Following the Son

“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”
Psalm 113:3

What do Sunflowers, Desert Lupine, Arctic Poppies, and Snow Buttercups have in common? They are all heliotropes. That means they follow the sun as it moves across the sky. Following the sun allows them to absorb the warmth and nutrition they need grow and dress our planet more brilliantly than Solomon’s robes. 

We have a Son to follow as well. He is the maker of all things; He made the sun and set it on its daily course. He made the flowers that follow that sun in order to grow. His Word is a lamp for our feet, a light for our paths (Psalm 119:105). Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). When we follow the Son, doing his will and reflecting His image and character we will be filled with all we need and the fruit of His character will be more evident in us.

How are you growing this week? Is the warmth of God’s love filling your being? Do you have His joy and peace even in the midst of whatever trial you might be facing? Is His patience allowing you to wait on Him, even if it takes a thousand years to get the answer you are looking for? 

If not, take time this week to look up and get oriented or re-oriented toward the light of the Son and follow after Him, you will be growing again in no time. If it is, take time to do a little praise dance, to thank Him for being the faithful leader of your life.

A Prayer
Father, thank you that we can learn so much about Your goodness and Your love for us from the rest of Your creation. As the flowers you dress the fields with follow the sun, this week help us to follow Your Son so we can be filled with the warmth of Who You are and grow abundantly more like You. In the name of Jesus, who is the light we need, we pray - Amen.

Just Not Feeling It

“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”
Matthew 14:13-14

If you are like me you have days when you just are not feeling it. The thought of crawling back in bed is tempting. Maybe that container of ice cream is calling your name. Life has been less than easy and you just don’t want to live up to your responsibilities or deal with the difficulties you are facing - at least not right now.

I think Jesus had days when He just wasn’t feeling it either. Take this week’s passage for example. What had Jesus heard about that made Him want to get away? He had heard that John the Baptist had been beheaded by Herod the Tetrarch. The relationship between John and Jesus is not clear but it is likely that they were cousins. 

By this time Jesus had already had some run-ins with the religious leaders and the crowds of people following him, hoping to see a miracle were growing. So here He is tired, stressed and now grieving the loss of a relative. Jesus is not feeling it and tries to get away, to rest, to pray, to grieve and the crowds wouldn’t let him. 

Imagine you have decided to play hooky from life because you just aren’t feeling it when there is a knock at your door. You reluctantly open it and find a line of people - your boss, your creditors, your doctors, your friends with their own struggles - you get the idea. Now what?

I can almost see Jesus hang his head and consider the possibility of turning the boat around. What He does however is an example and encouragement for us when we are just not feeling it. Instead of leaving, He got out of the boat and did what He knew to do - He cared for the crowd, showing them compassion in the midst of his own fatigue and sorrow. Later, two amazing things happen. First, He feeds the multitude with five loaves of bread and two fish. Then in the middle of the night He we went for a walk on the lake to meet His friends on the boat. 

So this week if you are just not feeling it, don’t try to hide or avoid whatever it is. Step out and just try to deal with it, when you do something amazing may happen. You may not end up walking on water, but you may find new strength or you may bless someone else who just wasn’t feeling it.

A Prayer
Father, thank you that Your Son understands how we feel sometimes. Help us, on those days when we would rather not face it, to be obedient to You anyway. Let something amazing happen in our lives that will re-ignite our passions and give us what we need to start “feeling it” again. In the name of Jesus, who on a day when maybe He wasn’t feeling it - fed 5000 and walked on water, we pray - Amen.

Humor in Conflict

“But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, ‘You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.’ They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, ‘Whose image is this? And whose inscription?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. Then he said to them, ‘So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’ When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.”
Matthew 22:18-22

I don’t know about you but I haven’t often thought about what kind of sense of humor Jesus had. I do imagine He has a good one though, having to deal with all of us humans all the time. As a seminary student I needed to write a paper describing one of the many conflicts found in Scripture and decided to use this week’s passage. As I read it I thought I caught a glimpse of Jesus’ mischievous side.

Perhaps a bit of background would be helpful. Jesus and His disciples had just the day before made the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus wasted no time in irritating the religious leaders. Jesus had caused a scene in the temple courts and made it clear the temple was not a place for corrupt business practices. Then when the religious leaders questioned by what authority He was doing this, Jesus turned the table on them making them look foolish and causing further offense. That brings us to this week’s passage.

Can you imagine Jesus in conversation with His disciples when He looks up and sees a group coming? I see him shaking his head with a slight smile and a “are you kidding me” attitude. Maybe you can see Him turn to His disciples and give them a “watch this” wink before laying into the group now standing there wanting His opinion on taxes. 

He turns it back on them when He tells them “well it looks like the coin belongs to Caesar so you best give it back to Caesar” and also lets them know that there are more important things - God things - that they should be concerned about. The group leaves, heads down, having been made fools of. Can you see Jesus shaking His head and laughing as he turns back to His disciples?

Keeping a sense of humor in the midst of conflict is important. Even though Jesus fully understood why He was in the city that week, the way he chose to handle some of the conflicts He faced reflected not only a sense of humor, but also His humble spirit. He didn’t let anyone walk all over Him but He also didn’t take Himself too seriously. In every conflict that He faced Jesus brought glory to His Father. 

Do we bring glory to God in the ways we deal with conflict? Maybe keeping our sense of humor would help to glorify God in the midst of whatever conflict we face. 

A Prayer
Father, thank you that Your Son has a sense of humor in dealing with us. Thank you that He showed us some creative ways of dealing with conflict. Help us, in the face of whatever conflict we might face, to keep our sense of humor and to act in such a way as to bring glory to You. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Shhh... I Know the Secret

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Matthew 6:3-4

I know the secret to transformational and abundant living. On occasion I enjoy watching a program called “Secret Millionaire”. In the show a millionaire leaves behind the trappings of their lives and go undercover in an underprivileged community - usually an inner city environment - with a the back story that they are making a documentary about volunteerism. For a week they live in the community and they live on what the average person in the community lives on. Their challenge is to find organizations that are making a real difference in the community they serve. The secret millionaire volunteers and at the end of the show gives large gifts to the organizations they feel are making the biggest difference.

But the show is not really about the money. The show is about bringing attention to the needs of the people living in these American communities and the organizations that are working hard to meet those needs while staying out of the spotlight and about how transforming being a part of those organizations can be. 

The Old Testament prophet Micah tells his audience that what God really wants from His people is not the blood of animals, but people who “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with him” (Micah 6:8). That is what can be seen in the founders and volunteers featured on this program.

So what secrets to transformational and abundant living can be gleaned from this show? First, little things can make a major difference in the life of someone else. Second, extending your heart to someone who is in need, whether it is physical, emotional, financial or spiritual will change your heart perhaps more than theirs and lastly you don’t have to be a millionaire to make a difference with your finances, but if you are and you give it away - you will receive more than you ever expected in return. 

This is what it means to act justly and love mercy, this is what allows your faith to grow, this is the inside-out transformation that Jesus came to bring us, and this is what the abundant life of the kingdom of heaven looks like.

A Prayer
Father, thank you that sometimes we can learn important lesson about kingdom living from the media. Thank you that no matter what our station in life, no matter what our finances we can make a difference in someone else’s life. Show us Lord where we can make a difference today and every day. In the name of Jesus, who can to give us a transformed and abundant life, Amen