Right Response

Job1:21-22

And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name  of the Lord." In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

What a day this was for Job! He was known as a man that was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. His quiver was full with 7 sons and 3 daughters, and his estate was replete with many animals, riches, and servants; in fact, he was known as the greatest man in all the east. Daily and continually he would consecrate his children rising early and offering sacrifices. Such protection and watch care! Certainly his life would be secure, yet in a moment it was all gone. How could that be? What would cause such devastation?

The account tells of a conversation between God and Satan where Satan claimed that Job only fears God because of all the blessings in his life. He challenged God to stretch out His hand and touch all that Job had. This would reveal his true heart and character. The agreement was made, and in a flash, Job lost all. What heartbreak and certainly what a situation to reveal the truth of a person! For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Was God Job's true treasure?

The messengers began running in with the news: the Sabeans fell on your donkeys and your servants, all gone; a fire from heaven consumed the sheep and the servants; the Chaldeans raided the camels and the servants, all gone; and finally, a wind collapsed the house on all your children, and all are dead. Nothing was left except the messengers. What would be my immediate response? How would I deal with such devastation? Would I immediately praise the name of God? Job did! His treasure was his God! He realized that no matter what happened in his life, he would eventually return to God. He blessed the name of God and charged God with no wrong! Would it last? Would his heart stay true to God? What does the long haul reveal?

Father,
Teach me to see Your sovereign hand in all the circumstances of my life. Keep my heart from questioning or even charging You. Be my treasure.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Be Ready!

Mt. 24:44

Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.     

Concerning the day and hour that Jesus returns, no one knows, not the angels or Jesus Himself except for the Father. Interesting! Such a mystery how God the Father would know and God the Son would not! Yet, on to the part that I can understand...It will be like in the days of Noah, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. When Noah entered the ark, no one expected anything. Apparently, all those animals entering the ark was ignored too! The people in that time were totally unaware! The pursuit of life was all that mattered. But as Noah said, the flood came, and they were all swept away. How sad to think that for many people it will be this same way when Jesus returns!

When Jesus returns, two men will be in the field working, but only one will be taken. Two women will be grinding at the mill but only one will be taken. Because the taking will be swift and instantaneous, the warning is: Stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming! The Son of Man is coming at an hour you least expect. If it's unexpected, then watching for signs is not the answer. The answer is to be ready by being that faithful and wise servant.

What does it mean to be a faithful and wise servant? First, the servant is known by his transformed character. He is faithful and wise (Beatitudes) having been born again through the power of the blood and lives only by the power of the gospel. He is the servant that the Master has set over His household. He has a mission and a ministry that supersedes anything else he might do. His life has been redirected from his own pursuits to those of the Master. What is he to do? His purpose is to give others food at the proper time.  He is not only a feaster himself but a feeder of others. Finally, the servant obeys all that the Master says. Because of his obedience, he is blessed, blessed by the Master! What a life the servant possesses!

Father,

Keep me feasting and feeding. Help me to be Your obedient, faithful, and wise servant. Teach me how to be ready.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Uphold the Lord as Holy

Num. 27:12-14

The LORD said to Moses, "Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes." (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

When I read this passage several years ago, it was at the time that I found out I had been misdiagnosed with a degenerating spinal disease, when in fact I had had an untreated broken foot. I had even taken high powered anti-inflammatory drugs for several years in treatment for this disease. After seeking a second opinion, the truth was revealed. How did I respond to this news? Certainly I was thankful for the true facts to surface, but part of me was ticked off and wanted to vent. My family gathered for lunch and to make plans for hypothetical law suits (never to materialize) and many unkind exclamations! It was with my heart full of grumbling and venting that I read what God said to Moses. His Spirit taught me a pointed lesson that I will never forget! Was I upholding God as holy before my family? Were my words bringing glory to His name, or was I questioning His sovereign will and plan over my life? What example were my life and words showing my children and my grandchildren? God not only spoke harshly to Moses, but he was not allowed to go into the promised land over this incident. From a human standpoint, it seems like one incident as compared to the many times he interceded for grumbling and complaining Israel, yet in God's eyes, it was one too many. Was God holding Moses to a higher standard because of the closeness and intimacy of their relationship? Regardless, Moses did not fight it or whine about the outcome. He accepted what God said. (He had learned the lesson!) Certainly, that is what God desires. He wants me to accept what comes into my life as coming from His hand. He is teaching me to see all the details of my life (even the negative and seemingly unjust ones) as coming from His hand, the hand of a sovereign God whose will and plan are for my good. All things are His servants! He wants me to uphold Him as holy before all those He places in my life. He is concerned with my holiness, with my sanctification and not with my comfort!

Father,
Teach me to trust You and see Your hand in all the details of my life. Change my mind, heart, and attitude as I view life. Guide me as I uphold You as holy before those You place in my life.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Woe to the Hypocrites!

Mt. 23: 13

But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.  

 Jesus pronounces a series of seven 'woe's' on the Pharisees, for their actions. These seven woes provide a sharp contrast to the seven blessings that began the Sermon on the Mount. The are as follows:

• Woe...They shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces not entering themselves and not allowing others to enter.
•  Woe...They travel great distances to make a proselyte and then make him twice as much a child of hell as they are.
• Woe...They as blind guides specify how to swear by the temple without realizing that whoever swears by anything on or in the temple is swearing by Him who sits on the throne.
• Woe...They tithe dill and cumin and neglect the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faithfulness. (Strain out a gnat but swallow a camel)
• Woe...They clean the outside of the cup but inside are full of greed and self-indulgence.
• Woe...They are whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside but inwardly are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. (Outwardly look righteous but inwardly full of hypocrisy and lawlessness)
• Woe...They celebrate the tombs and monuments of the prophets saying they would not have killed them but yet they are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. They will kill Prophets and wise men so that on them will come the righteous blood shed on the earth, the blood of the innocents.

What is the essence of these indictments? What is Jesus revealing about their hearts and the heart of all men? First that there is a huge difference between outward appearance and inward reality, an issue which the Beatitudes address directly. First and foremost to be in the kingdom, a person must realize he is poor in spirit and mourn over that sin. He must seek to be satisfied only in hungering and thirsting for righteousness. To be poor in spirit one must humbly admit and confess his true nature because the kingdom of God is full disclosure, nothing hidden and no counterfeit. Jesus is the Truth, and we as His followers, must be in the Truth as well. Secondly, those in the kingdom have the good of others as their ministry. We want to share the Truth with them so that they might become children of the kingdom as well. The entire emphasis of the Kingdom is not only Truth but others. In contrast, the Pharisees were self-oriented and deceitful, living only for the present and for the praise of men while those in the Kingdom live for the future, their reward and life in heaven. The contrast is clearly seen in the words 'Blessing' or 'Woe'. What is my goal, mercy or judgment? It seems like an easy choice, yet it wasn't for the Pharisees. How strong is the flesh and the desire for human praise and power!

