April 28

April 28, 2017

 

Luke 24 and Proverbs 14

 

Two Reasons Why I am a Christian

 

There are several reasons why I am a Christ follower and two of them are found in our reading today: history and guilt.

 

Historically, the claims of Christianity can be tested. The very foundation of Christianity is built on an empty tomb. If the body of Jesus had ever been discovered, the Christian faith would have crumbled. But Jesus' opponents never produced a body; in fact, they even said the tomb was empty.  All but three of the major world religions are based on mere philosophical propositions. Of the three that are based on personalities (Judaism, Islam and Christianity) only Christianity claims an empty tomb for its founder. If Jesus did rise from that grave 2000 years ago, he did something no other man in history has ever done. Because the evidence is overwhelming, I became a Christ follower.

 

The second reason is guilt.   

Proverbs 14:9 Fools make fun of guilt,

   but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation.     (NLT)

Guilt isn't supposed to exist anymore. We live in the age of relativity. Now there is no right and wrong. Beliefs in good and evil have morphed into little more than expressions of our personal feelings. The only thing wrong in our world is not truly living according to your own self-actualizations.  

According to Jerry Springer, we should be completely free from feelings of guilt. Yet the multitudes still feel guilty. David Brooks, in his op-ed column in the New York Times, called this guilt "inward moral pressure." He said we may "lack the words to articulate it," and "religion may be in retreat, but guilt seems as powerfully present as ever."

So now we have a culture filled with guilt and shame and there is no way to experience release. The ideas of divine mercy, grace and forgiveness aren't even mentioned anymore. Because of that so many people live with perpetual guilt and shame.

The reason I became a Christian was because I wanted to be free from these negative and destructive feelings. The cross of Jesus has provided that avenue of escape. When we have the courage to repent and confess our sins before God, he has the power to forgive them.

I trust you are living in that freedom today.  

 

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, April 27

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Jesus answered him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:42,43)

The thief on the cross recognized the deeservedness of his punishment.  He didn't shy away from it.  We would do well to consider this thief's desperation, which opened his heart to true revelation about the crucified Christ beside him.  He recognized the suffering King and that, even though the world's system had condemned Jesus, His Kingdom would never fail to advance.

As the thief's speech to his fellow criminal shows, repentance requires radical honesty.  It demands transparency and a recognition of our shortcomings.  So often, however, we find ourselves and others so willing to sweep the truth under the rug to protect our reputations or to skew others' perceptions.

The thief is our brother, and, like him, we all deserve his fate.  The perfection and holiness of God demands it.

In my walk with Christ, I have never felt so free as those moments in which I stood completely vulnerable before the throne of grace.  I stood completely exposed, honest and open about my sin, but completely loved and sheltered by God's all-sufficient grace.  Tears of sorrow for sin intermingled freely with tears of joy for forgiveness.  Have you ever experienced this mix of emotions?

May we identify with the thief in his honest repentance so that we may receive a clear and full revelation of our King Jesus and the inexorable power of His Kingdom.

Lord Jesus, thank You for making the Kingdom a reality through Your radical sacrifice.  Give us clear eyes to see You as You truly are.  Help us to have a right perspective towards our sin.  Bring us into a closer relationship with You as we recognize our shortcomings and desperate need for You.  Spark a hunger and thirst for You.  In Your Name, we pray.  Amen.

April 25

Psalm 95

I long to hear God's voice and the only way to do that is to sit in His presence and worship Him.  When we worship, we are expressing our reverence and adoration to a deity. That's probably why we are warned to be careful what/who we worship. This Psalm so poetically paints a picture of true, unashamed love being poured out to God.  I envision total surrender, bowing, kneeling before the Lord our Maker in total awe of Who He is, positioning ourselves to receive blessings as only He can give.  We open up our hearts and our minds when we worship and put ourselves in a position to hear God speak. Here, the Psalmist encourages us that when our spirits are worshiping God, and we hear His voice, we are not to harden our hearts. Just as He alone is worthy of our praise, (and only because we are sons and daughters made in the image of God), are we worthy of receiving His blessings. When we praise and give God glory we are taking the focus off of ourselves and our own abilities to accomplish anything in this life and putting it totally on the One who is our Rock, the great King above all gods.  Today, I would like to encourage us all to sing a new song to the Lord, praise His name, proclaim His salvation, declare His glory and majesty, ascribe to Him, worship in the splendor of His holiness and let the heavens rejoice in our song. Choose your favorite worship song, turn up the volume and pour your hearts out to our Lord.  I pray that as we begin our day this way, God has His way in our hearts and our minds.



Randi

Re: April 24th blog

Great insights!!! Thanks for making the calling so clear. 

On Mon, Apr 24, 2017 at 9:20 AM, 'Ruth Goulart' via Bible Reading Group (Post) <brgpost@gracestamford.org> wrote:

Don't Drop the Ball and Let the Bounce End!!!

"After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD or what he had done for Israel.  Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD..." Judges 2:10-11


What happened to Israel?  We have just been reading about how they choose to serve the LORD and obey all his commands.  We just read how they continued to defeat enemies in the land God promised them?  We saw a repentant side when the angel of the LORD came to them and revealed their sin (they hadn't destroy the altars of their enemies as they were commanded).  But now we see that this generation has passed and the next one doesn't just sin in the sight of the LORD, no, we read that they didn't even know who the LORD was let alone what he had done for them.  What went wrong?

