“It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:12)

            The pattern of prayer we see in the Bible seems to be quite the opposite of the one that is often practiced.  The shortest prayers are found in public settings, and the longer prayers are found in private.  As you scan through the Bible, you will read word-for-word prayers which were collectively prayed by disciples, congregations, even entire nations – they typically take no more than a few minutes to read out loud. 

            Yet, private prayer sessions of men like Ezra, David, Nehemiah, and Elijah are often found to extend for large periods of time as they sit upon mountaintops, in their inner rooms, or upon their beds.

Jesus is the ultimate example of this.  Jesus’ “model” prayer takes only a few seconds to speak and can be quickly memorized in a single session by most school-age children.  Yet, Luke 5:16 describes Him often slipping away to the wilderness to pray, and Luke 6 gives us at least one occasion where that prayer extended all night long.

If your public prayer life is more robust than your private one – it may be time to re-evaluate the pattern.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”  (Luke 5:8)

            When Peter realized how powerful Jesus was and what authority He had – Peter’s reaction was one of unworthiness.  An honest heart when confronted with the glory of God will see all of its flaws and acknowledge its own inferiority.  Like a peasant standing in rags before gleaming royalty – the contrast is almost painful.

            Yet, Jesus ignores Peter’s pleas for distance.  Jesus doesn’t leave; He draws near.  After all, Jesus already knew the ragged edges of Peter, and He also already knew His own greatness.  Peter was merely recognizing what Jesus had already known.  Peter needed Jesus, and Jesus didn’t go away.  Jesus stayed.

            Remember what John said: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

 “When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:13)

Jesus’ temptation teaches us many powerful lessons about Jesus, but it also teaches us some lessons about the devil.  For one, he’s only got a few tricks in his bag.  Temptation may look different in different circumstances, but it always comes down to the same appeal to the lust of our eyes, the desires of our flesh, and our prideful hungers.  He will always target those three things.

He also follows a pattern – strong, merciless attacks which seem like they will go on forever… but don’t.  Every temptation has a finish. Afterwards, he flees and leaves until another opportune time presents itself.

The lesson? Hang in there.  Don’t let the voice of discouragement and weariness decide your future.  Your marriage will make it through this season of heartache.  Your teen years won’t always feel so fitful and hopeless.  Your sorrows won’t always feel like you are drowning in them.  Your job won’t always be so unreasonable or frustrating.  These are seasons, and after the hard work comes the enjoyment of the harvest.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“And the crowds were questioning him, saying, ‘Then what shall we do?’ ” (Luke 3:10)

When John the Baptist preached, the people weren’t satisfied to merely listen and enjoy the sermon – they wanted to know what they could DO about the sermon.  Today, churches have turned worship into a spectator sport.  The preacher puts on a good show, and then we all file out after the spectacle.

That’s never what it was meant to be.  God didn’t pattern His church for worship-tainment.  Sermons should be fuel for living and jabs in the side which prod us to action.  If the sermon stays in the building, it was a waste.

Want to shock your preacher?  Next Sunday, after the sermon, ask him, “Then what shall we do?”

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“But they did not understand the statement which He [Jesus] had made to them.” (Luke 2:50)

            Ever read the Bible and say, “Huh? I don’t understand what this verse is saying.”?  Join the club.  Mary and Joseph didn’t always understand Jesus right away either.  Some verses are a slow burn – they will get you, but you have to be patient and persevere.

            Not understanding everything is normal.  You don’t have to know it all to give it your all.  A babe in Christ (see 1 Peter 2:2-4) can put all their effort into their faith just like a seasoned veteran of the kingdom.  Don’t worry about not knowing everything – just do what you know and keep feeding on the Word.  As you learn, you’ll always find new tasks to tackle and new windows into God’s purpose and plan.  That’s a good thing.

            When we expect our faith to be effortless, we constantly feel like failures.  When we recognize it SHOULD be hard sometimes and the Scriptures will make us scratch our head sometimes as we grow – we can better walk according to grace and truth.  Mary eventually understood what Jesus meant about “His Father’s house”… and by then, she was ready to appreciate the power of who Jesus really is.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” (Luke 1:45)

            Mary was blessed because she believed what God told her, and she trusted He would fulfill His promises, no matter how bold and unexpected.  What could be more surprising than a virgin birth?  No one had ever seen such a thing before or since!

