“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:14
I have been thinking a lot lately about this journey we are on called life and it is definitely not a smooth, easy traveling freeway. Many have heard the saying “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey” no doubt there is some truth to that, but I suspect looking forward to the destination help make the journey bearable when the going gets rough.
Joshua, who would finally lead the Israelites across the Jordan and into the land that had been promised to them, had seen the land forty years earlier - during a scouting mission. He and Caleb had been the only returning spies who said let us take the land. Because they believed and stood ready to be obedient Joshua and Caleb were the only ones from that generation to step onto the land God had promised his people. For forty years Joshua and Caleb wandered in the wilderness with everyone else but remembering the land they had seen. Did that keep them going? I think it did.
Paul, after his Damascus Road experience knew that his ultimate destination would be heaven, but he would also travel the world sharing the Gospel. He knew that his earthly destination was Rome and that his life would be spared until he got there. It was not an easy journey by any stretch of our imaginations.
We are each on a journey and for those of us who identify ourselves as followers of Jesus; our ultimate destination is eternity in His presence. Until we get there, we will travel all kinds of roads - some smooth, some steep, and some filled with ruts. We will face obstacles - some that God has or will allow and some that we have placed there. We will spend time in the mountains and time in the desert. Sometimes we will have to wade through the flood and other times the waters may part. Sometimes we will have just the right number of travel companions, sometimes we will be caught in a traffic jam and other times we will travel the road seemingly alone.
The journey is intended to mold us into who we are meant to be - the destination will keep us going when we would rather not take another step. This week keep your eyes on the road and your heart on the destination.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you for the journey each one who reads this is on. You know where they are at and what they are facing. Some are on a rough road, some are on a steep mountain road, some are feeling alone - even though You are with them. Help us Lord, especially when the road is not easy to remember where You are leading us and may we find strength in the destination. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Believe it or Don't
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made.”
John 1:1-3
The Bible is an incredible book. Taken simply as literature it contains some fantastic stories, many of which could fall into other genres of literature like: fairy tales and fables, myths and maybe even a little science fiction. Consider just few of these stories. A boy kills a giant and becomes the king. A man lives for three days in the belly of a big fish. Three slaves survive a fiery finance. A peasant girl becomes the queen of Persia and saves her people from total destruction. Another peasant girl is told she will give birth to the messiah and gets pregnant without - well you know. A man named Phillip disappears from one location and appears in another. Then there are the amazing creatures described in its pages as well. Amazing stuff right?
Now if the Bible was just any book we could decide which of the many stories it contains we wanted to believe and not to believe. But, the Bible is not just any book it is the very word of God and he took great care in preparing it and protecting it so that people could get to know him. It seems to me that He intended for us to believe all of it, but not everyone - including some Christians - do not believe it all.
For instance a 2009 poll revealed that among weekly church goers: 24% believed in evolution; 41% did not believe in evolution and 35% had no opinion on the matter at all.
The story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is one of the most fantastical stories in the Bible. God become a man - born into this world like the average human is. He grows up and chases out demons, brings people back to life, heals with a touch or a word. Then he dies a brutal death and come back to life himself. I believe that story is true, that it happened the way it is related in the Bible - all of the Christians I know believe it too. So how can some say they believe that and then turn around and say that same God could not possibly have made the universe and everything in it in six days?
Do you pick and choose what you believe when you are reading the Bible? Do you believe in Jesus but not in God’s creation of the world? Do you believe there is more than one way to heaven even though Jesus says he is THE way?
I want to encourage you this week to spend some time thinking and praying about what you believe about the Bible and what it says. It is my prayer that you will go closer to God as a result.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you for giving us Your book. Help us as we read it to really understand what you are saying to us. Help us to believe what it says and may that realization draw us closer to you even as we are overwhelmed by your immenseness. You hold our world and everything in it in your hands and still you came to be with us for a time - to save us. Thank you for loving us so much. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
John 1:1-3
The Bible is an incredible book. Taken simply as literature it contains some fantastic stories, many of which could fall into other genres of literature like: fairy tales and fables, myths and maybe even a little science fiction. Consider just few of these stories. A boy kills a giant and becomes the king. A man lives for three days in the belly of a big fish. Three slaves survive a fiery finance. A peasant girl becomes the queen of Persia and saves her people from total destruction. Another peasant girl is told she will give birth to the messiah and gets pregnant without - well you know. A man named Phillip disappears from one location and appears in another. Then there are the amazing creatures described in its pages as well. Amazing stuff right?
