... Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.[Hebrews 12:1b-2]
The 50-year-old man walked into the Subway store in Coventry, Rhode Island.
Normally a 50-year-old man patronizing a Subway restaurant is not a newsworthy item. But this fellow is special. He is special because he was wearing a really cheap disguise. For a "hat" he had on an old t-shirt and covering much of the rest of his face was a plastic shopping bag.
The teenaged clerks on duty were not entirely surprised when he demanded they hand over the store's money. The clerks responded in a way that foiled the would-be robber.
Well, actually, it was their lack of response that ended the heist before it began.
You see, the clerks just totally ignored the fellow. Yup, didn't pay him a bit of attention -- pretended the man hadn't said a thing. They kept on working as if he wasn't even there. The video shows the would-be thief being confused and frustrated and agitated. Then, muttering something under his breath, the robber exited the store, without recognition or cash.
Now I don't know what Subway's official policy is on robberies. Even so, I think if the situation allows -- and there is no obvious weapon on display -- ignoring the thief is pretty creative.
It's certainly a path Christians might want to consider when confronted by temptation.
Now we are told in Scripture that Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh know us pretty good. They select temptations for us we find intriguing and fascinating. More often than not, those personal invitations to sin can be pretty troubling. Before too long we may even find ourselves obsessing about those temptations as we engage in a continuous and exhausting struggle against evil.
But what might happen, I wonder, if we pulled the same stunt on our temptations as those Subway clerks did on their thief. What would happen if we simply ignored temptations?
What would be the result if we acted as if these urgings to sin weren't there and just went on living our lives?
Well, Adam and Eve wouldn't have eaten the forbidden fruit; Lot's wife wouldn't have looked back on burning Sodom; Achan wouldn't have taken the spoils from Jericho, and David would have forgotten about Bathsheba.
Truth be told, each of these folks would have been better if they had ignored temptation.
Now I'm not saying such an action would be easy. Still, by the Holy Spirit's power, we can be given the ability to focus our eyes on the Savior, turn our backs on evil's seductions and, at the very least, pretend they're not having any effect on us at all.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant us the ability to ignore temptations to do evil, and look to the Savior who calls us to a life of thanksgiving for the salvation He has won. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
The 50-year-old man walked into the Subway store in Coventry, Rhode Island.
Normally a 50-year-old man patronizing a Subway restaurant is not a newsworthy item. But this fellow is special. He is special because he was wearing a really cheap disguise. For a "hat" he had on an old t-shirt and covering much of the rest of his face was a plastic shopping bag.
The teenaged clerks on duty were not entirely surprised when he demanded they hand over the store's money. The clerks responded in a way that foiled the would-be robber.
Well, actually, it was their lack of response that ended the heist before it began.
You see, the clerks just totally ignored the fellow. Yup, didn't pay him a bit of attention -- pretended the man hadn't said a thing. They kept on working as if he wasn't even there. The video shows the would-be thief being confused and frustrated and agitated. Then, muttering something under his breath, the robber exited the store, without recognition or cash.
Now I don't know what Subway's official policy is on robberies. Even so, I think if the situation allows -- and there is no obvious weapon on display -- ignoring the thief is pretty creative.
It's certainly a path Christians might want to consider when confronted by temptation.
Now we are told in Scripture that Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh know us pretty good. They select temptations for us we find intriguing and fascinating. More often than not, those personal invitations to sin can be pretty troubling. Before too long we may even find ourselves obsessing about those temptations as we engage in a continuous and exhausting struggle against evil.
But what might happen, I wonder, if we pulled the same stunt on our temptations as those Subway clerks did on their thief. What would happen if we simply ignored temptations?
What would be the result if we acted as if these urgings to sin weren't there and just went on living our lives?
Well, Adam and Eve wouldn't have eaten the forbidden fruit; Lot's wife wouldn't have looked back on burning Sodom; Achan wouldn't have taken the spoils from Jericho, and David would have forgotten about Bathsheba.
