“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.
Monday, September 24, 2012
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.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Did You See That?!
“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.’”
Exodus 14:13-14
Pharaoh had finally seen the power of the Hebrew God, the True God and had let the people go. The Egyptian people had freely given the Hebrew people everything they would need for their escape to freedom. Moses had led the people out of bondage and into freedom and God was their guide - a pillar of cloud in the day and of fire at night (Exodus 13:22).What an amazing sight that must have been - perhaps over two million people, their belongings and livestock - being led by a trio of elderly siblings (Moses and Aaron were most likely in their 80s and Miriam their sister was older still) and they were being guided by a pillar of cloud and fire.
One would think this sight alone would be enough to make the multitude recognize that something amazing was taking place and that the God they thought had long forgotten them was indeed on the move in their very midst. But they didn’t or couldn’t see it. At the first sign of trouble they panic and Moses has to tell them to - be still, be quiet and watch. Watch as the waters of the Red sea divided so they could cross on dry land. Watch as those same waters came crashing back together to destroy Pharaoh’s army. Throughout their time in the wilderness the Israelites will see God at work. Sometimes God worked supernaturally to provide for them and sometimes he just used ordinary things or people to do extraordinary things.
Sometimes in the midst of our struggles we are praying and looking for a supernatural response for God, this is not a bad thing of course - He does still work supernaturally after all. I wonder sometimes though as we wait for something supernatural to happen if we miss the miracle he is trying to work for us because it’s not what we are looking for.
If we fast forward to Jesus’ day, we know that people were looking for the coming Messiah - a lot of people missed him, because Jesus didn’t look or act the way they expected Messiah to look or act.
Today no matter what you are facing - keep your eyes and hearts open wide enough to see the “ordinary” miracle God is trying to work for you - you don’t want to miss it.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you that Your word shows us your commitment to providing for our needs. Thank you that sometimes you provide supernaturally and sometimes you provide in more ordinary ways, through friends, family, doctors, and the many servants you have surrounding us. Help us to be watching for all You are doing great and small in our lives. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Exodus 14:13-14
Pharaoh had finally seen the power of the Hebrew God, the True God and had let the people go. The Egyptian people had freely given the Hebrew people everything they would need for their escape to freedom. Moses had led the people out of bondage and into freedom and God was their guide - a pillar of cloud in the day and of fire at night (Exodus 13:22).What an amazing sight that must have been - perhaps over two million people, their belongings and livestock - being led by a trio of elderly siblings (Moses and Aaron were most likely in their 80s and Miriam their sister was older still) and they were being guided by a pillar of cloud and fire.
One would think this sight alone would be enough to make the multitude recognize that something amazing was taking place and that the God they thought had long forgotten them was indeed on the move in their very midst. But they didn’t or couldn’t see it. At the first sign of trouble they panic and Moses has to tell them to - be still, be quiet and watch. Watch as the waters of the Red sea divided so they could cross on dry land. Watch as those same waters came crashing back together to destroy Pharaoh’s army. Throughout their time in the wilderness the Israelites will see God at work. Sometimes God worked supernaturally to provide for them and sometimes he just used ordinary things or people to do extraordinary things.
Sometimes in the midst of our struggles we are praying and looking for a supernatural response for God, this is not a bad thing of course - He does still work supernaturally after all. I wonder sometimes though as we wait for something supernatural to happen if we miss the miracle he is trying to work for us because it’s not what we are looking for.
If we fast forward to Jesus’ day, we know that people were looking for the coming Messiah - a lot of people missed him, because Jesus didn’t look or act the way they expected Messiah to look or act.
Today no matter what you are facing - keep your eyes and hearts open wide enough to see the “ordinary” miracle God is trying to work for you - you don’t want to miss it.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you that Your word shows us your commitment to providing for our needs. Thank you that sometimes you provide supernaturally and sometimes you provide in more ordinary ways, through friends, family, doctors, and the many servants you have surrounding us. Help us to be watching for all You are doing great and small in our lives. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Balancing on One Foot
This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
Jeremiah 6:16
Sometimes God makes it very clear which direction He wants us to go and we walk uninterrupted for quite a ways, enjoying the view as we go. Other times the direction is not so clear but we can still make progress, we just have to pay more attention to where we are going. Then there are the times when we can’t see enough of the path to take a full step and we find ourselves standing there holding one foot up trying to find a place to step. Have you been there? Are you there now?
It is in these times of balancing on one foot - balancing between faith and fear, between trust and doubt, between obedience and disobedience - when we must totally depend on God. Not only will He give us the strength to stand there on one foot as we try to figure out where to step, He will also show us where to step and the best time to step so we can walk by faith, trusting and obeying. He will show us where the good way is and we can get back to enjoying the view as we journey.
