God's Inner Peace Is Only For Believers

John 14:15-17 -  “If you love me, obey me; and I will ask the Father and he will give you another Comforter, and he will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, for it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, for he lives with you now and some day shall be in you.

 

Jesus knew that in a few hours the final moments of His life on earth would be hard to watch. He had seen deep into the hearts of each of His disciples when He washed their feet…and knew that none of them had a true picture of what was about to happen….even thought he had told them several times. He told them not to worry…to trust God in this window of time that would present itself as the end to them.

 

It is a beautiful chapter…that you really must take the time to read in its entirety. He tells them He is going to heaven to get a place ready for them to come too….but it would be a while before it was ready for them.  he tells them that they will not be left alone…the third member of the trinity would be coming to comfort and guide them till his return.

 

The most wonderful words were spoken toward the end of the chapter….verse27 says… “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.^”   What a wonderful promise...a vow to leave us with internal peace of mind. That promise alone is worth giving your life to God!

 

I admit that I am such beginning to understand and accept this promise from God. Its one thing to know that you have received the Holy Spirit …one of the gifts He gives you when He saves you.  But it is entirely different to let it become a part of your daily walk and use it to its fullest power.  It’s kinda like that Bible I used to leave laying around on a shelf to get dusty…or sometimes it would take up residence in the back seat of my car between church meetings. I had a Bible….I looked at it frequently…I knew it was there…but I rarely opened it and let God speak its power and wisdom into my heart…so he could help me use that peace he gave me the save he saved me.

 

The world fights God’s true concept of peace. It throws drama and conflict in our faces 24/7 and tries to trick our heart into thinking that it…not God is in control of our lives. Only a daily routine of prayer and Bible study ….building a deep relationship with God will begin to teach you how to use the Spirit to understand and feel the power it has to give you true peace of mind…no matter what happens.  It is the way that Jesus was able to finish the next hours of pure horror…so that I could have an opportunity to know His power…so that I could have one of those places in Heaven that he is preparing for those that believe.

 

One more thought….the Holy Spirit can not be used by non believers.  They don’t recognize it.  That should prod all of us that do believe...that have access to it to bust our butts to show its power to others.  I sure am convicted this morning that I don’t make that fact known to all that I meet on a regular basis. I need to be listening to the spirit a bit more intently so that It can whisper in my ear more ways to let others see the great power they can tap into if they believe in God.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that YOU are in control…not the crazy world around me. Thank you for the comforter….for allowing the Holy Spirit to come into the world and give us peace of mind and guidance.  Forgive me for the times that I failed to understand its power and did not try to use it as I should.  Help me to use it to its fullest. Help me to listen to the soft prodding that the Holy Spirit gives me to know what to do … how to do it….and when to do it.  Amen.

Jesus Feels Every Hurtful Thought...And Loves Us Anyway

John 13:12-17 -    So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?   Ye call me Master and Lord:  and ye say well;  for so I am.    If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet;  ye also ought to wash one another's feet.    For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.    Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord;  neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.   If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. 

 

John took the time to record a moment in the life of the disciples that none of them were expecting. It should have been a servant…a hired slave…the lowest level of culture that was known to the Jews…not the mighty Messiah they were waiting to take over the throne and make them all assistants. He washed every foot and gave them a final lesson in servant hood….showing them once again that humility is key to a deep relationship with God.

 

What struck me the most about this scene that John painted for me was the fact that Jesus felt the heart of every foot he washed.  He felt Judas’ attitude that Jesus needed a push to cross over from a ministry position into kingship.  Jesus knew that satan had convinced Judas that turning Jesus in would expedite His taking over of the throne.  He felt Peter’s fear of repercussions if he kept his bold promise to die with Him.  He saw every disciples’ reason for deserting Him that night as he washed their feet and showed His deep love for them….despite the way they hurt Him with their thoughts.

 

Oh how I must hurt Jesus…hurt God…hurt the Holy Spirit with some of the thoughts the Trinity encounters each day from my heart. And despite how many times…how many ways I disappoint Him…God is ready at any moment to love me…deeper than anyone else has ever loved me before. I think of the latest blessing he has granted me…to be a part of watching another one of my children father a child. To see the love Aaron has for this new life God put into his life reminds me of the way Aaron took my breath away from the deep love I felt when I was blessed with him. That is the way God feels about every life that is born…fearfully and wonderfully made…a marvel to behold in God’s enormous world.

 

And just one more thing this morning.  Jesus ended that foot washing session with a charge to all of us to be servants ….to the degree that he was a servant….which I admit quickly is easier said than done.  We are no greater than the Lord that gave us life….and I need to remember that more often when satan comes trying to trick me into making selfish decisions that help no one but myself. I need to remember that God’s plan to prosper me will prosper everyone else around me if I am truly in His will.

