Starting Anew

We are here, at the end of 2015.

When Paul was reaching the end of his life and earthy ministry, he wrote these words to Timothy, 

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NIV)

If you were to sum up 2015, did you "fight the good fight"?

Amid all the New Year's Eve celebrations and traditions, let's take some time to reflect on 2015.  When did  we fight the good fight?  When did we shrink back?

The beauty is that we have another year, we can now  put 2015 behind us, and start anew. 

How we look back on 2016 will be determined by all the choices we make, from this point and moving forward.

May the Lord guide us all to the right ones.

--

"Let no one come to you without feeling better and happier when they leave"
Mother Teresa

New Year

The passing of a year marks putting things behind us.  It's a tangible moment when we are in one year, and after a second we are in the new year, never to repeat the old one again.  That's why New Year's resolutions are so popular, it's a great marker for changes for good.

Reading Psalm 32 which begins, 

"Oh, what joy for those

    whose disobedience is forgiven,

    whose sin is put out of sight!

2 Yes, what joy for those

    whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,

    whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

3 When I refused to confess my sin,

    my body wasted away,

    and I groaned all day long.

4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.

    My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude

5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you

    and stopped trying to hide my guilt.

I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord."

    And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone."  (NIV)

Just like the new year, our lives change in an instant when we give them over to the Lord.

Do you have anything that is weighing you down?  Something that you know it's time to put behind you?  There is no need to wait until New Year's Eve. 

He is here, now, ready to forgive and set us free to walk newly in Him.

--

"Let no one come to you without feeling better and happier when they leave"
Mother Teresa

Talk

What do we spend our time thinking and talking about?

Everyone seems to be talking about the new Star Wars movie, and with good reason.  These movies have been in our pop culture for as long as we can remember.  I still remember seeing the first one (ok, for you fans, IV A New Hope) back in 1977... in the theater!

So to have a new installment of the series, with Han Solo and the Falcon, etc, that's fun to talk about.  Harmless topic of conversation.

But then there are controversial topics that go well beyond questioning whether or not Han Solo fired his gun at Greedo first.  These topics can actually divide the body of Christ and hinder the preaching of the Gospel.

Reading 1 Timothy today, 

"As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer  or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God's work—which is by faith.  The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.  Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm." 1 Tim 1:3-7 (NIV)

I wonder if, the next time we engage in a "hot topic" of conversation,  we are sure this is something the Lord would have us spend our time talking about?  Or is it meaningless talk that should be avoided?

Old Year, New Year

Counting down to the end of another year.

That's one way of looking at it, isn't it?  2015 is coming to an end.  For some of us this was a good year, for some of us it was a difficult year.  Probably for most it was a mixture of both.

But another way of looking at the same number of days is, we are counting days to the beginning of a new year, 2016.  What will this new year bring?  Only the Lord really knows. 

But it can be a new beginning.

At Freedom, every Sunday we stand outside in a circle before the service.  Well, I'm not sure we've ever made it look like a real circle!  But you get the idea. The thought is, before we go into worship the Lord, we leave whatever is weighing us down in that circle.  We move forward.

I think a change in year requires the same attitude.  I'm not much for new year's resolutions, but I do think a time to prayerfully reflect is a healthy thing to do. 

Perhaps using these final days of 2015 to (with the Lord's help) leave behind things that we need to let go of?  It's hard to take hold of something new, when our hands are full of something old.

This is also a good time to think of all the things in 2015 we have to be grateful for. 

As the writer of Hebrews tells us, 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." Heb 12-1-2 (NIV)

Flavor of our Lives

Growing up, a Christmas tradition in my house was to make gravy.  Other people may call what we make spaghetti  sauce.  But, my family is Sicilian and when a sauce has meat in it, for a Sicilian it's gravy.  Since we cook our sauce all day long with pork, meatballs and sausage in it, it is gravy.

Being one of five Italian boys, I and my brothers all learned to make my mother's recipe.  It's been in the family for generations.

I remember once I didn't use pork.  I forget why, maybe I forgot to get some at the store.  I think I figured since the pork pretty much disappears into the gravy, it wasn't all that important.

But It simply wasn't the same color or flavor without it, in fact it was acidic.  I had to add sugar to try and balance it out.

 Take away one ingredient and the result was inferior to how my mother made it.  I never left out the pork again.

Jesus said,  "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matt 7:24- 27 (NIV)

We don't get to pick and choose what parts of the Bible we will obey, and what parts we consider optional.  As soon as we decide what words of Jesus we will listen to and which ones we won't, we have stepped into his place as Lord of our lives.

Our lives' flavor is no longer the same - if we miss that one part our foundation is no longer on a rock, we're on sand.

The Christmas Gift That Matters

"For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given,

    and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

    there will be no end.

He will reign on David's throne

    and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

    with justice and righteousness

    from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty

    will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:6 -7 (NIV)

Today Christmas is celebrated all over the world, in many different ways with many different family traditions.  One common theme is that gifts are exchanged.

I like that part..

As we read in Isaiah, "a son is given," Jesus Christ is the gift of God.  A gift that never spoils or fades; a gift we can never tire of.  He does more than brighten one day, he changes our lives. 

A "gift exchange" with Jesus means we lay at his feet everything that is wrong and he gives us an abundant life in return.

"Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,

  and the young men and the old shall be merry.

I will turn their mourning into joy;

I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance,

 and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,

declares the Lord."

Jer 31-13-15 (ESV)

Merry Christmas to you all!

Peacemakers

The Christmas Holiday is almost on us.  Many of us will be getting together with family, and hopefully that's a good thing!

But we live in the real world.  So let's face it, when families get together it's not always like the Hallmark commercials.  Families carry strong emotions and baggage at times.  When we get together, sparks can fly.

When Jesus was born the angels sang these words.

 "Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."  Luke 2:14 (NIV)

Years later Jesus would teach, "Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God." Matthew 5:8 (NIV)

Most of us will not be able to directly influence world peace, however we can be agents of peace in the lives of those we gather with this Christmas. 

