TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. - John 13:34
TODAY IN THE WORD
Spanish Renaissance artist El Greco once said, “I hold the imitation of color to be the greatest difficulty in art.” If art is likened to life, then the imitation of Christ is our greatest difficulty. As with color, embodying the nuances, simplicity, and grandeur of Jesus is not intuitive to our sinful nature. To love like Christ can only be accomplished by the work of our Creator God through His Holy Spirit in us. First Corinthians 13:3 tells us that love is the essential characteristic of followers of Jesus, and our passage today paints the ultimate description of God’s love.

Verse 4 opens with “love is.” Remember our study of 1 John 4:8-10, “God is love,” and let this be the backdrop for today’s passage. Verses 4 through 7 enumerate characteristics of love: what love does and does not do, how love functions and what it avoids. Comparing different Bible translations and paraphrases helps to enliven this familiar passage. For example, The New Living Translation reads: “[Love] does not demand its own way. It is not irritable.” The Message paraphrase reads: “Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self . . . Isn’t always ‘me first’ . . . Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, doesn’t revel when others grovel . . . Always looks for the best.” Notice how the ways of love all depend upon confidence in God’s promises in new creation and the future renewal of all things (v. 7). Love is forward looking; it sees beyond what is to what will be (cf. Gal. 5:5-6).

“Love never fails” precisely because God is eternal and God is love. All true human loving must be grounded in God. This is one way we “participate in the divine nature” and imitate Christ (2 Peter 1:3-4). One necessary component of love is that it always involves others; we cannot love unless we are in relationship. Remember that our passage today follows 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 about the body of Christ. In illuminating love in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul strengthens the community of Christ followers.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today’s passage is a fixture in wedding ceremonies, but let us not be mistaken: 1 Corinthians 13 is not only about the relationship between a husband and wife. It describes God’s love that should permeate our relationships with all people. Ponder the characteristics of love listed, perhaps in a translation different from the one you regularly read. Invite the Holy Spirit to draw your attention to one characteristic in particular that He wants to shape in you; consider how it manifests in specific relationships in your life.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Mark 12:28-34
But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. - 1 John 2:5
TODAY IN THE WORD
The Boy Scouts of America celebrate 100 years in 2010. The Boy Scouts are well known for their mantras “Be Prepared” and “Do a Good Turn Daily.” Countless stories of Scout preparedness and heroism fill the shelves of scouting history. Their value system and behavior have been shaped by the frequently recited Scout creeds. In today’s reading, we discover the Christian’s life-defining creed.

After Jesus tells an incriminating parable, the religious leaders begin looking for cause to arrest Him (Mark 12:12). Their first strategy is to “catch him in his words” (v. 13).

In today’s reading a teacher of the law asks Jesus to extract the most important commandment (v. 28). If this is indeed a trap, the intent is to force Jesus to exclude something essential from the law. Without hesitation, Jesus quotes Israel’s own ancient creed: Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Moses originally delivered these words to God’s people after their desert wandering, before entering the Promised Land. Moses reminded them that “because God loved your forefathers” He kept His covenant promises (Deut. 4:37-38). Obedience to God’s commandments is viewed as response to His love. Jesus declares that nothing has changed: loving God supremely and unreservedly is our most important response to His love.

Jesus volunteers the second most important commandment (v. 31). In its original context, this commandment was contrasted to hating someone in your heart, seeking revenge, and holding a grudge (Lev. 19:17-18).

Although teachers of the law are painted in a poor light in Mark 12:38-40, the teacher of today’s reading is an exception. He considered Jesus’ answer as good; he knew that love of God and neighbor “is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” (v. 33); Jesus regarded him as “not far from the kingdom of God” (v. 34). He demonstrated true understanding of God’s love and our proper response.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
When asked to identify the greatest commandment in Mark 12:28-34, Jesus answered that it was to love the Lord with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. By keeping these two goals before us, as God enables us by His Spirit, we can orient our lives around God’s love. Consider ways that you can incorporate Jesus’ words into your daily routine, perhaps through memorization, recitation, or devotional study, so that your life and loves are shaped by His priorities.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 15:9-17
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. - Matthew 6:10
TODAY IN THE WORD
After issues plagued her bathrooms, Mrs. Kim finally called a plumber. As the truck approached, she noticed the message: “Family-owned and operated since 1935.” The father-son team worked quickly with remarkable competence. Steve explained that his grandfather and father had both been plumbers, and that his son, Robert, was apprenticing with him now to learn the family business: “Like my father and grandfather before him, I want to pass down the necessary skills and character for my son to fulfill our mission.” In today’s reading, Jesus invites us to apprentice with Him in His Father’s mission.