Now if the Bible was just any book we could decide which of the many stories it contains we wanted to believe and not to believe. But, the Bible is not just any book it is the very word of God and he took great care in preparing it and protecting it so that people could get to know him. It seems to me that He intended for us to believe all of it, but not everyone - including some Christians - do not believe it all.
For instance a 2009 poll revealed that among weekly church goers: 24% believed in evolution; 41% did not believe in evolution and 35% had no opinion on the matter at all.
The story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is one of the most fantastical stories in the Bible. God become a man - born into this world like the average human is. He grows up and chases out demons, brings people back to life, heals with a touch or a word. Then he dies a brutal death and come back to life himself. I believe that story is true, that it happened the way it is related in the Bible - all of the Christians I know believe it too. So how can some say they believe that and then turn around and say that same God could not possibly have made the universe and everything in it in six days?
Do you pick and choose what you believe when you are reading the Bible? Do you believe in Jesus but not in God’s creation of the world? Do you believe there is more than one way to heaven even though Jesus says he is THE way?
I want to encourage you this week to spend some time thinking and praying about what you believe about the Bible and what it says. It is my prayer that you will go closer to God as a result.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you for giving us Your book. Help us as we read it to really understand what you are saying to us. Help us to believe what it says and may that realization draw us closer to you even as we are overwhelmed by your immenseness. You hold our world and everything in it in your hands and still you came to be with us for a time - to save us. Thank you for loving us so much. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Careful What You Say
“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
Proverbs 6:16-19
The word translated as detestable in the verse above can also be translated as the word abomination. On occasion I have heard or read about Christians who describe certain groups of people as detestable or as abominations. I often wonder how many of the people who talk like that about people who have been made in the image of God, might also be considered detestable in the eyes of God.
How many of us would consider pride or lying an abomination. If we catch our sons or daughters in a lie do we call them detestable? Of course not. If we act prideful, would we expect some to call us an abomination? No we would not and we would be offended if someone did.
Every member of the human race is made in the image of God and also falls short of the standard of God. Sin is real; we all at times act in selfish disobedience and disappoint God with our behavior and our words.
I know this is a tough subject, none of us want to be considered detestable and yet perhaps there are time when we are. I want to encourage you that when you may feel tempted to use the harshest language to describe someone struggling with the bonds of sin, that you stop for a moment and consider what those words would feel like if they were aimed at you.
Jesus came - for the whole of mankind; He desires that not one be lost. He has the power to heal and save all of us if we will let Him. Consider this; if someone claiming to be a follower of Christ called you detestable - how likely would it be that you would feel as if God hated you and that there was no hope for you?
There are of course times when we need to hold one another accountable for our actions I want to encourage you to seek words of love and compassion in those instances - words that will draw people to the cross.
A Prayer
Father - Forgive us for the times when we over look our own detestable behavior and call someone detestable. Make our hearts like the heart of Your Son - filled with compassion for the brokenness around us. Help us to see the face of Jesus in every person we meet and help us speak words that will draw people to the cross where healing, restoration and your great love can be found. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Proverbs 6:16-19
The word translated as detestable in the verse above can also be translated as the word abomination. On occasion I have heard or read about Christians who describe certain groups of people as detestable or as abominations. I often wonder how many of the people who talk like that about people who have been made in the image of God, might also be considered detestable in the eyes of God.
How many of us would consider pride or lying an abomination. If we catch our sons or daughters in a lie do we call them detestable? Of course not. If we act prideful, would we expect some to call us an abomination? No we would not and we would be offended if someone did.
Every member of the human race is made in the image of God and also falls short of the standard of God. Sin is real; we all at times act in selfish disobedience and disappoint God with our behavior and our words.
I know this is a tough subject, none of us want to be considered detestable and yet perhaps there are time when we are. I want to encourage you that when you may feel tempted to use the harshest language to describe someone struggling with the bonds of sin, that you stop for a moment and consider what those words would feel like if they were aimed at you.
Jesus came - for the whole of mankind; He desires that not one be lost. He has the power to heal and save all of us if we will let Him. Consider this; if someone claiming to be a follower of Christ called you detestable - how likely would it be that you would feel as if God hated you and that there was no hope for you?
There are of course times when we need to hold one another accountable for our actions I want to encourage you to seek words of love and compassion in those instances - words that will draw people to the cross.