If we see conflict, will we seek to help bring understanding and resolution?  Will  we be quiet and do nothing?  Or do we fan the flames?

This reminds me of a prayer by Francis of Assisi.

"O Divine Master, grant that I may not seek to be consoled, as to console. To be understood, as to understand. To be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life."  - Francis of Assisi 

Let us be the peacemakers Jesus intended us to be this Christmas, and thereby honor his name!

Daylight

Yesterday was one of my favorite days of the year. 

It was the winter solstice. 

This day has meant a lot of things to a lot of different people over the centuries.  But I never really paid attention to it until I started riding motorcycles. 

Yesterday was the darkest day of the year.  From today forward, we are gaining about a minute of daylight each day.  The older I get, the less I enjoy riding my motorcycle at night, so this is a good time!

But it also reminds me that we go through seasons in our lives, hard times, dark days.  But once those days are behind us, each day can become brighter than the last.  This time of year speaks of hope to me.  If I'm in a dark time, I know better times will come.

Reading Philippians today, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Phil 3:12-14 (NIV)

A minute of daylight a day is like a little cup of hope.  As we approach the new year, let's begin to embrace what God has for us, eventually those minutes add up, and we'll be riding again in the sun.

Baby Jesus

Maybe it's just me, but I've never been one to get very excited about the "baby Jesus."  I look at him on Christmas cards, in the manger scene in our living room, and frankly I'm not all that moved.

Just being honest, just sayin'

I mean, Jesus is my Lord, my savior.  The man Jesus, absolutely.  Even the boy Jesus who baffled the Pharisees, good stuff.

But the baby Jesus?  I don't get all the fuss.  I mean... he's a baby!  They all kinda look alike to me, babies are babies, aren't they? 

Is it just me?

Maybe it's a man thing... or not.

But scripture won't let me off the hook when it comes to the baby Jesus.  One man's reaction at seeing him challenges me to look closer.

Reading Luke 2 today,

"Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.  It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.  Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel."

The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him.  Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,  so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." Luke 2:25-33 (NIV)

A baby is a new life, with a destiny.  The birth of a child, as many of us parents know, changes our lives forever.

And Simeon could see that, just in holding Jesus in his arms, he could see it all.  He could see that this child was the Son of God. 

He held God in the flesh, in his hands.

Lord, give us fresh eyes to truly understand, as Simeon did, how your coming changed our lives, forever.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Christmas is almost here, just a few more days.

One of the oldest and best-known Christmas Specials is "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

The story follows Charlie Brown, who, rather than being happy at Christmas is depressed.  We follow his efforts with the Christmas play, and the infamous Christmas tree, to the point where he shouts, 'Doesn't anyone know what Christmas is all about?"

Every year we complain about how the true meaning of Christmas is lost, or how some of us are offended at the "Happy Holidays" greeting.  The same cycle repeats itself every year.

But I got thinking about it.  What do I do to celebrate the birth of our Savior in a more meaningful way?  It's always easier to protest and complain, than to think creatively.  To change what we can, rather than expect stores not to take advantage of their biggest chance for great sales of all year.

So that's my Christmas week challenge, to myself.  To get my thoughts off the same old complaints and think about how I can do something, even small and different, each year.

Perhaps just thinking about how Linus answered Charlie Brown's question.  He smiled, and said, "I do Charlie Brown," then calling for a spotlight, he said...

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:8-14 (NIV)

After all, that is what Christmas is all about, it really isn't that complicated.

Yesterday, Today and Forever

A simple question used to be... "how many shopping days are left before Christmas?"

It was easy to figure out, you looked at Christmas day, the 25th of December, and you count the days stores are open between then and now.

Simple

But times have changed!  With online shopping, you now have to know where something ships from and how many days it takes to get to where you are...  Is mail delivered on Sundays now?  And, what about Christmas day?

With more technology comes more change.

But Jesus Christ, never changes.  The same Lord who was born over 2000 years ago in that manger, is the same Lord we worship today. His life, his teaching, his death and his amazing resurrection are just as true now, as they were back then.

I'm so grateful to serve a God who never changes.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Heb 13:8 (NIV)

Daily Time in God's Word

I have been training Taekwondo for the past six months.  Last night was the first time I was allowed to spar.

In my school, you have to be a yellow belt to spar, that means passing two belt tests to get to this point. 

It felt good to finally put the pads on and get a chance to do some sparing.  After the session our instructor said something that stayed with me.

He talked about how all of what we do, from endurance training, to technique practice and footwork are meant to help us spar better and to not get hurt when we do so.  Everything we do is useful when we spar.

Reading 2 Timothy today,

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Tim 3:16 (NIV)

To be completely equipped to "fight the good fight" we need to be in the Word, all of it.  As Paul says, "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."  1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)

Daily time in the Bible is not just a good thing to do, it is essential to a healthy and victorious life in Christ.

True Words

Have you ever heard it said, "everyone is entitled to their opinion"?

Well, that is true.  The Lord has given us the freedom to think whatever we want to think.  However, that does not mean we are correct.

And, an opinion doesn't always match up with the truth.

I can be of the opinion that traffic should stop for me when I pull out into a crowded intersection, that doesn't mean I won't get hit.

That's why we need the Word of God in our lives.  When we struggle to see whose opinion is correct or even matters, it's best to see if the words line up with the Bible.

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Heb 4:12 (NIV)

What a blessing to have, at our fingertips, words we can rely on to be true.

Word of God

How much do we surround ourselves with the Word of God?

Reading Psalm 1 today...

"Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers." Psalm 1:1-3

Reading that verse, "but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night..."  I find that rather convicting.

We are constantly bombarded with media.  Music, TV, Radio, or the things we read online.

What would happen if we changed some of that to reflect the Word of God?  What would one day be like, if we played worship music in the background while we went about our tasks, read the Word for the same amount of time we read Facebook posts, or found a sermon online to stream?

What if we picked one day, to wake up to the Word, go about our day trying to surround ourselves with it, and then read a verse or two before going to bed?

