Author: Victor Scott

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, husband, father, and author. I am an avid Cubs fan and a lover of Chicago-style Deep Dish pizza.

Lent 2022 | 6th Sunday in Lent: Entrance

On each of the Sundays of Lent, we have been looking at God’s grace. Trying to better understand this precious gift that God has bestowed upon us. Today we transition to the beginning of Holy Week. In this, the final week of Jesus’s earthly sojourn, we prepare to remember and experience the fullness of the Gospel’s promise for eternal life.

The Sunday before Easter is known as Palm Sunday. It is a Sunday that marks Jesus’s final entrance into the city of Jerusalem. During that time many of the inhabitants of the city and some of those who had gathered for the Passover celebration greeted Jesus. They threw palms at his feet and cried out hosanna. They believed that he would usher in a new earthly reign governed by God’s chosen ruler. What the people failed to understand was that God’s plan would not look like they desired.

The contrast between Jesus’s entrance on Palm Sunday and what happened at the end of the week is quite remarkable. But we will look at that in a few days time.

What is the focus of our consideration today is that often times we make assumptions about how God will work in our lives and in our midst. These are assumptions grounded in our own desires rather than God’s wisdom. The circumstances of life can cause us to cry out to God for relief and in the process blinds us to the reality that God’s character will not change. For some, this may be a point of discouragement. But for me, I find it reassuring, that God will maintain his integrity in order to remain faithful to his character.

These are important ideas as we look at Jesus’s entrance. The people had made up their minds regarding what they wanted to see Jesus do. But God was not swayed by what can only be described as a shortsighted understanding of what was needed. The temporary reign of an earthly king does not compare to the eternal victory of the Son of God. So while Jesus entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday in a far more humble posture than would be expected of a king, his purpose would not be thwarted by the misconceptions of those who received him.

I think one of the important lessons we can take away from Palm Sunday is recognizing how God will accomplish his purposes in the world. And even more vital to our faith is understanding how God will accomplish his will in our lives. That God can hold these realities without causing contradiction or catastrophic collapse of his plan is so mind-scramblingly astounding I cannot articulate it properly.

So as we enter into this Holy Week, I encourage you to remember we can trust in God’s goodness to accomplish his perfect will. We may not always understand how he will do it. We can simply know that he will. God has never failed to accomplish that which he has promised. And I do not believe that he will begin now.

Lent 2022 | Day 34: Life

Often times comes when life is lost. It is only when contrasted against death that the precious nature of life becomes easier to see.

Any discussion about life requires a greater appreciation for what it is. The insight required to make this assessment often times comes when life is lost. It is only when contrasted against death that the precious nature of life becomes easier to see.

According to Christian teaching, putting our faith in the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross produces an effect in our experience of life. We come to realize how sin has fractured our relationship with God and distorted our understanding of self. In the sacrifice of the son of God on the cross of Calvary we see how seriously God saw our sin. And in this clarifying understanding we can make sense of why the life we now have in Jesus is to be cherished and valued.

It can be difficult to understand the method God use to provide for our salvation. Everything involved in saving those who are separated from God and lost in their sin would require countless lifetimes to fully grasp. And yet it is possible to see, from an experiential point of view, that death is the end of something that cannot be undone. This is why those of us who trust in Christ lean so intentionally into the promise that our salvation has neutralized the damning effects of sin.

We may still have to endure the process of transitioning from this life to a new life but we have reason to hope that what awaits us is truly there. The totality of the Christian experience hinges on Jesus’s fulfillment of his word to prepare a place for us (John 14:1-3). And so we wait until the time when we transition or Jesus returns.

Life is a precious gift. And it is one we should never take for granted. Even when the journey gets hard and the obstacles seem to be unending we can choose to look forward and hope. And it is a choice we have to make. It can be hard. And sometimes it may feel impossible. But in moments like that I am reminded of God’s gracious gift both in the life I now have an in the new life Christ has given to me.

As we enter the final week of Lent, let us look with both anticipation and joy that God has provided a way for us. I think it’s important to remember that this way is shared by all who put their hope and trust in Jesus. And so as we travel this road we do not have to travel alone. I encourage you to take heart in that.

Lent 2022 | Day 33: Grief

For those who have experienced the unyielding reality of loss, grief can follow you around and make its appearance at unexpected times. There are many reasons why people experience grief. The most common is the loss of a loved one. But the reality of trauma from other events or circumstances can also produce the deep sense of loss often described as grief.

In the course of the last 20 years of ministry, I have had the opportunity to walk with many through a season of grief in life. But even describing it as a season does not accurately convey the impact on a person’s life. Grief is not like the mending of a bone after it has been broken. Grief winds its way through a person’s life taking turns that are often unexpected. This is why I have come to understand that every person grieves in unique ways.

Regardless of the circumstances that lead to a person experiencing grief, one of the worst things to say to someone is that it’s time to move on. The assumptions contained in that statement are not only callous but many times are premature. Grief does not progress along with any predictable patterns.

How much time should it take to replace what has been lost? Only the person who is enduring the process of grieving can determine that timeline. This is what makes grief so difficult to address as someone seeking to support a person in grief. And it is also one of the challenges when we are the ones in the midst of that struggle.

We feel the tension between trying to get “back to normal” and knowing we may not be ready to do it. But the often unspoken reality is that the very notion of normal has changed. There is an emptiness now present in our lives. And in the process of learning to live with it is not easy. If we’re honest, many times it is near impossible to do, at least without some support.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I do not know how those who do not have a relationship with God endure times of grief. There are so many questions that come in those moments of solitude and reflection. So many thoughts that we find difficult to restrain. And without the promise of future hope and future justice, I struggle to imagine how to look forward to a new day. The reason to describe grief in such stark terms is not to increase the burden, but to describe it as honestly and sincerely as we can.

I believe there are two fundamental reasons why grief is often misunderstood by those on the outside looking in. First, when we see someone else in grief we are challenged to consider how we would respond. And for those of us who have suffered a loss the reminder of what was endured can be difficult. Remembering what that journey looks like can bring back to mind some of the difficulties and heartache we have had to manage. And there are many who simply do not want to deal with that ongoing presence in their life. This is not a judgmental statement. It is not a criticism. It is just an acknowledgment of the human experience.

Second, for most of us, knowing what to do or what to say can be challenging. I think it’s important to acknowledge that when there is loss there is nothing that can be said, particularly in those initial moments, that can bring the kind of comfort we would hope to offer. Our words cannot feel the full impact of the event that created the hole a person now feels. And so oftentimes we end up saying things, that though they are well-intentioned, do not help.

In this season of Lent, we recognize that God has done something for us we could not do for ourselves, or even for each other. God has entered into and has become like us to show us we are not alone. While there is a time for words of comfort, the primary ministry we can offer one another in times of grief is that of presence. To be with one another in and through the journey of grief has a healing effect upon our hearts that cannot be fully quantified. And we see this in the life of Jesus. Jesus enters into the mire and the muck of human frailty and he teaches us and he loves on us and he mourns with us by being near to us. This is one of the great mysteries of Jesus’s mission on the earth. And it is one we celebrate as we travel through the season of Lent in preparation for the celebration of Easter morning.

Lent 2022 | Day 32: Rebirth

One of the most challenging exchanges Jesus had was with one of the religious leaders of the Jewish people. The story is found in John chapter 3. A Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus came to Jesus because he had questions about what Jesus was teaching. As a learned man, Nicodemus was well-versed in much of the philosophical and theological knowledge of his day. But there was something about the way Jesus taught that caused him to come late one evening to find answers.

Nicodemus begins his conversation with Jesus by acknowledging that what Jesus was doing both in his teaching and in the performing of miracles marked him as someone having been sent from God. But this is not enough for Nicodemus. Part of the reason for Nicodemus’s struggle was that what he saw in Jesus seemed to be in conflict with what he had learned through his many years of study.

In this passage, Jesus tells Nicodemus that in order for anyone to enter into the kingdom of heaven they must be born again. Another way of saying that is they must experience a rebirth. And this was where Nicodemus began to struggle. Let’s take a look at what Nicodemus asked Jesus that night.

