WHAT COLOR IS THIS DRESS?

Unless you are completely cut off from social media, you are aware of the now famous question "What color is this dress?"

Some people looking at the image of the dress thought it was blue with black lace.  Others argued that it was white with gold lace. 

Everyone was seeing the dress from their own perspective, believing they were right. 

Reading the Word of God can feel like that sometimes.  We read that He loves us, but then trials come into our lives that make us question that love.  What color is the dress?  I'm seeing one color, the Lord is telling me it is another.  The Lord tells me He loves me, but if He loved me would He allow...

That is where trust comes in. 

"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 3:5-6 (NIV)

Yet, isn't it true that the times when we get into the most trouble, are those times when we decide to break away from what the Lord tells us clearly in His word?  When we stop trusting Him and start trusting ourselves?

We have a difficult time, we question God, we take matters into our own hands.  That's one pattern.  Repeat that one, over and over and you will not live a fruitful life in the Lord. 

But proverbs is teaching us that when our own view point is telling us one thing and the Lord clearly teaches another, we have to trust the Lord.  And with that trust, submit to Him.  

That keeps us on the straight path.

Our choices will always follow who we trust most.

What is challenging you today? 

Who do you choose to trust?

HUMP DAY!

"What day is today?" 

HUMP DAY!

And on Friday we'll say something like "Almost there, it's Friday!"

And on Monday we'll say "How was your weekend?" to which the standard reply is "Too short..."

We hear these comments in a never ending cycle.  Even as the week begins we start another cycle of counting down the days to the weekend, where we can get rest.

Yet when Monday comes, why isn't everyone rested?  Even if we sleep away the weekend, we don't feel satisfied. 

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 11:28-30 (NIV)

Many of us are familiar with that verse.  Yet we are not experiencing that soul rest Jesus talks about here.  Perhaps we are missing something.  Since he is pointing to himself as an example to learn from, let's have a look at what Jesus did when he was tired.

Flipping through the pages to John 4

"So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.  Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. John 4:5-6 (NIV)

The disciples go to get food, Jesus has his famous conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well.  This leads to her running to town and getting more people for Jesus to preach to. 

I think the disciples see this as we would, "Great! It's the weekend, rest time, and now you are working, again?"

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something."

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

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

34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work."

Jesus was nourished by doing God's will . It was like food to him. 

Perhaps it is not more days off to rest we need, but to be engaged more in the work God has for us to do?

Doing the will of God, being yoked side by side with Jesus and with each other.  This type of work satisfies the soul in a way nothing else can or will. 

We are designed for specific work that no one but us can accomplish on earth.  When we find that, we find soul nourishment. 

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

The danger is, we can feel so weary we turn down that work when it comes our way preferring to "rest" instead. 

What is the Lord calling you to do today, and are you open to do it?

WHAT DOES IT COST TO FOLLOW THE LORD?

Advertisements are all around us.  At best they are designed to highlight the best features of a product while hiding the less desirable ones. At worse they outright deceive.

Sometimes in our desire to see others saved, we can do that with the message of Jesus as well.  We want people to know that salvation is free, and it is.  But just because it is free, does not mean it doesn't require something of us. 

Jesus said, 

 "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done." Matthew 16:24-27

I really don't have anything to add to that this morning.  Jesus said it all right there.

What does it cost to follow the Lord? Everything.

TIME TO GET ALL IN!

I remember the very first time I got on a motorcycle. 

I was sitting on the bike and after having gotten used to the clutch, I kept it in first gear and gave it a little more gas.

My feet were still walking alongside but at one point I knew I needed to pick them up, commit, and trust the bike.  There was no halfway point.  I was either going to ride or I wasn't.  Anything in-between was worthless. 

Reading Revelation this morning, in the first few chapters Jesus is speaking to seven different churches. 

For the church in Laodicea he has some pretty strong words.

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Rev 3:15-16 (NIV)

Ever taste something that bad?  You spit it out of your mouth because it is repulsive to you, you don't want it in your body.  That is what the Lord is saying here, and those are very sobering words.

Garages in this country are full of motorcycles with very low mileage on them.  Some people buy a bike and after the investment, for whatever reason they have, they simply don't commit to riding it.  They are not bikers, they just own a bike. 

Churches in this country are full of people who attend on Sunday, but don't commit their entire lives to the Lord. 

We may feel we can be in both worlds and be okay.  "That's just me, Jesus understands..." But that is not what the Lord is saying here.  He says, either we love him and we live for him, or we don't.

But you know, He loves us.  He does not want to "spit us out".  He desires fellowship with us.