Truth be told, each of these folks would have been better if they had ignored temptation.
Now I'm not saying such an action would be easy. Still, by the Holy Spirit's power, we can be given the ability to focus our eyes on the Savior, turn our backs on evil's seductions and, at the very least, pretend they're not having any effect on us at all.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant us the ability to ignore temptations to do evil, and look to the Savior who calls us to a life of thanksgiving for the salvation He has won. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
1 Chronicles 1:1 Adam, Shet, Enosh, 2 Keinan, Mahalal’el, Yered, 3 Hanokh, Metushelach, Lemekh, 4 Noach; Shem, Ham and Yefet.
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1-800-876-9880
www.lhm.org
____________________________
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
1 Chronicles 1:1 Adam, Shet, Enosh, 2 Keinan, Mahalal’el, Yered, 3 Hanokh, Metushelach, Lemekh, 4 Noach; Shem, Ham and Yefet.
5 The sons of Yefet: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Yavan, Tuval, Meshekh and Tiras. 6 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Difat and Togarmah. 7 The sons of Yavan: Elishah, Tarshishah, Kittim and Rodanim.
8 The sons of Ham: Kush, Mitzrayim, Put and Kena‘an. 9 The sons of Kush: S’va, Havilah, Savta, Ra‘ma and Savt’kha. The sons of Ra‘ma: Sh’va and D’dan. 10 Kush fathered Nimrod, who was the first powerful ruler on earth. 11 Mitzrayim fathered Ludim, ‘Anamim, L’havim, Naftuchim, 12 Patrusim, Kasluchim (from whom came the P’lishtim) and Kaftorim. 13 Kena‘an was the father of Tzidon his firstborn, and also of Het, 14 the Y’vusi, the Emori, the Girgashi, 15 the Hivi, the ‘Arki, the Sini, 16 the Arvadi, the Tz’mari and the Hamati.
17 The sons of Shem: ‘Elam, Ashur, Arpakhshad, Lud, Aram, ‘Utz, Hul, Geter and Meshekh. 18 Arpakhshad fathered Shelach, Shelach fathered ‘Ever, 19 and to ‘Ever were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg [division], because it was during his lifetime that the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Yoktan.
20 Yoktan fathered Almodad, Shelef, Hatzar-Mavet, Yerach, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 ‘Eival, Avima’el, Sh’va, 23 Ofir, Havilah and Yovav; these were all sons of Yoktan.
24 Shem, Arpakhshad, Shelach, 25 ‘Ever, Peleg, Re‘u, 26 S’rug, Nachor, Terach, 27 Avram (also called Avraham).
28 The sons of Avraham: Yitz’chak and Yishma‘el. 29 Here are their descendants: Yishma‘el’s firstborn N’vayot; then Kedar, Adbe’el, Mivsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Masa, Hadad, Teima, 31 Y’tur, Nafish and Kedem. These are the sons of Yishma‘el.
32 The sons of K’turah Avraham’s concubine: she bore Zimran, Yokshan, Medan, Midyan, Yishbak and Shuach. The sons of Yokshan: Sh’va and D’dan. 33 The sons of Midyan: ‘Eifah, ‘Efer, Hanokh, Avida and Elda‘ah. These were all descendants of K’turah.
34 Avraham fathered Yitz’chak. The sons of Yitz’chak: ‘Esav and Isra’el. 35 The sons of ‘Esav: Elifaz, Re‘u’el, Ye‘ush, Ya‘lam and Korach. 36 The sons of Elifaz: Teman, Omar, Tzefi, Ga‘tam, K’naz, Timna and ‘Amalek. 37 The sons of Re‘u’el: Nachat, Zerach, Shamah and Mizah.
38 The sons of Se‘ir: Lotan, Shoval, Tziv‘on, ‘Anah, Dishon, Etzer and Dishan. 39 The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam; the sister of Lotan was Timna. 40 The sons of Shoval: ‘Alyan, Manachat, ‘Eival, Sh’fi and Onam. The sons of Tziv‘on: Ayah and ‘Anah. 41 The son of ‘Anah: Dishon. The sons of Dishon: Hamran, Eshban, Yitran and K’ran. 42 The sons of Etzer: Bilhan, Za‘avan and Ya‘akan. The sons of Dishan: ‘Utz and Aran.
