Tag: jesus

Maybe now is the right time for us all to be reminding ourselves of just who God says we are? 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 New American Standard Bible 1995

16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our  inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

 In a world filled with endless mixed messages, it’s easy to get lost in the fog and be deceived by half-truths or flat-out fabrications of God’s Word.

Just take a gander at some commonly used phrases below.

This, too, shall pass.

God helps those who help themselves.

God works in mysterious ways.

God will never give you more than you can handle.

The eyes are the window into the soul.

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Spare the rod and spoil the child. And on and on.

While many of these well-known statements contain good wisdom and little nuggets of truth, some even referred to or “noted” in the Scriptures, they are often badly taken out of context to spin, weave some sort of personal narrative.

While generally shared in a purposeful and meaningful way to express a softer sentiment or extend comfort, these platitudes can undermine the words of our Savior, causing us take our eyes of the Bible and to lose sight of the real truth.

That said, now, more than ever, we need to have handheld copies of the Bible, maybe even in multiple translations, so when something doesn’t seem to add up or make sense, we can go straight to His Word and seek to find the real and absolute truth God is trying to reveal to us.

In addition, there are even more mixed messages in today’s culture about how we identify, that baffle many, including believers, about who God says we are.

For example, do we know how many total genders are there?

Besides being male and female, there are 72 other genders, which include the following: Agender: A person who does not identify themselves with or experience any gender. Agender people are also called null-gender, genderless, or gender -void or neutral gender. Abimegender: which is Associated with being profound, deep, and infinite.

https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_72_other_genders/article.htm

About trying to sort out these identifications, still being a “good neighbor,” in the divisiveness which currently exists in the church, communicate the gospel?

Communicate, evangelize those who have been “marginalized” by these highly volatile, highly charged, highly politicized and politically motivated divisions?

Are we really precious in His sight? Priceless? Cherished? A one-of-a-kind, unique creation made on purpose? Are we really fully known and fully loved? 

Who are we, exactly?

More importantly, nonjudgmentally communicating who does God say we are?

Well, my dear friend, I invite you to grab your Bible and open it up so we can discover some sweet verses that declare who God says you are.

While the list below only scratches the surface, let it prayerfully become a new, refreshed springboard to relish in His love as He proclaims who He says we are!

Then let His Words, beautiful truths, settle into your heart, reminding you that you were so intricately made with love and called to a greater purpose, setting your sights beyond this world and embracing eternity. (2 Corinthians 4:18).

1. God says we are each His beloved child.

1 John 3:1-2 New American Standard Bible 1995

Children of God Love One Another

3 See [a]how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

The very nature of our God is love, which envelops His holiness, purity, righteousness, compassion, justice, and mercy.

While God loves all His creation, when we make our heartfelt profession of faith, we each immediately become His “beloved” children (Romans 10:9-13)

Being a beloved child of God is a powerful statement that holds so much significance as no other relationship will even come close or compare (1 Corinthians 13:11-13).

11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I [a]became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror [b]dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the [c]greatest of these is love.

When we understand the gravity of that, we learn to revere and respect God as Father.

You are the beloved child of the Creator of the universe, and He wants to have an intimate and personal relationship with you. Tuck that in your heart today!

2. God says we are each chosen.

1 Peter 2:9-10 New American Standard Bible 1995

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have  received mercy.

God has always had a special place in His heart for the people of Israel.

We see this weaved throughout the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 7:6).

6 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His [a]own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the [b]earth.

As believers, we have the honor and privilege of gaining a spiritual connection to God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

In His sovereignty, God chose you (Titus 1:1-3, Ephesians 1:10-14).

I know it is naïve of me to ask; Can we each just say “Praise be to God for that?”

3. God says we are each His holy temple.

1 Corinthians 3:16-20 New American Standard Bible 1995

16 Do you not know that you are a [a]temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man destroys the [b]temple of God, God will destroy him, for the [c] temple of God is holy, and [d]that is what you are.

18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.”

Paul is addressing the church in Corinth, stating that as a church body, God dwells inside of us, allowing each one of us to go forth and live on a mission.

As a church, we are to honor this sacred and holy dwelling and use it to connect and reflect on the nature of God, deepening our faith while also striving to reach out to the lost and unbelievers. God says we are to live with a mission mindset.

We are the light to a lost and dark world (Matthew 5:14-16)!

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a [a]hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a [b]basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

4. God says we are each made in His image.

Genesis 1:26-27 New American Standard Bible 1995

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [a]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

God never takes His creation lightly.

In fact, when He speaks things into existence, there is value and a grander plan far beyond what we will fully know or begin to understand.

That being said, the very specific human blueprint not only claims we differ from anything else He created but that God’s unique and distinct love for us is quite beautiful and wholly and entirely “one of a kind” unique. Psalm 139:13-18

We matter so deeply to Him that He made us with attributes that resemble His own so that we can connect with Him in a meaningful and purposeful way. Just take time to ponder the thought next time you see your reflection in the mirror.

5. God says we are each valuable. 

Matthew 6:25-26 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Cure for Anxiety

25 “For this reason I say to you, [a]do not be worried about your [b]life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the [c] air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

In this teaching exchange, Jesus reminds His followers (and us) that our value is far more than that of any other creation, and therefore, if He cares for their basic needs, how much more will He care for us, His most beloved creation?

Obviously enough to ensure our salvation so that we can spend eternity with Him (1 Peter 1:17-19)!

17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not [a]redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

Yes, we are each, without exception, in the eyes of God, seen as a far beyond priceless treasure, which is why Jesus paid it all so we could each freely live. 

There are more and more examples of Holy Scripture which I will continue to bring to you in future posts of this blog. So, please be anticipating, expectant.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 8 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord’s Glory and Man’s Dignity.

For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David.

8 O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have [a]displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established [b]strength
Because of Your adversaries,
To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

3 When I [c]consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have [d]ordained;
4 What is man that You [e]take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him a little lower than [f]God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen,
And also the [g]beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

A Contemporary Response to Hannah and for Those Mothers who Identify: “God Sees You, God Will Touch You!” 1 Samuel 1:19-23

1 Samuel 1:19-23 New American Standard Bible 1995

Samuel Is Born to Hannah

19 Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned again to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah [a]had relations with Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. 20 It came about [b]in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him of the Lord.”

21 Then the man Elkanah went up with all his household to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord and stay there forever.” 23 Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best [c]to you. Remain until you have weaned him; only may the Lord confirm His word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

A Message to Hannah … I See You This Mother’s Day!

In the days of Elkanah, Peninnah, and Hannah, polygamy was acceptable.

Also in those days a woman’s worth was measured mainly by how many sons she had.

As the years crawled by and Hannah remained infertile, her sorrow grew.

But her pain made fertile soil for spiritual growth.

She prayed fervently.

Many people find that their deepest trials draw them closer to God.

Hannah learned that God is the one to whom all people and all things belong.

One day Hannah was praying so intensely that when a man of God, Eli, saw her, he thought she was drunk.

He ordered her to get rid of her wine.

But she had not been drinking.

She said to him, “I was pouring out my soul to the Lord… I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

Then Eli encouraged her and said, “Go in peace.”

“In the course of time” little Samuel was born to Hannah and Elkanah.

Because Samuel was a gift of God, Hannah dedicated him to the service of the Lord.

He became one of the most faithful leaders of God’s people.

Infertility still cuts deep into the lives of many couples.

This story does not promise that all infertile couples will have children.

It does reassure us that those who stay close to the heart of God in the their pain and pray for the face of God will see God work things out for his good purpose.

God’s 2024 Message To Our Hannah Moms: “Surely, As I saw Hannah, I See You This Mother’s Day too!”

1 Samuel 1:19-23 Complete Jewish Bible

19 They got up early in the morning and worshipped before Adonai, then returned and came to their house in Ramah.

Elkanah had sexual relations with Hannah his wife, and Adonai remembered her. 20 She conceived; and in due time she gave birth to a son, whom she named Sh’mu’el, “because I asked Adonai for him.”

21 The husband, Elkanah, went up with all his household to offer the yearly sacrifice to Adonai and fulfill his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, explaining to her husband, “Not till the child has been weaned. Then I will bring him, so that he can appear before Adonai and live there forever.” 23 Her husband Elkanah answered her, “Do what seems good to you; stay here until you have weaned him. Only may Adonai bring about what he said.” So the woman stayed behind and nursed the child, until she weaned him.

Mother’s Day is today, and in the name of our Savior, I want to say “I see you, and more importantly, God sees you. He honors the important work you are doing.”

I see you, Momma-To-Be…

As you are waiting, expecting, and anticipating this whole new world to come. 

May the joy of the Lord be your strength. May you know that God is with you and God will touch you as you help to usher miraculous new life into this world. Your strength is impressive and miraculous. Your ability to co-create with God is beyond stunning.

I see you, Expectant Momma…

Who feels unsure, unwell, unready, scared of how to bring life into the world.

Would our strong God equip you with all you need to mother his Creation. Would God’s supernatural provision be for you a significant part of your story. Would you know that every child is made in the image of God. He will guide you on this journey and help you even in the moments that feel so heavy you surely think you may break.

I see you, Birth Momma…

As you wonder, miss, pray, and grieve this Mother’s Day. 

God sees your heart. God upholds, strengthens, your heart. He is there to care for all your children, even as they are growing up with another mother that also loves them. Giving the gift of life is an amazing gift. Your willingness to love a child by carrying, nurturing them in your body and giving birth is so noble. Your motherhood matters.

I see you, Grieving-Yet-Hopeful Mother…

Wishing, watching, waiting, worshiping, pondering, praying, persevering for the day, that by God’s grace, you get to join the ranks of Mothers that came before you. 

God knows the deepest desires of your heart and is close to you as you walk through those disappointments, medical appointments, loss, and waiting.

May God give you strength and purpose as you walk this tough road. May God remind you that you are so valuable just as you are. No matter what the future holds for you and your family you are strong, beautiful, and God loves you.

