Revelations 19-22: Come, Lord Jesus

     I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.  Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
     KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. - Rev. 19:11-16 NIV

     Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”
     “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Revelations 22:10-13 NIV 

    The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. -Revelations 22:17 NIV

I am not always faithful, in fact I fail many times.  It is the end of the year and I have not finished my daily devotions for the past few days.  I've been caught up in other things less important.  The student who has lived with us off and on for the last eight years left us to move to her new job in California.  For the two weeks before she left, we entertained her parents on their first visit to the US from their country of Moldova.  I spent a day getting a new computer set up.  There have been days at work, days of celebrating the holiday and days of doing everything but.  Still, God is faithful.  He is the only one called Faithful and True.  He is faithful when we are not.  He is the first and last word, the beginning and the end of not just a year, but of all time.  The call still rings out. 'Come!.  The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come!  Come all ye who are thirsty, come all ye who want, come all ye who are not faithful, come all ye who want to take the free gift of the water of life.  Come!'

So I come, not worthy, never worthy, not faithful, never faithful, I come to the one who is, and  n my heart is the cry of all the bride, 'Come, come Lord Jesus, come!'

Revelations19-22:  Faithful & True

1-2 Peter: Living Urgently

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. - 1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives  as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.- 2 Peter 4:8-12 NIV

Peter repeats the same thing in both of his letters:  A day with the Lord is like a thousand years and the Lord is not slow in keeping his promises.  This Peter, the one who knew Jesus in the flesh, the one who heard God say, 'this is my beloved Son', the one who denied him three times, the one who told Jesus over and over again that he loved him, this Peter must have known what he was talking about.

God is not slow in bringing about what he promised, for the world to come or even in our lives, therefore, we have an obligation to be holy and godly as we look forward to that day and speed it's coming.  I'm not sure I'm doing everything I should be doing to hasten Christ's return.  In fact, if he is coming tomorrow, there are many things I have yet to do.  Why do I get so wrapped up in the non-essential when there is so much to be done, when God's patience is holding the time back until everyone has had a chance to accept the gospel?   The one who knew Jesus knew the urgency with which we should live.  Why don't we?

2010 Post -  1-2 Peter:  Chosen People in an Alien World

James 1-5: Be Patient, Stand Firm

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.  Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! James 5:1-9 NIV

As another year comes to an end, these words of James seem an apt description of our times.  If we fail to recognize ourselves in these descriptions, we are deceived.  We are wealthy beyond means but our wealth is rotting, our gold and silver are corrupting.  All that we have hoarded up is now consuming us. It may be just the holidays, but I am so tired of overindulgence.  I'm sick from all the excess.  It doesn't leave me feeling full, it leaves me feeling empty.

We should have separated ourselves from the world and all of it's trappings years ago, but it is not too late.  Although the Lord's coming is near, there is still time to do what we should have been doing all along.  Throw off all that binds us to this earth, be patient and stand firm.   

2010 Post - James 1-5:  Faith Without Works is Dead

Hebrews 11-13:

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. - Hebrews 11:13-16 NIV

Why are some taken from this earth at an early age, while others linger on and on, outliving their bodies and many times their minds?  I would say it is another mystery, but perhaps it is not so mysterious.  I think of Derek Loux, a talented Christian musician and man of God who was taken long before his time, yet when I listen to his music, I see that he already had his heart and mind set on that eternal city, that heavenly kingdom.  Perhaps it was not such a stretch for him to reach out and grab that kingdom with all his heart, mind, and soul when he had the opportunity, leaving his earthly body behind.  I'm afraid that others, myself included, are more bound to this earth than we care to admit and that may explain why some who have been declared dead come back to life.  This earthly country still draws them more than the heavenly one. 

I want my life to be caught up in the promise of what lies ahead.  That doesn't mean I want to be so fixed on heaven that I am no earthly good, but I want to be fully aware that heaven, being in the presence of God, is my ultimate destination and anything else pales in comparison.  I want to live my life daily fully aware that I am an alien and stranger on this earth, looking for a country of my own.

2010 Post - Hebrews 11-13:  Faith That Cannot Be Shaken

Hebrews 7-10: A Perfectly Acceptable High Priest

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. - Heb. 8:25 NIV

I don't know about anyone else, but I need a constant redeemer.  I need someone to stand on my behalf day and night.  My sins could not be atoned for by a one time sacrificial lamb being slaughtered in the temple by an earthly priest.  My sins require atonement on an ongoing basis.  Thank God, he provided constant intercession in the form of his Son. 

Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.  For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.  - Heb. 8:26-28 NIV

Jesus Christ was what none of the other earthly, priests before or since, could ever hope to be, a perfectly acceptable High Priest.

2010 Post - Hebrews 7-10:  A Better Priest

Hebrews 4-6: Only the Great High Priest

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. - Heb. 4: 15-16 NIV

Part of the continuing mystery of the gospel is this, Jesus was man just like we are, yet he was God's son.  As such, he can approach God's throne of grace on our behalf, not just as our intercessor, but as one who has been there as well.  He can approach his father and petition for forgiveness for our sins precisely because he knows the level of temptation that caused to us to succumb to the particular sin that grasped us. The angels could not do this for us, only the son of man, only the great High Priest could act on our behalf.

2010 Post - Hebrews 4-6:  A Sabbath Rest

Hebrews 1-3: Do We See Jesus?