A Prayer
Father - Forgive us for the times when we over look our own detestable behavior and call someone detestable. Make our hearts like the heart of Your Son - filled with compassion for the brokenness around us. Help us to see the face of Jesus in every person we meet and help us speak words that will draw people to the cross where healing, restoration and your great love can be found. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Monday, September 24, 2012
A Heart that Sees
“I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, ‘Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.’”
Nehemiah 1:1b-2
Nehemiah, cup bearer to the king of Persia had been deeply troubled for months following a report he had received about the city of Jerusalem. For months he had been serving the king with this pain on his heart and either Nehemiah was very good about putting on the “everything is fine” mask or the king just didn’t pay that much attention. But on this day the king noticed and asked Nehemiah what was causing such distress.
Nehemiah had been praying and fasting over this matter of Jerusalem since he learned of it - his heart was broken for a city he had never seen. God has broken his heart to prepare him for what He was about to have him do. But in order for Nehemiah to accomplish his task the king would have to be involved. God opened the king’s heart so he could see Nehemiah’s pain and because he could see it he responded with compassion.
Jesus was intentional about looking for the pain in the lives of the people he encountered, the woman at the well, the one caught in adultery, the tax collectors who were despised, the sick, lonely and abandoned. His Father had given him a heart that sees a heart that responded with compassion.
Are you in pain, needing someone to see your distress and respond with compassion? Is there someone in your life who could help but doesn’t seem to see what you are going through? Pray that God would open the heart of that person to see. Maybe life is good for you right now - maybe you are that person that might be able to help. Allow God to open your heart so that it can see the pain surrounding you.
As followers of Christ we are called to do the things that Christ did. He acted because He had a heart that could see the brokenness of the lives around Him. Ask that the Holy Spirit grant you a heart that can see and then respond the way Jesus would have with compassion and love.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you for having a heart that sees us. Put people in our lives who have hearts that see us when we hurt, when we are broken and who will respond with compassion and love. Give us hearts that can see the brokenness around us and help us to act with compassion and love. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Nehemiah 1:1b-2
Nehemiah, cup bearer to the king of Persia had been deeply troubled for months following a report he had received about the city of Jerusalem. For months he had been serving the king with this pain on his heart and either Nehemiah was very good about putting on the “everything is fine” mask or the king just didn’t pay that much attention. But on this day the king noticed and asked Nehemiah what was causing such distress.
Nehemiah had been praying and fasting over this matter of Jerusalem since he learned of it - his heart was broken for a city he had never seen. God has broken his heart to prepare him for what He was about to have him do. But in order for Nehemiah to accomplish his task the king would have to be involved. God opened the king’s heart so he could see Nehemiah’s pain and because he could see it he responded with compassion.
Jesus was intentional about looking for the pain in the lives of the people he encountered, the woman at the well, the one caught in adultery, the tax collectors who were despised, the sick, lonely and abandoned. His Father had given him a heart that sees a heart that responded with compassion.
Are you in pain, needing someone to see your distress and respond with compassion? Is there someone in your life who could help but doesn’t seem to see what you are going through? Pray that God would open the heart of that person to see. Maybe life is good for you right now - maybe you are that person that might be able to help. Allow God to open your heart so that it can see the pain surrounding you.
As followers of Christ we are called to do the things that Christ did. He acted because He had a heart that could see the brokenness of the lives around Him. Ask that the Holy Spirit grant you a heart that can see and then respond the way Jesus would have with compassion and love.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you for having a heart that sees us. Put people in our lives who have hearts that see us when we hurt, when we are broken and who will respond with compassion and love. Give us hearts that can see the brokenness around us and help us to act with compassion and love. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Truth in Advertising
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:12-14
God brings me inspiration in the most unusual ways some times. This time a commercial for an insurance company - Liberty Mutual is the springboard. The opening lines of the commercial say: “We are imperfect humans living in a beautifully imperfect world.” Isn’t that the truth?
One look at a newspaper or the evening news confirms, beyond a shadow of a doubt just how imperfect humanity is. Our own attitudes and responses to the people and world around us are also at times evidence of this imperfection as well.
I love that God, the Creator of us and our world still loves us even though we, at the moment are so imperfect. Jesus, the incarnation of that infinite and perfect Creator came to tell us in person how much He loves us and the lessons He taught on how to live closer to perfection are powerful in their simplicity. Put on the clothes that lead to perfect unity - compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love.
Imagine how your relationships would be if you treated each member of your family and all your friends the way Jesus treats you. You would find a new unity, a perfect unity in those relationships. Imagine what your neighborhood, city, state or nation would be like if each individual who calls Jesus Lord treated every other person with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love. We will never have absolute perfection on this planet - that perfection is for another time and place - but we can get closer if we follow the path laid before us.