I see you, Mom-Who-Has-Lost…

Miscarriage… the loss of a child before their time… stillborn, seeing a child slip away to tumultuous waves, storms or lifestyle choices… other losses that burden your soul. 

The God of all comfort is with you always. God is there to hold your hand, God is there to uphold. May God whisper his sustaining love into your ears, may you know you are never alone even when life feels heavier than your soul can bear.

I see you, Foster Mother…

As you stand in the gap for children and families who are in need of support. 

As God heard, remembered Hannah, captured all of her tears in a bottle, God sees your love, your prayers, and your sacrifice. He knows you are so attached and loves your willingness to pour out your life for the sake of the least of these around you. May He give you the strength and wisdom you need to walk this stretching road.

I see you, Single, Separated, Divorced Momma…

As you try to meet so many needs all on your own. 

May God bring a supportive community around you that steps in to offer you all their prayers, friendship and material support you need on your mothering journey. Would you’ll know that you are doing good and meaningful work. You are strong, beautiful, capable, and by all your prayers, may God give you wisdom for each and every day.

I see you, Empty-Nesting-Momma…

As you do the work of letting go of the little birds you sacrificed everything for, poured every resource of your life into, with hopes they would one day soar. 

May you one day delight in seeing how your sacrificial investment into your children is now producing beautiful fruit in their lives. In due time and in the seasons to come, Would you know too that there is true purpose and truest joy to be found in this new season. That evolving, changing, letting go, gives way to God’s guidance to new life.

I see you, New-Oh-So-Tired-Momma…

As you wonder how much more you can give before you actually give out. 

May God bring you His supernatural rest this Mother’s Day. Remember, this too shall pass. Allow, permit yourself, the grace to find rest, without carrying that sneaky Mom guilt. Mom, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Breaks are required to do this job well.

I see you, Adoptive Mom…

As you went through the long and expensive process of adoption, as you love so fiercely, as you look upon a child you did not give birth, and wonder if your love is going to be enough, if you are going to be strong enough, courageous enough and bold enough, able enough, to raising them, doing this adoption thing well. 

Would God give you the knowledge and wisdom you need to navigate the triad of your adoptee, their first family, and your home. Would you have peace to know that even when your love isn’t enough, God is! He is the healer of our wounds and the keeper of our children. He promises them a hope and a future. God’s got you!

I see you, Kinship Care Momma…

As you love and care for children you never expected to care for as your own.

Your courage and willingness to step up for the children in your family or community is miraculously beautiful. May God be with you in this utmost challenging, sacrificial role. Would God, through His presence. strengthen you when the work feels heavy.

I see you, Stepmom…

As you work to create a home that blends different stories into one unit. 

In His time, Would God make something beautiful in your home. May he do abundantly more than you could ask or ever imagine, on your family’s behalf.

To all the mothers out there; no matter your story, loss, place on this journey, if you feel like you are rocking it at this job or if you feel like you are failing or are a failure … The eternally beautiful truth is God sees you upholds and loves you!

Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9-10The Message

9-10 So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

The work of motherhood is good work.

Don’t give up.

The reward is one that is counted in sweet tender embraces, in milestones met, through forgiveness, grace, lessons learned, and memories made.

Motherhood is a lifetime of prayers, sacrifice, service, unconditional love, apologies, growth, tears, laughter, joy, worship of God and so much more.

Please remember this Mother’s Day, that Isaiah 40:11 says,

“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”

Isaiah 40:11 Amplified Bible

11 
He will protect His flock like a shepherd,
He will gather the lambs in His arm,
He will carry them in His bosom;
He will gently and carefully lead those nursing their young.

The God who comforts and guides is faithful to lead you on this wild journey.

Momma, always Celebrate God as God always Celebrates You!

Everyone else, always Celebrate Momma as God always Celebrates Her!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

“Dear Lord, on this day dedicated to celebrating and honoring You, honoring and celebrating mothers, we thank You for the blessings of motherhood. We are grateful for our mothers’ love, strength, and guidance in the shaping our lives. Guide them and Bless them all with joy, peace, and love on this special day and always. Amen.”

Psalm 139:13-18 Complete Jewish Bible

13 For you fashioned my inmost being,
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I thank you because I am awesomely made,
wonderfully; your works are wonders —
I know this very well.
15 My bones were not hidden from you
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes could see me as an embryo,
but in your book all my days were already written;
my days had been shaped
before any of them existed.
17 God, how I prize your thoughts!
How many of them there are!
18 If I count them, there are more than grains of sand;
if I finish the count, I am still with you.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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While we are all too busy going our own ways, following the tunes of our own heart beats and ignoring others’, Are we Hearing the Heartbeat Of God? 1 Samuel 13:13-14

1 Samuel 13:13-14 The Message

13-14 “That was a fool thing to do,” Samuel said to Saul. “If you had kept the appointment that your God commanded, by now God would have set a firm and lasting foundation under your kingly rule over Israel. As it is, your kingly rule is already falling to pieces. God is out looking for your replacement right now. This time he’ll do the choosing. When he finds him, he’ll appoint him leader of his people. And all because you didn’t keep your appointment with God!”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Have you ever laid your head down on top of someone’s chest and heard their heartbeat.

If you were to do that you had to be pretty close to the individual whose heart you heard.

Unless you were a Doctor or a Nurse or a related healthcare professional, You don’t just go up to someone on the street and say “May I listen to your heart?”

I can only begin to imagine the wild array and diversity of words and phrases that would come spewing out of peoples mouths in that moment of intrusion.

Many quote 1 Samuel 16:7 and say that David is a man after God’s heart but never tell us clearly what the heartbeat sounds like.

1 Samuel 16:7 The Message

7 But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”

I want to do the best I can to try and help you the reader along with laying our heads on God the Fathers Chest, trying to hear His heartbeat over our very own.

What is God’s desire, what does He really want?

What do we learn as we hear the heartbeat of God?

The heartbeat of God is the heart of man.

Mark 7:14-23 The Message

14-15 Jesus called the crowd together again and said, “Listen now, all of you—take this to heart. It’s not what you swallow that pollutes your life; it’s what you vomit—that’s the real pollution.”

17 When he was back home after being with the crowd, his disciples said, “We don’t get it. Put it in plain language.”

18-19 Jesus said, “Are you being willfully stupid? Don’t you see that what you swallow can’t contaminate you? It doesn’t enter your heart but your stomach, works its way through the intestines, and is finally flushed.” (That took care of dietary quibbling; Jesus was saying that all foods are fit to eat.)

20-23 He went on: “It’s what comes out of a person that pollutes: obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness—all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution.”

I. God desires men and women’s hearts

Why is Go so concerned with our hearts.

Is it just that God is a completely selfish tyrant that believes it belongs only to Him?

The answer is Yes and no.

As our creator our hearts belong to Him first and foremost.

It is not merely for Him that he desires our hearts.

Listen Closely to the words of Jesus.

Mark 7: 21-23 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit sensuality, envy slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceeds from within and defile the man.”

Jesus just gave the reason for evil in the World of man it is the hear t of man.

It is evil.

Jesus clearly told us why our upward, outward relationships are out of whack.

A) The Upward and Outward

Mark 12:28-34

Mark 12:28-34 The Message

The Most Important Commandment

28 One of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: “Which is most important of all the commandments?”

29-31 Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”

32-33 The religion scholar said, “A wonderful answer, Teacher! So clear-cut and accurate—that God is one and there is no other. And loving him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that’s better than all offerings and sacrifices put together!”

34 When Jesus realized how insightful he was, he said, “You’re almost there, right on the border of God’s kingdom.”

After that, no one else dared ask a question.

If you remember the story a group of Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes were trying to trap Jesus.

Now think about this with me.

If he were a man wouldn’t it have been terribly easy for them to trip Jesus up.

I mean this was a carpenter’s son.

Don’t Forget He is the Son of God.

One man asked him what some believe to be a sincere question.

What is the foremost commandment of all?

Jesus’ answer reflected Moses’ plus Leviticus: Hear O Israel, the Lord is one God Love Him with your all. All you heart, soul, mind, and strength. The second Is this, you shall love you neighbor as yourself, there is no other commandment greater.

It is clear and has been said that Jesus summarized the ten commandments.

He clearly showed us that our upward relationship to God must be right for our outward relationships to be right.

A relationship with God does not create murder, evil thought, theft, adultery, envy, deceit, pride or foolishness.

Are you at the end of your rope in your relationship with your husband, with you wife, with you children, friends, co-workers.

Realize if they are not a Christian then you have the very great opportunity of showing them what a real God can do for relationships.

B) The Kingdom of God

The Upward is where Matthew talks of the Kingdom of God.

The phrase Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is used more than 100 times in the New Testament.

The word Kingdom comes from a Greek word that means not territory but means dominion.

So we see that the domain of God is the heart.

The throne of the King of Kings is the heart of those who believe.

Why is this so important.

He is also the wonderful counselor, professional sessions every minute of every day. He is the prince of peace. For the peace of heart and mind He must sit on the throne. He is the Mighty God. The Great Physician. On and on we could Go.

If Jesus were authentically in complete dominion of all the hearts of churches there would be no division or rancor, no chaotic competition with our culture because there is One Lord, One Baptism, one Mission, The Kingdom of God.

That is what Home for you Heart for the world is about.

John 14:15-17 The Message

The Spirit of Truth

15-17 “If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!

Letting God be at home within us so that our hearts will be shaped, reshaped and slowly, but inevitably transformed to care for others being our neighbors.

Romans 12:1-2 The Message

Place Your Life Before God

12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Transformation: Hearts of Stone into Hearts of Flesh

Ezekiel 36:26-28 The Message

24-28 “‘For here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You’ll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!

A Heart of Truth:

1 Timothy 2:4-7 The Message

4-7 He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.

This is an anonymous quote,

“The relationship between truth and holiness is similar to that between light and Vision. Light cannot create an eye or give a blind eye vision, but It is essential to seeing. Wherever light penetrates, it dissipates darkness and brings everything into view. In a similar manner, truth cannot regenerate or impart spiritual life, but it is essential to the practice of holiness. Wherever truth penetrates, it dissipates error and reveals everything for what it really is.”

