Saturday, January 31, 2015

Saturday, January 31, 2015

 

Exodus 12:14-13:16 Matthew 20:29-21:22 Psalm 25:16-22 Proverbs 6:12-15

 

The Ways of God

 

“In You, Lord my God, I put my trust.  I trust in You… Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.  Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”  (Psalm 25:1, 2, 4, 5)

 

The “ways” and “paths” of the Lord in Psalm 25 are the same “paths of righteousness” that David boasts about in Psalm 23.  I couldn’t help but think of the Lord as Our Shepherd when I read this psalm.  The imagery came to life for me when in Israel earlier this month.  Attached are pictures from En Gedi, a desert oasis just west of the Dead Sea in the southern region of Israel.  All around the speckled lush areas of plant life and water springs is dry, dusty, rocky desert.  This is not the “green pastures” that we are thinking about.  How do you shepherd in this environment? 

 

A Good Shepherd knows the best ways to get down to the oases.  The paths are narrow and there are many of them.  However, the Shepherd knows the path that will get His sheep safely and swiftly to the cool waters and rich grasses.  The safest path is not without sharp rocks and steep inclines – this path requires that we mind how we walk it.  However, Our Shepherd knows where He’s going.  He only needs us to follow.  You see, we’re prone to admire the other paths, which seem to be straighter and easier to walk.  Yet, because of His perspective, the Shepherd can see what we can’t see.  And, when we wander off, He uses His staff to grab us by the neck and keep us from falling off a cliff.  Setting us back on course doesn’t always feel good, but it’s an act of love that we truly could not live without.  The alternative is our own self-inflicted demise.

 

I want Psalm 25 to be MY prayer everyday.  There are so many different paths that I can choose to travel, but none have the promise of life that Our Shepherd offers.  David prayed that the Lord would show him the Ways of God, the Torah life.  Having fulfilled and personified Torah, our prayer today is that Jesus would show us the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jn. 14:6).  Jesus, Our Good Shepherd, knows the right paths.  All He asks is that we follow.  His path is as hard as a rock, it’s dangerous, and many times I think I have a better way.  The truth is, however, that my way has always led me to turmoil and pain; His way always leads me to restoration and rest.

 

Father, we put our trust in You.  You hold the paths of life.  Teach us Your ways and gently set us back on course should we stray from them.  May this be our daily prayer.  We love You, Jesus!  Amen.

January 30

Matthew 20 

​

​Ser

ving in Obscurity

This Sunday over 100 million people will watch the greatest sporting event in North America. The greatest teams, with the greatest players, will compete in the greatest venture, to determine the greatest team.

Which leads us to the question, "What is greatness?"  The world's definition of greatness is defeating, overcoming, and rising above all opponents. Greatness is rising to the top and winning the competition.

But Jesus completely reversed this equation by stating that greatness is not ruling others, but serving them. This concept is so radically different from the world's that even the disciples had a difficult time grasping it.

In Matthew 20 we encounter a "tiger mom," one of those moms whose chariot had a bumper sticker on it about her sons being on the honor roll. Now she is lobbying Jesus for her sons to have the "greatest seats" in his kingdom.  This mom definitely defined greatness as position, power and prestige. But Jesus completely turns things around by saying, "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." That put a quick end to the discussion. You see, the goal of greatness is not trying to be first, but deliberately trying to be last. Greatness is not thinking of yourself; it is thinking of others first. Failure to comprehend this new perspective of greatness leads people to waste their entire lives pursuing the wrong goal. Our goal is to serve in obscurity, which is, "the state of being unknown, inconspicuous, or unimportant."

We worship a king who modeled this and taught this. We must do the same. He gave up his power and served. In our passage today, there was nothing which said we have to feel like serving. It isn't a response to a feeling. It is a decision of the will. We decide and choose to serve; we serve in spite of our feelings. The key is attitude. Don't serve out of duty, but out of joy. This service isn't announced. Don't look for crowds. Do just the opposite; look for the single individual. Look for the hurting, the lost, the loner, and the needy and serve them.

We owe Jesus Christ everything for all that He has done for us. Now the recipients of our debt to Jesus become our families, our neighbors, the stranger, the alien, the EGRs (extra grace required people) who are all appointed to receive what we owe the Master. Serving them is the pathway to greatness

​.​

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, January 29

THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015

Exodus 8:1–9:35

Matthew 19:13–30

Psalm 24:1–10

Proverbs 6:1–5

 

 

In Matthew 19:16–30, Jesus encountered the rich young ruler.  This gentleman wished to justify himself before God and asked a valuable question:  “Teach, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”  While his question focused on works rather than faith, bystanders to this conversation might have really benefited from the response.

 

Instead of making a general response, Jesus pierced through the fluff to the crucial point:  the heart-orientation of this individual.  After fielding an inquiry about his adherence to the commandments, the young man still desired the linchpin of justification.  He sensed that he still lacked something.  Jesus issues a personal call:  “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.” (19:21)  We then read:  “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” (19:22)

 

From this interaction, we may glean that this young man valued his possessions and the status associated with them more than a relationship with God, described here as “treasure in heaven.”  He did not wish to delay the gratification of wealth in this life to experience true wealth for eternity.  He had traded eternal abundance for temporal satisfaction.

 

While we may not have as much to sacrifice as this rich young ruler, we are called to yield the throne of our lives to God Himself.  The rich young ruler suffered from idolatry, that tendency of the human heart to place created things about the Creator.  We may struggle with idolatry related to material possessions, accolades or “success,” or even human relationships.  Idolatry offers a false promise:  “This concern of yours will bring you ultimate satisfaction.”  Experience later indicates, however, that idolatry only leads to long-term emptiness and frustration.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:10 explains:  “[God] has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”  In other words, each of us experiences eternal longings, but we have no means of understanding or satisfying them outside of a relationship with God.  As a case in point, please recall that alcoholic beverages sometimes receive the name “spirits.”  This designation comes from the Greeks, who believed that drinking alcohol would allow someone to enter a spiritual experience.  Remember that, upon the coming of the Holy Spirit, the apostles faced accusations of being drunk.  The people gathered in Jerusalem confused the filling of the Holy Spirit with an overwhelming amount of spirits.

