Wilderness Wanderings

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience (Hebrews 4:11).

Genesis 2 opens with the seventh day, where God rests, but not because he was tired. Instead, we get a picture of God finishing creation with a Sabbath that never ends. Sabbath represents a flourishing creation. This is illustrated in Israel's year of Jubilee in which slaves were freed, debts were forgiven, and the land was restored to those God had gifted it to; a nation created to flourish in the lavish abundance of their God.

But sin interfered in the beginning, continued to interfere throughout Israel's history and still stains our own lives today. Sin destroys shalom; it brings death where life was intended. Hebrews tells us that God is still at work; at work undoing the evil that is leeching health from us. Jesus pursued this dimension of the Sabbath in his miracles.

In Mark 1:21, he frees a man from an evil spirit and gives renewed vigour to the limbs of a paralytic in 2:27. Many of his miracles were performed on the Sabbath, such as the one for a woman "who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, 'Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.' Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God" (Luke 10:11-13).

These were signs that the kingdom of God was here; the Shalom of God was being brought back to the earth; the curse of sin was being undone. Jesus resurrection from the dead marked his victory over evil. The curse was undone; his kingdom was unstoppable. That is why Christians gather for worship on Sundays. We remind each other that Christ is risen. And we celebrate the coming end of evil.

The Heidelberg Catechism gives a slight nod to this matter when it says that part of our Sabbath keeping is "to bring Christian offerings for the poor" (A 103). That is why offerings are taken up during worship services. The apostle Paul got this started (Acts 24:17; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Churches are rightly involved in alleviating hunger and rebuilding where infrastructure has been destroyed. Historically, Christians began hospitals. This was all understood as following in the footsteps of Jesus working against evil.

Sometimes, I hear Christians tell me that Sundays are family days. That is well and good, but it is not enough. Sundays remind us that Jesus died to end the curse and evil. We are called to be his hands and feet. As you prepare for this weekend, how will you rest, and how will you help others to entire into God's rest?

Go with this blessing:

Go to Jesus and he will give you rest (Matthew 11:30). May the presence of God go with you and give you rest (Exodus 33:14).

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good (Romans 12:9).

Love must be sincere is the theme fleshed out in the rest of this chapter and beyond. The biblical significance of love has eroded so it needs our careful attention. Let's remember that godly love is not an emotion. It is an attitude, a mind-set, an aspect of the renewed mind. We are commanded to love; it is therefore a choice we make, a matter of the will.

Without the enabling grace of God, none of us can love in the way the Bible calls us to. Such love is never the product of our human wills. But our wills are involved. The Holy Spirit fosters it within us. It is our job to cooperate with the Spirit in developing a consistent mind-set of love toward others. We must work actively to put love into effect in our relationships. The Christian who nurtures an attitude of love will act in the ways that Paul describes here. Such love acts in accordance with God's good and perfect will (12:2).

Discernment is an aspect of this love: hate what is evil; cling to what is good (9b). Ironic, isn't it, that the exhortation to love is followed immediately by a command to hate. But we should not be surprised, for love is not blind sentiment. Rather, love passionately seeks the best for the one loved. Thus, it must hate everything evil that is incompatible with the loved one's highest welfare. Paul's word for 'hate' suggests a very strong aversion, an abhorrence, a loathing, a vomiting out. Whereas his word for cling, suggests supper glue, a bonding like two pieces of steel welded together.

Love must be sincere is the positive version of the command, "do not kill." The Heidelberg Catechism offers us this explanation of that, "I am not to belittle, insult, hate, or kill my neighbor--not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds--and I am not to be party to this in others…By forbidding murder God teaches us that he hates the root of murder: envy, hatred, anger, vindictiveness" (Q 105 & 106).

When love encounters what is evil, it refuses to participate, nor does it merely look the other way. Love dares to confront someone doing evil, not to judge or browbeat, but to inspire righteousness. On the other hand, love "clings to what is good." To repel evil and cling to good, love must know the difference.