As the word says, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates."  Deut 6:4-9 (NIV)

How different would that day be?  Even if we only accomplished 1/3 of what we set out to do, what difference would that input of God's Word make in our lives?

Challenging thought.

Being Thankful

What are you thankful for today?

"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:1-2 (NIV)

A few days ago our power went down.  I'm not sure why really and it only lasted maybe two hours.  Since we have a gas stove, I was still able to make coffee; crisis averted!

What amazed me about those few hours was how many times I forgot the power was off until I wanted something.  I flicked a switch on a light that didn't come on, or I wasn't able to "google" something because no power meant no internet. 

We go about our day, counting on the power to just be there.  We normally only appreciate it when it's gone for a while, and then we get it back.

Perhaps that's just how we are wired, I know I forget to see all the blessings in my life.  Having a regular practice of stopping for a moment, and taking the time to be thankful, can keep our focus on the amazing things that God has given us.

And the greatest gift of all, is of course his Son.

What are you thankful for today?  A warm house to wake up in?  People in you life who love you?

Offer up some thanks today to the Lord who has truly blessed us.

Christmas

Eleven days until Christmas...  does that make you look forward to the day, or do you get anxious because you do not feel prepared?  You have not even begun your shopping and the lights are only half up?

Christmas can be a stressful time for people as they try to prepare for the day to come.  We know it should be special, happy, joyous.

Yet often after the presents are opened and the food is eaten, we can feel slightly let down.

Why?

Reading Matthew 11 today, we see Jesus said, 

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

So how can celebrating his coming be a stressful time?  Perhaps it is in our priorities?  We instinctively know that Christmas should be an amazing time, but if we get caught up in thinking that the wonder comes from anything other than the coming of our Lord, we will be greatly disappointed.

As the holiday approaches, let's keep our focus on the true reason for the season.  Family meals and presents are all nice, but they should point us to the greatest gift of all.  The one gift that will never let us down.

Jesus, The Son of Man

Reading Luke chapter 1 today...

"But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,  and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end."" Luke 1:30-33 (NIV)

Have you ever asked, "Why did Jesus need to come as he did?"

I mean, for thousands of years God related to his people through prophets or angels.  And then he picked a specific time in history when he decided to appear as a man; to live as a man, and to die on a cross, as a man.

Why?

We are just a few weeks away from the celebration of that amazing birth!  God with us, Emmanuel.  A time when God became man, and walked among us.

Those of you who habitually read the Daily Rock, know that more often than not I give my own thoughts on questions I ask.  But this time, I'd like to simply leave you with that question.

Why did Jesus need to come as he did?  Why did God decide to save mankind by becoming one of us?

Preparing The Way For The Lord

Probably one of the most read scriptures during this time of year is Luke chapter 2.  You know, the same one that Linus quotes to Charlie Brown when he cries out, "Doesn't anyone know what Christmas is all about?"

But before flipping to that page, take a moment to read what John the Baptist's father said at the birth of his son.  I have to admit, I've often skimmed over chapter 1 to get right to the birth of Jesus.

You may recall, Zechariah did not believe the angel when he told him that he would soon have a son.  And because of this disbelief, he was not able to speak until he affirmed his wife's choice of name for the child, "John."

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our ancestors
    and to remember his holy covenant,
 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 

"And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace." Luke 1:68-79 (NIV)

This is such a beautiful piece of scripture.  Take a moment to reflect on these words as they describe the coming of our Lord.

The Real Enemy

Yesterday I was on my way to work when a SUV in front of me kept slowing down.  First five, then ten then even twenty miles under the speed limit. 

I looked at that car, and and said out loud "What's with you, buddy?" Of course he could not hear me, but we do that don't we? 

But then something interesting happened; a car just in front of the SUV took the exit last minute and the SUV returned to the normal speed.  See, it wasn't the SUV that was causing the problem at all, it was the car in front of it.  A car I could not see, and because all I could see was the SUV, that was who I blamed.

Reading Matthew 16 today, 

"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." Matthew 16:21-23 (NIV)

Peter loved Christ, yet the enemy used him to attack Jesus.  Jesus, however, did not rebuke Peter, but Satan. 

Let us pray to be able to see who the real enemy of our souls is.  Yes, it's true that people can hurt us, but often, unseen behind the attack, is the real source of evil.  And we, as Christians, have the authority to deal with that kind of attack, but only when we see it for what it is.

"...in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes." 2 Cor 2:11 (NIV)

Love

With all that is in the news of late, I cannot help but think of these verses where Jesus said, 

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." - Matthew 5:43-48( NIV)

You know what I think Jesus would say today?

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Heb 13:8

God of Love

Reading Numbers 20:6-12 (NIV) today, 

"Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them.  The Lord said to Moses,  "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."

So Moses took the staff from the Lord's presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?"  Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."

Someone recently said to me something along the lines of, "I want my child to be a part of a church community, but I don't want to take him to church because I don't want him to learn to hate."

Those words cut to my heart, I am writing this blog with a heavy heart.

I wish I could say that I didn't understand why they felt that way.  But I did understand, I too often see the same thing. 

On social media, in the news, how are we representing our holy, loving God?

In the above passage, Moses altered God's message.  He was told to speak to the rock, not strike it in anger.  And certainly not call the people "rebels."  God was angry then, not with the people, but with the messenger, Moses. 

Whether or not they were rebels is not the issue.  The issue is God's heart in the matter was not properly represented by Moses.  God's heart toward everyone is love. 

I think it's time we, as the body of Christ, examine how we represent our God to the rest of the world.  Do we chime in with fear and hate, or do we show the love of God to this world?

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son..." John 3:16(NIV)

And when the son was here...

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matthew 9:36-38 (NIV)

What do we stand for?  What does the world see?

I Am Willing

Reading Matthew 8 today,

"When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him.  A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." - Matthew 8:1- 4 (NIV)

When we first read about this amazing miracle, it's easy to feel a bit distant from it.  After all, how many of us have had the faith to heal a person as Jesus did?  Sometimes I read something like this and just think, "yes, Jesus was powerful, but how do I follow his example here?"