Observe the parallels between the Father’s relationship with Jesus and Jesus’ relationship with His disciples. First, Jesus loves His disciples just as the Father has loved Him (v. 9). God’s love is the cornerstone of today’s passage. In love, the Father sent Jesus into the world “that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9). Second, Jesus’ obedience was the result of a life lived in the Father’s love. We also make Jesus’ love our dwelling place when we obey (v. 10). Jesus highlights one particular command. He indicates His sacrificial death as the kind of love for others He intends (vv. 12-13). God’s love is not only life giving, it also produces complete joy. Everything originates with Jesus before we experience it: love, obedience, and joy.

Third, everything Jesus has learned from His Father, He has passed down to us (v. 16). Jesus fulfills His Father’s mission, and He calls us to join it, too (cf. John 5:17). Jesus declares: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (20:21). We remain in God’s love as we participate in this incarnational mission as God’s sent ones.

Jesus clarifies the context of our relationship with Him and the Father. We are not slaves, obliged to submit to the Father’s rules. We are friends, joyfully joining His work of redemption in the world. We know we are friends because we are made privy to the Father’s business, and God has purposed us to bear fruit in His kingdom.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Jesus promises: “Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (v. 16). The context for answered prayer is God’s mission. The Father answers prayers that accord with and are focused upon pursuit and fulfillment of His work. Prayers that are motivated by selfishness are not aligned with the will of God; we should not interpret this verse as a magic word to get whatever we want. Rather, praying in Jesus’ name recognizes His authority over our lives and our desire to live out our calling as His followers.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 17:20-26
I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. - Acts 13:47
TODAY IN THE WORD
“Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty; never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another.” Around A.D. 260, Dionysius of Alexandria described the self-sacrificial love and unity Christians demonstrated to one another and to unbelievers during a plague that swept the Roman Empire. He continued, “they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ . . . they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains.” This response to God’s love results in powerful witness to the world that today’s passage commends.

Our Bible reading today is part of the longest prayer of Jesus recorded in the New Testament (John 16:1-17:26). In sum, Jesus prayed that believers would share in God’s love, glory, and unity. Insofar as they do this, they become a sign to the world of the love that is shared between the Father and the Son (v. 23).

Jesus’ prayer describes the eternal relationship of perfect love and unity between the Father and Son, a mystery that strains human comprehension (vv. 21, 24; cf. John 1:1-2). It is amazing to hear Him pray that when believers exemplify this same love and unity, they are a symbol of God’s love to an unbelieving world.

Believers are capable of unity because they are recipients of God’s glory. Jesus is the full revelation of God’s glory; all who receive Him are privileged to become children of God (John 1:12, 14). “World” occurs four times in today’s text and refers to God’s creation that remains in darkness, hostile to Him. The world rejects Jesus and therefore rejects God. Yet, the world remains an object of God’s love (3:16). Just as Jesus is a mediator between God and the world, Jesus prays that His followers would be the embodiment of God’s love to the world (v. 23), since God’s love now dwells in them through Christ (v. 26).

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Unity between the Father and Son is demonstrated in John’s Gospel as pure love and Jesus’ perfect obedience to the Father’s will. Jesus prays that as a result of sharing in God’s love and glory through Christ, believers would be unified, a “message” to the world (v. 20). How does your local church reflect God’s love? Is there hostility among you that needs to be reconciled? Are there areas of disobedience to be conformed to God’s will? Imagine how unity in God’s love would speak to the world around you.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 6:27-36
Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! - Psalm 66:20
TODAY IN THE WORD
“It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out; but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.” These are the words of Corrie ten Boom as she recalled the day a former guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp, where she and her family were imprisoned during World War II for hiding Jews and members of the Dutch resistance movement, approached her to seek her forgiveness. Remembering Jesus’ teaching from today’s passage, Corrie extended her hand in love. Corrie wrote: “You never so touch the ocean of God’s love as when you forgive and love your enemies.” Let’s consider the words and love of Jesus that moved Corrie ten Boom to do the impossible.

