“And your zeal has stirred up most of them.”

In this instance, Paul is talking about the zeal of Corinthians to give to the needs to the saints as a means towards stirring up the people of Macedonia to do the same. Yet the principle itself stands no matter the context. Godly zeal is a great blessing to the church. Both in the individual and a local body.

If you look carefully at the religious landscape, it seems quite clear that the Lord often burdens great leaders with a particular topic or doctrine. Some sort of focus that they are jealous for. Better yet, zealous for. Oftentimes that leader is a pastor of a particular local church. And around that leader develops a local church that is zealous for that same particular topic or focus or doctrine. The various aspects associated with that one emphasis are fleshed out within that congregation. Books might be written. Websites developed. Conferences held. Ministries began. Other churches planted. On and on we could go.

And through it all, the zeal of that particular leader and that local church stirs up many others.

In this instance, the Corinthian church was zealous to give. And as their zeal to give was made known, other churches caught onto the same. Ask yourself: what are you zealous for? What are you stirring up other with? Or ask your church: what are we as a congregation zealous for? What particular contribution are we making to the Church?

Everyone wants to be well-rounded. And that is good enough. But it is almost inevitable that a particular local church (and a particular local leader(s)) will have a particular contribution to make to the body of Christ. And it seems good to embrace that. To recognize your limits (even while aiming to become more well-rounded) and to make that particular contribution with all your heart. Don’t be ashamed to stir up many others through your holy zeal.

“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

After stating that the Israelites’ disobedience to the Lord was written down for our instruction and warning, Paul writes the verses quoted above. Take note (at least) a few things.

First, note that we must continually beware of falling. Not only that, but we must beware of falling in response to some normal, run-of-the-mill temptation. Nothing fancy is needed to bring us down. We need only to relax our mindset for a bit and we will soon find ourselves on a slippery slope. If we think we stand firm, we must continually take heed, lest we fall.

Second, we must believe the promise found in verse 13. God is faithful and He will not us be tempted beyond our ability, but with the temptation, He will also provide the way of escape, that we may be able to endure it. Do we believe this? Really, when push comes to shove, do we believe it? When things aren’t going our way, is our first response to believe that we have the power to remain at peace and to face whatever the circumstances with joy? I hope so, because that is reality.

Maybe over half the battle against sin is won by the sheer belief that we have the ability to win the battle. If one goes into war believing that the enemy is too strong for him, he is bound to lose. But if he goes into war understanding and believing that he can win the battle, his chances naturally rise (a great deal nonetheless). As it relates to the believer at war against his own sin, if one understands and believes that the Lord is on his side, that the power of the Holy Spirit is within him, and that the Lord has promised to so order his circumstances that by His grace one can face anything, his chances of victory are virtually assured.

Do you realize today, believer, that you have the spiritual resources to face whatever the Lord might bring your way. Beware of exalting the power of sin over the power of the Holy Spirit! So you didn’t get a great night’s rest, huh? The Holy Spirit is bigger and stronger than that. So things haven’t gone your way today and you are wiped out. Well, weariness is still no excuse for sin, because God is faithful. The Holy Spirit is yours and the circumstances you face right now have been ordered by a wise and faithful Creator who promises to give you no more than you can handle with His strength. Oh, let us meditate upon such truth until we believe it. And let us do so everyday.

What a joy it is to know that we have the resources to face whatever the Lord ordains for us! What victory is ours through Christ Jesus. Let us rejoice and let us believe.

“Be still, and know that I am God,
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”

It is important to note that this verse was not spoken in a vacuum, but in the midst of a psalm full of action, judgment, wars, struggle, promises, and joy. This should serve as both a very comforting and challenging reality.

It is comforting because this is where we live. We live in the midst of struggle and difficulty and uncertainty. So it is comforting to know that the call to be still and know that He is God is not negated by all our surrounding circumstance. To the contrary, the call to be still is needed all the more because of the vast uncertainty and difficulty that characterizes each of our lives. No matter your trial, the Lord still calls you to be still and know that He is God. To rest in the fact that He will be exalted among the nations, indeed, over all the earth.

