Following Jesus

     The crowds followed Jesus. His closest disciples followed Jesus. Even in the midst of a crowd of thousands He would stop to heal just one. And, often, He would slip away where He could not be followed. He needed time with His Father.

At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for Him and when they came to where He was, they tried to keep Him from leaving them.  Luke 4:42

 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place where He prayed.  Mark 1:35

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.  Luke 5:16   

     We can learn from Jesus as we face the day ahead. Giving God priority in our busy lives will give us strength to do everything we need to do with greater purpose and hope. God can fill us with His Spirit and help us to see who and what is most important throughout the day. When do we need to stop and give thanks? When do we need to listen and encourage? When do we need to pause before we speak?

     Spend time in solitude with your Father in heaven today and gain the wisdom and strength for the day.

Dear Jesus,

Teach us how to pray. We need our alone time with the Father, just as You did. Give us the discipline to find solitary time with You and fill us with Your Holy Spirit.

Amen

Following Jesus

     Looking at the life of Jesus gives us insight. How do we follow Him? What did He seek as He roamed the roads of Jerusalem? Who did He hang out with? What did He do as He rose to meet the day? What were His priorities? Last week we witnessed His anger at the outer show of the lawmakers of the day. We know He sees our hearts as most important; not our degrees or our jobs or our appearance.

     This week we will follow the Lord. He knew His purpose and He knew each day brought Him closer to the cross. He never hurried. He took time to stop and listen to each individual need along the way. And as He walked He taught His disciples. We, too, need to start with His teaching and His word before He sets us out to fulfill our purpose. Let’s follow along with Jesus.

My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.  John 10:27

Jesus,

We want to follow You. Teach us to listen for Your voice above all others. Give us Your wisdom to seek what is most important each day and give us the patience and love to stop along the way for others.

Amen

The Covering of Love

     Hurling stones, sharing guilt, holding others or ourselves to a rigid and impossible standard may be a routine part of our lives, but those habits or long-held traditions can be overpowered with love and the Word of God.

     When you want to hurl a stone of hurt or gossip or criticism Jesus says:

“But I tell you love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.  Matthew 5:44

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.   Luke 6:35

     Jesus forgives us and others. When we want to blame ourselves or others, holding onto or offering guilt, again we are asked to love.

     Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.  Proverbs 10:12

Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.  Proverbs 17:9

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  1 Peter 4:8

     Jesus accused the law keepers of pride and hypocrisy. Holding ourselves and others to too high a standard and putting on a show for others to see, takes a toll on our spiritual, emotional and physical health. Allow your heart to find Jesus. Move the knowledge of His grace from your head to your heart. He sees through our lines of defense and the outer trappings of our lives. Those rules and rituals have been replaced by grace.

For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth through Jesus Christ. John 1:17

     I pray you will feel the grace and love of Jesus on this beautiful fall weekend. See you Monday!

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.  2 John 1:3

Law Makers

     Jesus used His harshest words on the religious leaders of the day. They knew the law, every jot, every crossed “t” and dotted “I.” They tested Jesus, daring Him to do something wrong. What they didn’t know? Jesus wrote the law. But beneath the regulations, Jesus sees the heart.

     The rituals, rules and religiously righteous believe we have to behave a certain way, believe a certain way, perform a certain way. And then came grace. And the Pharisees did not understand.  Our kind, compassionate, sinless Jesus said these words to the keepers of the law:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.”  Matthew 23:27

     You can feel the anger of the Messiah. This is just one verse of many in this chapter accusing them of greed and self righteousness and loading burdens onto others without lifting a finger to help. The heart matters to Jesus. I want my heart to yearn more and more for intimacy with Jesus. He will guide us into obedience. We will follow because of His love and sacrifice, not out of obligation or duty. I want to love the Lord with all of my heart and all of my strength and all of my mind. And all the rest will come.

Dear Lord,

Your anger is against false piety and putting ourselves before others, vying for attention and caring only for ourselves. Change our hearts to be like Yours and help us to stand for mercy, faithfulness and justice.

Amen

Guilt Finders

     It must be our fault. We didn’t have enough faith for healing. We deserve the suffering. Job suffered more than most. He lost his children, his home, his livelihood and his health. His so-called friends and even his wife had no words of comfort. What did you do for God to punish you like this, they wondered?

     As believers we might wonder the same. Why do we suffer? There is danger is believing we will be prosperous, healthy and blessed every day of our lives. God walks with us through our suffering, sometimes walking us through, sometimes around and sometimes delivering us out of it.  Our suffering can draw us closer to Him making our faith even stronger. Job did what we need to do. He looked up.

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21b

Even the disciples questioned Jesus about a man blind from birth.