The answer is in a small detail, "Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man"

Can you imagine what that simple act of kindness must have felt like to a leper?  A leper had to stay away from people, far away.  If he passed a person anywhere he had to yell "unclean!" to make sure they stayed away from him.

When was the last time this person had had someone touch them?  Even babies thrive more when they get human touch.  We crave that, we need that contact.  And before Jesus even spoke to him, he touched him.  Can you imagine what it must have felt like for that man?

We may not ever cleanse a leper, but we can certainly reach out and touch those that society deems "unclean" and "unlovable."

And that is certainly something to learn from the Lord.

What is Your Calling?

What is your calling?

What does that even mean?  Is that only for preachers and missionaries?

From what I understand, a person who found their calling is someone who has discovered how the talents they have line up with the works  the Lord has prepared for them to do.

Ephesians 2:10 tells us, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (NIV)

Now the amazing thing about our calling is this, we have been given the talents and the desire to actually want to do this!

What I mean by this is, although it is true that the Lord may ask us to step out of our comfort zone, (and what is that really, other than just letting go of control?) he gifts us with talents that go along with the calling we have.  We already desire it, for he has given us the desires of our heart.

13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

For example, someone who loves to cook may have the gift of hospitality and servant-hood.  They may not want to be a greeter at a church, but they love to bless people with the items they bake. or make.  That is a calling, sometimes an act of kindness from someone with this gift can totally change a person's day, or even their life!

So what is your calling?  Are you asking the Lord to help you find it?  It is not a matter of asking for a calling, for we all have one.  It is a matter of seeing what is already there, recognizing our gifts, and knowing how we can best serve God with them.

Kingdom of God - 5

There are so many books out there written on prayer, yet none of them can compare to this simple teaching.  The Lord, as we know, had an amazing prayer life, and here he teaches us how to do the same.

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"This, then, is how you should pray:

"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.'."  Matthew 6:5-13 (NIV)

To finish up our time studying the Kingdom of God, I want to sum up with this thought.

Being a member of the Kingdom means we live for the the will of our Father, who is in heaven.  We pray, "your kingdom come, your will be done"

Jesus prayed in the Garden,""My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Matthew 26:39 (NIV). 

He prayed that prayer before being crucified, taking on your sin and mine.  He prayed it three times, then submitted to the will of the Father.

Jesus taught us to live for the Kingdom, for God's will alone.  And then he lived it out for us to see.

Is there any area in your life where you know you need to lay aside your own will in favor of his?  Let's ask the Father to reveal anything in us that we hold back from him, and to help us to live for his Kingdom.

Kingdom of God - 4

What do we do to build the Kingdom of God?

At one point during Jesus' ministry, he asked his disciples who the crowds said that he was.  Then he asked them directly," who do you you say that I am?"

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter,and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:16-18 (NIV)

One heart recognized Jesus for who he is, and the church was born.

The foundation of the Kingdom of God rests on our recognizing and accepting Jesus Christ, not just as Savior, but also as Lord.  We become disciples of Jesus and we are then sent out to make disciples out of everyone else. 

Our mission here on earth was clearly laid out by Jesus in our great commission.

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

 Everything else that we do must take second place to this.

That is how we build the Kingdom of God - one heart at a time.

Kingdom of God - 3

So how should we live as members of the Kingdom of Heaven?

Jesus began his great sermon on the mount with these words, ""Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3 (NIV) and then he went on for three chapters teaching us what life in the Kingdom of God means. You could spend a lifetime just studying that sermon!

But for now, let's take a look at one verse that finds itself right in the center of the sermon.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

That is the heart of it, right there.  What do we live for every day?  What do we do with our time, talents and treasures? 

I have to admit, I am challenged by these words even as I write them here.  We are so programmed by the kingdom of this world to get all we can.  To live for ourselves, go get our "me time".  Yet Jesus teaches that this is how we lose our life, not keep it as the world promises.

Jesus ended his sermon with these words, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV)

I would encourage you to read Matthew 5-7, prayerfully.  Let's ask the Lord how our lives measure up to life in his Kingdom.

Kingdom of God - 2

So what is the Kingdom of Heaven?

Although there are many nations both past and present, there are really only two kingdoms.  There is the kingdom of darkness (those who belong to Satan) and there is the Kingdom of God (or Kingdom of Heaven,) those who have been born again and belong to God. 

Everyone on earth belongs to one or the other whether they do this knowingly or not. 

In Colossians we read, 

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Col 1:13 (NIV)

Being saved is more than just sins washed away and a ticket to heaven.  It's about a a change in allegiance.  For lack of better words, it's membership in an entirely different nation.  We become a people, united with every other believer on the face of the earth.  Regardless of what language they speak, clothes they wear, or continent they live on.

And our Kingdom is at war.

Paul famously changed sides when he went from killing Christians to preaching the Gospel.  At the time of his conversion he asked Jesus, "Who are you, Lord?" 

Jesus' reply clearly shows the change in allegiance and the Kingdom responsibility.

" 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied.  'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.  I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them  to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'  Acts 26:15-18 (NIV)

What is the Kingdom of Heaven?  Simply put, it is the family of God.  Membership is automatic when we accept him as Lord. 

We'll talk next about how we should live as members of this Kingdom.

Kingdom of God

Probably one of the most famous Bible verses has to be John 3:16.  I'm sure most of us know it by heart.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. " John 3:16 (NIV)

But what is lesser known is that this famous quote from our Lord Jesus came during a nighttime conversation with a man named Nicodemus that began like this.

"Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.  He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him."

Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." John 3:1-3 (NIV)

Nicodemus was showing respect to Jesus as a great teacher, referring to him as Rabbi, and acknowledging he was from God. 

But notice what Jesus says before launching into his lesson, before even mentioning being "born again."  Back up just a little further to three very significant words.

"kingdom of God"

There is a kingdom  which you cannot enter without a spiritual rebirth, because it is a spiritual kingdom.  And as such, it transcends nationality, political parties, even dare I say, church membership!

I'm challenged by this thought.  What does it really mean to be a part of this kingdom?  