In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. - Heb. 2:8-9 NIV

Sometimes, especially during the holiday season, I think we see everything but what we're supposed to see.  If you look around, you will see stars, angels, bells, trees, tinsel, snowflakes, icicles, ornaments of all shapes and sizes, Santas, snowmen, packages, bows, and on and on and on.  Recently, I even saw a tree made entirely of bicycles.  What, I ask, does that have to do with the One this holiday is supposed to be celebrating?  I doubt that God even laughs at our feeble attempt to put Christ back in Christmas anymore and I share his disgust.  Instead of trying to put Christ back, I think perhaps we should take him out completely.  Let the holiday revert to the pagan festival that it once was and let's look for God and his Son where we're more likely to find them...in a humble manger, before a fire cooking fish, feeding the hungry, having a meal together, in solitary prayer, or nailed to a cross.  Where is that Christ in all of this hubris?  Do we really see Jesus anymore?

2010 Post - Hebrews 1-3:  We See Jesus

2 Timothy, Titus & Philemon: I Know Whom I have Believed.

Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us- 2 Timothy 1:12-14 NIV

There are days when I wonder if I will make it to the end.  I have come this far, but will all of the pressures of the world finally wear me down and cause me to abandon my faith.  Will I give up because it is easier?  Will I abandon what I have believed in thus far because of apathy?  Will I lose all when I have won so much?  All of these are questions not worth asking because it is not our deeds that keep us, it is God's grace.  It is God who has chosen us, we are his chosen, his elect.  He has given us the Holy Spirit to live in us and guard our hearts.  No matter my doubts, I know that he will keep me, he will keep that which I've committed safe until the day I see him face to face.

2010 Post - 2 Timothy, Titus & Philemon:  Not Ashamed

1 Timothy 1-5: Beyond All Question

Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:
   He appeared in a body,
   was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
   was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
   was taken up in glory. - 1 Timothy 3:16 NIV

The mystery of godliness is great.  It is beyond all question.  There is no way our human minds can fully comprehend it.  The Messiah that Israel looked and longed for, for so many years, came into the world., not as they imagined, but as a baby.  He was not born in the palace of kings as one would expect of one of the line of David, but born in a stable.  And, while his birth was of little note, it was his dying that gave us life.  We cannot question why God would choose to redeem the world in this manner, we can only accept that all these events happened, accept that this is the greatest mystery of all, and accept that it is a gift, a gift beyond all question.

2010 Post - 1 Timothy 1-5:  Here is a Trustworthy Saying

2 Thessalonians 1-3: Peace!

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. - 2 Thessalonians 3:16 NIV

We're all searching for peace, especially at this time of year.  Even some children, albeit probably prompted by their parents, their teachers, or the media would tell Santa or the roving reporter that all they want for Christmas is Peace on Earth.  The question looms, are we really looking for Peace?  Are we looking for the Peace that the world doesn't know, that the world will never know, or are we looking for our own personal safety.  Are we looking for protection from those who would threaten or harm us?  If so, even if it is achieved, it is temporary at best.  Kim Jong-il is only one example.  The peace we thought would be achieved by his passing is disturbed by the prospect of his son.  There is no earthly peace, not the still, quiet, worry free peace that God promised.  That only comes by trust and faith in his Son:  trust that he knows us, loves us, has only good plans for us and by faith that he did and will carry out what he promised.  It is only the Lord of peace that can give us peace.  Peace we can have at all times and in every way.

2010 Post - 2 Thessalonians 1-3:   Stand Firm

1 Thessalonians 1-5: A Quiet Life

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you,  so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.- 1 Thess. 4:  11-12 NIV

I find this so hard to do in this generation, in this society.  We are constantly being bombarded with the message that it is all about us, that we have to speak up for what we want, we have to grab for all the gusto, we have to take what we deserve, that we are the center of the universe, that only everything good should come our way .  This is so contrary to the gospel, yet we're all caught up in it, including those of us, who as God's children, should know better.  And we wonder why the world doesn't have respect for us or the gospel.  How could they?  I'm not sure I respect what I see either.  As a friend recently posted on Facebook, 'The institutional church has fallen, but not to it's knees."  That's where we are.  It's my hope, that somewhere, there is a group of committed believers who are not trying to impress anyone with their great church complex, ministry, or congregation...whose only ambition is to lead a quiet life for the glory of God. 

2010  Post - 1 Thessalonians 1-5:  Encourage Each Other

Colossians 1-4: Put On Love

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.- Colossians 3:12-15 NIV

These verses are another reminder from Paul on how we are to live, not only in this season, but as it is phrased 'in season and out of season'.  How many times can I say I am clothed with compassion?  Even worse, how many times do I give thought to putting it on?  I concentrate on my earthly clothing, fashion which will go out of style and disappear in rot and mildew, when I should be putting on the true apparel which Christ purchased for us:  compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  And love, the love that we have been given should be our crowning glory.  It should outshine any earthly adornment we can come up with.  As I ready myself for church this Sunday morning, I may be dressed appropriately, but I have a long way to go.

2010 Post - Colossians 1-4:  Not On Earthly Things

Philippians 1-4: Abound in Love

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. - Phil. 1:9-11 NIV

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. - Phil. 2:1-4 NIV

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. - Phil. 3:8-9 NIV

There you have it.  What Christ called us to, and what Paul challenges us to is often a lot different than the faith we put in practice.  We're called to a higher calling:  to abound in love, to do nothing out of selfish motives, to not look to our own interests, to concentrate on what is right, pure and lovely.  A goal I fall far short of most of the time.  This time of year when the concentration is on what gifts we should give, perhaps we should hold ourselves to this standard.  Try giving love, giving of ourselves, abound in love.  The world might look at the church and it's celebrations differently if we demonstrated the love encompassed in the gift we have received.