 

I try to take a spiritual inventory on a weekly basis or so, reflecting on this question:  “Have I exalted God to the highest place in my life?  How about today?  This week?”  We all recognize that Jesus’s call to “come and die” (to self) doesn’t come naturally.  In fact, we may spend years running away from this difficult proposal.  Yet, this call to die also represents a call to live completely for God’s purposes:  “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)  As Romans 6 explains, we were previously slaves to sin, but, through trusting in the death of Christ and so dying with Him, we may become slaves to God and righteousness, “the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” (6:22b)

 

Practically speaking, what does it mean to die to self today?  This process involves identifying and laying aside those things that might distract us from God’s purposes.  In the case of this rich young ruler, his wealth had become too important to give up.  Dying to these non-Kingdom purposes will involve some mourning and struggle, but this “sweeping clean” is necessary to make way for Kingdom focus.   Romans 12:1,2 explains that we should offer ourselves as “living sacrifices.”  This metaphor captures this idea of transferring the motivation of seeking our own glory for seeking God’s glory.  Should we have our motivation on honoring and serving God, the other issues of life will fall into order according to His purposes:  “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

 

 

Lord Jesus, help us to see those created things that are distracting us from Your purposes today.  Give us grace as we lay aside these idols, so that we may be completely focused on loving and serving You.  Strengthen our hearts by Your Holy Spirit and give us an abundance of Your compassion and heart for others.  We give You praise for this new day, and we commit ourselves to You today.  Use us to bring forth a harvest of righteousness.  In Your Name, amen.

 

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Jan 27

Matthew 18:23-35

On the surface this account is about a servant who couldn't pay a debt, was shown mercy, grace and forgiveness, but couldn't reciprocate the act of kindness to another person.  As punishment, he was turned over to the jailers, tortured, and forced to pay back what he owed.  Jesus explained that unless we learn to forgive from our hearts, our Heavenly Father will treat us the same way.  Forgiving is hard, especially when you've been hurt. I'm sure we all have our own stories and can justify them in our own reasoning.  But that's not what we're called to do.  Learning to stop and listen to that "still small voice" can only be done through prayer.  In Matthew 5:23-25 Jesus tells us that we need to reconcile with our brothers and sisters before we can offer Him anything. I believe it also means before we even offer Him ourselves.  I'm a work in process and a big part of it is distinguishing between what I read in The Word and what I actually take into action in an attempt to conform to the image of Christ.  Am I following the rules set by society - an eye for an eye, or am I actually following Jesus? Because of The Cross, we are forgiven.  We can never pay that back but in it, all of our debts have been paid, all of our sins forgiven. We are called to extend that grace to others.  Thank you Lord for your forgiveness and by the power of Your Holy Spirit I can forgive others.




Randi

January 27, 2015

Exodus 4:1-5:21
Matthew 18:1-22
Psalm 22:19-31
Proverbs 5:15-21

Well, here I sit at work.  Should be able to get a lot of work done today seeing as there is NOBODY else here.  Before I read today's scriptures, I took one of those silly little facebook quizzes.  "Which word sums up your entire life?"  My word is below:

You are a:   Believer

Regardless of what other people might think, you're faith is your core devotion in life. It's the one thing inside you that will not change even when your outside changes. You realize very well that you can't compare anything else to it because the rewards you'll get from it are far greater than anything you'll get without it. So if it ever came down to choosing Earthly life vs. everlasting life, it's no surprise you'll choose the latter.

As I sit here thinking which Bible passage most impacted me, I recall my daughter telling me that even Moses was unsure of himself and felt that he could not find the right words to free his people from Pharaoh.  The Lord did not equip me with another person to interpret my words or miraculous signs to show others to get them to believe in Him.  He did however give me a caring heart.  To be a believer brings great joy to this heart. 

I have had many trials and tribulations in my own life; but these have made me into the person that I believe God wants me to be.  I have learned to turn the other cheek on so many occasions, and I do not regret it.  This little quiz may be just God's way of letting me know that even if I cannot find the right words to glorify Him, perhaps others will know by my actions that He is our only hope in this world.  I know for sure that God has been the only constant in my life - through thick or thin.  He has never left me or forsaken me.  Yet, like Moses, I still hold on to the feeling that perhaps I am just not the right one for the job.  But as Jose pointed out yesterday -- God does not choose the qualified - He qualifies the called.  So even though I may not meet the job requirements of posting for this blog, my heart is bursting with joy knowing that in some small way, I am glorifying the Lord each day just by being in the Word and pressing on to get closer to Him each day with each reading and learning from others. 

I would also like to recapture more of that childhood innocence and humility.  At this stage in my life, I realize how very blessed I have been.  I am right where God wants me to be, even if I continue to place myself on the side of the valley; but He is with me despite myself.  Guess I just have to get a solid grip on that staff and follow my Shepherd to be able to enjoy the path and plan He has prepared for me.  

Be safe today and be blessed.

January 26: Incompetence, Calling and Qualification

Exodus 2:11-3:22
Matthew 17:10-27
Psalm 22:1-18
Proverbs 5:7-14

What a blessing. As I write this, I am sitting with my two sons, both
of whom are reading the Bible with me, entranced with the story of
Moses (and Joseph before that, and the cows and the stalks of grain).
A further blessing - I am reading Mark Betterson's "The Circle
Maker", and today went through a chapter that discussed Moses as well.

Moses is an interesting fellow. Saved from the fate of his fellow
Hebrews at birth, raised by Egyptians, he then goes and kills and
Egyptian when he thinks no one is looking, and then flees in fear when
he realizes people know what he's done - heart of a lion, that
one...which is why it shouldn't be a surprise that when God asks him
to do something, he balks. Let's think of this for a second - God is
giving him the opportunity to go do for all the Israelites what Moses
wanted to do for one of them - save them from the Egyptians. There's
a catch, though - he's got to go back and confront the king who wanted
to have him killed. Not only that, he has to tell him to let all
these Israelite slaves, upon whose service they have probably grown
dependent upon and comfortable with - he has to tell Pharaoh to let
them go free. And not only that - God is telling Moses that the
Israelites are going to plunder the Egyptians on their way out!

Now, it isn't like Moses isn't sure Who is speaking - I mean, he's
hearing a voice come from a burning bush that isn't being consumed by
the flames. He's hearing this Voice identify Himself - "I Am Who I
Am", the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But Moses - no lionheart,
he - balks. He hesitates. Perhaps in fear and doubt, he claims he
isn't competent to do what God asks. And you know what? He was
right. He wasn't competent. He wasn't qualified.