The subject was of such importance that we find John the Baptist preaching about it up until his imprisonment.  And then Jesus' first message after being tempted by the devil in the wilderness was the same, 

"From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." Matt 4:7 (NIV)

What is the kingdom of heaven? 

For the next few blogs, let's dive into this subject.  What does it mean to be a member of this kingdom?  How should our lives be different because of it? What do we do to build the kingdom?  Does this kingdom have an enemy?

I look forward to exploring this with you!

Old vs New

Last night I was changing the strings on my guitar, something I try to do regularly. 

The old strings look and sound OK.  But when I take them off and coil them up I can see how dark they have become.  Then when I compare them to the new strings there is a visible difference.  The new are shiny and bright. 

Once the strings are on, I stretch them a little and then play.  I'm always amazed at the brightness of the new strings.  The guitar seems to have new life.

Over time, these new strings will begin to darken, both in color and sound.  It's gradual, you really don't notice the change until you compare them, once again, to new ones.

I thought about how it's important to take inventory of our lives.  To see if there is anything in our walk with the Lord that simply needs to be refreshed, like those strings. 

Day by day we can miss a devotional time, or skip a service, our lives get caught up in busyness and soon we become dull.  It happens gradually, and it's not until we compare it to the brightness of the joy we once knew that we notice the difference.

That's why it's a good idea to pray the prayer David once did as a regular part of our time with the Lord.

"Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting. - Psalm 139:23:-24 (NIV)

That way, we can always remain bright and fresh and ready to shine for his glory.

Grateful Praise

I thought it fitting, with Black Friday upon us, to not let the Thanksgiving holiday pass without at least one more mention of giving thanks to the Lord.

I know the shopping has already begun.  The countdown to Christmas is here, but before we get caught up in that, let's just take a moment and pray the words of this Psalm.  I think it is good to ignore the shouts from all the advertisements, designed to get us to rush into a purchasing frenzy. 

Perhaps even print this one out and make it a daily prayer during the Christmas season.

Psalm 100 (NIV)

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is here, and before the turkey is cold and cut up into sandwiches, our thoughts will quickly move toward Christmas.  Many may even be shopping this very day.

But before we get caught up in the holiday rush, take a moment to maybe write down what you are thankful for from this past year.  Perhaps this has been a rough year for you.  Or maybe it's been an amazing year.  More than likely it is a combination of both, still, there is always something to be thankful for.

I do want to say, I am thankful to be able to share these times with you.  Writing the Daily Rock is a blessing to me.  To explore the Scriptures and be allowed to share with you what the Lord lays on my heart is a blessing beyond words.

God is good, all the time.

So, I will wish you a very happy Thanksgiving and leave you with this Scripture.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

    his love endures forever. "(1 Chronicles 16:34 (NIV)

His Love Endures Forever!

When I think back to some of the things I did in my younger years, (and even my not so young years) I wish I could go back to that rebellious time and make better choices. 

That is the amazing thing about walking with the Lord, no matter how much we messed up in the past because of the foolish things we have done, he can take our broken life and make something beautiful with it.

Continuing with Psalm 107 as Thanksgiving day quickly approaches!

"17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
    and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food
    and drew near the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them;
    he rescued them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
    and tell of his works with songs of joy.

Has your life  been restored?  Do you look at all the mistakes you made and realize (with a shudder) where you would be had the Lord not reached down and saved you from that path? 

Then give him thanks for his love that never fails!

...for He is Good

Continuing with Psalm 107 today...

10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
    prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 because they rebelled against God's commands
    and despised the plans of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
    they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
    and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
    and cuts through bars of iron.

Some chains do not have to be made of iron to bind us. 

Some years ago I rebelled against God in an effort to find some kind of "freedom".  But the more I sought what the world had to offer to make me free, the more in "utter darkness" I dwelled.  It took some time living that way before realizing my need for the Lord. 

What amazes me about the prisoner is this, he is in chains because of his rebellion to God, yet when he calls out to that same God, he is freed and forgiven. 

If you can relate to the prisoner, then take a moment to give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his ability to cut through the bars of iron that enslaved your soul.

Give Thanks to the Lord

With the approaching Thanksgiving holiday being within days, I thought it only fitting we take some time to read through Psalm 107. 

Life can often be difficult, and we can struggle to find something to thank the Lord for.  But this Psalm is a wonderful reminder of where we were when the Lord found us, and how to give thanks for his hearing our cry for help.

Psalm 107 begins with an exhortation to give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and love, and then for the redeemed of the Lord to tell their story.

Psalm 107 (NIV)
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south

What's amazing to me is the honest depiction of the different types of people there are out there, and how when they reached an end, cried out and found the Lord.  Perhaps as we read through, you and I will identify with one or more of these.

Let's begin with the first, the wanderer.

4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
    finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
    and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
    to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things.

Can you relate to that, were you the wanderer?  Perhaps you were not literally wandering about, unable to settle.  But maybe, like me, you wandered through different kinds of escapes, trying to simply find peace.   And then, when all energy was spent, you cried out to the Lord and he heard you!

Take a moment to recall that time, the time of wandering and the time of deliverance, and give the Lord thanks!

Next we will read about the prisoner.

Wisdom

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)

This is a well-known proverb, but sometimes it's easier said than done isn't it? 

It is so hard for us to let go of our own opinions and wisdom and simply trust that the Lord truly does know what is best for us.

From the time we were small, we were driven to rely not on others, but ourselves.  Now some of this is good.  A baby, driven by this need, learns to walk.  But that same drive to handle things, to fix problems on our own, or even use our own wisdom to decide what is right and what is wrong, these are hard habits to break.

But truly, to live a life of peace, we need to give up control.  We need to trust and obey.  For this is the heart of this proverb. 

What are you struggling with?  Is it time you abandon your own wisdom and accept God's instead?

Eyes to See

"Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest  and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem." Acts 9:1-2 (NIV)

Sometimes when we read something familiar in the Scriptures, it's good to just stop and think about it for a minute before moving on.

