January 14, 2018

"But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you" Matthew 10: 19

The most frequent command in the Bible is, "do not be afraid".  This passage is just another reminder not to worry, not to be afraid, but trust that the Father will come through, no matter how frightening a situation might be.  "Do not worry about what to say or how to say it". "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6).

I am currently pregnant and very close to my due date. Having no experience with small kids, no family around, I decided to do all I can, to educate myself about birthing a child and the postpartum period. Luckily there are a tone of books, so many podcasts and plenty of classes available at the local hospitals. I started to dedicate a lot of time, reading and listening to people's stories about what it means to be with a newborn. Interestingly, the more time, I invested in the matter, the more anxious and afraid I felt. It took me a few days to realize that, I was trying to control the situation and I am simply not wired for that.

Without realizing I was trying to compose my own speech, and therefore not allow the Holy Spirit to speak. I once read that so many times we acknowledge the Holy Spirit, the way that guests in a restaurant might acknowledge a waiter. When we feel like we need something, we would summon him briefly, but for the most part we rely on methods and plans of our own devising. I believe our Father created us to trust Him and to honor him, not to take matters into our own hands. While there is nothing wrong with preparing, we cannot forget who the true Captain of our lifeboat is. He is also the One who can calm the storm, who can clear the rough waters and keep us safe.

Lord help us to trust you and to allow you to speak first into our lives! You, be the writer of our stories, and all of our speeches!

 

 

January 13: Of Jacob and Submission

Genesis 28:1-29:35

Matthew 9:18-38

Psalm 11:1-7

Proverbs 3:11-12

These days when we don't get what we thought we wanted, what we thought we were promised, we take action.  We walk away, we ship the goods back to Amazon, we sue, we walk away.  Because these days, it's all about us.  What we want.  And if we don't get it, we walk.  

It sure was different back then.  We know Jacob wanted to marry Rachel, and Rachel was willing to marry Jacob.  We have NO idea where Leah stood on the matter.  But in exchange for what he said he would do - 7 years of labor - Jacob got Leah.  And rather than take his daughter back, Laban demands Jacob give him another 7 years of labor - effectively double what he said he would give - to marry the woman he fell in love with.  

Can you imagine what would have happened if that had been today?  I am not certain, but I think there's a good chance the words "I'm outta here" would have been uttered.  And we wouldn't have had the 12 tribes of Israel.  We wouldn't have had the line that brought us to David, and then to Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Our Lord.  

I am not going to speak for anyone else, but I will say this: two characteristics Jacob has that I still lack are acceptance and submission.  Jacob had the birthright and the blessing, but he was told by his mother, and then his father, to leave for Harran.  Jacob could've married whomever he wanted back home, but he obeyed his parents and sought a wife from among his kinsfolk.  And Jacob could have been righteously furious with Laban, but he submitted himself to the decision of the father of the woman he wanted to marry.  And because he did, God continued the fulfillment of His promise to Jacob's grandfather, Abraham, and began to build the nation of Israel through Jacob.  

Submission is tough.  It gets easier with trust.  But trust is difficult as well - it gets easier when you know whom it is you trust.  But knowing is difficult too - unless one makes the effort, by spending time with them, and communicating with them.  In his book, The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren keeps reemphasizing the certainty that God created us in order to love us, and in order for us to love Him back.  And in order to love Him, God wants us to get to know Him.  So God certainly isn't going to be the impediment to our submission.  

So what can we do?  Again in the Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Warren talks about two things: constant conversation, and constant meditation.  He tells us we CAN pray constantly to God, and we CAN constantly meditate on His word.  Doing both, we will get to know Him, then trust Him...then Jacob's brand of submission will become easier.

Father, please give us the grace to take You up on Your standing invitation to get to know You, through prayer and scripture, so that we might come to trust the One, the Only One, who deserves our complete submission.