Jesus continued to say, 

"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." Rev 3:19-20

Last Sunday Preacher Mike said the only person we can be sure is a Christian is ourselves. 

Perhaps some of us have been approaching our walks with the Lord like I was on that first ride.  Sitting on the bike, dragging our feet, puttering along, not truly trusting the bike enough to ride.  We wonder "Where is the joy in this riding thing?  Where is the wind in my face? I've been on this for a while now and I haven't gotten anywhere!"

Time to pull our feet up and ride with the Lord.

Time to get all in.

He is waiting for us to join him on that ride.  But you know, according to his Word, he will not wait forever. 

THE WORD OF GOD IS LIFE!

A few days ago my wife was out on her motorcycle on a beautiful sunny day.  Suddenly, while slowing going about 30 mph, she was hit from behind.  The bike was basically knocked out from under her.

Thankfully the Lord was looking out for her and she walked away from the accident.  The bike should be OK too.  It could have been much worse, and I am truly praising the Lord for so obviously protecting her.

What amazes me is this, the woman who hit her said "I heard a beeping noise in my car and I looked down to see what it was and..."

Yes, you heard that correctly.  The "beeping noise", you know...  the sensor that new cars have to tell the driver they are too close to something.   She heard the warning, with no clue what it meant and did not obey it.

Cages...

Ok, back to the Word of God. 

Reading James this morning.

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." James 1:22-24 (NIV)

We hear the Word of God in church on Sunday, we hear it at Re-fuel.  Hopefully we are reading it daily.  But are we obeying it?  Do we do what it says?

James continues,

 "But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do." James 1:25 (NIV)

The Word of God is life.  It is wisdom that makes us wiser than the most educated, and wealthier than the richest people on earth.  It steers us through the confusion and darkness of this world into its perfect light.

But like that beeping sensor, if we don't seek to understand and to obey, it is of no use to us. 

Let us strive not only to hear the Word, but to obey what it says.

SPENDING TIME WITH GOD

How do we mature as Christians?

I recently paid off my Sportster, that marks 5 years of riding.  5 years and about 23,000 miles later it is all mine!

It occurred to me that I put all those miles on this bike, yet because of the short (compared to some) number of years I have ridden I consider myself a new rider.

 

But am I?  Is experience on a motorcycle measured in years or miles?

Then I thought about walking with the Lord.  We live in a country where people claim that they have been Christians for many years.  Some say they got saved as a child.  But is maturity measured in years or in miles?

Miles.  Time spent on the bike, more miles in the seat, simply means more experience.  You cannot be an experienced rider if you simply buy a bike and don't put in the miles.  Years are not as relevant, only the miles ridden in those years.

Miles in the sun, miles in the rain, miles in traffic, miles on open country roads.  Miles riding alone, miles riding with friends.  Times when the bike breaks down, times when it rides as smoothly as it did when it was new.  Those miles are experience, those miles are what matters.

Time with the Lord.  Time spent seeking him, time in His Word, worshiping Him, talking to Him even when you don't feel He is listening.  Times when you experience the amazing joy of His presence, times in the dark nights of the soul when you only have His promises to cling to, and even they seem to apply to everyone but you. 

Those hours, that time is what matters.

We measure our maturity as Christians, not in the number of years we have spent knowing we are saved, but in the day to day living, the miles we put in with our God. Today, spend some TIME with the LORD. 

BROTHERHOOD!

The Lord has been pointing out a theme to me lately. 

Brotherhood, unity, body of Christ, community. 

This theme jumped out at me this morning, once again while I  was reading Matthew.  The very well known "Lord's prayer"

"'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 6:10-13 (NIV)

Did you see it?

Check again, count how many times Jesus uses the words "me, my, I, myself"

That's right.

Zero.

 "'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."

I find that interesting, and rather convicting. 

Why do you suppose he worded it that way? 

He tells us to go to Him with our personal needs, and I'm not saying we should not.

But when he specifically teaches on prayer, Jesus teaches us to think of ourselves as a group.  As one.

The body of Christ.

Do we see ourselves that way?  Do we think as a body, pray as one?

Perhaps that is why Jesus, when he prayed for us said, "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)

Look again at the beginning of "The Lord's prayer"

"'Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

    on earth as it is in heaven."

When Jesus prayed for us, he prayed that we would be one, and the result would be the world would know Jesus. 

When he teaches us to pray, he teaches to pray for the Glory of God and the coming of His Kingdom.  And to pray that prayer, together, as one.

There is a direct connection between the world coming to know Christ and how we live as his body here on earth.

Is there any wonder he is calling out to bikers, known for their passion for brotherhood, in these last days?

"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 9:37-38 (NIV)

Gather, grow and go. We have work to do.