Study To Show Thyself Approved

Luke 24:25-27 - Then Jesus said to them, “You are such foolish, foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures!  Wasn’t it clearly predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his time of glory?” Then Jesus quoted them passage after passage from the writings of the prophets, beginning with the book of Genesis and going right on through the Scriptures, explaining what the passages meant and what they said about himself.

 

They had no clue they were talking with Jesus at the time….their hearts were burning inside them and they were drawn to this man who was walking with them the opposite direction that Jesus had told them to go…but God had hidden the real identity of this man to them. He explained God’s plan to them one more time…using scripture all the way back to Genesis. They only recognized Him at dinner…when He broke the bread they were to eat.

 

What a great reminder of what to do when we are confused…sad….mad….or wondering what we should do for any reason. Open up that Bible and rethink all the wisdom it has for us to make the best decisions for the life God granted us. Every answer for every decision has already been written down for us…we just have to take the time to read and search for what it says.

 

These disciples…and the women that found His grave empty had a hard time believing because they did not know the Bible…or trust what it said as completely true. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says…. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

 

I admit that even my nightly study is not enough.  I want to be a stronger witness and know the Bible so much better than my one chapter a night study can give me. The short lessons of my Bible study at church don’t begin to give me the depth that Jesus had of His Father’s word. I need to memorize and know by heart all the scriptures that Jesus might need me to use as I walk around each day….I really have no clue who will cross my path each day…and what wisdom or strength they might need form the Bible. Sure I can fall back on the internet…I have an ap and a browser on my phone so I can look it up….but is that really the best way to use what God gave us. What if service goes out???or my battery goes dead unexplainably???would I have what I need in my heart so that God can use me like He did Jesus on that road to Emmaus????

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that your word needs to be embedded into my soul and heart so that you can use it to help me help myself and others through the struggles of life.  Forgive me for the times that I have shortened my study time…and relied on the internet alone to give me what I need from your word.  Help me to take my study of your word more seriously…to memorize scripture…to study it in depth…so that you can make me stronger…and use me to help others.  Amen.

Open Your Heart To The Full Vision Of God

Luke 23:40-43 -  But the other criminal protested. “Don’t you even fear God when you are dying? We deserve to die for our evil deeds, but this man hasn’t done one thing wrong.”  Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”  And Jesus replied, “Today you will be with me in Paradise. This is a solemn promise.”

 

Jesus was near to death….having hung on the cross for about 3 hours. The people closest to him had either deserted him and gone into hiding…or watched in hopelessness from a distance. Only this one criminal that hung beside him saw the hope and joy that was coming after death.

 

James and John had asked for this spot earlier…but they envisioned thrones beside an earthly king. Even as Jesus died they held fast to the idea…not even letting the 3 explanations that Jesus had given sink in to their souls.  But this criminal…full of repentance and humility could feel the presence of God at his side.

 

I admit that I am more like James and John than I am the criminal because I tend to limit my thinking to earthly ideas.  I need to take lessons from this dying man…who felt the glory of the Savior beside him and was brave enough to ask for forgiveness and mercy. Every sin He had ever committed was forgiven in that moment...and he passed from earthly suffering to Heavenly glory with Christ that day. 

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that your ways are so much more intricate than my human mind conceives on its own.  Forgive me for the times that I have limited my heart because I failed to see and feel your presence.  Help me to focus on you so closely that I let your vision take shape in my mind and replace all the earthly ways I thought of. Amen.

Repent...Let God Use Your Mistakes

Luke 22:31-32 -  “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have you, to sift you like wheat, but I have pleaded in prayer for you that your faith should not completely fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen and build up the faith of your brothers.”

 

Jesus had sat at the Passover table and dined the last earthly time with the twelve men who knew Him the best.  Satan had won the battle for Judas Iscariot’s life….but Jesus was still battling for Peter. It is one of the rare times that we hear the details of one of Jesus’ prayers. The difference was that Judas would die alone and completely engulfed in his sin….and Peter would repent and use the mistake he made to increase his faith.

 

Satan has asked at least once to have all of us that choose to follow Christ.  Like Job…we are all tested. We can chose to let our sin harden our heart like Judas…or we can choose to let the blood of Jesus sacrifice on the cross wash that sin right out of our heart…so God can replace it with faith to do what He needs us to do.

