We both are the Lord’s and, as such, should live to the glory of Christ. Once again, notice how Paul makes his emphasis on both groups. The strong and the weak both live under Christ and are responsible to Christ. Regardless then of which category you belong, you are responsible for your own decisions before God as an in-Christ person living under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

To say that we need to demonstrate grace toward those around us seems like a gross understatement. The world around us desperately needs grace extended to them. They need to know about God’s grace, God’s refuge, and God’s love. Further, the church needs it in equal measure. At times, Christians are no more kinder, no more thoughtful, or no more compassionate than many in the world. However, there should be no greater grace extended toward each other than in both the family of God and the biological family unit. These two places should exude the grace of God from each other to each other. Instead, what we sometimes find is judgement, impatience, and insensitivity. Yet if we hope to do this God’s way, we need to manifest outward grace with inward humility; these two provide a great combination of experiencing God’s grace in your life and passing it on to others as well.
Here is where we begin:
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions (Romans 14:1).
Welcome the Weak, but do not Quarrel over Opinions
The idea of welcoming the weak is our key to grace. If you happen to be the strong, then you welcome – or show grace toward – the weak. The Apostle Paul is very clear here. Will the weaker person have the maturity of the strong? No. In absence of the spiritual maturity of the strong, the temptation for the stronger person will be twofold. First, there is potential for the strong to judge the weak. Second, in hope of helping the weaker person, the strong will desire to share opinions with the weak. The Apostle Paul continues.
Here are Two Early Church Examples: Food and Holy Days
The Apostle provides us two different examples. However, upon further examination, we see that although the examples are different, the principles are the same. Notice how they parallel each other.
The Subject of Division: Food (vv. 2-4) and Holy Days (vv. 5-6)
Food: One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
Holy Days: One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. 
The Principle: Pay attention to your own heart before God, not the other person’s
Food: Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats,…
Holy Days: Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
The Motivation: The issue is a matter between the person and God
Food: …for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master[a] that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Holy Days: The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
In today’s culture, there are many more than just the two examples that Paul mentions. Today, one could add various forms of entertainment, tattoos, alcohol, tobacco, music, dress, sports, politics, and more. These principles apply in all of these areas as well.
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Paul boasted in his infirmities so that the power of Christ would rest upon him. In other words, he had perspective on life’s greatest hardships. He was strong with Christ’s help and for Christ’s sake. Paul accepted, eventually even welcomed, his weaknesses because he knew that God used his weaknesses to make him strong for Jesus. 

In 2 Corinthians, Paul makes a defense of his ministry against those in the church who were criticizing him. These critics were hurting the church of Corinth. Paul writes to them his fourth letter to the church, both defending himself and encouraging them to remain faithful in their walk with Jesus Christ. In this paragraph, Paul explains how God works in life to help him change and provides grace in weakness.
Notice Paul’s Resolve
Paul boasts in his weakness and not as a fool (vv. 1-6). He only boasts because he is responding to his critics (v. 1). He explains this incredible experience from fourteen years earlier where he either went to heaven or received a vision of it from God; although spectacular, Paul determined his experience is not worth discussing (vv. 2-4). Paul uses the third person to refer to himself. The vision is so spectacular, he cannot even describe the incredible nature of it. In fact, he is not allowed to tell all the spectacular things that he experienced – and that God has in store for us too. An absolutely incredible experience – possibly one of the greatest since Pentecost – and Paul does not boast in it. Instead, Paul will only boast in his infirmities (vv. 5-6).
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Your body may place much pressure upon your heart which makes it difficult to remain faithful to Jesus Christ; however, your body cannot make you unfaithful. Essentially, your heart responds to the influence or pressure from your body either for the glory of God or not. As such, your body does not have functional control over your heart; instead, it simply reflects the desires of the heart.

