Who is My Neighbor?

Arthur Penrhyn Stanley(1815 – 1881), known as Dean Stanley, was an English churchman and academic who wrote extensively on church history.  I came across this quote in my daily devotional, and decided to share it, because the parable of the Good Samaritan has been coming up over and over for my this year.  It has made me realize how often and how badly I fall down in this respect.

“How many are the sufferers who have fallen amongst misfortunes along the wayside of life!  ‘By chance” we come that way;  chance, accident, Providence, has thrown them in our way;  we see them from a distance, like the Priest, or we come upon them suddenly, like the Levite;  our business, our pleasure, is interrupted by the sight, is troubled by the delay;  what are our feelings, our actions towards them?  ‘Who is thy neighbor?’  It is the sufferer, wherever, whoever, whatsoever he be.  Wherever thou hearest the cry of distress, wherever thou seest any one brought across they path by the chances and changes of life (that is, by the Providence of God), whom it is in they power to help–he, stranger or enemy though he be,,–he is thy neighbor.”

For more posts on the parable of the good Samaritan see these posts:

Old Tale– New Take

kinda like grace by Ginger Sprouse — Book Review

Putting Others First

What Damages our Spiritual Life? (according to Hannah Whitall Smith)

“Anything allowed in the heart which is contrary to the will of God, let it seem ever so insignificant, or be it ever so deeply hidden, will cause us to fall before our enemies.  Any root of bitterness cherished toward another, any self-seeking, any harsh judgments indulged in, any slackness in obeying the voice of the Lord, any doubtful habits or surroundings, any one of these things will effectively cripple and paralyze our spiritual life.  I believe our blessed Guide, the indwelling Holy Spirit, is always secretly discovering these things to us by continual little twinges and pangs of conscience, so that we are left without excuse.

Hannah Whitall Smith

This quote was found in my daily devotional.  Hannah Whitall Smith was originally a Quaker, and was influenced heavily by the Holiness Movement in the United States.  This movement believed that complete sanctification was possible (Lutheran doctrine denies this idea).  She was an author, evangelist and speaker, and is well known for her book, The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life.   For other quotes see these posts:

Christ Alone

How to Recognize a Christian

 

 

What is Faith? (according to Martin Luther)

“Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God’s grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace. Thus, it is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from fire! Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they’re smart enough to define faith and works, but really are the greatest of fools. Ask God to work faith in you, or you will remain forever without faith, no matter what you wish, say or can do.”

This is an excerpt from “An Introduction to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans,” Luther’s German Bible of 1522 by Martin Luther, 1483-1546

For other Luther quotes, go to these post:

A Quote from Martin Luther

Martin Luther on Traveling Lightly

Martin Luther on Growing Our Gifts

Call Upon the Lord

Reading through the Psalms for the last post, brought the Christian song, “I Will Call Upon the Lord” to mind. It was written by Michael O’Shields,  a young minister travelling in Oklahoma and Texas during the 1970s. He wrote this song as he was struggling to make ends meet, and times were especially tough.  No doubt he had questions about how he could continue in his ministry.  He was calling upon the Lord to supply very basic, tangible needs.  Even if you are calling upon the Lord, or questioning the Lord about something entirely different, I imagine that you can still relate to this modern rendition of Psalm 18.

For another song based on one of the Psalms follow this link:

A Favorite Psalm

 

Asked and Answered

Questions imply asking, and asking shows a desire for answers. I was reading through the Psalms recently, and in case you haven’t noticed, they are full of questions. Questions David and others posed to God–pleading questions and desperate questions, questions asked when the times were crazy and answers impossibly far away. Because God is good, the psalmist always seemed to get an answer, even if it wasn’t what he expected or imagined. Here are a few examples:

Asked:                                                                                                                      “O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell in your holy hill?” Psalm 15:1

Answered:                                                                                                              “But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love will enter your house.” Psalm 5:7

 

Asked:                                                                                                                  “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” Psalm 10:1

 

Answered:

“You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” Psalm 5:7

 

Asked:

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” Psalm 2:1

Answered:

“The Lord is my rock and my deliverer.” Psalm 18:2

 

Asked:

“Why does the wicked man renounce God and say in his heart, ‘You will not call me to account.” Psalm 10:13

Answered:

“But I have trusted in your steadfast salvation, and love; my heart will rejoice in you.” Psalm 13:5

 

Asked:

“O God, why do you cast us off forever?” Psalm 74:1

Answered:

“Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people.” Psalm 3:8

 

Asked:

“Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord” Psalm 44:23

Answered:

“The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.” Psalm 6:9

 

So, don’t be afraid to ask questions – in confusion, in fear, in pain—and God will keep answering, not with an instant solution but with this:

 

I love you. I’m with you. I’ve saved you. You’re mine.

He loves you and so do I!  Keep asking questions.

To learn more about Martin Luther and the Psalms try these links:

Martin Luther on the Psalms

Reading the Psalms With Luther–Book Review

Martin Luther Quote on the Psalms #2

 

 

Letters to My Students Vol. 1: On Preaching by Jason K. Allen–Book Review

In this book, Dr Jason Allen, president and the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Missouri and an associate professor of preaching and pastoral ministry, writes in the tradition of Charles Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students. He has a passion to serve God through equipping pastors to fulfill their calling. This is the first volume in a series of three.