In my mind there is only one answer; the generation that passed failed to train up, to teach truth, to share testimony, to build up, to warn, to offer hope, to encourage in the LORD, to prepare the next generation to be a generation that would remain faithful to the LORD and instill in them a heart that desired to serve and live for the LORD their God.  I am sure the generation that passed showed the next how to be good people, productive, and encouraged them and had a love for them, but they seemed to have failed to see their role in sharing the truth of God's word, training them up, and revealing God's call on the lives of all people, including the next generation.  Basically they dropped the ball and thought it would just continue to bounce without every teaching anyone how to pick it up and keep it going.

I fear that we are in a position to repeat history.  We are a generation who knows the LORD and what he has done for us.  But I must ask, what are we doing DAILY to make sure we pass on the truths of God's word, to train up, and prepare the next generation to be biblical leaders of truth for the generation that will follow them? 

I believe that every person is called to be a part of this vital step in training up and preparing those younger then ourselves to know the LORD of the bible and to live for Him according to his word.  Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, step parents, and family member are the first line of training and support to our youngest generations.  But the responsibility to prepare is not just left on their shoulders, that is a very heavy burden especially when you look and see the world that they are up against.  It takes an army of Christ followers, of truth seekers and truth speakers to help train up and prepare the next generation, anyone younger then ourselves, to be obedient and faithful to the LORD.  To train the next generation to know the LOVE of Christ, the POWER of the Holy Spirit, and the FREEDOM that comes through the message of God's word.  You are not just needed, I believe you are called to get into the battle for the next generation and be a part of the voice that will speak against lies, deception, temptations, and the lure of the world that is constantly screaming for their attention.

How can we be a part?  We need to know truth and LIVE IT,!  Often times example is the best way to show how to do something.  If God's word tells us to forgive as we have been forgiven yet we harbor anger and withhold forgiveness from others what does that teach?  If God's word tells us to let no unwholesome talk come out of our mouths yet we speak ill of others and continually point out their flaws and ways they are annoying what does that teach?  If we are called to make known the things God has done for us and we do not what does that teach?  If we are called to share the truth of God's word according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and we never utter a word what does that teach?  I could go on and one here.  It means nothing to know the word of God if we fail to live it out!!!  It is like having the cure to cancer and assuming because we have it, because we know it others will simply figure it out. 

The generation of Israelites that passed had the answers to a life of freedom, of hope, of contentment, of truth to shatter darkness, of peace, of guidance, of encouragement, of power, of everything they would every need.  They had this and they failed somehow to give it, to pass it to the next generation. 

My prayer is that every day I would ask the Lord to show me how I can be a part of helping to build up and train the next generation of truth seekers and truth speaker to have a passionate desire to know and live for the LORD.  I need to ask who I can pour my life into and build up. Daily I can be and need to be in prayer for the next generation.  I need to show love, kindness, patience, peace, joy, faithfulness (all the fruits of the spirit) to everyone I encounter despite how they may treat me (it is nothing different then what I know Christ endured for my benefit).  I need to pray for wisdom as I read God's word and ask for the Holy Spirit to give me the ability to live out what I learn and to show me, convict me if needed, when I am not being a living example of the truth I profess to believe.  I also need to pray against the enemy who has a very loud voice in our world and desire to drown out truth and desires to keep us from being effective in our call to build into and build up the next generation.

I hope each of you will join me in the calling to help raise up and train the next generation (from birth to a year younger then yourself).  What a awesome and humbling opportunity we have been given.  Let's be sure to not drop the ball but teach others how to keep it bouncing.

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

April 24th blog

Don't Drop the Ball and Let the Bounce End!!!

"After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD or what he had done for Israel.  Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD..." Judges 2:10-11


What happened to Israel?  We have just been reading about how they choose to serve the LORD and obey all his commands.  We just read how they continued to defeat enemies in the land God promised them?  We saw a repentant side when the angel of the LORD came to them and revealed their sin (they hadn't destroy the altars of their enemies as they were commanded).  But now we see that this generation has passed and the next one doesn't just sin in the sight of the LORD, no, we read that they didn't even know who the LORD was let alone what he had done for them.  What went wrong?

In my mind there is only one answer; the generation that passed failed to train up, to teach truth, to share testimony, to build up, to warn, to offer hope, to encourage in the LORD, to prepare the next generation to be a generation that would remain faithful to the LORD and instill in them a heart that desired to serve and live for the LORD their God.  I am sure the generation that passed showed the next how to be good people, productive, and encouraged them and had a love for them, but they seemed to have failed to see their role in sharing the truth of God's word, training them up, and revealing God's call on the lives of all people, including the next generation.  Basically they dropped the ball and thought it would just continue to bounce without every teaching anyone how to pick it up and keep it going.

I fear that we are in a position to repeat history.  We are a generation who knows the LORD and what he has done for us.  But I must ask, what are we doing DAILY to make sure we pass on the truths of God's word, to train up, and prepare the next generation to be biblical leaders of truth for the generation that will follow them? 

I believe that every person is called to be a part of this vital step in training up and preparing those younger then ourselves to know the LORD of the bible and to live for Him according to his word.  Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, step parents, and family member are the first line of training and support to our youngest generations.  But the responsibility to prepare is not just left on their shoulders, that is a very heavy burden especially when you look and see the world that they are up against.  It takes an army of Christ followers, of truth seekers and truth speakers to help train up and prepare the next generation, anyone younger then ourselves, to be obedient and faithful to the LORD.  To train the next generation to know the LOVE of Christ, the POWER of the Holy Spirit, and the FREEDOM that comes through the message of God's word.  You are not just needed, I believe you are called to get into the battle for the next generation and be a part of the voice that will speak against lies, deception, temptations, and the lure of the world that is constantly screaming for their attention.

