The First Mark - Passionately Devoted

Why is it so hard to follow Christ? 

Believe it or not how hard or easy it is to follow Christ has a lot to do with us.  Jesus was clear that His "yoke" is easy and His burden light, but that invite was to those who are "heavy laden" or "weary".  (Matt. 11:28-30)  In Luke 9:23, Jesus lays out the necessary principals to follow Him in the most non-manipulative invitation in the history of mankind.  He requires we 1) deny ourselves, 2) take up our cross, 3) daily (this is not a weekly or monthly thing), and 4) follow Him. 

The first three requirements get a lot of people.  For one, we don't like to deprive ourselves of anything.  Our culture teaches us more or less to "get ours" and tells us what all we deserve to have.  This has even crept into those who purport to be Christians.  Consider the name it claim it (for yourself) prosperity gospel messages.  When you pray, how much do you pray about things you need or want as opposed to petitioning for others?  I confess, I've finished many times of prayer that were centered on my wants and needs.  It happens.  In our fallen state - self is hard to deny. However, when we love God, love each other and love those not yet in the kingdom, we discover a proper order of love.  It is easier to deny yourself when you love in this way - it helps get "you" down the list of importance. 

We also don't like to carry around execution devices.  We don't like suffering and persecution, but Jesus doesn't mince words, those two things will befall the follower of Christ.  Don't get me wrong there will be unparalleled joys, but deep valleys make for higher mountains.  Frankly, our comfort is not much of a concern for Christ, I know, He drags me from my comfort zone almost daily.

Speaking of "daily", here we find another word that makes it hard for many of us to follow Christ:  consistency.  That is what daily means.  If you are only a Sunday morning Christian, then don't expect your discipleship funnel toward the target of Christ to get any narrower.  This is a daily walk, a daily relationship, a daily routine. 

By the time you get to number 4, if you have the first 3 covered, following is in the bag.  As John said, "walk as Jesus did." (1 Jn 2:6).

Of all the characters in the bible the average American resembles the Rich Ruler more than anyone else in my opinion.  (Lk.18:18-30, Mk 10:17-30, Mt. 19:16-29).  He was wealthy, connected, powerful, with a brilliant future waiting to be realized.  When Jesus identified the one thing he couldn't or wouldn't surrender, his possessions, he went away sad.  The cost of following Jesus was too high in his mind.  His great wealth was his god.  Jesus wants you to have Him as your God (period).  It is the only pathway to true discipleship.

Prayer:  Father thank you for sending Jesus to show us how to walk, how to love, how to relate to others, and how to grow closer to you.  Lord guide our steps and help us to deny ourselves, take up that cross and follow you daily.    Amen.    

Jesus didn’t have a day planner.

The first mark of a disciple is being passionately devoted.  The first disciples walked away from their nets, their families, their comfort zones, and their daily routine to follow Christ.  They didn't have all the answers, and they had conflicting motives, most seeking greatness for themselves, but make no mistake, they all knew of the greatness of the Master.  Therefore, even though following Christ is a narrow path and can be hard, there is nothing more fulfilling or joyful.

Following Christ is a joy because of the challenge.  The process of becoming more like Him draws us out in exciting ways.  As we start to view the world around us through the eyes of Christ, things change.  Consider the following:

People become more important than things.  Christ once said, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Mt. 8:20)  Jesus went without things and comforts to reach people.  He depended on other people for places to stay, money, and things.  He focused on people over things.  For us it is a reminder that as we live our lives surrounded by what we have, do everything to keep those things from becoming more important than people.  The result of making others more important than your things will be greater joy.  People will bring you greater satisfaction in life than inert things.  Though I'm convinced some may try, it is hard to have a relationship with a thing.