But it is interesting how Pastor Batterson explains this. You see,
God doesn't call the qualified. Think not only of Moses, think of
Isaac (remember the reality show "Keeping up with the Isaacs" from a
couple of weeks ago?); think of Peter - another lionheart that
one...walks on water, then doubts and sinks; declares loyalty to the
death, then denies Christ thrice; or of Saul - yeah, think of Saul.
If there was ever anyone who wasn't qualified for the job, it was Paul
who, as Saul, endorsed the stoning of Stephen and was on his way to
persecute Christians in Damascus! Yep, God certainly doesn't call the
qualified. See, as Pastor Batterson explains, He qualifies the
called. So He called Peter to be the first pope, who was no more than
a fisherman before he met Christ. And He called murderers - Moses and
Saul - to reach out to His people. He called the youngest son, the
shepherd in the family, to be king. None of them were qualified - not
until they were called.

We all have many roles in life. And if you are anything like me, you
have these moments of crystal, brutal clarity, where you realize you
have absolutely no credibility at any of these roles. I think about
it and I realize, what little insight I might have had into raising a
16 year old young lady became obsolete the day she turned 17; what
understanding I might have had about being a husband by watching my
father has at best limited value serving my wife, a woman different
from my mother; what experience I might have gained working at my job
for almost 20 years has been rendered useless when my responsibilities
changed. And then you think about the mistakes you've made, and they
serve as harsh confirmation of your fears of inadequacy and
unpreparedness.

Thankfully, we know that all these circumstances have been chosen for
us by God, out of His perfect plan for us. Which means that He called
us to all this. And since He called us to all this, we can rest
assured He will qualify us as well.

Sunday, January 25, 2014

As the story of Joseph comes to an end, we find his brothers begging for mercy after their father's death. They were afraid that Joseph would pay them back for all the harm they had done to him. But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. (Gen 50:19-21)

Twice, Joseph tells his brothers not to be afraid.

And in the New Testament reading, when the three disciples heard God the Father's voice from Heaven saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" They fell facedown to the ground, terrified. And Jesus comforted them, saying, "Don't be afraid."

I don't know how many times the phrase "Don't be afraid." Is used throughout the Bible. I'm sure the research has been done and the use of that phrase counted. I just know that's it is repeated often by fathers to children, brother to brothers and Heavenly Father to his children. I'm thinking that God used those words so many times because he knew that we often cling to our fears and have to be reminded over and over again that we do not need to be afraid. Fear does not come from the Lord.

It would be awesome if the first time I read those words I embraced them and threw ALL my fears away. But nope, not me. I know them to be true. I know that God has won and the victory is ours. But I still reach for those feelings like a comfortable old sweater far too often. For tonight, it's time to put my fears away. Stop worrying about the approaching storm. Ask the Lord to watch over me and know that he will. If God is for me, who can be against me?

Sent from my iPad

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Psalm 20

 

“We will shout for joy WHEN you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God…Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God.  They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.” (Psalm 20:5, 7, 8)

 

Imagine you are the commander of a battalion on the eve of a huge war.  What do you need in order to make the next day’s battle a victory – skilled troops, a strategic battle plan, favorable weather, advanced weapons technology?  The psalmist poses a different list.

 

Psalm 20 is a prayer for the king before he goes out into battle.  Instead of praying for strong and courageous troops or powerful weapons, the prayer is directed toward the deliverance of God, the protection of His Presence, and the blessed assurance that in times of trouble, when the king cries out for help, the Lord will hear and answer.

 

We engage in a battle every single day.  “[Our] enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1)  “In this world [we] will have trouble.” (2)  Our own flesh with its “sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and…they are in conflict with each other” such that we battle even against our own selves. (3)  My only hope for victory is in the Name of the Lord.  In battle, those that trust in the chariots and the horses are “brought to their knees and fall.” (v. 8).  But, if we take the time to willingly and lovingly go to our knees before the battle, and cry out to the Lord in the battle, we will “rise up and stand firm.”

 

Jesus, we praise you for your promise that when we ask, seek and knock, you will answer, reveal, and open.  Regardless of where others may place their trust, we commit to put all of our trust in you and you alone.  Help us to remain true to our commitment by the power of Your Spirit.

 

Scripture References

(1) 1 Peter 5:8

(2) John 16:33

(3) Galatians 5:16   

Friday January 23

And Israel worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff.  Gen 47:31

This is the high point of Jacob's life. Think of the countless storms he had to go through to bring him to the moment of beauty. Jacob had fled from his family, been deceived by his father-in-law, feared his brother's revenge, mourned the supposed death of his son, Joseph, and lost a wrestling match with God. Finally, he reaches this high point where is a worshipper.

Right now many people in Grace church are going through times of testing. On Sunday we invited people who needed healing prayer to come forward. I thought that maybe 4 or 5 people would come up. I was overwhelmed when 30 people came up asking for prayer. Keep in mind that because of the ice storm we only had 60 people in church.

Going through a time of testing is not easy and it requires a lot of faith. Over the years I have seen God work in powerful ways during these times of testing. God has been purifying both Kathie and me through the trials of life. My heart attack last summer and Kathie's Lyme disease have caused both of us to learn to lean hard on God. We are learning how to trust His plan for us even when we don't understand the process. We have discovered that when you end up on your back, the only way to look is up.

While these difficulties of life are things we would never choose to experience, they do have tremendous power to transform us. These difficulties cause us to pray with passion, urgency and much greater frequency. In the end I sense that God is developing our faith. But it seems that for us to grow, God has to take us to a hard place. The preacher Charles Spurgeon said it well, "The Lord gets his best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction." We are committed to following Him regardless of the cost.

The beauty that God desires in our lives can only come through brokenness, struggle and difficulty. So I encourage you to not lose heart as you go through the storm. The actual goal is to worship God both in the storm and when the storm has passed.

Lord, give us strength to do exactly that.