How can we be a part?  We need to know truth and LIVE IT,!  Often times example is the best way to show how to do something.  If God's word tells us to forgive as we have been forgiven yet we harbor anger and withhold forgiveness from others what does that teach?  If God's word tells us to let no unwholesome talk come out of our mouths yet we speak ill of others and continually point out their flaws and ways they are annoying what does that teach?  If we are called to make known the things God has done for us and we do not what does that teach?  If we are called to share the truth of God's word according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and we never utter a word what does that teach?  I could go on and one here.  It means nothing to know the word of God if we fail to live it out!!!  It is like having the cure to cancer and assuming because we have it, because we know it others will simply figure it out. 

The generation of Israelites that passed had the answers to a life of freedom, of hope, of contentment, of truth to shatter darkness, of peace, of guidance, of encouragement, of power, of everything they would every need.  They had this and they failed somehow to give it, to pass it to the next generation. 

My prayer is that every day I would ask the Lord to show me how I can be a part of helping to build up and train the next generation of truth seekers and truth speaker to have a passionate desire to know and live for the LORD.  I need to ask who I can pour my life into and build up. Daily I can be and need to be in prayer for the next generation.  I need to show love, kindness, patience, peace, joy, faithfulness (all the fruits of the spirit) to everyone I encounter despite how they may treat me (it is nothing different then what I know Christ endured for my benefit).  I need to pray for wisdom as I read God's word and ask for the Holy Spirit to give me the ability to live out what I learn and to show me, convict me if needed, when I am not being a living example of the truth I profess to believe.  I also need to pray against the enemy who has a very loud voice in our world and desire to drown out truth and desires to keep us from being effective in our call to build into and build up the next generation.

I hope each of you will join me in the calling to help raise up and train the next generation (from birth to a year younger then yourself).  What a awesome and humbling opportunity we have been given.  Let's be sure to not drop the ball but teach others how to keep it bouncing.

April 22: Of broken promises, persistent mercy and bad sculpture

Joshua 24:1-33

Luke 21:1-28

Pslam 89:38-52

Proverbs 13:20-23

This is in part a reflection on today's (yesterday's really - I still forget to write on Saturdays!) reading, and on something else I read - the comments of a well meaning man, thanking God for a new day in which he could earn his home in heaven.  I was struck by that man's comments because I liken earning my salvation to being held at gunpoint and told I had to sculpt a masterpiece to save my life.  Anyone who knows my artistic abilities understands it would be better for the gunman to shoot me and save us all the time and trouble.

I wish I could say I was a Joshua.  As he speaks to the Israelites, knowing he is about to die, his thoughts, his purpose remain so clear. He knows the Israelites' minds: "Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness.  Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.  But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living."  But then to him, his path is clear: "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

No, I am more like the Israelites.  Like them, I say "far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!"  And "We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God."  Of course, we all know how that went, how long that lasted.  And that is why I am like them.  It doesn't matter how often I echo Joshua's words, I make what Mary Poppins called a "pie crust promise" - easily made, easily broken.  

And yet we know God understood the Israelite's persistent sinfulness, and their inability to stick to the covenant and earn their salvation. So He sent a Savior - His only Son - to offer up the sacrifice our sinfulness required, a sacrifice that made us clean in a way we could not do ourselves.  And so I take heart despite my persistent sinfulness, and give thanks that despite my broker promises, Jesus has paid the price for my sins.  

April 21

Joshua 23:14    You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.

 

Joshua came to the end of his life and as he looked back he came to this conclusion: God keeps his promises. The promises of God don't exempt us from difficulty. The promises of God don't spare us from struggles. What they do is to guarantee that everything that happens to us is supported by the power, the love and the plan of God.

Joshua still had to fight the battles. He still had to rebuke and challenge his nation. He still had to discipline his children. But what the promises did was to give him confidence that whatever occurred in his life was working towards an end that God had in mind.

 

Our responsibility to these promises is to count on them; to believe that they are true and to allow them to secure us in the storm. We must also hold onto them as if they were our very life.

 

A story that shows us how to hold onto a promise, it is a story of a pilot, his name is Henry Dempsey and he flew for the old Eastern airlines. What happened is that shortly after the plane took off the two man crew heard a tattling sound in the rear of the 15 passenger plan. Mr. Dempsey turned control of the plane over to the co-pilot and went back to investigate. When the aircraft hit some turbulence, Mr. Dempsey leaned against the door, which was hinged at the bottom, and the stairway door opened. He tumbled forward, grabbed the railings as he fell, and lay upside down on the stairs as the plane cruised at 190 miles per hour at an altitude of 4,000 feet. He was partly in the aircraft and partly out. The co-pilot saw that the ''door ajar'' indicator light was on and realized something had happened, so he changed course and flew to the Portland International Airport.  As the plane landed, Mr. Dempsey's face was about 12 inches above the runway. Mr. Boucher did not realize Mr. Dempsey was hanging on until the plane was on the ground. When the airport crew came to assist Mr. Dempsey they said they had to pry each finger off of the railing individually, he was holding on so tightly.

 

That is my point … when we hold onto the promises of God this tightly they will keep us safe even 12 inches away from death.

 

God's promises are not freedom from trials in the race, but power to transcend them through his sufficing grace.

 

 

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, April 20

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2017

 

 

“He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me:  John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?” (John 20:3)

 

“He saw through their duplicity and said to them, ‘Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?’” (John 20:23,24)

 

 

In today’s passage, we find several examples of Jesus’s mastery with the question.  As Creator, He invented questions, so the mastery comes with the territory.  Nonetheless, His insightful questions cut to the heart of the matter with the Pharisees and forced them into recognizing the shortcomings of their thoughts.  Jesus forced a decisiveness of mind as to His divine origin.

