Wednesday, October 22, 2014

The Call

10.22.14

Acts 15.9-10 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. – St. Luke's Narrative (ESV)

We had missionaries at Church on Sunday – two of them felt called to go to a foreign country and minister amidst an un-churched people group. The had visited several times and had sought God for direction on where, when, and if to go. Enter the Hazelnut (or as it is called in Oregon: the Filbert).

It seems one half of the couple had been raised on a filbert farm in western Oregon and had taken extensive college studies in one of our universities in horticulture. He knows nuts and how to grow them. (You don’t have to be nuts to be in the Kingdom of God, but it helps.) It seems the area where they want to go and live produces about 70% of the filberts (Hazelnuts) in the world – go figure. He says he can help them double their yield… Wow.

The apostle Paul was having a dream one night while sleeping in Troas. He dreamed of a man in Macedonia who appeared to be asking him: Can you come and help us? Help was what Paul was all about, and the next day he packed his bags for Macedon, concluding that God had called [them] to preach the gospel to them. Had any visions lately? Filberts?

The challenge from the missionary was to use what we have and offer it up to God. Lord take what I have and use it to help others somewhere in the world and let me be Jesus to them while I’m at it. I have a filbert on my desk to remind me to ask God for just that: Lord, use what You’ve given me to help others.

Filberts attract filberts. The need attracts helpers. An God will use whatever I have if I just ask Him to – and keep asking. He’s looking to see where my heart is and how serious I am about going to Macedonia, somewhere else, or perhaps, just across the street to my neighbor. All I have to do is devotedly offer what I have to God.

What the missionaries we had in church and the Apostle Paul had in common was this: they offered themselves to God and expected His call to go wherever, whenever. The call can be literally a call – like on a phone. It can be a call in a dream: Come over to where we are and help us. Or it can be as simple as a stinkin’ filbert – and the knowledge of how to care for those trees so they grow much fruit… The call is the call.


Father, You called Paul because he was constantly thinking about You and how to introduce you to others who hadn’t met You. Our friends are going to a foreign place because they know nuts and how to grow them; and they constantly think about You and how to introduce You to others who don’t know You yet. They’ll share Jesus along the way. Help me to see what I can offer and then use it to help others come to know You – I ask in Jesus’ Name, amen.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Pushback

10.21.14

Acts 13.50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. Luke’s Narrative (ESV)

In life there is such a thing as pushback. We might call it friction; we might call it resistance, but in life there is pushback: not everyone is easily persuaded. The greatest pushback on earth in all its history is mankind’s pushback against God’s offer of love and fellowship.

Paul and Barnabas were sent out on their original journey by the Holy Spirit – see Acts 13.1 This is the first time anyone went out on a mission’s trip to share the good news with the unchurched. And the first stop was in Cyprus where immediately the missionaries ran into a magician (a sorcerer) named Elymas. Pushback.

Elymas had the ear of the governor of Cyprus and when he pushed back against the Gospel, Paul pushed back against him: “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” (Acts 13.10-11) And off to Pisidian Antioch the missionaries went.

In Antioch of Pisidia it’s recorded: But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. Pushback. So Paul and Barnabas left there shaking the dust off their feet as a testimony against them. Not anger, not throwing rocks – just leaving the dust behind.

It wasn’t just sour grapes; it was: some will, some won’t, who’s next, and off they went to Iconium. In Iconium the pushback took a strange turn: the Iconians thought Paul and Barnabas were gods: Zeus and Hermes. And when Paul and Barnabas tried to push back the pushback, Paul was stoned and left for dead. Remarkably he survived but the temperature definitely had risen.

Pushback is normal. Really. The enemy of our souls wants nothing to do with God’s offer, and his idea of winning is to watch God leave humiliated and empty-handed. And he wants us to leave empty- handed as well. No catch, no meal. But those who push back against the pushback are the ones the Lord seeks. It’s meeting objections and overcoming by pushing back against the pushback.

And pushback strengthens resolve, belief, determination and a whole host of other things that build our character and cement our devotion to God. It’s easy to get cynical; but it’s noble to deal with pushback and grow past it…


Father, You Yourself have been dealing with pushback for centuries – since the beginning of time. But You are not daunted and You call the dauntless to come alongside You and go where You send, and say what You say. My cry today is, use me. Help me to be one who pushes back against the pushback and I leave the results up to You. Some did; some didn’t: keep going! Amen.