Father,
Keep my life free of hypocrisy. Give me Your grace to admit, confess, and repent. Help me share Your message and truth with others.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Words without Reality

 Mt. 23:2

...so practice and observe whatever they tell you--but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice...

Jesus makes it clear what the scribes and Pharisees are like and warns those listening not to be like them. Even though they sit on Moses' seat, they are hypocrites, speaking one thing but doing another. Their actions are not related to their words. 

• They preach without practice
• They tie up heavy burdens placing them on others without being willing to carry them personally.
• They do their deeds to be seen of others.
• They love the places of honor, their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, greetings in the marketplaces, and being called rabbi.

What was the response of those listening? I mean these men that Jesus was exposing were their spiritual leaders. Had they noticed this corruption in these men? Was what Jesus was saying common knowledge? Regardless, Jesus was telling them now, and He was making it abundantly clear. Perhaps He was telling them so that they could examine their lives for this same hypocrisy.

Jesus used the Pharisees to teach a vital principle in the kingdom of God, that is whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.  The kingdom of God is the exalt opposite of what the Pharisees and scribes thought and did! Not only did they want to be exalted now, but they wanted the praise of men in this life.  Jesus exposed these actions for what they really were! Don't seek to be called rabbi for this is only one teacher, and all our brothers. Don't call any man father because there is only one Father who is in heaven. Don't seek to be instructors because there is only one instructor, Christ. This Pharisaical attitude of placing one man above another is wrong. It is of this world and not of the kingdom of God. Jesus is exposing something not just in the heart of the Pharisees but something in the heart of most men and most Christians. Sadly, man loves the praise and  attention of other men. By Jesus' very example, He came to serve and not to be served. He came to offer Himself for others. Jesus' words and actions were one in the same. His life reflected what He said.

Are my words and my actions the same? Am I concerned with serving others? Am I honoring the Father and the Son by my love of others? Or do I still want to be noticed and appreciated? This desire for praise is insidious and so basic to the very fabric of my flesh. Thankfully, God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. When I abound through Him and His sufficiency becomes my sufficiency, then He gets all the praise!

Father,

Keep my eyes off self and on You. Give me Your grace and strength to serve You and love others. Take away my desire for praise. Make my words and my actions the same.

In Jesus name,

Amen

 

With all Your Heart, Soul, and Mind

Mt. 22:37-40

And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

Once again the Pharisees are trying to test Jesus by asking Him a question about the greatest commandment. How many times are they going to keep trying to entrap Jesus? You would think after so many failed attempts that they would realize who He was! Jesus answered by quoting from Deut. 6:5, the command that the Jews repeated twice daily. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, with man's complete totality, with everything that man has. This great love for God embodies all the other commands and is the basic motivation for obedience. Likewise, this love enables man to love not only God but his neighbor.

In John 13 Jesus expands this same command into His new commandment. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples. What is the difference? How is this command to love new? Now because of Jesus, because of His indwelling me in the person of the Spirit, I am  now empowered to love others and God. It is no longer me, but Him living and working in me. This same love that brought Him to earth to close the gap between God and man by taking on Himself the sin of the world is the love that fills and empowers me. Not only that but His love in me is now my mark of identification. It is how I am known and perceived. According to the riches of His grace, He grants me to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith--that I, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that I may be filled with the fullness of God. This is the outworking of the new commandment!! His love in me!! But how? How am I to comprehend such a love? How I am to know such a love? How am I to be filled with this fullness? It is all according to the riches of His grace. He grants it to me! He strengthens me with power through His Spirit!! I must surrender and desire!!

Father,
Give me such a love for You and for others. Help me to known by Your great love for me. Fill me with all the fullness of God so that I might bring glory to Your name.
In His name,
Amen

The Foiled Plot

Mt. 22:15

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle Him in His words.

Many are called but few are chosen. Jesus' statement applied not only to the wedding guests in the parable, those who had entered without the proper wedding garments, but also to the Pharisees whose hearts were full of evil. Using subterfuge, they tried to entrap Jesus. How deceived they were! They sent in their disciples to ask a question, but before they asked the question, they baited the question with flattery saying, Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and You do not care about anyone's opinion, for You are not swayed by appearances. Tell us then what you think. Is it not lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? How close to the truth they were! He was true and the Truth! He was teaching the way of God! He did not care about anyone's opinion especially theirs! Yet, even though they said the words, their hearts were far removed. They thought they had crafted the perfect question that would give Jesus into their hands and into their power. Their cunning lies, though based in truth, were transparent to the Son of God. But Jesus aware of their malice, said, Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Jesus knew their true motives, as He does mine, and sadly theirs were pure malice. There was nothing true in what they asked, thought, or did. Because of the condition of their hearts, Jesus identified them as hypocrites yet again. What a slap in the face! Not only did He expose them for what they were, but He answered their question superbly. Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God, the things that are God's. How complex! Jesus responded to the situation on so many levels, and on every level, He spoke the truth because He is and always will be the Truth. What was their response to their foiled attempt? When they heard it, they marveled. And they left Him and went away. Even to those who reject, Jesus is a marvel! Sadly, recognizing someone is a marvel is not the same as believing who He is! Those who truly believe are the ones who are chosen, the ones who come to the wedding feast as guests properly robed in the Son's righteousness.

Father,
Thank You for inviting me to the feast, for choosing me to be Your wedding guest, and for giving me Jesus as my Savior.
In His name,
Amen

The End of the Matter

Ecc. 12:11-14

The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Certainly earthly wisdom has its merits! This wisdom gained from experience, observation, and searching is like a goad, a sharpened stick poking me and keeping me from straying from my daily duties, from wandering off the proper path, and from ignoring the established boundaries. They are the nails firmly fixed providing my stability as I navigate the waters of life, some smooth and some tumultuous. Yet Solomon saw that this wealth of wisdom had definite limits, limits that wearied his flesh and always proved to be vanity, a striving after wind.

What is man to do? Where is meaning and relevance for life? The answer to Solomon's extensive search came in one valid statement:  Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Man's relevance is found only in God, in his response and relationship to God! This is his whole duty! So simple, yet man makes it so complex. Foolishly, he spends most of his time trying to make gains, recoup losses, accumulate wealth and prestige without ever a consideration for his soul or his soul's destiny. But the one thing that is valid 100% of the time is that God will bring every deed into judgment. When God examines a life, how valid is his preoccupation with this earth's system? Does it count for anything? Sadly, it counts for nothing. Just imagine living an entire life, working and striving, gaining and losing, and finally dying only to find out it was all for nothing!! 