 

Questions have tremendous value in our lives.  First, however, we must become comfortable with discomfort, realizing that all questions do not have immediate answers.  Their premise does propel us towards growth and a deeper knowledge of God, the Source of all wisdom and insight.  We may trust Him through our uncertainty and find Him wholly faithful.

 

This week, I have had the pleasure of reading some research on the value of a “growth mindset.”  This mindset contrasts with a fixed mindset, in which we believe in stagnant realities.  Dr. Carol Dweck explains that the fixed mindset does not allow room for growth – and, if we consider a spiritual dimension, grace.  Instead, people with fixed mindset have little interest in new challenges because they may expose weakness or lead to failure.  On the contrary, the growth mindset ties closely with learning, as setbacks become teaching opportunities.  This reading has emphasized to me that we would all do well to take on the “growth mindset.”

 

A growth mindset lies at the heart of the Gospel and all ministry.  The fixed mindset would leave us pretty hopeless because we couldn’t really believe in lasting transformation.  Yet, in Christ’s sacrifice, we have a well of forgiveness that opens the door to becoming more like Him.  The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in the believer’s heart and brings a renewing of the mind.  We also receive a new heart of flesh, casting off the old heart of stone.  Paul explains in Romans 6 that we have become (willing) slaves to righteousness whereas before we had lived as slaves to sin.  Paul also writes in Philippians 1:21 that “to live is Christ” and in Galatians 2:20 that he had become crucified with Christ and that Christ now lived out His life through Paul.  We have received the same opening for transformation and will do well to trust God for its fruition (Philippians 1:6).

 

What questions may we ask ourselves to support this growth mindset in our minds and in others?  I offer a few that have been helpful to me:

 

1. For personal growth
   1. What would you have me to learn from this situation, Lord?
   2. What vision of my growth do you have in mind, God?
   3. How may I become more like Christ this week?
   4. How may I trust God more completely in this area of my life?

 

2. For encouraging others’ growth
   1. Who is Jesus Christ to you?
   2. How may I pray for you?
   3. In what ways would you like to grow?  How may I support you?

 

 

May we know the Author of the question better through asking better questions.

 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your patience with us.  Thank You for drawing us to Yourself through Your great sacrifice of love.  Thank You that we may know You better, even through and perhaps because of life’s struggles.  Give us a mindset of hope and growth, that we may see real transformation in our lives and in the lives of those around us.  Make Stamford and the surrounding communities into a great area of growth.  Develop our characters and mold us more into Your image.  We love You and give our lives to You today.  In Your Name, amen.

 

________________________________________
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April 19

Psalm 88:1-2

O Lord, the God who saves, me, day and night I cry out before you.  May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry

I have to start off by saying, I really do like my school assignment this year.  Aside from teaching kindergartner's how to read (which I enjoy immensely), I am beginning to discern why God placed me there.  When I was on my break in school yesterday, I walked in on a conversation between a couple of my colleagues and one of the girls said "We can't talk about this in front of Randi, she's very religious".   I didn't even ask what "this" was about, but I did comment and say "I'm not religious, I live in a prayer filled relationship with the Lord Jesus, there's a difference".  Another teacher asked me what the difference is and I took the opportunity to give a brief glimpse into the subject, emphasizing my love for prayer as a means to speak to God. Trust me, the conversation was brief with an "Oh Wow" as the closing remark. When I read this Psalm this morning, it filled my heart as these words captured exactly what I was trying to explain. In a relationship I can cry out to God. Even though this Psalm is sad and written from a point of total anguish, the one who wrote it is pouring his heart out to the only One in which he can find hope....God.  Pouring our hearts out to God takes us out of religion and into relationship. I believe that was the plan all along.  Knowing Scripture without knowing God is how the Pharisees lived which is why they couldn't understand what Jesus was trying to show them.  Jesus lived out of His relationship with The Father and now we live out of our relationship with Jesus, which is the only way to be made right with Our Father. That's not religion.  It's so simple.  I pray for all of us today that we get a chance to share this simple message from the Lord.

Randi

April 17th blog post

Driver's Ed

"Teach me your way, O LORD and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart..." Psalm 86:11

My son is 16 and ready to get his driver's licenses.  In order for him to drive a car he must learn how to drive.  His learning starts with classes where he has to read about guidelines, boundaries, rules, and safety of driving.  He also listens to a teacher go over those things he has read to better explain that they aren't meant to hinder his driving experience but to make it easier and smoother; to make him a better driver and keep him safe.  He then has to take all those things he has studied and been taught and he has to get behind the wheel and put them into practice.  But he does not get behind the wheel alone, no his father is sitting in the passenger seat next to him to help guide him, further instruct, and encourage him as he learns to navigate roads and traffic from the drivers seat.  Curbs will be clipped, braking will be last minute, speeds will be inconsistent, other drivers will honk, and it won't always be a smooth or relaxing drive.  It's ok though, because he is learning and if he listens and he desires to learn and be the best driver he can be he will get better and be more prepared to deal with unexpected things that can and will occur as he becomes a seasoned driver.  Now, as he is learning it is possible that he will become comfortable and have a unhealthy confidence in his skills that causes him to think he knows better and he may not listen to his father's instruction.  The results of his not listening could lead to an accident and often times will result in him making an error in which he will then have to turn to his father and say, "I'm sorry, can you help?"  His father will remind him how important it is to listen and learn and will gladly continue to give him the patient guidance he needs.