January 12

Matthew 9

Jesus was called a friend of sinners. His mission statement was, "I am a doctor for the sick and broken people of the world."  Jesus saw hurting people and responded by leaving his comfort zone and becoming their friend. The party that Jesus and his disciples went to had a lot of the "riff raff" in attendance. People like tax collectors, sinners, pimps, prostitutes, party animals and whoever was unwilling to play "goody two shoes" with the Jewish law. I still can't figure out who invited the Pharisees to this party.  Who would want to party with them?   

It is noteworthy that neither Jesus nor his disciples evidently had any great hesitation about being there. Could I speculate on what caused the Pharisees to become unhinged? I don't picture Jesus as sitting in the corner, hoping this party would quickly end; no, he was enjoying himself. I can imagine him laughing, telling stories, and playing Charades. Jesus likes people, particularly broken people. And this love for broken people ultimately led the Pharisees to make the ruckus about Jesus regularly hanging out with "these people."

I'm convinced Jesus' approach to people is as attractive as ever. Whenever the world gets a glimpse of his unconditional love, acceptance, and forgiveness, it stands on tiptoes for an unrestricted view. How many of us are comfortable being called a "friend of sinners?" If we are going to imitate our mentor, Jesus, we'd better get used to messy people and messy lives. Because messy people need a doctor and we are the ones given the task of bringing the EMS ambulance to them.

Who could you drive the Jesus EMS ambulance to today?   

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, January 11

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018

23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

27 The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"

(Matthew 8:23-27)

This passage provides a helpful picture of the disciples' incomplete understanding of Jesus, Whom they had decided to follow.  Indeed, they received an ongoing revelation about His character and power only over time, which created quite a few moments of amazement.  While we have the pleasure of being able to read accounts ofJesus's life and ministry in short order,  we, like the disciples, receive an ongoing revelation of our Lord's character and power as we seek and abide in Him.

Just as the disciples faced a storm in this passage, we also encounter difficulties, sufferings, and persecutions.  We may face unemployment, relational disconnects, or illnesses for ourselves or loved ones.  How often we exclaim:  "Lord, save us!  We're going to drown!"

In the beautiful song "It Is Well," a modern meditation on "It Is Well with My Soul," the author includes this precious line:  "The wind and waves still know His Name."  The song crystallizes our tendency to minimize the Lord Jesus Christ's authority over all the earth.  His sovereign control extends over all time and all circumstances.

What waves do you see today?  Or have you seen in the past?  How did God demonstrate His authority in the past?  How could you trust Him for today's challenges?

Lord God, thank You for giving us many evidences of Your sovereign control.  Help us to grow in faith and trust so that we may experience Your joy and peace.  In this very worried time and place, allow us to witness to Your sovereignty through calmness and gratitude.  In Jesus's Name, amen.

January 10th

Matthew 8

At the time when this was written, leprosy was a deadly and terrifying disease. There was no known cure and it was a highly contagious disease. Yet, when this leper begged for Jesus to heal him, Jesus reached out and touched him, and from the passage there was no indication that He gave a second thought to the sores that were all over this man's body.  Was it His divinity that made Him immune to leprosy?  My guess is yes, but what if we looked at the scenario a little deeper. What if we were to look at leprosy as we look at sin. I'm not saying that the leper sinned and that was the reason for his infirmity, but we might agree that like leprosy, there is no man made known cure for sin. It is something we all live with as we are exposed to it daily.  Perhaps Jesus wants us to know that just as His touch was the only cure for the leper, the only cure for our sin is His touch. Jesus reached out and touched the leper because the leper recognized Jesus was His only hope for healing. Once Jesus touched him, the lepers skin was restored and there were no sores.  Much like the leper, we have to reach out to the hand that is already extended to us ask Jesus to come into our lives in order to be cleansed and spiritually restored.  We have to invite Jesus into our lives and allow Him to touch our hearts and reveal to us the places that need His healing touch.  Only He can heal us from the inside out. I pray that as we go through this listening series we take time to hear His gentle whisper and invitation to accept His loving hand that is extended waiting and longing to heal the leper.