He begins with a section on preparing to be a preacher, including the essential indicators that a man has been called to this ministry. He follows with sensible instructions on how to prepare a sermon, and grow in maturity as a preacher. He has a strong bias in favor of expository sermons. If you’re not sure what an expository sermon is, here are some questions to help you identify one:

• Is the text accurately interpreted with consideration given to both its immediate and broader biblical contexts?
• Are the sermon’s main point and its subpoints derived from the text?
• Does the sermon’s application come from the text, and is the text being brought to bear on the congregation?

As you can see, this method of preaching supports a high view of the Scriptures. To preach in an expository way is to preach the text.

Maybe you are asking yourself at this point, if I am not a pastor, why should I read this book? Well here’s my answer. It will make you a more discerning listener. Someday as the member of a congregation, you will need to call a new pastor. Part of that call process will probably involve listening to at least one sermon given by each person you are considering. Shouldn’t you, therefore, educate yourself on what to look for?

This book will also give you an idea of just how much prayer, study and work your pastor puts into every sermon he prepares. It’s an important and daunting task. Dr. Allen reminds preachers:

“…the sermon is to do more than entertain or simply fill the hour of worship. The sermon is to impart words of life—words of new life to the unbeliever and words of continual growth for the Christian. Remember as you preach, the stakes are so high because your audience, separated from Christ, is so low.”

I found this book easy to read and informative, and would recommend it to both pastors and lay people. The only issue I found as a Lutheran, was the chapter of the public invitation. Since Lutherans believe that we do not choose Christ, He chooses us, so Lutheran sermons do not include this.

VERDICT: 5 stars

If you are interested in purchasing this book, follow the link below:

https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/letters-to-my-students-P005811476

Who is Really Corrupting Our Society?

This quote from my devotional reading really made me think …. we all like to blame the ills of the world on somebody else.  Maybe we need to take a closer look within ourselves before we assign the blame.

“The real corrupters of society may be, not the corrupt, but those who have held back the righteous leaven, the salt that has lost its savor, the innocent who have not even the moral courage to show what they think of the effrontery of impurity,–the serious, who yet timidly succumb before some loud-mouthed scoffer,—the heart trembling all over with religious sensibilities that yet suffers itself through false shame to be beaten down into outward and practical acquiescence by some rude and worldly nature.”

J.H. Thom

For another quote by J.H. Thom, see this previous post:

Are You Truly Loving?

How Do I Want to Walk?

We sang this hymn by Kathleen Thomerson recently in church, and it’s been in my head ever since.  I thought maybe I needed to share.  The simple words are almost childlike, but contain many Biblical references to Jesus, the light.  They speak of our journey of sanctification with Him.

It is included in With One Voice, a contemporary Lutheran hymnal we sometimes use.  If you would like to listen to some other music from this hymnal, you can use the following links:

Gather Us In

Remembering John Ylvisaker

 

How Can I Enjoy Myself?

This quote is from my devotional reading:

“The best way for a man rightly to enjoy himself, is to maintain a universal, ready, and cheerful compliance with the divine and uncreated Will in all things;  as knowing that nothing can issue and flow forth from the fountain of goodness but that which is good;  and therefore a good man is never offended with any piece of divine dispensation, nor hath he any reluctancy against that Will that dictates and determines all things by an eternal rule of goodness;  as knowing that there is an unbounded and almighty Love that, without any disdain or envy, freely communicates itself to everything He made;  that always enfolds those in His everlasting arms who are made partakers of His own image, perpetually nourishing and cherishing them with the fresh and vital influences of His grace.

Dr. John Smith

Who Made me a Judge or Arbitrator Over You?

“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’  But he (Jesus) said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?’  And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'”  Luke 12:13-21

The person in the crowd wanted Jesus to take his side in a disagreement.  We do this all the time, don’t we?  We tell our side of the story to a friend, or authority figure, in the hopes that they will agree with us, and be our ally.  With two against one, the other party will be bound to back down and do what we want.  It’s a way to justify ourselves and intimidate the other party.  There’s a fancy name for this behavior–it’s called triangulation.  Here’s an explanation of this process:

Triangulation can happen in nearly any type of relationship. For example, a relationship between two siblings can be triangulated by a parent when the siblings disagree, and a relationship between a couple can be triangulated when one partner relies on a child or parent for support and communication with the other partner. Two friends might also draw another friend into a conflict in an attempt to resolve it.

Jesus is tell us here, that it’s not acceptable behavior.  Instead, he directs the complaining person to examine his own motives.  Why does he want Jesus to side with him against his brother — could it be that he is being greedy?

The Bible actually lays out a healthier process for resolving conflict.  It’s laid out in Matthew, Chapter 18:

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you.  If they listen to you, you have won them over.”

It does go on to say, if this doesn’t work, we may need to take witnesses, and possibly involve the church.  However, the first line of conflict resolution is talk it out with the other person.  No doubt, they have a different perspective than your own, and as Christians we should be willing to admit:  I COULD BE WRONG!

Next time you have the urge to triangulate (and you probably will, because it’s human nature) — stop and think, what would Jesus have me do?  Don’t try to turn someone else into the judge or arbitrator of your disagreement.  Even Jesus wouldn’t do this.  Go to your brother.  Be willing to listen to the other side.  Work it out in Christian love.