2010 Post - Philippians 1-4:  In Chains for Christ

Ephesians 1-6: So Be It!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.- Eph. 3:16-20 NIV

What more can we ask for?  God has given us everything we could ever possibly need in the form of his son.  Perhaps the only thing we should ask for or desire is as Paul put it:  power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.  I'm not sure many of us grasp God's love, that wide and long and high and deep love that sent his son from their heavenly home down to this sodden, sordid earth to dwell as one of it's humble citizens. I know I can't wrap my mind around the idea that Christ would come and die for anyone, let alone me.  That's what he did and that's what we celebrate.  Glory to God.  Glory to God who can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.  Glory to God who is at work in us.  Glory to God in the Highest!  Glory to God for ever and ever.  Amen!  So be it!

2010 Post - Ephesians 1-6:  Peace, Love and Grace

Galatians 1-6: We Are Free

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. - Gal. 4:4-7 NIV

This is what we celebrate this season and as the years go by, it becomes more difficult to separate the truth from the trappings.  God sent his own Son that we might become sons, as Paul says, with the full rights of sons.  God didn't send his Son to turn us in to consuming and giving machines.  He sent his sons to set us free from all of that, to set us free from the law, to set us free from the need to compete, to set us free from the need to earn our salvation, to set us free from legalism of any sort, to set us free from the world, to set us free. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal. 5:1) What better time, than this season of the year, to throw off all the things that would enslave us and weigh us down?   What better time to not fall prey to any of the practices of the world that would trap us and destroy our freedom as sons and heirs?

2010 Post - Galatians 1-6:  Freedom, vs. the Law

2 Corinthians 7-13: Pursuing Peace

Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. - 2 Corinthians 13:11 NIV

Sometimes what we are called to do is so simple;  'Be of one mind, live in peace.'.  We can only wish it were so easy to carry out.  I look at how the church has fractured throughout the centuries.  It's hard to believe we have any kinship with the different branches and orthodoxies.  Yet most of God's body is still trying to do the same thing, pursue truth and righteousness.  We may have a long way to go if aiming for perfection involves being of one mind and living in peace.  If it was difficult for the early church, that difficulty is multiplied many times over now, but it should always be our goal.  If we all have the same eternal destination, then what better time to start living in peace than now?

2010 Post - 2 Corinthians 7-13:  Aim for Perfection

2 Corinthians 1-6: A True Testimony

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  2 Corinthians 4:7-9 NIV

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.- 2 Cor. 4:16-18 NIV

For all of us, when we go through those tunnels of despair when it seems there is no end in sight, when we are overwhelmed with the deterioration of our bodies or the events unfolding around us, these words offer hope.  We are temporary vessels, jars of clay not meant to last, but to be used and used until we are used up.  Most of us fight being used all the way, but it is to no avail.  It is part of God's plan, that's what we're put here for.  The treasure is not the jar, but what resides inside.  The world is full of crystal vases that have nothing inside.  It is the common, everyday nature of our faith that displays God's glory. The way we walk through our trials is a truer testimony than any words we could ever say. 

2010 Post - 2 Corinthians 1-6:  Faith not Sight

1 Corinthians 12-16: Of First Importance

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. - 1 Cor. 5: 3-8: 

This is the message of most importance.  Among the hustle and bustle of this season, the trappings and the trimmings, the giving and receiving, we overlook the gift of most importance.  God appeared.  He appeared in the flesh, he died for our sins, he was buried, he was raised and he appeared to the twelve, to hundreds of others and he appeared to Paul.

He has appeared to countless others down through the ages.  He has appeared in word and in deed.  He appears when we least expect it and certainly when we least deserve it, but he appears.  The vision of him and his truth becomes seared in our memory.  It is more than we can describe and  it keeps our faith alive. This is the true gift this time of year, he has appeared.  He appeared and we are forever changed.  Love is here.  We love him because he first loved us.  Everything Paul said about Christ is true. This is the message of first importance. 

2010 Post - 1 Corinthians 12-16:  Seek the Giver Not the Gift

1 Corinthians 7-11: What More Do I Need to Know?

We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God. - 1 Cor. 8:1-3 NIV

Never before has so much knowledge been accessible.  We are bombarded with facts and fiction daily.  Knowledge may be power, but it is not always good for us.  What was the tree in the garden that Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat?  It was the tree of knowledge, the knowledge of good and evil.  Since time began, we have all wanted to know it all and it will always be our downfall.  It is not possible for us to know it all, but yet the smallest bit of knowledge makes us all think we are experts when in fact, the more information we have the more confused many of us become. 

At this point in life, I'm not sure I care to stuff any more facts in my head.  I don't need to know anything more than the author of the universe and the amazing fact that he knows me.  That's pretty amazing if you think about it.  He knows me.  He has known me since time immortal.  He has known me and called me by name.  What more do I need to know?