Our passage today is part of a larger sermon that Jesus delivered beginning in Luke 6:17. We may compare it to its larger and well-known counterpart in Matthew 5 though 7, the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus’ message is radical. He says that the poor and hungry are blessed and proclaims woes on the rich and well fed (Luke 6:20-26). He says we must reconcile with our neighbor before we come to worship Him (Matt. 5:23-24). He says we must not store up treasures on earth (Matt. 6:19), and in today’s passage He exhorts us to “the most difficult thing,” to love our enemies (v. 27).

The next verses expound upon this charge. In the face of hate and violence, Jesus calls His followers to the opposite. In response to hate, we love; to offense and mistreatment, we invoke God’s favor through prayer. We trade our craving for retaliation for actions of self-sacrifice and shame.

What is the rationale behind and result of this incomprehensible behavior? The grounds for this revolutionary love is the Father’s love and mercy; He Himself is “kind to the ungrateful and wicked,” namely to us—remember the message of Romans 5:8? As His children, we are to be like Him, to love like Him (vv. 35-36).

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Are you experiencing hate, cursing, and mistreatment? Perhaps you are treated differently at work because of your faith, or your family’s resistance to faith is hurting you. Whatever the circumstance, pray for strength and humility to follow the path Christ illuminates in today’s passage. Begin loving and praying for your enemies, seeking God’s goodness in their lives and giving your desires for retribution and vindication to Him. If you are in an abusive relationship, you need to remove yourself and seek healing immediately.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:13-6:2
Christ's love compels us. - 2 Corinthians 5:14
TODAY IN THE WORD
Traveling to Turkey as a tourist and traveling as a diplomat are two completely different experiences. Tourists act as consumers, making decisions based entirely on their personal preferences and seeing the sites with eyes of a civilian. The diplomat, on the other hand, acts and speaks as a representative of someone else’s purposes and sees everything and everyone through the lens of social, political, and economic global realities.

We do not simply consume God’s love like a tourist. God’s love for us in Christ moves us. It urges us on, persuading us to do something. Why? Because we are certain that Jesus died on behalf of all people that we might have life. Christ’s death transforms all of life.

In today’s text, Paul sets forth two ways Christ’s death changes things and compels us. First, His death completely redirects how people live. We no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ (v. 15). Second, Christ’s death alters how we view others. We no longer see from a worldly point of view (v. 16). We regard others based on the inner person, rather than what is seen of the outer person. Our understanding of who people are and how they are doing is not based on the clues we get from the outside appearance. This is how the world views people.

Beginning in verse 17, Paul introduces the dramatic in-breaking of new creation: “the old has gone, the new has come!” (cf. Rom. 8:21; Gal. 6:15; Revelation 21). Paul reminds us again that this radical transformation and new life come from God.

He also returns to the idea that we do not simply receive and consume God’s love (v. 18). Reconciliation is spoken of in the context of family and friendship; it is the restoration of broken relationships. God repaired our relationship with Him in Christ and has in turn empowered us to embody this peacemaking with others by practicing reconciliation. In doing this, “we are Christ’s ambassadors,” His representatives, inviting others to be reconciled to God (v. 20).

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Second Corinthians 6:2 persuades us that the right time to respond to God’s love is now. We are all invited to be ministers, practitioners, and representatives of God’s love through reconciliation. Do you have a broken relationship with a friend or family member? Today is the day to pursue restoration. We experience true healing and peace in our relationships because God has first reconciled us to Himself through Christ. Begin with prayer, then initiate the giving and receiving of forgiveness and grace.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ephesians 4:17-5:2
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children. - Ephesians 5:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
Charlie is a stubborn toddler. His mother attempts to persuade him that he is a big boy now. He has a big boy bed, a big boy chair, and a big boy toothbrush. Yet Charlie refuses to wear big boy underpants. Despite the news that big boys don’t wear diapers, Charlie won’t live into his new identity. We are often like Charlie, straddling two lives, what Paul calls the “old self” and “new self.”

The first contrast in our text is between “Gentiles” (vv. 17-19) and Christ followers (vv. 20-24). The unbelievers are separated from God due to their hardened hearts. Those who know Christ are dramatically different. They are sensitive to God, not controlled by worldly indulgences, nor typified by impurity.

Two additional contrasts are introduced. First, the imagery of clothing is the backdrop for the language of “put off” and “put on.” Second, the author compares the “old” and “new” self. As a result of knowing Christ, we throw off the old self and stop “living as the Gentiles do.” Before we change into the metaphorical clothes of our new self, we must first “be made new” by God (v. 23). The ball is back in our court in verse 24; we are exhorted to “put on the new self,” and represent God’s holiness and righteousness.