When we have hearts of truth we see things as God sees them.

We no longer laugh at sin we hate sin. I don’t know about you but the longer I live the more uncomfortable I become in this world.

It seems that there is enormous untruth many places we turn.

The news media, social media, politicians, religious people, and ministers too.

God desires to create in us a heart of truth so that through our lives he can use us to reveal untruth to others.

A heart that is filled with truth will know mercy and will know forgiveness.

B) A Heart of forgiveness

I would say mercy and forgiveness is the long forgotten fruit of Christians.

Jesus on the Cross “father forgive them for they do not know what they do.”

I have the secret to all the problems in the church as well as our Christian lives;

Colossians 3:12-14 The Message

12-14 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

A man named John Oglethorpe, while talking to John Wesley, once made the comment, ‘I never forgive.”

Mr. Wesley wisely replied, “Then Sir, I hope you never sin either.”

A heart of un-forgiveness cannot know the great God of mercy and grace.

Un-forgiveness starts out as a fortress yet ultimately becomes a prison with bars of bitterness and chains of hatred.

A heart filled with forgiveness will be a heart that yearns to serve.

C) A Heart of service

Acts 13:16-22 The Message

16-20 Paul stood up, paused and took a deep breath, then said, “Fellow Israelites and friends of God, listen. God took a special interest in our ancestors, pulled our people who were beaten down in Egyptian exile to their feet, and led them out of there in grand style. He took good care of them for nearly forty years in that godforsaken wilderness and then, having wiped out seven enemies who stood in the way, gave them the land of Canaan for their very own—a span in all of about 450 years.

20-22 “Up to the time of Samuel the prophet, God provided judges to lead them. But then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, out of the tribe of Benjamin. After Saul had ruled forty years, God removed him from office and put King David in his place, with this commendation: ‘I’ve searched the land and found this David, son of Jesse. He’s a man whose heart beats to my heart, a man who will do what I tell him.’

What does it mean to serve God.

What does it mean to have a heart of service.

It means no matter the cost no matter the distance we do God’s will.

The late 19th century Evangelist Reverend DL Moody once said, “The measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many men he serves.”

III. God desires to deploy people after His own heart

Romans 10:8-10 New American Standard Bible 1995

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” —that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 [a]that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, [b] resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, [c] resulting in salvation.

Romans 10:10 “For with the heart a person believes resulting in righteousness. and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

A heart for the world begins with hearing the heart of God.

So God desires our hearts to always be ready, willing and able to serve so he can create in us a new heart of truth, true mercy forgiveness, and authentic service.

He is telling us in His word we should redeem the time for the days are evil.

Matthew 24:42-51 New American Standard Bible 1995

Be Ready for His Coming

42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But [a]be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be [b]broken into. 44 For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

45 “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his [c]master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his [d]master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My [e]master [f]is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50 the [g]master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, 51 and will  [h]cut him in pieces and [i]assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

He is saying to all of our Churches: “I have appointed you for such a time as this.”

Just as an Army Ranger is told Go before they repel or parachute out of some air craft. Just as Air Force pilots are given the go ahead , just as marines are told go as they take to the field of battle, Navies sets sails. God has clearly told us to Go!

The real heart of God is the kingdom of God. The rule of God in the hearts, minds, and lives of people. Lord’s prayer, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Conclusion:

The heartbeat of God is the heart of man.

It was in Jesus Christ that this good news really was communicated clearly.

Mark 1:14-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

Jesus Preaches in Galilee

14 Now after John had been [a]taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, [b] preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God [c]is at hand; repent and [d]believe in the gospel.”

16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

Acknowledgement in our hearts to the summons from God; the Good news will come easily from your lips, when Jesus Christ reigns completely in your heart.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 61 New American Standard Bible 1995

Confidence in God’s Protection.

For the choir director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.

61 Hear my cry, O God;
Give heed to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a refuge for me,
A tower of strength [a]against the enemy.
4 Let me [b]dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. [c]Selah.

5 For You have heard my vows, O God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name.
6 You will [d]prolong the king’s [e]life;
His years will be as many generations.
7 He will [f]abide before God forever;
Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.
8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may pay my vows day by day.

How is your heart today?

Why is your heart feeling like it is today?

Where is your heart today?

Why is your located where it is today?

We can never have a heart for the world if God is not home in ours!!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Being a Positive Kingdom Influence: The Parable of the tiny Mustard Seed, Mystery of the Leaven. Matthew 13:33

Matthew 13:31-33 English Standard Version

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

Jesus loved to use stories to illustrate profound, life-transforming concepts.

He loved to use real and genuine settings, characters, and ideas that apply to all of us to reveal God’s heart of pursuit and love.

Today we’re going to spend time allowing the parables of Jesus to speak directly to our situations, mindsets, and core beliefs about who our God and neighbor is.

It is now time sit still and to open your heart and mind to be transformed by the powerful and captivating stories of Jesus, the profound truths of His Kingdom.

Matthew 13:31-32 Amplified Bible

The Mustard Seed

31 He gave them another parable [to consider], saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and of all the seeds [planted in the region] it is the smallest, but when it has grown it is the largest of the garden herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air find shelter in its branches.”

Jesus tells a beautiful parable of the kingdom of God in Matthew 12:31-32.

He teaches, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 

Trees are beautiful pictures of God’s ability to take what we view as weak or insignificant, a seed, and make a magnificent and life-giving creation out of it.

And Genesis 1:10-12 reveals how trees can be viewed as pictures of the very kingdom of their Creator.

Genesis 1:10-12 Amplified Bible

10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that this was good (pleasing, useful) and He affirmed and sustained it. 11 So God said, “Let the earth sprout [tender] [a]vegetation, [b] plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit according to (limited to, consistent with) their kind, whose seed is in them upon the earth”; and it was so. 12 The earth sprouted and abundantly produced vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, according to their kind; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it.

It’s remarkable that God would begin his kingdom small and grow it by his faithful stewardship into a good and beautiful and life-giving creation.

God took the seed of the death of one man, Jesus, to create a beautiful tree of salvation for all of humanity.

 John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” 

Our heavenly Father’s wrath over our sin poured out on Jesus allowed God to free the rest of us from eternal condemnation.

And through the seed of Jesus’ death, planted into the ground, sprouting by His care, God has been creating a powerful and eternal global movement, bringing all people unto a restored relationship with himself across thousands of years.

Just as the mustard seed grows large enough to become a tree in which birds make their home, the kingdom of God has transferred our citizenship to a new home with him. 

Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Philippians 3:20-21 Amplified Bible

20 But [we are different, because] our citizenship is in heaven. And from there we eagerly await [the coming of] the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself, will [not only] transform [but completely refashion] our earthly bodies so that they will be like His glorious resurrected body.

John 15:19 says, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” 

John 15:19-20 Amplified Bible

19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love [you as] its own and would treat you with affection. But you are not of the world [you no longer belong to it], but I have chosen you out of the world. And because of this the world hates you. 20  Remember [and continue to remember] that I told you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

The kingdom of God established through Christ has rescued us from this world, the Kingdom has saved us from slavery to this world and ransomed us back into restored relationship with our heavenly Father, to be sustained by God’s grace.

Not only does the parable describe the incredible expanse of God’s kingdom from a few to many, it can also illustrate the seed of salvation planted within each of us that God intends to grow into a beautiful and fruit-bearing tree. 

Luke 17:21 says, “The kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” 

Luke 17:20-21 Amplified Bible

20 Now having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed or with a visible display; 21 nor will people say, ‘Look! Here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For the kingdom of God is among you [because of My presence].”

God’s kingdom is not built of brick and mortar, but of human hearts.

And 1 Peter 2:2 commands us, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” 

1 Peter 2:1-3 Amplified Bible

As Newborn Babes

2 So put aside every trace of malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander and hateful speech; 2 like newborn babies [you should] long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may be nurtured and grow in respect to salvation [its ultimate fulfillment], 3 if in fact you have [already] tasted [a]the goodness and gracious kindness of the Lord.

God’s desire is to water the seed of salvation he’s planted in us with the Spirit and the word. He longs to mold and shape us into the likeness of Jesus, that we might live lives that bear incredible life-giving fruit. 

Hosea 14:4-7 illustrates God’s heart beautifully when it says, 

“I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.” 

God wants to constantly steward this gift of salvation in each of us, as he does with the global advancement of his kingdom, that we might bear the wonderful fruit of the Spirit in every area of our lives.

And God is so patient with us.

The earth illustrates his patience.

Trees grow year after year, season to season by his faithful stewardship.

Flowers never begin as beautiful as they are in full bloom.

The earth is constantly undergoing abundant transformation as God’s creation grows and changes.

You and I are no different.

God’s plan has always been to mold us into beautiful pictures of his love.

He’s always longed to fashion us until we walk in full, restored relationship with him.

And by the life and death of Christ, he’s paved the way for his desires to come to fruition.

All that’s left?

Is for us to engage fully in this wonderful process he’s created for us.

Engage in the growth he longs to birth in you by spending time in his presence and his word.

Allow his gaze to transform you into his likeness.

Live in obedience to the word, and allow it to lead you to an un-conformed life in this world.

Follow the guidance of the Spirit as he brings healing to your heart and fruit in your life.

Be a Positive Kingdom Influence

Matthew 13:33 Amplified Bible

The Leaven

33 He told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like [a]leaven, which a woman took and worked into three [b]measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

Jesus invites us to imagine the amazing properties of a little bit of yeast; it can make dough rise so it bakes wonderful bread flavored in many diverse ways.

Like yeast, only a small expression of the kingdom of Jesus Christ in our lives can make an incredible impact on the lives and culture of people around us.

Christ-followers have a choice. We can withdraw and live separate lives from our surrounding communities. Or we can choose to influence and bless those communities by encouraging values and behaviors of justice, mercy, and peace.