2010 Post - 1 Corinthians 711:  Run to Win

1 Corinthians 1-6: Body, Mind and Spirit

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.- 1 Cor. 6:19-20 NIV

It is difficult for us to separate the whole of our being into it's parts:  body, mind and spirit.  Even those that can do so, find themselves concentrating on one at the expense of the others.  In our time, we concentrate more on the body than on the mind or the spirit.  We pamper ourselves endlessly.  We push ourselves to the limit of endurance to make the body beautiful with diet and exercise or we stuff it with food and resist any exertion at all.  We spend a fortune on clothes and creature comforts.  An entire industry has developed around cosmetics and another around medicine to eliminate all but the most minor symptom.  All at the neglect of our mind and even more importantly the spirit. 

Perhaps if we could see ourselves as three  parts, just as God is three parts, we might behave differently.  Should we take care of our body?  Of course, just like we should take care of our mind and our spirit.  We should care for them all as if they were a gift from God, which of course they are.  We are not our own but we are very valuable.  We were bought, purchased by the Father at an enormous cost, the life of his Son.  It is him we should worship, not our bodies.  The actions of our life, our body and mind should all honor God and the price he paid for us.

2010 Post - 1 Corinthians 1-6:  So None Can Boast

Romans 11-16: Live at Peace

   Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
   Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.Do not be conceited.
   Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.- Rom. 12:9-18 NIV

I have to remind myself of this occasionally:  to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.  It is this mindset that keeps me at peace.  Peace is not external, it is internal, but it is brought about by external actions, my own external actions, not the actions of others towards me.  Peace comes from loving others, from putting others first, from being devoted to others well-being over my own.  Peace comes from not being proud or conceited.  It comes from loving all men regardless of their status or financial situation.  Peace comes from love.  There is no other source.  In a world where we see so little peace, it is incumbent upon us to be the provision.  Especially in this season, we cannot just proclaim peace, we must be a living demonstration of that peace., the peace that defies all understanding, the peace that comes from sincere love.  This business of peace depends on us, not on others. We are called to reflect the source of that peace.  There is no higher calling.  We are to live at peace.

2010 Post - Romans 11-16:  Doxology

Romans 6-10 Nothing Can Separate Us

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. - Romans 8:3 NIV

Law, rules, regulations do not change us, they cannot and will not change mankind.  The Pharisees kept revising the law to make sure it covered every little possibility of sin, but none of their efforts ever changed the heart of even one man.  In the same way, we can regulate and regulate, but all it does is point out the gap between us and God.  For many of us, it appears that this country and the whole world perhaps, has started down a slippery slope that can only end in disaster.  We can spend all of our time, pointing out the failures of others or of the law.  But it will not change the course, it will not change what lies before any of us.  It will get worse and it may get a lot worse for some of us.  We cannot stop the consequences of sin and we cannot stop the plans of God.  All we can cling to are the words of someone like Paul who could foresee a bleak future for his mortal body, but hope for a life in Christ.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:37-39 NIV

Nothing, not any natural disaster, not any bank failure, not any governmental collapse, not even a descent into lawlessness and chaos can separate us from the love of God.  Nothing.

:2010 Post - Romans 6-10:  Zealous Pursuit of Righteousness

Romans 1-4: Perfection

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
  But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.- Romans 2:19-24 NIV

I tend to be a perfectionist, or at least I used to.  I was not perfect, I knew it, but I didn't want anyone else to know that I made mistakes. What a miserable position I found myself in..  Each mistake I made would lead me to the same dilemma:  Do I confess that I have made a mistake, or do I hide it as if it never existed.  Both prospects left me with a sinking feeling. 

I finally learned not to expect too much of myself, that I was incapable of perfection and that confession was good for the soul.  In fact, it was the lack of confession that always ended up festering inside of me. 

It's the same way with sin.  All have sinned.  All of mankind, and no matter what we may think about others, whether it seems like they are sinless or desensitized to their sin, they suffer the same internal consequence that we do when we sin.  It festers and eats them up; imperfection does that.  But as Paul says, there is a remedy.  We are set free by the grace of God and the redemption that came by Jesus.  We are set free from that horrible recognition that we do not measure up.  None of us can ever measure up, but we can all be set free.

2010 Post - Romans 1-4:  Sin and Righteousness

Acts 22-28: What Are You Waiting For?

“Then he said: ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’  - Acts 22:14-16 NIV

These words of Ananias to Paul after he had been struck blind on the road to Damascus could have been spoken to any of us.  God has chosen us to know his will and to see the truth in his Son.  At some point in our lives, all of us who believe, were struck blind and suddenly, the scales rolled off of our eyes and we could see.  It may have been in a church service, it may have been in prayer with a friend, it may have been walking in solitary,or  it may have been reading a book on our sofa, but we all received our sight.  What are we waiting for?  God has called all of us to be witnesses of what we have seen.  We don't need an Ananias to tell us to get up.  We just need to get on with whatever God called us to do.  With the boldness and determination of Paul, we should be witnesses to what we have seen and heard.

2010 Post - Acts 22-28:   The Power of God to Salvation

Acts 18-21: Why Stoop?

Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor- Acts 18:13-17 NIV

The world has always tried to imitate the gospel.  It would overpower it at all cost if possible.  That becomes obvious if one looks at the holidays Christians once celebrated.  Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter have all been adopted by the world.  But the life, the reason to celebrate disappears once it becomes nothing more than a day off work and a reason to spend money.  Perhaps it is time for Christians to stop the celebration:  to stop the decorating, splurging and satiation of all of our senses.  Perhaps it is time for us to stop the giving of gifts to others, when it is the gift that we received that is important.  I don't know what the answer is, all I know that all of this excess makes me tired.  It's become ugly and tawdry.  It doesn't speak of Christ at all.  The world can never invoke the name of Jesus or it's power.  When we have that power, why do we have to stoop to the world's standards?

2010 Post - Acts 18-21:  On to Jerusalem

Acts 14-17: In Him

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’  - Acts 17:24-28 NIV

It's a difficult concept to grasp, that God does not need us.  He doesn't need our actions or our deeds.  Instead it is we who need him.  We need him for our daily provision, we need him for the very life we breathe.  It's only our conceit that thinks that we have to be the one who does all the work, the one who creates something, discovers something, leads people to the light.  Whether we confess it or not, it is only 'in him we live and move and have our being.'

2010 Post - Acts 14-17:  Preaching the Good News

Acts 9-13: Sight for the Blind

Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
    Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. - Acts 9:18-22 NIV

Reading these verses, one realizes that it is always the same story.  Those who are touched by the Lord Jesus Christ, those who were blinded, but who have regained their sight, can have no response but to share the good news.  The more havoc we raised before the scales fall off, the more bold is our proclamation.  Those walking in darkness have seen a great light.  That was the promise of the prophets and is the reality of the Savior's touch.  Through the generations and even today, the gospel continues to be proclaimed and the change that the gospel makes in a person's life is as baffling today as it was in Paul's time.  It is the only source of sight for the blind.

2010 Post - Acts 9-13:  One Who Breathed Murderous Threats

Acts 6-8: Seeing Heaven

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. - Acts 7:55-60 NIV

I just fiished reading the book "Heaven is for Real"  about a small boy who falls gravely ill and afterwards reports what he saw while he was in heaven.  One of the amazing things about the book is not what he saw, but the zeal he possessed in wanting to be sure that everyone who died knew Jesus.  He knew that people would not glimpse what he saw when they died unless they had accepted him. 

Stephen saw the same thing.  He saw heaven and Jesus a the right hand of God.  That was enough for him.  'Don't hold this against them,' he asked of the Lord.  Stephen had glimpsed eternity and as such, nothing on earth, not even the method by which he died could be measured against what waited for him and no one, no matter how wicked, should not experience God's mercy and what waits for them if they will accept it.

2010 Post - Acts 6-8:  Someone's Got To Do It

Acts 1-5: Come Ye Thankful People Come

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. - Acts 2:42-47 NIV

It's Thanksgiving Day, 2011 and because I have gotten behind on my reading, I have jumped ahead to where I should have been by this time.  Looking for an appropriate passage to relate to Thanksgiving day, I am struck by the contrast between those early Christ followers and Christians today.

We really don't share today and we certainly don't hold anything in common.  There's a distinction between what is ours and what is the Lord's today that did not exist in the early days of the church.  Thankfully, we still have at least one day that we come together, family and friends, to break bread together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God. 

2010 Post - Acts 1-5:  What is this Power?

John 3-4: Such a Hard Thing

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16 KJV

These words of Jesus to Nicodems, the first verse that many of us memorized in Sunday School, contain the truth in a form so simple that we sometimes fail to grasp the enormity of what Jesus was saying about God, about God's kingdom, about Jesus and even life itself. 

'Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit', Jesus told Nicodemus, 'he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. - John 3:5-7 KJV

There is a world we cannot see, but we know is there. It lurks right next to us all of the time.  Sometimes we catch a glimpse, sometimes it's hard to even imagine, but that does not change it's existence. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. - John 3:8 KJV
 
The most amazing thing about this spiritual world, this kingdom of God, this realm of the divine creator is that we have been issued an invitation, we have been invited in.  It's like stepping through the back of the wardrobe door into Narnia.  All we have to do is believe.  Believe and the world, this earthly existence pales.  Believe and there is more to life than we ever imagined.  Believe and we are invited into the eternal world of the great I Am and his Son.  Is that such a hard thing to do?
 

2010 Post - John 3-4:  A Prophet Without Honor

John 1-2: The Word and the Light

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.  - John 1:1-14 KJC

I was only a child when I memorized these verses and they still speak to me best in the language of the King James version of the Bible.  In the beginning was the Word.  In the beginning, the very beginning, when there was no form to the earth, there was the word.  "Let there be light."  Suddenly there was light.  The light and the word cannot be separated. The banal is punctuated with glimpses of searing acuity.  In the midst of the mundane, we can still behold the word, the light, the glory, the word become flesh, full of grace and truth.

2010 Post - John 1-2:  As Man As Received

Luke 22-24: What is Life?

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ - Luke 24:1-7 NIV

Why look for the living among the dead?  The angels at the tomb asked the women this question and it remains the question of the day.  Why do we look for life where there is none.  Why do we trust in material possessions, inanimate objects for life when they can provide nothing but momentary pleasure.  We approach Black Friday and there is a reason why it is 'black' aside from that of the retailers who hope to finally profit from the sales.  It is black because all the material things we camp out or stay up for all night are nothing.  It is just stuff, destined eventually for an overflowing landfill.  Why are we looking for life among the dead, at the expense of true life?  Even those among us who are believers must ask ourselves the question, 'What is life?'

.2010 Post - Luke 22-24:  What Things?