43 Following are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the people of Isra’el: Bela the son of B‘or; the name of his city was Dinhavah. 44 After Bela died, Yovav the son of Zerach from Botzrah took his place as king. 45 After Yovav died, Husham from the land of the Temani took his place as king. 46 After Husham died, Hadad the son of B’dad, who attacked Midyan on the plains of Mo’av, took his place as king; the name of his city was ‘Avit. 47 After Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah took his place as king. 48 After Samlah died, Sha’ul from Rechovot-by-the-River took his place as king. 49 After Sha’ul died, Ba‘al-Hanan the son of ‘Akhbor took his place as king. 50 After Ba‘al-Hanan died, Hadad took his place as king; the name of his city was Pa‘i; his wife’s name was M’heitav’el the daughter of Matred the daughter of Mei-Zahav. 51 Then Hadad died.
The chieftains of Edom were: the chieftains of Timnah, ‘Alvah, Y’tet, 52 Oholivamah, Elah, Pinon, 53 Kenaz, Teman, Mivtzar, 54 Magdi’el and ‘Iram. These were the chieftains of Edom.
2:1 These are the sons of Isra’el: Re’uven, Shim‘on, Levi, Y’hudah, Yissakhar, Z’vulun, 2 Dan, Yosef, Binyamin, Naftali, Gad and Asher.
3 The sons of Y’hudah: ‘Er, Onan and Shelah; the mother of these three was Bat-Shua the Kena‘anit. ‘Er, Y’hudah’s firstborn, was wicked from Adonai’s perspective, so he killed him. 4 Tamar his daughter-in-law bore him Peretz and Zerach; thus Y’hudah had five sons altogether.
5 The sons of Peretz: Hetzron and Hamul. 6 The sons of Zerach: Zimri, Eitan, Heiman, Kalkol and Dara — five of them altogether. 7 The sons of Karmi: ‘Akhar [troubler], who troubled Isra’el by violating the rule concerning things set aside to be destroyed. 8 The son of Eitan: ‘Azaryah.
9 The sons born to Hetzron: Yerachme’el, Ram and K’luvai. 10 Ram fathered ‘Amminadav; ‘Amminadav fathered Nachshon prince of the descendants of Y’hudah; 11 Nachshon fathered Salma; Salma fathered Bo‘az; 12 Bo‘az fathered ‘Oved; ‘Oved fathered Yishai; 13 and Yishai fathered Eli’av his firstborn, Avinadav second, Shim‘a third, 14 N’tan’el fourth, Radai fifth, 15 Otzem sixth, David seventh, 16 and their sisters Tz’ruyah and Avigayil. The sons of Tz’ruyah: Avshai, Yo’av and ‘Asah’el, three of them. 17 Avigayil was the mother of ‘Amasa; the father of ‘Amasa was Yeter the Yishma‘eli.
18 Kalev the son of Hetzron fathered sons with ‘Azuvah his wife (and with Yeri‘ot); these were her sons: Yesher, Shovav and Ardon. 19 After ‘Azuvah died, Kalev married Efrat, who bore him Hur. 20 Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered B’tzal’el. 21 Afterwards, Hetzron had sexual relations with the daughter of Machir the father of Gil‘ad; he married her when he was sixty years old, and she bore him S’guv. 22 S’guv fathered Ya’ir, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gil‘ad. 23 (But G’shur and Aram took Havot-Ya’ir away from them, along with K’nat and its villages — sixty cities.) All these were descendants of Machir the father of Gil‘ad.