His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  John 9:2

Jesus answered:

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”  John 9:3

     Here we are thousands of years later reading and discussing both Job and the blind man. Their suffering had purpose. The man born blind was used to show the healing power of Christ. Job’s suffering was used to show the possibility of trust even when everything is taken from us; even when we suffer the loss of the people and treasures we care about most.  Get rid of the guilt and look up. The One of your heart is there in the midst ot it. We just may be used to display the works of God.

Dear Lord,

Our suffering has meaning for You. You meet our needs whatever and wherever we are. Comfort those in grief and doubt today with Your presence. Keep us away from guilt. You have the grace to cover it all.

Amen

Stonethrowers

     The law of Moses was clear. For certain offenses, there were stones to be thrown. Judgment cast. Stone throwers called to the courtyard. Our stones may not be physically thrown these days, but our stone throwing still packs a punch. Shaking our heads at certain sins. Can you believe? Did you hear?  

     Gossip and critical judgments come so easily and make us feel just a little better about ourselves. We certainly would never do that! Or that! Or even that! It is so easy to aim with our stones of judgment. Let’s look back. There they were; the stone throwers ready to hit the woman accused of adultery. And the keepers of the law tested Jesus.

“In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ John 8 6

 When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  John 8:7

     Jesus does that doesn’t He? He stops us in our tracks just as we are about to throw another stone. All of us fall short of the glory of God. All of us. Each and every one of us. And He looks at us with compassion and deep sadness, willing us to look at Him and believe. He suffered it all, from a white lie to a murderous thief and everything in between. Soon it is just Jesus and the guilty woman. And it is just Jesus and me and Jesus and you.

Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus answered. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”  John 8:10-11

     Jesus never condemns. He loves and listens, forgives and leads us out from our sinful natures into His glorious light.

Dear Lord,

You love us despite all of our flaws. Help us to do the same for others. Lead us from our lives of sin. Show us how to live the life You prepared for us before the beginning of time. The life of inner joy and peace, filled with Your undying love.

Amen

The Spirit and the Savior

     We are sealed forever with the Spirit when we first believe and the adventure begins. As we relax into our faith the Spirit takes us to places and situations beyond our imaginations. As Scripture reminds us, the Spirit is like the wind. Sometimes He speaks with a gentle whisper and at other times with a powerful gust. We are prompted, pushed through our fear, knocked off of our feel, forcing us to be still and know God. We are turned in a new direction or stay put for awhile, in patient endurance, as the Spiritual winds die down. We are His; wherever the wind may blow.

     The Spirit teaches and guides us to understand the Scriptures, opening our eyes and our hearts to hear the truth in new ways. The Spirit, always, always points to the Savior. The Holy Spirit continually brings us into the presence of Christ.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I fee from Your presence?

Psalm 139:7

     As our lives become melded into His, the image of Christ grows from within. This process is due to no work of our own. We are helpless without the Spirit’s guidance. Falling in love with Jesus is a work of God. Let the wind take you on a ride today, soaring higher and higher into Christ’s presence.

To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy; to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen

Jude 1:24-25

The Spirit and the Church

     We are in this together. Don’t worry about ritual or religion or tradition or denomination. Jesus doesn’t look at our divisions and our man-made rules. The law was covered by grace when Jesus suffered on the cross as a free gift for us.

     We are the body of believers throughout the world, connected by the one and only Spirit of Christ. This Spirit blasts through evil, overpowers darkness with light and the name of Jesus Christ when spoken through a Spirit-filled believer can move mountains.

     Believe it, Live it. Shine it. We are the church, each one of us, in our families, our neighborhoods, our places of work, in the grocery store, in traffic. The Spirit clothes us with goodness, mercy and love. We are the church. Not the sit-in-church on Sundays and live the way we want Monday through Saturday. We are the Spirit-filled believers of Jesus Christ. You have the power of the resurrected Lord!

 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work whtin us, to Him be glory in the church and In Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen

The Spirit and the Seal

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13

     The gospel has to be heard.  Our eyes and ears are opened to the truth and we believe! Jesus is ours, now and forever. The promised Savior of the world has saved you and me for all eternity. Nothing can separate us, ever. We are signed, sealed and delivered, heaven-bound.

     At the very moment we accept and believe in Jesus as our Lord, the very Spirit of God, the promised Holy Spirit seals us. Seals were an important part of ancient days. Each prominent person had his own seal and any document would not be accepted as authentic without it.

     Picture yourself with the seal of Christ, permanently stamped in heavenly writing, “WE ARE HIS!”  These words, written by Peter, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are for you and me from our God.

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.

     Such powerful words to consider; His chosen ones, His special possession. And as His holy people we are called to declare His praises, reminding ourselves that we are now children of the light.

