A simple question

I am often amazed at some of the things the Lord said to people in the Bible.  Sometimes he doesn't appear to understand a situation and can say some off the wall things. 

Or is it that he understands far better than we ever could?

Reading John 5 this morning.  This illustrates one of those times.

"Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.  Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.  Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" John 5:5-6 (NIV)

Why would Jesus ask him that?  The man had been an invalid for 38 years!  Isn't it obvious that he wants to get well?  Isn't that why he is at the pool? 

But notice the man's response.

"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." vv7

Jesus asked a very simple question, yet the man does not answer it.  He points Jesus to what he sees as the problem.  He has been so focused on that pool being the only way God can heal him that he cannot answer a very basic question.

Do you want to get well?

Don't we all do that at times?  How many times do we say things like, "Jesus, If only I had more money, if only I had a better job, if only...  (fill in the blank)"

Yet underneath those requests are the real issues we are dealing with.  And Jesus can see through to those issues, every time. 

Jesus never addresses the man's perceived problem.  He does not help him into the pool.  He simply heals him.

Have we cluttered our minds and our hearts with the only solutions that we can see?  Or are we open to simply let Jesus cut right to the heart of the matter and bring us the healing we need?

Words

I find it incredibly convenient to order things online these days.  Especially things that I keep forgetting to buy when I go to the store. 

So from time to time I get an email from the seller requesting a review of something I purchased. 

This morning I got an email with this subject line, "We need you to write an epic review for your Amazon Order!"

Wow, what could I have ordered that required not just an ordinary review, but an "epic review"?

I opened the email...

Umm, in my garage I have a big blackboard, left on the wall from the previous owner.  I ordered ordinary white chalk so I can write on it.  How was I supposed to write an earth-shattering, epic review about... chalk? 

One definition of epic is, "a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation."

And epic tale about chalk?

This got me thinking about how much we throw words around.  Words like epic, or amazing or awesome.

The problem with this is that when we cheapen the meaning of the word, it loses its impact when it is used in its right and proper place. 

For example, let's take the word awesome. 

"Have you had the ice-cream at Sunni Sky's?  It's awesome!"

This word gets used a lot, but what does it really mean? 

Awesome: extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear.

synonyms: breathtaking, awe-inspiring, magnificent, wonderful, amazing, stunning, staggering, imposing, stirring, impressive; formidable, fearsome, dreaded; mind-boggling, mind-blowing, jaw-dropping, excellent, marvelous.

Using the correct meaning of the word, can ice-cream really be awesome?

The challenge really comes when we read the Bible.  The Bibles is translated from Greek and Hebrew using the correct word, in its proper place. 

For example, reading Psalm 66, notice the word "awesome"

"Shout for joy to God, all the earth!

 Sing the glory of his name;

    make his praise glorious.

Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!

    So great is your power

    that your enemies cringe before you.

All the earth bows down to you;

    they sing praise to you,

    they sing the praises of your name."

Come and see what God has done,

    his awesome deeds for mankind! - Psalm 66:1-5 (emphasis mine)

The common use of the word "awesome" has lowered the impact of what the psalmist is saying here.  God is awesome, just like Sunni Sky's ice cream?

To jar us away from this for a moment, let's read verse three in another way. 

"Say to God, "How breathtaking, awe-inspiring, magnificent, wonderful, amazing, stunning, staggering, imposing, stirring, impressive; formidable, fearsome, dreaded; mind-boggling, mind-blowing, jaw-dropping, excellent, marvelous. are your deeds!'

That's very different isn't it?

When reading the Bible, it's good to keep in mind that what has been done to our language can have an effect on how we read the word of God. 

Who do you say I am?

Who is Jesus Christ?

Many people have an opinion today on who Jesus Christ is.  But he is not subject to those opinions.  I have heard everything from "enlightened being" or "space alien" to just "a good man."

Reading Luke 9 today.

"Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life."

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Luke 9:18-19 (NIV)

And there it is, where the rubber meets the road.  Jesus doesn't really respond to what the people think, he asks his disciples what they say.

After Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah (and Jesus tells Peter that God himself revealed this truth to him), Jesus moves on from there. 

Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?" Luke 9:24-25 (NIV)

Saying Jesus was a good man or a space alien doesn't require anything after that.  Because anyone who has come to those conclusions has not had Jesus revealed to them by the Holy Spirit.  And perhaps that is why people are comfortable in that ignorance.  To accept Jesus is to change the path of our lives.  Like the rich young ruler, those people encounter Christ but do not want to pay the price to know him for who he is.

However, for those of us who know Jesus as the Christ, we must recognize that our life is no longer our own.

"Who do you say that I am?" 

How do we answer that question?  Does our life show that we truly have accepted him for who he really is?

