No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn't even match the old garment (Luke 5:36).
One morning this week in prayer I experienced a brief moment of clarity. In a second I became vividly aware of, not one or two, but several strongholds that I have allowed the enemy to occupy in my heart and in my mind.
As if a light switch had been suddenly turned on in my spirit, I saw areas of weakness where spiritual attacks are daily mounted by Satan...and won.
Throughout that day, as I went about my normal routine, my thoughts kept returning to these spiritual strongholds. I kept running them over in my mind. And each time I did, I could see how I had given my victory away day after day after day. I could clearly see how defeat had become a normal part of my everyday life.
By evening I was mad...at Satan....and at myself. And I began to wonder which stronghold I should concentrate on overcoming first. There was no clear answer, so I did what any Christian does when we realize that we can't figure something out on our own....I asked God.
I heard Him whisper, All of them.
I went to bed that night feeling more than a little overwhelmed, but as I read through scripture the next morning, I found something that put my experience in a little different perspective.
Jesus, when asked why His disciples weren't fasting though the Pharisees and John's disciples were, replied that the time would come when His disciples would fast.
Jesus went on to illustrate the difference between the Law and the new age of Grace that He was establishing saying, No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn't even match the old garment (Luke 5:36).
The picture Jesus painted in scripture made me think of my situation. In the brilliant light of truth, I saw the old shining through my life, and my first instinct was to reach for a single new patch.
But Jesus said that a patch would only make the problem worse. He continued by saying And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins (Mark 2:22).
All this time, I've been trying to put new wine into an old, patched up wineskin.I've been doing the same thing that the Pharisees tried to do. They tried to make Jesus fit into their understanding of the Law.
I try to make Him fit into my own understanding of spiritual warfare. I try to make Him fit into my idea of how victory should be accomplished.
But God doesn't fit into my box any more than He fit into the Pharisee's box.
In the next story in my reading this week the lame man did the same thing. He desired healing but he didn't think he could be healed because he knew that he couldn't, in his own power, make it to the bubbling waters of the pool of Bethesda in time for a miracle.
In the very presence of the Master Physician, the lame man was focused on what he knew and understood about his own situation. He didn't see how he could become victorious that day.
Jesus proved that the healing waters were not the only path to victory available to the lame man when he told him to stand up, pick up your mat, and walk.
I wonder how often I close my eyes to the possibilities of what God can do in my life because I can't see past what I know and understand about my own situation. I can't see how I can become victorious.
I can't see how I can overcome several spiritual strongholds together....but scripture says that the victory is already mine (I John 5:4).
I can't see how I can become a new creation overnight...but Paul wrote that I already am. The old has passed away and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).
I can't see....but the truth is right in front of my eyes....in the words of God that I claim to believe with all my heart.
The miracle of healing the lame man led to yet another discussion between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders.
Jesus attempted to explain to them that their own unbelief kept them from experiencing not only eternal life, but an abundance of life in their temporal lives. Their unbelief kept them from experiencing victory over death...and in life.
Jesus challenged those who most loudly proclaimed belief with their own lack of belief. He boldly told them that if they really believed what they claimed to believe, they would be able to hear the truth in the words He spoke and see the evidence of that truth in the miracles He performed.
I wonder how much the spiritual strongholds that the enemy occupies in my life have to do with my own belief....or lack thereof.
If I really believed that all things are possible, would I balk at God's instruction to overcome all of the spiritual strongholds He showed me this week?
I believe it's time for a new kind of normal in my life. It's time for a new day to dawn in my journey.
It's time for me quit trying to patch up my old struggles and begin today a new creation.
I cannot allow yesterday's defeats, or tomorrow's worries to shape who I am in Christ today. I can claim victory today over every spiritual stronghold of the enemy. And I can claim victory tomorrow. And the next day. One day at a time. If I will rely on God's ability and simply believe in the victory He's already given me.
I believe that every spiritual stronghold that Satan has occupied in my life is crumbling now under the weight of my belief.
I believe I am a new creation.
I believe I am victorious today.
That is the gift of faith in me.
(Journey: Mark 2:18-22; Matthew 9:14-17; Luke 5:33-39; John 5:1-47)
Monday, April 29, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Willing Hearts
Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him, "I am willing," he said. "Be Healed!" (Mark 1:41)
When a leprous man knelt in front of Jesus and said Lord, if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean, Jesus answered, I am willing. Be healed!
There have been so many times in my life when I have knelt before God with seemingly impossible requests and have heard Him answer me in the same way. He has shown me over and over that He is not only able, but willing to work in my life in ways I never could have imagined.
But there have been other times....times when I have faced the realization that God was not willing to answer my request the way I desired.
I have a condition with my heart that causes it to beat too fast at times. There are medical procedures that could possibly heal it, if I would be willing to undergo them. But, so far, I have been unwilling.
Call me crazy, but I don't really want any doctor playing with my heart unless it's absolutely necessary.
On the other hand, however, I have asked God, at times to heal my heart to no avail. He is unwilling it seems to heal my heart physically.
I reason that it is because my heart issue has kept me tied closely to Him in a deeply personal way. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my heart is in His hands. I realize, perhaps more readily than those whose hearts are not slightly broken, that every precious beat is a gift from Him.
And when my heart gets a little out of rhythm, I turn to Him for comfort and peace.
I figure God isn't nearly as concerned with the physical condition of my heart as He is with the spiritual condition of it anyway. After all, we both know that if He was willing, He could heal it physically at any time.
But for God to heal my heart spiritually, I must be willing as well.
And that is what He truly wants of me. A willingness to allow Him access to the spiritual brokenness in my heart as readily as I do the physical brokenness there. He wants me to allow Him access to the spiritual part that needs a healing touch from Him the most.
I can almost hear Him whisper to me, If you are willing, I can heal your heart, and make it clean.... I can almost picture Jesus holding out His hand, waiting only for me to answer, I am willing. Heal my heart!
Though God may not offer us physical healing in every aspect of our lives, He offers us something so much better. He offers a spiritual healing that helps us to become more like Christ. And that is His desire for each of us in this life.
Shortly after Jesus healed the leprous man, scripture tells us the story of a paralyzed man whose friends tore through the roof of the house Jesus was teaching in to allow him access to the Master physician.
Jesus took one look at his broken heart and said to him, My child, your sins are forgiven.
He will say the same to us, if we are willing to bring our inherently wicked human hearts (Jeremiah 17:9) to Him for cleansing. But in order for us to be willing, we must recognize our need for cleansing...our need for repentance.
We must be willing to take our heart to Him no matter the obstacles that stand in our way.
We must be willing to tear through our pride and forget about what others may think of us.
We must be willing to tear through our shame and understand that He loves us anyway.
We must be willing to tear through our guilt and realize that He is calling us in spite of it.
We must be willing to kneel at the feet of Jesus with broken spirits and open hearts.
The paralyzed man was willing to do just that, but there were those in the crowd who weren't so willing. The religious leaders of the day were unwilling to see their own need for spiritual healing. They were unwilling to see Christ for who He was. And they remained as they were.
In the next story in scripture, we see those same religious leaders, unchanged, and still unwilling, as they question Jesus' decision to call the tax collector Matthew to follow Him in spite of His guilt.
Unable to see the brokenness of their own unclean hearts, they questioned Jesus' association with those they considered to be unclean sinners.
And Jesus answered them, I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.
And I pray, if my physically broken heart helps me to always remember my need for Christ, then Lord, let it remain broken.