When I was in school, David Powlison taught us when considering any principle to not start with the exceptions or the hard case, but instead, start with what is normal or common. In light of today’s question, this is a great reminder. Is it possible that your body can make you sin? Can your body force you to sin? What biblical principles help answer this question? This week I have been with some friends who have been discussing this. Before the discussion, I wrote this piece. Now, I am publishing it. 🙂 My answer really didn’t change as a result – for which I am glad.
1. Your Body is Separate from Your Soul.
The Bible talks in a number of texts about the separation of the body and the soul. Sometimes, we refer to this division of body and soul under the terms outer man and inner man as well as material and immaterial. Further, we sometimes refer to this as embodied souls – a unified person of body and soul made in the image of God, yet the body and soul both refer to different aspects of being human. The following texts help establish this reality.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:6)
Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,And the spirit will return to God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)
2. The Desires in Your Heart Determine What You Do.
Jesus and James clearly and specifically teach that the desires in your heart determine what you do. Let’s begin with Jesus:
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:33-37)
Jesus teaches that the heart has operational control of the individual.
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God’s grace is sufficient in your weakness – whatever that is – today as well. If you are physically weak, spiritually weak, emotionally weak, or mentally weak, in any case, God promises to provide you the strength in your weakness today and this week. What an incredible gift from God!

Do you ever feel a bit overwhelmed? To be sure, all of us can feel overwhelmed sometimes. Pressures in life, unpleasant relationships, and busy schedules produce the environment that could encourage being overwhelmed. It has for me at times. In addition to the normal things that happen to us and around us, we also have our own weaknesses. For some of us our weaknesses may be physical, others mental, others intellectual, others social, and others spiritual. Weaknesses are common to man and abound greatly in some. As I have aged, I possess weaknesses now that may have been hidden with youth or have cropped up over time. God provides us good news though – God’s grace is sufficient in your weakness.
Do You Remember What God Told the Apostle Paul?
Immediately after discussing some powerful revelations to himself from God, Paul makes the following acknowledgement:
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
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Your sin cannot separate you from the grace of God or the love of God (Rom 8:38-39). I love this one! Your sin cannot outpace the love and grace of God for you in Christ. So, should we be sinning? No. But, when we do, we can have the greatest confidence in the grace brought to us in Christ, motivated by His love.

In a fallen world, aren’t you grateful for God’s grace. We need it. With pressures from outside of us and pressures inside of us, we need the steadying, active, enabling grace of God in our lives. The good news is that, in fact, God does provide grace and mercy for us. Mercy means God does not give us what we deserve; instead, God provides us grace, which means He gives us much better than we deserve. God’s grace is grace for you and enables you to live as God intends for you to live. God’s grace is grace unto change. Here’s the scoop regarding the grace God provides for daily living.
The Promises of Grace
When we look through the Scriptures, God makes several promises related to the grace He provides us through Christ. In the moment of salvation, God immediately makes all this grace available to the new person in Christ (cf., 2 Pet 1:2-4). The grace of God rests in the exceedingly great and precious promises provided by our union with Christ. So, what are they?

God began a good work in you at salvation and continues that work every day you live on earth. The work itself completes only after you get to heaven or Jesus comes back. What incredible news and grace! You sin cannot ruin the grace of God included in His plan for you. What God begins – which includes your salvation, God finishes – which includes your glorification someday when you arrive in heaven. Those that are saved are described as God’s creative masterpiece, in whom God continually works. Here is the good news: God continually works in you as a matter of His character, His love, and His commitment to you. Furthermore, your sin cannot circumvent God’s plan or grace.

God’s Grace/Mercy is New Every Morning (LAM 3:22-24).

This truth and these two verses in Lamentations repeatedly rank as some of the most cherished verses in the Bible. Every single morning, God extends His mercies fresh to you. Regardless of what you did yesterday, how you responded to your circumstances, or whatever it was that you pursued, you did not burn out God’s compassion. Instead, His compassion, mercy, and grace are renewed. One of my favorite ways to consider this kind of grace/mercy that is available daily to us is through the story of manna and the children of Israel. Every day, regardless of what God’s children had done the day before, God provided fresh manna in the wilderness. Not so much that they had more than a day’s provision; instead, God provided just enough manna for that particular day. Resting on the new day’s dew, God provided manna fresh every single morning. God provides grace for us, resting on His good character and promise through the Spirit, fresh every single morning.