Yeast is at first not very noticeable and even works in the dark.

And the word in our verse that says yeast is “mixed into” can also mean “hidden in.”

Our best influence is often through quiet actions of service and love by which we are not drawing attention to ourselves.

We each probably know of several new churches that have begun in many dark places such as prisons. As they quietly gather for worship and bring people into the presence of Jesus, positive influences spread out through the prison system, transforming behaviors, systems, and the dangerous culture of the entire place.

Even in this current culture of affiliation and disaffiliation, hot button, highly controversial, highly confrontational issues, highly opinionated, highly divisive polarizing and hurtful issues, it’s still possible, even desirable for Godly growth.

Yeast has a purpose of interacting with dough.

The Word of God has a way of interacting with the hearts and souls of mankind.

Prayer has a way of interacting with the hearts, minds and souls of mankind.

Hebrews 4:12-16 Amplified Bible

12 For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged [a]sword, penetrating as far as the division of the [b]soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, and revealed to the eyes of Him with whom we have to give account.

14 Inasmuch then as we [believers] have a great High Priest who has [already ascended and] passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith and cling tenaciously to our absolute trust in Him as Savior].  15 For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and  understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. 16 Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].

We have a purpose of living out the values of the kingdom of Jesus Christ as we interact with the people, institutions, and communities where we are. By the power of the Holy Spirit we can all have amazing influence for the glory of God.

Never give up on interacting with God, the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, because God Father, Son, Spirit, never gives up on interacting with you.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Spend time in prayer allowing God to work in your hearts and souls today.

Guided Prayer:

 1. Meditate on God’s desire to grow the seed of salvation he’s planted within you.

“I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.” Hosea 14:4-7

2. Where do you need growth in your own life? 

Where do you need to bear more fruit?

3. Ask the Spirit to fill you anew today. 

Be filled with the presence of God and allow his love to mold and shape you into his likeness.

Ask the Spirit to guide you into areas in where he wants to grow you today.

Find Scripture that pertains to those areas in which you need growth and live in obedience to God’s word.

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18-19

How great is God’s love for us that he doesn’t leave us where we are but is always transforming us!

In the blink of an eye, God sees who we’ve been, who we are, who we will be.

He knows your form, how he’s created you, and what you were born to do.

The more time you spend allowing him to transform you, the more you will understand yourself.

May you discover and engage with all that your heavenly Father wants to do in you through his love today.

Lord, thank you for your generosity. While we offer you our service, you offer us life. You can use us to meet the needs of others around us. Grow us as you will. Amen.

Psalm 16 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in Death.

A [a]Mikhtam of David.

16 Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.
2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord;
I have no good besides You.”
3 As for the [d]saints who are in the earth,
[e]They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.
4 The [f]sorrows of those who have [g]bartered for another god will be multiplied;
I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
Nor will I take their names upon my lips.

5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You support my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

7 I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
Indeed, my [h]mind instructs me in the night.
8 I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
10 For You will not abandon my soul to [i]Sheol;
Nor will You [j]allow Your [k]Holy One to [l]undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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We Will All Worship Something: The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and Valuable Pearl. Matthew 13:44-50

Matthew 13:44-50 The Message

44 “God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.

45-46 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for exquisite pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

47-50 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That’s how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won’t do any good.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

We Will All One Day Somehow End Up Worship Someone, Something, Somewhere, Anywhere

Isaiah 42:14-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Blindness of the People

14 “I have kept silent for a long time,
I have kept still and restrained Myself.
Now like a woman in labor I will groan,
I will both gasp and pant.
15 “I will lay waste the mountains and hills
And wither all their vegetation;
I will make the rivers into coastlands
And dry up the ponds.
16 “I will lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do not know I will guide them.
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will not leave them undone.”
17 They will be turned back and be utterly put to shame,
Who trust in [a]idols,
Who say to molten images,
“You are our gods.”

In the words of singer songwriter Bob Dylan, you gotta serve somebody.[1] 

1 Bob Dylan, “Gotta Serve Somebody” (1979).

It’s true—we will all somehow end up worshiping something, somewhere.

The only question is what and where and when.

Too often in our human futility, we end up leaning on and ultimately serving crafty little creations of our own invention.

Throughout history, mankind’s fundamental problem has been that we keep creating false gods to whom we go seeking false salvation.

These idols are simply heart-level and soul deep substitutes for the real God.

Rather than single-mindedly looking to the Lord as the object of our devotion and the source of our satisfaction, we single-handedly take the good things that He created for our enjoyment and we turn them into vain replacements for Him.

C.S. Lewis puts it this way:

“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”[2]

2 “The Weight of Glory,” in The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses (Harper Collins, 2001), p 26.

Whichever heart-level substitutes we may rely on, these idols are powerless.

Whichever soul deep substitutes we may look upon in our mirrors, they will be an empty soulless reflection bearing absolutely no resemblance to God’s reality.

They cannot help us.

As Isaiah makes clear, they’ve never been able to tell us the future or even help us reflect on the past; neither can they give counsel. They meet our questions with mere silence and 100% unfulfilled expectations (Isaiah 41:22-23, 28-29).

Only the true and living God knows everything from beginning to end.

At creation He broke through the chaos, silence, foretelling what was to come.

He overwhelms darkness with His light. He replaces the “rough places” of wickedness with the “level ground” of righteousness. Although we once turned our backs on Him, He still sent His only Son, Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor.

You and I are constantly confronted by idols that call out for our attention and entice us to find fulfillment in them rather than God.

What are the ones that call out the loudest to you?

Dare to confront them, dare to challenge their faces, name them one by one.

Know that they are lying (though of course they don’t tell you that).

God’s word repeatedly warns us of the shame that lies in worshiping them and leads us on a better way: to find fulfillment in serving and being served by Him.

“You gotta serve somebody today.”

Psalm 103:13-16 New American Standard Bible 1995

13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who [a]fear Him.
14 For He Himself knows [b]our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.

God only knows; We always gotta worship someone, something, somewhere, at some time in this, the brief temporal existence our God affords us on this earth.

Isaiah 40:7-9 New American Standard Bible 1995

7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
[a]When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.

9 Get yourself up on a high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of good news,
Lift up your voice mightily,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Lift it up, do not fear.
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”

Here it is because here HE IS! Be sure to make it the living, loving God.

Worshipping the Ground We, Someone Else Walks or Crawls on or Works Their Fingers To The Bone On

Matthew 13:44-50 The Message

44 “God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.

45-46 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for exquisite pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

47-50 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That’s how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come, and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won’t do any good.”

If you could only have one thing in life, what would it be?

Take an honest and serious look at your heart for a minute, even an hour today.

What do you love most?

Who or What would you quite literally give up everything else for?

Would you believe your heavenly Father’s answer to those questions is you?

That the Creator of the universe loves you most?

Would you believe he would give up everything to have relationship with you?

Because He really and actually did!

By looking at Genesis 2, God’s single greatest desire is relationship with us.

After God creates Adam in his own image, God says, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18).

God brings every created animal before Adam to see if he deems any of them suitable as a helper, and Genesis 2:20 says, “But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.” 

Then without consulting Adam, God puts him into a deep sleep and forms a woman out of his rib.

Seeing the woman upon waking, Adam says, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man”  (Genesis 2:23).

How did God know Adam would want a woman as his helper?

How did God know she would be the desire of his heart?

God knew Adam most longed for a bride because Adam was made in God’s image, and God’s single greatest desire is for relationship with us, whom the Bible calls his Bride.

Let the truth of God’s heart sink in for a minute.

Out of everything else God has created or could have created, he most desires relationship with you.

And he so longed for you to know him fully that he sent Jesus to die to make restored relationship possible.

God calls us to himself daily with his love. He stands at the door of our heart and knocks, beckoning us with his loving-kindness to simply come and know him.

Once we truly grasp the depth of God’s desire for us, the only true response is to give up everything for him.

He laid the foundation for our commitment to him with the greatest single act of love, and he simply waits, beckoning us to respond, living our lives with him as our highest priority. And he doesn’t do so selfishly, but because the absolute best way for us to live in the fullness of our lives is in total commitment to him.

In Matthew 13:44-46, Jesus tells a parable explaining this response to God’s unending love.

He says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” 

The kingdom of God is the greatest treasure, the pearl of greatest value.

Relationship with him is worth our entire lives.

Pursuing him with all our heart is the absolute greatest ambition we could have.

Paul described this pursuit in Philippians 3:8 when he said, 

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

Philippians 3:7-11 The Message

7-9 The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.

10-11 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

So again, reflect on your own heart.

What do you value above all else? WHY?

Who do you value above all else? WHY?

God’s not angry with you if it truly isn’t him.

John 14:1-7 The Message

The Road

14 1-4 “Don’t let this rattle you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.”

5 Thomas said, “Master, we have no idea where you’re going. How do you expect us to know the road?”

6-7 Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”

You see, the way, the truth and also the life is that our single-minded pursuit of God will only ever match our over zealous longing, revelation of his goodness.

God knows that if he isn’t truly the greatest desire of your heart, it’s because you don’t fully know how good he is.

If you had the full revelation of his love for you, living totally for him wouldn’t even be a choice. So undeniably great is the worth of knowing Jesus that as you see the real Gospel him, you’ll naturally give up everything to know him more.

So, today as you enter into prayer, know the first baby steps in growing in your pursuit of God is acknowledging the posture of your own heart and your soul.

How strongly do you desire deeper relationship with him?

How much would you 100% give up to know him?

What do you seek fulfillment in during your free time?

The second step is receiving a fresh revelation of his incredible love for you.

Spend time daily simply encountering his heart.

Meditate on the truth that he desires relationship with you above all else.

He so greatly enjoys you that he pursues you with all of his focus and energy.

Last, respond to a revelation of his love with your own love.

Worship him, adore him, and live for him with your life.

John 4:21-24 The Message

21-23 “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.

23-24 “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”

You will encounter him in anything you truthfully do as worship.