How can we train ourselves in the ways of love? Anyone who has tried knows its not easy. Like all Christian virtues, prayer and scripture are the beginning. How else will we know God's version of love? We can also get our minds engaged in other ways. How about watching an episode of a favourite Netflix show or a chapter of a favourite novel? Then discern the ways in which the characters practice love or the lack there of. We may find some brilliant nuances of love right among our favourite characters.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is 2 Corinthians 1:1-11. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

1. What is your favourite 'comforter'?
2. How is God's comfort more?
3. How does God usually bring his comfort?
4. What does it mean to praise God during suffering?

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).

This verse is well known. It is frequently used in motivational speeches encouraging Christians to pursue the things of God at church and on mission or service trips. But I wonder how often it is used to launch Christians into the daily stuff of life. How many of us wrestle with its applications in the hustle and bustle of the day?

In Matthew 6, Jesus offers commentary on a few of the common spiritual disciplines of his time: giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. Then he encourages his disciples to lay up treasures in heaven rather than on earth, and rounds it off with this, "do not worry."

What should we not worry about? "Your life", he says. Clothing, food, shelter, etc. Really?

Here is the thing, says Jesus, your heavenly father is more than capable and willing to care for you. Look at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. Do they rush around worrying? Nope. Your father cares for them. And if he cares for them, he will surely care for you. So, stop worrying already.

When we give up worry, we create space to pursue the things of God and his kingdom. When our main concern is no longer about making a buck, when we trust that God will provide for us, we can pay attention to other things and other people.

At our church, we support a ministry called Discipling Marketplace Leaders. After this teaching was brought to Burundi, one of the pastors summarized the change he saw among Christians, "They realize that when they said "yes" to Jesus, they weren't enlisting HIM to their cause, but He was enlisting them to HIS cause" (DML Newsletter, September 1, 2025).

Jesus mentions that non-believers run around worrying about their lives, but children of the heavenly Father do not need to. He cares for his own. As you go about daily tasks and work, pause to pray the Lord's Prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to keep those phrases in your consciousness. In what situations are you most likely to begin worrying? Prepare for those situations. Be ready to do something different. How might God be calling you to seek his kingdom today?

And how do we learn to worry less? Not by trying really hard not to worry. But, by paying attention to God.

Go with this blessing:

Wherever God takes you today, may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy (Exodus 20:8).

Sabbath is an important theme in the Scriptures. We neglect it to our peril. I will not advocate that we go back to Old Testament Sabbath keeping, nor to the fierce definitions of what qualified as work and rest that we once engaged in. However, Sabbath rest is essential for Christian spirituality.

Let us recall how Israel was instructed in Sabbath keeping. There was the rhythm of a weekly rest day. It was so essential that while in the wilderness, God provided two portions of food on the sixth day, so that the people did not even need to gather food on the Sabbath. Further, there was the yearly rhythm of the Sabbath year. Every seventh year the whole nation took a break from securing food and profit. God would provide enough in the sixth year for two years.

Finally, there was the year of Jubilee, every fiftieth year. God promised to provide three year's worth of supplies in the 48th year so that his people could enjoy his rest for 2 full years. Further, in the year of Jubilee debts were cancelled, all land was returned to the original families, and all slaves were set free. Negative market forces, bad financial decisions, natural disasters could all cause ruin on a family. But in the year of Jubilee, all was set right. They could begin over.

God provides. When praying, 'give us our daily bread', we are praying a Sabbath prayer. It's requesting that we do not depend on ourselves but put our trust in the God who provides. He provides for us physically. But there is more.

In Psalm 62, we have this testimony, "Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress; I will never be shaken". There are things that happen in life that shake us to our very cores. Our souls, themselves, are shaken. All the securities we have put in place for ourselves topple. Where then shall we go?

Sabbath practicing Christians know where to go. They have practiced trusting in God. They understand Psalm 46, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging" (1-3).

When such Christians hear Jesus' invitation, "Come to me and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28), they know how to go to him because it's a practice they are familiar with.

There is no time like the present to begin. If you are not a Sabbath person, you might not want to start with a full day. Mark a few hours in your calendar in which you have nothing to accomplish. Rather, simply enjoy God and the good gifts he has given you. And begin praying, "Give us our daily bread."