            Sounds a lot like heaven.  Have you seen it? Nope.  I haven’t either.  Do you have any proof that there is life after death?  We have nothing more than God’s word on the matter.  Our hope is built on a promise that there is a new life on the other side of this earthly realm.

            To believe in angels, demons, heaven, and hell are all a matter of trusting God’s statements about such invisible, spiritual things.  This is what we call faith.  We have faith in Him and the evidence of His goodness and character.  We believe Him and His promises, and therefore, we reach out for the fulfillment of what He has said though we have never seen or touched it with our own eyes and hands.

            Mary’s faith led to a blessing in Jesus.  Ours will, too.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart…” (Philemon 1:12)

            Onesimus was a runaway slave.  Paul didn’t know him until he somehow showed up in the city of Rome.  Paul and Onesimus started out strangers, and then through some providential chain of fortunate events, the Lord drew Paul the aged together with this young man with a wayward and rebellious spirit.

The gospel connection – it’s real, and it works.

By the time Paul figured out who Onesimus who and who he ran away from, Paul was referring to Onesimus as “my child” and that sending him back to Philemon was “sending my very heart”.

Love can grow if we give our hearts to Jesus.  Jesus has a way of opening our hearts to strangers until they become friends.  He connects tax collectors (Matthew) and Pharisees (Paul), Jews and Gentiles, and young and old.  Onesimus filled a place in Paul’s heart that Paul didn’t even realize was there until Onesimus showed up… and I suspect Paul did the same for Onesimus.

Let the Lord teach you to love – imitate Him in your care for others and let the gospel connection grow the bonds between you.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“{Epaphras is} always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers.” (Colossians 4:12)

            Prayer is work.  Epaphras was a laborer on behalf of the church at Colossae by praying.  His prayers were effective work in the kingdom and a blessing to that congregation.  Even when Epaphras was many miles away in the distant city of Rome, he had fellowship with the saints and their efforts in the city of Colossae.

            There is power in prayer, but it is a strength that must be mined for with effort.  We must be earnest laborers if we seek to affect the world by prayer.  If you thought of prayer like a job, how would it change your habits?

            A job has some consistency to the hours – does your prayer time have that?

            A job has specific goals and focus – do your prayers have goals?

            A job requires preparation and forethought – do you keep a list of things to pray about?  A list of gratitude and a list of petition?  Have you considered reviewing your petition list to see what needs to be moved to the gratitude list?

            These things may sound like a lot of work, and maybe they are… but it’s the best kind of work to be an earnest laborer in the fellowship of the Lord.  Not sure how to contribute to the kingdom?  Everyone can pray – it’s good work.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” (Colossians 3:14)

How does one define love?  Is it shaped by the culture at large? Is it a feeling that awakens within us when in the presence of the right people as a catalyst? ‘Love’ as a word seems to be a flighty, ephemeral thing nowadays.  As a word, ‘love’ seems to be fluidly shaped and reshaped by the context of the moment.  If one were to simply gather the transcripts of mankind’s dialogues on the subject of love, you would find yourself more confused about the topic at the end of reading than you were before.

So, I ask again: how does one define love?

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)

            The timeless definition given by God universally for all mankind is to keep His commandments and to do so voluntarily and without resentment.  Why would keeping God’s commandments be the definition of love?  His commandments define love because “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

            The church is to put on love because love is what binds us together in unity – which is another way of saying God is who unifies us.  His commandments pour forth from His heart of love, and when we follow them, we allow His love to flow through us back to Him and out to our neighbor.  His love feeds our love through His commands.

            The Scriptures are not a burden of rules but an expression of love to a world devoid of love without Him.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“…having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:14)

            The certificate of debt against us is, as a good friend likes to put it, like an arrest warrant with our names on it.  The decrees of God stand as a testament against us.  We are not the heroes in our own stories – we are the villains.

            The story of your life is a showcase of your shortcomings.  Temper not held in check, blame and gossip spread, moments of cowardice punctuated by ill-timed bravado… our lives represent time after time that we have fallen short of what mankind is capable of.  The times we played the victim, the seasons of selfishness, and the ego-driven rationalizations will all be on full display come Judgment Day… unless the cross.

            If those debts and decrees are nailed to the cross, we need not worry about the storyline that will unfold.  The final words will be, “Well done” because Jesus will have nailed the villainy to the wooden cross of Calvary.  The hostility is turned to peace because of Him and His grace.

            So, let go of the guilt if you are a Christian – the Hero has arrived, and all is forgiven.  Leave the sin in the water.  You’ve been washed clean.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites