June 2: Of Absence, Reconnection and Recognition

2 Same 19:11-20:13

John 21:1-25

Psalm 120:1-7

Proverbs 16:16-17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3NxqaT9e_I

Commentary from the person who posted the video to YouTube:  "Shane Godfrey lost 50 pounds and didn't look like himself, according to his Facebook post. The Sanford, NC man spent five weeks in the hospital recovering from complications caused by the flu. Shane almost died. When he came home, he was most excited to see his dog, Willie. But at first, Willie wasn't excited to see him."

A bit long today, but hopefully worth it.  If you can, click on the link above and watch the video.  After a period of absence and a physical change (and I wish I could lose 50 pounds myself!), the dog didn't recognize its master…until something familiar triggered the recognition.  When Willie got close enough to Shane to smell him, he realized who Shane was - to Willie's great joy.  At the end of the video there, you see Willie pick something up, apparently to go play fetch with Shane like they used to. 

In today's NT reading, Jesus had been away from the disciples, the separation not defined by time, but - in the disciples' minds - more permanently by death.  And so when Jesus called out to them, they didn't recognize Him.  But then something happened - something familiar - that triggered the disciples' recognition of their Master - after a futile night's work fishing, this Stranger told them to chuck their nets on the other side of the boat, and their nets were filled with fish.  

This wasn't the first time this had happened - in chapter 5 of his gospel, Luke describes how Simon first got to know Jesus.  Yes, it was after a futile night's work fishing, and Jesus told them to let down their nets, and their nets were filled with fish.  

So when it happened again, two interesting things: first, they recognized Jesus; and second, these disciples who had been fearful and lost at the death of their Rabbi were back to their Master's business.  They were back to playing fetch, to being fishers of men.  

If you're like me, you will have these dry spells of separation from our Lord, times when you think He is gone and you are going it on your own.  Well Shane wasn't gone, as Willie found out - Shane was just taking care of business.  And Jesus wasn't gone, as Peter found out - Jesus was just taking care of business.  I pray that I remember that, and when our Lord decides to reveal Himself again to me, that I will have gotten to know Him well enough previously that I recognize Him immediately.

June 1

Psalm 119

Vs 154  Preserve my life according to your laws.

Vs 165 Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

Psalm 119 shows us all the benefits of following God's Word. To experience these benefits, we must not only own a Bible, but we must also read it. Knowing the Word of God and obeying it will bring safety, confidence and peace to our lives. God's Word will preserve us even through the storms of life. So why are so many Christians struggling today? It is because we own Bibles but are not reading them. According to a George Gallup poll, 89% of Christians will not read their Bible today. The result of ignoring God's Word is that we walk in darkness and not the light.

Daniel Webster said this in 1823, "If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth be not diffused, error will be; if God and his Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain in ascendancy."

Reading God's Word daily will give you great strength and courage in life.

Where did Rosa Parks find strength to change her seat on the bus?   Here is her testimony, "Daily devotions played an important part in my childhood. Every day before supper, and before we went to service on Sunday, my grandmother would read the Bible to me, and my grandfather would pray. We even had devotions before going to pick cotton in the fields. Prayer and the Bible became a part of my everyday thoughts and beliefs. I remember finding such comfort and peace while reading the Bible. Its teaching became a way of life and helped me in dealing with my day-to-day problems. "

As we begin the summer months we enter a danger zone for quiet times with God. Vacations and busy summer schedules can easily crowd out spending time in God's Word. I want to encourage you to make Bible reading a top priority of your summer. It is then that you will experience this great peace and never stumble.

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, May 31

THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2018

"The statutes you have laid down are righteous;

    they are fully trustworthy." (Psalm 119:138)

As we review God's Word together each day, have you found it to come more alive for you?  Have you seen it challenge your thinking and encourage you?

Today, I would like to offer a few thoughts on the value of continuing in God's Word:

(1) It reshapes our hearts and minds.  Without reading, reflecting on, and studying God's Word, we would be subject solely to the influences of this world and our own thoughts.  We would consider everything from a worldly perspective and would be selfishly motivated and fixed on our own pleasure.  We would struggle to discern between truth and falsehood.  In short, without God's Word, our hearts and minds would be led astray and liable to the corruption of unrighteous thinking.

(2) It encourages us to place our hope in what lasts forever.  God's Word puts the reality of this brief life in stark relief vs. the stretch of eternity.  As James writes, our lives are but a "vapor" or a "mist."  Living only for this life — and forgetting the grander scheme of eternity — makes little sense, once God has revealed the nature of eternity to us.  God has made the hope of heaven and the guarantee of His presence both today and always to be secure, lasting promises for us.