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

John 3:4 ESV

Jesus immediately identifies the problem with the question. Jesus did not consider the question to be asked with an ulterior motive. Jesus realized that for Nicodemus the connection between the physical life he was living and the spiritual reality Nicodemus was being invited into was difficult for him to understand. Therefore, Jesus makes a connection for Nicodemus, and for us. In the same way that we all must experience a physical birth in order to enter into this world, we must also experience a spiritual birth in order to enter into a spiritual kingdom.

The challenge we face is recognizing that the way one is born into the world and the way one is born into God’s spiritual kingdom is not achieved by the same means. And while it may seem apparent to some how this is the case, the reality is it is much more difficult to fully understand and appreciate. I think this is why the apostle John records the story. For if a man as educated and informed as Nicodemus struggled to understand this connection, we should not feel like there is something wrong with us when we also struggle to make the connection as well.

So how do we respond to this situation we find in John chapter 3? We must accept what Jesus said to Nicodemus for ourselves. We must realize that what Jesus is calling us to is a new commitment to living according to the spiritual realities he initiated through his ministry while on earth.

When we try to understand the peculiar and particular mechanics of salvation we have entered into the realm of trying to know what only God knows. But if we trust in what Jesus has said about how we become children of God, we do not have to understand how God accomplishes it. We can find comfort in the fact THAT God accomplishes it.

One of the important purposes of commemorating the season of Lent every year is precisely to remember that God has called us to a new kind of life. This new life began when we gave ourselves — mind, body, and soul — to Jesus when we believe the gospel. And now that we have been born again we must learn to live out the principles and characteristics of God as taught to us by Jesus.

As we continue our March toward Easter morning I pray we will learn to accept our rebirth in Christ. And also that we might celebrate the gift that it is for our good.

Lent 2022 | Day 31: Weary

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30 KJV

We don’t use the word weary very much in our culture today. But it is slightly different than just being tired. Being tired is what we describe feeling after physical exertion. This is the result of a long day of work or chores. The primary focus of being tired is the physical. We end up with sore muscles, inflamed joints, or just a general sense of fatigue. But this is not what it means to be weary.

We talk about being weary when we are going to a much deeper place and how the activity that we are performing affects us. When we are weary the effect on our emotions and our sense of purpose is what is deeply affected.

The causes or reasons for weariness are as varied as the people we encounter on life’s road. Whether it be a marriage that is being stressed by the circumstances of life or the toll of looking after an elderly parent. Or just the ongoing drudgery of enduring a job that you no longer find fulfilling, all these can be sources of weariness.

In the midst of the daily rhythms and routines of life, we find God breaching the feeling that we have with his presence. We see this most intently in Jesus’s birth. God becomes a man and enters into the human experience. He lives among a broken people, worn and tattered by the ravages of sin, and doing all they can to make it through another day. While we have the advantages of technology and quick access to information this does not change that the human experience in striving to meet fundamental needs has remained essentially the same.

How do we know that this human experience is more regular than we may typically consider being true? I think it’s seen in the stories that are passed on from one generation to the next. We can see it in the parables, fables, in moral tales that can be found in every culture and civilization that is lived on the planet.

The fact that we can still learn the principles and concepts contained within the stories today is a testament to a general commonality experienced by all humanity. Even separated by time and cultural understandings we can learn from others through these principles.

This is why when we talk about weariness we can know that it is not a new phenomenon in the human condition. It is actually quite common. But that is not the way we experience it. That is not the way we describe it when and if we share it with someone else. When we are in the midst of a season of weariness it can be one of the most isolating times of our life. And again, this is quite normal.

So what do we do? How do we deal with these times of weariness?

The short answer is that we must not do it alone. The temptation and tendency to cordon off those who would have an interest in helping is one we have to fight against. The example of Christ contained in the verses at the beginning of this post is quite instructive. Jesus enters into the human experience and offers to journey with us through it all. This is the example we should model. This is the mindset that we should adopt.

We all at one point to another will find ourselves feeling weary, burdened down by the weight of life. But when that moment comes we do not have to go through it by ourselves. We must learn to practice asking for help. It is not always easy. But it will always be worth the effort when we can find someone who is willing to enter into our weariness and help us to get to the other side of it.

