(remember, these are unedited/draft show notes, not a transcript — listening is always better…and if you listen AND follow along below, you’ll see why)
Focus Question:
What’s a true disciple of Jesus?
Intro:
I confess — one thing I Tweeted after seeing the Presidential debacle (I mean debate) was, “Lord, forgive me for not feeling like praying for my leaders.” But Paul writes to Timothy,
First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Ti 2:1–4, CSB
Interestingly the next day I attended a webinar about the latest relationship research out of Barna and Pepperdine University, and this one particularly brilliant counselor, Anita Philips, was talking about trauma. And she said a consequence of trauma is lack of trust, but then she said something that rocked me: “But the Bible doesn’t call us to trust, it calls us to love. And perfect love casts out fear.”
So this relates to today’s focus question, and you already know the answer — are you a true disciple of Jesus? Put another way, what did Jesus say is the way everyone would know you’re a disciple of Jesus?
Oh, and while not related directly to the focus question, don’t miss the Bottom Line segment and the little trivia bit I’ve got for you.
New Testament segment:
Passage: John 13
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 38
Words: ~816
Of course, loving one another in the context of this verse was inside the church — disciple to disciple. It doesn’t say love those who look like you, or those you like, or those that seem to pull their own weight, or those even that you trust. It’s a good reminder to check our hearts.
Old Testament segment:
If the first two poems of Lamentations were lamenting Jerusalem’s affliction and God’ judgment, today’s takes a decided turn — confidence in the midst of disaster, and hope through God’s mercy. It’s not exactly a party song, but imagine that you just heard the horrific hurt of the last couple, and now this bit of keeping your eyes in the right place. We are, after all, all about hope here.
Passage: Lamentations 3
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 66
Words: ~1393
Did you notice that a good chunk of today’s poem was prayer for vindication? As new covenant Christians we don’t pray for God to “smite thine enemies,” but it’s useful to remember that what we should do is appeal to God’s sovereignty and goodness.
Wisdom segment:
Passage: Psalm 87
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 7
Words: ~115
“When he registers the peoples, the Lord will accord, ‘This one was born here.’” I like that. His plan even from long ago is that non-Jews would find a home in His Kingdom.
The bottom line:
Pop quiz: Remember the old hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness? Which book of the Bible did that come from? Well, if you were listening to the reading…
Many years ago when in seminary the first time one of my professors made us be able to identify a book by a key verse — a verse that quintessentially represented that book. And here’s the one for Lamentations:
22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! La 3:22–23, CSB
If you’re like me, it’s likely that you don’t read Lamentations that often, and I hope you’ll stick around for its conclusion tomorrow — I love the way it ends. But if God’s faithfulness sustains us and His mercies are new every morning, then I image it’d be a whole lot easier to love one another in a manner consistent with how Jesus loved us.
Love you!
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
(1) As articulated by Sam Allberry on Twitter, https://twitter.com/SamAllberry/status/1310194517660831745.