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, January 22

THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2015

Genesis 44:1–45:28

Matthew 14:13–36

Psalm 18:37–50

Proverbs 4:11–13

 

 

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.”  When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!  And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.  For two years now, there has been famine in the land, and, for the next five years, there will not be plowing and reaping.  But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

 

“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.  He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.  Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says:  God has made me lord of all Egypt.  Come down to me; don’t delay.  You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me – you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.  I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come.  Otherwise, you and your household and all who belong to you will become desolate.” (Genesis 45:4–11)

 

 

After having spent several years in Egypt and experiencing God’s provision in Potiphar’s house, in prison, and in Pharaoh’s service, Joseph has received some perspective on his brothers’ selling him into slavery via the Midianite merchants.  In his remarks, we may understand more about God’s sovereign purpose for His people (as represented by Jacob’s now-extended family) and for His servant Joseph.

 

Like us, Joseph may have struggled to understand the purpose of his brothers’ betrayal.  The time in Potiphar’s household or the Egyptian prison may have seemed pointless.  Yet, in those arenas and later as Pharaoh’s second-in-command, Joseph served honorably as a steward, not just of the Egyptians’ resources but ultimately of God’s resources.  Joseph’s faithfulness had prepared the way for this opportunity to rescue his family and, in turn, to provide fertile ground for building a sizable nation.

 

Sometimes, we may doubt whether our individual faithfulness to God’s purposes for our lives makes any difference.  We may reason that, given our fallen nature, we are destined to continue falling short.  Our “humility” might lead us to have a low opinion of our role, thinking that pastors and other Christian leaders’ faithfulness holds far greater importance.

 

Rather, God desires our individual faithfulness as a key to unlocking deeper intimacy with Him and to unveiling His promises to His people.  Joseph’s tireless service in adverse conditions stands as a great testimony to this principle.  In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30), the master rewards his servants based on their faithfulness to their calling, not based on their initial potential.  In preparing a Bible study this week, I noticed the key role of Abraham’s obedience as part of God’s promise in Genesis 22:15–18:  “The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.  Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

 

That our lives would have some part in God’s purposes offers a sure sign of the dignity and value of human life.  May we rejoice in seeking God wholeheartedly, following Him, and pursuing Christlike character and the wise stewardship of Joseph and Daniel!

 

 

On a side note, I had the opportunity to watch a movie called Patterns of Evidence:  Exodus (http://www.patternsofevidence.com/en/) on Monday evening.  The filmmaker, Timothy Mahoney, spent 10 years trying to uncover the reality of ancient Egypt and Israel from the archaeology.

 

Based on this film, there appears to be compelling evidence that Joseph and his 11 brothers lived in an ancient city called Avaris (in Goshen).  Archaeologists have discovered a pyramid tomb (fit for Pharaoh’s second-in-command) and 11 other tombs on the site of one home, which itself featured 12 columns, in that city.  When the archaeologists opened this pyramid tomb, the human remains were not found, which would corroborate with Exodus 13:19 about Moses’s removal of Joseph’s bones.

 

The movie contained many other convincing pieces of evidence regarding the Exodus and the conquest of the Promised Land.  I found the discussion of Jericho’s demise quite fascinating, as the archaeological evidence again matches extremely well with the Biblical accounts.

 

I highly recommend this movie and would be happy to organize a showing at Grace Church.

 

 

Lord God, we give You thanks for the account of Your servant Joseph.  Transform our hearts and minds so that we may likewise serve You faithfully, even in those challenging periods that seem pointless.  Give birth to our faithfulness through Your faithfulness and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.  Make us ready for Your purposes.  We love You and seek to honor You today.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

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Fwd: Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Subject: Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Genesis 41:17-42-17
Matthew 13:24-46
Psalm 18:1-15
Proverbs 4:1-6

Well I must say that yesterday's post from Jose is one tough act to follow.  What an amazing article about our Creator.  Thank you Jose for sharing it with us. 

As many of you may know, I have been blessed with the presence of my daughter, her husband, and my grandchildren.  They are with us now until they transition to a home.  It is so wonderful to have the family united once again.

Tuesday's reading from Genesis about Joseph and the tribulations he suffered because of his brothers jealousy shows how a family can be torn apart.  Joseph was his father's favorite.  So the brothers plotted to kill him but instead sold him to the Midianite merchants for twenty shekels of silver.  But God had given Joseph the ability to interpret dreams.  He was brought before Pharaoh and explained to him what his dreams meant.  Because of this God given ability Pharaoh presented him with such authority, wealth and power that Joseph could never have imagined.  He gave him authority over Egypt to save the land from a seven year famine as described in Pharaoh's dreams.

How bittersweet it must have been for Joseph to once again face the brothers who sold him when they came to buy food so that their family would not die.  Joseph did not bend easily.  He did not even reveal to them that he was their brother.  He let them sweat it out a bit. 

There are so many things that can tear a family apart.  But we as believers continue to pray that God will intervene to bring our families together as a strong unit as He eventually did with Joseph's family.  Our hearts must align with the will of God to forgive, forget and to love as He so loved us.

We must also always be aware that the evil one will constantly and continuously try to destroy our relationship with the Lord.  He plants evil thoughts and feelings in us - just like the weeds planted in a field of good grain while everyone is sleeping. 

Matthew 20:37-39 - 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 sons of the kingdom.  The weeds are the sons 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 angels."

He who has ears - let him hear; let us all be good seeds in the field and grow strong with one another.  Peace be with you!

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Genesis 41:17-42-17
Matthew 13:24-46
Psalm 18:1-15
Proverbs 4:1-6

Well I must say that yesterday's post from Jose is one tough act to follow.  What an amazing article about our Creator.  Thank you Jose for sharing it with us. 

As many of you may know, I have been blessed with the presence of my daughter, her husband, and my grandchildren.  They are with us now until they transition to a home.  It is so wonderful to have the family united once again.

Tuesday's reading from Genesis about Joseph and the tribulations he suffered because of his brothers jealousy shows how a family can be torn apart.  Joseph was his father's favorite.  So the brothers plotted to kill him but instead sold him to the Midianite merchants for twenty shekels of silver.  But God had given Joseph the ability to interpret dreams.  He was brought before Pharaoh and explained to him what his dreams meant.  Because of this God given ability Pharaoh presented him with such authority, wealth and power that Joseph could never have imagined.  He gave him authority over Egypt to save the land from a seven year famine as described in Pharaoh's dreams.

How bittersweet it must have been for Joseph to once again face the brothers who sold him when they came to buy food so that their family would not die.  Joseph did not bend easily.  He did not even reveal to them that he was their brother.  He let them sweat it out a bit. 