This is what I think of when I read verse 11 in Psalm 86.  I have much to learn in life and about life.  There is so much on the road of life that I am not prepared for and that I can struggle to navigate.  I like to think that I can make it through on my own but the truth is I end up with more bumps and heart ache then I care to have.  I want to be taught the LORD's ways and I want to walk in them throughout my entire life but it means I have to take the time to sit and read the truths of God's word (his instruction manual for life) and also to recieve instruction on what I've read (through the Holy Spirit, reading these blogs, listening to sermons, going to a small group...).  Eventually I have to get behind the wheel of life and try to navigate but I am not alone.  I'm armed with instruction and my heavenly father is always with me to help bring to mind the truths I've learned from his word.  If I am trusting in him, if I am seeking to hear his voice guide me then I know that no matter what is around the corner in my life my father is there with me and he has equipped me to be able to navigate through it.  The more time I spend with my heavenly father instructing me the better I am going to get at listening and the more prepared I will be when the unexpected pops up.  But like my son learning to drive, I can get comfortable behind the wheel of life and start to think I know what is best, I can get distracted from the truth and my mind becomes divided and I am no longer focusing on the truths but leaning on my own understanding.  God's word is there not to keep me from the fun of life but to help keep me safe, joyfilled, and prepared to handle anything that comes my way.  I can often loose sight of this.

Before I start each day I need to make sure I spend time in the manual (God's word) and I need to pray Psalm 86:11.   I need to ask the Lord to teach me and help me to walk in his truth, to follow his lead, to let him be my guide and I need, let me repeat that, I NEED to ask him to give me an undivided heart, a heart that is all in to his leading and his teaching and his guidance no matter how easy or dangerous the road of life may seem.  I never want to get so comfortable and so confident that I don't think I need the LORD or worse, that I simply forget he is there right next to me wanting to guide and lead me along the best path for me.  He never leaves me, I just let my mind become distracted and drift away.

So today is day one.  I've spent time this morning in the manual and the Holy Spirit has shown me things I need.  My day lays ahead of me and I am ready to get behind the wheel with my heavenly father by my side and to walk into whatever lies ahead.  I pray that each of you are prepared and willing to be lead to walk in his truth as well.  I'm praying for you!

August 15: Better than we could possibly have imagined...

Joshua 11:1-12:24

Luke 17:11-37

Psalm 84:1-12

Proverbs: 13:5-6

As I write this, it is 9:30 PM on Black Saturday.  I was thinking of writing a reflection on today's readings, but was led instead to think what Black Saturday must have been like for the apostles.  A day earlier they'd witnessed the death of the man whom they'd followed for three years; the man they'd seen work miracles, the man they believed was powerful enough to overthrow the Roman yoke and restore the kingdom of Israel; the man they thought was the Messiah.  And now He was dead, after horrible torture, their hopes dead with Him; He was dead, killed by the Romans they'd hoped their Rabbi would overthrow, and worse - turned in, turned upon, by the Pharisees who'd incited the crowds to demand Jesus's execution.  He was dead, and as Peter knew from his encounters before the cock crowed, people associated the apostles with Him.  He was tortured and now He was dead...would they be next?  How could things have so devastatingly come to this, so soon after He'd entered Jerusalem so triumphantly?  What were they to do now?  What would happen to them?  For the apostles, Black Saturday must have been very black indeed.

We know today how this was all part of God's plan; how soon after dawn on Easter Sunday, the women would discover the empty tomb, word would get to the disciples and, in what would have been the moment of greatest clarity and certainty, Jesus would appear to them, confirming His resurrection, confirming their faith in Him, and redirecting it along the paths their faith was intended to take all along.  He'd been killed but He wasn't dead; He was a Messiah but one far better than they thought He was; and the dark of Black Saturday's night turned out to be just as much a part of God's plan as His Son's resurrection and the apostle's commission.  At some point, perhaps after Jesus had invited Thomas to confirm His resurrection by putting his fingers in Our Lord's nail marks and his hand in Jesus's side, I expect the disciples had a rueful, wonder-filled conversation that went along the lines of "What were we thinking?  How could we have been so afraid, and for nothing?  How could we have doubted?"

How often does that happen to us, that we find ourselves in situations we believe are bleak, where all we have are fear and bewilderment - "How could things have gone so wrong, and so quickly?"  It's happened to me more than once, and every single time I find out God had a plan all along, one consistent with His definition of blessing and bounty, not mine.  And yet, for as often as that has happened, whenever I find myself in Black Saturday darkness, I struggle to remember there is an Easter Sunday of circumstance coming, far better than any set of circumstances I might imagine for myself.  It happens a lot more than I think any of us imagines - it certainly happened to the ten lepers, who might have been hoping for a coin or two, and who likely had no inkling they'd been healed - after all, the only thing Jesus said to them was "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  They went, likely resigned to the idea what they would hear would be no different than they'd heard before: "Leprosy.  Unclean."Little did they know Jesus had far better planned for them than the condemnation they feared, than the coin for which they'd hoped.

Father, when we find ourselves helpless and hopeless, remind us of Black Saturday and how You had a plan for the disciples all along; remind us that You love us as much and, just like You did for them, You have a plan for us as well, one far greater than anything we might dream of for ourselves.  May we be comforted by that faith through the night, till we see the fruition of Your plans come the dawn.  

Good Friday April 14

Good Friday

Matt 27:46   About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--  which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Why this cry of dereliction?  What was happening on the cross?  The sins of the whole world were being placed on Jesus. He was paying the price for every sin we had and ever will commit. But something else was happening and perhaps this was the greatest anguish that was occurring. In some mysterious way there was a disconnection in the Trinity. The perfect harmony and connection between them was now in crisis. Because of the holiness of God the Father, he had to darken the skies that day because he could not look upon his Son and our sin.