He will pour out his presence, favor, and blessing in any area you live out of love for him. 

Colossians 1:13-14 says, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” 

And Luke 12:31 promises us, “Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.”

Pursue a deeper relationship with your heavenly Father today through prayer.

Pursue a truthful relationship with your heavenly Father today through study.

As you single-mindedly live for him, seek his kingdom first, you’ll inevitably discover all the fullness and all the abundance he has longed to add to your life.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Psalm 46 The Message

46 1-3 God is a safe place to hide,
    ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
    courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
    the tremors that shift mountains.

    Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

4-6 River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city,
    this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
    God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
    but Earth does anything he says.

7     Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

8-10 Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
    He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
    breaks all the weapons across his knee.
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
    loving look at me, your High God,
    above politics, above everything.”

11     Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

Guided Prayer:

1. Reflect on your own life. 

How strongly do you desire deeper relationship with him? How much would you give up to know him? What do you seek fulfillment in during your free time?

“The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.” Psalm 14:2

2. Meditate on the depth of God’s love for you. 

Receive a fresh revelation of how greatly he enjoys you. Think about the story in Genesis of how God’s greatest desire was relationship with his Bride.

“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”  Hebrews 12:2-3

“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.” Song of Solomon 2:14

3. Respond to God’s love with your own. 

Spend time simply adoring him.

Spend time in solitude sitting with him, encountering his heart, and giving him your own because He single-mindedly paid the highest price for you just to be able have a relationship with him. So take time, be the reward of his sacrifice.

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

May we answer the call to live for love with our lives today.

May we live in response to this benediction found in Hebrews 12:28:

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.”

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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A Different Kind of Lost: Respectable and Lost – Eyeing The Older Brother. Luke 15: 25-32

Luke 15:25-32 New American Standard Bible 1995

25 “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. 29 But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never [a]neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; 30 but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your [b] wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you [c]have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Overlooked No More – Eyeing A Different Kind of Lost

Romans 3:21-26 The Message

God Has Set Things Right

21-24 But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

25-26 God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear. God decided on this course of action in full view of the public—to set the world in the clear with himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, finally taking care of the sins he had so patiently endured. This is not only clear, but it’s now—this is current history! God sets things right. He also makes it possible for us to live in his rightness.

Let’s take time today to think about the older son in this parable.

This “GOOD OBEDIENT” son never leaves the family farm or breaks any rules, but he here breaks the father’s heart. While the father celebrates the restoration of his younger son, the older son’s heart simmers with anger and bitterness.

The father leaves the celebration for the return of the Prodigal Son and goes out to his older son and tries to reason with him – to join the party – but he refuses.

Ask yourself if our view of sin can be too limited!

We always label the younger son as the sinner while the older son strikes us as a obedient deserving saint, the kind of hardworking person God would be pleased with and would want us to be like – but why else might Dr. Luke mention him?

What lesson or lessons does Dr. Luke have on his spirit that we should observe?

That was Jesus’ second main point in this story.

Everyone thought that God wanted people to be like the teachers of the law and Pharisees—“good,” “obedient” “lawful” “conscientious” hardworking people.

But grace is unearned favor.

The Pharisees lived often graceless lives, so focused on obeying the rules and minding the traditions of man they no longer experienced the Father’s love.

They kept all kinds of rules, preached about all kinds of rules, lived and walked by all kinds of rules, but too broke God’s heart in their judgmentalism of others.

Do we observe the older son is just as much a sinner as the younger, and the prodigal Father offers him the same grace? Jesus died for all kinds of sinners?

If you are obediently slaving away for God’s favor, cone inside, accept the gift of Christ, party and celebrate grace. There’s plenty of room at God’s banquet table!

Shifting our “Obedient” Gaze – Respectable and Lost

Luke 15:28-32 The Message

28-30 “The older brother stomped off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, ‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’

31-32 “His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we just had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and now he’s found!’”

Can we say the older brother is being a wee bit selfish, obstinate and stubborn?

We all know this type of attitude … we have all seen this type of attitude … we have lived with someone with this type of attitude and sometimes he/she is us!

Well, now, regardless of your intellects, philosophies, ideologies and theologies we are each confronted by the events and outcomes of our General Conference.

If your ideologies and theologies are more left leaning, in your spirit perhaps you’re the one’s being wildly celebrated by the Father with the “fattened calf.”

“God has finally welcomed you home and is celebrating the events of Charlotte.

Those of us whose ideologies and theologies are more right leaning are being seen, if not accused as the obstinate stubborn perhaps sulking older brother.

Refusing to acknowledge the works, wonders of God, the Father because the events of Charlotte did not meet your expectations, did not reward you with what you felt you deserved for your always being obedient and being loyal.

We all can identify with the rebellious son who went into the far country.

In all likelihood, we were once that zealous, rebellious son God celebrated.

But now some, if not most of us find ourselves standing and walking in the shoes of this obstinate sulking elder brother – outside of God’s celebration.

There is not one among us who has at sometime, including exactly right now not felt what this brother felt when he found himself gripped by jealous rage.

Perhaps it would help to analyze this a bit, to more clearly recognize the symptoms of this reaction.

Three characteristics are always present when this attitude is expressed.

The first one is a sense of being treated unfairly, of being ignored, forgotten or disregarded.

This feeling of unfair treatment is always the initial mark of a self-centered attitude.

It is the sign of crushed pride — a wounded ego — revealing the centrality of self.

The second mark is that of an over-inflated view of self.

Notice how the older brother distinctly describes his own moral superiorities.

Self-righteousness is always full of self-praise: 

“Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you.“

There is no recognition whatsoever of what he has learned through these many years, or exactly how much he has profited by the relationship with his father.

In his view it is all one way. 

“And I never disobeyed your orders.” 

Certainly that is not true.

No one has ever or will ever live up to that kind of a standard. Romans 3:23-24,

1 John 1:8-9 New American Standard Bible 1995

8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

It is remarkable how conveniently he forgets the many times the father has forgiven him. Yet his view of himself is that of being completely and wholly and obediently and loyally in the right. That is always a mark of self-righteousness.

The third mark is his blame of and contempt for others. 

“This son of yours…”  

Can you hear and feel the deep cutting edge of contempt in that?

He does not call him his brother, and there is no gladness at his return.

He views him as someone vile and contemptible.

Also there is no love or respect for his father.

Oddly enough, the father ends up with all the blame. 

“You never gave me a goat, that I might make merry with my friends; but you killed the fatted calf for this son of yours, …”

Do we right now just want to jump into the face of this contemptible wretch!

How many times have we heard that reaction expressed?

How many times have we taken no small amount of offense at that reaction?

These are the three marks of self-righteousness — the world’s most deadly sin.

Our Lord spoke of this more frequently and dealt with it more severely than of any other sin.

He could be tender and gracious toward those who were involved in adultery or drunkenness, but when he faced those self-righteous Pharisees in their smug complacency, his face reddened, his eyes widened, his words burn and scorch.

This sin is so insidious, so deadly because it is so easily disguised as justifiable.

It reveals that this older son is actually far more lost than the other was.

He, too, is in a far country — a far country of the spirit — far far removed from the father’s heart. He has never learned to share the same spirit his Father has.

As we mull over and stew over and gloat over, lament over General Conference,

Have I seen in my “older brother” self this feeling of being treated unfairly?

Of an overly obedient and loyal inflated view of myself? Of contempt for others?

Can I find even one reason, however tiny, and however insignificant, however dangerous to self, to join my Father and my brothers and sisters in celebration?

Isaiah 55:1-7 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Free Offer of Mercy

55 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no [a]money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost.
2 “Why do you [b]spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.
3 “Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that [c]you may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies [d]shown to David.
4 “Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
A leader and commander for the peoples.
5 “Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will run to you,
Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”

6 Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.

God’s invitation to celebrate Him as much as He celebrates us is always open!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Forgive us, Lord, when we, like the older brother, turn religion into rules instead of a relationship with you. Search us, Fill us with your forgiveness and love for everyone.

Psalm 25 New Living Translation

Psalm 25[a]

A psalm of David.

1 O Lord, I give my life to you.
2     I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
    or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
3 No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
    but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

4 Show me the right path, O Lord;
    point out the road for me to follow.
5 Lead me by your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God who saves me.
    All day long I put my hope in you.
6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
    which you have shown from long ages past.
7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
    Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
    for you are merciful, O Lord.

8 The Lord is good and does what is right;
    he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
9 He leads the humble in doing right,
    teaching them his way.
10 The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
    all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

11 For the honor of your name, O Lord,
    forgive my many, many sins.
12 Who are those who fear the Lord?
    He will show them the path they should choose.
13 They will live in prosperity,
    and their children will inherit the land.
14 The Lord is a friend to those who fear him.
    He teaches them his covenant.
15 My eyes are always on the Lord,
    for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.

16 Turn to me and have mercy,
    for I am alone and in deep distress.
17 My problems go from bad to worse.
    Oh, save me from them all!
18 Feel my pain and see my trouble.
    Forgive all my sins.
19 See how many enemies I have
    and how viciously they hate me!
20 Protect me! Rescue my life from them!
    Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge.
21 May integrity and honesty protect me,
    for I put my hope in you.

22 O God, ransom Israel
    from all its troubles.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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What are we to recall? A Zealous Jesus is Seen Restoring His Father’s House. John 2:13-22

John 2:13-22 New American Standard Bible 1995

First Passover—Cleansing the Temple

13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a [a] place of business.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us [b]as your authority for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this [c]temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20  The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this [d]temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the [e]temple of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Seismic Sight: An Angry Crowd and a Zealous Jesus

John 2:20-22 The Message

20-22 They were indignant: “It took forty-six years to build this Temple, and you’re going to rebuild it in three days?” But Jesus was talking about his body as the Temple. Later, after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this. They then put two and two together and believed both what was written in Scripture and what Jesus had said.

 In our Scripture for today, John portrays an angry Jesus.

If you’ve dealt with angry people, or your own anger, you know how unpleasant it can be.

The apostle Paul warns, “In your anger do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26).