There are so many things that can tear a family apart.  But we as believers continue to pray that God will intervene to bring our families together as a strong unit as He eventually did with Joseph's family.  Our hearts must align with the will of God to forgive, forget and to love as He so loved us.

We must also always be aware that the evil one will constantly and continuously try to destroy our relationship with the Lord.  He plants evil thoughts and feelings in us - just like the weeds planted in a field of good grain while everyone is sleeping. 

Matthew 20:37-39 - 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 sons of the kingdom.  The weeds are the sons 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 angels."

He who has ears - let him hear; let us all be good seeds in the field and grow strong with one another.  Peace be with you!

Jan. 21

Gen. 42-43


Joseph's story is one of reconciliation.  Neither Jacob or his sons could see Gods overall plan from the time Joseph was sold into salvery, through the famine that brought the family to Egypt which ultimately united them.  The years of separation didn't cleanse any of the brothers of their guilt.  Joseph could have chosen to conceal his identity, hold on to his anger, live in pride, and not feed his family.  Jacob was petrified to loose yet another son.  A lot of emotion going on here.  Joseph could have just killed them all.  We learned on Sunday to look for turning points which change attitudes and bring about reconciliation.  Joseph was watching and testing his brothers to see if their attitudes had changed for the better.  This was one point of change I noticed.  It was Judah's idea to sell Joseph into slavery (37:27) and here we see him putting himself forward so Benjamin could return to their father.  A courageous act which caught Joseph's eye - perhaps the beginning of softening of hearts for the family.  Joseph had been rejected, kidnapped, sold into slavery, and thrown into prison by his own brothers but demonstrated Gods love by forgiving them.  In my opinion, an incredible example to follow.  If we go one step further, Jesus was spat on, mocked, beaten and crucified to reconcile us to God because He loved us.  Through this work on The Cross we, in His strength, can extend His love and forgiveness to others.  We all have someone or something to reconcile with.  Take it to The Cross.


Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters reading this blog.  It's hard to come to a place where we can lay down pride, anger and hurt and reconcile with one another but You have already provided that place for us - at the foot of The Cross.  I pray we all find strength in You to forgive anyone who has hurt us and follow Your example to love one another.




Randi

Pope Francis, Dr King and Greatness

Genesis 39:1-41:16

Matthew 12:46-13:23

Psalm 17:1-15

Proverbs 3:33-35

Today, I was tempted to write in the context of two things - of Martin Luther King Day, which we celebrate today, or of Pope Francis's visit to the Philippines, which recently ended.  In the Philippines, there were 6 million people gathered at the final mass in Manila, and countless others who braved the weather just to catch a glimpse of him\, some brought to tears simply just by being 10 feet or so away.  And today there is controversy over why a movie about Dr King didn't get more Oscar nominations, just as his life and fight are commemorated and celebrated in countless marches and speeches.  People perceive greatness in these two men, and are willing to climb trees to see one drive by, and get into fights for the dream of the other.  

Greatness, and greatness of impact.   There is an interesting article I found in the Wall Street Journal, by Eric Metaxas from Christmas last year, that touches on this.  It can be accessed via this link:

- http://www.wsj.com/articles/eric-metaxas-science-increasingly-makes-the-case-for-god-1419544568?mod=trending_now_3&cb=logged0.6907992195338011

...but if the website requires that you have a password, I am pasting the text at the bottom of this email.  

Metaxas writes about one manifestation of God's greatness.  In today's reading, there is yet another - where His word is able to bear fruit in any good soil I might permit it, despite my sinfulness, He causes it to yield thirty to a hundred times what was sown.  As He blesses me with the teaching I am willing to accept, so too does He bless thirty or a hundred others.  The blessing might not be immediately apparent - I am sure Joseph wasn't sure where the blessing was when, despite doing his work honorably, he was thrown into prison because of his master's wife's false accusations; or when, despite having foretold the cupholder's redemption, the cupholder promptly forgot his request to intercede in his behalf with Pharaoh.  But the blessings came according to God's plan, and his plan wasn't just for Joseph's freedom - it was far greater; just as, I am certain, His plans for us are far greater than we can even begin to dream.

Isn't that the sort of greatness worth marching for, worth defending, worth climbing into trees in the rain just to see it pass by? 

======================

By ERIC METAXAS

Dec. 25, 2014 4:56 p.m. ET

In 1966 Time magazine ran a cover story asking: Is God Dead? Many have accepted the cultural narrative that he's obsolete—that as science progresses, there is less need for a "God" to explain the universe. Yet it turns out that the rumors of God's death were premature. More amazing is that the relatively recent case for his existence comes from a surprising place—science itself.

Here's the story: The same year Time featured the now-famous headline, the astronomer Carl Sagan announced that there were two important criteria for a planet to support life: The right kind of star, and a planet the right distance from that star. Given the roughly octillion—1 followed by 27 zeros—planets in the universe, there should have been about septillion—1 followed by 24 zeros—planets capable of supporting life.

With such spectacular odds, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, a large, expensive collection of private and publicly funded projects launched in the 1960s, was sure to turn up something soon. Scientists listened with a vast radio telescopic network for signals that resembled coded intelligence and were not merely random. But as years passed, the silence from the rest of the universe was deafening. Congress defunded SETI in 1993, but the search continues with private funds. As of 2014, researchers have discovered precisely bubkis—0 followed by nothing.

What happened? As our knowledge of the universe increased, it became clear that there were far more factors necessary for life than Sagan supposed. His two parameters grew to 10 and then 20 and then 50, and so the number of potentially life-supporting planets decreased accordingly. The number dropped to a few thousand planets and kept on plummeting.

Even SETI proponents acknowledged the problem. Peter Schenkel wrote in a 2006 piece for Skeptical Inquirer magazine: "In light of new findings and insights, it seems appropriate to put excessive euphoria to rest . . . . We should quietly admit that the early estimates . . . may no longer be tenable."

As factors continued to be discovered, the number of possible planets hit zero, and kept going. In other words, the odds turned against any planet in the universe supporting life, including this one. Probability said that even we shouldn't be here.

Today there are more than 200 known parameters necessary for a planet to support life—every single one of which must be perfectly met, or the whole thing falls apart. Without a massive planet like Jupiter nearby, whose gravity will draw away asteroids, a thousand times as many would hit Earth's surface. The odds against life in the universe are simply astonishing.

