Devotional Thoughts for This Morning
Lk. 14:17, 20 (NIV): “At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready’ . . . . [20] “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’”
1 Cor. 7:29, 32-34 (NIV): “From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none. . . . [32] I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. [33] But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— [34] and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband.”
“Kyle” served at our church, then later became a youth pastor at another church and got married. I called him up, one day, in order to catch up; and when I asked about his present ministry, he said, “My present ministry is focusing on my wife.” Since the word ministry comes from the Greek word diakoneō, meaning to serve, Kyle certainly ought to love his wife (Eph. 5:28) and “treat [her] with respect” (1 Pet. 3:7).
Nevertheless, what he misunderstood was that while a good marriage/family is necessary for an authentic ministry (1 Tim. 3:4), it’s not sufficient to equate it with the ministry to the Body of Christ, which consists of believers who are uniquely gifted to “serve others” (1 Pet. 4:10). “Others” could be people in my church, neighborhood, or other nations, depending on God’s call at that particular moment. And when we fail to comply on account of marital or familial concerns, that’s tantamount to, “I just got married, so I can’t come.” At that juncture, regardless of how wonderful our marriage is, it becomes not being “concerned with the Lord’s affair.” And as we respond to God’s call, sometimes we might not be able to spend as much time with our spouse or family because we are ministering to others—and that could be what it means to live as if we had no wife or husband.
Now, God is neither against marriage nor romance. Once the work is finished, the Scripture says, “Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer (i.e., ministry done apart from your spouse). Then come together again” (1 Cor. 7:5). Though Paul didn’t use the romantic language of the “Song of Songs,” he meant it when he wrote: “The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband” (7:3).
In 1997, I didn’t want to go to Uganda for 3 weeks because, among other reasons, I didn’t want to be separated from my wife and children. But I went because God called me to go. And it was during this trip that God planted a missionary vision, the one that my wife already had, which eventually led to our move to Mexico (2000), where my wife and I were rejuvenated both spiritually and mentally.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for my precious family whom I love dearly. Provide for them and protect them especially when I am not with them, as I may be away responding to the call in my life. As You lend your Son Christ on our behalf, I avail myself to You and Your cause to be part of what You are doing to redeem this fallen world. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 25
Lunch Break Study
Read Mk. 4:32-5 (NIV): “A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.’ [33] ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. [34] Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! [35] Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.’”
Jn. 18:26-7 (NIV): “When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ [27] and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”
1 Tim. 3:4-5 (NIV): “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Question to Consider
- In Christ, who becomes part of our primary relationship?
- Does that mean we disregard our physical families? What does Jesus’ action and Paul’s teaching suggest?
- What do you think God is calling you to participate these days or in foreseeable future? It may or may not be something that will take you away from your family. Think. Reflect. Pray about it.
Notes
- Christ teaches us that fellow believers, particularly those who seek to obey God’s will, become part of our primary relationships. And, “as we have opportunity, [we are to] do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Gal. 6:10).
- “All people” in Gal. 6:10 do not exclude our physical families. For example, before Jesus died, He wanted to make sure that his earthly mother was taken care of; Paul is adamant about providing for one’s own physical family; not doing so is tantamount to denying Christ. Again, it is an on-going balance act in which, too often, evangelicals err on the side of preferring marriage and family at the cost of serving God.
- For some, it is going on a vision trip, short-term missions, retreat; it could be ministering to a broken family or doing favors for the needy when you can spend that time with your wife or family. And in light of 1 Cor. 7:5, it could be praying by yourself apart from your spouse for a fixed duration.
Evening Reflection
Did you minister to your loved ones today, like praying with them, sharing God’s word, or by being kind? Did you do the same for those who are not part of your family? Review your day and pray.
When we have a lot on our mind, it’s difficult to think about serving God, much less pray or read the Bible. Thus, the Bible exhorts us to avoid circumstances that sap the desire to grow in our spiritual life. Peter says that husbands should treat their wives with respect (thereby avoiding marital conflicts) “so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Pet. 3:7). On the night of Jesus’ arrest, Peter, John and James failed to stay up to pray along with Jesus because they were “exhausted from sorrow” (Lk. 22:45).
In addition, Paul declared, “Do not be anxious about anything” so as to “present your requests to God” (Phil. 4:6). Adding to the list of things that produce anxiety, it is buying things and then using them. Once, I counseled a newly-wed couple who, despite making over $100,000 a year (in the 1990s), still racked up a debt of $40,000. In contrast, I was making one-third of that amount, with two kids, but without any debt. The source of their problem? They were part of the average American who spend 110% of their income each year, thanks to credit cards and easy loans.
After becoming a believer in 1981, I began praying for my father’s salvation, but he didn’t seem to respond at all. At that time, he was doing well financially operating a cafeteria in an affluent section of Washington D.C. Sensing that his god was his wealth and his mind was set on earthly things, I began praying, “Lord, allow his business to fail if that’s what it’ll take for him to come to You.” Fast forward to 1986, when my parents came to California for my engagement—grabbing my hand, my father said, “I’m so happy right now even though I lost my restaurant because Jesus is in my heart!” No sooner than I was reminded of my earlier prayer, my father added, “Your uncle gave you $1,000 as a gift but I can only give you $100; I need the rest for the engagement.” A bittersweet moment? No, it was all sweet!