 

Father….thank you for the reminder that you love me deeper than my mind can ever fathom.  You made me and looked down on my creation as a perfect gift that I marred with sin.  Thank you for the gift of salvation that washed me clean once again…so I could experience your perfect love once again.  Forgive me for all the times that I took your love for granted and hurt you.  Help me to internalize the charge he gave us all to be a servant…even when I feel the hurt from proverbial sticks and stones and words that are constantly hurled at my heart.  Amen.

Open Your Eyes To A Whole new Perspective

I usually start a devotion with a scripture I have read… but I find myself motivated to pull out the computer on the last leg of my flight to California and write.  Three hours of sitting in cramped seats…but close enough to a window to stare out and experience God’s creation in a totally different way gives me so many thoughts of praise and awe.

 

The world looks totally different  from the sky…I like to think that is the way God sees us…tiny in comparison to the great big earth he created. His view most of the time is even smaller than what I see…but since He has reason to come so close and check up on us…I just imagine it’s what he sees each time he comes close to earth.

 

I have flown before…but this time I found myself paying attention to the layout of the land below.  Land in cookie cutter shapes and sizes….framed by trees and sidewalks and highways.  Houses look like building blocks I used to play with…cars like tiny ants creeping below.  The land is molded and very artistically layed out when you look at it from above.

 

The most amazing thing is the way the land changes.  God made the world so different from mile to mile….the mountains taking on different shapes as we travel west.  The snowcapped peaks that first took my breath away melted into flatter rounded shapes with deep crevices that I imagine let the water flow into the rivers that feed our world its fresh supply of H2O each day.  Then change again into large cracks of canyons that glaciers carved into the mounded hills.  It changed backed to lower peaks once again as we neared the coast.

 

Psalms 65:6-8 says …. “ Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains;  being girded with power:   Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.    They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens:  thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.”

 

I am awed…I am renewed…I am reflective of the bigger picture that is hidden from me when I only let my heart remember the earthly view I usually see. I am reminded that God is so much bigger than I can ever conceive. I am reminded that He made these grand mountains in six days….with nothing but His hands and feet and mind. If that doesn’t amaze you…then I don’t know anything that will.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are bigger than my tiny mind has made you.  Thank you for the different view you gave me this evening …and the mountains that you girded with majesty and power…. that helped me see the strength you hold in reserve for all who ask you.  Forgive me for the times that I have limited you to one perspective….and failed to let you fill me with the power of these grand mountains.  Help me to be ever aware that you are in everything around me and everything you created has power to deepen my faith.  Amen.

Don't Wait For Retrospection To Reveal God's True Vision For Your Life

John 12:12-16 - The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.  They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!”  “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”   Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:   “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

 

Jesus had been telling them for days about what was going to happen to him soon. It was now time for Him to fulfill all of the plan God had laid out in front of Him. The only problem was the people…including His disciples… didn’t hear a word He had told them.  They had a vision of an earthly king that just wouldn’t let go of their hearts.  So they let the many explanations of what was about to happen go in one ear and out the other. They picked up palm branches and shouted praises and celebrated the man …the long awaited Messiah…the king that would take over the earthly mess Rome had made of their chosen nation.

 

It was the last verse that caused me the most reflection.  How true it is that we just don’t understand what is happening until after a bit of time has passed.  We see and hear what we want to hear.  We try to fit God into the plan we envisioned for ourselves…instead of letting God fit us into the plan that he has for the whole world. We hear God and use our human flesh to try to interpret what he says…instead of letting the transformed heart he gave us open our eyes to the bigger picture.

 

Father thank you for the reminder that you have a plan for me that is good….and will prosper me and give me hope for the future.  Forgive me for the times that I have let my earthly flesh do the interpretation of what you have told me….missing blessing after blessing from the bigger plan you had for me.  Help me to always let you do all of my thinking for me….by using the transformed heart you are building inside of me as I study and pray for your will to be done in my life. Amen.

Let God Control All Your Emotions

John 11:32-36 -   When Mary arrived where Jesus was, she fell down at his feet, saying, “Sir, if you had been here, my brother would still be alive.” When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jewish leaders wailing with her, he was moved with indignation and deeply troubled.  “Where is he buried?” he asked them. They told him, “Come and see.”  Tears came to Jesus’ eyes.  “They were close friends,” the Jewish leaders said. “See how much he loved him.”

 

Jesus had only been a few miles away from His close friend Lazarus. He could fell the heavy hearts of all who came to comfort Mary and Martha.  He could feel the hatred and plotting of the leaders that waited for Him to come to their aide.  He could have healed Him in seconds at any moment…even from a distance….but he waited knowing the impact of raising him after he had died would glorify God all the more.