Randi

bible blog post Monday Jan 8th

A Prayer Of Focus On The Father

 

Oh Lord, reveal to me how majestic your name is in all the earth.  Show me how powerful your name is above all other names.  I desire to know and experience the majesty and power of your name in my life.  I desire for my heart to praise your majesty from a place of understanding and intimacy not just with thoughtless words or in daily routine.

 

Lord, help me to know you more by giving me wisdom.  From your mouth I seek knowledge and understanding, for your word promises that through it I will understand not just who your are but also what is right and just and fair – every good path for my life will be made clear and protect and guard me.

 

Lord, I recognize that one of the biggest obstacles that threatens the peace, joy and intimacy that I and so many I know and love need; is worry.  Lord, my heart is so easily lead astray and distracted by the worry of things past, worry about things happening today, and worry about a tomorrow that isn't even guaranteed to me.  I know that when I worry I am not looking and experiencing your majesty, power, love and grace for me.  My faith is little at those moments and they occur far to often for me, a proclaimed child of my Father in heaven.  Forgive me Father.

 

Your word tells me, commands me actually: "do not worry about your life…".  Oh how I worry lord.  My worry doesn't help me, it does not bring me aide, it does not add to my life but only seeks to rob me of the joy, peace and hope that I know is to be found in you, in your majesty, your power, your grace, in your name.

 

How do I stop from worrying Lord?  How do I shed the chains of fear?  I know your wisdom, your word holds the answers.  I know that I need to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness.  I need to seek your majesty and your power.  I need to seek your ever guiding wisdom to guard my course and protect my way from fear, worry, and all things that distract me from you.  You are a good Father who graciously gives to those who ask you and that is a promise I can count on.

 

So Lord I ask you, I ask you for eyes to see you and to give me a better focus today.  I ask you for a heart that knows you more and for that to bring peace to the uncertainty of my life today.  I ask you for a mind that understands that your paths are trustworthy and lead to victory today.  I ask for a spirit that is able to learn and to trust and is willing to follow you no matter what my surroundings hold today.  I ask you to free me from worry today and fill my heart with all that is good in you.  I ask for your peace and joy to rest upon me in place of worry as I seek to focus on you today.

 

Lord, I ask you to give me a prayer of praise today that let's me not just say with mere words but to proclaim with passion and understanding, "How Majestic Is Your Name In All The Earth!"

 

- Amen

 

January 7, 2018

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Genesis 18:14.  "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed... Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

It's easy to believe, to have faith, when things make sense scientifically, when they meet the criteria of common sense, and in general, when they don't challenge our capacity to believe. Faith is like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets. I believe that our Father is challenging us continually to use it, to make it stronger, to build it up and expand it. I heard someone say that, Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't build all that muscle, by thinking about it, but by taking action, going to the gym and exercising. How important is it?  "And without faith, it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6)

Abraham is portrayed as a champion of faith. He chose to believe, in spite of things not making any sense at all. How could a 90 year old woman become pregnant and have a son? How can you go from childless, to father of many generations, and many kings? More than that, before he was able to see any of the promises, he was asked to take an action step. He was asked to circumcise all men in his household. I can only imagine how interesting it was for Abraham to explain that request from God, to the men, especially the adult ones. Yet he stepped in faith. He is our invitation to have faith, which is: "confidence in what we hope for, and assurance about what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). How important is it? "He must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like the wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does"(James 1, 2:6, 7).

I like that Abraham is also portrayed, as being familiar with the humans tendency of taking shortcuts when it comes to faith. Instead of stretching the muscle of faith and belief, we jump into making things happen, "helping God". He did agree with Sarah's plan to have a child with her maid. God shows us clearly, that the true blessings come from faith not from shortcuts.

The other day, I heard an interview with Carrie Wilkerson. She went from being a stay at home mom, extremely overweight, huge credit card debt, struggling with suicidal depression, to a published author, Google consultant, featured on CNN and Fox Business News, Success & Entrepreneur magazines, named by Forbes as a top small business influencer. When asked what was the secret of her huge transformation, she replied that, it all started with believing, and she quoted Proverbs 23:7 "for as he think in his heart, so is he".