Dear Jesus,

We are sealed with the promise of heaven, Your special possessions, now and forever. We will thank and praise You for that until we see You face to face.

Amen

The Spirit and the Sword

     God’s Word penetrates and convicts.The Word heals and comforts. The weapons of our warfare listed in Ephesians 6 are all defensive, all but one. Read these verses with me:

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:17

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.  Hebrews 4:12

     The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Feeling powerless? Read Scripture aloud. It is alive and true and it can break down strongholds in your life. Point that sword right at the worries of the day. It will bring your devastated heart comfort and give you strength for another day. It cleanses, creates and clarifies life. Invest in it as you would in silver and gold. It is more precious than both.

The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. Psalm 119:72

Lord,

We thank You for the Word of God. Change our lives to be in line with it. It cuts to our hearts and renews our souls. Give us understanding and wisdom to walk in Your ways.

Amen

The Spirit and the Wind

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it si going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.  John 3:8

     Following the Spirit’s lead can be exhilarating, puzzling, surprising, perplexing and even frightening. Keeping in step with the Spirit of God will bring challenges, and even fear of the unknown when we need to take a leap of faith.  Think about the wind. John’s Gospel compares our lives as born again Spirit-filled believers to the wind.

     How does the wind affect us? The answers can be as varied as a life lived in the presence of God. The wind can direct us, change us, move us and touch us. The wind can knock us from our feet, force us to turn around, refresh us, invigorate us, whisper with softness, or shout with its strength. A strong gust out of nowhere can surprise us and a gentle breeze can settle us.

     The wind can knock us off of a prepared course as we face the unknown. Are you ready to allow the Spirit of God to move you in unexpected ways? Even when we aren’t listening or following, God will get us back on track with His glorious Holy Spirit.

The wind blows to the south and turns to the north, round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. Ecclesiastes 1:6

Dear Father in heaven,

Make us aware of Your Holy Spirit today, whether in the softness of a whisper or the shout of a gust of sheer power. Keep us from fear when You ask us to change direction. Bring us back to our feel if we have been knocked down and keep us steady when the wind is rising before us. Keep us on Your course wherever and however the wind blows in the Spirit.

In Jesus name

Amen

Weeds

     Recognizing the weeds within and the weeds of the world is complicated. But recognition is the first step. Each one may need a different plan of removal. Some may be pulled out in one deep yank. An old destructive habit and its lure is just gone. Unforgiveness is replaced with one simple prayer.

     There will be the times when those old weeds come creeping back to their same old spot and we need to slowly work them out again, not allowing those roots to expand. And the weeds of evil consistently and overwhelmingly around us in the world? We recognize them, too, understanding their need for hope and prayer. Jesus wants everyone to come to Him, weeds and all. His forgiveness is unfathomable and non-ending and forever. No one is beyond hope.

     Filling ourselves and relying on the good soil and spreading good seed will prevent, eliminate, destroy and protect us from the weeds in life. Jesus provides the good soil and seed. Jesus understands the root systems of even the most stubborn of the weeds. Thank Him and have Him direct you to the perfect path of removal.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the good seed of Your Word, of Your love, of Your forgiveness and of Your sacrifice for us. Protect us and lead us to freedom from the weeds within. And give us strength to provide hope to others in the garden of life.

Amen

Weeds

     Our own personal weeds can crowd out the beauty, choke out the goodness, and take up our precious time while dealing with them. Yesterday, Jesus told us the weeds of evil will be growing right along with us until He removes it, in its entirety, one day.

     One more weedy truth came to my mind today. Weeds can be deceptively beautiful. Their flowers imitate and blend in with the gorgeous summer flowers in our gardens until we can't tell them apart. They insert themselves until they fit right in. Satan’s lies may attract us to the very things that will destroy us. The flashy, the flamboyant, the feel-good, the fake, and the foolish things of life can take us away from the pure, the precious, the perfect love of becoming Christ-like.

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14

     Satan wants nothing more than to be god-like, to take our worship and attention from the true Christ to himself. He will distract, distort, imitate and initiate, substitute and subtract from the truth. Keep your attention on the eternal prize and do not lose sight of the truth. Take the time to read, understand and imbed God’s Word in your hearts. Only when we understand the truth can we recognize the lie.

Jesus,

We understand the times and the wiles of our enemy. Keep us alert and attentive to You alone. Lead us not into tempatation and deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Forever and ever.

Amen                                                                                                  

Wheat and Weeds

     Jesus reminds us that the weeds and the thorns of evil will be with us until the end when He brings everything to completion. His righteousness will finally pour out and we will be delivered from all sin and evil and usher in a new heaven and a new earth that will never end.