Monday, October 20, 2014

The Question

10.20.14

Job 7.17-18 17 What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, 18 visit him every morning and test him every moment?

This is the question of someone who was going through difficult times. Job was suffering immensely. Job was trying to hang on and come to some understanding of what was happening to him, and why – and he wasn’t making any progress. And so Job began to doubt.

King David asked in wonder: O Lord, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him? (Psalm 144.3) Job on the other hand cried out in misery: What is man that You make so much of him…? I think Job had reached the place where he just wanted to be left alone to die.

I remember when my mother-in-law was dying of cancer and was in so much pain. She had struggled with alcohol at one point in her life but had managed to keep it at bay for many years. And in the latter stages of her battle with cancer she had been found to be using it to combat her pain, I made reference to Proverbs 31.6: Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress

God sees us vastly different than we see ourselves. God sees us the way He intended (and intends) for us to be. We see ourselves differently. God works in our life for good and sometimes the good comes from intense suffering. We tend to think when we suffer that we’ve disappointed God and are getting whacked for it – God sees no such thing, ever.

I suppose the difference is not what we think God is doing to us; it’s what God is doing in us that matters. People suffer all the time. But there is good in that suffering and God is not absent.

Job had only begun in chapter 7 of the book of his life. 7 had started, but 42 was coming.

What chapter do we find ourselves in, in life? Are we at the beginning of our suffering or have we just come through a tough time? Have we learned about God and ourselves, or do we have to go back to class again? God is not unjust, although we may be tempted to believe that.


Father, what is man that You think of him and deal with him? What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning and test him every moment? Man is whom You love and upon whom You’ve set Your affection. I think the universe doubts You at time. I think the rulers and authorities in heavenly places think You’re crazy. They see who we are and what You’re trying to do. They think it’s a complete failure. But You don’t operate according to public opinion – You know what You are doing. And in every test, every day in every way, may I learn to trust You. Amen.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Bile and Bond

10.18.14

Acts 8.23 23 "For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” St. Peter (ESV)

Two things here: bile (gall), and bond – Simon the sorcerer had both. My question is, what can bitterness do to you? Why did Simon Peter accuse Simon the sorcerer of the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity? Bond I get; bile I don’t.

What do we suppose came up inside our mother Eve when she was fooled into believing that God had kept something from her with that precious fruit she wasn’t supposed to eat? Can we surmise that perhaps she might’ve had just a tinge of bitterness that something was kept from her on purpose, and her emotions were used against her to get irritated by it? Makes me think; makes me wonder.

Is bitterness always bad? I tend to like bitter coffee – I’ve developed a taste for it. I tend to like lemon juice on salads. Bitter isn’t always bad. But bitterness in life may be a different matter altogether – bitterness may cause us to do things out of spite, anger, loneliness, betrayal; bitterness is a deep-seated root. The love of money may be the root of all kinds of evil, but those roots grow fast and firm in the fertile field of bitterness.

Simon the sorcerer was bitter. Maybe his bitterness caused him to make choices based upon his worldview: I deserve better than this and I’m going to take whatever I can, however I can. Some people – no really, many – are bitter that way.

And bitterness is creepy and insidious. Bitterness throws an encouraging arm around our shoulder and whispers: God doesn’t really care because if He did this wouldn’t be happening, or that wouldn’t have happened. And bitterness is self-justifiable, a: somebody done somebody wrong song

Bitterness may at first be a habit someone has, but unless dealt with by the Spirit of the Living God, bitterness may become something that has someone down the road. The harmful but innocent looking things we leave lying around in our hearts may be the very things that lead us to live out a life of bitterness with the most dreadful conduct and consequence.

Our part is to learn to name names. If we always do what we’ve always done then we’ll always be where we’ve always been; and we need to determine why that is so. A reason may be what we’re clinging to in bitterness that controls how we view life, rights, and God. The rose-colored glasses go both ways…


Father, as I examine my own life and conduct, and fight with the things I continually fight with (losing the fight in the process) I pray for eyes to see what is in my heart; to see if I’m harboring something that keeps insidiously reassuring me that doubting You and testing You is both my right and privilege. God cleanse me from bitterness, and may I walk in purity of heart before You – Amen.