Yet here we are, not only existing, but talking about existing. What can account for it? Can every one of those many parameters have been perfect by accident? At what point is it fair to admit that science suggests that we cannot be the result of random forces? Doesn't assuming that an intelligence created these perfect conditions require far less faith than believing that a life-sustaining Earth just happened to beat the inconceivable odds to come into being?

There's more. The fine-tuning necessary for life to exist on a planet is nothing compared with the fine-tuning required for the universe to exist at all. For example, astrophysicists now know that the values of the four fundamental forces—gravity, the electromagnetic force, and the "strong" and "weak" nuclear forces—were determined less than one millionth of a second after the big bang. Alter any one value and the universe could not exist. For instance, if the ratio between the nuclear strong force and the electromagnetic force had been off by the tiniest fraction of the tiniest fraction—by even one part in 100,000,000,000,000,000—then no stars could have ever formed at all. Feel free to gulp.

Multiply that single parameter by all the other necessary conditions, and the odds against the universe existing are so heart-stoppingly astronomical that the notion that it all "just happened" defies common sense. It would be like tossing a coin and having it come up heads 10 quintillion times in a row. Really?

Fred Hoyle, the astronomer who coined the term "big bang," said that his atheism was "greatly shaken" at these developments. He later wrote that "a common-sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super-intellect has monkeyed with the physics, as well as with chemistry and biology . . . . The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question."

Theoretical physicist Paul Davies has said that "the appearance of design is overwhelming" and Oxford professor Dr. John Lennox has said "the more we get to know about our universe, the more the hypothesis that there is a Creator . . . gains in credibility as the best explanation of why we are here."

The greatest miracle of all time, without any close seconds, is the universe. It is the miracle of all miracles, one that ineluctably points with the combined brightness of every star to something—or Someone—beyond itself.

Mr. Metaxas is the author, most recently, of "Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life" ( Dutton Adult, 2014).

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Saturday, January 17, 2015

"If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." (Matthew 12:7, 8 NIV)

He said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.   But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. (Matthew 12:11-14 NIV)

"An unjust law is no law at all." - St. Augustine of Hippo 

Sometimes doing what is legal is not the same as doing what is just.  The bondage of traditionalism, legalism, and a bunch of other -ism's is  like a straightjacket that can restrict us from feeding hungry people or providing care for hurting people.  These -ism's oftentimes keep us from seeing people as human beings, reducing humanity to rules and systems, and demonizing those who would oppose injustice (even if it means demonizing the Messiah).  We may want to offer God what is right, proper, and lawful, but completely miss what just and born of love.

Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 in his discussion with the Pharisees: "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. " As I read this Scripture I feel like God is saying, "If you really understood who I AM and remembered how I've mercifully dealt with you, you would know that I am a God who loves mercy (Hebrew, "chesed"; unconditional and enduring love; loyalty). I give my love to people, not to -isms."  

The law shows us that it is right and proper to offer God the sacrifice of a lamb (or today we might offer $500 instead). However, the more just and proper sacrifice would be ourselves - our desires, our own way, our stale tradition, our flawed systems - for this is real unconditional and enduring love and mercy; this is chesed!

Declaration/Prayer (from Matthew 12:7; Hosea 6:6):  

"Father, remembering the great mercy you've given me, I commit myself to pour out mercy on others, for you desire mercy, not sacrifice."

January 16

Genesis 32   Wrestling with God

 

Jacob was in a pickle. He was returning to his hometown and the last words of his brother Esau were playing over and over in his mind. Do you remember those words spoken by Esau? "I am going to kill my brother!" Wow, do you think those words impacted Jacob?

So what do you do when you know you are in over your head? You pray. This is called "fox hole" praying. But God is so merciful he even listens to "fox hole" prayers. Not only does God listen to the prayer of Jacob he answers it in a most unusual way. He schedules a wrestling match with the guy. If Jacob was a wrestler in WWE he would be known as "Jake the Snake." And tonight's featured match is "Jake the Snake" versus God. When Jake started out the match he was a dirty wrestler, but by the morning he was changed. When it says he wrestled God it means he wrestled with Jesus. No one has ever seen God the Father. Whenever God appears, it is the second person of the Trinity Jesus. And because of Jesus' special wrestling move, "Jake the Snake" would walk every day of his life with a limp. Sometimes the Lord hurts us in order to help us. Jacob was a weaker man physically, but he became a stronger man spiritually. He was given a new name, "Israel" which means…  "One who struggles with God."   How can we wrestle with God on a cold January day? We wrestle God through prayer. It starts out with wrestling but it ends up with clinging. We need to get hold of God today, and not let go until we know that he has touched us, forgiven us, changed us and blessed us.

 

Take some time right now and wrestle with God in prayer. Wrestle with him concerning your impossible situation, your sin, your family, your seeking friends, wrestle with him concerning the surrender of your life to his perfect will. It is in wrestling with God that we find our lives most drastically changed.

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, January 15

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015

Genesis 31:17–32:12

Matthew 10:24–11:6

Psalm 13:1–6

Proverbs 3:16–18

 

 

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”  (Matthew 10:37–39)

 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

 

 

How may we reconcile the “hardness” and “challenge” of the first set of verses with the “comfort” and “ease” of the second set?  How does His “rest,” “easy” yoke, and “light” burden” fit with the steep “cost” of discipleship mentioned in Matthew 10?

 

Part of this quandary lies in trying to understand the depth of God’s character in our human minds.  Many times, we may consider a theological questions, only to realize that it falls within the “mind-of-God” realm, where straightforward answers are likely beyond our grasp.  For such an example, please consider the simultaneous reality of God’s total sovereignty over the universe and human free will.

 

In Matthew 10, Jesus explains that true discipleship involves commitment of the heart in faith and the body in action.  By our words and actions, we reveal the commitments that we have made in our hearts.  Jesus explains that our public confession of faith should accompany our commitment to Christ:  “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32,33)

 

In His charge to the disciples, Jesus anticipates the “force” required to advance Kingdom purposes.  While the disciples would interact with other men, their struggles would take on a spiritual dimension as well.  Paul describes this reality in Ephesians 6:12:  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark work and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  In other words, the Kingdom mission involves spiritual warfare.  As we may see from human armies, commitment to battle is a crucial element for success.  Distracted soldiers lead to disastrous losses.  If we are indeed in such a spiritual battle for the Kingdom, then Jesus rightly calls for our complete commitment.