And why did God do it?  It was the only way to rescue us from our sins. Our good deeds can't get rid of sin. Only someone paying the penalty can. Jesus paid that debt. And whose sin was on Jesus? This is where Good Friday becomes very personal. It was my sin, my rebellion, my pride, my selfishness, my prayerlessness that was upon Jesus that day.

Elizabeth Browning put Good Friday into a proper perspective when she wrote;

    Yea, once Immanuel's orphaned cry his universe hath shaken.

    It went up single, echoless, "My God, I am forsaken!"

    It went up from the Holy's lips amid his lost creation.

    That, of the lost, no son should use those words of desolation.

Because Jesus cried it out, you don't have to. You never have so say, "I am forsaken" because Jesus died on the cross.

So take an extended break today and reflect on the weightiness of this day.

Prayer:  Our Dear Sweet Lord Jesus, no day has passed in our lives that has not proved us guilty in your eyes. We are well aware of our hard hearts, our pride, our ungrateful attitudes. On this Good Friday we are well aware of our need for a Savior, our need for your rescue. We believe Jesus died in our place, for our sin. Even though our sins are great, your grace is a million times greater. Our confidence on this day of remembrance is this, "By your stripes we have been healed. You were bruised for our iniquities." You were made sin so that we would be made righteous. Though our sins are numerous, they are all forgiven and buried in the deepest ocean. We are guilty, but pardoned, lost, but saved, wandering, but found, sinning, but cleansed. On this Good Friday, help us to remember the incredible cost of our freedom.

 

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"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, April 13

THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017

 

 

In today’s reading that includes the Parable of the Shrewd Manager, Jesus imparts crucial truth on the intersection between the “secular” and the “sacred.”  In our modern world, we often wish to separate our spiritual life from other parts of our daily existence.  Jesus indicates that we would benefit from a holistic approach with a central focus on glorifying God and making Him known.

 

In the Parable, a master intends to fire his unfit manager, who had been wasting the master’s possessions.  The manager takes advantage of his non-imminent departure to create favorable terms for his master’s debtors.  This effort improved the lots of both the shrewd manager and the debtors, at the expense of the master.  We may surmise that the master may have overcharged his customers, providing some “fat” from which the shrewd manager might operate.

 

Both men don’t appear particularly honorable, making this parable unique in its subject-matter.  Due to its non-standard types, Jesus begs us to look beyond the specific behavior of the shrewd manager to a larger principle:  that, as Christ-followers, we may the joy and privilege of serving as righteous stewards.  While the shrewd manager took from his master’s riches to enrich himself, God has graciously shared some of His riches with us so that we may apply them for His glory and others’ benefit.  We hold God’s riches in trust for His good and the good of His people.

 

The applications that Jesus offers in vv. 8–13 underscore these truths:

 

1. He explains that we should “use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”  By this, Jesus indicates that we should take advantage of any blessings that we have received to put them toward eternal purposes.  By “gaining friends,” I believe that Jesus has in mind a relational means of making disciples:  looking for ways to bless others and to introduce them to the true Giver.

 

2. Jesus highlights that the quality of our stewardship with worldly wealth (“very little”) will translate to our care in overseeing the “true riches” of the Gospel.  A principle in building a great work team is to look for excellence among those who will take even the smallest project seriously.  Similarly, great stewardship begins with the small and proceeds to the great.

 

3. “You cannot serve both God and money.”  This statement strikes at the heart of idolatry:  placing other things before our relationship with God.  Commonly, we tend to use people, including God Himself, and love things.  Instead, God calls us to love Him, to love others, and to make disciples.  How we treat money – whether it becomes an end unto itself or simply a tool to be directed under God’s sovereign control – points to how we think about God.  If we place Him first in our hearts, we will have a positive interaction with money and find great joy in leveraging this tool for serving God and blessing others.

 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for these timeless truths from this Parable.  Strengthen us as Your stewards.  Give us wisdom so that we might have right attitudes towards worldly wealth.  Make us men and women who are worthy of handling true riches and of partnering with You in the advance of Your Kingdom.  We love You and worship You.  In Your Name, amen.

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April 12

Luke 15

Call it Grace

Chesed in the Old Testament, Charis in the New Testament, they both define a characteristic of God ---  GRACE.  It's who He is.  Webster's definition nails it --  God moving heaven and earth to save sinners who could not lift a finger to save themselves.  As I read the three separate accounts in Luke, I found myself identifying in some way with each parable.  For whatever the reason, however it might have happened, I've walked my own path feeling very alone and very lost.  We even see in our reading today of Joshua how walking away from God wasn't working out too well for the Israelites either.  Here's the thing though, God has this incomprehensible love for us so that He searches for us when we're lost, carries us on His shoulders and brings us back to Him, and then celebrates when we repent. Please take a second and let that sink into your soul. Then, as if that's not enough, the process is inexhaustible because God's love and grace never runs out.  I don't know what burden you're carrying, or what you're wrestling with today, but after reading today's passages I can tell you that there are angels in heaven who are waiting to rejoice over you. Think about that or better yet, share that with someone who might need to know.  I would like to encourage you as we continue to go through Holy Week and approach Good Friday, spend some quiet time with God. Exchange your burden for God's grace.  The price was already paid for at the cross.