Friday, October 17, 2014

In Faith... with Children

10.17.14

Job 1.5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually. – Anonymous (ESV)

I’m not sure even scholarship is enough for the book of Job; at least in attempting to understand it. Sometimes it may be better, when sorting through a pile of paradoxes, to pick the ones that are most promising and the least puzzling, and leave the rest for another day. Job is a pile of paradoxes.

The least puzzling (although it creates enormous questions for me) is Job knew and worshiped God; the God of the Hebrews; although Job himself wasn’t, apparently, Semitic. However, it is puzzling that Job’s respect for God doesn’t seem to have a Hebraic qualifier; somehow, Job seemed to have picked the Right God. That in itself isn’t quite so puzzling because one needn’t be a Jew to worship God (that benefits me).

Another thing that isn’t quite so puzzling is Job’s love for his children as evidenced in his continual offering of sacrifices on behalf of his kids. Dad’s ought to intercede on behalf of their children. Job did this continually.

And I think this is what is so appealing to me as a dad – the interceding on behalf of my kids. I have two out on their own, and one still at home; and wherever or however they are, it is my privilege to talk to God about them. And to ask God’s blessing upon them. And to ask God to keep them safe and to give them wisdom. And to help them sense His presence and power in their lives. And to touch their relationships, to keep them pure. That I do continually.

But I am not in control of who they are – they are on their own in that regard. But my love for them is in no way diminished if they don’t live their lives the way I do. I just love them and try to help them as much as I can; but I pray for them – continually.

Job’s character is called into question in a heavenly discussion of which he had no part or say. Job just dealt with the hand he was dealt; the best he could. And though he fumbled and stumbled, God never once called him a loser or unfaithful. And at the end of his trial he was blessed for having stuck it out with God despite his theological waverings.

Job is in some ways a model for me. I admire his conduct in his trial and I admire the fact that he stuck it out with God. It is a call to me to do likewise and to intercede on behalf of my kids and others that they stick it out with God as well. We all need to be numbered as faithful – even when we stumble and fumble. And we need to pray for others who may not see God the way we think they should – we just might learn a thing or two about our own beliefs in the process…


Father, You knew Job and You cared for him. You blessed him and walked alongside him in his sufferings. You do the same for me. You cause me to pray for my kids. And You’ve never called me a loser. Thank You Father. May I walk with You this day in faith, with children. Amen

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Titular

10.16.14

Malachi 4.5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.” God (ESV)

Elijah the Prophet, held a place of fascination and hope in the minds of the ancient Jews – he was like a superhero to them. His extraordinary miracles (in 1 and 2 Kings) displayed the power and presence of God, and the stories about Elijah and his place in Jewish culture were legendary. Elijah was a symbol to the Jews of what they wanted the most: power over their enemies.

So, it is no wonder the disciples asked Jesus, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” They too, looked at the personage of Elijah as one who would free the nation from the hands of their oppressors: those stinking Romans.

But Jesus answered: “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” And a light went on in their minds: Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. (Matthew 17.10-13) So Malachi was right all along: Elijah had to proceed the day of the Lord.

But John the Baptist wasn’t Elijah – to them. They couldn’t see John for who he was and what he did. John brought revival. John spoke of the Lord’s coming. John was Elijah in a titular sense because Elijah really didn’t represent power, he represented revival and restoration. The culture of the Jews had misunderstood who Elijah really was, and why he really came.

Amidst all the other inanities of Facebook are the ‘tests’ one can take to find out things like: what their hippie name is, or where they’re supposed to live; or what their true profession is or, or, or… One can submit to the questions, click, and get the answer: I just found out that I’m Gandalf the Wizard…or some such idiocy. John was really Elijah in a titular sense because of the calling of God on his life – he was the forerunner of Jesus, the beginner of restoration.

Which brings me to us – who are we in God’s plan? How are we to impact our world for the Kingdom? What title do we hold? What is the result of our ministry and presence in the world in which we live and minister? It’s a good question and one cannot find the answer on Facebook.