Luke 20-21: Giving our of Poverty

As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” - Luke 21:1-4 NIV

What does it mean to give out of poverty?  Living in one of the wealthiest nations that has ever existed, that's a difficult concept to grasp.  Does it mean giving when we have nothing to give?  Does it mean giving when we are too tired, too fragile, too sick, too depressed, too disappointed or perhaps too selfish?  Does it mean giving when we don't like, let alone love, the person, the neighbor, the co-worker?  Does it mean giving when we have already given too much?  Does it mean giving that which we love and need most?  Certainly, and even more.  The Son knew what the Father had given.  That's the measuring stick by which all of our giving is measured.

2010 Post - Luke 20-21:  Guard Your Heart

Luke 17-19: A Sinful Tax Collector

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:  “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’     “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
   “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  - Luke 17: 9-14 NIV

I have to remind myself of this over and over again.  It is not what I do, it is not all of my good deeds that redeem me.  My only redemption, my only worth, comes at the foot of the cross.  It is at the foot of the cross where I fall and confess that I am a sinner, that I am not worthy, that I will never be worthy.  It is at the foot of the cross, where the drops of blood fall on me that I am made new, washed clean, made white as snow.  My confidence is no in my own righteousness, in my tithing and giving, in my abstinence from sin.  I am nothing but a sinful tax collector.  My confidence is solely in God's mercy.  That is all I need.  We can't exalt ourselves, only his forgiveness.

2010 Post - Luke 17-19:  Will He Find Faith?

Luke 13-15: Would it Make a Difference?

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. - Luke 15:22-24 NIV

How different our churches would look if we welcomed sinners, the broken and the lost, in the same way that the prodigal son's father did. What if we went out into the highways and byways, into the bars and strip clubs, tattoo parlors and drug dens offering the good news that their sins didn't matter?  What if we went into the gay nightclubs and laid hands on those suffering from aids and prayed for their healing?  What if we had a feast to celebrate when they were healed?  Would it make a difference in their lives?  Would it make a difference in ours?  Would it change the world?  Would it matter to God?

2010 Post - Luke 13-15:  A Great Chasm

Luke 10-12: The Lamp of the Body

Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.” . - Luke 11:34-35  NIV

Years ago when I was in India, I met an Indian woman who had married an American missionary and as such had spent a great deal of time in the United States.  I have never forgotten her saying that while she still had an Indian heart, she now had American eyes.  By that she meant that she was attracted to all of the material things that she saw longed to possess when she was in the States.  During that time, I was surrounded by children in the orphanage where we stayed who owned nothing, not a single toy, but were happy and content in ways that the most wealthy in the United States would envy. 

If ever there was a time when mankind is in need of good eyes, it is now.  Many of us face the prospect of losing everything we have by these challenging economic times, but it's all in the eye of the beholder.  He that loves his life will lose it.  He that loses his life, well, he's the one that will find it. 

2010 Post - Luke 10-12:  Hold On Lightly

Luke 8-9: Another Kingdom

Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”
 He replied, “You give them something to eat.”
   They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” (About five thousand men were there.)
   But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. - Luke 8:12-17 NIV

I used to think that this story was as simple as an illustration of Jesus' miraculous power, but it is more than that.  It is a contrast between our tendency to look to resolving problems with our own resources:  our might, our power, our wealth, our knowledge and going to the actual source to solve those problems instead.  Scientists now think there may be a parallel universe that has dimensions we cannot begin to imagine.  How they finally came to that conclusion when Jesus spoke of that parallel universe, the Kingdom of God, years ago.  There is the material world and there is the greater, far reaching spiritual world which contains more power than anything we can call up in this physical realm. 

Jesus told his disciples '“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”   It's also possible that no one who looks at just this physical world will ever experience the power of the Kingdom of God. 

2010 Post - Luke 8-9:  The Transfiguration

Luke 6-7: Go in Peace

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”  - Luke 7:44-59 NIV

For me, this truth remains; I have been forgiven much, so I must love much.  I have to hold that close to my heart.  Just like the beggars and blind men, the poor and the prostitutes, the crazy wild, the dead and those that mourn for them, my life has not been the same since I was touched by the master's hand.  Nothing will ever be the same, and my response cannot be what it was before.  I have no choice but to love as I am loved.  I fail miserably at times, but I keep trying.  Otherwise, despite my faith, I will not have the peace that Jesus promised.

2010 Post - Luke 6-7:  Radical Response to a Fractured Society

Luke 3-5: The Axe is at the Foot of the Tree

  “A voice of one calling in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
   make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
   every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
   the rough ways smooth.
And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’”
John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”  Luke 3:4-7 NIV

Sometimes everything has to be leveled, the valleys filled in and the crooked made straight.  Sometimes our preconceived ideas of our own goodness need to be re-evaluated.  What does it mean to produce fruit?  Does it mean to fill up our barns, to fill up our churches?  Does it mean to grow big and fat and wealthy?  John knew that Jesus was coming and that the people, even those who belonged to God because they were of the lineage of Abraham, were not ready.  Note to self:  'Et tu?'

2010 Post - Luke 3-5:  Ministry Begins with Temptation

Luke 1-2: Is it possible?

We tend to think of Jesus' birth as a solitary event:  Mary and Joseph, alone, in a stable, the babe in a manger.  Oh, there were shepherds and a star who came to see the child, but his birth was a solitary event.

