Good morning!
I bet you have met a few know-it-alls before. People who have all the answers, perhaps even the answers to questions scholars have been grappling with since the beginning of time.
No, I am not talking about Jeopardy kind of trivia questions. I mean questions about the meaning of life and faith, truth, and what the will of God is for men and women.
It distresses me how some people are so sure of God’s will for other people that they are able to persuade them to believe erroneous doctrines and do things that are not necessary and could even be harmful to them.
Here’s my advice today, friends: Beware of know-it-alls. If someone tries to tell you what the will of God is for your life, and it includes doing things to ensure your salvation, then it’s time to quickly end the conversation, as politely as you can. You don’t need to be rude, as some people who might offer opinions on how you should live are actually your friends and mean no harm.
But you have to trust the Holy Spirit inside of you and the truth of God’s Word more than the so-called “wisdom” of human beings.
In our Acts reading today, some people in the church are arguing that Gentiles who are coming to the Christian faith have to be circumcised and follow the dietary laws of the Old Testament in order to be saved.
Peter and the other elders and apostles get together to consider the matter. And then:
“After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’”
Today’s lesson is a warning to beware of people who might try to tell us how to live as Christians, when it is not God’s will for us to live that way. We are saved by God’s grace through faith!
It is also a warning to us to refrain from telling other people how they must live to be good Christians.
We can and should pray for one another and offer godly advice, urging one another to deeds of lovingkindness and godly behaviors, such as encouraging our friends to forgive and let go of grudges, as the Heavenly Father forgives us.
But we should not try to tell other people how to live.
Let us trust the Holy Spirit to guide each one of us in the way the Lord wants us to go. Let us seek Him and search His Holy Word for answers to questions about faith and our own lives, without judging others.
And God will be faithful to reveal His will for us, when we come to Him with humble hearts ready to obey.
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father, we sometimes like to give advice about how others should live as Christians, without seeking your Will for our own lives. Forgive us when we are prideful and think we have all the right answers for faith and life, when you are the only one with all the answers. Keep our eyes focused on you and taking the gospel to the nations, as you have commanded us to do. Thank you for your love and forgiveness and for being faithful to reveal your will for us when we seek you with our whole hearts, humbly acknowledging our weaknesses and need for your guidance. Help us to love other people just as they are and not try to change them into our own likenesses. Teach us how to be your faithful servants, willingly following Christ’s self-giving example. In His name we pray. Amen.
Today’s readings are Job 29:1,31:1-23; Acts 15:1-11; John 11:17-29; and Psalm 50.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Karen
I bet you have met a few know-it-alls before. People who have all the answers, perhaps even the answers to questions scholars have been grappling with since the beginning of time.
No, I am not talking about Jeopardy kind of trivia questions. I mean questions about the meaning of life and faith, truth, and what the will of God is for men and women.
It distresses me how some people are so sure of God’s will for other people that they are able to persuade them to believe erroneous doctrines and do things that are not necessary and could even be harmful to them.
Here’s my advice today, friends: Beware of know-it-alls. If someone tries to tell you what the will of God is for your life, and it includes doing things to ensure your salvation, then it’s time to quickly end the conversation, as politely as you can. You don’t need to be rude, as some people who might offer opinions on how you should live are actually your friends and mean no harm.
But you have to trust the Holy Spirit inside of you and the truth of God’s Word more than the so-called “wisdom” of human beings.
In our Acts reading today, some people in the church are arguing that Gentiles who are coming to the Christian faith have to be circumcised and follow the dietary laws of the Old Testament in order to be saved.
Peter and the other elders and apostles get together to consider the matter. And then:
“After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’”
Today’s lesson is a warning to beware of people who might try to tell us how to live as Christians, when it is not God’s will for us to live that way. We are saved by God’s grace through faith!
It is also a warning to us to refrain from telling other people how they must live to be good Christians.
We can and should pray for one another and offer godly advice, urging one another to deeds of lovingkindness and godly behaviors, such as encouraging our friends to forgive and let go of grudges, as the Heavenly Father forgives us.
But we should not try to tell other people how to live.
Let us trust the Holy Spirit to guide each one of us in the way the Lord wants us to go. Let us seek Him and search His Holy Word for answers to questions about faith and our own lives, without judging others.
And God will be faithful to reveal His will for us, when we come to Him with humble hearts ready to obey.
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father, we sometimes like to give advice about how others should live as Christians, without seeking your Will for our own lives. Forgive us when we are prideful and think we have all the right answers for faith and life, when you are the only one with all the answers. Keep our eyes focused on you and taking the gospel to the nations, as you have commanded us to do. Thank you for your love and forgiveness and for being faithful to reveal your will for us when we seek you with our whole hearts, humbly acknowledging our weaknesses and need for your guidance. Help us to love other people just as they are and not try to change them into our own likenesses. Teach us how to be your faithful servants, willingly following Christ’s self-giving example. In His name we pray. Amen.
Today’s readings are Job 29:1,31:1-23; Acts 15:1-11; John 11:17-29; and Psalm 50.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Karen
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