Learn to practice Sabbath, so that when the winds blow and the floods rise, you know how to rest in God. He provides.

Go with this blessing:

Go to Jesus and he will give you rest (Matthew 11:30). May the presence of God go with you and give you rest (Exodus 33:14).

Love must be sincere (Romans 12:9a).

This little phrase, "Love must be sincere", is the heart of Romans 12. Everything that has come before--the stuff about personal transformation: "…in view of God's mercy…offer your bodies as a living sacrifice to God…be transformed by the renewing of your mind…discerning God's good, pleasing and perfect will…" and the stuff about the relationships within the church, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment…in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others…"--all of this leads into "Love must be sincere."

The phrase has no verb. Its as if the apostle is saying, "Love that is sincere will…" and then he spends the rest of the chapter telling us what sincere love looks like.

In our culture, the word love has become rather vague. It's lost its crispness. We love sweaters and the weather, and we love each other. It's a feeling that comes and goes like a wave in the bay. So, what is love and what makes it sincere?

The word used here is agape. So far in Romans all references have been to the 'love of God'—as demonstrated on the cross (5:8), as poured into our hearts (5:5) and as doggedly refusing to let us go (8:35, 39). This is a pursuing, wooing, winning back kind of love. The lover willing to sacrifice himself for the beloved. This is our reference point, our example. But it is also our source. This love has been poured into us. Now it flows out. Love is the essence of Christian discipleship. Romans 12-15 are a sustained encouragement to let love govern and shape all our relationships. At the end of the chapter, Paul will write about love for our enemies (17-21), but first he portrays it as pervading the Christian community (9-16).

'Sincere' means 'without hypocrisy'. Acts and words of love must not be pretend. We should not tell someone we love them, when we really don't. Neither should we act in love, when we despise or even hate someone. For early Christians, the primary example of non-sincere love was Judas, betraying Jesus with a kiss. This was hypocritical love in its vilest form.

In this matter of sincere love Christian discipleship is counter cultural. Feelings are paramount. "If I don't feel like it, I don't have to do it." But for Christians love is the law (13:8-10). If we don't feel loving, we need to change our attitude; our hearts need to change. We need to love like God loves us. How does that happen? The cure for a non-loving heart is not to try harder. It is to look to God, to see his love for me. For Christians, confession of sin is not about feeling bad, it's the road to experiencing God's mercy again. Love begins with a view to God's mercy. Only with our eyes fixed on Jesus, can our love become sincere. So, let us fix our eyes on him.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today (Deuteronomy 8:18).

Last Monday, we reflected on God's creation of humanity as working beings. We work under God's care and direction. Let's reflect on this some more. It is so easy to ignore God while at work or at least to think that he has little interest in such mundane matters. But the Bible will have none of that. Wealth production is the work of God himself.

Most of us have some sort of job description, even if they are not written down. When I began helping my dad on the farm, I soon learned what was expected of me. It didn't take long before I understood what was needed to be a successful pork producer and I began to lean into that.

God wants us to understand and lean into the job description he has given to us. We do not own things. We are stewards of what he has made and owns. He has equipped us with time, talents and treasures. These things are not ours to do with as we desire. They are his and to be used for his glory. Even though Joseph oversaw all Egypt, he needed to submit himself to Pharoah. Likewise, we have been given great responsibility but must submit ourselves to God.

This teaching can put us on a bit of an ego trip. Some Christians have misinterpreted this to mean they can ignore the things their supervisors tell them. Such an attitude does not jive with the Scriptures. Joseph submitted himself to Pharaoh. Paul writes, "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities" (Romans 13:1). Titus is instructed to, "Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone" (3:1-2).

When we submit are labours to the Lord, it means that we seek to be the best employees and employers that we can be. We strive for excellence in our product, but also in our relationships. In submission, we recognize that success is not rooted in our abilities but in God's blessing.

Will you submit to God in the big things and the small things? Will you lean on Him, His power, His love, and His grace, in whatever you do? Will you trust him with the outcome of your work?