This verse is challenging because it is not easy to trust the Lord in this way. It is not easy to rest in His sovereign goodness and power in the face of wars and difficulties and uncertainty. We are so apt to take matters into our own hands. To trust in our power to change things. And there might be times when we do need to change things. Yet even then, we are commanded to rest. To be still and know that He is God. To rest satisfied in the fact that no matter the evil or difficulty we face, He is seated on His throne and one day will make everything right.

The command to be still is a command applicable to each and every day. A peace of heart we are all looking for. And this peace can only be found when we entrust ourselves to a wise and faithful Creator, One who is actively seeking for us good and guaranteed to be exalted in and through and above all things. What is your trial today? What is your difficulty? Be still and know that He is God. He will be exalted among the nations. He will be exalted in the earth! Rest satisfied in soul. Cease striving and trust in the Lord.

Clearly this chapter addresses a question the Corinthian Church had for Paul. It also seems clear that there were a group of people who had a better understanding of idols and subsequently, what it really meant to eat meat that was sacrificed to idols. In particular, these people understood that idols really had (have) no existence. They were not real, so that if one ate meat sacrificed to idols, one could do so with a clear conscience, because essentially the meat was sacrificed to no-thing.

Yet there were also people who did not understand this. Because they had former associations with such idol worship, they could not partake of this meat with a clear conscience. And rather than calling on them to simply change their minds and eat accordingly, it is the ones with knowledge that Paul primarily addresses. Of course, in the course of doing so, Paul addresses the weak, but his focus is clearly on those who understand that meat sacrificed to idols is no big deal to eat.

In short, he calls them to love their brothers by restricting their own freedom. He doesn’t tell them to convince their brothers about the meat, that is, to share the knowledge. For Paul understands that this issue is a sensitive one because it deals with former associations and struggles. And such associations and struggles do not die simply by the way of argument. Various factors are involved, so grace must be given.

There is a balance here, I recognize. For in modern-day situations such as these, one must strike a balance between exercising one’s freedom in Christ and helping others to do the same, and being sensitive to the weaknesses of others. Such matters as drinking alcohol or watching certain movies or listening to certain music or hanging out in certain places all can fit into this category. For whether or not we engage (or should engage) in such things depends in large part upon our former associations and our present understanding and maturity. Two well-meaning believers could stand side by side with one another and have different convictions on what place to enter, or what to drink, or what to watch. For they are not filled with the same weaknesses, or experiences, or understandings, or strengths. Wisdom is needed. But even more so, love.

In the end, it is not so much what we know, but what we are willing to do with what we know that counts. If we can fathom all mysteries and yet, fail to think about our brothers and sisters and their spiritual growth, what is our knowledge really worth? We are nothing but puffed up. Love is the path towards blessing. Denying ourselves the opportunity to exercise our own rights for the good of others is certainly the true pathway to joy. Sure, we want others to enjoy the freedom that is theirs in Christ. But more than enjoying the freedom to eat meat sacrificed to idols (or whatever the issue), we want to teach them to enjoy the freedom to deny themselves for the sake of others and the glory of God. This is without doubt the direction in which the Lord wants us to go.

“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

Paul began this chapter with a focus on whether or not one should marry. Indeed, most of the chapter is about that. But in the middle of this chapter (v. 17-24), he seems to use his words on marriage as an opportunity to teach a more general principle about one’s station and calling in life–and the acceptance of it.

Verse 17 serves as a summary of his thought. In essence, no man should begrudge his respective calling in life, but instead, embrace it as a gift and calling of the Lord. As Paul puts it, we each have an assignment from the Lord. A distinct calling. We are wise to embrace it as such and be on our guard against discontentment with our assignment or calling. In verses 17-24, Paul elaborates a bit on his thought here and, in essence, teaches that wherever one found himself when called by the Lord (in salvation) is probably where one should stay.