 

What a comforting thought that Jesus prays for all of us…that Satan never be given complete control of our faith.  If we have asked Jesus to be our Lord…He takes that job seriously…and intercedes for us…even when we are too weak to pray for ourselves. God will use every mistake…every time we fall to build us up…and use us to strengthen others.

 

Father…thank you for never leaving me completely to Satan’s wicked ways.  Thank you for sending your son to win the battle over evil so that I can use His strength when my own fails.  Forgive me for the times that I take that gift for granted. Use my mistakes and failings to build me up for your use like you did Peter.  Amen.

Give Beyond What Is Safe Or Convenient

Luke 21:1-4 - As he stood in the Temple, he was watching the rich tossing their gifts into the collection box.  Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small copper coins.  “Really,” he remarked, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them combined.  For they have given a little of what they didn’t need, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

 

Jesus watched man rich and well to do people come put tons of money in the Temple collection boxes …but was unimpressed till a poor widow came and dropped in 2 small coins. Her small…seemingly insignificant offering caught His heart because it was all that she had in the world.

 

The difference in her offering was the sacrifice involved in making her gift. Her gift was all she had to care for herself in the future. Tossing those coins in the box meant she was totally relying on God for everything she would need in the future. Those rich and well to do folks just tossed in their extra….the income they did not need…or perhaps a mathematical calculation that measured their offering in exact 10 percent.

 

Jesus was impressed because the widow showed love beyond the others in giving sacrificially. She had the faith she needed to trust that God would provide all that she needed. Just like we are told in 2 Corinthians 8:2-3 …. “that during a severe ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in the wealth of their generosity.  For I testify, they gave according to their means and beyond their means. They did so voluntarily.”

 

I admit that I thought I was above the curve in giving.  I mathematically calculate my tithe each paycheck.  But this scripture has me reflecting on the motives for my simple routine of supporting my church. Sure I give to other things on a routine basis…and I hear in my spirit to help out with other causes from time to time...but I have never really sacrificed anything to do it. I give from the abundance of what God has blessed me with…sure that the checkbook still has plenty to cover the bills I know are coming that pay period.

 

I needed the reminder to examine my motives and rethink my routines. Perhaps I need to listen a little closer to what God needs me to support with what He has allowed me to handle for Him…for its His money after all….every penny. The object of true giving isn’t to set up some math formula…but to give beyond what is convenient and safe…to show our faith in God to care completely for us.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that everything I have is yours. Forgive me for the times that I have been selfish and used the resources you gave me to benefit only me.  Help me to be more like this widow…and give sacrificially…beyond what I know I can handle…so you can show off and prove your promise to care for me completely. Amen.

We Are The Clay

Luke 20:45-47 - Then, with the crowds listening, he turned to his disciples and said,  “Beware of these experts in religion, for they love to parade in dignified robes and to be bowed to by the people as they walk along the street. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and at religious festivals! But even while they are praying long prayers with great outward piety, they are planning schemes to cheat widows out of their property. Therefore God’s heaviest sentence awaits these men.”

 

Jesus had spent most of the day redirecting the tricky questions of the religious leaders that were trying to trap Him into an answer they could use against Him. He saw the heart of the ones that questioned Him and let the Holy Spirit give Him the perfect words to turn their tricky questions into a way to expose their motives. After they had given up and walked way for the day he turned to the crowds and gave them this warning about becoming too like them.

 

What a great reminder that the object of becoming a servant of God is not to build ourselves up with rules and pious attitudes about how good we have become. The best motives for becoming a child of God is to become like His son…a servant of all that are lost. Once we know Jesus….and accept what He did to save us….His love should transform our heart into the humble servant that He became.

 

I admit that I had it wrong for years. I also admit that it is a really hard habit to break. Once you have let your heart become even the least bit selfish and self-righteous….it is hard to wash the remnants of the pride and piety completely out of your heart and soul. The world tries to trick us into thinking that we still need to depend on material things…and that we still need to prove how good we are to others.