Paul gives examples of what it looks like to put off the old self and put on the new self (vv. 25-32). One is to “put off” stealing and instead “put on” the practice of productive work. The fruit of labor enables generosity, and this reflects the image of God. Another example is to “put off” the hardness of heart that prevents you from reconciling with others. Instead, “put on” kindness, compassion, and forgiveness and thus resemble Christ.

Ephesians 5:1-2 explain how this attitude connects with God’s love. Jesus loves us so much He surrendered His life on the cross, that we may be God’s “dearly loved children.” Transformed by our adoption, we imitate God in self-giving love.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Paul’s fundamental understanding is that we have been transformed in Christ, and now we actively resist sinful behavior. Did you observe his emphasis on what comes out of our mouths? Look again at verses 25, 29, 31 and 32. Our words greatly affect our relationships. Invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart and your speech (cf. Ps. 139:23-34). You may also wish to study the topic further in James 3:3-12 and Matthew 12:33-37.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 7:36-50
Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. - Psalm 29:2
TODAY IN THE WORD
Imagine the scene of today’s reading. Jesus was the honored guest in the home of Simon the Pharisee, a devout Jewish leader. Suddenly, an uninvited woman of disrepute entered the scene clutching a jar of extremely expensive perfume. Everyone watched with bated breath. The so-called sinful woman stood at Jesus’ feet sobbing. Her tears were plentiful enough to wet Jesus’ feet. As if this episode was not already astonishing, the woman let down her hair to dry his feet. We can almost hear the audience gasp; a woman in the first century only showed her hair in the privacy of her own family. Then, the scandalous woman kissed Jesus’ feet and poured her costly perfume on them. What follows are two dramatically different interpretations of her behavior.

The spotlight falls on Simon, the stately host. We hear a voiceover of Simon’s inner thoughts (v. 39). According to the Pharisee, Jesus should know this woman’s awful reputation and the disgrace of associating with her. Though Simon may not have realized it at first, Jesus knew his private judgments and responded with a parable (vv. 41-43). The story of the debt collector has two main points. First, neither borrower has the ability to pay off his debt. Second, the one with the larger debt cancelled will be more grateful. Interestingly, Jesus frames the gratitude in terms of love, which knits the parable together with His following comments about the woman.

Jesus’ question to Simon in verse 44 probes beyond the surface. Jesus was not simply asking if his host’s physical eyes were functioning; He discerned Simon’s spiritual eyes. Moreover, Jesus starkly contrasted the respectable Pharisee with the “sinful” woman and turned expectation upside down. Whereas Simon interpreted the woman’s actions as disgraceful, Jesus regarded them as loving (v. 47). Then He referenced the parable to make two complementary points: the indebted woman loved Jesus abundantly and was forgiven because of it; she loved lavishly because she recognized that she had been released of such an insurmountable debt.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
What would it be like for you to worship God extravagantly? Are you restrained by the expectations of others? Is your love of God stifled by guilt and inability to receive His forgiving love? Reflect on these questions. Next, take account of the debt of sin you cannot repay and God’s costly sacrifice to satisfy it. Let your recognition increase your gratitude for salvation in Christ. Join the songwriter of Jesus Paid It All: “Oh praise the one who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 51:1-19
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love. - Psalm 51:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
Second Samuel 11 records King David’s infamous adultery with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of her husband, Uriah. Chapter 12 narrates the prophet Nathan’s rebuke of David and the king’s confession. Today’s psalm is attributed to King David as his prayer following these sins.

David opens his prayer of repentance with a plea based on God’s declaration in Exodus 34. Three words bind verse 1 to Exodus 34:6: “mercy,” “love,” and “compassion.” Treat me according to who You said You are, David appeals. In other words, be gracious to me, Lord, not because of who I am, but because of who You are. David’s petition that God would completely cleanse him from his sin continues through verse 9. This opening section of Psalm 51 includes two peculiar acknowledgments by David. First, David admits that his sin was an offense against the Lord (v. 4). Seemingly, David’s offense was primarily against his neighbors. “Only” in verse 4 means “ultimately” more than it does “exclusively.” To sin against our neighbor is to sin against the Lord. Second, David recognizes that he was sinful at birth (v. 5). Notice that the words David uses in his request (vv. 1-2); “blot out,” “wash,” and “cleanse” are repeated in reverse order in verses 7 through 9, indicating closure and completeness of the first section of his prayer.

