Category: Uncategorized

www.bible.com/1713/jhn.14.6.csb

How many ways are there to God? To each his own? Every one needs to find their own path? How about One? There is one path to the Father, and it is through Jesus Christ. What makes Jesus so unique? Jesus alone is the Son of God. Only Jesus has both a human mother, and a Divine Father, seeded via the Holy Spirit. Only Jesus has both a human side, and a Divine side. Only Jesus is God incarnate, or God in flesh. So only Jesus can speak to this issue.

Jesus is also unique in that He is the only one to died and be resurrected. You may say that there are many stories of death and resurrection in mythology, i.e., Osiris. However, Jesus can be corroborated with history. Jesus’ resurrection is no myth. You can examine the evidences for yourself, but one thing that always convinces me is Jesus’ brother, James. James grew up with Jesus. James resisted ever considering his older brother anything more than that, a human being. In fact, James tried to bring Jesus home once, with his mother Mary, thinking that Jesus was a bit crazy. However, you can find a letter written by him in the New Testament. It bears his name. Turns out that James received a special post-resurrection appearance from Jesus (1 Cor 15) and became a believer in his brother’s Divinity, so much so, that James refers to himself not as a brother of Jesus, but a servant. I bet you never told your older brother that.

Is Jesus the Lord of your life? I certainly hope so. And I hope this note has been an encouragement for you. Thank you all for reading.

Lord help us going into tomorrow be refreshed and prepared for the challenges that await us. Thank You Lord for Your marvelous gift of Your Salvation and Grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

 

www.bible.com/1713/hab.3.17-18.csb

Sounds pretty desolate, doesn’t it? When everything has completely failed, the crops, the livestock, the job, the family, everything, is there still breath to praise the Lord? A hopeless outcome doesn’t have to be. In fact, hopeless isn’t without all hope. For even though everything fails, and your life falls apart, we still know that there is a God in Heaven who is looking out for us.

So at this point you may be asking, “Really? The God of the universe will still let me fail? The God who promises to love me?” Well, yes. Though your position may not be as desperate as Job, you might be able to see it from where you’re at. Job lost his children. Job lost his livestock and crops, all his material wealth. He even lost the comfort of his home and went out to sit in the city dump. Then he lost his health, and was miserable and in pain constantly. Does that sound like anyone you know? (Incidentally, I think this is why Job is in the Bible, even though we know very little about its author or where it came from. Job’s story needs to be told because we all need to hear it.)

Habbakuk doesn’t directly point to this, but you can hear a little bit of Job behind him. In all of his loss, and it was extreme, Job never lost his faith. Habakkuk advocates for the same. The question you need to be able to answer is this: Will you only trust the Lord as long as He gives you stuff? Will you only trust the Lord as long as things are going well? I believe this is indeed the final test all of us face to an extent. Why does God allow people to suffer in extended illness? Why does He allow folks to waste away in nursing homes? Some of the nursing homes I’ve seen aren’t too far from Job’s situation. For if you only trust the Lord when He is good, how strong is your faith? Sometimes there needs to be times of testing, times where our only hope is God, because everything else fails. Are you prepared for something like that? Does death frighten you? Does incapacity scare you? Does being a burden on others cause your blood pressure to go up?

I remember a story in Daniel 4 where Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind. Why? Because he looked upon his kingdom and said to himself, “I did that!” He refused to acknowledge God’s role in his rise to power. God punished him. Nebuchadnezzar was insane for seven years. SEVEN. History tells us that he roamed around the palace gardens like an animal. His people thought he was “touched by the gods” and he was in a way. But God took everything he had from him, because of his pride, until Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the Lord’s power and place as the true King. Now he still possessed all his goods, but he didn’t have his mind. If you don’t have that, what do you have? All the gold in the world doesn’t replace your ability to appreciate it.

Nebuchadnezzar and Job both point to God’s ability to take or allow to be taken everything we hold dear to prove a point. Our stuff, even our mind can be taken at will. We can’t keep anything in this world, not even our health, even if we had all the money and the doctors it could buy. The only thing we have for sure is our choice to serve and worship the God of Heaven. Don’t make God take everything else you value before your only choice is to bow your knee to Him. Serve Him gladly, every day, and through wealth or poverty, health or illness, offer Him your praise. Nothing we earn or possess can save us. Only by faith will we see heaven. May you learn this lesson early and often.

Lord God, May you know today that I value You more than anything else in this world. Though everything be taken from me, even my freedom to live, may my heart be found devoted to You, worthy not because of what I have done, but through what Christ has done in me. This is hard prayer to make, because I value many things in this world. And were I to be truly tested in this, I fear I would fail. Forgive my unbelief. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

www.bible.com/1713/psa.40.1-2.csb

There is no end to the voices and noise we hear everyday. Everything from TV to radio, email, texts, voicemail, internet video, podcasts, audiobooks, the important and not so important people in our lives, all seem to need five minutes or more of your time. Some we willingly surrender to. Others we tolerate. But our world is filled with noise and distraction.