(3) It helps us to understand ourselves.  In its historical accounts, we see the Bible characters with facets of our own personalities.  We see their shortcomings and how God showed His tremendous grace nonetheless.  We understand that God dealt individually with His children as individuals.  Psalm 139:13-18 confirms that God created us beautifully.  He knew us from before our creation, and He has plans and purposes for our lives.

(4) It reveals the beauty and character of God our King.   God's Word points directly to Him.  It highlights His plan of redemption, shaped from the Fall through the complete restoration in Revelation 21.  It explains the nature of the three Persons and unity of God.  It has depth and riches that instruct us for a lifetime, but anyone may understand its core message.  It fills us with a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and then we may become wise on how to fulfill that desire. (Matthew 5:6)

We have now completed five of our 12 months.  We rejoice in God's Word and the One revealed through it.

Lord God, thank You for Your beauty and character as revealed through Your Word.  Help us to be more sensitive to the lessons that You wish us to learn in 2018.  Give us a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and strengthen us to live for Your Kingdom rather than our own small agenda.  Whet our appetites for Your Word over the coming seven months, helping us to finish strong in 2018.  We love You and honor You today.  In Jesus's Name, amen.

May 30

John 19

Pilate is one Bible character I would not want to be. Talk about the pressure!! Does he stay loyal to Caesar, the Jewish authorities, or his heart?   I don't know if he knew or recognized Jesus as the Messiah, but he knew in his heart there was nothing Jesus had done that made him guilty to receive the punishment of being crucified.  Perhaps Pilate's brutal orders to have Jesus beaten was an attempt to get out of making the final decision.  He might have thought the brutal beatings would satisfy the angry Jewish leaders, but it didn't.  Jesus told Pilate that the power he claimed to have was given to him by God, showing Pilate that what was happening was far bigger than he knew or understood.  When it was all said and done, Pilate had "King of the Jews" written in three languages over the cross. Maybe Pilate had no idea of the magnitude of what what going on, but the sign he ordered was written in the only three languages spoken, so everyone could understand the message. Whether Pilate realized it or not, the message was clear.  Jesus is King over all.  We'll never fully understand the events that took place, we just have to trust that God is sovereign and Jesus had to die on the cross for our redemption.  It makes no sense that a brutal death was the ultimate exchange for our eternal life. We give You praise, honor and glory Jesus and proclaim you King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Randi

Family Circus and more

2 Samuel 14:1 - 15:22

Talk about family problems!! Such a soap opera of anger, jealously, injustice, lack of forgiveness, selfishness, bitterness, deceit, favoritism,  and so much more junk in the trunk!

The disconnect in Davids family is off the charts. To be clear the Hebrew bible names 19 sons of David and only one daughter Tamar, talk about a big family! Many were from different wives. We will only mention a few of the many family issues in Davids home. Amnon Davids favorite and first born son did a terrible thing to his sister Tamar to which David did nothing about because he did not want to make Amnon unhappy (2 Sam 13:21), but Absalom was off the charts angry! Bitter towards his father David for not addressing this, and of course at his brother Amnon for doing such a terrible thing! So what does any angry brother do when his sister is physically violated and traumatized by her own brother, Tamar understandably sinks into a deep depression (2 Sam 13:20). Absalom is ripping mad at his brother for doing this and also at his dad David for not doing anything about it. So Absalom kills his brother Amnon. I have only mentioned the tip of the iceberg of issues beneath the surface of this family. 

The problem is are we any different today? Yes I know we are not talking about the same exact issues, but are we disconnected from our own families? Do we hold on to bitterness from past wrongs? Do we feel justified the way we treat others because we feel they deserve it? Do we think we are so much better then they are, so we look down to them? Do we half heartedly forgive, or so called forgive people we say we love? Are we so upset with our kids because they are not doing life they way we want them to, so we strong handedly object, ridicule, teardown, hurt, and crush our kids to try and emotionally beat them into submission so they act or do life more like they way we want them to, or the way we feel they should be, then we say we do it because we love them? Do we twist God's word to fit our current emotional state of mind so we can feel like God is happy with our unforgiving hearts, or do we simply ignore God's word because we simply do not care? 

God is not looking for half hearted forgiveness, nor is He looking for disconnected families and broken relationships. IF we are truly going to call ourselves followers of God we really need to start applying God's principles and the examples of Christ into our families. If you want to try these on your own I feel you will have a pretty tough time doing it, but as Christ followers was have the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. We must go to God in prayer regarding that relationship we are thinking about now. Pray that God will give us a spirit of forgiveness, a heart for reconciliation, and the love of Christ. You can be sure Satan wants nothing more than to rip apart our families from the inside out. 

