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And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

Genesis 11:6

The power of God to restrain people and evil is grace to all mankind. What a hopeless mess If the Babel-onians had been able to unify all of man under one anti-God kingdom! Fast-forward to Pentecost. The boundary of language is overcome by the power of the Holy Ghost, and by grace the restraint is lifted for the gospel’s sake.

Today we see an abundant increase of both good and evil with the overcoming of language barriers. The good for the glory of God’s sake: the poor can be helped, the sick tended to, the gospel declared. At the same time we watch the world seek to unite itself in opposition to the Creator and Redeemer.

What can we do about it? We can be salt and light in our little worlds, nothing more and nothing less. I saw a great quote on a marquis the other day:

Can’t feed a hundred people? Just feed one.

-C.R.

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Hebrews 11:4

I just want to zero in quickly on the phrase, “by it he being dead yet speaketh.”

Abel’s life was one that set up perfectly for in failure and irrelevance. He is the second-born son of the only family on earth who are essentially first-generation believers trying to figure out everything for the very first time. His elder brother does not love or want to serve God, and as Abel tries to do so he only creates friction with his brother. Things come to a head one day when Cain is so angry he murders Abel, ending a young life in tragedy.

There are people that have lived this type of life continuously since the entrance of sin. Broken home, broken relationships, life ended before its time. Yet Abel’s testimony of faith remains. His testimony of faith does not remain because of his own efforts or desires, but because of God’s, and God points to him as an example to be encouraged by.

How about you? Sometimes we feel very lonely and insignificant. We wonder what, if any, impact we are making for the Lord in the lives of others. There may be friction in our family, our work may seem so small, and our lives feel so brief. Yet, we must remember that it is God that works in us and through us, and his purposes are larger and deeper than ours, and one day we will find -hear me on this as I repeat it- we will find that our life did make a difference for the Lord Jesus Christ in ways we could not detect with earthy senses.

All glory to God! Live by faith today and one day, by God’s grace, we’ll see his full work in and through us.

C.R.

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Hebrews 2:9

Jesus, by the grace of God, tasted death for everybody. He tasted sorrow, suffering, pain and agony. He wept and groaned. His complete humanity and complete divinity made him a complete high priest for us. Suffering completed him for us.

I wonder if we’re not supposed to willingly submit to the same course. All who will live godly will suffer, the Bible teaches. We read of the fellowship of suffering. But I wonder if we forget that our suffering is not just to sanctify us, but also to sanctify others. I’m still chewing on the best way to express it, but it would seem that when we submit to sanctification by suffering, we are submitting to a “fire” that glorifies God, transforms us, and helps others. Our emphasis is often of the work of God in us and the transformation in us but what about the sanctifying work of God in others through his work in us?

The submitting to suffering for the help of others is probably unintentionally forgotten, but to be reminded of it encourages us to press on! The Captain of our salvation submitted to suffering for us, we ought also do the same for others. That is love perfected.

C.R.