The second portion of Psalm 51 includes David’s request for renewal and acceptable sacrifice (vv. 10-17). “Heart” and “spirit” occur six times, emphasizing the theme of verse 6. David’s prayer is that God would “create” in him a new heart, one that is pure and repentant. The essence of David’s request is not simply hope for forgiveness for a particular transgression, but rather an appeal for God to make him the kind of person who is holy.

The final section of today’s passage illuminates the communal effects of David’s personal restoration (vv. 18-19). Repentance and heart renovation have ripple effects. If the king is renewed, Jerusalem will also be built up, and the people will follow his example, bringing the Lord “righteous sacrifices.”

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Psalm 51 clarifies that sin is an offense against God. Rather than employing either efforts of self-improvement or drowning in his remorse, David reached to God’s unfailing love for restoration. We know from 2 Samuel 12:13 that God forgave and established David. Jeremiah also records God’s promise to forgive us and give us new hearts that follow him (Jer. 31:33-34). Consider using Psalm 51 as a guide for a prayer of repentance in your own life. Pray this prayer today and begin to experience God’s forgiveness, healing, and love.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 8:28-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? - Romans 8:35
TODAY IN THE WORD
Fear can be a force of both action and paralysis. All around us, fear proliferates. Fear of cancer, flying, extremists, and an international pandemic; fear of crime, failure, and economic turmoil; fear of people of other ethnicities, fear of loneliness or being truly known, fear of the end of the Mayan calendar, and fear of death. Our passage today anchors our hearts in God’s love and dissipates our fears.

Verse 28 continues the point Paul introduces in verse 17: we share in both Christ’s suffering and His glory. God’s purpose is the overarching theme of verses 28 through 30, which is our conformity to Christlikeness. God’s foreknowledge and pre-determined purpose for us is an outworking of His love and grace. Before any thought or action on our part to reach for God, He reaches for us to redeem us and call us to something so much greater, reflecting His Son, Jesus. This does not, however, exclude our cooperation with God or our loving obedience.

Paul asks in effect, If what I just said is true, then what is the result? (v. 31). Answer: if we are on God’s side, then we will not be defeated. How do we know “God is for us?” Paul recounts that God gave His only Son for us to demonstrate the measure of His commitment to His love and purpose for us. Moreover, Christ was raised to life and now intercedes for us in “our present sufferings” (v. 34; 8:18).

Verses 35 and 39 are bookends to Paul’s next section proclaiming that no influence or adversity—nothing—can detach us from God’s unshakable love in Christ. In fact, in the same power that raised Christ from the dead, “we are more than conquerors” (v. 37). Notice the connection between God’s love for us and the promise of victory over suffering and trials. The love of God in Christ overcomes hardship, persecution, and powers that war against us; it gives hope of triumph in the midst of suffering; and it is seen most clearly “in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v. 39).

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The path to Christlikeness is not easy street. Sin brings suffering into our lives, and Jesus teaches that we will experience loss and persecution for following Him (Mark 10:30; John 15:20). Paul also reports oppression and trials for preaching Christ (2 Cor. 11:23-28). You can encourage and pray for Christians around the world who suffer persecution; and you can find personal comfort in adversity, being confident that nothing can separate you from God’s love and that you will overcome in Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ephesians 3:14-21
To grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. - Ephesians 3:18
TODAY IN THE WORD
Poet Malcolm Guite, in his piece entitled O Radix (O Root) muses on Christ, the Root of Jesse: “Now we have need of you, forgotten Root; The stock and stem of every living thing; Whom once we worshiped in the sacred grove; For now is winter, now is withering; Unless we let you root us deep within; Under the ground of being, graft us in.” Guite’s poem points us to Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Ephesus. They share similar sentiments, knowing that the love of Christ must be deeply rooted in our hearts, and we must be deeply rooted in Christ’s love.

Paul wrote his letter during his imprisonment in Rome. He understands what it means to need strength in your inner being, to hunger for the fullness of God’s love. Verses 14 through 19 consist of Paul’s robust prayer for his brothers and sisters. He makes three petitions. First, Paul prays that the same power that raised Christ from the dead would fortify the believers (v. 16; cf. 1:19-20). The desired result is that Christ would be rooted in their hearts.

