EPIPHANY • 10

How do we respond when facing challenges in the work that God has given to us?

This week’s readings exhort us to consider how should we respond when we face challenges in the work that God has given to us.

reading for: 26 January

Luke 4:21-30

Responding in the midst of rejection

  • READ

Luke 4:21-30 follows after the gospel reading for last week where Jesus came to the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth and stood up to read a passage from Isaiah 61:1-2. He then declared that the passage that he read that day was fulfilled. What did Jesus declare that was fulfilled?

Luke 4:18-19

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Jesus was declaring that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him to proclaim the good news, to set free the captives and cause the blind to see again. Jesus was proclaiming that he was the messiah of Israel. He is the one in which all the blessings of God to Israel will find fulfilment. This was undoubtedly good news for the people who heard it.

How did his hearers respond to this good news that Jesus proclaimed was fulfilled? “And all spoke well of him and marvelled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” (V22) They spoke well of him and marvelled at the gracious words that he spoke initially. Ultimately, they doubted that he was the one that would bring this to pass because they still saw him as the son of Joseph.

When Jesus heard this rejection from the people of his hometown, how did he respond? Jesus responded that no prophet is acceptable in his hometown and how Elijah was in the midst of the famine only sent to a widow in Sidon and not other widows in Israel. Elisha likewise was only sent to cleanse Naman, the leper from Syria and not other lepers of Israel. (V23-27) These words on the surface, seem harsh and the hearers of Jesus responded with anger and wrath. Looking further at the response of Jesus, we can see however that Jesus was not harsh. Jesus exhorted them to believe him and the words that he spoke. Jesus responded to them not with anger but with a warning that they had to believe him and his words. When they wanted to drive him out of the town and throw him down a cliff, Jesus went away. (V28-30) Jesus did not respond by calling down fire from heaven, he did not fight back. Jesus went away to continue doing the work of his Father and proclaiming the good news to others.

  • REFLECT

    As we seek to do the assignment that God has given to us, there will be obstacles that we will have to face. Rejection is one of the obstacles that might befall us. Sometimes, others might misunderstand the good intentions that we have and not believe us or the good news we bring.

    Perhaps, we face rejection in some form now, how then do we respond to such rejection? Reflect on how Jesus responded and how we can respond to rejection as his servants. Jesus responded not with fighting back and with anger but with exhortation and warning, and then when his warning was not heeded, he left to preach the good news to others. Pray that we will respond to rejection not with quarrelling, anger and wrath but with love to warn others and even if our warning is not heeded to continue to do God’s work.

reading for: 27 January

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Remembering the call that God has given

  • READ

    Jeremiah was a prophet called by God to preach to the nations. Today we are looking at the call of Jeremiah by God. What words did God use to call Jeremiah to be a prophet?

    God first declared that God knew Jeremiah before birth and how Jeremiah was consecrated to be a prophet from before birth. (V4-5) When Jeremiah expressed doubt that he did not know how to speak for he was young. (V6) God reassured him that he was not to doubt himself as a youth but that he was to go and do the work that God has given him to do for God is with him. (V7-8) The Lord then touched his mouth and placed his words in his mouth. These words were not mere words but words that had authority over nations and kingdoms. (V9-10)

    Prophets in Israel and the words they spoke were not always popular, and they sometimes they had to prophesise judgment to various kings. Like many of the other prophets, Jeremiah faced many challenges and obstacles as he sought to obey God and do the work that he had given them to do. Jeremiah remembered and remained faithful to the call that God had given him and did not waver. Jeremiah ran the race and completed the assignment that God had given to him.

  • REFLECT

    Like Jeremiah, we are known and loved by God. God has a plan and call for each of us this year. Let us continue to discover and hear from God what is his plan for us this year. Let us seek him and come to him and let his words speak to us about his will for us this year.

    As we seek to do his work in the workplace, we will face obstacles of various kinds. Let us continually remember the call God has given to us and not lose heart as we face these obstacles. Let us run the race that God has given to us and seek to bring him praise in the midst of the challenges and obstacles we face.

reading for: 28 January

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Responding with love

  • READ

    1 Corinthians 13 is a famous passage in the modern world today. 1 Corinthians 13 comes after 1 Corinthians 12, which speaks about how we are part of one body of Christ operating with different spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 14, which is the passage after 1 Corinthians 13, again speaks about spiritual gifts but focuses on the gifts of prophecy and tongues. Therefore, 1 Corinthians 13 is not just a general description of what love is. This chapter tells us that love is the fuel that enables the proper operation of the spiritual gifts in the body of Christ.

    Paul starts the chapter by listing out some of the gifts he previously spoke about, such as tongues, prophecy, knowledge and understanding, faith, and how they are useless without love. (V1-3) Paul points out that these gifts though they should be desired are nothing without love. 1 Corinthians 14:1 makes precisely the same point that we are to pursue love and then earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are nothing without the context of love.

    Paul then continues the chapter by helping his readers understand what love truly is. (V4-8a)

    1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

    “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

    Paul then continues to talk about spiritual gifts and how they will pass away. (V8b -12) These gifts are not as important as love and will pass away. Only faith, hope and love will not pass away and the greatest of them all is love. (V13)

    Paul was operating in the assignment that God had given to him. He also wanted his hearers to operate in the assignment that God has given to them with the gifts of the Spirit. He knew that his hearers would face obstacles as they sought to honour God in the work that he has given to them. As they faced obstacles in running the race set out for them, Paul wanted his hearers to pursue love. He wanted them to respond not with anger and wrath but with patience and kindness towards others.

  • REFLECT

    The Apostle Paul addressed the problems that divided the Corinthian church family (described in chap 10, 11, 12) by presenting Love (chap 13) as the foundation for his solutions for Spirit-led believers (found in chap 13, 14 & 15). Consider how this CNY during your reunion dinner and CNY visitations, Spirit-led love can make you an instrument of love that brings hearts together in your family and among friends.

reading for: 29 January

Psalm 71:1-6

Looking to the Lord

  • READ

    Psalm 71:1-6 is a psalm in which the psalmist looks to God and takes refuge in God when he faces challenges in his life. He does not look at his own strength and seek to accomplish God’s will on his own, but he is a person that looks to God and takes refuge in him. (V1)

    The psalmist asks that the Lord’s righteousness will deliver him and that the Lord will incline his ear towards the psalmist. (V2) He sees the Lord as a rock of refuge to him that he can continually come to the Lord and that the Lord will rescue him from the hands of the wicked and evil. (V3-4)

    This confidence and trust in the Lord for deliverance was not a deliverance that he had only in the moment of trouble but a constant and continual dependence on the Lord as he speaks of the Lord as his hope and trust from his youth. In fact, he leans on the Lord from before his birth. (V5-6)

  • REFLECT

    Reflect on whether the Lord is our hope and trust, or do we trust in our own strength to complete the assignment he gave us. Let us remember that the assignment is given by him and that we are to complete it depending on him and relying on his Spirit for strength.

    Ask the Lord for forgiveness where we have failed to lean on him, and our failure in hoping and trusting in him. Pray also that as we seek to walk in his assignment in 2022 that we will continually depend on him, and trust and hope in him.

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