There is hope…Sometimes, there is truth in advertising.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you for loving us even though we are not perfect. Thank you for showing us compassion. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for showing us what real humility and gentleness looks like. Thank you for being patient with us and for Your forgiveness. Help us to treat others the way You treat us - that we might be bound together in perfect unity. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Colossians 3:12-14
God brings me inspiration in the most unusual ways some times. This time a commercial for an insurance company - Liberty Mutual is the springboard. The opening lines of the commercial say: “We are imperfect humans living in a beautifully imperfect world.” Isn’t that the truth?
One look at a newspaper or the evening news confirms, beyond a shadow of a doubt just how imperfect humanity is. Our own attitudes and responses to the people and world around us are also at times evidence of this imperfection as well.
I love that God, the Creator of us and our world still loves us even though we, at the moment are so imperfect. Jesus, the incarnation of that infinite and perfect Creator came to tell us in person how much He loves us and the lessons He taught on how to live closer to perfection are powerful in their simplicity. Put on the clothes that lead to perfect unity - compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love.
Imagine how your relationships would be if you treated each member of your family and all your friends the way Jesus treats you. You would find a new unity, a perfect unity in those relationships. Imagine what your neighborhood, city, state or nation would be like if each individual who calls Jesus Lord treated every other person with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love. We will never have absolute perfection on this planet - that perfection is for another time and place - but we can get closer if we follow the path laid before us.
There is hope…Sometimes, there is truth in advertising.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you for loving us even though we are not perfect. Thank you for showing us compassion. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for showing us what real humility and gentleness looks like. Thank you for being patient with us and for Your forgiveness. Help us to treat others the way You treat us - that we might be bound together in perfect unity. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Acquainted With Grief
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering…Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows…”
Isaiah 53:3-4
As I write this the community I live in is reeling from the tragic death of a young man. Answers will be demanded of God -“Why did this happen? Where were you God?” You know the questions, perhaps you have asked them yourself at some point. Fists perhaps are being shaken at God as grief and anger mix to bring mind and heart numbing pain.
Where is God as times like these? He is right there in the middle of it - taking whatever we throw at him, understanding the pain we feel - because He has been there, He has experienced pain - he understands. In today’s passage the prophet Isaiah describes the Messiah as a man of sorrows, a man familiar with suffering. Isaiah continues by saying the Messiah carried our sorrows.
Jesus understands the pain that comes with loss. His cousin John the Baptist was killed by a cruel ruler. One friend betrayed him and another denied knowing him. He witnessed the brutality of the Romans. He wept over a city filled with people who should have recognized him but didn’t. He was mocked, beaten and crucified - it was our sorrow, our failings, our sins that he carried to that cross. Yes, Jesus understands pain - his own and ours.
Yet, he stands in the midst of whatever storm we face. His arms open wide, allowing us to take out our hurt, our fear, our anger on him and ready to catch us and hold us when we grow weary. As we collapse into His loving embrace we can feel the tears He is crying for us. We can hear him saying - I know it hurts, its okay, let it out - let it all out, I’m here, I’ve got you, I’ll be with you, I love you.
This week no matter what you are facing know that the God of the universe, knows how you feel, He is acquainted with grief. You are not alone He is with you always.
A Prayer
Father - So many things happen in this world that just seem so senseless and cause so much pain. Thank you that because you sent your Son to be with us You understand the pain we experience. Thank you for holding us in your arms and whispering your comfort to us even when we might not want it. Thank you that we are not alone in our pain because you are acquainted with grief. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Isaiah 53:3-4
As I write this the community I live in is reeling from the tragic death of a young man. Answers will be demanded of God -“Why did this happen? Where were you God?” You know the questions, perhaps you have asked them yourself at some point. Fists perhaps are being shaken at God as grief and anger mix to bring mind and heart numbing pain.
Where is God as times like these? He is right there in the middle of it - taking whatever we throw at him, understanding the pain we feel - because He has been there, He has experienced pain - he understands. In today’s passage the prophet Isaiah describes the Messiah as a man of sorrows, a man familiar with suffering. Isaiah continues by saying the Messiah carried our sorrows.
Jesus understands the pain that comes with loss. His cousin John the Baptist was killed by a cruel ruler. One friend betrayed him and another denied knowing him. He witnessed the brutality of the Romans. He wept over a city filled with people who should have recognized him but didn’t. He was mocked, beaten and crucified - it was our sorrow, our failings, our sins that he carried to that cross. Yes, Jesus understands pain - his own and ours.