     As each day brings us closer to that final glory, do not be surprised by the evil around us. He explains that the wheat (His children) and weeds (Satan’s followers) would grow side by side until He sends His angels in for the final harvest. After His parable about the wheat and the weeds, He explains it fully and graphically to the crowd.

He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man, The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age and the harvesters are the angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels and they will weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They wil throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whosoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 13:37-43

Jesus,

These words are hard to read. Let us have ears to hear and let us spread the good seeds of Your kingdom to the world. You do not want to lose even one. Show us how to overcome evil with love.

Amen

Weeds

     Those pesky weeds in our lives are tough to overcome. Some have been around pretty much our entire lives. Others have crept in unannounced and bring discouragement. Others are so hidden we may not even know they are within us causing damage to our souls.

     When you face discouragement and doubt read Scripture on hope and faith. If you have a habit to break, read about God’s power and strength to walk with you every minute. If there are bitter roots stuck from childhood, read Scripture on God’s love, His unconditional love. He will never let us go and His love can conquer and overcome.

     Here is a great resource for you. I use it almost every day:

blueletterbible.com. You can pick any version of the Bible, put in any book or verse and/or any subject or word you might be interested in looking up. It is an invaluable resource. The power of God’s Word cannot be overstated. The truth of it has withstood the test of time. The Bible is a living, breathing testimonial to the Creator and Author and Finisher of time. Trust in its truth. Memorize some verses and let’s pull out, kill and destroy, or slowly overpower our weeds.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Dear Jesus,

Your Word gives us hope when we are lost, compassion when we grieve, truth when we doubt, faith when we have no answers, trust when we have been let down. You provide everything we need.

Amen

Weeds

     So my weeds are having a fabulous year. They have spread their good cheer all over the place, popping up in unexpected places,growing tall and strong and rooted deep. Wish I could share the joy along with them, but they are taking over their quiet and much prettier neighbors. Might have to kick them out! They are a bit obnoxious and overwhelming, a bit pushy and well, down-right sneaky.

     Where are the weeds in your life? Are there things or people draining your healthy root system? Is there something tall and strong taking the beauty and joy out of your life? Is there an obnoxious habit or a discouraging person bringing you down? Jesus has the power to crowd out the weeds with good seed. Eventually the good soil and seed will replace those pesky weeds. A little prayer, some watering of the Word, a sprinkle of God’s love and the warm Sonshine upon you will work its magic. Let’s kick them out.

The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.  Luke 8:14-15

Dear Jesus,

Let us be the ones who grow good seed. Show us the weeds we need to remove or replace with You. Sometimes the weeds creep up unexpectedly and sometimes they have been there for years and we don’t know how to remove them. All things are possible with You.

Amen

A Time

                                                                                 

     God’s timing is perfect. He sent His Son to earth at “the set time” (Galatians 4) and Jesus will return, not as a suffering servant, but as a triumphant King to set His rule upon a new heaven and a new earth at the precise moment, in the fullness of time, for all eternity.

     We were born for a “time such as this.” (Esther 4:14) Why here? Why now? God chose you and me for this time in history, to play our part and to find our purpose. Life is precious. Each breath belongs to our God and He chose when we would take our first and when we will take our last. The beginning and the end. He is there. For such a time as this. I can almost hear His footsteps.

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David and the bright, Morning Star. The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ and let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Yes, Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.  Revelation 22:12-13, 15-16, 20-21

A Time

     God provides the seasons, the spring and fall rains and when the crops are grown in good soil they become rooted deep and able to bear much fruit. Let that be said of us. Our youthful ways, our energetic young adult years and our middle-age wisdom and maturity can achieve in us a growing and deepening faith in Christ that brings us to a firm old age. Plant the seeds of the Word and wait and watch with patience for the final harvest. Look at this verse and pray it will be true for each of us.

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 1:3

Lord,

Let our aging become beautiful in your sight as we grow in the image of Your Son and shine with His light wherever we go. Root us in Your loving Word. Let the truth wash over us as streams of living water, growing our spirit so strong that it will not wither.

Amen

A Time

     Fall is in the air. There is a letting go and anticipation. Letting go of the warm weather brings the possibility of a cute pair of new boots. Soup, stew and chili replace the fresh fruits and vegetables. The scent of fresh flowers turns to the smell of bonfires and the sight of falling leaves. Beauty and change are a part of the seasons of the year and the seasons of life.

There is a time for everthing and a season for every activity under the heavens; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

Dear Father,

There is a time for everything under the heavens. Teach us to appreciate each one. Today we praise You for the ability to let go of what is past and anticipate what is ahead. We welcome this season of fall.

In Jesus name,

Amen