John the Baptist, always was and will be who he is. But his ministry was like that of Elijah of old and his mission was to turn the hearts of God’s people back to God in times when God was viewed as very far away and unconcerned. Jesus said, “But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased.” Do we recognize who we are and who we represent in this day and age? And why? Questions worth asking…


Father, as Malachi wrote, You are all about turning the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers; You are all about repentance and restoration of all that is right and good. Help me to live out my ministry by being who I am and who You’ve created me to be. But may my ministry have the effect You desire, and the impact in the lives of the people You’ve placed around me – amen.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

The Bigger Miracle

10.15.14

Acts 4.32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. - Luke's narrative (ESV)

I don’t want your stuff – your stuff is your stuff. I want my own stuff. But when you and I are confronted with someone with no stuff then it’s up to us to act and to share – right? And it seems this was the case in Jerusalem those many years ago. That’s a miracle, that others would not consider anything their own and freely share with those who had not…

I’ve heard this discussed for many years as a believer and know of those who’ve lived in Christian communes where this was the practice. I don’t feel necessarily called to live that way, but some do.

I look at the modern church (at least the one that is modern to me; where I attend) and it seems before we go and pool all our resources that we strive for the bigger miracle: being of one heart and soul. Stuff is secondary to a group of people who operate in spiritual unity.

Most churches I’ve ever been a part of have had a ‘quack’ cluster of folks who’ve believed that the Acts then should be the Acts now; what was good for the early Church ought to be the mandate for the Church today. I don’t think we'll get too many to buy into that: what’s mine is yours, mentality; it’d seem un-American to most. But to have us buy into the one heart and soul – there’s promise there. It’s the bigger miracle.

And when the bigger miracle takes place, then stuff is up for grabs and the material needs of the needy are met. Right?


Lord Jesus, may I strive in Your Spirit to be of one heart and soul with those with whom I worship as we worship You. And may Your Spirit guide us together to be mindful of the needy and to care for them appropriately. Help me Lord to follow Your lead and to willingly be a part of what causes the enemy to fear greatly: the bigger miracle of Your people being of one heart and soul in following You. – Amen.

Monday, October 13, 2014

First Wars

10.13.14

Nehemiah 9.22 22 “And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan.”

There are at least nine references in Scripture regarding the two kings: Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, the king of Bashan. These are the first two kings that Israel dealt with in their exodus from Egypt into Canaan. It was the first time Israel went into battle. It was successful. Two powerful kings were defeated and their territories were claimed by God’s people for their own.

In many of the prayers and worship services mentioned in the Old Testament, including this one in Nehemiah 9, the defeat of Sihon and Og are mentioned; they are remembered. Even as far as Psalm 135, these two kings are remembered as significant in the history of the Jews.

As I read this, this morning, I thought of first wars – or the things Christians deal with in their own exodus from life before Jesus into life with Jesus. Now, I must admit, these thoughts are new to me and I struggle with them because like a brilliant beam of sunlight on a dark and cloudy day – it seemed to last only for a moment or two. But it seemed important. What about first wars?

For that matter, what about current wars? What do I seem to have had some victory over, and what do I keep having issues with? If you’re like me (God have mercy!) then there are things in your life that are sneaky and insidious that creep in silently and attempt to assassinate your spiritual focus. At times they seem so distant and at others, they seem so present. First wars are now but a memory in the current wars that are raging.

I think the value of first wars is the remembrance of how God led us through them and gave us the victory. Salvation itself may have been (and probably is in the lives of most) a first war. I know it was in mine. And the remembrance of a first war is important to me because it is when God led me from darkness into light and from death into life. That’s a big deal! And it must be remembered often in the life of a saint because life’s wars come at us to tell us we ain’t.

It doesn’t matter how far I’ve fallen or how miserably I’ve managed, the important first war is this: Jesus came into my life and saved me and He has never let me go! I might feel like He hasn't but He has! Sihon and Og, in my own experience, have been defeated forever! I need to remind myself in my current wars, that their defeat was significant and has changed my life forever.


Lord Jesus, sometimes it is easy to forget what You’ve led me through and what You’ve overcome in my life. Sometimes it’s felt like world war III. But it’s vital for me in my worship to remember what You’ve led me through, and over what You’ve given me the victory. Help me this day to remember and recite what You’ve done in me that I may remember going forward from here. Help me to never forget the first wars and the victory You provided as I am in the fight of my current ones – Amen.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Joy: His and Mine

10.12.14

Nehemiah 8.10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” – Nehemiah (ESV)

You’d think I’ve never read the Bible: is he saying the joy the Lord gives me is my strength; or is he saying the joy the Lord has with me is my strength? Or both? Or neither? Tenses – whatcha gonna do with them? I think I’m leaning in the direction of both. Not, as my friend Jim says, either/or; but both/and.