In the parable, the first man rejected God’s offer of salvation on account of his business, saying, “I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it.” Either he was lying or wasn’t a good businessman: who buys a field without first seeing it? Ultimately, “whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income” (Eccles. 5:10). Meanwhile, he neglects the things of God until the very day when God says, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself” (Lk. 12:20). Don’t be a fool by bartering away eternal life in Christ with the momentary enjoyment of earthly things. Take a pause and reflect: are you right with God? Confess. Repent.
When the 4th century monk named Telemachus came to Rome from the East, he was shocked by the gladiatorial combats. So, “stepping down into the arena, [he] endeavored to stop the men who were wielding their weapons against one another” (Theodoret). The spectators, indignant at the interruption, stoned him to death. Emperor Honorius, impressed by the monk’s conviction, officially put a stop to gladiatorial fights at the outset of 404 A.D.
The Civil Rights movement, inspired by Rosa Parks and led by Rev. Martin Luther King, was no different. King, using the biblical narrative of Exodus to inspire African-Americans in their fight for freedom from racial repression, never wavered from the just cause even when batons and fire hoses were used to halt the marchers. The conscience of the indifferent American public was stricken upon seeing on television the images of African-Americans being treated like lambs being slaughtered by butchers. While neither the terrorism of the Black Panther Party nor the radicalism the Nation of Islam melted America’s hardened heart, the valiant and non-violent Civil Rights marchers did.
In the NBA, no one could stop Shaquille O’Neil in his heyday; once this powerful player had the ball in the paint area, any strategy used against him mattered very little him—he almost always made a basket.
While the quality of the soil certainly affects whether the seed reaches its fullest potential, it can grow, however anemic, under almost any soil. In another parable, Jesus spoke of how “night and day, whether the [sower] sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how” (Mk. 4:27). Still in another parable, the Lord explained that as long as a kernel “falls to the ground . . . it produces many seeds” (Jn. 12:24). Apostle Paul, in speaking of those who preached God’s word (i.e., sowed the seed) with a wrong motive, said, “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached” (Phil. 1:18). What do these verses indicate? Regardless of the listener’s receptivity or the preacher’s motive, because “the word of God is living and active[,] sharper than any double-edged sword , it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12 NIV).
It had been nearly 70 years since many Israelites (including Daniel and Ezekiel) were forcibly taken to Babylonia as exiles, but unexpectedly, their life there was comfortable as Jeremiah had prophesized: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I carried you into exile” (Jer. 29:7). But one day, God moved their heart (Ez. 1:5) through Cyrus, the king of Persia, who said to the Jews, “Anyone of his people . . . let him go up to Jerusalem . . . and build the temple of the LORD” (1:3).
But around the time the work had ceased for 16 years, God sent Haggai to remind the exiles about why they had left Persia in the first place. Their response was so underwhelming that God said, “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come for the LORD’s house to be built. . . .’ Is it a time for you and yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin” (Hag. 1:2-3)? These once-committed people had become callous, and instead of admitting their unwillingness to rebuild the temple, they flippantly said that it wasn’t the right time. Meanwhile, they busied themselves by building a mansion (paneled house) for their own home.
These examples point to a “shallow faith” (i.e., seed sown on rocky places) in which the initial joy of hearing God’s word (the gospel) is short-lived because of trouble or persecution. Typically, having no root refers to Christians who lack knowledge of God’s word, resulting in their faith being destroyed (Hos. 4:6). This doesn’t necessarily mean having no biblical knowledge; rather, whatever knowledge they had was incorrect, therefore, their faith was utterly helpless to withstand trouble or persecution. It is as if they were caught by surprise because they didn’t know or no one taught them that “in this world you will have trouble” (Jn. 16:33); or even if you are a Christian, “It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him” (Phil. 1:29).
At the root of our faith, what’s crucial is not so much the extent of biblical knowledge but whether we know correctly the crux of God’s will revealed in the Scripture. For instance, some know by heart numerous verses that allegedly back the health and wealth gospel. One prosperity teacher declared, “If I walk justly and according to the Word of God, I am completely convinced that I can be free of sickness and pain.” Another declared, “God’s top priority is to shower blessings on Christians in this lifetime.” But when a loved one gets really sick, or you are barely making ends meet despite giving generously, the very teaching that appeared so promising becomes a stumbling block; you may fall as a result.
Mk. 4:2-8 (NIV): “He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: [3] ‘Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. [4] As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. [5] Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. [6] But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. [7] Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. [8] Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.’”
Once, there was this elderly pastor (Hong) whose sermon I didn’t care to listen to. At the time, I was part of an in-house discipleship training at my church along with other young men. Our day began with a 5:30 AM prayer meeting, which we attended mostly out fear of our pastor who would discipline us if we didn’t attend; so whenever he was out-of-town, most of us slept in. But this greatly upset Pastor Hong who used every pulpit opportunity to call us out as hypocritical, lazy bums. Naturally, whenever he spoke, I gladly let the evil one snatch away his word.
The church where I became a believer in 1981 was steeped in end-times Bible prophecy. My fascination with this grew all the more after seeing Christian movies, such as “A Thief in the Night” and “Image of the Beast,” which portrayed a terrifying world following the rapture. My ears perked up when several respectable pastors predicted the Lord’s coming in 1988. The fact that the prediction didn’t come true that year hasn’t stopped others from setting other dates (e.g., Harold Camping-2011).
One consequence of failed date-setting is an increased disinterest in Christ’s coming. Anticipating this, Peter wrote: “They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation’” (2 Pet. 3:4). I plead guilty to that because I went from passionately teaching the end time prophecy to becoming somewhat unenthused about reading the book of Revelation (always as the last book while reading the Bible in a year).