Second, Paul prays that the Christians would have the ability to comprehend the incomprehensible love of Christ (v. 18). Paul’s phrase is mysterious and paradoxical. How can one know something that is beyond knowing? Paul suggests that to know God’s love involves more than intellectual assent to an abstract concept. Paul wishes that the believers in Ephesus would grasp in their hearts that God loves them personally and intimately, immeasurably and eternally.

Paul’s third prayer request is that they would be completely filled with the fullness of God (v. 19). He desires that their knowledge of God would reflect fully who He is and what He has done. The idea of the fullness of God also reminds us of Isaiah’s vision of God filling the temple in Isaiah 6. A doxology or hymn of praise flows from Paul’s intercession (vv. 20-21). Paul affirms God’s extraordinary power to answer this prayer more than could be imagined.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
As our study of God’s love ends today, let us adopt Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians as a prayer for our own lives and the lives of others. Try inserting your name or the names of others into the prayer as you pray today. For example, “I pray that you, Jeff, may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Spend extended time today in prayer for yourself, your loved ones, and those around you who do not yet know Christ in a saving and transforming way.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ecclesiastes 1:1-18
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again. - Ecclesiastes 1:9
TODAY IN THE WORD
New appliances in the 1950s promised housewives a new identity. A new washer or dryer, mint-green electric stove, or upright vacuum cleaner would define her as competent and accomplished—and in addition, make her happy. The allure of these shiny new household objects was short-lived. Beneath the glitz of a new Frigidaire was merely the reality of daily work. Laundry still needed to be washed, another meal to be cooked, a dirty floor to be cleaned. The cycle of work was endless.

Our study this month will examine the ways that we define our identity and find meaning and value in our lives. As we study some of the promises of the world to bring meaning to our lives, we’ll also see what God’s Word says about our worth and true identity.

In the book of Ecclesiastes, we read a record of this profound search for the meaning of life. Why am I here? What pleasure is there in this life? Is life “meaningless” (1:2), or is there a purpose under heaven?

The search for life’s meaning plays a key role in our search for identity. Some people find identity in their career, hoping to be fulfilled as a doctor, a teacher, or a lawyer. They might conclude, I am good at football—so I will be a football star. What happens to the star’s identity when what he does is no longer an option? If a teacher has no class to teach, or if a doctor has retired from practice, can he or she maintain an identity?

Ecclesiastes aptly describes the cycle of life with its repetition and continuity. “Generations come and generations go” (v. 4). Even a great king or the richest man on earth is but one player in the rolling tide of generations. Even when you achieve wealth or glory or fame, life can seem meaningless.

Finding our identity in a career is building a life on a shaky foundation. Jobs end. Skills decline. And subsequent generations may never remember our accomplishments. We need to look elsewhere for the ultimate source of our identity and worth.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
It’s one of the most frequently asked questions: What do you do? Our culture tempts us to equate our identity and value with what we do for a living. Career accomplishments or the size of our paycheck are barometers of our success. But as Ecclesiastes reminds us, in the scope of the universe, this could be meaningless. During your time of prayer today, ask the Lord to show you the way that He values your life and desires to shape your identity, and ask for an eternal perspective.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth. - Ecclesiastes 12:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
In the popular game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? the host asks the contestant progressively more difficult questions. The first questions have obvious answers, and it is fairly simple to pick the correct answer from the four options. But as the prize gets larger, the questions get more difficult.

If you’ve ever played along with the show, you may feel fairly confident about your own intelligence—until it passes the $32,000 mark. At that point, the questions get much more specific and the field of knowledge begins to narrow. Even a well-educated person realizes he may not know everything there is to know. The game is not as easy as it initially appeared.

The ending of the book of Ecclesiastes shows that this game of life is not as easy as first thought. Chapter 11 begins with the command, “Cast your bread upon the waters” (v. 1). The chapter continues to echo the overall theme of Ecclesiastes—life occurs in the cycle of history. What has been learned at the end of this journey?

Even our best-laid plans can go awry. Our job is not to figure out what lies ahead, but rather to do the task at hand: “you do not know the path of the wind” (v. 5). There is so much we do not know. Scripture cautions against relying on our own knowledge, intelligence, or understanding. “You cannot understand the work of God” (v. 5).

Though we cannot know the future, we are still advised to take certain actions: “let not your hands be idle” (v. 6). No matter how old we become, we should “enjoy” each year (v. 8). “Be happy” when we are young and “let your heart give you joy” (v. 9).