Even as a believer, the world's system is tempting and enticing, appealing to my flesh and gratifying self. I must Watch and pray that I do not enter into temptation. Watch and pray! Examine my heart and my motives! Look at what I value, what I spend my time on, who I serve, and what I am accumulating! Am I fearing God and making Him the most important thing in my life? Am I obedient to His call? Am I counting my life and this life as loss so that I might gain the surpassing value of knowing Jesus? Am I pressing on to make Him my own because He has made me His? Am I straining on for the goal of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus?

Father,
Take my taste for this world away. Give me the desire to eat only of Your good grace so that I will fear You and obey Your words.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Two Lessons in One Tree

Mt. 21:21-22

And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

While walking with His disciples toward Jerusalem, Jesus became hungry. Noticing a fig tree, He went to find figs but found only lush, thick, green leaves. Because of its lack of fruit, the tree was cursed and immediately withered and died. What did this mean? Why would he do this just as He was entering Jerusalem? Could it be that He was making a point about certain people (Pharisees and Scribes) who appear lush and full with righteousness, but actually have no true spiritual fruit. In essence, people like this are not fulfilling their God-given design and a certain judgment awaits them. This incident provides a warning to all to examine the condition of their spiritual tree. Am I fruitful? Am I satisfied with just looking as I think that I should without really having the fruit of abiding in Christ?

I notice in the account that the disciples did not even question the why but only the how. They were concerned with the power that could wither a tree instantly. To answer their question, Jesus said that it was dependent on faith without doubt. With this kind of faith trees could be withered and mountains moved...whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. No doubt this was the lesson for them since they would be carrying on after Jesus was crucified, resurrected, and ascended back into heaven. How would they survive? How would they know what to do? It would only be through prayer, prayer based on and energized by faith. Where would this faith come? Faith is a gift of grace given by the Father to His children, and this Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Jesus would give His disciples the Holy Spirit who would bring all things to their remembrance. All that Jesus had said and taught them would come to them through the person of the Spirit. In fact, the Spirit would clarify and apply His words to their hearts and lives. He would grow their faith into a life that was fruitful and flourishing. 

Father,

Fill me with Your words so that I might produce much fruit and grow a faith that is honoring to You. Thank You for these gifts and for choosing me to be Your child.

In Jesus name,

Amen 

A Mother's Heart

Mt. 20:25-28

But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,  and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, came straight to Jesus with her desires. In that respect, her asking was good. She knew where to go, and she went undeterred. Certainly, from a human standpoint what she was asking was a normal mother request. What mother doesn't want her child to excel and rise to the top? However, Jesus explained to her that she really didn't understand the issues. Not only was she was asking for something that He could not grant, something that was decided by the Father's sovereign will and plan, but it was something that had far reaching effects. Her request seemed to spread unrest and created a ripple effect in the group. Many of the others were indignant. I mean after all they were disciples as well! What a great example of the flesh claiming its rights, the rights of a mother, the rights of the good friends, and the rights of the entire group. But all of them were missing the principles of the kingdom. 

Jesus explained that this seeking for favor and advancement was the way of the Gentiles and the way of the kingdom of God was drastically different; in fact, the kingdom way was and still is the exact opposite. If a follower is to be great in the kingdom of God, he or she must be a servant (that goes for mothers and disciples). Whoever would be first must be last, even as Jesus came not to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. I wonder if they could grasp at all what he was saying since he had not yet died. What a startling and revolutionary idea! I need to seek to be last, to serve instead of being recognized and applauded. How hard it is to buy into this idea! Still today within the church, the body of Christ, disciples vie over position and praise. Even though we look back to the Crucifixion and the resurrection, possess the living Word of God in all its power, and have the
unlimited resources of grace and the Spirit of God, we still want people to notice us and give us a pat on the back. How strong is the flesh! How insidious is the pull of Satan to defeat us in our very core!

Father,
Teach me Your kingdom way and reveal my heart to myself. Expose those roots of self that are tangled and entrenched deep in the dark corners of my heart. Root out that sin and give me Your grace to serve others unreservedly.
In the name of my Serving Savior,
Amen

The Vineyard Kingdom

Mt. 20:14-16

Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?'  So the last will be first, and the first last."

Jesus gives another parable describing the kingdom of heaven. It is compared to a master's house where the master hires workers for his vineyard. The workers who came early, worked longer, and in the heat of the day received the same wage as the workers who were hired in the final hour of the day. When the early workers saw this, they felt it was an inequity and grumbled at the master. But the master assured them that He had done no wrong. After all did they not agree to work for a specified amount? Jesus replied without any hesitation that He chose the last worker as He chose the early workers. It is His choice! The early workers were actually begrudging His generosity and putting their standard of right and wrong on His actions. But the kingdom of heaven does not operate on man's standards. It operates on mercy and grace. It is a huge mercy that the final worker was chosen at the last hour, and an even greater mercy that any workers were chosen at all. The early workers are thinking that their work had value to the Master, that somehow what they had done was of more value. But the point is that human works and merit are of no value. The kingdom of God is based on grace, love, and mercy.

In this kingdom, the last will be first and the first last. Everything is topsy-turvy because human merit and works count for nothing. Certainly, there is no room for comparison with other workers; instead, the worker should examine his heart. Is there any root of ingratitude or self-worth? Is there any amount of comparison and self-righteousness? How does the heart respond to such grace and mercy? Shouldn't I rejoice that others have been allowed into the vineyard no matter the hour? Regardless of the hour, such grace and mercy is more than any worker deserves? My heart should be focused on my salvation (my entrance to the vineyard) and my relationship with the Master. Sadly, it is the flesh that seeks to control that finds the inequities and allows them to fester into a sore of grumbling discontent. Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation.

Father,
Thank You for choosing me to be Your worker. Keep my eyes ever fixed on You and root out any comparison that rankles within my flesh.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Complaining and Murmuring

Num. 11:1

And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.

How many times does complaining consume a person? It seems such a simple thing that happens so often. Normally, as soon as people are dissatisfied with their plight or their treatment or even their health, the complaining begins. But in this case, the people were not complaining against a neighbor or a boss but against the Lord God. In the first instance fired rained down on the people, and Moses had to intercede for the people to get it to stop. But immediately in the next verse, the people began complaining again. This time for meat! In fact, it was called a strong craving! Weeping, complaining, and craving, they cried out, Oh that we had meat! They remembered what they used to eat in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic, and they disdained the manna, God's provision. They preferred to remember their years of slavery as opposed to God's deliverance and  provision for them. How sad! How insulting to the great miracles God had done on their behalf.