We had a pretty emotional time today in Chech (the Kenyans pronoun it 'chech'). It’s weird when you’re all broken over your sin, and happy to be that way. It’s no wonder unbelievers accuse us believers of leaning on a crutch. (Of course the proper response is: Yes, I do lean on a crutch, but it helps me, unlike you, to keep from having to crawl through the raw sewage of life…) But when we’re, all weepy over our sins one minute, and then all happy to be so the next; well, it confuses people whose perspective is from the poop-zone.

Nehemiah’s people were saddened by the public reading of God’s word. It made them realize just how far they’d drifted. And it was a moving reminder of how desperate they were without it. (Hmmm, that sounds like Church today and we didn’t even read Nehemiah.) But like them, the joy of the Lord – whether our knowing Him or His knowing us – is our strength; it has been the strength of God’s people ever since there’ve been God’s people.

Where is our joy? Is it accomplishment? Is it in our own efforts and doing? Or is it coming to the realization that without our Great God, in whatever manner, we’re toast. We must be broken from the foolishness within. We must be embarrassed over and over again at our lack of faith and propensity to push God out of the way so we can, by god, get things done. O Lord! Save us.

Tonight, after a full day of doing I am resting in joy: His and mine. I know He has joy over me. I’m glad I have joy over Him.

Father, Your joy, however it shows up, is my strength because You are my Very Great Reward. I am sorry for the stupid things I have done this past week, and I am sorry I’ve pushed You out of the way in my zeal to get things done. Your joy is my strength. Help me to walk with You as You walk with me this new week and to remember that apart from You I can do nothing. Thank You for the reminder, for the tears, and for the JOY that saves me – You are good! Amen.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

The What and the Why

10.11.14

Luke 24.25b “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” – Jesus (ESV)

I think I would comfortably fit into the group labeled Slow of Heart. I sometimes wonder who it is I really worship. My prayers might give up a clue: Lord, I need Your grace…! Since when is His grace ever lacking?

For the two on the road to Emmaus we might cut them a little slack – big things had just happened and bewilderment had set it – these disciples were confused and scared. Sometimes life takes on a magnitude in which we mortals really struggle. Did that just happen? And, now what!? The two on the road were big on wonder and short on belief.

Last night some friends were over and we discussed the inane and insane cultural habit we humans seem to have of placing our leaders and people in positions power on pedestals of prominent perfection – like these folks’ stuff don’t stink. Why do we do that? Our preconceived notions of who’s who are so lame, and our understanding of such celebrity is foolish. We are slow of heart to remember that these people despite their power and  fame, are people just like us with the same faults and frailties as ours. They are just people.

And yet we elevate them to this superficial and (perhaps) superstitious presence that reveals just how naïve we are. Jesus made the same claim to the two on the road…How foolish you are to have not believed what God through His prophets has already told you… (how do you persist to be so dumb!?) Don’t you guys read?

Humanity’s difficulty is we want so desperately for things to be better and yet we’ll settle for the most pathetically poor solutions to betterment. We cannot seem to understand that more effort on our part won’t get the job done. We can’t seem to accept that our leaders are just people we entrust to lead, and yet they are subject to the same weaknesses we are. And when they fail we won’t understand why. O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe don’t you realize just how stupid you look when you do this? (I am one of the slow and stupid who buys the lie…)

Years ago, I remember the bi-line of a certain religious group: Just believe. That is the mission call to all of us who cannot help but wonder where God is in all the crap around us. His response to us is simply: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”

When is the last time you had a belief review and really came to a solid conclusion of what you believe and why – what would happen if you did? Would Jesus say to you what He said to the two? Maybe it’s time for a reality check of Who we worship and why we worship…


Father, it is shocking sometimes just how foolish and slow of heart I am to believe what You’ve told me to be true. I pray forgiveness. I have a choice and I pray for the willingness to choose: do I believe You – or do I just keep on pretending? Lord, help me in my unbelief! Amen.

