“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And, if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And, if you lend to those whom whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore, be merciful, just as you Father also is merciful.“

Luke 6:31-36

In this passage, we have Jesus giving us the golden rule — do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  This isn’t just golden (the best rule) but also one of the most practical, as we all, even as young children, have a pretty good idea about how we would like to be treated without having to be taught.  In other words, we have a perfect idea of what Jesus is expecting of us here.

But note that Jesus didn’t give this rule to everyone.  Rather, He specifically directs it toward us as believers or His followers.  How do we know?  He gives us the contrast to those He calls ‘sinners’.    And, to give this rule some real bite, it comes in the context of loving our enemies.  Jesus explains, even sinners know how to love those who treat them well.  So, the application here is to everyone — even our enemies or perhaps most specifically our enemies.  

Given our rocky start as a church with some in the Troy community, it is helpful to remind ourselves of this command.  And, it is important to see that it is based on our imitation of the nature of our God.  God is merciful, therefore as His children, we must imitate Him and be merciful as well.  When we are treated poorly, called names or the victims of legal warfare, we are commanded to rejoice and bless our enemies just like our Father in Heaven.  But, let’s not stop here.  

In one sense we may find it easy to love our more pugnacious Troy neighbors because their criticisms are light and mostly infrequent.  However, we should also remind ourselves that this command applies equally to those closest to us:  our wife or husband, child or parent, sibling or cousin, friend or classmate.  From these people we EXPECT much, much more than than from our enemies and so we are more likely or at least more often to not treat them as we would be treated.  This is sin.  Be aware of how you are treating those closest to you.

Matt Meyer – March 10, 2024

Read Full Article

In John Owen’s Mortification of Sin, he notes that one key way the Spirit helps us put sin to death is by working more and more of His fruit in us. Owen famously said, “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” And he was right. But we often forget that the leading way the Spirit kills our sin is by turning into a chef and cooking up all sorts of good things inside of us. He cooks up joy, the aroma of which suffocates our depression. He bakes peace that kills that vaporizes that aroma of stress and anxiety. Love sizzles on the skillet in our hearts and that judgmental and selfish spirit that would rest in our flesh gets crowded out.

Keep these things in mind as you go through life in general and as you confess your sin in particular. Sometimes, when you kneel, there is that big stinker of a sin to own before the Lord. If that is the case today, then go right ahead and confess that one. His grace and favor toward you abounds and whatever that sin, it cannot match the blood of Christ’s cross.

But at other times, you might not have that big one staring you in the face, so what are you to confess? Well, confess that your kindness hasn’t been what it ought to have been. Your patience hasn’t abounded. Your self-control could have filled the house like a pleasing aroma.

Every time of confession is an opportunity to admit that our hearts aren’t as large as they ought to be. And it is a time to ask our Father to enlarge them so that there simply wouldn’t be any more room sin. They’re looking to find a room in which to lodge. But the Spirit has taken up so much space there is now that neon sign shining out front, saying, “No vacancy.” 

Jared Longshore – March 10, 2024

Read Full Article

There are many in the church today who know and hate their sin but find themselves still stuck in their guilt and shame. They know that God is holy, that they are not, and do not struggle to say so. But a key ingredient is missing in their attempts at repentance. 

Full repentance is not just owning what you have done, but it is also owning, or apprehending, what God has done on your behalf. You could say that there are two movements or parts to repentance. The first is true confession – identifying and naming your sin as God names it, with contrition and no euphemisms or excuses. But you must not stop there. The second part of repentance is then owning what God has done – turning to Christ in faith and receiving His forgiveness, graciously extended to you. Without both of these pieces, repentance is incomplete. 

If all you have done is name your sin but have not yet turned in humble faith to the One who is faithful to forgive and cleanse you of all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9)—then it is no wonder that you keep finding yourself stuck in the same hole of despair. Without forgiveness, without cleansing, you are still left in the mess you dug yourself into. 

Sure, you can see clearly that it is dark and dirty, and that you cannot climb out on your own. But you have not yet grasped onto the nail-scarred hand reaching down to pull you out. You have not yet apprehended God’s forgiveness and grace extended to you so that you may walk in the light.

Now note, this is not the same thing as “forgiving yourself.” Forgiveness is not extended from yourself to yourself – it comes from God – the one you have offended and sinned against. 

He freely offers forgiveness to all who turn to Him; you must only exercise faith and take hold of it. Or perhaps for a more accurate illustration, if His forgiveness was a sea of refreshing water, all you must do is fall in. And when you do, you will most certainly be washed clean.

Shawn Paterson – March 3, 2024

Read Full Article

Millions of advertising dollars are spent every year on enticing you to embrace the vice of hastiness. What at first blush might look like a road to greater liberty, ease, and comfort, is instead a quicksand pathway which will quickly bog you down into the swamp of discontent, greed, and lust.

Porn is not a shortcut to sexual fulfillment, although that is what it disguises itself as. Sports betting is an alluring cheat code to generating fat stacks of cash, but the House always wins. Pinterest boards present a minimalist mirage of tidiness, but underpinning (pun intended) that minimalism is often an avoidance of diligence. Every other Silicon Valley start up is aimed at trying to part you from your money with the enticing promise of shortcutting hard work.

Proverbs, in particular, warns us of the sinister nature of haste. Hasty feet are described as sinful (Pr. 19:2). Hastiness in wealth building is unlikely to be paired with moral innocence (Pr. 28:20). Hasty speech is not just foolish, it makes you worse than a fool (Pr. 29:20). Starvation follows hastiness like ash follows fire (Pr. 21:5).

These warnings against a “get out over your skis” hastiness are not set in contrast to slothfulness. Rather, the virtue which stands opposite of this vice of hastiness is that of steady steps of diligence and faithfulness. According to biblical wisdom this is how you build a lasting foundation. Persistently ordering your steps to walk in the ways of God’s Covenant is how you enjoy the good life.

However, apart from Christ our feet our cinder blocks when it comes to obedience, and jet packs when it comes to gratifying our lusts. So, God freely offers to you, through Christ, a new heart which transforms your entire moral framework. By faith then, your feet can plod away at faithfulness.

Ben Zornes – March 3, 2024

Read Full Article