Moses heard the people weeping at their tent doors, and not only was he displeased, but the anger of the Lord was blazing hotly. As he immediately took the heavy burden of this people to God, he prayed. What was he to do? This complaining, dissatisfied people were about to do him in! God organized and ordained elders to help Moses with the burden of the people, and then He was sending them meat. Not just a little meat but meat for a month, meat that would come out of their nostrils and become loathsome to them. Why would God do this? He would do this because they had rejected  the Lord who was among them! How sad! His last words to Moses were, Now you will see whether my words will come true for you or not!

After the elders were chosen and ordained and even prophesying, a wind came up bring the quail from the sea. They fell right beside the camp about a day's journey around the camp. The people gathered the quail all day, night, and the following day. While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was even consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled. Burning hot! How would it be evidenced? A plague struck down many of the people. This place became known as Kibroth-hattavah, because it was here they buried the people who had the craving. What is the lesson? God does not tolerate murmuring and grumbling. It is an attack against His sovereign will and purpose. He does not condone sin in any form! He did answer their prayer, but it brought leanness to their souls and judgment to their lives. His glory and provision can never be compared to the leeks and garlic of Egypt! We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyed. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instructions, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.  There is my application and my warning. I need to take heed. Check my heart. Is there any root of grumbling or dissatisfaction with my life? Am I realizing and living in the reality of my sovereign God?

Father,

Keep my heart tender toward You. Send Your Spirit in a mighty way to open my eyes so that I might take heed!

In Jesus name,

Amen

Divorce

Mt. 19:8

He said to them, Because of the hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.

The Pharisees asked Jesus to address the issue of divorce. The exact question was, Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause? To answer, Jesus referred back to the institution of marriage by God the Father who was the Creator of the man and woman. Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh, What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate? In truth, if marriage makes the two one, how can they separate? What would be the separating factor? The Pharisees responded with Moses provision for divorce, but Jesus nailed the seed truth embedded in Moses' pronouncement. It was not to honor God that he allowed divorce, but instead it was because of the hardness of their hearts. Ouch! Hardness then just like the hardness in the Pharisees on this day! Jesus went on to say divorce would only be right for sexual immorality because then the one-flesh relationship would be broken. And if anyone divorced his wife for any other cause, he would be committing adultery if he had a relationship with a different person. How powerful were His words! I wonder if the Pharisees really evaluated their hearts on this day, or did they just immediately dismiss what He had said?

Heb. 3:12 says Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. There is the progression: evil unbelief leads to falling away and eventually to being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. How deceitful are the lies that lead marriage partners to seek fulfillment in others? How devastating to the children when the parents have split? Certainly, marriage is an arena that needs special care. Within these relationships, emotions are raw, expectations unmet, and problems grow to giant-proportions. What better place for the heart to grow hard and willing to listen to the lies and deceit of sin?

Father,
Thank You for John. I confess that many times our marriage has listened to lies, and I have often hardened my heart to him and to You. Give me Your grace to make our marriage what it should be. Thank You for answering so many of our prayers for each other and for infusing our relationship with Your love. We see Your hand at work drawing us to each other.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Forgiveness

Mt. 18:35

So also my heavenly Father will do to everyone of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."      

Peter begins this chapter with a very important question. Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?As many as seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. Then Jesus follows up his statement with a story about an unjust servant who  came to his master with a huge debt, 10.000 talents. Since he could not pay, the master ordered him and his family to be sold. Out of pity, the master forgave him the debt when he begged for mercy. But after the servant left, he went and found another man who owed him money. When this man could not pay, the unjust servant began choking him. The man begged for mercy, but the servant refused and put him in prison. When other of his servants saw what the unjust servant had done, they went to master and reported the incident. The master summoned him telling him he was wicked. How could he not forgive after so much had been forgiven him? In anger, the master delivered him to prison until the debt could be paid.  Such behavior does not reflect the kingdom of God, and will not be tolerated. What is the lesson? Seventy times seven really means always. I forgive because I have been forgiven so much. I forgive regardless of what has been done to me because I am forgiven by God. I forgive because without God's forgiveness, I would be lost eternally. In the kingdom of God, accounts are settled with mercy and pity.

As I read the story of this unjust servant, his actions seem reprehensible. Yet, I wonder if I have done a similar thing, but felt justified because of the nature of the offense. Jesus is definitely teaching that forgiveness has nothing to do with the validity of the offense, it only has to do with the forgiveness I have from God. Certainly divine forgiveness far outweighs any offense I might endure. If I am part of the kingdom of God, and I am, then I must be forgiving in all that I say, do, and feel. Do I instantly forgive? Do I ever hang on to a grudge? Is my love for God more important to me than any petty feelings that I might have?

Father,

Give me your grace that I might forgive as You forgave me. Teach me Your way that I might walk in Your truth. Unite my heart to yours.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Who is the Greatest?

Mt. 18:2-6

And calling to him a child, He put him in the midst of them  and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.   Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

The disciples had asked the all-important question, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? What kind of question was that? What was it revealing about their hearts? Perhaps there was vying for position or jealousy between the disciples. Had they noticed that some of them were drawing closer to Jesus than others were? Even into this specifically chosen group of men who were with Jesus constantly, fleshly feelings were surfacing. How strong is the flesh! How insidious is that battle! How important it is to guard my heart against feelings that would take me down! Do I want to be noticed? Do I want some credit for what I do? If I do, then my motivation is askew. I am not functioning under grace but under the guise of my own self-sufficiency. Am I serving Him with purity of heart and singleness of purpose?

Jesus answered their question, and no doubt, the true question in their hearts in such a creative way. He brought a child into the conversation as a life-size object lesson. He then proceeded to tell them that they must be like children. What?? A child and humility...how can this be? The kingdom of God is for those who humbly come to Him with the faith of a dependent child. I am sure that this child had nothing to offer to these men, no great insight into this situation, and that is what Jesus wanted them to see. He doesn't want my input or my intelligence. He desires my dependent and humble reliance of Him for all that I do and say.

Then going beyond His object lesson, Jesus stresses the importance of not being a hindrance to these children in the faith. How would I be a hindrance? Perhaps by destroying their faith in God, a faith that is single-minded and trusting. What is my trust like? What would distinguish a child-like faith from one that is adult-minded? I think that the biggest thing would skepticism or cynicism. Adults are often jaded from seeing so much of the bad side of people while children see the good more readily. Not only that but children believe what they are told, often being thought of as gullible. Just think, God wants me to be gullible for Him, to believe His words beyond a shadow of a doubt. To truly have the faith of a child is nearly possible. Once I am jaded, how can I go back? Thankfully, what is humanly impossible is possible with God. When He gives me new life in Christ, He gives me His grace and faith. He transforms me by the renewing of my mind. He makes me a child of His! What amazing grace!

