Who Is My Neighbor?

Luke 10:27-29 -   “It says,” he replied, “that you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbor just as much as you love yourself.”  “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you shall live!”  The man wanted to justify his lack of love for some kinds of people,^[d] so he asked, “Which neighbors?”

 

A Man had asked Jesus how to get to Heaven….and he had replied with His own question. He asked the man what the laws of Moses had recorded God telling them already. It was a simple enough answer…but one of the hardest things to do.  Love God with every part of your being… and love others the same as yourself.

 

The man just couldn’t accept that Jesus meant all people…so he asked one more question…. Which one? Jesus replied with one the most familiar stories in the Bible….where a hated Samarian is given the hero role to prove the point that the neighbor we are supposed to love is the one that crosses our path…whether it be man… woman….black skin…yellow skin….president….homeless…rich…poor…crook….honest…obnoxious or sweet.  The simple truth that Jesus wanted all of us to grasp is that we are to love everyone the same way we love Him.

 

I am doing better lately…but I will admit that I still am more like the man who wanted Jesus to send me to the neighbors I liked instead of the neighbors that were difficult to deal with. It is easier to help those that appreciate and praise us for our help. But Jesus was saying that the heart that is transformed by His love doesn’t care what it gets in return…it does its good because the father instructed him too…because we love God…our heart is able to love all people the way he does.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I am to love everyone that You love.  Forgive me for the times that I made excuses for helping someone because I was in a hurry…or too busy….or thought they didn’t deserve it… or I was afraid …or just plain selfish. Help me to be more like the good Samaritan…and Jesus…ready to help anyone that comes to me for help….able to use the words that you hide in my heart every night and morning to comfort…or heal…or even save another soul to the Kingdom of God. Amen.

Fill Up With Power...Then Go Use It For God

Luke 9:34-37 -  But even as he was saying this, a bright cloud formed above them; and terror gripped them as it covered them.  And a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him.” Then, as the voice died away, Jesus was there alone with his disciples. They didn’t tell anyone what they had seen until long afterwards. The next day as they descended from the hill, a huge crowd met him,  and a man in the crowd called out to him, “Teacher, this boy here is my only son….

 

He had just met with God…Moses…and Elijah on a hillside. They talked about the hard task that His father had given Him to do. The experience was so overwhelming that it  transformed His countenance….changing His appearance for that moment from ordinary to glowing white…from the inside out. Peter wanted to stay there forever…and build shelters for them all.  But Jesus descended the hill with a new resolve to finish what God had sent Him there to do. The first thing he did was heal a young boy from demons that no one else had been able to cast out.

 

What  great reminder to live in the present...in the real world that God sent us to minister too.  We can worship Him any time we want …be infused with power and strength….let His love transform us from the inside out….but we should always remember that the strength he gives us is meant to help others.  We should always remember that God tells us to use His power to increase the Kingdom of God that Jesus established during His ministry on Earth.

 

I admit that I feel like Peter more that I follow Jesus’ example.  The tiredness of life...the pain from loss tempts me to want to stay in those moments of mountain top experience…when God feels so close we could reach out and touch Him. But those experiences are not meant to be permanent…just temporary charging stations along the journey that he has sent us on.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you require me to live in the present…to use the power and strength that You have provided to help me work for you in this moment of the day.  Forgive me for the times that I have wanted to stay in Your lap longer than You intended.  Help me to soak up just enough of your love to power me through each task You give me to do…returning as much as I need too for more.  Amen.

Go Everywhere With Jesus

Luke 8:1-3- Not long afterwards he began a tour of the cities and villages of Galilee to announce the coming of the Kingdom of God, and took his twelve disciples with him.  Some women went along, from whom he had cast out demons or whom he had healed; among them were Mary Magdalene (Jesus had cast out seven demons from her),  Joanna, Chuza’s wife (Chuza was King Herod’s business manager and was in charge of his palace and domestic affairs), Susanna, and many others who were contributing from their private means to the support of Jesus and his disciples.