Saul was rounding up Christians and executing them.  That meant men and women.  Picture some of the brothers and sisters you know, now picture a man coming in and taking them away to their death simply for believing in Jesus. 

That man was Saul. There is no way to gloss over it.  He was a murderer of innocent people.  In his own words he described himself as, "the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. " 1 Cor 15:9  (NIV)

I'm sure in the eyes of the Christians he was a man who needed to be stopped in anyway possible.  Perhaps some of them even reacted the way many of us do when we hear of the very same acts being committed today, with anger and fear. 

Many of us, had we lived back then, would want Saul executed.

But God had other plans for Saul.  Jesus interrupted Saul's path and he was never the same.  For Jesus saw him as, "my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel." (Acts 9:15)   Saul would become Paul and  be used in the salvation of many, the forming of the early church and to write roughly 1/3 of the New Testament.  He would eventually die for the faith he tried to destroy.

God knew all that when Saul was still killing Christians.

Perhaps it's best, before reacting in anger and fear, to simply pray for the eyes to see people as God does, to love our enemies as Jesus commanded us to do, and to pray for their salvation.

The Real Enemy

Reading Matthew 16:21-23 (NIV) 
"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." 

There has been a lot of evil acts committed these past few weeks.  And because of that, there is a lot of anger, fear and outrage at this "enemy".  I see a lot of this in the news and social media.

I understand that, but I have to wonder.  Who is the real enemy here?

It may be hard for us to grasp, but Jesus died for everyone, even the people doing these terrible things. 

When Jesus was confronted, he saw right through to the real enemy.  In fact, he seemed to ignore that Peter was even in the room, or that the words had been formed by Peter's lips.

 "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns." 

Satan is the real enemy of humanity.  People may go along with his works, but he is the real enemy.  Anyone can become a child of God by repentance.  Satan, however, is beyond redemption, and he knows it. 

But I don't see any Facebook postings against him. 

Of course, that's because his favorite trick is to pretend he doesn't exist. 

Let's never forget the instructions of our Lord during these times.

 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV)

What it means to be Lord

Sometimes we can read something in the Bible that we are familiar with, and just skip on by it without really thinking about what it said.

Reading John 6:16-19 (NIV) today,  "When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,  where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.  A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.  When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened."

Think about that for a minute.  Jesus walked on water.

The last time I checked, this is not possible.  But Jesus is not limited by how the laws of physics tell us this world works. 

He simply decided he needed to get into that boat and that, in this particular instance, the  laws of nature simply would not apply to him. 

That is what it truly means to be Lord.  It's one thing to have unlimited wealth, or an army, at your command.  It is very much another to decide where and when to do the impossible.

But being creator, he could do that.

And it is this same Jesus who humbles himself and calls us friend.

After 30 plus years of serving the Lord, I am still amazed at just how much there is to know about him.

Questions and Answers

Reading Mark 11:27-33 (NIV)

"They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him.  "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you authority to do this?"

Jesus replied, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.  John's baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!"

They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?'  But if we say, 'Of human origin' …" (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

So they answered Jesus, "We don't know."

Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."

This is the same Jesus who once said, "Ask, seek, knock" (Matt 7:7), yet here is flat our refusing to answer a question placed before him.

Why is that?

It's because the heart behind the question is everything.  Often there are unspoken issues behind our questions, issues we may not even be aware of.  It is easy to see with these men they were not looking to know Jesus, but to confront him. 

Yet we can often be like them, we too can ask questions with wrong motives.

And questions like that often go unanswered by the Lord.  

James tells us, " When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."  James 4:3 (NIV)

Are there unanswered questions you have been asking the Lord?  Perhaps take a moment and ask him to help you see the real reason behind the questions.

As Michael Card once said in a song, "Could it be that questions tell us more than answers ever do?"

Heavenly Father

This past weekend I got to spend some time with my 23-year old son.  He lives about 200 miles away, so we don't get that much time together.  Normally we just text or talk on the phone every once in a while.

But we got some real quality time together this weekend, I got to hear his voice and laughter, share stories, to just enjoy being with him.  It was refreshing to me, and he told me he enjoyed the time as well.  

Phone technology is great, but there is no substitute for face time.  After he left I could not help but think of my love for my son and how much I enjoyed just being around him. 

Now thinking about the weekend, I can't help but wonder if I truly grasp how much our heavenly father just wants to spend time with us.  To have us tell him about our day, not just bring our requests before him.  To maybe even share a laugh with him.

I'm challenged by this thought; what does it truly mean to be a child of our father in Heaven?

"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.  The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." Romans 8:14-16 (NIV)

Victory

Last night I had a Taekwondo belt test.  Since I've only been practicing for about four months, most of the students testing with me were young.

Very very young. 

In fact my son, who is visiting for the weekend, joked that he was worried one of the parents would ask him, "and which one is yours?" by which he would have to reply, "that one" and point to the old man towering over the other students!

During the test we have to break a wooden board.  Not an easy task to do. 

There was this one young girl who was having trouble doing it.  She tried over and over again.  Even with the other students and parents cheering her on, she could not break the board in her own strength. 

Finally, Master Kim came and stood beside her;  he said, "ready?" then together they punched effortlessly through the board while the whole class cheered her victory!

This morning that image made me think of the verse, "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Phil 4:13 (NIV)

Just like that young girl, we cannot accomplish what we need to do in our own strength,  Even though we try, over and over. 

But when the Lord is standing by our side, we have access to a power that allows us to live a life of victory!

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor 15:57 (NIV)

My Father's House

My son is coming to visit us this weekend.

So last night I got the guest room ready for him.  I was making sure everything was just right for his visit.  He lives about 3 hours away and is having car issues, so now I will drive 3 hours to go get him and then bring him back to stay with my wife and I.

Getting the room ready, and traveling 3 hours to pick him up (and 3  hours back) are a pleasure to me, because he is my son, and I love him.  I'm excited to see him, even bought him an early Christmas gift!

While I was doing this, I could not help but think about the Lord.  What Jesus is doing now, at this very moment.

