Wholehearted Living

Psalm 102:2–11

Commentary

The brevity of life

The psalmist is aware of how short life is: ‘For my days vanish like smoke’ (v.3a), ‘My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass’ (v.11). He has this sense that time is running out. Life on this earth is so short. Make the most of every day.

The psalmist is suffering. He cries out, ‘Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry of help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly’ (vv.1–2).

This is a striking example of wholehearted commitment to God even in the midst of distress. Choose to turn to God. Know that God is eternal (v.12) and that he can be trusted.

Prayer

1 Corinthians 15:1–22

Commentary

The certainty of resurrection

Paul tells us what was at the heart of his preaching, and why he followed Jesus so wholeheartedly: ‘The gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand’ (v.1). This is the gospel whereby you are saved (v.2); hold firmly to it.

1. The message

It is a very simple message, ‘that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures’ (vv.3–4).

His death had a great purpose. It was ‘for our sins’. The penalty for sin has been paid. The power of sin is broken. And one day, even the presence of sin will be removed.

You can be sure of this because of the resurrection. This is the certainty of your hope for the future.

Jesus died and was buried. One day, you will die and be buried. Jesus was raised from the dead. One day, you will also be raised from the dead to full and eternal life.

2. The evidence

The resurrection is a sign in this world of the future God has in store. Paul spoke of the future in light of what God had done: ‘He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead’ (Acts 17:31). Faith is not irrational. Faith is grounded on the event of the resurrection.

Paul gives some of the evidence for the resurrection:

• He highlights that Jesus was ‘buried’ and ‘raised according to the Scriptures’. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection were written about before he was born.
• He points to Christ’s appearances to Peter, to the twelve, to 500 others, to James, all the apostles, and finally, to Paul himself (1 Corinthians 15:6–8).

This is not an exhaustive list of the appearances – but enough to show it is well attested. He shows that the resurrection is rooted in history, grounded in Scripture and confirmed by experience.

3. The importance

The resurrection really matters. If there is no resurrection, the consequences are dire. The resurrection was the basis of Paul’s preaching. Without it ‘everything we’ve told you is smoke and mirrors… a string of barefaced lies’ (vv.14a–15, MSG). Since that was what they based their faith on, without the resurrection ‘your faith is futile’ and ‘you are still in your sins’ (v.17). There would be no hope for the future, ‘those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost’ (v.18). In fact, Paul concludes that without it Christianity is worse than nothing: ‘If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all people’ (v.19).

4. The result

‘But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries’ (v.20, MSG). Therefore, the resurrection is certain. One day all those who are ‘in Christ’ will be raised from the dead. Then death will be destroyed (v.26). ‘God’s rule is absolutely comprehensive – a perfect ending!’ (v.28, MSG).

Because the resurrection is certain, Paul writes, we endanger ourselves every hour (v.30): ‘I die every day’ (v.31). He is 100%, wholeheartedly fully committed to the Lord. He even fought wild beasts in Ephesus (v.32). He was willing to risk his life because of the certainty of the resurrection.

This is the reason why Paul urges us to ‘stop sinning’ (v.34). Satan’s tactics often start with unbelief. If he can make you doubt, then next he will tempt you to sin. In one sense, all sin stems from unbelief.

The message of Jesus, his death and resurrection, is good news. It is the gospel. You are to receive it and believe it. You are to take your stand on it. You are to hold it firmly. Like Paul, pass it on to others.

Prayer

2 Chronicles 16:7–9

Commentary

The eyes of the Lord

‘God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him’ (16:9, MSG).

Hanani the seer came to Asa, King of Judah, and said to him that he was in trouble because he had ceased to rely fully on the LORD (vv.7–9). ‘For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him’ (v.9).

God sees everything you do. He is looking for those whose ‘hearts’ are ‘fully committed’ to him. The ‘eyes of the LORD’ see into your heart. Are you living wholeheartedly for him?

Asa, who had done so well for most of his life, in the last years, ‘even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD but only from the physicians’ (v.12). There is nothing wrong with getting help from the medical profession. He is not criticised for seeking help from the physicians. He is criticised for not seeking help from the LORD.

His son, Jehoshaphat’s ‘heart was devoted to the ways of the LORD’ (17:6). Again, he started very well. ‘He didn’t fool around... he was a seeker and follower of the God of his father and was obedient to him... He was single-minded in following God; and he got rid of the local sex-and-religion shrines’ (vv.3–6, MSG).

He was tested by the fact that 400 prophets all had a ‘lying spirit’ (18:21). Only Micaiah, son of Imlah, had the courage to speak truth to power. The devil is a deceiver. In an age when there is no shortage of voices to hear, we need the discernment of God not to be fooled by deception but to listen carefully to those who, like Micaiah, say, ‘As sure as God lives, what God says, I’ll say’ (v.13, MSG).

Prayer