Let it remain spiritually broken as well. As often as it needs to be to remind me of my desperate need for Christ's cleansing touch.
I don't want to be like the unchanged religious leaders. Broken. But unwilling to see their own brokenness.
I want to be one who knows my need of the Master physician. One who glimpses the brokenness of my own heart every day. Every moment if that's what it takes to keep me close to God.
I want to be one who see the brokenness of those around me so I'm not quick to judge them, but, rather, to show mercy and grace.
Jesus told the religious leaders to go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.
The sacrifice that God has always desired from His children is broken and repentant hearts brought to Him for a healing that only He can give. A spiritual healing that makes us more like Christ.
When we truly recognize our own need for His mercy, we will share that mercy with others.
We will become like the friends of the paralyzed men who tore through the ceiling to allow one sinner access to the Master physician.
We will bring others to Christ by the example of our own broken hearts.
We will be able to share with others the truth that we will undoubtedly learn for ourselves along the way -- The Lord is so very near to the brokenhearted (Psalms 34:18).
That is the gift of faith.
(Journey: Mark 1:40-45, 2:1-17; Matthew 8:1-4, 9:1-13; Luke 5:12-32)
When a leprous man knelt in front of Jesus and said Lord, if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean, Jesus answered, I am willing. Be healed!
There have been so many times in my life when I have knelt before God with seemingly impossible requests and have heard Him answer me in the same way. He has shown me over and over that He is not only able, but willing to work in my life in ways I never could have imagined.
But there have been other times....times when I have faced the realization that God was not willing to answer my request the way I desired.
I have a condition with my heart that causes it to beat too fast at times. There are medical procedures that could possibly heal it, if I would be willing to undergo them. But, so far, I have been unwilling.
Call me crazy, but I don't really want any doctor playing with my heart unless it's absolutely necessary.
On the other hand, however, I have asked God, at times to heal my heart to no avail. He is unwilling it seems to heal my heart physically.
I reason that it is because my heart issue has kept me tied closely to Him in a deeply personal way. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my heart is in His hands. I realize, perhaps more readily than those whose hearts are not slightly broken, that every precious beat is a gift from Him.
And when my heart gets a little out of rhythm, I turn to Him for comfort and peace.
I figure God isn't nearly as concerned with the physical condition of my heart as He is with the spiritual condition of it anyway. After all, we both know that if He was willing, He could heal it physically at any time.
But for God to heal my heart spiritually, I must be willing as well.
And that is what He truly wants of me. A willingness to allow Him access to the spiritual brokenness in my heart as readily as I do the physical brokenness there. He wants me to allow Him access to the spiritual part that needs a healing touch from Him the most.
I can almost hear Him whisper to me, If you are willing, I can heal your heart, and make it clean.... I can almost picture Jesus holding out His hand, waiting only for me to answer, I am willing. Heal my heart!
Though God may not offer us physical healing in every aspect of our lives, He offers us something so much better. He offers a spiritual healing that helps us to become more like Christ. And that is His desire for each of us in this life.
Shortly after Jesus healed the leprous man, scripture tells us the story of a paralyzed man whose friends tore through the roof of the house Jesus was teaching in to allow him access to the Master physician.
Jesus took one look at his broken heart and said to him, My child, your sins are forgiven.
He will say the same to us, if we are willing to bring our inherently wicked human hearts (Jeremiah 17:9) to Him for cleansing. But in order for us to be willing, we must recognize our need for cleansing...our need for repentance.
We must be willing to take our heart to Him no matter the obstacles that stand in our way.
We must be willing to tear through our pride and forget about what others may think of us.
We must be willing to tear through our shame and understand that He loves us anyway.
We must be willing to tear through our guilt and realize that He is calling us in spite of it.
We must be willing to kneel at the feet of Jesus with broken spirits and open hearts.
The paralyzed man was willing to do just that, but there were those in the crowd who weren't so willing. The religious leaders of the day were unwilling to see their own need for spiritual healing. They were unwilling to see Christ for who He was. And they remained as they were.
In the next story in scripture, we see those same religious leaders, unchanged, and still unwilling, as they question Jesus' decision to call the tax collector Matthew to follow Him in spite of His guilt.
Unable to see the brokenness of their own unclean hearts, they questioned Jesus' association with those they considered to be unclean sinners.
And Jesus answered them, I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.
And I pray, if my physically broken heart helps me to always remember my need for Christ, then Lord, let it remain broken.
Let it remain spiritually broken as well. As often as it needs to be to remind me of my desperate need for Christ's cleansing touch.
I don't want to be like the unchanged religious leaders. Broken. But unwilling to see their own brokenness.
I want to be one who knows my need of the Master physician. One who glimpses the brokenness of my own heart every day. Every moment if that's what it takes to keep me close to God.
I want to be one who see the brokenness of those around me so I'm not quick to judge them, but, rather, to show mercy and grace.
Jesus told the religious leaders to go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.
The sacrifice that God has always desired from His children is broken and repentant hearts brought to Him for a healing that only He can give. A spiritual healing that makes us more like Christ.
When we truly recognize our own need for His mercy, we will share that mercy with others.
We will become like the friends of the paralyzed men who tore through the ceiling to allow one sinner access to the Master physician.
We will bring others to Christ by the example of our own broken hearts.
We will be able to share with others the truth that we will undoubtedly learn for ourselves along the way -- The Lord is so very near to the brokenhearted (Psalms 34:18).
That is the gift of faith.
(Journey: Mark 1:40-45, 2:1-17; Matthew 8:1-4, 9:1-13; Luke 5:12-32)
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Walking through
...He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free...Luke 4:18
When I picked up my son this week from his second ever basketball practice, he was practically bubbling with excitement as he shared how much he had enjoyed the session.
A moment later, however, he added in a little less enthusiastic tone, that he had overheard another young man making fun of him for allowing the ball to get away from him.
As I encouraged TJ to let the negative comments of others roll off of his back, my thoughts turned to the scripture I had been reading only moments before as I sat waiting for him to come out of the gym. The story of Christ's trip to Nazareth where he was rejected by those who refused to see past His humble beginnings as the carpenter's son to the Son He had become.
The lesson I'm trying to teach my son, is a lesson I feel like I've learned anew lately. As I have struggled between a desire to please those around me and a desire to please God I have heard Him whisper to me over and over to let the negative comments of others roll off my back. He has urged me to define myself by what He says about me and to strive to please Him alone.
He illustrated this lesson for me in a new way, as I read about Jesus' short trip to Nazareth and his journey through Capernaum.
When Jesus taught in the synagogue at Nazareth, He spoke with an authority that was awe-inspiring even to those who would reject Him a few moments later.
Jesus exuded a confidence that is found when we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we are following the will of God in our lives. It is a confidence that I have had at times, but, one that has alluded me far more often than I would like.
It is a confidence, however, that I believe can be gained if we follow the example Christ set in the next few passages of scripture.
Shortly after Jesus proclaimed that He had been sent to fulfill Isaiah's prophecy that captives would be released, that the blind would see, and that the oppressed would be set free, He told the people of Nazareth that they would not experience the fulfillment of that prophecy as other areas had -- with miracles and a demonstration of His power and authority.
The revelation incited the people of Nazareth to hatred for Him. Scripture says that they mobbed Him and forced Him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push Him over the cliff, but He passed right through the crowd and went on His way.
It seems that the people of Nazareth very literally rolled off the back of the Messiah. Their hatred could not deter Him. Their words could not harm Him. Their hands could not touch Him. Jesus walked through them to where God was leading Him next.