Randi

April 10th blog post

April 10, 2017

The "How to" of battles

Sitting on my computer, for more years then I can recall,  is the verse Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

I wrote that verse and put it where I could see it for a reason.  Life, my life and the lives of those I love, has its challenges, battles, struggles, and difficulties.  This verse is meant to encourage me to be strong and courageous because the Lord is with me.  The problem is that when I am in the middle of challenges and battles and I am struggling to see a victorious outcome it is easy for me to become discouraged and sometimes even terrified.  I become discouraged that the enemy will win, the battle will be lost.  I can become terrified for those I love and if my focus is off kilter I can become terrified with the battles I have to keep going through. 

But the Lord gives me a command in this verse, he gives me two things that I am to do: "Be strong and courageous".  Actually he has repeated this short phrase for several verses. For all the years this verse has sat on my computer I have read it and then told myself, "be strong and courageous because God is with you."  A command and a promise.  I simply need to be these things and to remember God is with me.  But today as I was walking and thinking about battles that I am engaged in I found myself asking the Lord, "How?  How Lord am I to be strong and courageous when I am tired and when it feels like the enemy is overpowering and stronger?  I want to be strong and courageous but I feel weak and beaten.  I need you to show me how."  This is where God usually reminds me how very good he is because he immediately answered, "What does verse 8 tell you?"  And I remembered, "Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful."  The answer to my question was something I already knew, I find strength and courage through God's word.  I can't just read it once and then think that I am good, no, I need to read and reflect and read and reflect and then exercise (put into practice) what I have learned.  I need to let it sink in and work in my heart and mind.  I can't just try to be these things in my own strength, I need to go to the source of courage and strength.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths."  Don't trust my understanding of a situation as God is working in ways I might not be able to see.
2 Timothy 1:7 "God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power, and love and self-control."  The Holy Spirit is power and that power lives in me to conquer fear by putting my trust in the lord.
Jeremiah 29:11 "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Life may seem difficult and sometimes dark and lonely but there is a hope I am called to cling to as the Lord leads me and my loved ones to the future he has designed.
Isaiah 40:29-31 "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  The Lord will give me strength to sore and not be faint if I put my hope in him.
Exodus 14:14 "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."  When the battle is bigger than I am it is never to big for my God.  Sometimes I need to be still in the presence of God and trust him to work things out when I am not able.

When I am feeling discouraged, weak, and terrified from the struggles and battles of life, these are just a few of the promises and reminders I can find in the bible that help me to know how to be obedient to the Lord's Command in Joshua 1:9 and to "BE" strong and courageous.  I am able because my God loves me, he sees the bigger picture, he will lead me, he will give me strength, he will fight for me and I will put hope in him.

I encourage you to write these verses down (Joshua 1:8-9) and put them somewhere you will see them every day.  Let them be a reminder to spend time in the quiet with the Lord and his word so that your courage and strength for all of life's battles will be renewed daily.  Our God is an awesome and mighty God.  He loves us and he will never leave us.  May you be encouraged daily and may your hope rest in the one who is faithful to always be there for us.

April 8: Of Failure and Kirsten Dunst

Deuteronomy 32:28-52

Luke 12:35-59

Psalm 78:56-64

Proverbs 12:24

Deuteronomy 32:36

The Lord will vindicate his people 

   and relent concerning his servants 

when he sees their strength is gone 

   and no one is left, slave or free.

Sometimes this is what it takes - for us to be utterly helpless, without strength; overwhelmed by our circumstances, to realize what was true all along - that on our own, we fail.  I've heard so many stories of people who have come to know God intimately, and what it took to get there - the tragedy, the hurt, the loss.  Two observations: first, one would think that joy would be impossible following such devastation, but it is.  And second, the victory that was won never was because the person picked themselves up; it seems to have come after complete surrender. 

I want the victory.  I want the joy.  But as many who know me will attest, I am a the mixed metaphor of a pigheaded bull, insisting on charging blindly on my own strength.  It's what I do, what I've done all my life, despite the many instances I've come to recognize where God pushed me down a different path, and I was all the better for it [if interested, ask me about Harvard and my kids].  Maybe utter failure is what it will take for me to finally get to know Him the way, say, my parents and my pastor do.  Don't get me wrong - I'm scared of failure and loss.  But hey, if that's what it takes, I'm putting it on record: Father, Thy will be done. Or, as the Kirsten Dunst cheerleader movie put it, "Bring it on."

Thursday, April 6

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

"This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." (Deuteronomy 30:19,20)


Today's reading continues Deuteronomy's recording of the love-covenant between God and His people, the Israelites. Clearly, abundant life and blessings would flow from their obedience to God's commands. These commands were not burdensome, but rather would emerge naturally from their love for their Father. If the Israelites would only establish God as their King and Guide, their nation would enjoy a bright and fulfilling future. Disobedience would draw them away from God and His blessings.

Moses explains that turning aside to other gods would be like drinking "bitter poison," suggesting that the wounds from so doing would be self-inflicted. Certainly, we may become enamored with other opportunities in this world, thinking that they may bring a greater degree of fulfillment than God's design and purpose. This phrase of "bitter poison" spoke deeply into my heart, as temptation does indeed call out to us each day. We must re-commit each morning to taking our half of the covenant, choosing to love God and love people, so that we may experience the fullness of God's joy for us. The world's substitutes are just cheap imitations, and we recognize their emptiness only later.

Please do reflect on the God's covenant here and consider how you may live more wholly for Him. Also, please be encouraged as we understand how our Lord Jesus Christ shed His precious blood so that we might become free to uphold the covenant and invite others to do the same. He has separated us from our sin as far as the east is from the west; Christ became sin on our behalf so that, in Him, we might become the righteousness of God. He has come to bring an abundant life, predicated on experiencing His fullness and presence.