Although grace is not specifically mentioned in this verse, I love to have people memorize the simple statement along with this verse, “God’s grace is up to the challenge.”
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When counselees or others confess to following Jesus, loving Jesus, and desiring to honor Jesus, they are saying oftentimes that Jesus is welcome into their lives. He is a great guest, a great friend to have around, and a great companion. However, is He allowed to make the same person’s life His dwelling? Now, that’s a different issue.

When I talk to people, many individuals confess to following Jesus, loving Jesus, and desiring to honor Jesus. At the same time, many of those same people willingly follow Jesus in every area of living except one or two specific areas. Sometimes, these places are apparent; sometimes not so much so. For instance, I have had counselees tell me, “I am willing to follow Jesus, but I can’t forgive this person.” Or, “I love God, but I think He understands that I need to be happy.” Maybe you get the idea. There are one or two places in life where the Christ-follower is simply not willing to trust or obey God in that one particular place. My question this morning to you and me alike, What is your “one thing”?
The “One Thing” Can Have Many Looks and Many Voices.
It is easy to justify ourselves, isn’t it? Maybe your thinking sounds something like this: “I think God understands. God knows my weakness. He understands.”
Or, possibly your thinking falls along these lines, “I need to do this in order to help my family. My responsibility is to them and if I do what I think God may want me to do, and it does not turn out well, what am I supposed to do then?”
Another couple of statements I’ve heard, “You just don’t understand how angry I am.”
“I know he/she wants me to do this and it would really make them happy or encourage them, but I am not willing.”
“If I try to do what honors the Lord in this moment, then he/she is just going to go back to the way he/she used to be. I can’t let that happen.”
Do you recognize any of those statements as something similar to what you think or say?
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Text Messages and Personal Notes. Within a few hours of our day beginning, we started receiving text messages of care and concern from those who love us. Nothing major. One such text, “We are thinking about you all today and sweet Kayla! We love you both and your precious family.” Another, “Praying for you and the family today as you reflect on your sweet girl and look forward to seeing her in heaven. Love you so much and sending big hugs to you.” One more example, “Just prayed for you two for today and wanted you to know. Will continue to pray throughout the day. I love you so much.” These are three examples of many. People reaching out.

This past Tuesday, we passed the dreaded date on the calendar of our daughter’s death back in 1999. Twenty-four years later, we have our memories, a date on the calendar of her birth and death, a grave at the cemetery, and, thankfully, hope in the resurrection. Plus, we have friends who share in our loss, friends who make the burden and memory of the day easier. As you walk with those who are suffering or have gone through grieving, you never know the level of your thoughtfulness or impact on them. In fact, unless you have been through deep suffering yourself, you may not have any idea. However, do not let that keep you from doing something.
How We Were Blessed This Year
Our family was blessed in a variety of ways this year on the anniversary of our daughter’s death. Let me list a few to possibly help you think through your own response to a grieving person. Further, if you are the grieving person, I want to help you as well.
To be honest, after twenty-four years, you do not really expect people to remember. In fact, if no one remembered the specific day or mentioned it, it would be no fault of their own. As parents, it is important to us because she is our daughter. It is our story, our life, and our journey. My children have another sister they never see this side of eternity; we have a daughter no one sees as well. Yet, she lives. Therefore, what we have of her is extremely important, including the two days on a calendar of the day of her birth and the day of her death.
On the other hand, we could never expect others to remember it. Life moves on. Every person lives a full life with their own stories, own dates, and own struggles. For us to take it personally if someone forgets would be tragic for us. We would increase our own pain without a legitimate cause.
Yet, we have been blessed again this year – in the twenty-fourth year of our daughter.

Text Messages and Personal Notes. Within a few hours of our day beginning, we started receiving text messages of care and concern from those who love us. Nothing major. One such text, “We are thinking about you all today and sweet Kayla! We love you both and your precious family.” Another, “Praying for you and the family today as you reflect on your sweet girl and look forward to seeing her in heaven. Love you so much and sending big hugs to you.” One more example, “Just prayed for you two for today and wanted you to know. Will continue to pray throughout the day. I love you so much.”