Jesus got angry when he saw what was happening in the temple courts.

And yet he did not sin.

Jesus was upset about local vendors providing worshipers something for a fee.

But not just any fee – an exorbitantly high fee which most people could not pay.

He called it all – “den of thieves.”

Mark 11:15-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

Jesus Drives Money Changers from the Temple

15 Then they *came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling [a]doves; 16 and He would not permit anyone to carry [b]merchandise through the temple. 17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robbers’ [c]den.”

He was zealous that God’s temple should foremost be a place of worship. and a house of prayer.

There wasn’t room for people to pray.

There wasn’t a place for them to worship.

“Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” he said.

Only later did the disciples connect his zeal with Psalm 69:9 “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Psalm 69:9 The Message

9 I love you more than I can say.
Because I’m madly in love with you,
They blame me for everything they dislike about you.

Christ’s passion for God’s holiness made him exceptionally zealous to save us.

We are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27).

Genesis 1:26-28The Message

26-28 God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
    reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
    the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
    and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
God created human beings;
    he created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
    He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
    “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
    for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”

And in Christ we are the new temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 The Message

16-17 You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.

Christ’s exceptionally zealous passion carried him to the cross to make us “living stones,” drawn together by His blood as God’s temple (1 Peter 2:5).

1 Peter 2:4-10 The Message

The Stone

4-8 Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent:

Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion,
    a cornerstone in the place of honor.
Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation
    will never have cause to regret it.

To you who trust him, he’s a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,

The stone the workmen threw out
    is now the chief foundation stone.

For the untrusting it’s

. . . a stone to trip over,
    a boulder blocking the way.

They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.

9-10 But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

Jesus was undeterred.

He was heading for the cross to fulfill God’s mission. God’s image would be restored in us only through the work of his Son (Philippians 1:6; Colossians 3:10).

If Jesus is so zealous to restore the holiness of God in us, shouldn’t we be also?

As much as he was undeterred, ought we not too become as equally undeterred?

Another Seismic Event – Restoring the Temple

John 2:15-17 The Message

15-17 Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a shopping mall!” That’s when his disciples remembered the Scripture, “Zeal for your house consumes me.”

It is quite clear that the 2020/2024 General Conference of the United Methodist Church has caused seismic shifts of orthodoxy within the mission of the church.

And people are right to be both zealous and angry about it.

And people are also right to be both zealous and exuberant for it.

It is only human to have these feelings and responses to what has happened.

Have them – own them – pick up your Bibles – read – study – pray over them.

But, for God’s sake, let us not beat each’s soul to to a pulp – Philippians 2:1-4

Philippians 2:1-4 The Message

He Took on the Status of a Slave

2 1-4 If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

There is enough mission and ministry in the World for everyone to engage in.

How God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit will bring forth fruit from this seismic event in the life of His Church is yet to be seen or known.

But whether we are zealous and angry or zealous and happy, we must strive to set ourselves aside in the face of God’s sovereignty to remember this one truth;

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 The Message

9-13 But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift.

Because in the end of it all, God is the One with the only plan that will work.

Because in the end of it all, God is only One with authority to make it happen.

Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 The Message

The Final Word

9-10 Besides being wise himself, the Quester also taught others knowledge. He weighed, examined, and arranged many proverbs. The Quester did his best to find the right words and write the plain truth.

11 The words of the wise prod us to live well.
They’re like nails hammered home, holding life together.
They are given by God, the one Shepherd.

12-13 But regarding anything beyond this, dear friend, go easy. There’s no end to the publishing of books, and constant study wears you out so you’re no good for anything else. The last and final word is this:

Fear God.
Do what he tells you.

14 And that’s it. Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent, whether it’s good or evil.

And through prayer and discernment, I’ll offer this insight and observation;

Isaiah 54:1-6 The Message

Spread Out! Think Big!

54 1-6 “Sing, barren woman, who has never had a baby.
    Fill the air with song, you who’ve never experienced childbirth!
You’re ending up with far more children
    than all those childbearing women.” God says so!
“Clear lots of ground for your tents!
    Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big!
Use plenty of rope,
    drive the tent pegs deep.
You’re going to need lots of elbow room
    for your growing family.
You’re going to take over whole nations;
    you’re going to resettle abandoned cities.
Don’t be afraid—you’re not going to be embarrassed.
    Don’t hold back—you’re not going to come up short.
You’ll forget all about the humiliations of your youth,
    and the indignities of being a widow will fade from memory.
For your Maker is your bridegroom,
    his name, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
Your Redeemer is The Holy of Israel,
    known as God of the whole earth.
You were like an abandoned wife, devastated with grief,
    and God welcomed you back,
Like a woman married young
    and then left,” says your God.

A father would understandably burn with a righteous anger if he saw drugs wreaking destruction in the life of his child.

We wouldn’t expect him to flippantly dismiss such devastation.

No, we would expect him to do everything necessary to drive that evil out and see restoration take place.

When Jesus, the Son of God, entered His Father’s house on earth—the temple in Jerusalem—and looked round at the scene, it was painful to Him.

A place intended for the worship of God had become a place given over to the worship of money.

A place intended to beckon the world to meet the living God had become one that kept the nations at arm’s length.

He found it intolerable that the name of God, the glory of God, was being besmirched and tarnished.

There is no reason for us to stand back and try to mitigate Jesus’ actions.

The holy righteous and zealous anger of Christ burned with red hot zeal and purity. This moment in John 2:13-22 was not the time for polite conversation.

Jesus knew exactly why the temple was there.

It was the place of meeting God.

It was meant to be the joy of the whole earth.

What He found instead was completely opposed to its purpose—and in His words and actions, By the actions of his whip He made that abundantly clear.

Interestingly, when the Pharisees confronted Jesus afterwards, they didn’t challenge His actions; they challenged His authority.

Jesus responded to this challenge with a puzzling statement: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).

The temple He referred to, John explains, was Himself (v 21).

One day, Jesus would come to Jerusalem not to visit the temple complex but to give His own body and blood as the full and final sacrifice for sins, and then to rise to new life and to reign forever.

It was on that authority that He was making clear the difference between what God had intended the temple to be, what it had been made to become by man.

Here, then, we are confronted by a Jesus who is radical—who responds with zeal and protectiveness to the issue of God’s glory.

This Jesus is not meek and mild, always affirming and never challenging.

He is the only Great High Priest, who came not only to cleanse the temple precincts but also to cleanse our hearts, zealously deal with our alienation.

In Him, the true temple, God has built “a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:7).

Isaiah 56:7-8 The Message

6-8 “And as for the outsiders who now follow me,
    working for me, loving my name,
    and wanting to be my servants—
All who keep Sabbath and don’t defile it,
    holding fast to my covenant—
I’ll bring them to my holy mountain
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
They’ll be welcome to worship the same as the ‘insiders,’
    to bring burnt offerings and sacrifices to my altar.
Oh yes, my house of worship
    will be known as a house of prayer for all people.”
The Decree of the Master, God himself,
    who gathers in the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather others also,
    gather them in with those already gathered.”

Let the truth be revealed through prayer and the courage to be honest with God;

Whether you are zealous angry, or zealous exuberant, over General Conference,

Just sit down with God and let Him do all sorting out that He knows is required:

Psalm 139:23-24 The Message

23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
    find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
    get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
    then guide me on the road to eternal life.

If Jesus were to walk into the Courtyards of the Temple men called the United Methodist Church the same way he entered the Temple in Jerusalem, would his actions have been any different or any less zealous to get HIS church in order?

So step back and look afresh at Jesus, who brooked no compromise in pursuing the glory of God through enabling the nations to pray, to worship Him rightly.

Pray, look afresh at Jesus, who used His authority and perfections willingly to take our place and bear our punishment in His body so we could be restored.

Pray, look afresh at Jesus, of whose amazing grace we are each a beneficiary.

For the sake of His Kingdom alone -let His zeal for God’s glory also be yours.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Holy God, the passion of your Son both inspires and scares us. May his zeal for your holiness inspire us to be his disciplined followers, your faithful people. In his name.

Psalm 24 The Message

24 1-2 God claims Earth and everything in it,
    God claims World and all who live on it.
He built it on Ocean foundations,
    laid it out on River girders.

3-4 Who can climb Mount God?
    Who can scale the holy north-face?
Only the clean-handed,
    only the pure-hearted;
Men who won’t cheat,
    women who won’t seduce.

5-6 God is at their side;
    with God’s help they make it.
This, Jacob, is what happens
    to God-seekers, God-questers.

7 Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
    King-Glory is ready to enter.

8 Who is this King-Glory?
    God, armed
    and battle-ready.

9 Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
    King-Glory is ready to enter.

10 Who is this King-Glory?
    God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
    he is King-Glory.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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There is a Tension inside our Camps; The Church: God’s Imperfect People. Act 6:1-6

Acts 6:1-6 New Living Translation

Seven Men Chosen to Serve

6 But as the believers[a] rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 4 Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

5 Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). 6 These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

There is definitely Tension inside our Camps

We don’t often enjoy tension. Whether it’s in an organization, a business, a family, a friendship, or even a church, tension can really mess with things. But what if we can each refocus the tension and see if it creates a new opportunity?

Things were getting a bit tense in the fast-growing group of Jesus’ followers.

Feelings were hurt, some people were left out, and some of them began to complain.

Another word for this is “grumbling.”

If you have heard the story of God’s people wandering in the desert after being freed from Egypt, you know that it did not take long for them to start grumbling (Exodus 16).

What unfolds in this moment in Acts 6 is an opportunity to decentralize the responsibilities of serving. The community has grown so large that it’s time to appoint leaders who can help take care of some needs that aren’t being met.

When we take time to pray in the tension, we are able to see new opportunities.

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 New Living Translation

9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

It’s easy to grumble.

It is easy to keep grumbling-grumbling has its own unique kind of momentum.

It’s also easy to find some people to grumble with.

It is easy too to form social clubs or social media chats to encourage world wide grumbling and in the process get everything more confused than it needs to be.