As we read todays story of Judas betraying Christ. This reminds us we don't only have relationship issues with family, but with neighbors, friends and co-workers as well. Let's apply this same model of love, forgiveness and reconciliation in these area's as well. 

Or we can just go on feeling bitter, hurt, angry, and alone. God has given us the answers in His word. Do we believe them or not?   

Chuck Goulart

203-943-0961

 "Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter." –Francis Chan

May 27, 2018

"In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God" John 16:26,27

"… the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." John 16: 7

"But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth" John 16:13

I happen to live in a very wealthy part of Greenwich. Through some connections we were able to rent a small cottage on someone's property. Almost every day I go for a walk with my son and my dog. Since I have a friendly dog who likes to say hi to everybody, I get to talk to a lot of people. I am almost always asked the same questions: Are you a nanny? Do you work as an au pair? For whom do you work? After a while, I started to ask myself why people automatically assume that I don't live there. Is it my accent? Is it the way I dress? Is it written on my forehead that I don't belong there? Feelings of not good enough, and of something is wrong with me, started to creep in.  

I think in the world we have many occasions to feel insecure, inadequate or simply feel like we don't fit in.  Who am I? Am I an immigrant, a result of my past, a stay at home mom? All the above and none of the above. I am a child of God. The question is, do I live like a child of God when I close my Bible and go on with my day? In other words, do I truly embrace my identity in all aspects of life? "You can believe in God and still miss life with him.  You can know about God and still live like an Orphan" Do I walk around Greenwich like a Child or like an Orphan?

We are God's children, we are Christ's friends (John 15:12-17). More than that we are one with the Lord in spirit. "But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in Spirit" 1 Cor 6:17. The Holy Spirit, the Counselor the Spirit of Truth lives in us.  God, our Father loves us. Today's reading is a reminder, an invitation to be intimate with God. The choice is mine. Do I choose to be one with the Lord or one with the world?

"DO I as a Christian understand myself? Do I know my own real identity? My own real destiny? I am a child of God, God is my father; heaven is my home; every day is one day nearer. My Savior is my brother; every Christian is my brother too. Say it over and over again to yourself first thing in the morning, last thing at night, as you wait for the bus, anytime when your mind is free, and ask God that you may be enabled to live as one who knows it is all utterly and completely true. For this is the Christian's secret of the Christian life, of a God-honoring life" J.I. Packer

May 26: Of Q Tips, Sudsy Water and Restoration

2 Samuel 9:1-11:27

John 15:1-27

Psalm 119:49-64

Proverbs 16:1-3

If you haven't yet, and at some point get the opportunity to, come and visit Grand Central Station in New York.  The building I walk through each day is, in this architectural amateur's humble opinion, magnificent.  The soaring ceiling, framed by two towering windows on either side, depicts the constellations set against a teal background.  It is a glorious piece of architecture, clean and clear, except for one spot.  When one looks at the west side of the ceiling, and follows its curve from its apex down to the north west corner, one finds a jarringly black mark of dirt and soot and filth.  One is tempted to think it was a cleaner's oversight, till one realizes the spot is precisely rectangular.  

It turns out that in 1998, at the end of two years of renovation and restoration, as the scaffolding came down, the workers left that black spot of mostly tobacco smoke as a reminder of how bad that ceiling had gotten; and of how, as filthy as that ceiling got, the sacrifice of countless hours by countless workers with nothing more than cotton swabs and sudsy water, was enough to erase the years of grime and restore that ceiling to its pristine state. 

In today's OT reading, we see David dirtying up the ceiling of his life.  He's isn't just about to commit one major sin, he's topping that off with a second - a two-for-one deal of adultery and murder in order to gratify his desire for Bathsheba.  When I used to read this passage, I used to think to myself the same thing so many who saw Grand Central's dirty ceiling must have thought: "No way this ever gets clean.  Ever."  Which is exactly the same thing I used to think when reflecting on my own sinfulness.  

The amazing thing is we have the benefit of an infinitely greater, infinitely more painstaking - or, more appropriately, "pains-taking" - sacrifice.  Jesus didn't clean our lives with Q-tips, He cleansed us with nails.  And He didn't use drops of sudsy water; He used rivulets of His blood.  So there is no grime He cannot scrub off of us, no sin he cannot take away to leave us pure and holy, acceptable once more in His father's presence.  

Father, when we are discouraged by our own sinfulness, remind us that despite his sinfulness, You forgave David enough to establish his line forever, with the birth of Your Son.  Remind us that there is no sin Your Son's sacrifice - His suffering, His death and resurrection - cannot remove.  May our sin cease to be a cause for discouragement, and instead become a reminder of Your persistent and overwhelming love.