When we live lives of bold faith, rejection will come. Often, unfortunately, it comes from those we expect it from the least. Those who know us best. Those we love the most. And those we most long to please.
We cannot allow the hatred of others to deter us from the path that God has called us to walk. We cannot allow the words of others to slice through our faith in God and His love for us. We cannot allow the sharp tongues of those who would harm us to come anywhere near our hearts and minds.
We must walk through them to get to where God is leading us next, but we do not have to allow them to push us into a pit of despair.
Jesus came to release us from the captivity that our desire to please man will bind us with. He came to open our eyes to the truth of His love for us, so that we can hold onto that in the moments when it seems as though no one else does. He came to set us free from the oppression of negative, hateful, discouraging words -- even when they fall from the lips of those He has called us to serve.
When Jesus left Nazareth, He traveled to Capernaum where he performed countless miracles including healing Simon Peter's mother-in-law, and casting a demon out of a man in the synagogue there.
Scripture tells us that in His time at Capernaum, Jesus cast out many demons. It also says that He refused to allow them to speak. Scripture indicates that the demons were attempting to tell the people that Jesus was the Messiah, which seems reasonable enough, but, still, Jesus would not allow them to speak at all.
Jesus would not allow the demons to define Him, as Messiah, or as anything or anyone else. We could learn a lesson from His approach to the enemy.
Satan might start out with a nugget of truth to get us to listen to him, but it doesn't take long for him to begin to twist that truth. To lie. To deceive us into allowing him to define us as hopeless sinners, irredeemable failures or miserable outcasts.
When we allow the enemy to speak at all in our lives, we run the risk of allowing him to define us as something we are not, in Christ.
We must do as Jesus did. Refuse to listen to the first words out of the enemy's mouth. Cut him off before he ever says a word. Refuse to allow him to speak into our lives, hearts, or minds.
When I notice my boys portraying a negative image of themselves, I remind them to tell Satan to Get Back! We don't have to listen to the voice of the enemy in our lives. The second he begins to whisper doubt or fear, we can command him to Get Back! by the same authority Jesus commanded the demons in scripture.
We must not allow the enemy to define us in any way.
Ironically, sometimes those who approve of us, can be just as detrimental to our walk of faith, as those who reject us.
Jesus had an amazing few days in Capernaum, but when it was time to leave, He had to walk through another group of people. But they weren't trying to kill Him. On the contrary, they were begging Him to stay.
I imagine that it hurt Jesus worse to leave those who loved Him, than to endure the rejection of those who didn't.
In fact, those who know me best, know that this example hits very close to home. When Toby and I realized that God was leading us from one church to another, the journey became one of the most difficult we have endured in our walk of faith.
Walking through those who love us, into the unknown, and following God somewhere new, is not an easy task.
But, Jesus did it.
Jesus walked through those who rejected him, and He refused to listen to an enemy that wanted to define Him, so that He could follow God where ever He led.
And, if we will keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), we can do the same.
(Journey: Luke 4:16-44; Mark 1:21-39; Matthew 8:14-17, 23-25)
When I picked up my son this week from his second ever basketball practice, he was practically bubbling with excitement as he shared how much he had enjoyed the session.
A moment later, however, he added in a little less enthusiastic tone, that he had overheard another young man making fun of him for allowing the ball to get away from him.
As I encouraged TJ to let the negative comments of others roll off of his back, my thoughts turned to the scripture I had been reading only moments before as I sat waiting for him to come out of the gym. The story of Christ's trip to Nazareth where he was rejected by those who refused to see past His humble beginnings as the carpenter's son to the Son He had become.
The lesson I'm trying to teach my son, is a lesson I feel like I've learned anew lately. As I have struggled between a desire to please those around me and a desire to please God I have heard Him whisper to me over and over to let the negative comments of others roll off my back. He has urged me to define myself by what He says about me and to strive to please Him alone.
He illustrated this lesson for me in a new way, as I read about Jesus' short trip to Nazareth and his journey through Capernaum.
When Jesus taught in the synagogue at Nazareth, He spoke with an authority that was awe-inspiring even to those who would reject Him a few moments later.
Jesus exuded a confidence that is found when we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we are following the will of God in our lives. It is a confidence that I have had at times, but, one that has alluded me far more often than I would like.
It is a confidence, however, that I believe can be gained if we follow the example Christ set in the next few passages of scripture.
Shortly after Jesus proclaimed that He had been sent to fulfill Isaiah's prophecy that captives would be released, that the blind would see, and that the oppressed would be set free, He told the people of Nazareth that they would not experience the fulfillment of that prophecy as other areas had -- with miracles and a demonstration of His power and authority.
The revelation incited the people of Nazareth to hatred for Him. Scripture says that they mobbed Him and forced Him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push Him over the cliff, but He passed right through the crowd and went on His way.
It seems that the people of Nazareth very literally rolled off the back of the Messiah. Their hatred could not deter Him. Their words could not harm Him. Their hands could not touch Him. Jesus walked through them to where God was leading Him next.
When we live lives of bold faith, rejection will come. Often, unfortunately, it comes from those we expect it from the least. Those who know us best. Those we love the most. And those we most long to please.
We cannot allow the hatred of others to deter us from the path that God has called us to walk. We cannot allow the words of others to slice through our faith in God and His love for us. We cannot allow the sharp tongues of those who would harm us to come anywhere near our hearts and minds.
We must walk through them to get to where God is leading us next, but we do not have to allow them to push us into a pit of despair.
Jesus came to release us from the captivity that our desire to please man will bind us with. He came to open our eyes to the truth of His love for us, so that we can hold onto that in the moments when it seems as though no one else does. He came to set us free from the oppression of negative, hateful, discouraging words -- even when they fall from the lips of those He has called us to serve.
When Jesus left Nazareth, He traveled to Capernaum where he performed countless miracles including healing Simon Peter's mother-in-law, and casting a demon out of a man in the synagogue there.
Scripture tells us that in His time at Capernaum, Jesus cast out many demons. It also says that He refused to allow them to speak. Scripture indicates that the demons were attempting to tell the people that Jesus was the Messiah, which seems reasonable enough, but, still, Jesus would not allow them to speak at all.
Jesus would not allow the demons to define Him, as Messiah, or as anything or anyone else. We could learn a lesson from His approach to the enemy.
Satan might start out with a nugget of truth to get us to listen to him, but it doesn't take long for him to begin to twist that truth. To lie. To deceive us into allowing him to define us as hopeless sinners, irredeemable failures or miserable outcasts.
When we allow the enemy to speak at all in our lives, we run the risk of allowing him to define us as something we are not, in Christ.
We must do as Jesus did. Refuse to listen to the first words out of the enemy's mouth. Cut him off before he ever says a word. Refuse to allow him to speak into our lives, hearts, or minds.
When I notice my boys portraying a negative image of themselves, I remind them to tell Satan to Get Back! We don't have to listen to the voice of the enemy in our lives. The second he begins to whisper doubt or fear, we can command him to Get Back! by the same authority Jesus commanded the demons in scripture.
We must not allow the enemy to define us in any way.
Ironically, sometimes those who approve of us, can be just as detrimental to our walk of faith, as those who reject us.
Jesus had an amazing few days in Capernaum, but when it was time to leave, He had to walk through another group of people. But they weren't trying to kill Him. On the contrary, they were begging Him to stay.
