WCF Blog
Simple
Our hope is so simple, anybody can understand it. “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21)
Looking Back
As I write, we’re closing in on the end of another year. That is, according to the calendar used in most of the world—there are other calendars used in other cultures. Whatever calendar is in use, it’s common to pause at the end of the year, looking back on events, milestones, and so on. Television, print publications, and social media are currently filled with such retrospectives.
Confidence
Not long ago I was reading the letter to the Hebrews, and came to this verse: Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. (Heb 10:35)
The Heel Catcher
The name Jacob comes from the Hebrew word for “heel” and he was so named after catching hold of his twin brother Esau’s heel in the womb. If you think about a heel it’s the part of your foot that bends around and so Jacob is connected with the idea of being crooked – and that’s exactly the character of Jacob.
Joseph
At this time of year, we are hearing and reading a lot about the circumstances surrounding Jesus’s birth. We don’t hear a lot, though, from the perspective of Mary’s fiancé Joseph. He had an important role to play, at the birth and even more in bringing up Jesus. This story is an imagining of the familiar account of the Messiah’s birth, from Joseph’s perspective. He surely was a man of faith, or he wouldn’t have been chosen for this role by the Father. I can have no confidence it’s accurate, but I offer it as a starting point for consideration of a man of faith and an important influence in our Lord’s life.
A Bowl of Stew
Esau came in from the field exhausted and hungry. His brother Jacob was cooking red stew and Esau, so tired he could barely speak, shouted out “Let me gulp down some of that red stuff!” (Gen. 25:30). Jacob replied that he was willing to part with some stew on one condition; that Esau give him his birthright. Esau told Jacob he was on the point of dying, what use was his birthright? And so, Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. The writer goes on to say, “Thus Esau despised his birthright.” (Gen. 25:34).
Extraordinary
In Acts 19 we’re given a brief summary of the apostle Paul’s two-year stay in Ephesus, a coastal city in what is now Turkey. In the middle of the summary, the author (almost certainly Luke) says, “And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul.” (verse 11)
Widening Your Heart
The apostle Paul was continually trying to get the Corinthian ecclesia to mature spiritually. In his second epistle to them, he lists several of the ways he had been an example to them, including by showing them “genuine love” (2 Cor. 6:6) and concluding by saying “we have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open” (v.11).
Letter
I pray that the peace and grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus rest upon you. I thought I would write, just to let you know that you’re in my prayers. We all know that the world around us is, well it’s just full of evil, and it can affect us. It can draw us away. We know that our own hearts are a problem too. I hope you are praying for me as I am for all of you.
Brotherly Love
We Christadelphians are fond of calling each other “brother” and “sister” – we are, after all, brethren in Christ. But I fear that sometimes it can be used more as an official title than anything else. In correspondence, like when someone is asking me to speak at their ecclesia, I will be addressed as “Brother Richard.” However, the one and only time the term is used for someone in the New Testament is in Acts 9 where Ananias calls Saul of Tarsus “Brother Saul” before he was baptized.
Giving thanks
As I write this, we’re about a week away from celebrating Thanksgiving Day in the US, where I live. Last month, Canada had their Thanksgiving Day. Doing some looking around, I was a little surprised to find that quite a few countries have something similar. A number of them have a formally designated day, and others just have a cultural tradition of pausing to be thankful. In all of them, the day (or three days in China, or four days in India, or a week in Israel) is held at harvest time.
Godliness
Another way of looking at the list of attributes in 2 Pet. 1:5-7 is under the headings of faith, hope, and love. The first two attributes are about faith and aspiring to be like God because of that faith (virtue), self-control and steadfastness are about hope through the trials of life, and the last two are to do with love.
Anxiety
You don’t need me to tell you there’s a lot of anxiety in the world. Threats and stresses of all kinds abound. It’s uneven, of course. Some individuals, families, communities feel like they are doing all right; they aren’t particularly anxious about anything. For other individuals, families, communities, the word anxiety is too weak.
Courage Under Fire
In 2 Pet. 1:6, the word Peter uses for steadfastness, hypomone, has been described as one of the noblest of all New Testament words. It has the idea of courage or steadfast endurance under trial.
Rules Can’t Make Us Self-Controlled
It’s not easy dealing with the problem of sin in our lives. Paul puts it well in Romans 7 where he describes the human experience – “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (v19). We can all relate to that and all of us want to find the solution to the problem; how can I overcome sin?
Daily bread
I’m sure the title made you immediately think of the Lord’s prayer. In fact, that phrase only occurs twice in scripture – in the two versions of the Lord’s prayer. “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11) “Give us each day our daily bread.” (Luke 11:13)
Credit
Who gets the credit? Solomon makes this point in multiple places:
Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. (Psalm 127:1)
The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD. (Proverbs 21:31; 19:21 is similar)
The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
Need
We’re all familiar with the story: Martha is feeling overwhelmed and is fretting over getting a meal ready for Jesus and his disciples. Her sister Mary is sitting listening to the Teacher, not helping out. Martha vents her frustration, but Jesus gently rebukes her for being so anxious about many things. Then he says, “Only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)