Somerset Church of Christ

October 25, 2023

Help for Weary Hands

ukrainian couple tearfully reuniting during war

Not long after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea they became hungry and started to complain. The wilderness was quite brutal. They were in one of the most hostile places on the planet, where the daytime temperatures get very brutal. When they complained, God provided bread from heaven. When they moved camp the became thirsty and were angry with Moses. Moses cried to the Lord: “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me” (Exodus 17:4 ESV).

To add injury to insult, when God provided water the Amelekites attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Rephidim was a place that had fertile ground, a rare site in the desert. Here the flocks could find pasture and it seemed like Israel had found a place of peace. But the battle would prove otherwise. Based on Moses’ response with the water situation it appears he was very burned out. Retaliation against him was a reality.

Moses persisted, though: “Tomorrow I will sand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand” (vs. 9). As long as Moses held up his hand Israel was winning. But when his hands grew weary they would start to lose. Aaron and Hur put a rock under Moses and held his hands up until the sun set. “And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword” (vs. 13). This is a reminder to us to be present for people who are fighting spiritual battles. Moses couldn’t have done this alone even though he possessed the staff of God in his hand. We all need support and this is what helps us make it to the next day!

October 18, 2023

A Mother’s Request

One day James and John’s mother brought them to Jesus and kneeled before him. It’s not certain that James and John knew what their mother was going to ask for. But ask she did! When Jesus asked her what she wanted, she said, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom” (Matthew 20:21 ESV).

Jesus told her she didn’t know what she was asking. He then asked the brothers if they could drink the cup he was to drink. He was asking if they were able to suffer like he was about to. They affirmed. Jesus told them that they would drink his cup but that he couldn’t grant who gets to sit as his right or left. Only the Father can deicide that.

What Jesus could decide, however, is that “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (vs. 26-28). God is not concerned with people climbing their way to the top. Instead, he wants us to serve those in need–to care for the poor, broken, orphans and widows. It is they who will be first in the Kingdom.

October 11, 2023

Teaching and Learning Every Day

anonymous religious hasidim jews during pray near western wall

Albert Einstein said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The definition of devotion, according to Merriam Webster, is the fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal. What is the difference between being dedicated and holding on to something while expecting change? Maybe it’s difficult to tell where the line is between insanity and devotion. But one thing is for sure–the early believers were devoted!

Jesus taught every day in the temple: “And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet” (Luke 21:37 ESV). After Jesus ascended the believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers. . . And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts” (vs. 42, 46).

When Paul was in Ephesus people in the synagogue spoke evil about the Way before the congregation, so Paul “withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus” (Acts 19:9). Luke records that this went on for two years so that all the people in Asia heard the word of God. Imagine what an incredible feat that was! If we are going to connect God to others we need to do it every day. It is a discipline. But so is learning. People actually showed up to listen every day. We are more connected today globally than at any other time in history. So how are we using that technology to remain devoted to the Word?

October 4, 2023

The Golden Rule

There is one sentence that Jesus uttered that summed up what is the Law and the Prophets: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12 ESV). This is what’s known as the Golden Rule.

It really is Golden and if people really understood this and lived it the world would be a very peaceful place. Almost everyone desires compassion, nurturing, kindness, and mercy. We all have essential needs in order to survive too–water, food, clothing, and shelter. But so many people lack those basic needs and desires. Imagine a world where any of these were stripped away from us. Remove compassion for a moment and pretend that everyone who you ever came into contact with was ruthless and cruel. We would be in a mental state of fatigue and misery after only a few hours.

The same can be true of any one of these. Take away food and we starve. Take away water and we dehydrate and die. Remove shelter and we freeze or burn up. Yet people are living without these things every day all over the world. If we grasp the Golden Rule–to treat others the way we want to be treated–we become driven to help them. It’s literally as simple as that. Jesus didn’t give a sermon on this. He gave a sentence.

September 27, 2023

God Wants All To Turn To Him

Life is extremely fast. Peter writes to his audience that the day of the Lord will come and will be a surprise to everyone. Therefore we should all be prepared. Peter says, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:8, 9 ESV).

Peter’s point is that though this day is fast approaching, many are scoffing at it and are living in their own sinfulness. The Christians need to take it seriously, live holy and blameless lives, and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We’ll be talking about God and others this quarter. In order to value others and reach them with the Gospel, we need to understand that God values everyone and wants them to come to repentance. That won’t happen without us teaching them about Christ.

September 21, 2023

Don’t Be Right, Be Faithful

a close up shot of a woman holding a rosary while praying

We spend much of our life attempting to be “right” as Christians. We want to know that we have the right answers, the right interpretation of the scriptures, and the right arguments to disarm people with wrong information. It’s great to be a student of the scriptures but our lot in life isn’t to be right. It’s to be faithful. When we are faithful God shows up in the most powerful ways.

The entire chapter 11 in Hebrews is about people who walked by faith. Many of them didn’t know what the future held or the troubles they would encounter. They only knew that God made a promise to them, and they were faithful. Abraham lived in tents for years and years, having no idea where he was going: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (vs. 8).

The author of Hebrews says that there were many people like Abraham who endured suffering or who waited for the promise. God delivered every time. Abraham became a father of many nations. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. Noah saved his family and began a new world. Even in their faith, they didn’t receive what they were promised, “since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect” (vs. 39, 40). We were promised something far better than even those giants of faith. Without our faith, those people from the past are not made perfect. Our faith really, really matters.

September 13, 2023

Straining Toward the Goal

There is an unusual way to budget that, frankly, ought to be the norm. It’s called PYF (pay yourself first). At first it sounds selfish, right? But the idea is actually the opposite of splurging on yourself. Instead, you budget in a way that pays your retirement, investing, and giving accounts before you even pay for necessities like mortgages, utilities, and food. Those actually come second in the budget. Then follow all the other essentials. Only after investments and necessities are covered should you budget for entertainment (subscriptions, eating out, etc.).

In this way, you plan for the future and don’t have to be wondering how to pay medical and electric bills in your 70s. But the majority of people don’t budget this way. I mention budgets because it’s really about goal setting. Most Christians don’t budget their time and resources with a pay-yourself-first attitude. In other words, we don’t invest in our salvation. Instead we “splurge” on other things that have nothing to do with our salvation.

Paul told the Philippian church, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13, 14 ESV). Does this sound like someone who is wrapped up in himself or more like someone who is laser focused on “budgeting” his time and resources for the grand prize of salvation? Clearly it’s the latter. We too should be disciplined enough to strain toward the goal of salvation. One day it will knock on our door. We shouldn’t be surprised when it happens.