I imagine that it hurt Jesus worse to leave those who loved Him, than to endure the rejection of those who didn't.
In fact, those who know me best, know that this example hits very close to home. When Toby and I realized that God was leading us from one church to another, the journey became one of the most difficult we have endured in our walk of faith.
Walking through those who love us, into the unknown, and following God somewhere new, is not an easy task.
But, Jesus did it.
Jesus walked through those who rejected him, and He refused to listen to an enemy that wanted to define Him, so that He could follow God where ever He led.
And, if we will keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), we can do the same.
(Journey: Luke 4:16-44; Mark 1:21-39; Matthew 8:14-17, 23-25)
Friday, April 12, 2013
Moments
And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus....(Luke 5:11)
Last year my husband lost his cousin, best friend and mentor in a single moment. A split second of time took one life and changed countless others when two people tragically crossed paths.
In the days, weeks, and months that followed, we marveled over and over at how many different lives could be so dramatically impacted in a single moment of time.
So many lives were changed forever.
As I continued reading in the New Testament this week, I was struck by the different moments that left people changed.
John the Baptist became a prisoner of man in his service to God. The people of Zebulan and Naphtali saw a great light. The entire household of a government official believed in Jesus. And Peter, Andrew, James and John left everything they knew to follow Christ.
So many lives were changed in a series of brief moments.
When John the Baptist told his disciples that he must become less and Jesus must become more, I somehow doubt that prison was what he had in mind for his lesser journey.
When he was arrested, I wonder if he questioned God, as I have so often done in the difficult moments of my life. I wonder if his faith faltered just a little bit. Knowing that from his prison cell, he sent men to ask Christ if he truly was the Messiah, after he, himself, had earlier proclaimed it, makes me think it did....at least a little.
Circumstances that we just don't understand have a way of making us question things we already know and believe. Moments that bring sorrow, confusion, and pain have a way of making us question our faith.
But I've learned the same lesson I'm sure John the Baptist learned inside the confines of his cell. When our broken heart doesn't understand and we ask God WHY with a pure heart of faltering faith, that question is not a sign of disrespect or unbelief, but it is an open invitation for Him to speak personally to us -- to gift us with a more complete faith based on an intimate relationship with Him.
In the prison cells of our lives -- in the moments of darkness brought on by grief and pain that we cannot begin to understand -- faith is tested. And if we come out the other side with our faith intact, we are changed for it. We become more faithful and more faith-full.
We become more like Christ -- willing to follow where ever God leads us. Into darkness, into light, and, even into the sometimes obscure places where we become God's light.
Jesus followed into the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali after John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod. Scripture is lacking in details about His brief stroll beyond the Jordan River, but it was prophesied by Isaiah and recorded by Matthew for a reason.
Maybe a Bible scholar could explain why it was important for Jesus to travel into the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali and shine His light there for the people who sat in darkness. I can't. But what I do recognize in this portion of scripture is that there was significance in this seemingly insignificant stroll beyond the Jordan River.
It was meaningful to God. It was significant to His plan. I may not understand it, but God does.
There are so many moments in my life like this. Detours I don't expect or understand. Journeys that make little, or no, sense to me. Moments that seem insignificant.
But what I'm learning about God as I mature in years and faith is that every moment of my life has significance. Every breath has purpose. Every split second of my life is a part of His magnificent plan.
I can choose to make the monotonous moments of motherhood meaningful....or mundane. I can choose to make continual chores a time of self-pity....or a time of prayer and praise.
I can choose to shine in the seemingly insignificant moments of my life, or I can fade into the darkness around me unchanged by my faith.
Lord, help me to choose each moment to shine.
And then there are moments in our lives, where God shines brilliantly, and the glory of His presence brings an overwhelming faith to us.
Like the moment when Jesus told the government official that his son would live though he had been about to die only moments before. The miracle that inspired his entire household to believe happened the moment Jesus spoke to him -- the moment his son's life was changed.
Moments like these build our faith, so that we can walk through the rising tides in the difficult moments of life.
Moments when we hear God speak personally to us. When we see Him move in our lives in miraculous ways. When belief and faith come easily, because Jesus is so obviously present in the moment.
I've experienced plenty of these moments, but I'm always amazed at how quickly I seem to forget about them when trials come or when routine takes over my days.
Lord help me to remember the moments of Your glory in my life.
When Jesus taught the crowd on Simon Peter's boat and then performed a miracle -- calling an abundance of fish out of an empty sea -- Peter, Andrew, James and John were changed in a moment.
They were awestruck and amazed by God, and scripture says they left everything and followed Jesus.
It's easy to be awestruck by the miracles of God in the moments they occur. It's easy to be amazed when He shows up in an undeniable moment of glory.
But, in order to leave everything and follow Jesus, we must learn to carry these moments with us, in our hearts and in our minds, as life preservers of faith that we can hold onto when the tides of tragedy, the endless waves of routine, and all the other difficult moments of life threaten to overwhelm us.
Jesus promised that when we followed Him, there would be difficult moments, and I, for one, can testify to that fact.
But, looking back, over the difficult moments of my life, I can see that those are the ones that changed me the most, because those are the moments that I had to choose to grab onto my faith with both hands.
From this perspective I can see that God has used the difficult moments to draw me closer to Him in ways I would never have chosen, but can see by faith are for His glory and His plan.
These are the moments that have taught me to look toward heaven in a different kind of light.
These are the moments that have changed my heart and my life.
These are the moments that I have unwrapped the gift of faith for myself.
(Journey: Luke 3:19-23, 5:1-11; Matthew 4:12-22; Mark 1:14-20; John 4:46-54)
Last year my husband lost his cousin, best friend and mentor in a single moment. A split second of time took one life and changed countless others when two people tragically crossed paths.
In the days, weeks, and months that followed, we marveled over and over at how many different lives could be so dramatically impacted in a single moment of time.
So many lives were changed forever.
As I continued reading in the New Testament this week, I was struck by the different moments that left people changed.
John the Baptist became a prisoner of man in his service to God. The people of Zebulan and Naphtali saw a great light. The entire household of a government official believed in Jesus. And Peter, Andrew, James and John left everything they knew to follow Christ.
So many lives were changed in a series of brief moments.
When John the Baptist told his disciples that he must become less and Jesus must become more, I somehow doubt that prison was what he had in mind for his lesser journey.
When he was arrested, I wonder if he questioned God, as I have so often done in the difficult moments of my life. I wonder if his faith faltered just a little bit. Knowing that from his prison cell, he sent men to ask Christ if he truly was the Messiah, after he, himself, had earlier proclaimed it, makes me think it did....at least a little.
Circumstances that we just don't understand have a way of making us question things we already know and believe. Moments that bring sorrow, confusion, and pain have a way of making us question our faith.
But I've learned the same lesson I'm sure John the Baptist learned inside the confines of his cell. When our broken heart doesn't understand and we ask God WHY with a pure heart of faltering faith, that question is not a sign of disrespect or unbelief, but it is an open invitation for Him to speak personally to us -- to gift us with a more complete faith based on an intimate relationship with Him.
In the prison cells of our lives -- in the moments of darkness brought on by grief and pain that we cannot begin to understand -- faith is tested. And if we come out the other side with our faith intact, we are changed for it. We become more faithful and more faith-full.
We become more like Christ -- willing to follow where ever God leads us. Into darkness, into light, and, even into the sometimes obscure places where we become God's light.