Lent 2022 | Day 30: Forgiveness

Of the many character qualities we as Christians should cultivate, forgiveness may be one of the more difficult ones. Forgiveness is the act we perform toward another when we have been wronged. But when we are the victim of injustice it is difficult for us to let go of the desire for vengeance.

This desire is natural and one could say expected. The problem with our desire for vengeance, as it relates to forgiveness, is that it inhibits our ability to extend to others what God has extended to us. When we forget what we have received it becomes difficult to give that to someone else.

We in the church have oftentimes called people to forgive before they are ready to truly do so. This means the pain that was experienced because of what was suffered has not properly healed. It also means we have misunderstood a key aspect of what forgiveness is supposed to do.

The purpose of forgiveness is to release ourselves from the bondage of playing God in someone else’s life for what they did in ours. But it is difficult to see how this can be done and not feel as if the person whom we are forgiving is getting off scot-free.

A phrase that has often been used to describe forgiveness, and I believe incorrectly so, is the idea of “forgive and forget”. Now, I would like to say from the start that it is true God says that he casts our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). The God who is infinite in knowledge is able to “forget” our sins. The problem with trying to apply that ability to those of us who are still living in and managing the effects of this sinful world are too many to describe here.

What I would like to do is to show that forgiveness according to Scripture is not trying to forget what has happened. Rather forgiveness is the releasing of our desire to be the judge against the person who has wronged us. Why do I make this distinction? I do so because throughout Scripture we are reminded that God is the judge of all the earth. That God is the one who will make every injustice right. What many of us are upset about is the fact that God is not operating our timeline. We feel the weight of the injustice and therefore desire an immediate response to it. But this is not biblical forgiveness.

Bishop Luis L. Scott, the pastor of Ambassadors of Christ Fellowship, provides a helpful summary of the doctrine of forgiveness as articulated in Scripture. Forgive and forget is only possible by God. But we can mirror to the best of our abilities the kind of forgiveness that a broken and fallen person can perform by working to apply the following phrase: “forgive and forgo”.

What this phrase reminds us of is that forgiveness is the foregoing of what we believe is a just repayment for the injustice we have suffered. By foregoing our need to see the penalty of injustice meted out in our presence we are entrusting to God what only he can do and still be just — and that is to be a just judge against sin.

As we continue our steady march toward Easter morning is important for us to recognize that the kind of forgiveness we have experienced in Christ should be shared with others. This is not always easy. But it’s always required of us to try. It may take longer or shorter than we may be prepared to do. But the goal is not to get to the point where we can forgive and forgo on someone else’s timetable. The goal is to be able to forgive and forgo in such a way that we embody the fullness of God’s grace and mercy as we have experienced it. That way when others experience forgiveness they might see how much greater and more perfect God’s forgiveness is toward us all.

Lent 2022 | Day 29: Charity

In our modern translations of the Bible one word has been modernized that can leave us with, what I believe, is an incomplete impression of its meaning. That word is love. The depth of meaning of this word in English can be difficult to describe. And understanding how we should understand this word’s usage when we find it in the Scriptures can create some unhelpful confusion.

We have all heard that in Greek the word love can be represented by several Greek words. We will not rehearse that here. However, it is worth noting that in older versions of English translations the word love was very often translated as charity. The meaning of the word charity has shifted in the centuries since it was first used as the translation for the Greek word agape. And in the transition, I believe that we have lost an important aspect of what God’s love looks like towards us.

In common usage today the word charity describes the act of one person towards another where the first person is offering benevolence towards the second. The idea is that the person extending charity is giving to the other person something that is not within their power to attain. This is often seen in the form of giving food or shelter or money to those in poverty. But there are other forms of charity many of which you may already practice.

The question I think we should consider is why do we not want to see God’s love toward us with this in mind? In what way or for what reason should we not see God’s grace as a form of charity toward us?

We are incapable of accepting this, I believe, because of our sin. The separation our sin causes in our re-establishing our relationship with God can make us feel worse when God what’s to show his love toward us. But God, who is love, has reached down from heaven in the person of Jesus Christ and has made a way for us to reconnect with him. This demonstration of love is in its truest form an act of charity. Where God is extending to us what we could never acquire for ourselves.