Yet, he stands in the midst of whatever storm we face. His arms open wide, allowing us to take out our hurt, our fear, our anger on him and ready to catch us and hold us when we grow weary. As we collapse into His loving embrace we can feel the tears He is crying for us. We can hear him saying - I know it hurts, its okay, let it out - let it all out, I’m here, I’ve got you, I’ll be with you, I love you.
This week no matter what you are facing know that the God of the universe, knows how you feel, He is acquainted with grief. You are not alone He is with you always.
A Prayer
Father - So many things happen in this world that just seem so senseless and cause so much pain. Thank you that because you sent your Son to be with us You understand the pain we experience. Thank you for holding us in your arms and whispering your comfort to us even when we might not want it. Thank you that we are not alone in our pain because you are acquainted with grief. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Monday, September 3, 2012
This is a Test
“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.’”
Exodus 16:4
The Israelites had been on the road to the Promise Land for two months, they had been free for two months. They had seen the power of God at work when He divided the Red Sea. They could see that He was present with them in the cloud that guided them on their journey. They had seen God provide for them at Marah in the desert of Shur, and yet…
Every time they encountered an obstacle or missed the comfort and stability of their slavery they grumbled. Imagine the sound of two million people grumbling. At Marah, after providing water to quench their thirst, the Scriptures tell us that “There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them.” (Exodus 15:25). The Hebrew word translated test in both of these verses is “nasa” is means: to test (usually to prove character or faithfulness). God wants to know if these people would have the character to be obedient and the faithfulness to believe and follow.
These will not be the last obstacles the Israelites face on their journey to the Promise Land. Unfortunately for them their character and faithfulness will be tested time and again. Sometimes, they pass the test with flying colors and other times… well they ended up wondering in the wilderness until a new generation would have the character and faithfulness to enter into the land that had been promised to them. It is a good thing for them that God is the God of second chances, of third, fourth and fifth chances even.
Scripture doesn’t tell how many times during the forty years they stopped at the Jordan River and possibly had an opportunity to cross over but didn’t, but somehow I suspect they may have had other opportunities.
God wasn’t testing the Israelites because He wanted them to fail; he was testing them because He wanted them to succeed. He wanted them to have the character of over-comers, people who by faith in God would face the obstacles of life head on and get past them to the blessings waiting on the other side.
If there is an obstacle, a test before you right now; trust God, have faith in Him and over come.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you that Your word reveals Your character, Your power, Your provision and Your faithfulness. Help us to have the kind of character that trusts You with every aspect of our lives. May we get to the end of our journey having passed the tests that You set before us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Exodus 16:4
The Israelites had been on the road to the Promise Land for two months, they had been free for two months. They had seen the power of God at work when He divided the Red Sea. They could see that He was present with them in the cloud that guided them on their journey. They had seen God provide for them at Marah in the desert of Shur, and yet…
Every time they encountered an obstacle or missed the comfort and stability of their slavery they grumbled. Imagine the sound of two million people grumbling. At Marah, after providing water to quench their thirst, the Scriptures tell us that “There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them.” (Exodus 15:25). The Hebrew word translated test in both of these verses is “nasa” is means: to test (usually to prove character or faithfulness). God wants to know if these people would have the character to be obedient and the faithfulness to believe and follow.
These will not be the last obstacles the Israelites face on their journey to the Promise Land. Unfortunately for them their character and faithfulness will be tested time and again. Sometimes, they pass the test with flying colors and other times… well they ended up wondering in the wilderness until a new generation would have the character and faithfulness to enter into the land that had been promised to them. It is a good thing for them that God is the God of second chances, of third, fourth and fifth chances even.
Scripture doesn’t tell how many times during the forty years they stopped at the Jordan River and possibly had an opportunity to cross over but didn’t, but somehow I suspect they may have had other opportunities.
God wasn’t testing the Israelites because He wanted them to fail; he was testing them because He wanted them to succeed. He wanted them to have the character of over-comers, people who by faith in God would face the obstacles of life head on and get past them to the blessings waiting on the other side.
If there is an obstacle, a test before you right now; trust God, have faith in Him and over come.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you that Your word reveals Your character, Your power, Your provision and Your faithfulness. Help us to have the kind of character that trusts You with every aspect of our lives. May we get to the end of our journey having passed the tests that You set before us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
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