Jesus followed into the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali after John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod. Scripture is lacking in details about His brief stroll beyond the Jordan River, but it was prophesied by Isaiah and recorded by Matthew for a reason.
Maybe a Bible scholar could explain why it was important for Jesus to travel into the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali and shine His light there for the people who sat in darkness. I can't. But what I do recognize in this portion of scripture is that there was significance in this seemingly insignificant stroll beyond the Jordan River.
It was meaningful to God. It was significant to His plan. I may not understand it, but God does.
There are so many moments in my life like this. Detours I don't expect or understand. Journeys that make little, or no, sense to me. Moments that seem insignificant.
But what I'm learning about God as I mature in years and faith is that every moment of my life has significance. Every breath has purpose. Every split second of my life is a part of His magnificent plan.
I can choose to make the monotonous moments of motherhood meaningful....or mundane. I can choose to make continual chores a time of self-pity....or a time of prayer and praise.
I can choose to shine in the seemingly insignificant moments of my life, or I can fade into the darkness around me unchanged by my faith.
Lord, help me to choose each moment to shine.
And then there are moments in our lives, where God shines brilliantly, and the glory of His presence brings an overwhelming faith to us.
Like the moment when Jesus told the government official that his son would live though he had been about to die only moments before. The miracle that inspired his entire household to believe happened the moment Jesus spoke to him -- the moment his son's life was changed.
Moments like these build our faith, so that we can walk through the rising tides in the difficult moments of life.
Moments when we hear God speak personally to us. When we see Him move in our lives in miraculous ways. When belief and faith come easily, because Jesus is so obviously present in the moment.
I've experienced plenty of these moments, but I'm always amazed at how quickly I seem to forget about them when trials come or when routine takes over my days.
Lord help me to remember the moments of Your glory in my life.
When Jesus taught the crowd on Simon Peter's boat and then performed a miracle -- calling an abundance of fish out of an empty sea -- Peter, Andrew, James and John were changed in a moment.
They were awestruck and amazed by God, and scripture says they left everything and followed Jesus.
It's easy to be awestruck by the miracles of God in the moments they occur. It's easy to be amazed when He shows up in an undeniable moment of glory.
But, in order to leave everything and follow Jesus, we must learn to carry these moments with us, in our hearts and in our minds, as life preservers of faith that we can hold onto when the tides of tragedy, the endless waves of routine, and all the other difficult moments of life threaten to overwhelm us.
Jesus promised that when we followed Him, there would be difficult moments, and I, for one, can testify to that fact.
But, looking back, over the difficult moments of my life, I can see that those are the ones that changed me the most, because those are the moments that I had to choose to grab onto my faith with both hands.
From this perspective I can see that God has used the difficult moments to draw me closer to Him in ways I would never have chosen, but can see by faith are for His glory and His plan.
These are the moments that have taught me to look toward heaven in a different kind of light.
These are the moments that have changed my heart and my life.
These are the moments that I have unwrapped the gift of faith for myself.
(Journey: Luke 3:19-23, 5:1-11; Matthew 4:12-22; Mark 1:14-20; John 4:46-54)
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Brave Enough
The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, "Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did!"... John 4:28-29
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, He was weary. He was hungry. And He was thirsty. So was she...
She was weary of the judgement of others. She was hungry for acceptance. For someone to see her for who she really was and still consider her worthy. She was thirsty for more than the water she had come in search of. She was thirsty for truth in her life.
But she was also afraid.
She was afraid to endure the judgement from the other villagers during the daily gathering at the well. She was afraid to brush shoulders with those who saw her for who she really was and didn't accept her. She was afraid to face the people who knew the truth about her life.
So she went to the well alone, at noon, when no one else would be there.
But Jesus was there. And He actually spoke to her. Like she was a worthy person. He told her the truth about herself, like He had known her all her life. She didn't have to hide anything from Him. In fact, she quickly realized that she couldn't hide anything from Him. Yet, He spoke to her anyway. He accepted her anyway. He didn't judge her.
And she was changed.
By the truth that He was the Messiah. By the truth that He knew the truth about her, and considered her worthy in spite of it. By the truth that He refused to pass judgement on her, even though, by all accounts, she deserved it.
She was strengthened. She was spiritually nourished with acceptance and truth. And she became brave.
Brave enough to face the truth of her life. To see her own sins, and then to see past them, to what Jesus saw in her -- worth. Value that she had never seen before because she had never been brave enough to see past her own sins.
Sometimes I make faith all about myself. I spend so much time and effort trying to change into the person I think God wants me to be. Trying to make myself better -- worthy. I set noble goals, but I realize they have a self-centered focus.
Scripture doesn't tell us that the Samaritan women went home and moved her boyfriend out of her house and cleaned up her life. It doesn't say that she worked to change herself, or to make herself worthy. No. She saw her worth in Christ, and she went to work for Him. Not herself.
She spread the message of Christ. She shared Him with her entire village. Deeply entrenched in her sins, she shared the victory over them, because she realized that a living a cleaner life didn't make her more worthy to share Christ. She was worthy because of Christ -- not herself. Not anything she did, or didn't do.
Lord help me to see my worth in You, not in anything I've done....or haven't done.
The Samaritan woman was brave enough to believe that God was looking for someone like her. A sinner. A failure at marriage. A failure at relationships. A failure at life....But someone who was willing to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Someone who was willing to share Him with the world in spite of her own shortcomings. In spite of her own failures. In spite of her own sins.
God was looking for someone brave enough to endure judgement from those who would refuse to see past her sins. He was looking for someone brave enough to face exclusion from those who would refuse to see her worth in Christ.
He still is today. He is looking for people like the Samaritan woman who will run to the world and share Christ in spite of themselves.
The Samaritan woman ran back to the village. To the same people she had been avoiding only moments before, and shared Christ. Scripture says her message was that Jesus had told her everything she ever did. Every time she spoke those words, it must have reminded herself, and those she spoke to, of all her many sins -- everything she had ever done.
But she did it anyway, because she was no longer afraid of their judgement. She was no longer hungry for their acceptance. She had found all she needed in Christ, alone -- truth.
Truth of her sins. Truth of her worth. Truth of her Savior. Their Savior. The Savior of the world.
The change in her must have been evident to them, because scripture says they streamed towards Christ. Because they too were weary, and hungry, and thirsty. They needed to hear truth for themselves. They needed to hear Christ speak to them, personally. And they did.
Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world."....John 4:42
They heard Him for themselves, because she was brave enough to share Him with them. We don't have to think that we must convince anyone of Christ's existence. We don't have to prove to anyone that He is the Savior of the world. Our job is to share Christ. To introduce others to Him. He will do the rest. He will speak to them, as He speaks to us.
Lord, help me to share You in spite of my own sins and to face the judgement that will surely fall from the lips of those who judge.
After the Samaritan woman left, but before the villagers arrived at the well, Jesus, refreshed and nourished from doing the will of God, told his disciples to wake up and look around because the fields are ripe for harvest.
The fields are still ripe. Souls are still waiting to hear. Your story. My story. Christ's story.
We don't have to live a perfect life to be used of God.
We don't have to clean up our own sins before we can be a witness to others.
We just have to be brave enough to share Christ with those around us.
That is the gift of faith in us.
(Journey: John 4:1-45)
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, He was weary. He was hungry. And He was thirsty. So was she...
She was weary of the judgement of others. She was hungry for acceptance. For someone to see her for who she really was and still consider her worthy. She was thirsty for more than the water she had come in search of. She was thirsty for truth in her life.
But she was also afraid.