It was not.  Christ's birth was surrounded by people and the miraculous.  Zechariah, the old priest, suddenly is mute and everyone wonders what happened.  After year of a barren marriage, his wife, Elizabeth becomes pregnant.  How the neighbors must have talked.  And her relative, the young girl Mary, she becomes pregnant as well, and is not even married.  Joseph, her betrothed, swears it isn't his, but he stays with her anyway. Simeon, the old man, waiting for the consolation of Israel, has his wish fulfilled and Anna, who at eighty-four had been constant in the temple since her husband died after only seven years of marriage realized that her prayers for the redemption of Jerusalem had been answered.

Is it possible that the same hand of God is moving among us right now, that there are people hearing from angels and becoming mute or having their mouths opened?  Are there faithful men waiting for the Messiah and old women praying and fasting for the redemption of the world?  Just as in Jesus' day, they were looking for the coming of the Messiah, but his coming turned out to be different from what they had imagined.  Are the events falling into place now that will lead up to the Messiah's return?  Will it be different than all of our predictions and imaginations?  Is it possible ?

2010 Post - Luke 1-2:  The Light Has Come

Mark 15-16 To Be Like Jesus

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”- Mark 15:38-39 NIV

What was it about the way that Jesus died that made it obvious that he was the Son of God?  Even before he rose from the dead, the centurion who had been standing in front of the cross saw something he had never seen before.  Was it a look of suffering, was it a moment of glory, was it the weight of all of our sins? 

Years ago, during a quiet time, I asked the Lord what it meant to be like Jesus.  I wanted, as many of us do, to be like him.  What flashed in my mind was the image of Jesus carrying the cross up a steep hill, bent over, bruised and broken, being followed by taunting crowds and stinging whips.  That wasn't the image I wanted to see.  I wanted to be the one healing the sick and feeding the multitudes, not the one being crucified. 

Very few of those following Jesus recognized that he was the Son of God during the years of his ministry.  It was his death that made it obvious who he was.  Something we need to consider if we truly want to be like him.

2010 Post - Mark 15-16:  Crucified Rejected and Alone

Mark 13-14: Be Ready

 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.  It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
    “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.  If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” - Mark 13:32-37 NIV

For centuries, there have been those who would predict the end of the world and countless numbers of others who paid attention to their predictions.  That flies in the face of what Jesus said.  Not even the angels in heaven or the son himself know the hour.  Signs?  The signs are everywhere, but we forget that God's time is not our time.  Haven't you noticed that when you pray for something.  It seems that you pray forever, that the answer never comes.  Then one day, the answer is there and along with it is all of the reason for the wait and anticipation...God's perfect timing.  It becomes obvious that there was never another time when the answer could have come; all of the preceding events had to fall into place before the perfect answer.  The Son is coming back.  That we know and that it may be soon many of us can sense.  But the day or the hour?  Only God knows when that will be.  But we can know that one day the father will say to the son, 'it is time.'  It is time to go get the bride.  We don't have to know when it will be, we just have to be ready.   

2010 Post - Mark 13-14:  Preparing for the End

Mark 11-12: It is Marvelous in Our Eyes

 “‘The stone the builders rejected
   has become the capstone;
the Lord has done this,
   and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”  - Mark 12:10-11 NIV
I love these words.  Whenever I think that I am unable to adequately defend the gospel, whenever I face opposition to my belief that I can't refute with eloquent words, I remember that it is all part of God's plan.  His plan included rejection.  His plan included his own son being despised, betrayed, brutalized and forsaken.  His own son faced total rejection and it was the Lord's hand that orchestrated it from humble beginning to humiliating end. 

This is the gate of the LORD
   through which the righteous may enter.
I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
   you have become my salvation.
The stone the builders rejected
   has become the capstone;
the LORD has done this,
   and it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
   let us rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:20-24 NIV

This life of rejection is the gate by which we enter in.  It is marvelous in our eyes.

2010 Post - Mark 11-12:  The Widow's Mite

Mark 9-10: Everything is Possible

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.”But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.  - Mark 9:22-27 NIV

'If you can?' was Jesus' question to the man who the disciples unable to cast a demon out of a his son. It was not to question the man's ability.  It was to repeat the question the man has asked Jesus.  "If you can, would you heal my son?"  A question that many of us secretly ask every day and then we wonder why our prayers are not answered.  Jesus' reply reveals the truth about him and about ourselves.  "Everything is possible for him who believes."  It echos another of Jesus' sentiments.  "You have not because you believe not."  Perhaps we need to stop phrasing our petitions as a question and phrase them as a statement instead.  Jesus already said everything is possible for him who believes.  We need to announce that to the heavens.

2010 Post - Mark 9-10:  Who's the Greatest?

Mark 7-8: Not a Life Worth Saving

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?  Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?  If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”  - Mark 8:34-38 NIV

I've been thinking a lot about this lately; about the choices we make here based on this life, on what we see surrounding us and how different our choices would be if we saw our final destination.  What do we really gain in the seventy or eighty years we spend on this earth.  From my perspective, more at the end of the spectrum than at the beginning, we gain nothing in the way of material possessions or position that really matters.  You'd think we would be standing on the rooftops, yelling to everyone to stop it:  stop all the fighting, stop all the jockeying for position, stop all the hoarding.  It doesn't matter. Instead we're fighting one way or another to preserve the status quo, to preserve this life that it is impossible to preserve.  If all we're concentrating on is saving our life, we're doomed to losing it.