These are three examples of many. People reaching out.
You might say to yourself, “But what if they’re not thinking about it today?” “Will I make their day sad?” To be honest, No. Even if in a moment the individual you reach out to is not thinking about their loss, that person will be encouraged by your thoughtfulness.

Delivered Flowers. As you can see in the picture above, someone sent us a beautiful arrangement of flowers. Who, you may be wondering, would do that? We do not know. For years, someone has loved us enough to send a flower arrangement to us on our daughter’s annual day of loss.

We are so blessed by the gesture of love. Again, as I mentioned above, no one has to do this, nor is it expected. This act of kindness is an expression of personal sacrifice and love. Think about it. Someone has to preplan what he or she will do, has to pay for it, and then execute the plan. All of these things take time, resources, and commitment.
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Their response as a result of their relationship with Jesus demonstrates the integrity of what we read in the Bible. Why would these men be willing to die in such horrific ways if they did not in fact believe deeply in the Jesus they knew and loved? There was no money or fame in first century Christianity. They simply believed, obeyed, and loved.

As far as we know, only the Apostle John died a natural death. All the other Apostles of Jesus died for their faith. They were killed because of their fidelity to the message of Jesus. That fact begs the question: Why were they all willing to die?
Why the Disciples Were Willing to Die
Why were they all willing to die? I think this question can be answered in three primary ways.
First, they realized that Jesus was everything that He said He was – the Son of God in the flesh. In the Bible, the Apostle John makes this case for us in 1 John 1.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:1-3)
Jesus was 100% a person who lived and walked with the Apostles for three years. He also was 100% God. That fact was manifested to them over and over throughout the Gospels. This Jesus the Apostle John wanted us to know.
Second, they received the power to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). Before Jesus left the earth, He promised that the Holy Spirit would be given to all of His followers to be witnesses. This gift of the Spirit was given to them in Acts 2, and the Holy Spirit has been given to all followers of Jesus Christ ever since (cf., Eph 1:19-23). In Acts, the Bible records Jesus’ words:
“…But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
They each one lived consistent with this power received from God.
Third, they remained faithful while they waited for Jesus’ return. Jesus taught them in the week before He died to wait patiently for His return (cf., Matthew 24-25). They wanted to know many things – especially the future. Jesus reminded them that the exact nature of the time of His return was not theirs to know; however, they were to remain faithful (cf., Acts 1:7).
As Jesus ascended, the angel made this promise to the Apostles and others who were there watching the ascent into heaven:
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11)
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Not only should we lay aside or put off sin, but we also should read our Bibles carefully in order to hear from God. Once we hear from God, we want to obey what the Bible teaches us in the midst of or after our suffering. In this way, we position ourselves to become Christlike through the suffering – which is one of God’s purposes in it.