 

Jesus did not stay in one place.  His ministry took Him many places and through many towns.  He took His twelve disciples with Him…and many others….touched and changed from within from healing or the casting out of demons… they followed Jesus completely of their own choosing.  Several of these were women.

 

Jesus ignored the culture of the day and allowed anyone that wanted to follow Him to get as close as they wanted.  He broke the cultural barrier of inequality for women by allowing them to follow Him as closely as His twelve disciples and even let them sit and listen to His teachings. He constantly said after he taught for … “all who had ears to listen.”

 

It’s a great reminder to me that God calls all of us to salvation….and God calls all of us to share that testimony with others. The great commission was not given just to men…but to all the disciples that followed him….men and women.  Never once can I find recorded that Jesus told anyone not to share what they had learned for Him with others.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you love all of us the same.  Forgive me for the times that I have not shared because I let a barrier of gender quiet my testimony.  Make me bold like these women who followed Jesus…who couldn’t help but share the love and grace that Jesus had given them with others.  Give me a heart that wants to follow Jesus even closer so that I can soak up even more of His word.  Amen.

Believe ALL Things Are Possible

Luke 7:6-9 - Jesus went with them; but just before arriving at the house, the captain sent some friends to say, “Sir, don’t inconvenience yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of any such honor or even to come and meet you. Just speak a word from where you are, and my servant boy will be healed! I know, because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my men. I only need to say ‘Go!’ and they go; or ‘Come!’ and they come; and to my slave, ‘Do this or that,’ and he does it. So just say, ‘Be healed!’ and my servant will be well again!” Jesus was amazed. Turning to the crowd he said, “Never among all the Jews in Israel have I met a man with faith like this.”

 

Jesus met all kinds of people with all kinds of needs. All of them that were healed had faith…but Jesus said that this Roman…a gentile believer…had more faith than all of them. He paired his belief with great humility and believed that just the words from Jesus’ mouth would heal His servant.  Jesus was so touched by his faith that He told the crowds around Him it was the strongest faith He had ever seen.

 

It is a reminder to me that God can do anything we believe He can do.  God is limited only by our faith in Him. This roman soldier believed in Jesus even when the religious leaders of the day tried to discount Him.  This gentile had more compassion for His servant than many Jews had for their own family.

 

I admit that I am more like the Jews than the roman soldier in this story…but I prayed a little different after reading this last night. My prayers had a new sense of urgency…of faith. I could feel the positive love of God melt away the negative vibes that satan is always trying to weigh me down with.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are capable of doing so much more than I ever ask. Forgive me for the times that I let my human flesh and minute brain limit wheat you can do for those I pray for. Help me to be more like this soldier…and believe that you can do anything… from any distance….just because you love and care for us. Amen

Happy Are Those That Trust God In All Things

Luke 6:20-23 -  Then he turned to his disciples and said, “What happiness there is for you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours!  What happiness there is for you who are now hungry, for you are going to be satisfied! What happiness there is for you who weep, for the time will come when you shall laugh with joy!  What happiness it is when others hate you and exclude you and insult you and smear your name because you are mine!  When that happens, rejoice! Yes, leap for joy! For you will have a great reward awaiting you in heaven. And you will be in good company—the ancient prophets were treated that way too!

 

Jesus had called all twelve of His disciples and began to teach them the truth of the Kingdom of God. One of the first things he taught them was that suffering is a good thing….for it helps you realize the power of God to make you content and happy in all things.  Dealing with tragedies and sorrows helps you see your need to rely on God…so that your reliance on Him in those times will produce blessings you never saw coming when things were good.

 

I admit that this is also one of the hardest concepts of loving God to accept….perhaps that is why he chose to start early helping the disciples understand it.  While we are in our greatest pain from financial need….or hunger….or sadness….or insult…or persecution…our minds are focused on the pain and suffering we feel.  It is when we call on God….and we allow God to help us be content in our seemingly bad circumstances …that we begin to focus more on God.  That is when we begin to see the purpose and good in what we are going through…that is what helps us get through the storm to the other side to see the rainbow…the blessing that comes from acceptance and obedience to God.