Father,

As I serve You, keep Your eye on my motives. Lead me and reveal to me the true matters of my heart so that I may always be right with You. Make me gullible for You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

The Beloved Son

Mt. 17:2-5

And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.  And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking. And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah."  He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

This simple account teaches so much about the person of Jesus Christ. Granted, He was in human form, but He was also the Father's only Son. No one is equal to Jesus. Moses and Elijah, though great prophets, were still not the Son of God. God the Father wants to make that perfectly clear. What a rough lesson for Peter! I can only imagine how he felt when he was reprimanded by the mighty voice of God. Still what an experience to see and behold. What is my attitude toward the beloved Son? Do I give Him all the praise the honor that is due Him? Am I doing what the Father said? Listening with my whole heart.

Father,

Draw me ever closer to Jesus so that my love for Him will ever grow. Help me share the beloved Son with all those you bring into my way and teach me to listen toYour holy Spirit.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Beautiful in its Time

Ecc. 3:11

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Solomon has come to some significant conclusions about life after making his extensive search, and his observations seem to be spot on. First he realizes that God has made everything beautiful, exactly right, functioning in the best way possible. God as the Creator made all to bring glory to His name so by its very nature all things have to be beautiful. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Next, He realizes that God has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done form the beginning to the end. Into each man's heart is that vacuum that can only be filled by God. This eternal emptiness makes him realize that nothing this world has to offer can truly satisfy, but it can only be met in a personal relationship with the eternal God. Man can seek to understand the mysteries of the universe, but they will always be slightly out of his reach. He can understand nature and its great power for life and destruction, but he can never control it. He cannot alter the end from the beginning or the course of time. All that is set in place by an all-wise sovereign Creator whose plan of redemption will be worked out throughout all of time without a hitch by man or be Satan. Thirdly, he sees that man's only recourse is to be joyful and do good. How can that be done? Joy and goodness emanate from the character of God and Jesus Christ living personally in my life. It is in heart that I experience the joy and rejoicing of my salvation, and then am empowered by His power and strength to do good. Solomon felt that work was God's gift to man. Isn't it ironic that man wants to shorten the work week and give more time for pleasure? Finally, Solomon knows that whatever God does endures forever and nothing can be added or subtracted to it. So in conclusion, man must fear God!!! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom! What rest comes from knowing what is true about God! I can give up striving and seeking my own way. I can rest in His plan for my life. I can fear Him who is my Maker, Creator, Savior, Sanctifier, and Controller!

Father,
Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth. Unite my heart to fear Your name. This is my heart's desire. Draw me ever close to You moment by moment.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Crumbs

Mt. 15:27

She said, Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.

A Canaanite woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon came out following Jesus crying out for mercy for her daughter who was severely oppressed by a demon, but Jesus did not answer her. The text does not say why. (Perhaps Jesus was wanting to show the disciples an example of great faith.) She soon became a bother to the disciples, and they begged Jesus to send her away. Jesus told her that He was sent to the house of Israel to restore those lost sheep. Then using a metaphor, He said it wasn't right to take the children's bread (the message from Israel) and give it to the dogs (people who were outside the covenant relationship). But she answered in that same metaphor, saying that even the dogs eat the crumbs from the Masters' tables. Jesus declared her faith great! Her request was granted. Her daughter was healed. What am amazing story!

First, I see the intensity and fervor of her request. Even though she was not a Jew, she went for it even to the point of becoming a bother. She was willing to cross boundaries and social conventions to connect with Jesus. Being socially acceptable was not her concern! She was persuaded beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus had the power she needed for her daughter. She believed and this belief focused her actions! Secondly, I see that Jesus was willing to cross those same boundaries to meet her faith. When someone believes in Jesus and has faith in His power, He will answer their need. He doesn't withhold from those who truly seek Him and His power. How intense is my desire to see the mandates of the Bible made a reality in my life? How strong is my faith and belief in the power of Jesus to save and to sanctify? How far does my fervor go or am I content to live in a mediocre way? Finally, I see the response of the disciples. She was a bother to them and they just wanted her gone. What is my response to those people who are outside my comfort zone, to those people who are bothersome? Do I just want them gone and out of my life, or do I see them as sheep without a shepherd? Am I willing to bring them to Jesus and join in their cries for help and salvation? Am I willing to intercede for them or does that even cross my mind? Do I consider some people a lost cause, somehow beyond redemption?

Father,

Build in me this same intensity so that I might reach out to those who are lost and struggling. Help me to be fervent for You. Open my eyes to the souls of these lost one. Give me a heart of compassion.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Out of the Heart

Mt. 15:18-20

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.

How very like man to make a human tradition of more importance than a heart condition! (So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.) Man often looks at the outward and is satisfied with himself if he appears to be conforming to a certain standard. In this case, the Pharisees had set the standard themselves, and as long as they washed their hands or performed the myriad of other small rules, they thought that they were righteous. But Jesus was taking aim directly at these practices. Earlier in chapter 5 He made that statement that if your righteousness did not exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Harsh words! And now here is another example of this faulty thinking. Whatever we eat whether washed or unwashed, is expelled. It is of no consequence,  but what is truly vile is what comes out of the heart. The evil thoughts (arguments and lofty opinions against the knowledge of God), murder (including hatred of a brother, verbal and physical abuse), adultery (including lusting or looking), sexual immorality (of any kind), theft (of goods, and even a reputation), false witness (lies, gossip), and slander (repeating information for the purpose of taking another down). These activities are truly defiling and are deeply revealing about what is in a person's heart. Jesus has repeatedly stressed in Matthew the importance of the heart. What is in my heart should be my chief concern not how I appear to other people. Am I living my life for God or for the eyes of other people? If I am living for God, then I need to concentrate on my heart and examine its true motives.

This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

Father,
Teach me Your way that I may walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. Create in me this clean and pure heart, one that will not defile Your temple in my body, one that makes my worship true.
In Jesus name,
Amen

The Proverbs 31 Woman

Prov. 31:30

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

An excellent wife is a things to be treasured! Who wouldn't want to be one? Who wouldn't desire such character, strength of character, and ingenuity? She is certainly more precious than jewels!
What are her physical qualities?

• willing worker with her hands (wool and flax-to me those speak of cloth, clothing, etc.)
• secures proper food even if from a great distance (provider, cook, quality of food)
• willing to travel to accomplish her goals (the domain of her home covered many miles)
• willing to lose sleep to provide for her family (not concerned with beauty sleep)
• secures land and vineyards and manages the property (domain is not just in the house)
• regularly uses the distaff and spindle (turn raw materials into usable fabrics)
• makes blankets and quilts, linen garments and sashes which she sells (home business)
• supplements family income, brings in gain (a true helpmate)

What are her character qualities?