There is no reason to feel that this diminishes us in any way. Just because someone receives charity it is not an attack on the inherent dignity they possess. But it could be easy to see why some would be concerned with this understanding. We should do all we can to remember that love is the act of one performed for the benefit of another. The way that that love is expressed is dependent on the circumstances in which the recipient finds themselves.

When we fully understand the state in which we find ourselves because of sin we should adopt a posture of humility. To reject God’s love because God recognizes we can do nothing without him is a form of pride. And it is one that should be rejected.

God’s love toward us is something we can never earn, and in a very real sense, do not deserve. This is not a statement designed to make us feel bad. It is a statement designed to help us gain the perspective we need to approach God and receive from God in humility and sincerity.

As we continue our journey towards Easter morning, I pray we will not be distracted by the circumstances of life that would keep us from receiving God’s love. The fact that God, who does not need to earn our approval, has chosen to extend his love toward us should inspire us to seek him more intently. God’s love, properly defined, is charity toward us. For God who knows all things, who sees all things, and who has all power has chosen to extend toward us his infinite charity.

This is a reason to rejoice and worship God. Let us do that without reservation today and every day of our lives to come.

Lent 2022 | 5th Sunday in Lent: Celebrate!

Every Sunday in Lent is a time of celebration. And in our journey through this season of Lent, we have been focusing our attention on God’s grace. Today we celebrate the volume of God’s grace. By volume, I mean the sheer amount of it as God has given it to us.

Several weeks ago while serving on a spiritual retreat for youth, I was reminded of the fact that God has withheld none of his grace from us. We may experience God’s grace in different ways because of where we are on our journey with God. It could be a result of our immaturity or lack of discernment keeping us from fully appreciating God’s grace. But God is not stingy with us regarding his grace.

I’m always surprised by the way many people think of God’s grace. God has never withheld from his people anything he has promised. This may seem odd to think about but it is no less true. In particular, when God gave his grace withheld none of it from us. What makes this statement difficult for many is that we do not always feel it or even know how God’s grace is at work in our lives. That topic alone would take far longer than we have room for in this devotional. But I would like to offer a thought as to why we should reconsider any thought that leads us to think God has kept back any of his grace from us.

When I think about God’s grace the first place I look to understand the nature, scope, and volume of it is at the cross of Calvary. On the cross we see the wrath of God poured out upon Jesus for the redemption of the whole world. In that encounter and through Jesus’s death a great exchange takes place. The wrath of God is satisfied by the sacrifice of the Son and the righteousness of Christ is extended to all who surrender in trust and faith to him. It is in this exchange of wrath for righteousness that God’s grace is manifested.

Jesus’s sacrifice is not only offered once but it is offered completely. Never to be repeated because it was perfectly satisfying the requirements of redemption. It is in these particular and unique qualities of that moment that we must assess the volume of God’s grace. In light of Jesus’s sacrifice, as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, we must consider God’s grace as being at least equally as effective as Jesus’s sacrifice. To think any less is to make a mockery of the entire thing.

We can rejoice in God’s grace because there is no sin that escaped Christ’s offering of his life. That means that regardless of where we find ourselves on life’s road God’s grace is there waiting for us. Because Jesus’s sacrifice can never again be repeated God’s grace will forever be available to all who trust in his Son.

What a glorious thing to consider, that God’s grace can never run out for Christ’s sacrifice can never be diminished. These two realities exist in a perfect relationship and in perfect proportion to each other. And it’s not until we understand this and accept it that we will find clarity and peace about the volume of God’s grace.

Let us rejoice today in the volume of God’s grace. It is immeasurable. It is indescribable. It is undefeatable. And it is every beautiful superlative we could ascribe to it. Thanks be to God!

“Faithful Now” – Vertical Worship

Lyrics:
I am holding on to faith
Cause I know you’ll make a way
I don’t always understand, I don’t always get to see
But I will believe it, I will believe it

You make mountains move
You make giants fall
You use songs of praise
To shake prison walls
I will speak to my fear, I will preach to my doubt
You were faithful then, you’ll be faithful now

I am standing on your word
Calling heaven down earth
You will fight enemies this will end in victory
I will believe it, I will believe it

I know that I know
You never fail
I know that I know
You never will

Exit mobile version
%%footer%%