Good morning my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
Perhaps because my father is Ninety-nine years old and we love talking about his memories of many decades ago, I am fascinated by the differences between the generations alive today. What do I mean? My father’s generation often remained loyally employed by the same employer for 20 or 30 years, or more. Today, young adults anticipate they will probably work for many different employers and perhaps pursue several different vocational careers in their working life.
In my generation change was embraced, today it is expected, frequently, in every aspect of life. So today, let’s wrestle with some essential questions:
1. How do you sustain character development and moral consistency while so many aspects of life are changing so frequently?
2. How do you sustain and nurture relationships when change includes frequent relocation to living in other places or changing work environments or even changing churches?
3. How do you build a God honoring personal reputation and legacy, while frequent change is a normal part of life?
Let’s rejoin the apostle Paul as he speaks to this issue in his first letter to the Christians in the wild city of Corinth, Greece about 2000 years ago. Paul wrote: “Each person should live as a believer [in Jesus Christ] in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them...Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.” (1 Cor. 7:17-20) It was reported to Paul that some people in Corinth were quitting their jobs and looking for other work, when they became Christians. Others were actually divorcing their unsaved spouses, as they became Christians! Oh my, what a travesty! We can imagine the non-Christians in Corinth were looking at what the Christians were doing and saying: “I want no part of that craziness”.
Do you see Paul warning us that while our salvation experience is a radical change in our relationship with God, and we are delivered from our sin condemnation; we are called to live holy, God honoring lives, because the Holy Spirit lives within genuine Christians?! Our salvation experience does not either demand or give us license to make such radical changes in our lives that we leave our employers short handed, or our families abandoned!
Paul challenges us to consider that the relational situations in life, in which we are, when we come to know and trust Jesus, can become strategic relationships which can greatly benefit from the changes Jesus makes in us, as the Holy Spirit refines our character, our morality, and our personal values, to align us with God. Do you understand that my friends and have you experienced it?
Paul knew the Old Testament very well and I wonder if this powerful statement, found in Isaiah 61, was on Paul’s mind as he wrote to the Corinthian Christians: “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the cities that have been devastated for generations…All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed.” (Is. 61:3,4,9)
Do you see the strategicness with which God wants to work through His people, individually and as families? But also, through His people in their schools and businesses and communities. Why? To bring HOPE to communities and extended families ravaged by the darkness of evil. So a simple but very important question: do you see the neighborhood where you live, the school or business where you study or work, and even your extended family and your community, as your assignment from God, to which you are bringing the hope and help of Jesus?
Paul also knew the prophet Ezekiel had written these words of promise from God for His people: “I will cleanse you from all your impurities…I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you…I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees… you will be My people and I will be your God….Then the nations around you will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken and I will do it.” (Ez. 36:25-36)
Pause. Look closely at the history of our world, especially the region where you live. Do you see evidence that God has done in the past what He described here to Ezekiel? Is it possible God is doing it, even in our day, in certain places in our world? Are you part of such a great restoration movement of God in your part of the world? My wife and I are where we live!
How does it happen? It happens when we do what Paul was challenging the Corinthian Christians to do. Don’t walk away from the brokenness of our world, rather lean in, asking God to guide you to see what HE sees, and to courageously let Jesus involve you in reclaiming people and places devastated by the dark kingdom. Let Jesus INVOLVE you in rebuilding what is broken down and bringing the hope and help of Jesus to your city, your schools, and the people whose lives you touch everyday, who will be changed if they will embrace Jesus!
Oh we need to pause and look at our cities through the lenses of 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, asking Jesus to help us understand how to strategically live, by HIS power, these words of the apostle Paul: “Each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.” (1 Cor. 7:24) I urge you to read these verses several times, asking God to give you His vision for your city and how Jesus wants to involve you, for HIS glory!
The ‘lessons learned’ found at the link below, will be very helpful to you in this evaluation of your city, and the worship song will draw you to a fresh perspective of your city, and I’ll be here waiting for you tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: 1 Cor. 7:17-24
Choose below to read or listen.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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