The true key to meaning, suggests Ecclesiastes, is not exclusive investment in work or planning for the future. It is not found in ourselves or in endless self-analysis. The key is to focus on the Creator: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth” (12:1). We are to look for God who will satisfy the craving for meaning and purpose in our lives.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
An epitaph is the inscription that will be engraved on your gravestone. These few words will summarize who you are and what your life represented. What will your epitaph read? What has your life meant to others? What would you like it to say? It’s never too late to “Remember your Creator” and make a choice to live a life with eternal purpose. As the words of a classic poem remind us, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Romans 6:1-11
Through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. - Romans 6:4
TODAY IN THE WORD
When an American citizen might face violent recrimination from testifying against a dangerous defendant, the federal witness security program will hide the person or family and provide a new identity. Those who participate in the program may be sent to a far-away city, given new identification cards, and even new names. They are required to create a new life story, to discard anything that might tie them to their old life, and to refrain from contact with anyone—including family members—from the past. It is as if they are reborn as a new person.

In Romans, we learn about the new identity we have as believers in Christ. When we are reborn in Christ, we die to ourselves. This is a good thing, not a bad thing! By dying to self, we discard all of those old ties and old habits that have troubled us and weighed us down. Paul explains, “We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (v. 2).

Paul compares this rebirth to baptism, which represents our death and resurrection in Christ. When we die to sin, we are figuratively burying it in the ground. Our new self is raised in Christ, as He was resurrected. By this, we, too, have “new life” (v. 4).

Why is this important to us as we seek our identity in Christ? It is important to distinguish between the natural, human, sinful struggles that we have and the new identity we have been given when we are raised in Christ. Through Christ, we are indeed a new creation. But dying to self is still a process. While we are on earth, we continually need to remind ourselves that our true identity is found in the salvation through Christ’s resurrection, not in our own struggles and failings.

No longer can sin define us, because we are inhabited by the very Spirit of God Himself. The presence of the Holy Spirit is our new “identification card” guaranteeing that our past can never reclaim us. Our identity as the children of God is secure.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Complete this simple, fill-in-the-blank. I am ______; God is ________. Either by yourself or with your family or friends, make a list of your strug-gles to complete the sentence. For example, you might write, “I am lonely” or “I am worried.” Then think of how God has fulfilled your specific need, for example: “God is faithful.” Praise God that despite our ongoing struggles on this earth, He meets our needs and provides the definition for our eternal identity!

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Psalm 8:1-9
What is man that you are mindful of him? - Psalm 8:4
TODAY IN THE WORD
In 1893, an English professor went by train to Colorado to teach summer school. On her trip, 33-year-old Katharine Bates was inspired by many of the scenic views she saw, including the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and the wheat fields of Kansas. She was particularly moved by the majestic view of the plains from atop Pike’s Peak. On the top of that mountain, the words of a poem came to her and she quickly wrote them down. Today, we know the poem as the song, “America the Beautiful.” Her description of the “purple mountains’ majesty” still resonates with our feelings of glory and awe as we view God’s creation today.

The psalmist in today’s passage records a similar wonder at God’s creation. Read the psalm through in its entirety, noting how it begins and ends with a praise to God, the Creator: “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (vv. 1, 9). There is a contrast here between God and man. God is distinguished by “glory” (v. 1); worthy of “praise” and powerful (v. 2).

The psalmist wonders: Considering these attributes of God, how can He care for people like him? “What is man that you are mindful of him?” (v. 4). Further he asks, “the son of man that you care for him?” Not only did God create us—He cares for us!

God’s creation was made with love and is given a place of honor and purpose. The text says that the son of man has been “crowned with glory and honor” and has been made “ruler over the works of your hands” (vv. 5, 6). This is a position of both significance and responsibility.

Isn’t it incredible that the God of all creation could care for us in such an intimate, purposeful way? God has given us great gifts. He has given us the gift of His creation to enjoy and to rule. This demonstrates His love for us and the value He has given to us.

TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Music helps us to express the glory of God. If you can, listen to a few of those songs that describe the wonder of God’s creation and His love for us. “America the Beautiful,” “How Majestic Is Your Name,” or “Lord of All Creation” are just a few suggestions. Of course, the classic hymn “How Great Thou Art” also reflects the awe we feel in God’s presence. Thank Him for who He is and glory in the fact that He created us and loves us!