This week if you are in one of those balancing on one foot situations let me remind you of something else we read in Scripture. Paul writing to the Philippians reminds them that they can “be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Jesus will not allow us to stand there balancing on one foot forever. Be watching for what He is doing and when He makes it clear which way to go - put that foot down and get going.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you that we can ask you for directions and that you will graciously show us where to go. For those times when we feel like we are balancing on one foot and might be leaning for the negative - give us the strength to stand or send a friend to hold us up. Thank you that we can be confident that you will not leave us unfinished. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Jeremiah 6:16
Sometimes God makes it very clear which direction He wants us to go and we walk uninterrupted for quite a ways, enjoying the view as we go. Other times the direction is not so clear but we can still make progress, we just have to pay more attention to where we are going. Then there are the times when we can’t see enough of the path to take a full step and we find ourselves standing there holding one foot up trying to find a place to step. Have you been there? Are you there now?
It is in these times of balancing on one foot - balancing between faith and fear, between trust and doubt, between obedience and disobedience - when we must totally depend on God. Not only will He give us the strength to stand there on one foot as we try to figure out where to step, He will also show us where to step and the best time to step so we can walk by faith, trusting and obeying. He will show us where the good way is and we can get back to enjoying the view as we journey.
This week if you are in one of those balancing on one foot situations let me remind you of something else we read in Scripture. Paul writing to the Philippians reminds them that they can “be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Jesus will not allow us to stand there balancing on one foot forever. Be watching for what He is doing and when He makes it clear which way to go - put that foot down and get going.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you that we can ask you for directions and that you will graciously show us where to go. For those times when we feel like we are balancing on one foot and might be leaning for the negative - give us the strength to stand or send a friend to hold us up. Thank you that we can be confident that you will not leave us unfinished. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Monday, August 13, 2012
The ONE Constant
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8
I like things that provide some constancy in my life. Things like football season always starting while baseball season is still going or that the sun always rises in the East and sets in the West. I love that there is a first day of school and that meal times happen at regular intervals. Knowing there are things we can count on helps us to have a kind of security as we go through this life. These “constants” help us to know that even when times are tough, even when things are changing, some things don’t change. It’s comforting.
There are plenty of “constants” in our lives - but none, save one is a forever constant. Football players can strike and the season can be cancelled. The Scriptures tells us that one day the sun as we know it will no longer be. There may be no first day of school or regular meals. When these things and events that we consider constant, aren’t anymore what will we do?
For those of us who are followers of Christ, no matter what happens to the things and the events of life - there is still ONE constant and that one constant is a person - Jesus Christ. He has existed since an eternity before we started keeping time and He will continue to exist long after there is time to keep. Jesus has loved us since forever and will love us into forever.
In chapter 24 of Matthew’s Gospel Jesus is talking to the disciples about the end of the age. One of the things He says to them is “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Jesus is the ONE real constant in our lives - so enjoy baseball and football. Celebrate the first day of school and enjoy your meals. Embrace the glory of each sunrise and sunset and know that when heaven and earth pass away Jesus will be there to comfort you and guide you through an eternity of His amazing constancy.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you for being unchanging. Thank you for being the one constant that we can rely on now and for eternity. As we enjoy the amazing things and events you have given us on this planet and for this time may we understand that what we really need is You. Thank you for loving us before time began so that we can know your love beyond time. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Hebrews 13:8
I like things that provide some constancy in my life. Things like football season always starting while baseball season is still going or that the sun always rises in the East and sets in the West. I love that there is a first day of school and that meal times happen at regular intervals. Knowing there are things we can count on helps us to have a kind of security as we go through this life. These “constants” help us to know that even when times are tough, even when things are changing, some things don’t change. It’s comforting.
There are plenty of “constants” in our lives - but none, save one is a forever constant. Football players can strike and the season can be cancelled. The Scriptures tells us that one day the sun as we know it will no longer be. There may be no first day of school or regular meals. When these things and events that we consider constant, aren’t anymore what will we do?
For those of us who are followers of Christ, no matter what happens to the things and the events of life - there is still ONE constant and that one constant is a person - Jesus Christ. He has existed since an eternity before we started keeping time and He will continue to exist long after there is time to keep. Jesus has loved us since forever and will love us into forever.
In chapter 24 of Matthew’s Gospel Jesus is talking to the disciples about the end of the age. One of the things He says to them is “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Jesus is the ONE real constant in our lives - so enjoy baseball and football. Celebrate the first day of school and enjoy your meals. Embrace the glory of each sunrise and sunset and know that when heaven and earth pass away Jesus will be there to comfort you and guide you through an eternity of His amazing constancy.
A Prayer
Father - Thank you for being unchanging. Thank you for being the one constant that we can rely on now and for eternity. As we enjoy the amazing things and events you have given us on this planet and for this time may we understand that what we really need is You. Thank you for loving us before time began so that we can know your love beyond time. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
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