Storing Up for Winter

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

Romans 2:5

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Matthew 6:20

I live in a parsonage that's owned by the church that I work for. One of the previous pastors planted a nice Rose of Sharon tree next to the house with a Hosta on either side. Underneath one of these Hostas lives a little brown chipmunk. My wife and children are quite taken with him. So much so that they have taken to feeding him by placing piles of birdseed next to the Hosta that conceals the entrance to his burrow. Over the course of several days the little seed pile will dwindle and when it is all gone, they will feed him again. Undoubtedly as autumn arrives their little friend will start going through their seed piles much faster as he begins storing up food for the winter.

I started thinking about our little chipmunk tonight, because I realized in my Bible reading time this morning that every one of us is like him in this way. We are all storing something up for the future. I don't mean in an earthly sense, though we very well may be doing that also, but in a heavenly sense. Scripture reveals to us that every human being is storing something up for eternity. Either we are storing up treasures for ourselves in Heaven (Matthew 6:20) or we are storing up wrath for ourselves in Hell (Romans 2:5). The day of judgment will reveal what you have accumulated. 

Stubbornness and unrepentance, along with every kind of evil act that men engage in, store up wrath. Faith in Jesus and submission to His leadership in your life, along with every good and righteous act that Christians engage in, store up treasure. Be careful that you don't lose yourself in all the activity of life and begin to think that one kind of store is as good as the other. It is easy to argue now that your lifestyle is as good as any other, but the day of judgment will reveal it for what it was. 

So, evaluate your life. Evaluate your stores. How prepared are you for the coming Winter of God's Judgment? 

Creation Puts Us To Shame

Who shut up the sea behind doors

when it burst forth from the womb,

when I made the clouds its garment

and wrapped it in thick darkness,

when I fixed limits for it

and set its doors and bars in place,

when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;

here is where your proud waves halt’?

Job 38:8-11

A few weeks ago, I went to the beach on vacation. I love to watch the waves crash into the shore. It's almost like the hit a barrier that they cannot pass. In fact, this is basically what the passage above saves is true. At creation God told the seas, "You can go this far and no further," and they continue to obey Him perfectly. They never go beyond the boundaries He set for them except at His command. The same is true of the stars and celestial bodies. God set them in their course, and they keep to it, never deviating from it except at His command. In fact, Psalm 74:17 says of God, "It was You who set all the boundaries of the earth..." God placed boundaries on all His creation, and the whole of creation obeys His command to this very day, never transgressing the boundaries He has put in place... except for man.

You see, God has placed boundaries on mankind as well. Particularly on our behavior. He has told us, "You may go this far and no further." But we transgress His command, don't we? Ever since Adam and Eve transgressed that first boundary our hearts have been unruly and untamable. In this way, creation puts us to shame. It is perfect in obedience, where we are anything but. 

That is why Christianity must be about more than just forgiveness of sins. It must also be about lordship. Becoming a Christian is more than just asking for forgiveness for all the times you've transgressed God's boundaries. It is also about submitting yourself to His boundaries and ordering your life by His authority again. Romans 10:9 says, "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

So, let all of us who have confessed Jesus as Lord, take a lesson from the rest of creation, and submit ourselves to the limits God has placed on us. He created us, and He has the right to tell us "You can go this far and no further." 

Have you been coloring outside the lines? Is there a boundary you have been crossing? If so, it isn't a trivial thing. Ask forgiveness and submit yourself to God. 

Go in Peace (W.o.W. Rewind)

 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace...Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:3, 29-32

 

 

It is an unfortunate truth that in American culture peace is more often associated with hippie or anti-war gatherings than it is with Christian gatherings. And yet, the Christian who searches the New Testament Scriptures for the word 'peace' will be astounded at not only how often peace is mentioned in the New Testament but also how vital it is to the Christian faith. For example, every one of Paul's letters in the New Testament begins with a greeting that bestows grace and peace on his readers (see Rom. 1:7, I Cor. 1:3, II Cor. 1:2, Gal. 1:3, Eph. 1:2, Phil. 1:2, Col. 1:2, I Thess. 1:1, II Thess. 1:2, I Tim. 1:2, II Tim. 1:2, Titus 1:4, Philemon 1:3). Grace is discussed often in our churches and in our homes, but what about peace? Other New Testament writers also picked up this emphasis on peace in their greetings (see I Pet. 1:2, II Pet. 1:2, II John 1:3, Jude 2, Rev. 1:4). In fact, all in all two-thirds of the 27 New Testament books begin by bestowing peace on their readers. 

 

While this very well may have been a common greeting of their day, it is clear that it was far from a formality for the biblical writers. They saw peace as such an essential mark of the Christian community and lifestyle that they could refer to God Himself as the "God of peace" (Rom. 15:33, 16:20, II Cor. 13:11, Phil. 4:9, I Thess. 5:23, Heb. 13:20). Indeed, peace was at the very heart of their understanding of the gospel (Acts 10:36). Through Jesus' death on the cross the just wrath of God against our sin was extinguished. By His sacrifice we now enjoy peace with God (Romans 5:1). This peace with God should permeate our relationships with others. In the New Testament it had profound implications for the relationship between Jews and other ethnicities (Ephesians 2:14). But as today's passage of Scripture points out, this great peace that we enjoy corporately should filter its way down into our individual lives as well. As Christians we are called to be at peace with one another.

 

Is your life marked by peace? Are your relationships? If Jesus' death on the cross was enough to cover over the many ways that you and I had offended God, then isn't it enough to cover over the offenses you have received at the hands of your family members in Christ? It most certainly is! Today, choose to restore peace. Forgive those who have wronged you. Sure, they don't deserve it...that's what makes it forgiveness! You and I didn't deserve it either. And we have no right to withhold what we have been given so freely and liberally. Also, choose to maintain peace. "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

 

Jesus often spoke this refrain to people whom he had healed, "Your faith has made you whole, go in peace." My prayer is that today, your faith would drive you to forgive and that through that forgiveness, which is made possible only through Jesus, you might go in peace.

 

For further reading...

• Galatians 5:22-23- The fruit of the Spirit.
• John 14:27 & 16:33- My peace I give you.
• Ephesians 2:14-17- He is our peace!