Jesus had time for others.  Now this is a tough one, isn't it.  Don't we all live out of a planner?  Don't we all have a place to be every minute of the day?  As I survey the gospels, I notice Jesus walks a different way.  It seems Jesus had the time for anyone, even though the demands on his time were fierce.  A lady reaches out and touches His garment as Jesus is on the way to see about the daughter of Jarius, a tax collector is up a tree and Jesus invites Himself over for a visit, a woman draws water from a well and her life is forever changed, a pagan Canaanite mother will not go away or be dissuaded and Jesus grants her wish, a pharisee sneaks at night to see Jesus with questions, a Roman Centurion rides out with a request, on and on you will find them.  They represent every walk of life and every social order, and Jesus made time for them all.  For Jesus people were more important than the next meeting, the next big sermon, the next place He needed to be.  I'm not talking about throwing the planner in the trash here, but don't let it be your master to the point you can't be compassionate and open to others.  Matter of fact, when you become (or Jesus becomes) master over the planner you will discover more joy in life.

The path of following Christ in an ever deepening discipleship will always involve the challenge of dealing with others along the way.  I believe that if you approach that walk as Jesus did you will discover greater joy in life.  You'll discover that being a passionate follower of Christ first involves placing your passions in Him and then He'll direct that passion toward others.  I pray you find joy in that walk today. See how many people you can give your time to today that aren't in your planner.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus reveal those around us who are in need.  Help us to live passionately for You and others, and not for things and time.  It is Your example for us to follow.  Thank You for allowing us the sheer joy of being a disciple. Amen.

The blind shall see... the story of Blind Bartimaeus and his freind (Mt. 20:29-34; Mk. 10:46-52; Lk.18:35-43)

Just a short distance from Jerusalem, only 15 miles to the northeast, and barely five miles west of the Jordan river is the new city of Jericho.  Herod has constructed the new Jericho just north of the old one.  Jesus approaches from the South leaving the old city made famous by the conquest of Joshua now only a ruins, and nears the new city awash with the splendor of the day.  The crowds are gathering and pressing in to see the Galilean Miracle-worker.  In many ways - the circus is passing through town and people come out in droves just to catch a glimpse.  What will He do today?  Expel a demon.  Free a leper.  Restore a hand.  Give a man his legs back. 

Along the road sits two beggars.  They are not allowed into town, so they catch people coming and going from the new Jericho and beg for money or whatever else they can get.  Both of these tattered men are blind and have no idea what all the commotion is.  After all, people don't gather out here on the outskirts.  Something big is going on.  One of the blind beggars, the son of Timaeus known as Bartimaeus, asks what is happening.  Someone in the crowd tells him "who" is happening, it is Jesus, the man from Nazareth, the Galilean Miracle-worker. 

Blind Bartmaeus and his companion call out to Jesus requesting mercy in loud voices.  The crowd is immediately repulsed by the two vagrants, which leads to a sharp rebuke for disturbing the glorious scene.  It is a scene they can't even see.  However, the two only get louder shouting to Jesus with all their might.  From their blind seats He must be out there they think.  They wholeheartedly believe that Jesus can do something about their condition.  Perhaps they had heard of his favor toward the poor.  Surely they had heard of ten lepers being cleansed, the raising of the dead, and most relevant - the giving of sight to the blind.  Their shouts for mercy go out in spite of the disdain of the crowd.  Shouting toward darkness, Bartimaeus and his friend can't see a thing, but they sense the Light.

Jesus stops.  All eyes are on the Miracle-worker.  He requests that the men be brought to Him.  The crowd changes their tune as they tell Bartimaeus and his companion to cheer up!  Jesus wants to see them.  They leap to their feet and blindly come toward Jesus.  Every step is a journey of faith in darkness toward the Miracle-worker the know is there.

"What do you want me to do for you?", Jesus asks.

"Lord, we want our sight."
"I want to see."
"Lord, I want to see."

Jesus begins to show them great love.  He compassionately touches their eyes and says, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you."

And, just like that two men who are blind begin to take in the world.  Colors, shapes, depth and perception fill their minds, but the first person they see is Jesus.  Bartimaeus begins to praise God and follow Jesus.  When the crowd, that just a short time before was busy rebuking the beggars, see what has happened they join in with praise to God.

The blind beggars had great faith in what they couldn't see, and the Master showed great passion.  A transformation took place and two men were changed.  In truth we were all blind beggars at one point being drawn by the Spirit we can't see to the Galilean Miracle-worker.  Once we place our faith in Him, the change really starts to happen, we become followers on the journey of discipleship traveling ever deeper into the waiting arms of the Savior.  Now we have our sight.  We follow in praise and if we follow with passionate devotion, others will see that devotion and be compelled to join in being drawn by a Spirit they can't see to those same arms we have found.

