The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the LORD;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
to declare that the LORD is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Verses 12-15
Romans 13:3-7 The Sword and the Keys
He is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he...carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Verse 4
I love the first line of today's reading. "We would probably resolve many of the controversies surrounding the state's relation to the church if both church and state remembered their distinctive functions according to God's Word." I like that it actually points fingers at both entities.
One of the state's God-given responsibilities, according to this passage is to inflict God's wrath on those who do wrong. "Basically, the ruling authorities are to use the sword to promote righteousness and punish evil." This sword does not belong to the church. "The covenant community, therefore, has ceased following its Lord if it embraces force as a means to evangelize." That is very important. Read it again. There have been many times where the "covenant community" has broken this code. Violence at abortion clinics is only one of the examples that comes to mind immediately.
The church's role is to conduct the ministry of the Word and to discipline its members when their conduct casts doubt on their salvation. "Government errs when it interferes with the work of the church, and the church errs when it looks to the state to settle its disputes. The apostles would be appalled to see denominational authorities in our day, while professing love for Christ, sue congregations who wish to leave the denomination and take their property with them." I wholeheartedly agree with that statement! The reading closes out with this statement: "When the church and state meddle in each other's affairs, they usurp the authority God has delegated to each body." Very true!
John 12:20-26
There were some Greeks in town who had come up to worship at the Feast. They approaced Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee: "Sir, we want to see Jesus. Can you help us?"
Philip went and told Andrew. Andrew and Philip together told Jesus. Jesus answered, "Time's up. The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal.
"If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me."
What does Jesus mean when he talks about a grain of wheat? Basically, the grain of wheat, or a seed of any kind, has to give up its existence as a grain of wheat. It has to, if you will, give up its right to be a grain of wheat. That is the only way it can continue. A grain of wheat by itself is worthless. The only way for it to be productive is to be buried and transformed into a new plant. I'm no botanist, so I don't know all the scientific stuff that goes into this, but the analogy, I think, works very well. We are the grains of wheat. We can continue to "exist" as we are, totally worthless, unproductive. Or we can give up our lives, give up our rights to be ourselves, be "buried in Christ" and raised up as "new plants," or, as Paul says in Corinthians, new creations.
I have to think of areas in my life in which I might still be holding on to the "old life." There are some areas where I need to let go. I've done the initial "burial" of believing in Jesus, but there are things that I've held onto. These are coming to light more and more lately, as God is drawing me closer to him. But sometimes, it feels as if I'm not allowing him to work completely in my life, and this is very frustrating. I'll not give up, though. Because I'm committed to letting him be all in my life, letting him shine through and be glorified.
I like the question, "In what ways might your stance be destructive or suffocating?" Yeah, "suffocating" is a good word. Because that is exactly what it does. It suffocates your life in Christ when you hold onto old ways.
Romans 12:2 says to "fix your attention on God." It says that you will be changed from the inside out. I'm trying to do this more and more. I believe that it will happen, too. I believe that changes are already happening, from the inside out. But the "out" does not die easily. That's the problem.
Grace and peace, friends.