But if we step back and look at things from another angle, not ever our own but God’s alone, we might see grace, an opportunity to start something beautiful.

Too often in my life I have let the grumbling dictate the bulk of my actions and let my behaviors get in the way of what God may want to teach or reveal to me.

How can we take a few steps back and reframe what we are going through?

What new Kingdom of God things might arise from the mounting tension?

The Church: God’s Imperfect People

Acts 6:1-6 Easy-to-Read Version

Seven Men Chosen for a Special Work

6 More and more people were becoming followers of Jesus. But during this same time, the Greek-speaking followers began to complain against the other Jewish followers. They said that their widows were not getting their share of what the followers received every day. 2 The twelve apostles called the whole group of followers together.

The apostles said to them, “It would not be right for us to give up our work of teaching God’s word in order to be in charge of getting food to people. 3 So, brothers and sisters, choose seven of your men who have a good reputation. They must be full of wisdom and the Spirit. We will give them this work to do. 4 Then we can use all our time to pray and to teach the word of God.”

5 The whole group liked the idea. So they chose these seven men: Stephen (a man with great faith and full of the Holy Spirit), Philip,[a] Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus (a man from Antioch who had become a Jew). 6 Then they put these men before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.[b]

As I prepared for this devotional, I thought about the children’s story Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Now Goldilocks and the Three Bears was not my favorite childhood story.

However, I thought about all the tensions that Goldilocks went through when she encountered the bears’ environment:

This porridge was too hot, this porridge was too cold. This bed was too hard, this bed was too soft. Having found the right porridge and right bed, she did not enjoy her stay too long because a situation filled with conflict confronted her in the form of the arrival of three unhappy and surprised bears and she took off.

I think that it safe to say that sometimes we the public have the same kind of terse feelings about the church just like Goldilocks had about the bears’ home.

On the one hand, we love the church and can’t live without her. On the other hand, we find sermons long and boring, the music either too old or too new, the people too friendly or too cold, the theology of the pastor too left or too right.

On one hand, we turn to the church in times of crisis and need to hear a word of hope. On the other hand, when things are going well the church seems to be an interruption and we find her message a bit disconcerting and uncomfortable.

On one hand, we expect the church, to be all things to all people all the time. On the other hand, we sometimes feel inconvenienced when we are asked to help.

Ideologically, theologically, philosophically, even politically, we all have mixed feelings about the church.

Why is that?

Well for one reason, the spiritual nature of the church.

The church is not a for profit organization. It is the called of God, the ecclesia.

The church deals more than just with a financial statements, business matters, and programming issues. It deals with deeper matters of our hearts and souls.

And those matters of the heart and soul are all about attitude, about priorities, about thoughts and behaviors.

Matters that go to the very core of our humanity. Matters that cannot be redesigned by engineering departments or discussed with human resources.

Another reason that we all have mixed feelings about the church has to do with conflict. It seems that when conflict rears its ugly head, we begin to have second third and fourth thoughts about the stability, purpose and role of the church.

Why is that?

Perhaps we expect the church to be conflict free.

Maybe we assume that once we are saved, then everything is all right and that there is no more conflict. That’s the ideal but not even close to being the real.

Or maybe we feel that conflict is “sinful” or we are too deep and steadfast in our righteousness and that to admit to conflict is to admit that we are not perfect.

Isaiah 53:6 Amplified Bible

6 
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
We have turned, each one, to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the wickedness of us all [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]
To fall on Him [instead of us].

Not all conflict is wrong.

Some conflict is present because of the reality of good and evil in this world.

Which very much involves the church.

Unstoppable Tension! ‘Growth Can Cause Problems!’ 

Acts 6:1-6 Amplified Bible

Choosing of the Seven

6 Now about this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, a complaint was made by the [a]Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews) against the [[b]native] Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.  2 So the [c]Twelve called the disciples together and said, “It is not appropriate for us to neglect [teaching] the word of God in order to serve tables and manage the distribution of food. 3 Therefore, brothers, choose from among you seven men with good reputations [men of godly character and moral integrity], full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4 But we will [continue to] devote ourselves [steadfastly] to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 The suggestion pleased the whole congregation; and they selected [d]Stephen, a man full of faith [in Christ Jesus], and [filled with and led by] the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (Nikolaos), a proselyte (Gentile convert) from Antioch. 6 They brought these men before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them [to dedicate and commission them for this service].

Tension is inevitable.

Tension is unavoidable.

Tension can be effectively managed, turned into significant kingdom growth.

The number of disciples increased rapidly as many people believed in Jesus as the Messiah!

Myriads upon Myriads of the new believers had traveled a great distance over land and sea to get to Jerusalem from their respective foreign lands (Acts 2:5-11), so it is inevitable that some, if not most of them, spoke foreign languages.

The needs of the Greek-speaking widows were not being met despite the believers’ earlier efforts to help all among them with needs (Acts 4:32-37).

Growth without loving concern causes problems that the evil one can exploit.

In the midst of the tension, we must listen and respond with grace and patience to address potentially any divisive problems lovingly, quickly, fairly, wisely!

Galatians 3:26-29 Amplified Bible

26 For you [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified and] are all children of God [set apart for His purpose with full rights and privileges] through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union with the Christ, the Anointed] have clothed yourselves with Christ [that is, you have taken on His characteristics and values]. 28 There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority]. 29 And if you belong to Christ [if you are in Him], then you are Abraham’s descendants, and [spiritual] heirs according to [God’s] promise.

The early disciples took hold of the tension and did just that and the Gospel did spread, and the people got served and their whole host of needs had gotten met.

So, over the coming days, following General Conference, in the diversity of and in all the seriousness of the tensions created please pray, study how they did so.

Their Acts 6:1-6 solutions to the problem is an excellent example for us today.

How can this passage of Scripture be a catalyst to start the necessary debates?

How can the church continue in its great commission amidst todays’ tension?

Will we choose to be part of the problem or choose to continue and fester the problem or will we find that One way, One someway – God is saying “go forth.”

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

O Father, may we be known as people who love each other as family. Please do not let racial, cultural, socio-economic status, political, or ethnic differences divide us and allow Satan a foothold to destroy the spread of the Good News of Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 80 New American Standard Bible 1995

God Implored to Rescue His People from Their Calamities.

For the choir director; set to [a]El Shoshannim; [b]Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.

80 Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up Your power
And come to save us!
3 O God, restore us
And cause Your face to shine upon us, [c]and we will be saved.

4 O Lord God of hosts,
How long will You [d]be angry with the prayer of Your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And You have made them to drink tears in [e]large measure.
6 You make us [f]an object of contention to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 O God of hosts, restore us
And cause Your face to shine upon us, [g]and we will be saved.

8 You removed a vine from Egypt;
You drove out the [h]nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground before it,
And it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shadow,
And [i]the cedars of God with its boughs.
11 It was sending out its branches to the sea
And its shoots to the River.
12 Why have You broken down its [j]hedges,
So that all who pass that way pick its fruit?
13 A boar from the forest eats it away
And whatever moves in the field feeds on it.

14 O God of hosts, turn again now, we beseech You;
Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine,
15 Even the [k]shoot which Your right hand has planted,
And on the [l]son whom You have [m]strengthened for Yourself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
17 Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
18 Then we shall not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
19 O Lord God of hosts, restore us;
Cause Your face to shine upon us, [n]and we will be saved.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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“If we are truly the Body of Christ?” those Ninety-nine and One: God and the Unthinking Sheep of His Pasture. Luke 15:1-7

Luke 15:1-7 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lost Sheep

15 Now all the tax collectors and the [a]sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. 2 Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

3 So He told them this parable, saying, 4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the [b]open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Ninety-nine and One

Luke 15:1-2 Amplified Bible

The Lost Sheep

15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews] were coming near Jesus to listen to Him. 2 Both the Pharisees and the scribes began muttering and complaining, saying, “This man accepts and welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

There is this famous saying among Jewish rabbis:

“Whoever saves one soul, saves the whole world.”

Its wisdom is deeper than what is called “common sense.”

It is deeper than the famous Zen saying,

“Imagine the sound of one hand clapping,” which is designed to jar a person into moving beyond the limits of reason.

Some people are “numbers people,” and their contribution to the orderly functioning of society and the body of Christ is indispensable.

But in order to understand Luke’s Gospel narrative, Jesus’ story of the shepherd who leaves a flock of 99 to go search for just one lost sheep, we must remember how God made each of us in his own image.

From the first words of Genesis to the last words of Revelation, holy scripture repeatedly emphasizes and speaks about the infinite value of one single human being because each and every single one of us humans are made in God’s image.

C. S. Lewis rightly criticized the vulgarity of those who will seek to make us feel as insignificant as the dust because the universe is so huge and we are so small.

Christian Missionaries definitely treasure this single parable because they must sometimes work many years in a stubborn land to lead one lost person to Christ.

Never allow yourself to think that you count for nothing.

Think instead upon: Christ who lived, ministered among us and died to rekindle the spark of the image of God placed within His church that makes us human.

God and all of those Unthinking Sheep of His Pasture

Luke 15:3-7 Amplified Bible

3 So He told them this parable: 4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost, [searching] until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he gets home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’ 7 I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

There is something unusual about sheep.

Unlike other animals they do not often deliberately run away.

A cat or dog who wants to be free, given a chance, will leave, just like that.

But sheep do not.

They only wander away.

They do not mean to.

This is the picture our Lord gives us of certain people who do not intend to get lost; they do not originally intend to wander or run away and waste their lives.

They do not intend to wander off into something dangerous and destructive.

But, little by little, concentrating only on the now, present, they wander away.

Eventually they wake up to realize they are lost, that life is suddenly empty, that their hearts are burdened, heavy with guilt — will not know how it happened.

They are not happy to be lost; they hate it.

They long to belong.

There are millions like this today.

Some are poor and obscure.

Some are intent on simply making a living, on feeding themselves.

Some are rich and prominent.