All of us go through times of tragedy. Hard. Shocking. Life-changing. Miserable. Devastating. Tragedy strikes all of us. The question is what about After tragedy strikes?
What about after tragedy? When tragedy hits, how do you handle it? What do you do?
In Part One, we considered the context of tragedy. In that article, we helped set up the tragedy of first century Christians who initially lived in Jerusalem. These Christians, under persecution, waited frustratingly upon the return of Jesus Christ. The angel had promised. Everything seemed to have been going so well until Peter and John had been imprisoned twice and Stephen martyred. After this, all the Christians began running for their lives. They wander about in very small groups. They have very little money or food. Rich people are abusing them in various ways as they try to make enough money to live.
Although it is beyond the scope of this two-part article to give you every way you should respond to tragedy, please allow me now in Part Two to help you get in the right position to handle it. Maintaining your spiritual stability in the midst of tragedy and after tragedy strikes is critical for your overall response to it.
The Dilemma After Tragedy Strikes
As we explained, the first Christians, to whom Pastor James writes who are scattered across the near ancient Middle East, needed help responding to their personal tragedy. With life upended, these followers of Christ were not responding well to their tragedy. Some were angry at the rich people who oppressed them. Others were confused, discontent, and suffering under the relentless burden of disappointment in their circumstances. Some were angry at God and accusing Him for tempting them to sin, or worse yet, causing them to sin. In many ways, they were hopeless.
These first century Christians were much like today’s Christians whenever we work our way through a tragedy. They each suffered on their own pathway consisting of a variety of intermixed responses. Confusion. Disappointment. Discontentment. Disillusionment. Anger. Blame shifting. Hopeless.
How does their loving pastor help them respond? What position does he put them in in order to respond well? How does he help them to overcome their tragedy rather than be overcome by it? How does he position them for victory in the midst of and after tragedy?
The Strongest Position to Handle Tragedy
Pastor James explains the purpose of suffering, how to identify our own sin in the midst of it, and the strongest position to handle it. In an abbreviated way, let me summarize the first two issues and explain in some detail the strongest position to handle tragedy.
Regarding the purpose of suffering, James explains that God never allows suffering providentially in our lives without purpose in it. Although there may be many things God accomplishes through our suffering, we can know for sure that He intends through our suffering for us to grow in our spiritual maturity. The pressure of suffering functions to develop us toward Christlikeness (cf., James 1:2-5, 17-18). As followers of Jesus undergo various pressured-filled situations, God uses the totality of that process to help us become complete or mature as disciples of Jesus. As we go through the pressure, one of the purposes of the suffering is spiritual growth.
Knowing that we often do not respond perfectly in the midst of suffering, Pastor James provides an explanation for our sinning while we undergo various pressures. He explains that we respond sinfully to our pressure whenever something we desire in the midst of the pressure controls our hearts in the suffering more than honoring God through the suffering. In other words, we sin because something we want possesses functional control over our inner man as we bear the weight of our suffering (cf., James 1:13-18).
With these things in mind, Pastor James then addresses our strongest position to handle our personal trials and tragedies well. He highlights four strategies or steps to maintain the strongest position to respond well in and through suffering.
Your Anger Only Produces More Suffering
Pastor James initially addresses our whole-person response of judgment to our pressure or tragedy – our anger.
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My prayer is that we would receive God’s comfort, care, and love while we mourn. Praise our Heavenly Father that through Jesus, He offers us eternal life. What more could we ever ask for? What an incredible blessing! At the same time, my prayer is that each one of us would not waste the moment either. Rather, we would do self-inventory to respond wisely even in the midst of our deep suffering, sadness, and sorrow.

Over the past few weeks, an entire handful of friends and past students have died. All of them my age or younger. All of them followers of Jesus. As I have worked through each of these deaths – some I have mentioned before here and here, I have been tracking some thoughts that have been helpful to me. Over the past few days, I have been writing and thinking. Today, I want to share some of these to perhaps help you as well. Many of you readers have been impacted by these same deaths.
We Grieve with Hope
One of the great blessings that we as followers of Jesus Christ enjoy together is our hope. Paul explains:
But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thess 4:13-18).
Oh yes, we grieve; however, we grieve with hope. The world grieves with ignorance. They may hope and believe many things about the afterlife, but at the end of the day, they truly have no real hope. But, not us! We grieve with hope. Our grieving is based upon the Word of God, God’s covenant faithfulness, and trust in God’s love.
Our loved one who has gone to heaven to be with the Lord is more alive than ever. Paul also wrote, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:8). Immediately. No purgatory. No delay. Those who have a personal relationship with Jesus immediately go to be with Him in heaven.
What if our loved one inconsistently followed Jesus at best? There’s good news for us there too. We do not go to heaven based upon our faithfulness to Him; we go to heaven based upon God’s faithfulness to us (1 Pet 1:3-5). Consider the Apostle Peter’s words:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Pet 1:3-5, emphasis mine)
Thankfully, if we have followed Jesus, going to heaven does not depend upon our faithfulness, it depends upon the faithfulness of God.
We are Better in a Funeral Home than at a Party
The Bible teaches that we are better off in a funeral home than at a party. In King Solomon’s wisdom, he wrote:
Better to go to the house of mourningThan to go to the house of feasting,For that is the end of all men….
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