 

While the battle may involve challenges and requires a soldier’s heart, the Commanding Officer relates to each soldier tenderly, like a loving father or mother.  Please notice that the “rest” that Jesus provides flows from our coming to Him.  As St. Augustine recognized, our hearts find no rest until we rest in God alone.

 

Our strength then emerges from our connection to Christ.  The yoke allows animals to work well together, ensuring that they exert their strength in a common and well-directed manner.  Jesus suggests that He will become yoked with us, increasing our strength and purpose in the Kingdom work.  The yoke implies our submission to His purposes.  By submitting to Christ’s ultimate authority, we find sufficient strength to meet everything to which God calls us. (Philippians 4:13)

 

 

Lord Jesus, we submit to Your purposes for our lives.  Strengthen us for Your purposes, and make us into Kingdom warriors for You.  Give us courage to rise to the challenges set before us, and help us to turn to You.  Affirm Your calling for our lives, and tenderly encourage us for each day.  Reveal more of Yourself so that we will have certainty and confidence in giving our lives completely to Your service, for Your honor and glory.  In Your Name, amen.

________________________________________
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2) Facebook:        http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS

Jan 14 -

Matthew 10:1-25

In reading this account I noticed the first thing Jesus did was give His disciples authority.  The next thing He did was give them instructions. I think this passage fits so well into what Pastor Scott is talking about in his sermons - "Mission Possible".  We are also disciples.  We also have a mission.  We have authority by the power of the Holy Spirit and we have instructions.  "Freely you have received, freely give".  What we have received in Christ we have to share.  Our mission is to find the lost sheep.  How do we do that?  Well verses 11-14 tells us how.  We have to go into the neighborhoods, the schools, coffee shops, and wherever there are people.  I truly believe if we ask God who He wants us to find He will put them in our path - then it's us to us to share who our Lord is - share the gospel.  Not everyone will receive our message with open hearts or open ears but again we are cautioned against getting angry.  Only the Holy Spirit can open someone's ears and hearts - just like He opened ours but think about the person God put in front of you when He wanted you to hear the message.  That person was on "Mission Possible" and God put you in front of them.  This isn't easy.  Jesus never said it it would be, but He did promise us He would never leave or forsake us.



Lord, I pray today for everyone who is reading this post that you give us strength to carry out the mission you have sent us on.  Lord I ask that for every person reading this, you put someone in our path today that we can share your love with.  Thank you Lord for loving us first.  In your Name I pray.




Randi

January 13 - Promises and Miracles

Carol Policastro

January 13 - Promises and Miracles
Genesis 28:1-29:25
Matthew 9:18-38
Psalm 11:1-7
Proverbs 3:11-12

I do believe that I am finally getting the hang of reading the Bible in a year. I am far more familiar now with the lineage and who belongs to whom. What I guess I am saying is that - it is finally making sense to me. As mentioned in previous posts, it amazes me how the Lord gives directions, and we still choose to ignore or do our own thing. Yet somehow in the end, when we come to our senses we realize that what He does and what He gives to us if for our own good. God showed great mercy to Leah who felt so unloved and miserable because Jacob was in love with Rachel. He blessed her with four sons to carry on Jacob's line, while Jacob's true love, Rachel, was barren. The Lord does work in mysterious ways. (I did cheat a bit here by reading just a small bit ahead, so I cannot wait for tomorrow's post.)

In the end - even though it took Jacob 14 years - he surely got more than he bargained for even after the many times Laban tried to trick him. God was always with Jacob, and he prevailed. He had wives, sons and livestock - he was indeed blessed!

I have often told my children about the woman whose only desire was to touch the robe of Jesus to be healed. I almost feel as if I was there at that time. I don't understand the strong connection that I feel to this story, but perhaps it is God's way of reassuring me that if my faith continues to grow and remain strong - His healing will be with me no matter what the situation.

With all of the recent passings of many people that I know and the diseases that plague us and so many others - who would not want to give everything for the Lord to heal us. Can you just imagine Him walking among us today doing the miracles of old with just a touch or a word. It just makes me shiver to think of it. Yet I know that He is with us and still performing the miracles in answer to so many of our prayers. With this knowledge in our hearts, we must continue to be the workers to let others know of God's grace and mercy because the harvest is indeed plentiful. Sometimes it is most plentiful in our own homes.

Proverbs 3:11-12 - My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in. Harvest the ones who don't quite yet understand because they have not yet surrendered completely to the will of God. I shall continue to pray and wait on the Lord. Currently I am witness to a plan that has been in the works for at least 16 years. Thank you Lord!

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January 12: Keeping Up with the Isaacs

Genesis 26:17-27:46
Matthew 9:1-17
Psalm 10:16-18
Proverbs 3:9-10

What a seriously messed up family. First, Esau has no appreciation for what the Lord had given him - his birthright - which he bartered away for a meal he might've made himself had he been willing to suffer the pangs of hunger just a bit longer. Then, coached by his mother, Jacob goes and steals the blessing he knew his father meant to give his older brother...aided and abetted by his mother, who happened to be his brother's mother as well! Little wonder Esau is so angry, and prepared to visit violence upon his brother, forcing Jacob to flee, just as his father nears death. Seriously: a storyline to make even the most improbable of reality shows proud...and all of it happening to the family of the man through whom God has promised to form a great nation - His people.

Human thinking would interrupt at this point and ask "Hang on a second, Lord. Are You sure You want to do this? I mean, surely there must be someone out there more worthy of being the root of your people, once removed?"

Well we know how the story ends. Jacob and Esau reconcile, the Lord builds a great nation from Abraham through Isaac, and uses this family - this fallen, misbegotten, quarrelsome, reality-show-before-tv family - to draw the line to Jesus, who saves mankind from the rightful punishment for our sins.

For the longest time, I didn't understand why it was God seemed to bless people like Jacob and Isaac, Esau and Rebekah. Today, I still do not understand - but I am grateful that He can use such imperfect people for His glory. Because just as He used them, and just as He called Matthew, that means He can call me and use me.

Sunday, January 11, 2014

Gen 24:52-26:16
Mat 8:18-34
Psalm 10:1-15
Prov 3:7-8

Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown." (Mat 8:19-25)

Jesus had just gathered some disciples and he had told them that things would not be easy for them. He had no permanent home to share with them. They would have to walk away from family and leave difficult matters to others. But follow him they did. Into a boat. And almost immediately, they ran into difficulty.