It’s reassuring then that when we need to be heard, there is one who hears. Though our voice is small and is lost amidst the noise, He hears us, and calls us by name. He hears our voice and sets us on a rock, and place of strength, security, and peace. He ensures that if we follow His ways, we can have that peace wherever He leads us, even should it be in dark places.

Are you lost in the bottom of a pit today? Call our to Him. He hears. You are important to Him, and He has time to listen to your fears and your worries. And He will work to deliver you if you seek Him.

Dear Father, show us the path today out of darkness into light. Show us your joy and satisfaction in our turning that we may glorify Your name. Amen.

www.bible.com/1713/isa.55.6-7.csb

As someone who is a firstborn, it always amazes me how forgiving God is. Firstborns are always all about the rules, the right way of doing things. We also defend the way that we see as right, because that’s how we learned it, so it must always be true. I saw the dark side of this yesterday with a small boy, a firstborn, who raged against the world because he was taken from his birth family. His new family didn’t do things like his old family, even though they were kinder and more generous with him. He longed for the severity and austerity of his home because that was the “right” way. It was hard to watch.

So when God offers this easy forgiveness for the wicked, I get a little feeling in my gut, like, “Hey! Why am I working so hard for this? Why do I have to be so good when they are getting a free pass?” But then I remember. I’m not that good. My pride and my selfishness are just as wicked as anything I see around me. I sin differently. It just looks good in church.

We all this this easy forgiveness, because none of us can earn it. None of us deserve it. We’ve all grown up a certain way, come to expect certain things as our fathers have taught us. Our fathers, many who tried the best they could, also made mistakes. Our pride in the way we do things may be quite wrong to someone else. What we think is “right” by our own rules often isn’t. So stop being harsh to others who sin differently than you do. If you are going to correct someone else’s behavior, be prepared to defend your answer with book, chapter and verse from the word of God. Don’t imagine yourself the arbiter of right and wrong.

God knew our hearts before we did. He knew what would motivate us and what would discourage us. So He has molded and shaped us to be His, but we did not all start the same way, or with the same formation of our spirit. Be patient. God will deal with you in His time. He has not forgotten you. He loves you and He keeps His promises.

Heavenly Father. I am a mess. I was born from a messy family. I have fathered my own messy family. Thank you for not leaving me alone. Thank you for always preparing me with trial and test. Thank you for molding me into the person you need me to be. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

www.bible.com/1713/mat.5.5.csb

What is it to be meek? What comes to mind if a song about Jesus, Silent Night, where He as meek and mild. I think that’s the song. I may be wrong. Anyway, I almost always associate meek with mild because of that song. Just goes to show you that song lyrics you heard years ago will still haunt you.

Mild is just a name on the salsa jar, right? Mild also means bland. It means ordinary, run-of-the-mill, nothing special. In a sense, Jesus was all of those things. He was made like His brothers, He was not especially handsome or ugly. We despised Him as Isaiah says but that was because of the punishes He received at and before the cross. Jesus was ordinary in His appearance.

How was Jesus meek? I have often heard that meek means weak, but meekness has been much maligned. Meekness is like a bridled horse. It is great power under strict control, like the control room of a nuclear power plant. Jesus actually had immense power, even to call down 12 legions of angels if needed. I’d settle for one occasionally. But Jesus’ meekness allowed Him to approach with confidence any situation. That is the meekness spoken of in this passage.

The meek, the humble, the quietly confident of the Lord’s blessing on their life, the promise of life everlasting and the surety of the promises with the earnest of the Holy Spirit, the seal of His presence in your life, these shall inherit the land which is promised to them.

Heavenly Father, may I move forth in confidence today sure of the promises You have placed upon me. May I go forth in faith on the mission You have called me to, so that I may bless others. Help me to know this same meekness that was in my Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

www.bible.com/1713/psa.90.12.csb

Recently I saw a quote to the effect that we need to fill the dates on our tombstone with a life well lived. We live in the dash. This verse reminds me that that dash contains a specific numerical value.

God alone knows how many days we have, down to the fractions of days we enter and exit this world. Birth and death tend to follow similar paths, with suffering and labor. It is hard work to do either. And no one welcomes the pain it brings, yet at the end, there is rejoicing, whether you are entering into this world or arrive in the next.

Yet it is this passage of time that concerns us as we travel this dash. It is perhaps a mere coincidence that the standard punctuation between the two dates. But is truth that the line goes one way, from the beginning to the end. How you live it determines where you will be when the line ends. So as you live, may you live for the Lord.

www.bible.com/1713/mat.5.3.csb

What exactly is the Kingdom of Heaven? Scholars have pondered this for centuries and they are still trying to work it out, so don’t fear if you don’t have an answer right away. The top contenders are the Church, Heaven itself, and the Universe. I’m sure there are others. And it would take more study than we have here to come close to a definitive answer. But let’s take a look at those who will inherit it.

Jesus says “blessed are the poor (and/or in spirit)” depending on whether you are reading Luke or Matthew. Luke says the poor are blessed. Matthew says the poor in spirit are. The poor refers to the economically deprived, while Matthew refers to the spiritually deprived. So who is more blessed? Who is meant to receive the blessing here? I don’t think it’s any great mystery, as the poorest are those without spiritual wealth. Those who don’t know God are the poorest of all. And those are the ones who would benefit the most from God’s kingdom.