He uses the example of slavery. But we could also use the example of any particular line of work. Even though it is true that the Lord might call you out of your line of work, this is not normally the case. Normally, the Lord calls us to remain where we are and in the end, to simply live differently where we are to His glory. To fulfill our assignment or calling in such a way that He is exalted. It is usually wise to remain where we are, but to do so ‘with God’ (v. 24).

This is pretty simple truth, but it should also been pretty freeing truth. Oftentimes, those who seek hard after the Lord wonder if they should go into a more focused ministry or spend more time at the church. Sometimes one might even feel guilty about spending so much time at work and home and so little time at church. The circumstances vary, of course, but the point is that one should not feel guilty about fulfilling His respective assignment or calling in life. Discernment is needed, of course, (as we might be inclined to overwork), but in the end, if you are pursuing faithfulness to your respective station in life, you should be pursuing it with a clear conscience, understanding that you are simply trying to lead the life the Lord has called you to lead.

In the kingdom, there is no truly ‘secular’ work. All is done unto the Lord when it is done in faithfulness to one’s calling, in dependance upon Him, and with a view towards the manifestation of His rule and reign in the word. Such is the call to seek first the kingdom.

“When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

Notice in verse 5 the aim in church discipline: ‘so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.’ The local church should discipline its members with a view towards their good. With a view towards their salvation. Paul even goes so far to say in this instance that they are to deliver the sinning man over to Satan himself for the destruction of the flesh. Presumably, he must see the consequences for his sin and what God thinks about it (through the Church), in order to be see clearly and in turn, come to repentance.

Church discipline is not a hot topic today or in any other day. And though we don’t need it to be ‘hot’, we do need it to be normal. For the sake of our good and the glory of God.

And the good of the church community itself is also in view, as Paul makes plain in verse 6-8. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. So if they allow this sinning member to remain in their midst without rebuking and disciplining him, his sin will bring them all down. Their resolve to wage war on sin will naturally wane. So their love for the Lord cannot help but fade.

Notice in verse 7 also that they are to cleanse out the old leaven that they may be a new lump, as they already are. Here is the logic of the New Testament. The church community (and Christian individuals) are to act in line with who they really are in Christ. Through Him we have a new identity. We really are a new community, made us as we are of new individuals. The Lord calls us simply to act in line with reality. Cleanse out the old leaven, because you are a new lump. Be who you really are. Remember Jesus.

And this we are called to do not only in days of discipline, but everyday.

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.”

Our ultimate trust must not be in the means we employ, but in the One whose blessing we implore. This is a very difficult balance. For on the one hand, though we cannot trust in our chariots and our horses, we must still prepare the chariots and horses for battle. And we must do so diligently. But on the other hand, we prepare in full recognition that the chariots and horses in and of themselves are not enough to bring us the victory. We need blessing from above. We need the Lord to act.

Preparation is vital. But so is the blessing of the Lord. We must be diligent to embrace both realities. For our tendency, it seems, is to embrace one or the other. No matter what the context, there are some Christians who so embrace the reality that God must act on our behalf (that we must trust Him), that they end up despising those who are diligent in training the horses and building the chariots (whether in ministry or any other context for that matter). But on the other hand, there are also many who build the chariots and train the horses without little regard for the blessing of the Lord.

It seems wise to act as if it all depended on our efforts, all the while understanding that our efforts are not the ultimate determination of our destiny. God must act. God must intercede. Our trust is ultimately in Him. We are wise to embrace both realities. And when we do we will work harder than almost anyone, but do so in a humble and dependent way. We will fight with our best chariots and horses, but in full recognition that we cannot win the battle on our home. In order to rise and stand upright, our trust must be in the name of the Lord.