 

It’s like that old hymn….Have thine own way Lord…we are the clay….not the potter.  That job belongs to God.  If we take over His job for even a second…pride and selfishness are planted into the clean heart that He gave His life to wash clean for us. It takes root and fills the space with so much junk that God has a hard time fitting in what he needs us to have there.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to weed my heart every time I look at it to make sure that humility still has a place to take root and grow.  Forgive me for the times I let pride and selfishness flourish so well that humility is choked completely out.  Help me to spend more time weeding the bad stuff out so you can plant more of what you need to grow in my heart. Amen.

 

https://youtu.be/Zg-DJjEV6R4

Love All People....Show Them God's Love

Luke 19:5-7 -  When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name! “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick! Come down! For I am going to be a guest in your home today!” Zacchaeus hurriedly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.  But the crowds were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

 

Disabled at birth by his short stature…he compensated for his lack of height by becoming a rich man. He collected taxes for the Roman government and skimmed off the money he needed to make himself very comfortable.  Even though he was despised by every Jew for his actions… hated for his wealth….he was still very curious about this Jesus that everyone talked about ….and climbed up in a tree close to where Jesus would pass by just to get a glimpse at what was causing so much excitement.

 

His excitement at hearing his name when Jesus looked up into his face was unmistakable.  He climbed down quickly…and took Jesus straight to his house. He was used to the sneers and grumbling of the crowds…he had dealt with that all his life.  But this Jesus sat and calmly talked with him.  While they ate Jesus took the time to love him despite the sin in his life. And that was all it took to transform tis despised sinner into a loving man with a heart to repent and make restitution for the money he had taken wrongly from others.

 

Zacchaeus’ story is one of my favorite models of why we are to take the time to love all people. Everyone deserves to hear the great news of Jesus sacrifice on the cross…so that they can decide for themselves if they want to make Him Lord of their life. We should never take the attitude of the people is this story and think that anyone…rich…poor….of color…white…homeless…bartender…drug addict…prisoner…battered….murderer… they all deserve to be loved.  Some of them even seek love out like Zacchaeus did.

 

I am guilty of picking and choosing who I will show God’s love too.  I know that I am getting better…but know in my heart that I don’t always love all people the same. I let fear of the unknown…or the fact that I have no experience dealing with one kind over another let me make excuses not to speak or try to love them on any level. I need to be more like Jesus…not afraid to look right into their eyes and invite them to sit and talk a while about what God’s love has done to transform me.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that we are called to love everyone. Forgive me for the times that I pick and choose who I want to love.  Help me to cross the barriers of fear and have the courage to look into all the eyes of any person you let cross my path.  Let me count on you and the Holy Spirit to give me the words I need to show your love to all people.  Amen.

Pray With Purpose And Passion And Persisitence

Luke 18:6-8 - Then the Lord said, “If even an evil judge can be worn down like that, don’t you think that God will surely give justice to his people who plead with him day and night?  Yes! He will answer them quickly! But the question is: When I, the Messiah, return, how many will I find who have faith and are praying*?”

 

Jesus told many stories to help teach the people who came to hear Him the things they needed to have a strong relationship with God. This time he told a story about a persistent widow who kept asking a judge till she got what she needed.  He said that is the way we should pray to God for the things that we need.

 

Jesus could see the future and knew that many would fall away from the practice of prayer.  Their faith would weaken and they would become self-sufficient.  There prayers would become routine…or petty requests that increased self instead of helped others.  They would replace prayer with material things that satisfy only for a short time.

 

I admit that my prayer life is not a strong as it should be. I spend too much time relaxing in front of a TV or knitting or shopping. My prayers have some petitions for others…but they are mostly requests for myself. I rush through my prayers…or fall asleep before I finish. I simply don’t pray like I know I should…like Moses….or Jesus…or this widow model.

 

I needed the reminder that what  I need is the focus…the purpose of this widow.  I need to have her passion to keep praying for something until God gives me an answer. I need to write the requests of my friends down…so that satan can’t make me forget my promise to pray for them. I need to schedule a time in my day that is dedicated to prayer…just as waking minutes are dedicated to understanding and processing His word. I need to have the same passion for prayer as I have for writing.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that prayer is a key to my faith in you.  Forgive me for the many times I have failed you in my prayer life….and thank you for never stopping to try and teach me how to get it right.  Give me the passion of this widow to pray without ceasing…to pray with purpose….to pray no matter how tired or sleepy I am from my days work….to pray instead of filling my time with meaningless things like TV or shopping or knitting just to fill time. Amen.