Friday, October 10, 2014

An Undeserved Invitation

10.10.14

Luke 23.42-43 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”  - the thief, and the Christ (ESV)

Last summer I went on a mission trip to Kenya. On the way my flights were repeatedly delayed, cancelled, or rescheduled so that what was supposed to be about a 30 hour trip lasted 6 days. I was really glad when we finally landed in Nairobi on the very last night. Jet lag had begun...

Once, a thief condemned to die for his crimes, was crucified on a cross on a hill right outside Jerusalem. That hill was a popular spot for such executions because it was very visible – a subtle, but in-your-face reminder of what lay in store for someone who ran afoul of the occupying Romans. Authority takes no pleasure in those who attempt to run afoul; and those who choose to do so must be met with swift and severe punishment sending a message to others that such behavior will not be tolerated. All reports affirm crucifixion was effective.

On another cross that same day, not but a few feet away, another thief was also crucified for his crimes against the Republic. And remarkably, on yet another cross, on that same day, on that same hill, not but a few feet away, the Savior of mankind was crucified for telling mankind the truth: brief conversation ensued.

The one thief railed in agony and pain against the Savior: if You’re who You say You are, then save us! You go back to saving and I’ll go back to stealing! The other thief rebuffed: Hey stupid, we’re getting what we deserve but this Guy didn’t do anything wrong! And turning to Jesus, he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “Truly… today you will be with me in Paradise.”

What does it look like to die and wake up in Paradise? I’m not sure, but I know of one thief who does. When we landed in Nairobi, we had no idea where we were (other than in a foreign country) or how to get where we needed to be. But our sponsor came to the airport and ushered us to his home where we met up with our companions and spent the next week ministering to children in a school in a slum. Paradise? Well, it beat jail or crucifixion.

There is a former thief in heaven I hope to meet one day who will get to tell me the story of how, undeserving as he was, he obtained an invitation from the Savior of the world to be with Him in Paradise. He deserved to die by the rules of man; but he was invited to heaven because he believed in the Savior, hanging on a cross just a few feet away…


Father, I was born undeserving of heaven. I was born deserving everything I got. But at one point along the way – in a restaurant on a bright June afternoon – You opened my eyes and my heart to the promise of Paradise of which I was so undeserving. And You’ve allowed me to live every day since looking forward to the day I will finally get to go home to be with You in Paradise. So, as I live and work and serve You today, I do so with joy knowing that my days on earth are numbered, but my days with You in Paradise are without end! Amen.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Tears and a Bleeding Nose

10.09.14

Luke 22.44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. – St. Luke (ESV)

Luke 2 is full of emotion. In my pilgrimage, I’ve been taught that emotion is not to be part of my spiritual experience because emotion can cause me to do things I wouldn’t otherwise do and thereby, the emotional decision I make is somehow faulty because (I’ve been taught) emotions aren’t trustworthy in decision making.

Fair enough. But emotions – however trustworthy – are part of who we are. And emotions run high in the narrative of Luke 22. Judas is emotionally moved by anger and disappointment when he goes to the Chief Priests to offer to betray Jesus. (Vv. 3-6) The Chief Priests are motivated by fear to kill Jesus (Vv. 1,2). Arrogance and pride are present at the Last Supper (Vv. 24-30). Peter boasts in arrogance of his loyalty to Jesus (Vv. 31-34). But two emotional events in the chapter of Luke top all of this: Jesus’ intense prayer in the garden, and the post-partum of Peter’s denial.

Jesus prayed with such agony and intensity that His capillaries burst and mixed with His sweat. (I’m sure the disciples with Him had never seen that before. And Jesus must’ve looked a bloody mess.) I’ve had moments where I’ve been so stressed-out that my nose began to bleed. The trauma of emotion.

Peter, when he’d volatilely denied any involvement with or knowledge of Jesus (blankety, blank, bleep), heard a rooster crow and it brought about deep and bitter weeping – the gut wrenching weeping of: I’ve now done something I can never undo… Emotions are part of who we are.

And, emotions can cause me to do things I wouldn’t otherwise do. But, they can also cause me to do things I wouldn’t otherwise do: like pray with such intensity that I get our point across to God, or pull out my check book and write generously without regard. Or give the shirt off my back; or go into foreign countries to share the love of Christ… Yes, emotions can cause me to do the strangest things.