She was afraid to endure the judgement from the other villagers during the daily gathering at the well. She was afraid to brush shoulders with those who saw her for who she really was and didn't accept her. She was afraid to face the people who knew the truth about her life.
So she went to the well alone, at noon, when no one else would be there.
But Jesus was there. And He actually spoke to her. Like she was a worthy person. He told her the truth about herself, like He had known her all her life. She didn't have to hide anything from Him. In fact, she quickly realized that she couldn't hide anything from Him. Yet, He spoke to her anyway. He accepted her anyway. He didn't judge her.
And she was changed.
By the truth that He was the Messiah. By the truth that He knew the truth about her, and considered her worthy in spite of it. By the truth that He refused to pass judgement on her, even though, by all accounts, she deserved it.
She was strengthened. She was spiritually nourished with acceptance and truth. And she became brave.
Brave enough to face the truth of her life. To see her own sins, and then to see past them, to what Jesus saw in her -- worth. Value that she had never seen before because she had never been brave enough to see past her own sins.
Sometimes I make faith all about myself. I spend so much time and effort trying to change into the person I think God wants me to be. Trying to make myself better -- worthy. I set noble goals, but I realize they have a self-centered focus.
Scripture doesn't tell us that the Samaritan women went home and moved her boyfriend out of her house and cleaned up her life. It doesn't say that she worked to change herself, or to make herself worthy. No. She saw her worth in Christ, and she went to work for Him. Not herself.
She spread the message of Christ. She shared Him with her entire village. Deeply entrenched in her sins, she shared the victory over them, because she realized that a living a cleaner life didn't make her more worthy to share Christ. She was worthy because of Christ -- not herself. Not anything she did, or didn't do.
Lord help me to see my worth in You, not in anything I've done....or haven't done.
The Samaritan woman was brave enough to believe that God was looking for someone like her. A sinner. A failure at marriage. A failure at relationships. A failure at life....But someone who was willing to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Someone who was willing to share Him with the world in spite of her own shortcomings. In spite of her own failures. In spite of her own sins.
God was looking for someone brave enough to endure judgement from those who would refuse to see past her sins. He was looking for someone brave enough to face exclusion from those who would refuse to see her worth in Christ.
He still is today. He is looking for people like the Samaritan woman who will run to the world and share Christ in spite of themselves.
The Samaritan woman ran back to the village. To the same people she had been avoiding only moments before, and shared Christ. Scripture says her message was that Jesus had told her everything she ever did. Every time she spoke those words, it must have reminded herself, and those she spoke to, of all her many sins -- everything she had ever done.
But she did it anyway, because she was no longer afraid of their judgement. She was no longer hungry for their acceptance. She had found all she needed in Christ, alone -- truth.
Truth of her sins. Truth of her worth. Truth of her Savior. Their Savior. The Savior of the world.
The change in her must have been evident to them, because scripture says they streamed towards Christ. Because they too were weary, and hungry, and thirsty. They needed to hear truth for themselves. They needed to hear Christ speak to them, personally. And they did.
Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world."....John 4:42
They heard Him for themselves, because she was brave enough to share Him with them. We don't have to think that we must convince anyone of Christ's existence. We don't have to prove to anyone that He is the Savior of the world. Our job is to share Christ. To introduce others to Him. He will do the rest. He will speak to them, as He speaks to us.
Lord, help me to share You in spite of my own sins and to face the judgement that will surely fall from the lips of those who judge.
After the Samaritan woman left, but before the villagers arrived at the well, Jesus, refreshed and nourished from doing the will of God, told his disciples to wake up and look around because the fields are ripe for harvest.
The fields are still ripe. Souls are still waiting to hear. Your story. My story. Christ's story.
We don't have to live a perfect life to be used of God.
We don't have to clean up our own sins before we can be a witness to others.
We just have to be brave enough to share Christ with those around us.
That is the gift of faith in us.
(Journey: John 4:1-45)
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Winds of Change
For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.....John 3:16
In the third chapter of the book of John, we find Jesus speaking with Nicodemus. A Pharisee. A religious leader who practiced and taught the Jewish Law.
In trying to explain the concept of grace to a man entrenched in religion, Jesus spoke words that would become the most well-known verse of scripture. For God so loved....
I read a few years ago that while John 3:16 had for a long time been the most quoted verse of scripture, it was quickly being replaced by Matthew 7:1. Judge not, that you be not judged.
It's funny how the winds of change blow through time, but the human struggle remains the same. The struggle to believe that God could really love people who don't deserve to be loved. To believe in grace and mercy. For ourselves, and for all the rest of the undeserving world.
Jesus told Nicodemus that the Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness to save the children of Israel.
The cross of Calvary must be lifted higher than than our pride. Higher than our heartache. Higher than our guilt. Higher than our sins.....and higher than the sins of others too.
So that when the world sees the Church lift the cross of Calvary, they see in us the words Christ spoke after John 3:16. The words of John 3:17. For God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
For God so loved so that we, the Church could concentrate on spreading the message of grace and mercy.....and change. So that we could lift the Cross high above our sins and their sins as well and make love, not sin, the focus of our testimony. The focus of our lives.
The winds of change blew in the New Testament, but the Old Testament still reigns in many of our hearts as we strive to deserve a salvation that is undeserved. A salvation that is built on grace, mercy, and love. A salvation that is freely offered to even the most undeserving among us.
Later in the same chapter of scripture, John the Baptist's disciples came to him with concerns that Jesus was becoming more important than he was. John replied, He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
Basically, John said, I was sent to help raise Him up. We are all called to do the same thing.
We must lift the cross higher and higher. So that all the world will see Him, not us. His power, not our discipline. His strength, not our weakness.
We must think less and less of ourselves. We must not think too highly of ourselves. When we think that we are deserving of anything that we've been given, we begin to judge those around us. We lower the cross and raise ourselves.
Lord help me to lift You up to the world around me. Help me to show them grace, mercy and love....not judgement
In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus said, The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit.
The Spirit blows through humanity. It changes hearts in ways that cannot be explained to others. It inspires belief. It gives faith. It cannot be measured. It cannot be evaluated. It just is.....or isn't. But whether it is or isn't present in a heart is not for us to judge or attempt to explain.
The seasons of life change. Even with the power of the Spirit inside us, we are all still human. Even those who house the Spirit of God, can appear to us to be windblown sinners instead of Windblown saints.
We must never assume that anyone is lost, only God knows their heart. But we must act as though everyone around us is lost and needs to see Jesus lifted up like the bronze snake in the wilderness. High above their sins. High above their despair. High above their struggles.
So that they can be saved.
John, in speaking to his disciples, said, Anyone who accepts Jesus' testimony can affirm that God is true. God will open the eyes of all who look to Jesus. We must help others to see Him. To see Jesus on Calvary high above the world.
Lord help me to be quick to share the message of salvation, but oh so slow to judge the state of another's heart.
Jesus also said to Nicodemus, All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.
As we attempt to lift up Jesus in our lives, our closeness to Calvary will allow His light to shine on our lives. His truth will fall on our own sins. Our own shortcomings. Exposing them, for all the world to see.
In those moments of exposure by the light, we are faced with a choice.
We can lower the cross and keep our sins hidden, or we can become courageous Christians. Unafraid to allow the world around us to see our own unworthiness. Unafraid to allow others to see that God is still working in us. Through us. In spite of our sins.
We can be the same people we have always been, or we can be changed by our nearness to the cross as we lift it high above our own pride. Our own fear. Our own selves.