Go with this blessing:

Wherever God takes you today, may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Genesis 12:1-5 & Matthew 5:14-16. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

Dive In Questions

1. What image of the church is given in today's text and message?
2. What three parts of 'our story' are explored in the opening chapters of the Bible?
3. What is the problem in this world? What is the remedy?
4. In what is our hope?
5. What advice was given to keep us from being overwhelmed? How will you live into that this week?

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy (Exodus 20:8).

Last week, I ended with the question, "What kind of rest do we mean?" When the Bible invites us into rest, what does it mean? What did God intend when he commanded Israel to observe the Sabbath? Let's begin this series on rest by exploring that question.

A fruitful place to begin is by noting the word that often describes Sabbath, the word 'holy'. This word does not always come with helpful connotations today. We think of those who have been declared saints or those who live by high moral standards, often with a "holier than you attitude." That is not the place to begin.

In the Bible, holy means "set apart," "separated," or "dedicated for a special purpose". Thus, the Sabbath was a day set apart for God. On it, Israel was to remember that God is both creator (Exodus 20) and redeemer (Deuteronomy 5). This was not intended to be a burden to Israel. Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).

In Sabbath keeping, we are invited to rest from all our activities we engage in to succeed in this world. We are given time to remember and know that we belong to God, and he cares for us. Through the psalmist, God says, "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). It takes time and some effort to still our souls long enough to hear the voice of the Spirit reminding us that we are holy, we belong to God. It is difficult to believe that we do not need to work every day to survive in this world.

The rest we are talking about here, is the rest in which we learn to lean on God, trusting that he will provide our daily bread. In this rest, God re-orients our lives so that we live for him, not for ourselves.

How has the drive to succeed taken control of your life? How is it impacting what your children and grandchildren are learning from you? What else might be interfering with this rest? Sometimes, it's our need to be entertained. Sometimes, it's our need to be busy all the time. Sometimes, its that we are living for ourselves. These are things that drive us ever onward without giving us rest or joy. God invites us into a different way of living.

Go with this blessing:

Go to Jesus and he will give you rest (Matthew 11:30). May the presence of God go with you and give you rest (Exodus 33:14).

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us (Romans 12:4-6a).

What does it mean to be part of a church? Does showing up on Sundays for worship services count? Maybe. There are many ways to answer that question. Our text offers two.

Before we discuss those, let's remember that when the New Testament uses the word church it did not have in mind the formal structures we know today. Church referred to the people who followed Jesus Christ. They had little structure and no history; they were simply the people in the Roman Empire who believed that this Jesus was Lord and Christ. In a place like Romans 12, the apostle Paul begins to lay out what belonging to this group means. What does he say?

First, the flow of Romans 12 implies that I cannot fully "renew my mind" without the active help of other believers. I cannot understand what the Bible teaches apart from dialog with others who are reading that same Bible. I cannot live the life of a disciple of Christ apart from the nurturing context of a community of believers who encourage me, pray for me, and set an example for me. I cannot discern the blind spots in my obedience to Christ without other believers to point them out to me.

In verse 3, Paul rebuked an attitude of arrogance. We think of ourselves "more highly than we ought" and so conclude that we do not need the help of others. To go back to our question, "What does it mean to be part of a church?" Our passage tells us that we need the input of other Christians. To be part of a church means to receive help in Christian thinking and living from others. I need the church, the body of Christ.

Second, we must participate in the church to help others grow. Whatever gift we have been given, we are under obligation to our Lord to use it to serve his people. Other Christians need what each of us has to offer. As the human body is at a disadvantage without a foot, or an eye, or a kidney, so the church is harmed when the full array of gifts is not being exercised within it. Notice how strongly Paul puts this, "according to the grace given to each of us." If we disassociate from the church, we are hindering the flow of God's grace. We are God's sponges of mercy, first to the church and then beyond.

This is also why we need to think of ourselves with sober judgement. We should not consider our personal resources as personal possessions. They are gifts of God to be used for his glory. All of us who follow Jesus receive gifts to be used for the upbuilding of Christ's church. We each have gifts of grace to offer each other.

So, putting these two together: I need the church and the church needs me!

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.