Reflecting the Image (by Carla Sunberg)

Scripture 1 Corinthians 16:13 Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love. 15 Now, brothers and sisters,[b] you know that members of the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints; 16 I urge you to put yourselves at the service of such people, and of everyone who works and toils with them. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence; 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. So give recognition to such persons. 19 The churches of Asia send greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, greet you warmly in the Lord. 20 All the brothers and sisters[c] send greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 Let anyone be accursed who has no love for the Lord....

Scripture Psa. 42:11        Why are you cast down, O my soul,         and why are you disquieted within me?     Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,         my help and my God. Observation There were plenty of times that the Psalmist could have been discouraged. Life was difficult and much time was spent facing enemies. It seems that there should have been plenty of reason to complain — so why not? Because God is our hope! The early church fathers wrote much about this one small verse. They saw discouragement as a form of temptation, one which would snuff out the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. Jerome wrote, “You must never let suggestions of evil grow on you or a babel of disorder win strength in your breast. Kill the enemy while he is small, and, that you may not have a crop of tares, nip the evil in the bud.” ( LETTER 22.6) The temptation is to feed the negat...

Scripture Psa. 52:8        But I am like a green olive tree         in the house of God.     I trust in the steadfast love of God         forever and ever. 9     I will thank you forever,         because of what you have done.     In the presence of the faithful         I will proclaim your name, for it is good. Observation The Psalm is one of comparison; those who are faithful and those who are not. David is faithful and like a green olive tree; young and full of life! Surgeon says, “But I, hunted and persecuted though I am, am like a green olive tree. I am not plucked up or destroyed, but am like a flourishing olive, which out of the rock draws oil, and amid the drought still lives and grows.” David has seen spiritual drought and the onslaught of enemies and yet, he still lives and grows. The secre...

Scripture 1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never ends. Observation The great chapter on love is one that moves us and that we enjoy reading again and again. The reality is that it reveals to us the very nature of God — holy love. In these three words, found in verse eight, we catch a glimpse of the quality of that love. It goes on forever. God reaches out forever in holy love, drawing all of his creation to himself. God’s love for those who have turned their backs on him never ends. Love never gives up and always keeps on trying. Holy love is optimistic and believes that all may be transformed as his holy children. God’s nature cannot be changed — he is love, and that never ends. Application What we tend to call love is incredibly shallow compared to God’s nature. We think that we love our house, or our new car, but what kind of an emotion is that compared to God who continually gives of himself to us so that we might be children of God. The things of this world are simply trinkets in light...

Scripture Joshua 24:16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18 and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak...

Scripture Josh. 24:31   Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the LORD did for Israel. Observation This is the end of Joshua’s life and the result is a great turning point in the life of the Israelites. As long as those who had experienced God’s work in freeing the Israelites from the Egyptians and had experienced his protection and leading through the wilderness and into the promised land were alive, the nation publicly worshipped God. There may have been some individual worship of pagan gods but as a people, they were directed toward God. When Joshua and his contemporaries passed away it seemed that the collective memory of society passed as well. God knew that the people would forget and he had established ways in which to keep the memory alive by annual festivals and events — which slowly they stopped celebrating. The blessedness of the founding generation gave way to the wretchedne...

Scripture Psalm 47:9     The princes of the peoples gather         as the people of the God of Abraham.     For the shields of the earth belong to God;         he is highly exalted. Observation This Psalm celebrates God’s uniting activity in the world. There is only one God, one King, and one people and this will be revealed throughout history. In many ways the Psalm is prophetic, looking forward to a time when Christ will come and in him, the peoples of the earth will be united. The shields of the earth represent the different nations and secular authorities. Looking prophetically into the future the Psalmist sees a time when every nation of this earth will submit to the authority of God through Christ. The influence of the gospel will be extensive reaching to those from every walk of life. Not only the poor will come to know Christ, but those who are wealthy and in positions of authority. The pro...