• trustworthy (heart of her husband secure)
• does her husband good her entire life (doesn't tire of the relationship)
• is strong and carries herself like someone who is strong (not a weak, fainting type)
• knows she is a good business woman (not to be taken advantage of)
• cares for the needy and poor (thinks of others beyond her own family)
• unafraid of bad weather (family properly prepared)
• known for her strength and dignity (reputation matches her true character),
• opens her mouth with wisdom ( is not a busybody or gossip)
• teaching of kindness identifies her speech (wisdom from above, gentle and open to reason)
• not idle but responsible (redeeming the time)

What are the lasting results of her work and her character?

• her husband is known in the gates (her life has increased his value and made him respected)
• her children call her blessed (great relationship with each child, nurtured their spirits)
• her husband praises her (comes willingly from his heart to hers)
• the fruit of her hands will praise her in the gates (her life is fruitful, lived for others)

What are the overriding principles that I can learn from her life?

• Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain. There were no verses concerned with her beauty or the pursuit of beauty and charm. What she gained, she gained through wisdom, strength, and dignity. Character and industry were her watchwords! 
• A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. This was her single motivation, and out of her fear of the Lord, she became a godly and efficient wife, mother, and provider. God was her inner core. He gave her the strength to become all she should be.
• Many have done well, but this woman surpassed them all. She had the entire package!

Is is possible to have it all together? As I read this chapter, I wonder. But thank God His power is made perfect in weakness, and His grace is my sufficiency even in being a wife and mother. As I look back over my life, I am so thankful that He is sovereign and all of life did not hinge on my successes and failures. I also see that I tried to do these things in my own strength, and no doubt that was my biggest flaw. God wants me to be this woman, but this woman energized totally by Him! His grace and power working through me to minister to the needs of others, family, friends, and the needy.

Father,
Thank You for this woman who shows me what I should be. Help me first to fear You above all else so that my words will be grace to others as Your words have been grace to me.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Every Word

Prov. 30:5

Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and you be found a liar.

God's word is uncontested, 100% true and valid! It has been proven and tested throughout time and the lives of those who believe in its mighty power. Why is this true? First and foremost because the Word of God comes from a sovereign God who created all life, who established the course of time, who wove into people and time His glorious purposes, who knows the end from the beginning, and who is immutable and unchanging. He, like His Son Jesus,  is the same yesterday, today, and forever; hence His words do not change!

Secondly, because His word itself attests to its truth. It is a major theme developed in its pages. David stated this in the psalms when he said, This God--His way is perfect, the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. Then again in Ps. 19 David says, The law of the Lord is perfect... the testimony of the Lord is sure... the precepts of the Lord are right... the commandment of the Lord is pure... the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. No matter what aspect of the word a person is using, it is always the same!!

Finally, they prove true because of their influence and power in the lives of man. The list of those who ran into the words and used them as a shield is long, Daniel, Joseph, Abraham, Hannah, Mary, Elizabeth, Paul, Peter, to name a few, and then I would add people in history since the Bible was formed like Huss, Tyndale, Bonhoeffer, Elliot, Wurmbrand, and what about today? People around the globe losing life and possession to stand true for these words. Yes, these words have not diminished in power or potency. They still are clung to in times of rejoicing and in times of stress and persecution. They are still the shield from the onslaught of Satan and his cohorts who seek to destroy them and their influence.

So what is the caution? Do not add or change them!! They are God-breathed not man-formed! What I need to do is devour them, make them part of my nature, part of my inner man. David said it rightly when he said, More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.  My great reward is in the Word of God!! What should I do? Memorize these words, meditate on these words, share them, study them, live by them, praise God with them, talk about them, think on them, sing them, etc. Give them the proper place in my life! Treat them like the reward that they are! Value them as my moment-by-moment conversation with God.

Father,

Thank You for the gift of words and for Your words to me! Teach me to make them a reality in my life. Help me to love You as You love me.

In Jesus name,

Amen

I Am the Lord

Ex. 19:2

 ...You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

Ex. 19 gives the reason for obedience to the commandments and laws that God has put in place for Israel. They now are associated with the person of God, with His holiness. His people are to reflect His holiness. The chapter repeats I am the Lord your God sixteen times!

• Revere your parents and keep the Sabbath for I am the Lord your God.
• Don't make idols for I am the Lord your God.
• When you offer a peace offering, it must be acceptable or it profanes the holiness of God.
• When you reap the harvest, leave the edge for the poor for I am the Lord your God.
• You shall not steal, lie, or swear falsely and so profane the name of God for I am the Lord your God.
• You shall not oppress or rob your neighbor, interfere with the wages of a hired servant, or curse the deaf or blind, but fear Your God, for I am the Lord your God.
• You shall do no injustice in court, not be partial to poor, or stand against the life of your neighbor for I am the Lord your God.
• You shall not hate your brother in your heart or bear a grudge against your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself for I am the Lord your God.
• You shall keep my statutes for I am the Lord your God.
• Your shall not eat flesh with blood, interpret omens, tell fortunes, round off the hair on your temple, mar the edge of your beard, make cuts on your bodies, or tattoos for I am the Lord you God.  
• Don't profane your daughter by making her a prostitute for I am the Lord your God.
• Do not turn to mediums for I am the Lord your God.
• Honor the gray hairs and the old, and you shall fear God for I am the Lord your God.
• Do no wrong to strangers for I am the Lord your God.
• Do no wrong in weights and balances for I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt. You shall observe all my statutes and all my rules, and do them; I am the Lord.

I think the question is answered beyond the shadow of a doubt. Why does Israel obey the rules, statutes, and laws? Because He is the Lord their God.

What is the reason for my obedience to the Word of God? Is the reason the same? I Pet. 1:14-16 says As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who  called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. I am to be radically different as well. No doubt the areas of my obedience are different, but the world around me should see a visual difference in how I life, what I do, how I think, what I value, what I spend my time on, etc. As Jesus impacts my life in every area, I reflect God's holiness because He dwells within me in the person of His Holy Spirit. My body is His temple. Not only that but I am a child of God. If God is my Father, there should be a family resemblance! A resemblance that resounds holiness!!

Father,
Teach me to be holy as You are. Grow me so that I might shine forth Your love. Keep my obedience meaningfully related to You and Your holiness.
In Jesus' name,
Amen

Confess or Conceal?