It is true I shouldn’t make some decisions when I’m angry or sad, or full of happiness and joy – but then again, perhaps I should. How angry do I have to get before I stand up to some of the daily atrocities around me – like human trafficking, abortion, child-abuse, &c.? How sad do I need to get before I reach out in compassion to help a needy person? What trauma moves me to share a kind word and the reassurance of God’s love? Emotions are powerful, and necessary.


Father, You know that I weep at the drop of a hat. I wish I had a little more control than that. But, I accept, emotional as I am, that You’ve made me the way I am. And I pray that my emotions would help me (not hinder me) in the mission You’ve assigned me. With my tears and bloody noses, I ask to be used by You to make a holy difference in my world. Amen.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

What Needs to be Said

10.08.14

Luke 21.14-15 14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. – Jesus (ESV)

We need to think about Stephen who stood, not too many days after this, and spoke to the Jewish Sanhedrin. Stephen didn’t defend his beliefs, but reminded his Jewish brethren of what the Word of God said. As a result, they were filled with rage, and ‘cut to the quick’, they hauled him outside and pummeled him with stones (the bigger the better) to a bloody pulp and he died. Jesus helped him to say what needed to be said. His last words were, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Grace.

We need also to think about Paul who was told by the Spirit of Jesus, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” (Acts 23.11) And though we don’t have the narrative of what Paul told Nero, we know according to the remainder of the account in Acts, Paul went to Rome to stand before Caesar. And Jesus told him what he needed to say…

I have thought about my own life and how I think (hope) it will end. My preference is to be speaking of Jesus when I reach my final moments. A preference will most likely be attained if it is already an established habit in life. And speaking of Jesus, He said He’ll be on hand to help me to say what needs to be said.

I deal with all kinds of people all the time. I always want to tell them something that will be of benefit to them. I’m learning, however, that it is better to ask questions than it is to tell statements. It is harder to ask questions because I so want to come alongside and give all the answers. But answers arrived at one’s own conclusions are answers that are far more likely to remain. My statements usually end up somewhere in the neighborhood of: Now, what was it he said about that!?


Lord, today I must wait upon You to help me what to say what needs to be said as I deal with people. I must learn to ask more caring and probing questions in order to uncover their needs so that as I deal with them, they may come to the best conclusions You have for them in their matters of life. I pray for the Holy Spirit to give me ‘utterance’ this day so that His life changes may find root in the soil of people’s lives. Use me Lord. Teach me to wait upon You. Amen.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

As Flat as Pancakes

10.07.14

Luke 20.18 "Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” – Jesus (ESV)

I suppose it boils down to this: would you rather have a broken leg or a broken arm? Or maybe it’s more than that – maybe it’s: do you want to be broken or do you want to be crushed?

I remember when I was in 9th or 10th grade reading a book about World War II. The book was quite lengthy and quite detailed about what happened during that massive global struggle for freedom. In one part of the book it described the events of the Western Front where the Germans were invading (rather successfully) Russia, and the Soviets were retreating (rather unsuccessfully).

The Soviet (Red) Army had been all but decimated by the Germans and had run horribly short on food and medical supplies. In order to not be weighed down in their haste to flee the invading Germans – and to save ammunition – the Soviets killed their wounded by lining them up on the ground and running them over with tanks. It was cheaper than using ammo.

I’ve always wondered about that. What was it like to be in pain and suffering because of one’s misfortune in war only to find out that one was going to be crushed, dead, by the weight of a massive piece of war machinery operated by one’s own comrades? Was it head first, or feet first? Is this the thanks I get? War is hell; economics are brutal.

Jesus said to the Pharisees and religious leaders one day: "Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” The Stone of which He spoke was the Stone they'd rejected because of their religious extremism. Was it to be broken or crushed? Was it to be head-first or feet first? To embrace the Stone is to be broken by it; to be pierced right through the tough outer shell of our ego and humanness allowing the Spirit of God to enter. To be crushed – well, to be crushed is to be run over and mushed to the thickness of a pancake. It’s cheaper than bullets…

These are hard concepts but truth is, ‘tis better to be broken than crushed. Psalm 51:17 says: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. God deals with brokenness: He rebuilds. I’m not sure what He does with crushed. The Red army left them there – as flat as pancakes.