Out of nowhere, a terrifying storm rose up. Huge waves tossed the boat around and thoroughly frightened the disciples. Where was Jesus? Sleeping. What did the disciples do? They ran to him. Hmmmm. Do you think this tells us something important? If Jesus was sleeping, then he wasn't worried about the storm. He must have been in a deep sleep for the rocking of the boat and the crashing of the waves hadn't awakened him. From the text it would seem that the disciples wasted no time trying to keep the boat on course. They went to Jesus. First. Before they did anything else. And asked for his help. And with a word, Jesus calmed the wind and the waves. I'm not sure I understand why he rebuked the men for having little faith. Maybe with deeper faith, they would have understood that it would be safe to ride out the storm knowing that Jesus was with them.

Either way, we can trust Jesus to help us. To bring us through our trials. Sometimes he may quickly 'rebuke our storm'. And other times we may have to hang on to him with all that we have and wait for the storm to pass. So the next time I find myself in deep water, I need to remember to cry out to the Lord and he will never let me down.



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Blog_Saturday January 10, 2015

Saturday, January 10, 2015, [Written by Keesha Sullivan]

When Abraham's chief servant of his household was in need of help, he called upon the God of heaven and earth. He saw the great and mighty works that God had done for Abraham and had faith that God would help him and bless his master through the process. It says in our reading today, "12 Then he prayed, "Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."

15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder." (Genesis 24:12-15).

Abraham's chief servant saw the power of God work for Abraham when he prayed; then through praying himself, he too was able to see God's power. Many times we don't take the time to pray and see God's power work out situations. Other times we pray and then we attribute the miracle to logic or coincidence. 

God led me to pray for my friend that was in extreme pain. She was literally limping due to the pain in her foot. I asked her whether I could pray for her. She said, "Sure." As I prayed, I felt God's presence. I was sure He was doing something. As I finished, I asked her how she felt. She replied, "You know its funny. I feel better. I felt warmth on my foot while you were praying. That was a coincidence. Well anyway, I have to go." My heart sank. In just a few words, my friend had just taken any praise and glory from God and gave it to "coincidence and maybe even happenstance." She walked out of the room without a limp and probably without a clue that God had touched her. We had just witnessed a miracle. 

In Matthew 8:1-3 it says, "When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy." The man with leprosy prayed/asked Jesus for help and he too saw God's power at work. 

The power of prayer is life changing. We are healed, helped, blessed, strengthened, loved, and empowered through prayer. We need the Lord.  We need to put our "Trust in the Lord with all [our] heart[s]
and lean not on [our] own understanding; 6 in all [our] ways submit to him, and he will make [our] paths straight." (Proverbs 3: 5-6).

Lord help us to pray so that we may see Your power. Help us to give You praise when we do pray and You answer our prayers. Help us to lean upon You and to trust in You. You are all powerful and there is nothing that is impossible for You, O'Lord. Help us to go to you at all times with all kinds of prayer. We need You, O'Lord. We love You and we thank You for all the many answers to prayers that You have given us. Please continue to show us Your mighty hand and bring glory to Your name. 

Thursday, January 8

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015

Genesis 18:16–19:38

Matthew 6:25–7:14

Psalm 7:1–17

Proverbs 2:6–15

 

 

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  (Matthew 6:33)

 

 

Yesterday, for the second time, I noticed a billboard in Bridgeport that referred to this verse and then directed readers to a Website.  I wonder how many have followed that invitation.

 

This verse – and the lifestyle perspective that it espouses – stands in stark contrast to the world’s recommended pattern of self-focus and self-aggrandizement.  Also, this verse suggests an active participation in “seeking”; this Greek word implies “inquiring,” “investigating,” looking for a “resolution, “searching,” or “getting to the bottom of a matter.”  As Pastor Scott has often explained, however, the Kingdom ethic involves not just information, but transformation.

 

In my view, Jesus’s call to “seek” echoes the Beatitudes from Matthew 5, particularly:  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,/ for they will be filled.”  Please notice here how Jesus explains that “all these things” – the material (and necessary) concerns of life – will flow naturally to those rightly engaged in the Kingdom ethic.  We might even expand the call to “seek” to include these other words of longing:  “hunger” and “thirst.”

 

These considerations underscore the crucial role of priorities and exclusivity.  Those engrossed with the worries of this life may not become fruitful for God’s Kingdom, as Jesus explains in the Parable of the Sower.  In other passages, Jesus calls us to come and die, taking up our cross as we lay down our lives.  His words drove away the crowds who were looking for comfort accompanied by power and glory, much as we often do.  Simon Peter responded to Jesus’s question about abandoning Him in light of His hard teaching:  “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68,69)  May we similarly make the same declaration and commitment.

 

Recently, I have reflected on a condemning lie that our culture speaks:  that, in our modern age and given the blessings we have received, we should achieve “effortless perfection.”  This idea suggests that we should look like the stars in People, achieve the success of the moguls in Fortune, and make waves like the subjects in Time – or, at the very least, that we have the capacity to steer our lives to reach our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual potential simultaneously.  If just one area of our lives falls short of perfection, then we have failed completely.  To some of you, this wrestling may sound ridiculous, but it definitely permeates my mind on a weekly basis.

 

This year, I would like to continue growing in a Kingdom mindset, prioritizing what God values and trusting Him to provide in His way.  By dying more to self-reliance and pride, we may embrace our limitations but exalt God’s greatness.

 

I also love that Jesus offers the greatest of time management tips to end Matthew 6.  You may be looking to manage your time better in 2015.  What a great reminder!:  “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)  I definitely spent time in 2014 agonizing over situations out of my control and therefore not looking to God as my Provider.  With God’s grace, I resolve to spend more time trusting and less time worrying in 2015.  Would anyone else like to join in this pursuit?

 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for giving us wisdom for the right orientation for our lives.  Help us to build Kingdom priorities into each day and particularly as we enter 2015.  Thank You for giving Your life as a sacrifice for us and thereby offering us a means of entering Your Kingdom. Empower us through Your Holy Spirit that we may stay committed to these priorities daily.  Allow us to view ourselves rightly, as we really are in Your eyes, instead of through debilitating comparisons to others.  May we glorify You each day, for You are worthy of all praise and honor.  We love You, dear Jesus!  In Your Name, amen.

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