All over this vast globe, people are suffering from destination sickness, i.e. the sickness of those who have already arrived at their destination, who have all they want; but they sadly discover that they do not want anything they have.

Notice the shepherd’s response.

He left the ninety and nine in the wilderness and went after the one.

That pictures the activity of God, as expressed in the person of the Lord Jesus himself. He left everything to come and find us.

As Paul states it so wonderfully in the letter to the Philippians, he did not count the fact that he was equal with God a thing to be held on to, but instead emptied himself, took upon himself the form of a servant, and was found in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:6-7). He left, and he came.

Philippians 2:5-11 Amplified Bible

5 Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless humility], 6 who, although He existed in the form and  unchanging essence of God [as One with Him, possessing the fullness of all the divine attributes—the entire nature of deity], did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or  asserted [as if He did not already possess it, or was afraid of losing it]; 7 but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man]. 8 After He was found in [terms of His] outward appearance as a man [for a divinely-appointed time], He humbled Himself [still further] by becoming obedient [to the Father] to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus [a]every knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father.

In worship services it is common to sing songs of praise and hymns to God our Savior.

In many ways, the Apostles’ Creed is like a hymn, and many songs have been composed from the words of this creed.

The Bible includes many song texts as well, and this reading from Philippians 2 includes one of them.

This text in verses 6-11 appears to be a hymn (or part of one) that was recited and sung by early Christians in the first century.

And the apostle Paul uses it to summarize a number of important teachings as he urges readers to “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.”

In some ways like the Apostles’ Creed, this ancient hymn tells us who Jesus is, what he willingly sacrificed for us, and what will happen when he comes again.

Imagine yourself in a worship service 2,000 years ago, surrounded by sisters and brothers in the Lord and singing these words together.

Then reread (or even sing) this ancient hymn that has echoed down through the centuries. Reflect long and meditate much upon the deep, life-changing truths we can each celebrate only because of “Jesus, Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord.”

This hymn in Scripture, like the Apostle’s Creed, allows God’s Word to settle deep into our hearts and souls. And it calls us to humble ourselves like Jesus in all our relationships as we seek to live for God by loving and serving each other.

Finally, notice Luke emphasizes all the rejoicing over the recovery of the lost.

Luke 15:5-7 Amplified Bible

5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he gets home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’ 7 I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

This reveals the high value that God sets his sights on all lost men and women.

They are never worthless in his sight. They are made in his image and are of unspeakable value to God. They bear his own image, marred and ruined as that image may be, and he longs to find them and reach them all, restore them all.

Do I feel the same spirit of compassion as the God who longs to reach the lost?

Am I involving myself in this greatest enterprise of God to find these people?

Matthew 28:16-20 Amplified Bible

The Great Commission

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted [that it was really He]. 18 Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”

To what degree, measure of Spirit does the Body of Christ, the Church which is supposed to go to all the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) authentically participate?

To what degree, measure of Spirit does the Body of Christ, the Church which is supposed to go to all the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) authentically value all life?

IF, and that is definitely a GOD sized IF, we ARE the authentic Body of Christ …

What of all those “99’s?”

What of all those “1’s?”

What of our 100% rejoicing for God with the same measure God rejoices for us?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

For the ninety nine and the one. Jesus, out of love, you poured out your life for us; now help us, out of love, to pour out our lives for each other. In your name, Amen.

Psalm 139 New American Standard Bible 1995

God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

139 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know [a]when I sit down and [b]when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You [c]scrutinize my [d]path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 [e]Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in [f]Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will [g]overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even the darkness is not dark [h]to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.

13 For You formed my [i]inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for [j]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My [k]frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.
20 For they speak [l]against You wickedly,
And Your enemies [m]take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any [n]hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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The Mystery of Seeds: Some Deeper Thoughts About a Seeds Thoughts. Mark 4:26-29

Mark 4:26-29 New American Standard Bible 1995

Parable of the Seed

26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 But when the crop permits, he immediately [a]puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Way back when in my youth, My Mom and I would plant a variety of seeds—tomato’s, peppers, beans and radishes in rows, zucchini and squash in mounds.

Every conceivable kind of seed we picked up at the store went into the ground.

Row after row would be planted and then watered and then left to the elements.

There was really nothing else we could do but wait and water and watch them.

Night and day after night and day would pass, we would sleep, wake, go outside before breakfast and leaving for school and we would watch and we would wait.

All we could do was wait a couple of weeks or so as the seed packet had said and watch and water and hope for some kind of sprout to shoot through the ground.

If all went well, a little green sprout would barely show up into the sunshine.

These methods make the sprouting and growing of seeds no less of a mystery.

Surely there is a long and quite complex scientific explanation today for the sprouting of seeds, the growth of tender shoots, that will only increase my awe.

I cannot speak for today’s generations but in younger days, we children enjoyed hearing, reading the stories of Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel.

One favorite was the tale of Toad planting a garden.

After a day or two he began to think and fret about whether his seeds would ever sprout and grow. So he sang to them, he stayed up with them all night (in case they were afraid of the dark), and even screamed at them and wept over them.

Exhausted, Toad finally fell asleep.

When he awoke, he saw to his great relief that the seeds had sprouted.

Too often, I am like Toad when working in Jesus’ church and God’s kingdom.

I act and feel as if it all depends on me.

As Jesus tells us in his parable, however, God’s garden grows from seed to harvest “all by itself.”

So much of this is a mystery.

We need to do our part—sow the seed, water, tend the garden, and reap the harvest—but we do not make the seed grow. That happens by God’s gracious work. We can simply delight in doing our small part in growing the kingdom.

Some thoughts about A Seeds Thoughts …

Mark 4:26-29 The Message

Never Without a Story

26-29 Then Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—it is harvest time!

Jesus is speaking of how his kingdom increases.

He explains it as a coming to harvest by a patient expectation God will work.

The key of this whole passage is, …the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.

All by itself the soil produces grain. 

There are unseen forces at work which will be faithful to perform their work — whether a man stews and frets about it or not. He does what he can do. But then God must work. And God will work. In that confidence, this man rests secure.

As Jesus draws for us the picture this farmer goes out to sow the seeds he threw.

It is hard work as he sows the field, but this is what he knows, believes he can do to move the process along to its conclusions.

But then he goes home after a long day of sweaty labor and he goes to bed.

He does not sit up all night biting his fingernails, wondering if the seed fell in the right places.

Nor does he rise the next morning and go out and dig it up to see whether or not it is sprouting.

He rests secure in the fact that God is at work, that he has a part in this process, and he must do it; no one can do it for him, and he will faithfully perform it.

The farmer rests and waits as the seed goes through observable stages: …first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. Now, it is only when the grain is ripe that he is called into action again – to reap and then to harvest.

This is the way we ought to expect God to work. He sows our witness first, perhaps a word of teaching or exhortation to someone — or to ourselves. And then a process begins, which takes time and patience, and allows God to work.

One of the most destructive forces at work in the church today is our demand for instant “best possible political results.” We want immediate baptisms, and conversions, immediate responses, immediate dedications every time we speak.

We want what we steadfastly believe our worldly agenda entitles us to We tend not to allow time for God, the Word, to take root and grow and come to harvest.

As Jesus explains these ideas, He vividly demonstrates that a person’s spiritual knowledge is based on their willingness to pursue truth – meaning God’s truth. 

Kingdom of God and Not being wise in our own eyes

Proverbs 3:5-8 Amplified Bible

5 
Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart
And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
6 
[a]In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him,
And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].
7 
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil.
8 
It will be health to your body [your marrow, your nerves, your sinews, your muscles—all your inner parts]
And refreshment (physical well-being) to your bones.

The passage for today is Mark 4:26-27. It says,

“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows. He knows not how.”

This passage is a parable about growing the kingdom of God not the world of man and its too often bizarre, wild and assorted politically motivated agendas.

Jesus is clearly communicating that the kingdom of God is like a seed that is planted in the ground – we are the church, we are those seeds being planted.

The seed grows and sprouts, even though the farmer does not know how it happens nor does he know the outcome when the seeds finally bear their fruit.

This parable teaches us that the kingdom of God is a mystery. We do not always understand how it works, too, we are not to know how God works, but if we will allow it, keep our agendas, understandings we can trust that God is at work in it.

We can also trust that the kingdom of God will grow and spread, even when we do not see it happening, even when we are thoroughly blinded by our agendas.

We can apply this parable to our own lives. We may not always see the results of our work, but we can absolutely trust that God is at work in us and through us.

1 Corinthians 3:5-9 Amplified Bible

5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Just servants through whom you believed [in Christ], even as the Lord appointed to each his task. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was causing the growth. 7 So neither is the one who plants nor the one who waters anything, but [only] God who causes the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one [in importance and esteem, working toward the same purpose]; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.  9 For we are God’s fellow workers [His servants working together]; you are God’s cultivated field [His garden, His vineyard], God’s building.

We can also trust the kingdom of God will grow, the kingdom of God will both mature and spread, even when we don’t know what’s going on see it happening.

Let us not be too discouraged if we do not see immediate results from our work.

Do I really trust that God is at work, and all outcomes do not all depend on me? Having done what God has given me to do, do I then rest, since God is working?

Philippians 2:1-4 Amplified Bible

Be Like Christ

2 Therefore if there is any encouragement and comfort in Christ [as there certainly is in abundance], if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship [that we share] in the Spirit, if [there is] any [great depth of] affection and compassion, 2  make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same [a]love [toward one another], knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose [and living a life that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel—the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ]. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves. 4 Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Setting aside nonsensical worldly agendas, let us continue to sow the seeds of the kingdom of God, and trust only God will bring about a harvest in his time.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Dear God, thanks for the gift and mystery of seeds. Help me to humbly do my part in work and prayer and to rely on you for growth in and around me. In Jesus I pray.

Psalm 23 Amplified Bible

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me],
I shall not want.
2 
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.
3 
He refreshes and restores my soul (life);
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.

4 
Even though I walk through the [sunless] [a]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.
5 
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed and refreshed my head with [b]oil;
My cup overflows.
6 
Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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