Father, break me. I offer a broken spirit, not a crushed corpse. Keep me humble – keep me broken. The alternative isn’t pretty… Help me God! Amen. 

Monday, October 6, 2014

Reaching Out

10.06.14

Luke 19.9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.”

The story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 is a wonderful account of a man who needed salvation. Zacchaeus was a Jew, but he’d made a poor career choice of going to work for the Romans as a tax-collector; Zacchaeus had gone to work for the then IRS. And he was hated for it. To make matters worse, Zacchaeus was good at his job and the perks were a he got to keep whatever he could extort over and above what was required by his bosses. Let’s just say, Zacchaeus was very good at what he did, and he lived very well as a result.

What Zacchaeus didn’t expect was Jesus. I’m sure he’d heard about Jesus – almost everyone had. And when Zacchaeus went to see Jesus in a “parade” one day what he least expected was to see Jesus standing right under the very tree where he was perched asking him to go to  lunch.

Belong. By sharing lunch with Zacchaeus, Jesus communicated to him: you belong. That is the message of the Church to the world today: YOU BELONG. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are, or what you are – you belong. You belong because God loves you and you are very important to Him.

Believe. And when people belong, they begin to believe. Zacchaeus said, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” When one belongs, one believes. The person I’m dealing with doesn’t need me to tell him he’s a sinner, he knows that. But what happens to him when he belongs, is he believes and he believes, he repents. And when there is repentance there is right living: he behaves.

Behave. Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.” Paul, you mean Zacchaeus was saved because he behaved? No. I believe Zacchaeus behaved because he believed. And the truth is if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, then you are saved. The outcome is salvation is expressed in belonging, believing, and ultimately, behaving. Zacchaeus gave his heart to Jesus that day and he was changed in a moment.

The Lord isn’t interested in my efforts – He’s interested in my heart. And what is in my heart will ultimately reveal who I really am. I am a child of the Living God. But don’t let my words fool you. Do I belong to His family and rejoice at every opportunity to be together with them? Do I believe in Him and live my life behaving righteously? The fruit of what I claim to be is expressed in how I live.


Father, You loved Zacchaeus and You reached out to him. You walked up to right where he was, and his life was changed forever. You reached out to me as well. I wasn’t looking for You, but You came and found me, and now Lord, I pray, use me as Your instrument of reaching out to others. Help me to help them belong so that they can then believe and then live out the rest of their lives only for You. Amen.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Where I Sit

10.01.14

Luke 14.10 10 “But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you.” – Jesus (ESV)

I have a hard time putting my mind around what Jesus was saying to me. But this I know, it is better to be humble and lowly and present, than to be arrogant, haughty, and embarrassed. Humble and lowly always sounds safe to me. I tend toward safe – another conversation, another day.

In the midst of this I think I am called to maintain what we might refer to as proper balance. The balance is I must, as a child of God, never forget who I am and Whose I am. I am Abba’s child. And as Abba’s child I must always remember who my Father is when I’m in the midst of men. Abba’s child is never to be jockeying for position amidst men, but rather, to be representing the King of kings: Abba. When the radiance of the King shines from within it is going to bring light into the entire room regardless of where I’m seated.

The lowly seat is not to be despised. The high seat is to be respected for the shame it can bring: shame in one of two ways. First, the high seat may be already reserved for someone else. The shame would be getting ‘bumped’ from a high seat to another that isn’t so high. Second, the high seat wants to go to our head. The high seat appeals to our ego. The high seat conveys: I must be better than these others. The shame is in desiring the high seat.

Abba’s child says, I am who I am and I will represent my Father from whatever place is given to me. The issue is not my seat but on Whose behalf I am seated at all; lowly, humble, and present – representing my Dad.

It’s all in my perspective: how I see myself. If I focus on seats and position I’m already defeated. If I focus on my Daddy, I’m on mission for Him and glad to be in the company of men for His Kingdom, power, and glory… (again) regardless of where I sit.


Abba, You know I spend an awful lot of time thinking about seats. I tend to take the lowly seat not in humility, but in shame of who I am and what I think about seats – it’s just arrogance in reverse. Forgive me. May I remember today who I am and Whose I am – I am Yours and I am to live my life today in that reality. It isn’t about position, it’s about possession: knowing that I am Yours and You are mine. Amen.