 

This story is a reminder to me that Jesus experienced every emotions that I feel…many of them just in this one 4 day period. Sadness for the disbelief of those that waited on Him…grief from allowing His close friend to experience such pain…anger at those leaders that stood around gloating at the fact that He supposedly could not heal this man….anxiety over the waiting God had Him do before He could go and raise his friend….and compassion as he walked into the crowd and felt the heavy hearts around Him.

 

I loved the commentary in my Life Application Bible that said… “ we sometimes have to experience hurts in order to understand and let God reveal His power over them.”  I am sure that it was as hard for Jesus to experience all these emotions as it is me. The difference is that Jesus looked ahead to the joy that would come when He spoke to Lazarus to come out.  The difference is that Jesus did not allow these emotions to freeze Him and start a pity party….He let them strengthen Him for the wait….give Him courage to face the leaders that were plotting to kill Him.  Jesus let the Father control His emotions…so he could show His power in the mightiest way people had seen yet.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are able to help me control and use every emotion I feel in every moment.  Forgive me for the times that I have let emotions freeze me into pity parties…or plant seeds of bitterness and anger that have gotten out of control.  Help me to give all my emotions to you as soon as I feel them…so that you can use them to give me power to wait and courage to let you uses them for your glory.  Amen.

Be A Good Shepherd

John 10:11-13  -  “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  A hired man will run when he sees a wolf coming and will leave the sheep, for they aren’t his and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf leaps on them and scatters the flock. The hired man runs because he is hired and has no real concern for the sheep.

 

Jesus used the image of the common shepherd to help His disciples understand how very much He loved them. He was the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. He was not hired out for any reason. He chose to be a voluntary shepherd…who came of his own free will because of love….because of obedience to His father….because He had a passion to save the world …because the humans God had hired just could not complete the job.

 

Jesus made a way for all of us to follow in His footsteps.  We no longer need to pay for our salvation.  He paid the price for us. He can embed our hearts with the same love…the same commitment…the same passion to be a good shepherd of the world too. When we accept Jesus and believe in Him with all our heart and soul and mind He can give us the same ability to do things for love…to be committed to just God….and to love others more than we love ourselves.

 

I admit that I still struggle with the last two…doing things for love comes natural to a mom and two time nana. The commitment part and loving others more than I do myself is a bit harder to pull off consistently.  I needed the reminder to call on the good shepherd more so I could be a little more consistent in being voluntary…committed all the time….and being less selfish.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that God is my good shepherd and knows me better than I know myself.  Forgive me for all the times I have forgotten to call on Him to help me be more committed and less selfish.  Help me to remember the great sacrifice He made to give me life…so I can be a good shepherd like Him while I am on this Earth.  Amen.

 

 

Be Bold...Testify And Give God All The Glory

John 9:35-39 -  When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and said, “Do you believe in the Messiah?”  The man answered, “Who is he, sir, for I want to.”  “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!”  “Yes, Lord,” the man said, “I believe!” And he worshiped Jesus. Then Jesus told him, “I have come into the world to give sight to those who are spiritually blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”

 

Jesus had healed a blind man on the Sabbath and caused a stir in the ring of Pharisees again. They couldn’t find Jesus so they berated and harassed the blind man and his parents.  The parents chose their words carefully as to not offend the leaders…but the healed man spoke out boldly…choosing to embrace the power with which he had been healed. He testified of what God had done through Jesus….even if it meant being excommunicated from the temple forever.

 

Jesus knew he was going to cause a great stir among the hypocritical leaders.  He had even told the disciples that sin had not caused this man’s blindness. It was allowed in his life so that Jesus could show the world God’s power to do anything he wanted.  Jesus even chose to go back to this man and commend him for his boldness…revealing his true identity after he was berated so furiously.

 

It is a great reminder to me to be bold and never pass up a chance to give credit to God for what he has done for me. It is a reminder to me that boldness sometimes incurs ridicule….disbelief and persecution. God will use my testimony to help more people join the kingdom …making the few that give me a hard time inconsequential. I have seen the end of this great Bible I study each day…and God wins the battle.

 

Jesus words to the disciples right before he healed the blind man are just as important today as they were to those 12 men.  He said that we should carry out the task God sent us here to do quickly…the end will be here before we know it…and all work will end with that day. I can’t let the guilt of waiting till I was 50 to become a passionate believer of Christ stop me from the task of testifying for God every chance I get now. Just one more child added to the kingdom is worth any hard time I go through to do it.

 

Father….thank you for the reminder that you have sent me here to do something for you.  Forgive me for all the time I wasted being selfish and pharisaic.  Help me to be bold and courageous…working quickly with the time you allow me to stay on earth….choosing to share and testify about what you have done for me at any time. Amen.