24 After Hetzron died in Kalev-Efratah, Aviyah Hetzron’s wife bore him Ash’chur the father of T’koa.
25 The sons of Yerachme’el Hetzron’s firstborn: Ram the firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Otzem and Achiyah. 26 Yerachme’el had another wife, whose name was ‘Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. 27 The sons of Ram the firstborn son of Yerachme’el: Ma‘atz, Yamin and ‘Eker. 28 The sons of Onam: Shamai and Yada. The sons of Shamai: Nadav and Avishur. 29 Avishur’s wife was named Avichayil, and she bore him Achban and Molid. 30 The sons of Nadav: Seled and Apayim. Seled died without having any children. 31 The son of Apayim: Yish‘i. The son of Yish‘i: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Achlai. 32 The sons of Yada the brother of Shamai: Yeter and Yonatan. Yeter died without having any children. 33 The sons of Yonatan: Pelet and Zaza. These were the descendants of Yerachme’el.
34 Sheshan had no sons, but daughters. Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Yarcha; 35 Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to Yarcha his servant, and she bore him ‘Atai. 36 ‘Atai fathered Natan, Natan fathered Zavad, 37 Zavad fathered Eflal, Eflal fathered ‘Oved, 38 ‘Oved fathered Yehu, Yehu fathered ‘Azaryah, 39 ‘Azaryah fathered Heletz, Heletz fathered El‘asah, 40 El‘asah fathered Sismai, Sismai fathered Shalum, 41 Shalum fathered Y’kamyah and Y’kamyah fathered Elishama.
42 The sons of Kalev the brother of Yerachme’el: Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Zif; and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hevron. 43 The sons of Hevron: Korach, Tapuach, Rekem and Shema. 44 Shema fathered Racham the father of Yorke‘am, and Rekem fathered Shamai. 45 The son of Shamai was Ma‘on, and Ma‘on was the father of Beit-Tzur. 46 ‘Eifah, Kalev’s concubine, bore Haran, Motza and Gazez; and Haran fathered Gazez. 47 The sons of Yahdai: Regem, Yotam, Geshan, Pelet, ‘Eifah and Sha‘af. 48 Ma‘akhah, Kalev’s concubine, bore Shever and Tirchanah. 49 [The wife of] Sha‘af the father of Madmanah bore Sh’va the father of Machbenah and the father of Giv‘a. The daughter of Kalev was ‘Akhsah. 50 These were the descendants of Kalev.
The sons of Hur the firstborn of Efratah: Shoval the father of Kiryat-Ye‘arim, 51 Salma the father of Beit-Lechem and Haref the father of Beit-Gader. 52 Shoval the father of Kiryat-Ye‘arim had sons: HaRo’eh and half of the [inhabitants of] M’nuchot. 53 The families of Kiryat-Ye‘arim: the Yitri, the Puti, the Shumati and the Mishra‘i; from them came the Tzor‘ati and the Eshta’uli. 54 The sons of Salma: Beit-Lechem, the N’tofati, ‘Atrot-Beit-Yo’av, half of the Manachati, the Tzor‘i, 55 the families of scribes that lived in Ya‘betz, the Tir‘atim, the Shim‘atim and the Sukhatim. These are the Kinim, who came from Hamat, father of the house of Rekhav.
3:1 These were the sons born to David in Hevron: the firstborn was Amnon, whose mother was Achino‘am from Yizre‘el; the second, Dani’el, whose mother was Avigayil from Karmel; 2 the third, Avshalom, the son of Ma‘akhah the daughter of Talmai king of G’shur; the fourth, Adoniyah the son of Haggit; 3 the fifth, Sh’fatyah, whose mother was Avital; and the sixth, Yitre‘am, whose mother was his wife ‘Eglah. 4 Six were born to David in Hevron. He ruled there seven years and six months; then he ruled in Yerushalayim thirty-three years.
5 These were born to him in Yerushalayim: Shim‘a, Shovav, Natan, Shlomo, four whose mother was Bat-Shua the daughter of ‘Ammi’el; 6 and nine others — Yivchar, Elishama, Elifelet, 7 Nogah, Nefeg, Yafia, 8 Elishama, Elyada and Elifelet. 9 All these were sons of David, apart from the sons of the concubines; Tamar was their sister.