Soul nourishment

For most of us, a three-day weekend is just about here.  Some would even take an extra day to get some much needed R & R.

What I have found interesting over the years is this, when Tuesday arrives, not many returning to work will seem refreshed.  In fact often they seem even more tired.

Why is that?

Perhaps taking a break from work isn't the same as being refreshed.

In John Chapter 4 Jesus was tired and had a seat by a well.  It was at that time he engaged in a spiritual conversation with a Samaritan woman.

When the disciples arrived they urged him to eat something.  Notice Jesus' reply,

 "But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."

Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?"

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."  John 4:31-35 (NIV)

Jesus found nourishment in fulfilling his destiny by doing his father's will.  When we are doing the will of God, there is a nourishment to the soul that cannot be found in any other activity.

Let's pray before this weekend.  Let's give that extra time to the Lord and be open to whatever he wants to do with it. 

Perhaps we will find that soul nourishment we crave by simply doing the father's will.

God

Some years back  there was a movie starring John Denver and George Burns called "Oh, God!"

Now although much of the theology of that movie was not scriptural, I remember one thing that rang true to me and left an impression.

After God tells John Denver's character he is going to be his messenger, John asks for a symbol or sign.  God gives him a business card. John looks it over and there is one word typed on it.

God.

What I love about that is, that really sums it up.  He is God.  Like when Moses asked, "who do I say sent me?" and God answers, "I am". 

Think about that for a moment.  God is God. 

And Jesus Christ is the very image of God himself.  This is the Jesus Christ whom we accepted, who died so that by our faith we are saved, and whom we can trust with our lives.

Reading Colossians today.

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." Colossians 1:15-18 (NIV)

He is able to meet all our needs, calm all our storms, lead our life.

And he is worthy of our full submission, including reigning over our time, talent and treasures.

He is God.

The ultimate boss

Who's in charge here?

Life can be frustrating sometimes.  I'm not talking about the times when we cause that frustration ourselves.  We make poor choices and suffer the consequences just as the Word of God tells us, that's not what I'm talking about here.

I'm speaking of the times when we are doing everything right, working  hard, and someone else, less deserving, gets the promotion.  Or we pray for a particular door to open and it closes tightly.  Or when a health issue does not go away, but gets worse.

At hard times like these, it's easy to forget who is in control of our lives.

One thing we can be sure of, God is in control.  God is always in control.  It's important to keep in mind that this doesn't mean an easy life. It just means that whatever comes our way is in our life only by his permission.

Jesus did not desire the cross.  In fact, Jesus asked his Father three times to allow that burden to be taken from him. 

"Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "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)

Jesus was not only facing a painful death and taking the sins of the world on himself, but also separation from the Father.  He prayed three times, and then he accepted God's will.

Later, during Jesus' trial, Pilate would say to him.

"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

That is where we live sometimes isn't it?  We think that the powers around us have the final say.  Jesus knew better.  He had already accepted the cross, not from the people, not from Pilate, but from God.

Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." John 19:10-11 (NIV)

Understanding this, and understanding that God's agenda for our life is always to transform us into the image of his son can help to increase our faith even in the darkest times.

Who's in charge here?  Our heavenly Father, the King of Glory.

"Who is this King of glory?

    The Lord strong and mighty,

    the Lord mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, you gates;

    lift them up, you ancient doors,

    that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory?

    The Lord Almighty—

    he is the King of glory." Psalms 24-8-10(NIV)

Squirrels

In the  2010 Pixar movie "Up!" a talking dog made a single word famous.

"Squirrel!"

Saying that single word means someone has become distracted from their train of thought by something unrelated.  I've heard it shouted out during sermons, I've heard it used in meetings at work.

We have a mission here on earth, one purpose.  Jesus made it very clear when he 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 (NIV)

Think about that for a moment.  This is our purpose.  The reason Jesus Christ came and died and rose again.  Are we allowing too many "squirrels' to distract us from this great commission?

I heard a comedian once who talked about how we put off going to the eye doctor.  He said something like, "but then you finally go and you get the new glasses and you realize how clearly you could have been seeing all along!  How can seeing better not be a top priority? How can that be at the bottom of the "to do list?"

The Kingdom of God.  Is this a priority in our lives, or do we allow it to be pushed to the bottom of the "to do" list?

I'm not suggesting everything is a squirrel.  Our life is full of tasks from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep.  However, it does take a discerning heart to judge what is a responsible task, and what is a distraction.  A good indicator is how much we think about the Kingdom of God, how much we pray, how much we prepare.

Today, let's take a moment and pray.  Let us ask the Holy Spirit to point out the squirrels as we go about our day.

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

There is a greater purpose for us being on this earth.  Let's not allow distractions to cause us to miss it.