into an insignificant family, who we are or from where we’ve come means little to the God who chose us, before the foundation of the earth, to belong to Himself.

 

_{Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Rescued by Divine Protection

 

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people… to rescue us from the hand of our enemies…

—Luke 1:68a, 74a

Do you believe you have any enemies? I have often said—in reference to people who have launched an attack against me, particularly within the church:

“I do not have anyone in my life whom I consider my enemy. But, I do seem to have people in my life who have made a personal choice to treat me as if I was their enemy.”

That distinction is very important to me. I want to meet all people on a level ground. I also realize that some individuals, for a variety of reasons, have made a conscious choice to view me as their enemy. By treating me as someone hateful, they have chosen to make me their enemy.

The truth is that we all have at least one enemy: Satan. Yes, Satan desires to destroy us. Scripture records these words from the Apostle Peter, found in 1 Peter 5:8:

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Fortunately, as we consider this Season of Advent, we celebrate the coming of One who conquers our enemy and totally neutralizes that enemy’s power. As recorded in Luke 1:68-79, the Priest Zechariah—who was married to Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth—prophesied:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

“And you, my child [John the Baptist], will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

As stated in the Scripture passage above, Jesus came to earth to “rescue us from the hand of our enemies”—especially the powers of darkness led by Satan. On every occasion where Satan wants to see us defeated and destroyed, Jesus steps in and guards us by the Presence of the Holy Spirit within us.

Part of the joy we can experience this day, and every day, is the knowledge that we are under divine protection from the forces of evil. We don’t need a Star Wars Resistance to protect us. Nor do we need to concoct a “Resistance Movement” of our own to guard us from an attack. We have the power of the living Lord Jesus Christ to guard and guide us, to protect and save us, to keep and nurture us, to grow and strengthen us along the pathways of our lives. That is a real and vital part of the good news of this Season of Advent.

 

_{Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Blessed Greeting

 

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…

—Galatians 1:4

Do you enjoy receiving Christmas cards and letters? I greatly enjoy reading the greetings from friends and family. And, while I understand some people don’t like Christmas letters that tell of a family’s events over the past year, I enjoy reading these missives very much. In fact, I look forward, with great anticipation, to see what arrives in each day’s mail delivery during Advent and Christmastide.

Imagine if you were a Christian in one of the early churches and you suddenly found a letter waiting for you from the man who had so significantly contributed to your personal Christian Spiritual Formation and to the growth and vitality of your local church. That’s how the Galatians felt when they received a letter from the Apostle Paul. A significant part of their excitement was elevated, when they read the very first words of greeting that Paul wrote to them, as recorded in Galatians 1:4-5:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

My! What an amazing greeting this was. Paul gave them a cherished word of blessing, as well as stating a reason for them to praise God. And, he did this all in a few short words. Nothing could encourage these new Christians more than to have their spiritual mentor offer a blessing of God’s grace and peace.

You must remember that these believers lived in very troubled times. Rome had conquered most of the then-known world. The Roman rule was harsh and relentless in taking money from their captives to continue the many construction projects in Rome. To think that, in the midst of such chaos, someone would offer them words of comfort and encouragement came to them as a wonderful blessing, almost beyond belief.

We live in a world that has its own unique kind of harshness. And, that harshness has certainly increased over the course my life. So, words of comfort, encouragement, and peace mean all the more in these troubled days.

Wait! I have an idea! Why don’t you and I, as followers of Jesus, make it a point to spread words of encouragement, comfort, joy, and peace to everyone who crosses our pathway this Christmas season? I think we could actually make a difference in someone’s life. While many people are feeling heartbroken and discouraged, we could bring a moment or two of genuine joy into their otherwise darkened existence. I’m up for this. How about you?

 

_{Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Let Our Shame Not Interfere With Our Calling

 

You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you.

—Psalm 69:5

One of the classic ways that moms and dads try to corral their children’s behavior is to admonish them:

“Remember: God is watching what you do!”

While that statement is true, for God is everywhere present and knows and sees all things, He is not a hall monitor or cafeteria guardian. He is not sitting on His throne in heaven watching to see what bad things we will do next. Quite to the contrary, when He looks on the lives of those He has called to Himself—“Christ’s-ones” or Christians—He sees us as redeemed by the shed blood of His one-and-only Son, Jesus. The Presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit gives us a “marking” that God sees as a symbol of His mercy, grace, and abiding love.

King David understood this. David was not a perfect man. Though called by God and marked by God’s hand on David’s life, there were a number of significant occasions when David was not the obedient servant God may have desired. Nevertheless, David knew that he belonged to God. That’s what prompted David to write these words found in Psalm 69:5-6:

You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you. May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the Lord Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel.

Here David sings a song that we could very easily sing ourselves. He acknowledges God’s “knowing”—God’s knowing all about David’s actions. Yet, David’s concern is that his behavior will not lead anyone astray. He does not want the shame that he feels for his sins to become a barrier to others.

In this world of darkness, and in a society where evil is often cloaked as “normal” and “cool,” we must long, as David did, to live in such a way that the shame we feel for what we do wrong will not impede anyone who might be drawn to God. That’s quite a challenge in this day and age. But, it’s one that we must embrace. After all, as Christ’s ambassadors, we need to set aside our own selfish desires and seek only to live in such a way that will bring glory to Him.

 

_{Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Christ Shares Our Humanity

 

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity…

—Hebrews 2:5-18

The miracle of the Incarnation causes such wonder and amazement among those who believe in the life-transforming power of the living Lord Jesus Christ. The miracle of the Incarnation causes such skepticism, rejection, scorn, and mockery on the part of those who do not believe.

The very idea that one of the three persons of the Trinity—God the Son—would come to earth, be born as a baby, and live here in subjection to all of the temptation and troubles of this world simply boggles the mind. Yet, the Incarnation is a foundational truth throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament of Holy Scripture.

The writer to the Jewish people across the then-known world, who had accepted the fact that Jesus was, indeed, their Messiah, explained the miracle of the Incarnation, in the most vivid imagery possible, when he wrote these words found in Hebrews 2:5-18:

It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified:

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him? You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor and put everything under their feet.”

In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.”

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.

For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

As we begin a new day, let’s ponder the reality that “God with Us”—Emmanuel—shares our humanity. 2 Corinthians 5:21 states:

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As we focus on this amazing truth, may God fill our hearts with joy as we consider the miracle of the Incarnation that leads to our salvation and to our eternal glory.

 

_{Copyright © 2024 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}