Waiting

 

A series on Pauls’ prayers
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 

[Paul was a controversial figure in the first century church. But it could also be argued that he was the most dynamic and influential apostle. In this series we’ll be looking at Paul’s prayers and what he has to say to us today.]

There’s a stop light in Columbus at the corner of Case Road and Riverside Drive. If you’re on Riverside Drive and get a red light, the wait isn’t bad. But if you’re on Case Road and get a red light, you might as well take a nap.

 

Waiting is not easy! When I’m ready to check out at the grocery store, I'll walk back and forth looking at all of the lanes to see which one looks like it will be the fastest. Invariably, I choose the wrong one. Waiting goes against our human nature because we want what we want when we want it. In other words, we want to be in control.

 

When Paul founded the Thessalonian church, the initial response was tremendous. Converts included “some Jews who believed”, plus “a large number of Greeks and quite a few prominent women”.

 

Unfortunately, the Jewish leaders were jealous. Because of this, they stirred up some troublemakers, started a riot and accused Paul of treason against Caesar. It became so threatening that Paul had to flee the city that night.

 

Although the Thessalonian church was well established, the riot had created so much animosity towards them that it resulted in continual persecution. Therefore, here’s what Paul prayed for the believers.

 

¹¹ So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.  NLT

 

This begs the question of what does it take to “live a life worthy of his call”?

 

There’s some insight into the answer to this question that can be found from these words of encouragement that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians.

 

³ We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. ⁴ Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.     NIV

⁵ And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.               NLT

 

Paul confirmed that God was at work in their lives through their hardships. That God was making them “worthy of his Kingdom”. In other words, “worthy of his call”.

 

The problem with this is that it requires patience, which means waiting. It’s one thing to wait at a long stop light or a long line. But waiting for God to stop the persecution; or change an old habit; or change a loved one who is addicted; or get a new job; or heal an illness. These are in a whole different ballpark.

 

Yet, the benefits of waiting are incalculable. John Ortberg, an author, speaker and a former senior pastor, had this to say about waiting.

 

“Biblically, waiting is not just something we have to do until we get what we want. Waiting is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be.”

Pray and wait. If there’s a secret to being “worthy of his call”, that’s it.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Demolition of Division

A series on Pauls’ prayers
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Philemon 1:4-25 

[Paul was a controversial figure in the first century church. But it could also be argued that he was the most dynamic and influential apostle. In this series we’ll be looking at Paul’s prayers and what he has to say to us today.]

The second house that Debbie and I ever owned was beautiful, but it needed a lot of work. One of the things that needed some attention was the garage. Actually, it was a wreck; to the point of being useless. In fact, it needed to be demolished.

One Saturday, a group of friends came over and that’s exactly what we did. Truth be known, it was kind of fun tearing it down. When we were done, all that was left was a pile of debris and a lot of dust.

 

We live in a time of significant divisions - political, racial, economic and religious – just to name a few. There were many divisions during Paul’s time as well – men and women, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, slave and master.

 

Philemon was a believer from the Colossian church… and a slave owner. According to the NIV Study Bible, Roman era slavery was significantly different from American history. First, it wasn’t based on race. Most slaves could expect to be emancipated. Some even owned property.

 

What prompted Paul’s letter to Philemon was that one of his slaves, Onesimus, stole from him and then ran away. It was during this time as a fugitive that he met Paul and became a Christian.

 

Paul’s personal appeal to Philemon was for him to accept Onesimus as a Christian brother and to forgive him. In light of what happened, forgiveness and reconciliation between owner and slave was a radical request.

 

⁶ And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. ⁷ Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.        NLT

 

Reading between the lines, you can easily see where Paul is going with his prayer. “Put into action the generosity that comes from your faith”. In other words, just as Jesus showed grace to Philemon and forgave him, he should show grace to Onesimus and forgive him.

 

Just like my friends and I knocked down the walls of my dilapidated garage, Paul was asking Philemon to knock down the walls of division between Onesimus and himself. He was asking Philemon to go against the norms of society by not only forgiving Onesimus, but also accepting him as a brother in Christ.

 

¹⁵ Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— ¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.            NIV

 

As Paul asked Philemon to knock down the walls of division in his life, the Lord is asking you and me to begin the demolition of division in ours.