The leaders of the remnant of Judah rightfully come to Jeremiah in pursuit of guidance. They even promise to obey whatever it is that the Lord says to them through Jeremiah. Indeed, they go so far to call the Lord has a witness against them if they do not obey his word.

They, no doubt, at least thought that they were genuine in pursuit of the Lord’s guidance. But deep down, they trusted in their own plans, plans which they were no doubt already devising. Plans which they probably thought the Lord would simply confirm through Jeremiah.

Lest we grow arrogant, let us recognize that we are inclined to do the very same thing. We hold tightly to our plans, even while seeking guidance from the Lord. We really believe ourselves to be genuine, but deep down, we are holding onto our own plans, trusting that they are not merely ‘our’ plans, but the plans of God.

Interestingly enough, the Lord lets 10 days pass before He speaks clearly to Jeremiah. We can’t say for sure what happened during those ten days, but from the result, we can tell that unbelief crept in. Fear took its hold. Various meetings were probably held as it was determined that they could not wait upon Jeremiah or upon the Lord. Sure, all that Jeremiah had previously said to nation of Judah had come true. Yet when he came with a Word from the Lord, the leaders of Judah wanted no parts of it. For it did not align with their predetermined plans. Clearly (at least to them), they knew better than God’s prophet. Indeed, they knew better than God.

Oftentimes, the Lord will let a certain period of time pass before granting clarity. We genuinely want His guidance, but during the period of waiting, our hearts are exposed. God ordains these periods of waiting because He loves us, because He wants to expose the various things in which we trust, our various idols. For only then can he call us to repentance and uproot them from their deep place in our hearts. We are wise to delay our various meetings of ignorance until we hear from the Lord. When it comes to big decisions, wisdom dictates that we spend time on our knees first.

Finally, note that the leaders of Judah had become hardened to the Word of the Lord through Jeremiah. Though everything he said had come true, they would have no parts of it. Their hearts had grown dull. Their capacity to trust in the Lord and to obey His Word (and the two go hand in hand) had shriveled up. As far as they were concerned, their only hope was to trust in themselves and the plans of their devising.

So sad is the human condition! Rather than humbly looking to the Lord and obeying His Word, we are inclined to look to and trust in ourselves. Let us repent of our arrogance, confront our various idolatries and wait until the Lord clearly speaks. For in the end, it is the only way to go.

“Then the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.’”

More than a few things could be said about this text, but note especially the responsibility one has as the leader of one’s house. Eli is never said to have blasphemed the Lord. Only his sons. But as the leader of his house (and the priesthood) Eli is held responsible for such blaspheming. “He who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” So Eli has sinned time and again by enduring the sins of his sons rather than adequately dealing with them both.

If their is a problem in my home and the Lord comes to my house, no matter who answers the door, He will ask for me. Not because the woman (wife, mother) is inferior, but simple because the Lord has called men to lead and to be responsible for everyone under their charge. Men ought to tremble at such a reality and to recognize how diligent they must be to faithfully lead their wife and children in the knowledge of the Lord and obedience to Him.

Men must recognize that their influence over the home is so great that any issue found within it ends up being a reflection of an issue of their own.

“She [Hannah] was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

If Hannah had not endured years of life with a barren womb, would she have made such a vow? Would she have had such a change of heart apart from her great struggle with barrenness? Possibly, but It certainly seems quite unlikely.

And so change for us oftentimes comes through our being backed into a corner, so to speak. It comes through desperation. Radical, life-altering decisions are often made out of great longing, as we really our great need for change. I, personally, don’t really like it this way, but it seems to be a normal course for learning and living well.

Hannah’s struggle with barrenness led her to give her first male child to the Lord–a male child who would grow up to be the leader of Israel. Though our struggle might not lead to such a radical step, the course of change might seem quite radical to us. And because the Lord loves us, He might ordain a great deal of struggle for us until we make that radical call. Until we make the change that is good for us and that will bring glory to Him.