It’s a simplistic answer, but if you are poor in spirit, it is a welcome one. Does this help us understand the Kingdom of Heaven? A little bit, since it tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven enriches those with spiritual lack. It is akin to Jesus’ words to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus rule and reign was never intended to be a physical throne over a physical realm. His kingdom was of the spiritual, which surpasses physical borders and cannot be resisted with physical weapons. It is both intangible and formidable.

If you are poor in spirit, you are invited to become a part of the most powerful kingdom in earth. This kingdom is ruled by a benevolent ruler who gave His own life so that you could be a part of it. You are invited because you matter to Him. The price of citizenship in this kingdom is your faith and loyalty, your fealty to its King. Submit to baptism as a sign of your faith, and you will be given its keys, the Holy Spirit. The choice lies with you.

Dear Father, Holy Son and King of Heaven, may you hear my humble request to be. Part of Your kingdom. I don’t have much but myself, but I will give You all I have to live with You eternally. I both honor You and Love You Lord Jesus, because You have Your all to Me. Thank You Jesus for my life. In Your Name I pray, Amen.

www.bible.com/1713/psa.4.8.csb

Something that has been a subject of my prayers lately is peace and safety. There is something unique about the Lord’s peace. You can’t get it from anywhere else. It that feeling that only comes from a healed relationship from the Father, a lack of dread about judgment. It is a wholeness that you and God are doing ok. You can’t buy it or find it in a store. It comes from knowing that God has saved you by His grace, that He holds you fast in His presence. That nothing in earth or heaven will change it.

From this comes a sense of safety. When you have this peace in God there really is no substitute for its security. You know that as long as God is present, you are secure in Him. Physical circumstances notwithstanding, nothing can budge you from this place of safety.

How is your peace and safety today? I might encourage you to seek it in the Lord. His presence is the only place you can find either. God bless you in your journey today.

www.bible.com/1713/luk.6.45.csb

Words hurt. Not like sticks and stone, clubs or bullets, but they do hurt all the same. Words matter. Words mean things. Never let anyone insult you only to follow it with, “I was only joking!” Even jokes in bad taste come from somewhere. A person’s speech and use of language can tell you a lot about a person.

But this text is as much a warning about others as it is to ourselves. Something we all need to pay closer attention to is our use of language, how we speak to others, and the secret loathing that we sometimes nurse. Is there darkness in your heart when you think of certain people? It will find its way out. It will sneak out and betray you when you are unguarded. Don’t like your boss? It is will find its way into your speech. Have a secret crush on that person in your life (yes, even us married folks fall into this one), it will find its way out. Nothing hidden will stay that way if you continue to nurse it in your heart. Rather, drive out that secret evil. Be true, honest and of integrity in your heart and in your speech.

Dear God, please help me be a person of integrity. May the words of my mouth reflect truly the feelings and thoughts of my heart. May my heart be pure. I know Lord that only You can make my heart pure because I know within me my heart is wicked and deceitful. Only You have the power to cleanse my heart and help me be a whole person. Lord may I lay my heart before You as the sacrifice of my life that You may give me a clean heart. Lord may my words and actions be an encouragement to others. Lord help me to forgive those people in my life who I feel have wronged me. Help me to see others from Your perspective, because my own is so limited. Lord I earnestly desire Yoru cleansing power by the blood of my Lord Jesus Christ, that I may be pure and whole again. Only You Lord can do this. I know that my feeble human ability is no match for it. You Lord alone are worthy of praise. In You Lord I find wholeness and healing. Thank You Lord for bringing me life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

www.bible.com/1713/rom.8.39.csb

If you are familiar with public transit you might have heard the phrase, “mind the gap” being the gap between for example the train car and the boarding platform. It’s good advice because you don’t want to get your foot caught in there, or drop something important like your glasses or your cell phone. So as a word to the wise, you “mind the gap.”

But what this text tells us this morning is that God there is no gap. Nothing in all of creation, nor even circumstances of life and death change God’s relationship of love towards us. This is important information because to be honest, it feels like there is a gap sometimes. Sometimes I wonder if He is listening, or paying attention to my circumstances. I remind myself that I am an infinitesimal part of His creation, that He has better things to worry about than my life and problems. Surely the God of the universe has better things to than to “mind the gap” between Him and me.

Not so. For God, nothing is impossible. Not even caring for my needs, the uncontrollable in my life, the million different circumstances that affect my life from day to day that I cannot possibly keep in my head, let alone have any effect upon. I can’t control the weather. I can’t keep a small blood clot from forming in my leg and going to my lungs. I can’t control other people’s driving habits. There’s actually very little in my life that I can say I can control with certainty. So yes, I depend on the Lord to handle those million different details. With Him, there is no gap.

Lord I am often humbled by Your care of me. I cannot consider all the things You do for me, and I only hope that at the end of the day, I may glorify your Name as at all times, for the care and consideration in Your infinite wisdom you see fit to carry out in me. Thank You Lord. Amen.