Nicodemus was changed.
We can be as well.
Lord help me to be changed. Help me to see my own sins in your light, and to be unafraid to allow others to see them as well. Help me to live by example. Help me to live by faith in your power to change me and everyone around me.
That is what God wants the world to see in my life.
That is my testimony.
That is the gift of faith in me.
(Journey: John 3:1-36)
In the third chapter of the book of John, we find Jesus speaking with Nicodemus. A Pharisee. A religious leader who practiced and taught the Jewish Law.
In trying to explain the concept of grace to a man entrenched in religion, Jesus spoke words that would become the most well-known verse of scripture. For God so loved....
I read a few years ago that while John 3:16 had for a long time been the most quoted verse of scripture, it was quickly being replaced by Matthew 7:1. Judge not, that you be not judged.
It's funny how the winds of change blow through time, but the human struggle remains the same. The struggle to believe that God could really love people who don't deserve to be loved. To believe in grace and mercy. For ourselves, and for all the rest of the undeserving world.
Jesus told Nicodemus that the Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness to save the children of Israel.
The cross of Calvary must be lifted higher than than our pride. Higher than our heartache. Higher than our guilt. Higher than our sins.....and higher than the sins of others too.
So that when the world sees the Church lift the cross of Calvary, they see in us the words Christ spoke after John 3:16. The words of John 3:17. For God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
For God so loved so that we, the Church could concentrate on spreading the message of grace and mercy.....and change. So that we could lift the Cross high above our sins and their sins as well and make love, not sin, the focus of our testimony. The focus of our lives.
The winds of change blew in the New Testament, but the Old Testament still reigns in many of our hearts as we strive to deserve a salvation that is undeserved. A salvation that is built on grace, mercy, and love. A salvation that is freely offered to even the most undeserving among us.
Later in the same chapter of scripture, John the Baptist's disciples came to him with concerns that Jesus was becoming more important than he was. John replied, He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
Basically, John said, I was sent to help raise Him up. We are all called to do the same thing.
We must lift the cross higher and higher. So that all the world will see Him, not us. His power, not our discipline. His strength, not our weakness.
We must think less and less of ourselves. We must not think too highly of ourselves. When we think that we are deserving of anything that we've been given, we begin to judge those around us. We lower the cross and raise ourselves.
Lord help me to lift You up to the world around me. Help me to show them grace, mercy and love....not judgement
In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus said, The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit.
The Spirit blows through humanity. It changes hearts in ways that cannot be explained to others. It inspires belief. It gives faith. It cannot be measured. It cannot be evaluated. It just is.....or isn't. But whether it is or isn't present in a heart is not for us to judge or attempt to explain.
The seasons of life change. Even with the power of the Spirit inside us, we are all still human. Even those who house the Spirit of God, can appear to us to be windblown sinners instead of Windblown saints.
We must never assume that anyone is lost, only God knows their heart. But we must act as though everyone around us is lost and needs to see Jesus lifted up like the bronze snake in the wilderness. High above their sins. High above their despair. High above their struggles.
So that they can be saved.
John, in speaking to his disciples, said, Anyone who accepts Jesus' testimony can affirm that God is true. God will open the eyes of all who look to Jesus. We must help others to see Him. To see Jesus on Calvary high above the world.
Lord help me to be quick to share the message of salvation, but oh so slow to judge the state of another's heart.
Jesus also said to Nicodemus, All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.
As we attempt to lift up Jesus in our lives, our closeness to Calvary will allow His light to shine on our lives. His truth will fall on our own sins. Our own shortcomings. Exposing them, for all the world to see.
In those moments of exposure by the light, we are faced with a choice.
We can lower the cross and keep our sins hidden, or we can become courageous Christians. Unafraid to allow the world around us to see our own unworthiness. Unafraid to allow others to see that God is still working in us. Through us. In spite of our sins.
We can be the same people we have always been, or we can be changed by our nearness to the cross as we lift it high above our own pride. Our own fear. Our own selves.
Nicodemus was changed.
We can be as well.
Lord help me to be changed. Help me to see my own sins in your light, and to be unafraid to allow others to see them as well. Help me to live by example. Help me to live by faith in your power to change me and everyone around me.
That is what God wants the world to see in my life.
That is my testimony.
That is the gift of faith in me.
(Journey: John 3:1-36)
Monday, April 1, 2013
Renewed belief
Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him....John 2:23
I am so thankful that I grew up in a home where the Bible was present. Where the Bible Story books lined a shelf in the living room throughout my childhood. The words of scripture are familiar to me. Every sermon I hear today, every passage of scripture I read, has a familiar note.
Unfortunately, a familiar faith can become a routine religion if we allow the comfort of it to lull us into complacency. And complacency is one of the things I have found myself fighting against lately. So, I began this journey with a vow to look for newness in the familiarity of faith.
As I read this week about the first few men who believed on Jesus Christ as Messiah, I was struck by the newness of their belief.
These men were familiar with the word of God. They were familiar with God, Himself. They believed already....But they were walking into a new chapter of scripture. A new story.
Their belief was made new as they encountered Jesus Christ, other believers, and the miracles of God in everyday life.
That renewed belief became the catalyst for the amazing lives they led as prophets, teachers, disciples, apostles....and martyrs.
A constant renewal of belief is absolutely necessary to living an anointed existence. If our belief is allowed to stagnate, our faith will do the same. But if belief is continually stirred within us, we can't help but act in our lives in response to it. Belief has that effect on humanity. Belief is a catalyst for action.
If we desire to truly walk by faith through every season of our lives, it is absolutely necessary for our belief to be continually renewed within us.
Scripture tells us how John the Baptist, Jesus' disciples, and others came to believe in Jesus Christ as Messiah for the very first time, and I believe that we can use their stories to understand how our own belief can be renewed as well.
John the Baptist was no stranger to God, even before he met Jesus Christ. He had a very close relationship with God. We know that because he heard God speak to him and he obeyed His voice. That's exactly why we find him baptizing believers at the beginning of the New Testament.
And that's exactly why he believed in Jesus. When John baptized Jesus the Holy Spirit descended from heaven and rested on him. John testified that was the exact sign that God had told him to look for over the Messiah. John believed because of it.
In our relationship with God, as we hear his voice in our lives, listen, and obey, we too will begin to recognize signs from God in our lives. They may not come in the form of doves or voices from heaven, but they will come.
In the form of a devotion that speaks to your exact frame of mind and reminds you to believe. In the form of a song that lifts your spirit up toward God and reminds you to believe. In the form of a kind word from a stranger in whose face you catch a glimpse of Christ and reminds you to believe.
When John believed, he began immediately to testify of his belief. He shared his belief with everyone he met. In one passage of scripture, we catch a glimpse of Jesus walking by John. As he passed, John, fueled by belief, declared to those around him, There is the Lamb of God.
Two of John's own disciples believed what he testified to. They left to follow Jesus. John's testimony of belief became belief in the hearts and minds of those around him.
The Apostle Paul wrote that faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). When we hear belief coming from the mouths of other believers, belief is stirred within us. And not only that, but when we are the one sharing belief we benefit as well. We remind ourselves to believe anew when we proclaim belief.
Spoken belief, renews belief for every believer within earshot. Our belief is renewed when we surround ourselves with other believers who speak belief. Whether they are pastors, church members, friends, or simply the voices we hear through the radio. Listening to believers renews our own belief.