Prov. 28:13-14      

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.  Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

How many people enjoy confessing a sin? Not that many, in fact, many people like to cover that sin and pretend it didn't exist. But in the kingdom of God, not so!! Confession brings mercy and spiritual prosperity. Thankfully, there is a benefit in confessing! First the confessor receives mercy as opposed to judgment or discipline. God has promised, and His promises are always true, that He will discipline His children because He loves them and desires His best for them. He has also promised that If I confess my sin, He is faithful and just to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. If I am cleansed and forgiven, what is the benefit in concealing? I think it comes down to pride. It takes humility to confess, to admit, and to reveal.  But I must remember that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. I must Humble myself under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt me. What is this spiritual prosperity that the sinner forfeits by hiding his sin? It is living with nothing between God and me, no sin, no pride, no hidden issues. It is growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus unhindered and unfettered by the weaknesses of my flesh. It is desiring the presence of God more than anything else, even my own pride and sin.

Secondly, if the sinner conceals the sin, his heart hardens and the end result of that is calamity. Heb. 3:12-13 warns against that when it says, Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you and evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Sin, by its very nature, is deceitful. It convinces the sinner that it is far better to conceal than to confess, but it is the exact opposite of the truth! Confessing keeps my heart tender and responsive before God. It keeps my eyes seeing and my ears hearing what God has to say so that I will be able to perceive the things of God and understand His great mercies, faithfulness, and love.

Finally, confession keeps me fearing the Lord, and there is great blessing in that! When I fear Him, no other fear has control of my life. I am resting in Him, yoked to Him as He walks with me through this life. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, of right choices, of blessings, of growth, of abiding, yes, and even of suffering and affliction. It is the way that God designed for me to journey, to run the race not looking back but straining forward to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Father,
Reveal my heart, the hidden areas that try and pull me away from You. Keep me ever confessing, repentant, and rejoicing in You. As we journey, teach me more what it means to fear You.
In Jesus name,
Amen

The Heart

Prov. 27:19

As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.  

My heart is the true reflection of my life, not my actions or the face that I put on for others to see. Perhaps this is the reason that the home is the battleground of life. It is there that the true person is not afraid to reveal himself or herself.  It is there that selfish desires are paramount and fight to be met. So it seems that what must be changed is the heart! Obviously, salvation changes the heart and should change the life, but for many Christians the flesh still rules most of the time. Why? Certainly, there are the Rom. 7 issues, and as long as I am here on this earth I will always be plagued by my old nature, but at my ready access is confession and repentance. There should be continual growth in sanctification. Yet beyond that, hasn't Jesus said that I am no longer enslaved by sin. His death and resurrection has given me victory. So why don't I claim that victory as I should? Why, at times, does the flesh still look so enticing?

 I think it is because of what I treasure. For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also. It seems simple when I say it. If I treasure my way, my rights, my time, and my whatever, then my heart and my life will reflect that. I will be conflicting with anyone or anything getting in the way of my treasure or the enjoyment of my treasure. But instead I should lay up for myself treasures in heaven. My focus and my heart need a priority change, a huge transformation. I need to be transformed by the renewal of my mind, that by testing I may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable, and perfect. Of course, I want to live like that. What Christian wouldn't say that they want that? So what is the problem? Perhaps it is the testing! Do I desire the radical testing that will truly change my life? Can I really let go of my flesh and my fleshly desires? Surrender is a hard thing! I believe it too must be a gift of grace! Thank God His power is made perfect in weakness because weakness controls my flesh! Thank God He knows what I am made of and still reached out to save me!

Father,

Give me strength for the journey and for Your radical transformation. Make me who You want me to be so that I might bring You glory and honor. I want my heart and my life to be united with You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Just Joking

Prov. 26:18-19

  Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I am only joking!"

How many times have I heard people say hurtful, cutting remarks and then follow it with, 'Just joking'? How many times have I said those kinds of things? I am afraid more than I would like to admit. But what about doing hurtful things? Would things like these be considered practical jokes? I know that I hate practical jokes or doing things that humiliate other people basically because I don't want them done to me. I think that this proverb is singly out a mean streak in people that is often excused under the guise of jokes. Matt. 7:12 says So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them... Eph. 4:32 says Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. These verses seem to give a reason for refraining from such acts and words. I must treat others as Christ has treated me. I am to be known by the law of love, His love, not by my own mean-spirited fleshly nature.

This proverb hits the nail on the head revealing the motivation for such words and actions. The person who engages in these activities is like a madmen (someone bereft of sense, intelligence, and ethics) who throws firebrands, arrows, and death. If there were a madman on the loose throwing these actual things at people, he would be arrested or incarcerated. He would not be allowed to stay free and injure other people. Yet, those who hurl burning words and shoot arrows that kill the spirit in a person are allowed free rein. What a deal! Perhaps people are unaware of their true motives or are unaware of the devastating effects of what they do and say. But I think all we need to do is look at school shootings where kids who have been bullied or ostracized become madmen shooting bullets that are often fatal. Words and actions must be taken seriously. James says is succinctly, The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. I need to remember that rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Amazing, healing from words!

Father,

Help me to guard my ways, that I might not sin with my tongue. Transform my words so that they reflect Your love and bring healing to those You bring in my life.

In His name,

Amen

Rest for Your Souls

Mt. 11:29-30

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Jesus invites all to come, all who labor and are heavy laden. In the context of the Sermon, it would seems that their laboring was in a religious setting. The people were under a heavy yoke of rules, regulations, and self-righteousness imposed on them by the Scribes and the Pharisees. There was nothing satisfying or God-glorifying in what they were doing. To make it worse, Jesus had clearly and emphatically stated that unless their righteousness exceeded that of the Scribes and Pharisees they would not enter the kingdom of God. Think how they felt! All that work for nothing! But what was Jesus offering these same people? He offered an invitation to come and receive rest, rest from religious activity and rest for their souls. He offers this same invitation today to all who labor and are heavy laden. Perhaps the labor today is not so religiously oriented, but people are running themselves ragged to keep up with the world's system of getting ahead and sucking all there is out of life. But the harder they suck, the more that they find that the end result is empty and unfulfilling. Fame, riches, possessions, and prestige all come out empty in the end. Why? Because they do nothing for the soul, that part of man that can only be satisfied in Jesus.

How do we learn from Jesus? How do we get satisfied in life? Jesus says by taking His yoke and dropping off the yoke of the world, sin, or even religion. Compared to the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus was gentle and lowly in heart. The Pharisees were known for their great spiritual pride, harshness, and self-righteousness. None of that would be found in Jesus. Jesus assured them and me today that His yoke is easy and His burden is light! How can that be? How can any yoke or burden be easy or light? It is because Jesus is yoked with us side be side. He is a faithful high priest who has experienced and endured what I have and has defeated the power of sin and death. His victory assures me of a victory as well. I no longer have to be enslaved to sin, this world's system, or an empty religious system. I can live in His new life flowing through me and energizing everything that I do. I can truly find rest for my soul with no stress or worry about today or my future. My sovereign God has ordained all my days, moment by moment. I can rest in His promise that what happens is for my good, and whatever He has planned for me, I know that He will be there walking through it with me. We are yoked together with a yoke that cannot be broken or taken off. I am His and He is mine!