"My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." John 14:3-4 (NIV)

Jesus is preparing a place for all of us, far more beautiful than anything we can imagine.  He knows we are not able to get to that place on our own, so he will come one day and bring us there.

And the Christmas gift he gives us, is nothing less than himself.

Simple - but hard

Yesterday I shared the answer Jesus gave when asked, "What is the Greatest commandment?" (Matthew 22:37)

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. 

But Jesus didn't stop there.  He then continued and quoted Leviticus 19:18, 

"And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." vv39-40

I love how simple Jesus makes this for us. "It's simple," as Preacher Mike says, "but it's hard!"

To love people when they don't deserve it, to love people when they have done us harm, to love people when they misunderstand us...  sounds like the life of Jesus doesn't it?  When he tells us to love others, he is not saying it flippantly, after all, he knows how to love people even when they nail him to a cross.

Love God, and love people.  They are two sides of the same coin.  Loving God leads to loving people, and we love people out of our love for God.

Think for a moment about the people in your life.  The ones you truly enjoy spending time with.  And then some that you could quite frankly, do without.

Can we make the choice to obey Jesus and love them all?

What is the greatest commandment?

Jesus was asked this question once.  He answered by quoting part of Deuteronomy; Chapter 6:4-5

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. "

But notice what comes after that verse, let's keep reading...

"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."  Deut 6:6-9 (NIV)

Basically we are to be saturated with the Word of God.  There is a direct connection here between loving the Lord and knowing and obeying his word.  If you think of love as a feeling, this is hard to see.  It seems almost cold. 

But if you think of love as how it is described here, as an action, then it is pretty clear that the Word of God will help us know God, and therefor love him with everything that is in us.

Increasing our time spent in the Word of God, talking about it, thinking about it, praying it, singing it, can greatly increase our knowledge and love for the Lord.

The Holy Spirit at work

Sometimes the Holy Spirit will communicate a truth to us by having the same Bible verse brought to our attention from a number of different sources. 

A verse has been on my mind lately, then Preacher Mike used it in his sermon on Sunday, and today it again came up in a very unusual way. 

I have a habit of buying replica swords from time to time.  After a while, I got so many that I began giving them away.  So I started a tradition.  When I buy a new sword, I give away the old one.

I had given my last sword, a Gladiator sword, to a co-worker.  He had it for a week or so, and then he noticed that I had a Bible verse reference scraped into the blade.   What was the verse?  You guessed it, the very same verse.

So today he "happened" to send me an instant message, referencing the verse, saying it was a fitting one to have on a sword.  This is the Holy Spirit at work.

Here is the verse,

"I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Acts 26:18 (NIV)

This was Jesus' words to Paul, and I believe they are his words for us all today. 

The next step is to pray about how we can take up this charge. 

Love God, love others, do something about it.

The Word of God

Why do we read the Word of God? 

Reading the Bible is not like reading any other book.  The words we read are life to our very souls.  It's like storing away a treasure for the time when we will need it the most.

Have you ever had a time when you have  been going through something and a Bible verse just "pops" into your head?

That is a direct result of the Holy Spirit using the word of God that is hidden in your heart.

In Psalm 119 we read, 

9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
    By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
    do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
    that I might not sin against you.
12 Praise be to you, Lord;
    teach me your decrees.
13 With my lips I recount
    all the laws that come from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in following your statutes
    as one rejoices in great riches.
15 I meditate on your precepts
    and consider your ways.
16 I delight in your decrees;
    I will not neglect your word. -Psalm 119:9-16 (NLT)

Have you taken the time today to hide his word in your heart?  The more time we spend just reading the word, the more we store it in our hearts for when we really need it. 

When your week was not so good...

The weekend is here, what kind of week did you have?

If it was anything like mine, it was full of challenges and trials.  There were some where I won the battle, and some I'd just rather forget and move on.

Reading Psalm 43 today; I love the honesty in this.

Psalm 43
1 Vindicate me, my God,
    and plead my cause
    against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
    deceitful and wicked.
2 You are God my stronghold.
    Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
    oppressed by the enemy?

Have you ever felt like this?  Rejected by God and alone?  Let's read on...

3 Send me your light and your faithful care,
    let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
    to the place where you dwell.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
    to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
    O God, my God.

Here the Psalmist prays to the Lord.  Many of us can stay at this point, we pray and think, "Ok God, do your thing!

But he goes one more step, he actually speaks to himself! 

5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.

Sometimes prayer is not enough, we need to encourage, even challenge ourselves to put our hope in God!  And then, actually do just that.

Psalm 100

There are times when I pray for something to share and a scripture comes to mind; a scripture that I simply feel I cannot add anything to. 

Today is one of those times.

Take a moment, pray, and ask the Lord to saturate you with the truth of this Psalm.

Psalm 100 (NIV)
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2  Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Do you have a price?

In Refuel we are going through the book of Acts.  Last night we were discussing the stoning of Stephen.

"When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."  Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep." Acts 7:54-60 (NIV)

There was a question in our work book that I couldn't come up with an answer for this week. 

"How does Stephen's example encourage you?"

I left it blank, because I simply did not have an answer.

But last night a brother in our small group time answered the question; rather simply, he said, "He was a man without a price."

And that hit me pretty hard.  Do I have a price?  Do I have a point where too many stones are flying and I would say, "enough!"

Or could I let all the stones fly and keep my eyes on Jesus?

It's a sobering question, one to chew on for a while. 

Do you have a price?

What are you focusing on?

As many of you already know, one of the dangers in riding a motorcycle is something called, "object fixation."  What happens is you fix your eyes on something on the road, a branch, or a dead animal, and then your body leans causing the motorcycle to travel right to whatever you are looking at. 

This causes a lot of accidents. 

It's the same with our walk with the Lord.

It's easy to take our eyes off Jesus.  Maybe we are looking at our past sins, or perhaps we are looking at other peoples faults?  Then there are those times we are looking at things we know we shouldn't be looking at. 

The result is the same, we will eventually run right into whatever we are looking at.

