Come, Follow Me

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Mark 10:17-27 – And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'” ²⁰ And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” ²¹ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²² Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. ²³ And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Trail junction near the Bear Lake trailhead. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

“Money is the root of all evil.” Have you ever heard someone say this? Many Bible verses are misused or misinterpreted. And, while I have no real data to support this, I suspect that the first sentence of 1 Timothy 6:10, which actually reads, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils,” is one of the most frequently misquoted verses. The oft intended message of those misquoting this verse is that money and the rich are inherently bad.

Today’s passage from Mark’s Gospel is another that is taken out of context and used to condemn the wealthy. When Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God,” the inclination for many is to again conclude that money and the rich are inherently bad.

I think the key to understanding what Jesus says here is to look closely at the man’s question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The emphasis of the man’s question is on what he, himself, must do. So, Jesus tells him that he must perfectly obey the commandments, sell everything he owns, give it to the poor, and follow him. After all, God does demand perfection. The difficulty for the rich man entering heaven, though, lies not in his money or possessions, but rather in the fact that he trusts his own abilities and wealth to accomplish something that only Christ can do.

It is certainly fair that we as Christians should challenge each other to be accountable for where we invest our time, talent, and treasures, because being a follower of Christ does demand a change in the way we live our lives. But we really need to ask ourselves, what path to salvation are we following? Do we trust in ourselves, our own abilities, and our possessions? Or, do we trust in the infinite and eternal God of the universe? Do we trust in the God who “so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)? Because, you see, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

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Rivers of Living Water

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

John 7:37-42 – On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” ³⁹ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. ⁴⁰ When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” ⁴¹ Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? ⁴² Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”

The waters of Reynolds Creek cascade over the rocks just above Deadwood Falls. Glacier National Park, Montana.

I think there are times that we, as Christians in the present day, imagine how wonderful it would have been to walk and talk with Jesus during his life here on earth. We think to ourselves, if only we could have seen him perform just one of his miracles, how much easier it would be for us to believe. Not that knowing Christ in the flesh would have been a bad thing, in fact I am sure it had to be an incredible experience. However, as believers today we have some very significant advantages, or should I say blessings.

First of all we have the full story laid out in front of us in Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation and everything in between. As today’s passage indicates some who encountered Jesus realized he was special, that he was quite possibly “the Prophet,” or “the Christ,” foretold by the prophets of old. Still, others questioned it because they assumed he came from Galilee, while Scriptures said he was to be a descendant of David from the town of Bethlehem. Many, I am sure witnessed his miracles, but there were also many who did not. None of them, though, had the written word of the Gospels to tell them the full narrative of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. They could not just pull a Bible off their bookshelf and compare the prophecies of the Old Testament to the detailed accounts in the four Gospels like we can. What a blessing!

Another advantage we have is the interpretive comments we often find in the Gospels. When Jesus says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water,’” I suspect this would have been a difficult saying for many in his day to understand. For us though, John immediately tells us, “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” For us there is no guesswork. What a blessing!

Last but not least, we have the advantage of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. For those in Jesus day, “as yet the Spirit had not been given.” But for the believer today, as we read in Ephesians 1:13-14, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” Those who believed in Jesus day could look forward to receiving the Holy Spirit. For believers today, we are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” from the start. What a Blessing!

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Tossed By the Wind

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

James 1:2-8 – Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Sunset over the wind tossed waters of Stonelick Lake on a blustery late December evening. Stonelick State Park, Pleasant Plain, Ohio.

I have mentioned in the past that I enjoy photographing sunrises and sunsets, though, on this particular evening’s trip to Stonelick State Park the ground was very muddy due to recent heavy rains, the spectacularly colored sky never quite materialized, and the wind was so blustery that the reflections off the lake, I desire, were just not there. Despite things not turning out as I wanted, it was still a good opportunity to get out, do some photography with a friend, and learn a little about capturing a decent shot in less than ideal conditions.

In today’s passage James begins by telling us we should take joy when we encounter trials and have our faith tested. This, he says, produces steadfastness, which, when allowed to take full effect, makes us “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Much as the process of forging steel shapes and perfects the metal into a finished product, so too do the difficulties we face in life and in our walk with Christ help to shape and perfect us into the person God wants us to be.

Often times we gain far more wisdom from our failures than from our successes, and by asking God for wisdom we need to realize that his method for teaching us may not be as straightforward as just picking up our Bibles, opening to some particular page and finding the answer we seek. I am by no means proposing that we set our Bibles aside, however God does frequently teach us through life’s experiences, as James is suggesting here. If our faith is based on pure academic knowledge I would offer that it is incomplete.

James tells us to “ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” This does not mean we should expect God to answer all our prayers with the specific outcome we desire, but rather, that we need to hold firm in our faith especially when things do not turn out as planned. We need to understand that the problems and struggles we face serve God’s purpose, and that they will likely give us exactly the wisdom we asked him for, in the first place.

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A Crooked and Twisted Generation

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Philippians 2:12-16 – ¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ¹⁴ Do all things without grumbling or disputing, ¹⁵ that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

The twisted roots of a sycamore tree along the bank of Caesar Creek. Caesar Creek Gorge State Nature Preserve, Oregonia, Ohio.

In today’s passage Paul is writing to encourage the church in Philippi, who it seems were living “in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.” Every generation since the fall of mankind in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3) has lived with its share of problems and corruption, and we certainly have no shortage of either in our times.

Paul’s advice is just as relevant to today’s generation of Christians as it was to the Philippian church nearly two thousand years ago. First, we are told to “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling.” This is certainly not a call to works righteousness, because we are quickly reminded that “it is God who works in [us], both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Even though our salvation is through faith in Christ alone, by God’s grace, this passage does remind us that our faith is active, not passive. We cannot just sit on the sidelines.

We are also told to “do all things without grumbling or disputing” so that we “may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish.” If we can do these things that Paul instructs, and hold “fast to the word of life,” that is cling to the promise of the gospel of Christ, then we will “shine as lights in the world,” “in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.” And, as Jesus, himself tells us in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

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