 

 

 Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

 

Working Together

A series on Pauls’ prayers
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
1 Corinthians 1:4-9 

[Paul was a controversial figure in the first century church. But it could also be argued that he was the most dynamic and influential apostle. In this series we’ll be looking at Paul’s prayers and what he has to say to us today.]

  

Coaches are not good at giving praise. What they are good at is yelling at you in front of the whole team while pointing out what you did wrong.

 

I remember a high school coach saying that if he quit yelling at us, that’s when we should be worried because that meant he’d given up on us. I could never separate being yelled at from feeling rejected. No wonder I never liked any of my coaches.

 

In the New Testament, the Corinthian church is well-known for their many struggles. In Paul’s first letter to them, he wrote about their problems of division, sexual sin, lawsuits, marriage, idol worship and spiritual gifts. It’s a virtual laundry list of what not to do.

 

Despite this, he started off on a positive note by giving thanks for how God was at work in their lives. In other words, he praised them.

 

⁴ I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. ⁵ For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—            NIV

 

Speech and knowledge were two gifts that would have been highly desirable to the mostly Greek Corinthian church. For them, there was nothing more important than the telling of truth (speech) and the grasping of truth (knowledge). Because of this, Paul’s words would have been high praise.

 

Despite their many problems, Paul was also thankful that the Corinthian believers would finish well because of God’s work in their lives.

 

⁸ He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.      NIV

 

With his prayer of thanksgiving, Paul wasn’t just buttering the Corinthians up so that he could lay the hammer down later. He was letting them know that even though they were not perfect, that God was still at work in their lives; that He was faithful no matter what; and that He would be with them through the end.

 

Like my high school coaches, Paul could easily have started his letter by “yelling” at the Corinthians. “YOU SHOULDN’T BE DOING THAT!” Or, he could have told them that they were so messed up that he was going to invest his time in other churches. But he didn’t do either of these.

 

Instead, Paul’s prayer gave the Corinthian church hope that helped them to persevere and grow in their faith. He was working together with them. He was committed to them for the long haul.

 

The same is true for you and me. Only for us, it’s the Lord that is working together with us. 

He is committed to us for the long haul. He is faithful and will help us through the difficult times to give us hope to persevere and grow in our faith.

 

 

Feel free to share this blog with others.

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Thy Will be Done

A series on Pauls’ prayers
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Colossians 1:3-14 

[Paul was a controversial figure in the first century church. But it could also be argued that he was the most dynamic and influential apostle. In this series we’ll be looking at Paul’s prayers and what he has to say to us today.]

 

We pray the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday at my church. I have to confess that it’s easy to recite with very little thought or meaning. But the Lord’s Prayer does have profound meaning for our lives. None more than the phrase, ‘Thy will be done’.

 

For Hillary Scott, these words mean a great deal. In 2016, she released a song titled “Thy Will” which she wrote after having a miscarriage. The lyrics reflect her struggle with trying to understand why God would allow such a loss in her life. During this difficult time, she frequently prayed ‘Thy will be done’.

 

Paul understood how important it was for the Colossian believers to know God’s will. False teaching had infiltrated the church. The teaching combined several religious beliefs and valued the accumulation of knowledge for the sake of knowledge alone.

 

In his letter to the Colossian church, Paul addressed this heresy. He pointed out that knowledge in itself was empty. To be worth anything, it must lead to knowing God and following His will.

 

To this end, Paul wrote to the Colossian believers that he had been praying for them. First, he prayed for them to receive knowledge and understanding. Not just any knowledge, but to know God’s will.

 

⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.        NLT

 

The second part of his prayer was for the Colossian believers to follow God’s will. In other words, don’t just seek head knowledge about God, but also know Him in your heart and show that through your actions.

 

¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.    NLT

 

Finally, Paul prayed for the Colossians to receive the strength to do God’s will. He realized that this is not something that comes naturally. But it would require the Holy Spirit to be at work in their lives.

 

¹¹ We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.         NLT

 

Sometimes in life, it takes a painful experience to bring us to that point of turning to the Lord and crying out, “Thy will be done’. For Hillary Scott, this happened when she approached the Lord in faith like a child on her knees.

 

I know you see me
I know you hear me, Lord
Your plans are for me
Goodness you have in store

 

May ‘Thy will be done’ in your life and in mine.

 

Feel free to share this blog with others.

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

If you would like to listen to it, here is a link to the song “Thy Will”.

 Thy Will