10 Shlomo’s son was Rechav‘am, his son Aviyah, his son Asa, his son Y’hoshafat, 11 his son Yoram, his son Achazyah, his son Yo’ash, 12 his son Amatzyah, his son ‘Azaryah, his son Yotam, 13 his son Achaz, his son Hizkiyahu, his son M’nasheh, 14 his son Amon and his son Yoshiyahu. 15 The sons of Yoshiyahu: Yochanan the firstborn, Y’hoyakim the second, Tzedekyah the third, and Shalum the fourth. 16 The sons of Y’hoyakim: Y’khonyah his son, and Tzedekyah his son. 17 The sons of Y’khonyah, also called Asir: Sh’alti’el his son; 18 also Malkiram, P’dayah, Shen’atzar, Y’kamyah, Hoshama and N’davyah. 19 The sons of P’dayah: Z’rubavel and Shim‘i. The children of Z’rubavel: Meshulam, Hananyah and Shlomit their sister; 20 also Hashuvah, Ohel, Berekhyah, Hasadyah and Yushav-Hesed — five. 21 The sons of Hananyah: P’latyah and Yesha‘yah. His son was Refayah. His son was Arnan. His son was ‘Ovadyah. And his son was Sh’khanyah. 22 The sons of Sh’khanyah: Sh’ma‘yah and the sons of Sh’ma‘yah — Hatush, Yig’al, Bariach, Ne‘aryah and Shafat — six. 23 The sons of Ne‘aryah: Elyo‘einai, Hizkiyah and ‘Azrikam — three. 24 The sons of Elyo‘einai: Hodavyahu, Elyashiv, P’layah, ‘Akuv, Yochanan, D’layah and ‘Anani — seven.
1 Corinthians 6:1 How dare one of you with a complaint against another go to court before pagan judges and not before God’s people? 2 Don’t you know that God’s people are going to judge the universe? If you are going to judge the universe, are you incompetent to judge these minor matters? 3 Don’t you know that we will judge angels, not to mention affairs of everyday life? 4 So if you require judgments about matters of everyday life, why do you put them in front of men who have no standing in the Messianic Community? 5 I say, shame on you! Can it be that there isn’t one person among you wise enough to be able to settle a dispute between brothers? 6 Instead, a brother brings a lawsuit against another brother, and that before unbelievers!
7 Actually, if you are bringing lawsuits against each other, it is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves wrong and cheat; and you do it to your own brothers! 9 Don’t you know that unrighteous people will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don’t delude yourselves — people who engage in sex before marriage, who worship idols, who engage in sex after marriage with someone other than their spouse, who engage in active or passive homosexuality, 10 who steal, who are greedy, who get drunk, who assail people with contemptuous language, who rob — none of them will share in the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you used to do these things. But you have cleansed yourselves, you have been set apart for God, you have come to be counted righteous through the power of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and the Spirit of our God.
12 You say, “For me, everything is permitted”? Maybe, but not everything is helpful. “For me, everything is permitted”? Maybe, but as far as I am concerned, I am not going to let anything gain control over me. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”? Maybe, but God will put an end to both of them. Anyhow, the body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. 14 God raised up the Lord, and he will raise us up too by his power.
15 Don’t you know that your bodies are parts of the Messiah? So, am I to take parts of the Messiah and make them parts of a prostitute? Heaven forbid! 16 Don’t you know that a man who joins himself to a prostitute becomes physically one with her? For the Tanakh says, “The two will become one flesh”;[1 Corinthians 6:16 Genesis 2:24] 17 but the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit. 18 Run from sexual immorality! Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the fornicator sins against his own body. 19 Or don’t you know that your body is a temple for the Ruach HaKodesh who lives inside you, whom you received from God? The fact is, you don’t belong to yourselves; 20 for you were bought at a price. So use your bodies to glorify God.
____________________________
The Lutheran Hour660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1-800-876-9880
www.lhm.org
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