2010 Post - Mark 7-8:  Who Do You Say I Am

Mark 4-6: This Little Light of Mine

He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
    “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”  - Mark 4:21-25 NIV

There was no way for Jesus to hide who he was.  No matter how many times he told those he touched not to tell anyone who had healed them, the word spread, and the crows followed, looking for something that they could not get from their priests, their government officials or their doctors.  For the disciples, and even those of us today who follow after him, it's often not quite so obvious who we are.  For one, we don't have the the faith that Jesus did.  We do not know the Father as well.  Then there is the hesitation:  we don't want to send the wrong message, we don't want to embarrass the gospel, we don't want to embarrass ourselves.  I think of myself and how much easier it is to be a witness in a foreign, third world, country where no one knows me, than it is here at home where I might be recognized. 

'This little light of mine', we used to sing, ' I'm gonna let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel? No!  I'm gonna let it shine.'

'Whatever is hidden', Jesus said, 'is meant to be disclosed and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.'

2010 Post - Mark 4-6:  A Prophet Without Honor

Mark 1-3: The Lonely Places

As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. - Mark 1:45

Jesus  led a quiet, solitary life up until the time he was baptised by John the Baptist.  All of  a sudden the Spirit of God descended on him and God's voice came from heaven saying , "You are my Son, in whom I am well pleased."  Jesus would never lead a quiet life of solitude and contemplation again.  Immediately he is taken to the desert to be tempted and then the opportunities for miracles and healing enveloped him.  There was no mistaking that he was someone with power.  The disciples and the people gathered around him and followed him constantly, even to the lonely places.  He could not stop his reputation from spreading like wildfire, even though he knew the ultimate end of his crescendoing ministry.

When we seek God, when we truly go after his Spirit, if we truly want to have his full power in our lives, we need to be mindful that it may force us into the lonely places.  The works that accompany God's Spirit will draw others to us,  both the needy and those wanting to kill anything that might hint of the gospel's power. Not even the lonely places will be a refuge if you're truly trying to follow God.
  

2010 Post - Mark 1-3:  The Lord of the Sabbath

Matthew 26-28: Watch and Pray

Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.....
..... Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”  He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” - Matt. 26: 27-41 NIV

Who can blame the poor disciples.  They have just had a huge meal and what Jesus said was the last wine they would ever drink with him.  It has gotten late, and now he has dragged them out of the city into a garden.  It's dark and the heady events of the past week have exhausted them.  There's no harm in getting some rest while Jesus does his thing, is there? 

For all of us, those who profess loudly and those who silently follow, there comes a time when we have to push on.  We're tired, perhaps we've had our fill of religiosity and hero worship.  We wouldn't mind some time alone with the Lord, but it has to be energetic or we are going to go to sleep.  Sometimes, I think not even the spirit is willing, but God has called us to keep watch; to watch and pray, to watch and pray so we will not fall into temptation.  That is the only way to get through the exhausting times, to watch and pray.

2010 Post - Matthew 26-28:  Dark Before the Dawn

Matthew 23-25: Judged by our Deeds

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
  “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
   “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
   “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ - Matt. 25:31-40 NIV

It is our deeds that we will be judged by, but many of us have the wrong idea of what that means; living a blameless, sinless, life.  That would be great if it was within our power to do so, but it is not.  For that, we have to fall on God's grace and accept the redemptive blood of his Son.  So, if we are not capable of saving ourselves, we will be judged righteous by the one thing that we are capable of doing:  giving food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, shelter to the homeless, clothing to those without, comfort to those who are sick and companionship to those in prison.  Look around, there's much to be done and it is being done by only a few. I see a lot of Christians who want to serve God to the sound of fanfare.  Most of the time, the ones who are doing the things God requires are those who want and receive little notice.  They quietly serve God as he positions himself in their midst.  Whatever they do for the least, they are doing for God.  We can be blessed here or blessed in heaven.  Are we doing the right things?

2010 Post - Matthew 23-25:  The End of Time

Matthew 21-22: Do You Believe?

Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” - Matt. 21:18-22 NIV

Jesus had an answer for every question; for those who would question his authority, for those who had little faith, for those trying to trap him into disobeying the law.  All of his answers revolved around one central question.  Do you believe?  Do you believe he is who he says he is.  Do you believe in his authority?  Do you believe in his power?  Do you believe his promise? 

2010 Post - Matthew 21-22:  Triumphal Entry

Matthew 18-20: Who is the Greatest?

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”   As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. - Matt. 20:25-34 NIV

Reading these chapters it becomes obvious that our definition of greatness diverges considerably from that of the gospel.  To be like a child, to be last, to be a servant, that is Jesus' definition of greatness.  Nothing has changed.  The cry is still the same as in Jesus' time.  "Lord, we want our sight."

2010 Post - Matthew 18-20:  Not to be Served, But to Save

Matthew 16-17: Dangerous Knowledge

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. 
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” - Matt. 16:16-23 NIV

This is dangerous knowledge, that Jesus was the Christ.  It was then and still is today, both in the results and in the requirements.  One minute Jesus is telling Peter that he will be the 'rock on which the church is built and the gates of hell will not prevail against it', and the next minute he is telling him, 'Get behind me, Satan!'  And there you have it.  How are we to live being both the foundation and a stumbling block.  How can the good news be so contradictory? 

I take consolation in this one thing.  God knew his creation.  He has always known his creation, our strengths and our weaknesses, and loves us in spite of them all.  Just like Peter, I often do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.  Is it possible, that even with all of my failures, I can still bind things on earth that will be loosed in heaven?  I think so.

2010 Post - Matthew 16-17:  Demand for a Sign