Father,
Thank You for such a gift in the person of Your Son and for the rest that You so graciously give me. Thank You for His humble obedience that led to His death and resurrection and for my new life in Christ.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Wisdom is Justified by her Deeds

Matt. 11:19c

Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.

That is the truth of it! John the Baptist came neither eating or drinking, and the crowds and religious leaders said he had a demon. Jesus came eating and drinking, and they called him a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! Mankind is implacable most of the time! In fact they are like children sitting in the marketplace calling to their friends, We played the flute for you, and you did not dance, we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn. I mean the very Son of God was there, preaching, healing, teaching, and even raising some from the dead, yet it wasn't enough to change their beliefs or their lives. They did not receive the message in any type of wisdom, in fact, they threw away their chance for salvation. Their apathy ( lack of belief and commitment) demonstrated the wisdom of their thinking.

In how many other situations would this statement apply? How many times do I listen to good advice and ignore it? How many times do I read Scripture, get convicted, and yet never obey or make a life change? How many times do I feel the prompting of the Spirit and yet ignore it and go about my own way? I think that might be the crux of the statement. For wisdom to be justified by her deeds in my life, it would mean listening to someone else and giving up my own selfish way. In the case of the Spirit's leading, it would mean confession, repentance, surrender, and obedience. This wisdom is definitely the wisdom from above. The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere, and a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Here is a life full of deeds not just thoughts or intentions!

Father,
Teach me to have Your wisdom from above. Make this life style a reality in my life. Unite my heart to fear Your name as You teach me Your way and Your truth.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Whoever

Mt. 10: 37-39

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Such strong words! Love of God and His kingdom must take precedent over every other relationship, if not, I would not be loving Jesus with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. The psalmist had it right when he prayed, Teach me your law. O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth. Unite my heart to fear Your name. I believe Jesus is talking about just such uniting. Preceding these verses Jesus states that He did not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword. His word, the sword of the Spirit, does divide and separate. Here it speaks of man against father and daughter against mother. When push comes to shove and decisions have to be made or stands taken, the family must bow to the Savior. He must be the all-consuming One! Even within my soul, my inner man, the Word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Jesus, the living Word, shines a supernatural light on all that I hold dear and exposes it for what it is. Is what is in me, the treasure of my heart, reflecting my love for the Savior? Am I finding my life in Him? If I am not, I am surely kidding myself because Jesus will not share co-ownership of my life. It is either His way or no way! He is the only way! I must follow Him at all costs!

Father,

Unite my heart to fear Your name. Teach my heart to love only You and stand for You at all costs.

In Jesus name,

Amen

The Reward

Prov. 22:4

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.

Reward speaks of treasure, of what a person values and aspires to achieve. Even though this verse speaks of riches (something often pursued by the world), honor (prestige and position), and life (a long time to enjoy your reward), I don't think that is what it is talking about at all. Any person who truly understood humility would not desire earthly riches, honor, or life. Jesus was our greatest example of humility. He was obedient to death on a cross keeping His eyes focused only on the joy that was set before Him. He wasn't aspiring to gain worldly prestige or power, instead He was reconciling sinners to the Father through the sacrifice of His own life. What kind of honor and life is that? His reward was to return to heaven and to bring with Him the first of many brethren.

What is my reward for my humility and fear of the Lord? It is the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of His great might. We have  this treasure in a jar of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We have humbling momentary light afflictions to prepare us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. We can draw near in confidence to the throne of grace to find grace and mercy in time of need. We are freely invited to share the yoke of Jesus and learn of Him, for He is gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. My riches are the indestructible and unstealable treasures of heaven. For where my treasure is there is my heart! They are the riches of His grace that He perfects in my weakness on a moment by moment basis,and my honor is being called by His name, being one of His brethren, being a child of God, and an adopted one who can call the Father, Abba. My life is transformed and rooted only and always in Him. With riches, honor, and life like this, it makes what the world has to offer look shabby and tawdry. It is only in Him that I am satisfied with good so that my youth is renewed like the eagles.

Father,
My heart is full with rich blessings. Thank you for making me Your child and giving me such a life and purpose. Teach me to live as You would have me to.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Continual Worship

Lev. 6:13

Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.

What a myriad of instructions about the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the ordination offering, and the peace offering! For me the massive amount of detail in these offerings only further displays God's attention to detail and His desire for obedience, but more than that it clarifies how magnificient Jesus' once-for-all sacrifice was. In His one act of obedience and humility, He became the perfect sacrifice that negated the use of all others. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since He did this once for all when He offered up himself. For the law appoins men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. What a gift of grace!

But what about the continuous fire? In the Old Testament it was a special exhortation to the priest to be faithful in their duties so that the worship of the Lord would continue uninterrupted. For me, I see this in the quality of my relationship to God through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. At Pentecost, the Spirit came down in flames of fire. He brings the fervency and the heat of the Father into my soul. As I live according to the Spirit's leading, I am to be fervent in Spirit, not grieving or quenching Him or His work in my life.  His ministry in my life, [teaching me, convicting me, and bringing all things to my remembrance] will keep my fire of worship continuous. A continuous fire means constant abiding. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, neither can you unless you abide in me. Without me, You can do nothing. There it is! Without Him, I can do nothing, that includes continuous worship. God commands worship and then gives me the wherewithal to obey! What a great God I worship!

Father,

Enlighten the eyes of my heart so that I might continuously worship You. Unite my heart to fear Your name. Teach me to abide and function only in Your power and strength.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Gray Hair and Old Age

Prov. 20:29

The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

Old age doesn't mean life is over, that the zest for life is gone! In fact it is just another example of how the Bible is counter to the accepted cultural thought. Certainly, the young are strong and full of energy, but there is something to be said for those who have lived life, for those who have endured, and for those who have learned life lessons. Perhaps the old don't need as much strength because they make wiser decisions based on the years that have gone before. It makes no difference though, because God has something for those who are old regardless of their decision making track record. He wants them to continue to serve. The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. He still wants me to be fruitful and to declare Him to those that He brings in my path. Thankfully, it doesn't mean I am ready to be shelved or obsolete. God's design and mission lasts until He calls me home to Him and then it continues on in an even more glorious venue!

So what is my response to aging and all of its own particular 'glories'? O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Your might to another generation, Your power to all those to come. What a glorious mission!  He is there beside me as my physical body wears out keeping my inner spirit shining brighter than ever so that I am ever ready to share Him and our journey together.

Father,

Give me wisdom on how to bridge the generational gap and share You with those that are to come. Help me proclaim Your might and power to all that You bring in my path.

In the name of Jesus,

Amen