Lord God, thank You for loving us first and calling us into a covenant relationship with You. Send Your Spirit into our hearts so that we might desire Your fullness and presence above the cheap imitations in the world. Give us freedom so that we may life completely for You. Strengthen our stamina, and help us to put tempting thoughts in their rightful place. We love You and honor You today. In Jesus's Name, amen.


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April 5

Luke 11:24-36

We have read in Ephesians 6:12 that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  The frightening truth of this comes to life in today's passage. The miracles that Jesus is performing here are a graphic display of God's plan and power.  Jesus' miracles authenticate His victory over satan.  The tension continues to mount between Jesus and the religious leaders and rather than approach Jesus with an open mind and teachable heart, the religious leaders choose to reject His authority and power but they couldn't ignore Him.  The same holds true today. We can't ignore Who Jesus was and Who He still is but He gives everyone a choice to accept or reject His authority and power. We either follow Christ into battle on His side, or we oppose Him and remain on satan's side.  There is no neutrality here. One day a little boy in my kindergarten class told me he prays to all the different gods for protection, food and various other things. I smiled and answered him that there is only one God.  In our Deuteronomy reading today Moses laid out two paths to follow.  You're either on God's side and are blessed, or you're not.  I guess what really struck me while reading this was how crucial the message is. While there is confusion in our society about the truth, I believe there is also a hunger to know the truth. There are many people living in what appears to be an outward "not so bad" condition based on cultural standards.  Jesus was not about cultural standards.  I pray for all of us that as we go out today we shine a very bright light into some very dark places, and to God be all the glory.



Randi

April 3rd blog post

Like a good neighbor, I should be there....



"And who is my neighbor?"  This is a great question asked by the expert in the law, to Jesus, in our New Testament reading. I've read the story of the "Good Samaritan" so many times yet I still find that I tend to only look at my neighbor as: those living near me in my neighborhood, people I work with, parents of my kids friends, those from church, pretty much people who are a regular part (or become a regular part of my life and routine).  But Jesus challenges my thoughts on who my neighbor is with this familiar story of the "Good Samaritan".  Theses two men, the beaten and the Samaritan, don't seem to have any connection.  Both men seem to have chosen to walk the same path on the same day with no intention of ever meeting the other.  If the beaten man is indeed a Jew then the two of them are enemies, the Samaritan would have been considered an unwanted outcast by the beaten man.  Two different lives that don't appear to have any reason to ever interact.  This is not the picture that comes to mind of what a "neighbor" is, yet is the picture Christ is telling me I need to have. 

So this new (or broader) picture that Christ has painted for me now causes me to sit here and ask him, "And who is my neighbor today lord?"  Who is it that God wants me to see, to come along side of, to support, to show mercy to, to love, to encourage, to aide, to forgive, to comfort, to show grace to, to listen to, to share with, to yield to, to humble myself before, to put before my needs, to give to, to sacrifice for?  I know that my eyes will want to look for the one who I feel deserves my help as a neighbor. God, on the other hand, is showing me that I need to look also for the undeserving, the one who hurts me, the one who may not appreciate it, the one who may tell me they don't need or want it, the one who always seems to be able to do it themselves, the selfish, the arrogant, the enemy.  God wants me to be merciful, loving and gracious to ALL because that is exactly what he has shown to me.  It's what I needed before I knew I did and what was there for my blessing without me having to ask.

Today, as I should be everyday, I am challenged to keep my eyes open to all the "neighbor's" whom God will place in my path and with whom he wants me to show love, mercy and grace to.  I pray that God will give me the strength to help those who may not be easy to help or those I may not feel inclined to help.  I don't want to be like the priest or Levite and pass by those whom I have an opportunity to show the light of Christ to.  I want to be a neighbor to everyone with whom God gives me the opportunity.  I want to have a heart that desires to serves anyone and everyone who God puts on my path today.  By God's grace and Christ's strength I will be equipped and able to be the neighbor God is calling me to be today.  I encourage you to be ready and ask the Lord, "And who is my neighbor today?"

April 1: Of helplessness and hope

Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20

Luke 9:28-50

Psalm 73:1-28

Proverbs 12:10

Deuteronomy 20:1: When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.  

Deuteronomy 20:3-4: [The priest] shall say: "Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies.  Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them.  For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."

Overwhelmed.  Afraid.  Fearful.  For myself, for my children, for my family, for our future.  Particularly when I am exhausted, I am prone to such thoughts, to such feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and futility.  How do you beat back the pervasive influence of a culture that preaches self gratification, that rejects fact and reality and embraces self-indulgent fiction, that rejects authority and consequence so it can pursue selfish interests?  How do you teach children that poor choices have bad consequences when society celebrates indiscretion and inanity, turning vapid heirs and obnoxious families into wealthy celebrities, and declares them worthy of admiration and emulation?  How do you keep your kids on the straight and narrow when society demonstrates the importance of publicity, however distastefully it might be generated?  

And then I read of the man in Luke 9:38, who begs Jesus to heal his only child, who is possessed by a spirit that seeks to destroy the child.  The man is overwhelmed; he is helpless; all he has done, and all anyone else has done, has been for naught.  Not even the disciples could heal the boy.  But Jesus did.  

This is how one takes hope; this is why the verses from Deuteronomy I listed above are so important.  They are a reminder, one I sorely need - one most of us will need at many times in our life - that we do not have to be afraid, no matter how formidable the enemy may seem.  God fights for us; the victory isn't in our hands, it's in His.