John wasn't the only one who immediately began to share his belief. One of those same two disciples brought Nathanael to meet Jesus because he wanted him to believe as well. And Nathanael did believe, when Jesus spoke personally to him, revealing where he had come from, and the greater things that were in store for him in the days ahead.
Nathanael believed when he spoke with Jesus. Our belief is renewed in the same manner.
Jesus developed a relationship with Nathanael and the other disciples during His time on this Earth. He walked with them. He talked with them. He shared Himself with them. They heard His voice in their lives. And they believed because of it.
God desires the same kind of relationship with each one of us. He desires to speak to us. To reveal to us that He knows where we've come from. And that He knows where we're going. He knows the greater things that he has planned for each of us.
That personal relationship with God will continually renew belief in our hearts and minds through prayer, meditation, and time alone with God.
At the wedding feast at Cana, Jesus demonstrated His power in a miracle. His first miracle. Scripture says that his disciples believed in Him, because of it.
They believed because they saw God act in their midst.
God hasn't stopped performing miracles. He hasn't ceased to act in the lives of His children. He still heals the sick. He still mends the broken-hearted. He still dramatically changes lives. When we see God perform miracles in our midst, our belief is renewed.
We don't have to look hard to see the miracles of God in everyday life. When the sun rose in the east this morning, it was because God told it to. When my children prayed on the way to school this morning it was because God gave us all breath today.
Our belief is renewed when we simply recognize God's provision as the miracle that it is.
There were those in my reading this week, who did not believe. Those who scoffed at Jesus and his zeal for the temple of God. They demanded that he show them a miraculous sign to prove that He had authority from God.
Jesus refused. He refused to act on demand, like a puppet on a string, but He promised that if they destroyed His temple, He would raise it in three days. And He did. He gave one magnificent, miraculous sign for all the Earth to believe on if they would.
As the Easter weekend has passed, we've all spent time reflecting on this miracle.
And our belief has been renewed because of it.
When faith becomes too familiar, and our walk becomes routine, we can always look to Calvary to renew belief, feed faith, and rouse our hearts.
Reflect on the suffering of our Savior, and the miracle of His empty tomb. Imagine meeting Him in heaven, and be renewed.
That is the gift of faith in us.
(Journey: John 1:19-2:25)
I am so thankful that I grew up in a home where the Bible was present. Where the Bible Story books lined a shelf in the living room throughout my childhood. The words of scripture are familiar to me. Every sermon I hear today, every passage of scripture I read, has a familiar note.
Unfortunately, a familiar faith can become a routine religion if we allow the comfort of it to lull us into complacency. And complacency is one of the things I have found myself fighting against lately. So, I began this journey with a vow to look for newness in the familiarity of faith.
As I read this week about the first few men who believed on Jesus Christ as Messiah, I was struck by the newness of their belief.
These men were familiar with the word of God. They were familiar with God, Himself. They believed already....But they were walking into a new chapter of scripture. A new story.
Their belief was made new as they encountered Jesus Christ, other believers, and the miracles of God in everyday life.
That renewed belief became the catalyst for the amazing lives they led as prophets, teachers, disciples, apostles....and martyrs.
A constant renewal of belief is absolutely necessary to living an anointed existence. If our belief is allowed to stagnate, our faith will do the same. But if belief is continually stirred within us, we can't help but act in our lives in response to it. Belief has that effect on humanity. Belief is a catalyst for action.
If we desire to truly walk by faith through every season of our lives, it is absolutely necessary for our belief to be continually renewed within us.
Scripture tells us how John the Baptist, Jesus' disciples, and others came to believe in Jesus Christ as Messiah for the very first time, and I believe that we can use their stories to understand how our own belief can be renewed as well.
John the Baptist was no stranger to God, even before he met Jesus Christ. He had a very close relationship with God. We know that because he heard God speak to him and he obeyed His voice. That's exactly why we find him baptizing believers at the beginning of the New Testament.
And that's exactly why he believed in Jesus. When John baptized Jesus the Holy Spirit descended from heaven and rested on him. John testified that was the exact sign that God had told him to look for over the Messiah. John believed because of it.
In our relationship with God, as we hear his voice in our lives, listen, and obey, we too will begin to recognize signs from God in our lives. They may not come in the form of doves or voices from heaven, but they will come.
In the form of a devotion that speaks to your exact frame of mind and reminds you to believe. In the form of a song that lifts your spirit up toward God and reminds you to believe. In the form of a kind word from a stranger in whose face you catch a glimpse of Christ and reminds you to believe.
When John believed, he began immediately to testify of his belief. He shared his belief with everyone he met. In one passage of scripture, we catch a glimpse of Jesus walking by John. As he passed, John, fueled by belief, declared to those around him, There is the Lamb of God.
Two of John's own disciples believed what he testified to. They left to follow Jesus. John's testimony of belief became belief in the hearts and minds of those around him.
The Apostle Paul wrote that faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). When we hear belief coming from the mouths of other believers, belief is stirred within us. And not only that, but when we are the one sharing belief we benefit as well. We remind ourselves to believe anew when we proclaim belief.
Spoken belief, renews belief for every believer within earshot. Our belief is renewed when we surround ourselves with other believers who speak belief. Whether they are pastors, church members, friends, or simply the voices we hear through the radio. Listening to believers renews our own belief.
John wasn't the only one who immediately began to share his belief. One of those same two disciples brought Nathanael to meet Jesus because he wanted him to believe as well. And Nathanael did believe, when Jesus spoke personally to him, revealing where he had come from, and the greater things that were in store for him in the days ahead.
Nathanael believed when he spoke with Jesus. Our belief is renewed in the same manner.
Jesus developed a relationship with Nathanael and the other disciples during His time on this Earth. He walked with them. He talked with them. He shared Himself with them. They heard His voice in their lives. And they believed because of it.
God desires the same kind of relationship with each one of us. He desires to speak to us. To reveal to us that He knows where we've come from. And that He knows where we're going. He knows the greater things that he has planned for each of us.
That personal relationship with God will continually renew belief in our hearts and minds through prayer, meditation, and time alone with God.
At the wedding feast at Cana, Jesus demonstrated His power in a miracle. His first miracle. Scripture says that his disciples believed in Him, because of it.
They believed because they saw God act in their midst.
God hasn't stopped performing miracles. He hasn't ceased to act in the lives of His children. He still heals the sick. He still mends the broken-hearted. He still dramatically changes lives. When we see God perform miracles in our midst, our belief is renewed.
We don't have to look hard to see the miracles of God in everyday life. When the sun rose in the east this morning, it was because God told it to. When my children prayed on the way to school this morning it was because God gave us all breath today.
Our belief is renewed when we simply recognize God's provision as the miracle that it is.
There were those in my reading this week, who did not believe. Those who scoffed at Jesus and his zeal for the temple of God. They demanded that he show them a miraculous sign to prove that He had authority from God.
Jesus refused. He refused to act on demand, like a puppet on a string, but He promised that if they destroyed His temple, He would raise it in three days. And He did. He gave one magnificent, miraculous sign for all the Earth to believe on if they would.
As the Easter weekend has passed, we've all spent time reflecting on this miracle.
And our belief has been renewed because of it.
When faith becomes too familiar, and our walk becomes routine, we can always look to Calvary to renew belief, feed faith, and rouse our hearts.
Reflect on the suffering of our Savior, and the miracle of His empty tomb. Imagine meeting Him in heaven, and be renewed.
That is the gift of faith in us.
(Journey: John 1:19-2:25)
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