The writer of Hebrews exhorts us, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." Heb 12:1-2 (NIV)

So how do we focus on Jesus?  We focus on his word, we focus on what pleases him, we focus on what we know is true and right.

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. " Phil 4:8 (NIV)

Can it be any clearer than that?

Allegiance

Who is calling out for your allegiance today? 

Reading 1 Peter...

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV)

There are many things out there that call out for our allegiance.  Everything from motorcycle brands, to sports teams to political parties; they all want us to wear their logos and pledge our allegiance to them. 

They are successful because they know we want to belong to a group that is bigger than ourselves.

Now, I'm not saying that any of these things are wrong in and of themselves, but they must always take second place to our calling in Jesus Christ.

Peter tells us here that we are "God's special possession,"  just as Paul tells us, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. " 1  Cor 6:19-20 (NIV)

Let us pray today that if there is anything that takes place before our calling and position in Christ, we have eyes to see it.

Our first and only true allegiance should be to the Lord.

Borrowed Grief

I didn't get much sleep Saturday night, and that had something to do with not being very good at math, combined with a tired mind.

Saturday night was supposed grant us something that  only happens once a year, an "extra hour" of sleep. 

But, to start with, I wasn't feeling that great, then I kept waking up with my brain wanting to do the day-light savings math!  You know, "the clock says it's three am, but that means my body thinks it's four am, so I can get more sleep because instead of  waking up at seven, I'm really waking up at... wait... six or eight?"

I stayed in that endless loop, off and on all night...  I didn't get much sleep.

It's crazy, some of the things our mind can get caught on.  And that is how worry can work as well.  We continue to stay in an endless loop of "borrowed grief," especially when we worry about things that haven't happened, or may not ever happen.

Jesus knew our tendency to worry, let's look at what he said on the subject.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)

Words to live by.

Praise the Lord!

What causes us to praise the Lord?  For what reason do we praise him?

There can be many reasons; we can praise him for being creator, savior, life-giver, or even the fact that he is Lord.

Reading Psalm 71 today,  

"O Lord, you alone are my hope.
    I've trusted you, O Lord, from childhood.
Yes, you have been with me from birth;
    from my mother's womb you have cared for me.
    No wonder I am always praising you!

My life is an example to many,
    because you have been my strength and protection.
That is why I can never stop praising you;
    I declare your glory all day long. Psalm 71:5-8 (NLT)

Sometimes offering praise to God can feel a bit superficial at best.  But when we stop and think about what the Lord has done in our lives, we cannot help but praise him for it.

That's what the psalmist does here, he sees God's hand in his life from before he was born.  He sees that his life is an example to others, only because of the Lord.

Take a moment today to ask the Holy Spirit to show you times when he has been there for you, and then, like the psalmist, praise him for it!

Knowing Jesus

How well do you know Jesus?

I've been challenged by this thought lately.  I know Jesus as my Savior, as my Lord.  I have been walking with him for over 30 years now.

But there are times when I feel a longing to know him better.  I have noticed that  often it is during difficult or trying times that we get a chance to see more of who Jesus is.  Trials seem to bring about these opportunities.

Didn't many of us come to him when our lives fell apart while on our own?

The disciples had been following Jesus for some time.  They had seen miracles and heard his teaching.  Then one day their very lives were in danger.

"Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.  The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" Matthew 8:23-25 (NIV)

Notice they knew Jesus well enough to call on him for help.  I'm not sure what they thought he would do, but it is clear by what happens next they did not expect what he did do.

He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

 The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" (26-27)

Think about that for a moment.  Before their very eyes, Jesus took command over the elements.  He rebuked the storm, and it obeyed and became calm.

How?  Simply because he said so.

This caused the disciples to question even deeper who Jesus could be.

Storms can come into our lives in  many different ways.  Life is not always easy, but Jesus can use those times to reveal even more of himself to us.

Are you going through a tough time?  Try asking, "Lord, what are you trying to teach me about yourself through this?" 

There is so much of him left to learn about, so much more to know.

Unity

Last night at ReFuel we were talking about the importance of unity in the Body of Christ.

A scripture that came to mind was, 

"Though one may be overpowered,

    two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NIV)

Ever since the birth of the church of Jesus Christ some 2,000 plus years ago, we have been under assault by an enemy that will always try to destroy us.

To do this, first he will try to divide us.  This works more times than it should.  Why does he do that?  Because he knows just how powerful we are when we are united in one purpose.  And that purpose is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.   If he can isolate us he can defeat us.

I know of many Christians who try to walk this earth alone.  I know of a lot of Christians who have been picked off, one by one, by the enemy.

But a united body of Christ, standing together, locking shields against the enemy, is a force to be reckoned with.

That is my prayer today, to see the church stand united, to see us as one.

There is so much work to do, there is so much at stake here.

Let us join together in fulfilling the prayer of Jesus.

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,  that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—  I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:20-23 (NIV)

Who we are

Mufasa:  "Simba, you have forgotten me."

Simba: "No.  How could I?"

Mufasa: "You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me.  Look inside yourself Simba.  You are more than what you have become..."

In the  animated movie "The Lion King," Simba grows up taking life easy away from where he belongs.  As long as Simba can forget he is the son of a king, he can do whatever he likes, ""Hakuna matata!"and all that "no worries" stuff.  He has nothing to live up to, because he has chosen to be nothing.

But then he has an encounter with his father, Mufasa the King, who reminds him that by forgetting who he really is, he has forgotten his father as well. 

We can do the same.  I hear many people say,"I'm nothing, I'm just a sinner saved by grace, I'm a worm..." or other phrases like it. 

While it is true that we were nothing apart from Christ, that is not at all what the Bible says we are now, in Christ.  As long as we believe we are nothing, we can act like we are nothing.  We have no obligation to do otherwise.  After all, who counts on a "nothing" to do anything of value?

However what does God's word say we are?

"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.  The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:14-17 (NIV)

And Jesus also said, 

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

 "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV)

It's time we accept who we truly are in Christ and rise up to our calling, and live our lives as sons and daughters of the Living God.

As Paul said, "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." Eph 4:1 (NIV)