 

Father….thank you for the reminder that all things work to good for those that love you. Thank you for reminding me that happiness comes from accepting my pain in life and letting you use it to help others.  Forgive me for the times that I have sat to long in my pain…and prolonged the happiness that you had planned for me.  Help me to be content on all things and remember your promise that you have only good things planned for my future….so that I always see the hope and love that you gave to me through your son.  Amen.

If God says Go...Then Go

Luke 5:3-6 -  Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push out a little into the water, so that he could sit in the boat and speak to the crowds from there. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets and you will catch a lot of fish!”  “Sir,” Simon replied, “We worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, we’ll try again.” And this time their nets were so full that they began to tear!

 

Jesus had more than one reason to ask Simon…better known as Peter….to use his boat to preach from that day.  It was the second time that he had crossed paths with this man…and today Jesus would ask him to give up everything to follow Him and help him spread the Kingdom Of God. He that Peter needed just a bit more convincing before He asked Him to change his whole life…so He masterminded a catch of fish that would boggle this tired fisherman’s mind. He showed Peter what happens when we follow God’s directives and become obedient to everything he asks us to do.

 

What a great reminder not to let the failures of our lives dictate the choices we make for our future.  If peter had not followed Jesus’ directions…had not trusted Him to go out one more time for a catch of fish…he would have missed a great blessing. Perhaps even walking away from Christ in that moment because he just wasn’t sure that he was who he said He was. That great catch…that miracle that God produced for Jesus in that moment…was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back for Peter. If he doubted before the catch…he now believed with all his heart and soul and mind and strength.  It was just what he needed to leave a life of fishing and follow Jesus.

 

I admit that I am so like Peter ….and I have been that way more than once.  I am saddened when I think of all the blessings I may have missed because I failed to do what God asked me to…or was too busy to stop and listen to His directions in the first place.  God’s been doing a ton of miracles in my life lately…and I am overwhelmed with a feeling that He is sending me out on a mission for Him that will blow the proverbial socks off my feet! I am ready to lay down a 34 year career….sign the papers for a loan for a house back home in Tennessee…and I have no clue why he is sending me there…except to reconnect with my parents and sisters.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that when I follow your calling …you are waiting to show me great miracles and blessings that I could never conceive of with my human mind. Forgive me for all the times that I did not listen…or let fear hold me back from following you completely.  Help me to keep my ears and eyes and heart open and listening to everything you tell me to do in the days ahead…so I get everything exactly the way you wanted it in the first place.  Amen.

Scripture Tells Us What To Do And When To Do It

Luke 4:1-4 - Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan River, being urged by the Spirit out into the barren wastelands of Judea, where Satan tempted him for forty days. He ate nothing all that time and was very hungry.  Satan said, “If you are God’s Son, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” But Jesus replied, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘Other things in life are much more important than bread!’”

 

Jesus had just been baptized into His ministry on earth….His Father speaking His blessing and the Holy Spirit becoming a part of everything he would do from this moment on. Jesus was not led into a time of rest and easy living….but a time of fasting….reflection….and temptation. It was a time that He began to see the importance of the scripture he had studied.  It was a time that he discovered the strength and power He had and the right reasons to use it.

 

It is a reminder to me that becoming a follower of Christ does not guarantee an easy life.  It does mean that we inherit the power and strength of the Holy Spirit to teach… guide… strengthen… and comfort us. It is our responsibility to soak up as much scripture as Jesus did…so that God can use our moments of temptation to confirm our task on earth when he allows satan to tempt us.

 

Father….thank you for the reminder that you gave me the same dose of Holy Spirit when I became your child as you did Jesus. Forgive me for all the times that I forget that the Holy Spirit can give me power and strength and comfort when I need it most.  Help me to study even more…so that when I am tempted… the exact scripture I need to denounce satan’s tricks come to my heart and mind. Amen.