Prayer:  Father thank you for your mercy, and how you shower us with grace.  Thank you for the example of these two men just sitting by the road.  They called out in great faith and would not be discouraged.  They inspire us to be ever more passionate in following you and ever more devoted to your purposes.  Amen.

*This devotion is a harmonizing of the three accounts of the blind beggar(s). 

Treed

In hunting when something is treed that means the hunted has fled up a tree usually to escape the wrath of the dogs of the hunter, who have relentlessly chased the hunted.  The hunted has escaped nothing, but sealed their own fate.  It is a brutal truth for the hunted, and a desired end for the hunter.

Consider Zacchaeus, who was in Jericho as Jesus was passing through after just healing the two blind beggars (Luke 18:1-9).  The crowds surrounding Jesus grew even more after the healing of the beggars and a man of slight height like Zacchaeus didn't stand a chance of seeing Jesus.  Luke doesn't tell us why Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus - "He wanted to see who Jesus was" (Lk. 19:3a).  This phrase only has hints of mild curiosity.  Why then did Zacchaeus end up treed?

Zacchaeus was a very wealthy man and he had gained that wealth in a dishonest way.  Luke says he was a CHIEF tax collector.  He is the only mention of chief tax collectors in the New Testament.  This most likely makes him sort of a regional manager in that profession, which garnered him ostracized from your own people, as were all tax collectors.  To be any sort of tax collector was to be a traitor - nothing less.  They gained their wealth by skimming off the proceeds.  Rome only cared that their cut was collected, but if the collector wanted more for himself, well, have at it, and they did.

We don't know why Zacchaeus goes to such lengths just to see Jesus, maybe he'd heard that a tax collector (Matthew Levi) was a close disciple.  Maybe Zacchaeus was tired of being treated the way he was and the wealth couldn't make up for it.  One thing that is without question is the fact that he was motivated, so much so, that he runs ahead of the throng of people to climb a sycamore fig tree.  Its not like trees are everywhere in this part of the Judean world and a sycamore fig would have stood out, visible to all.  Most trees of this ilk are 30 - 40 feet tall with short trunks that lead to surrounding branches.  All that work is for perhaps a ten second view of Jesus as He passed by. 

Then the most peculiar thing happens.  Jesus arrives at the spot where Zacchaeus is treed and stops to say, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately.  I must stay at your house today."  It is a wonder that Zacchaeus didn't fall out of that sycamore.  He may have wondered who Jesus was, but Jesus knew exactly who Zachaeus was.  Jesus calls him by name and invites Himself over for a visit (I wish I had known this when mom said it was bad manners to invite yourself over to a friends house).  Luke says Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus gladly. 

The crowd begins to chirp about Jesus showing any compassion to a chief tax collector.  A beggar they could stomach, but a traitor like Zachaeus deserved a knife in the back.  But, then a transformation takes place no one could have guessed.  Zachaeus decides to give half of his possessions to the poor, and repay anyone he has cheated out of money.  The legal restitution for theft was to pay back four times what was stolen, and that is the amount Zachaeus offers, therefore revealing he viewed that money as stolen. 

The zeal of this tax collector and the lengths he goes just to see Jesus led to an encounter that changed one life forever.  Interestingly, not long before this, another wealthy man departed saddened.  He wasn't a tax collector, but a young ruler, one who was an upstanding citizen.  He had never stolen, murdered, committed adultery, given false testimony, and had always honored his parents.  The contrast of the two is striking.  For one, salvation came to his house and transformed occurred, for the other treasure on earth was chosen over treasure in heaven. 

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also", Jesus said on the slopes of a mount in Galilee.  (Matt. 6:21)

This is the heart of a "Passionately Devoted" disciple.

Prayer:  Father, we praise you for how you love us.  Lead, guide and direct us and may we be found with hearts full of heavenly treasure and be wise with our earthly possessions which come from your hand.  Amen.   

Debunking  the Prozac Jesus

Have you ever watched any of the old movies of Jesus?  If you have then you have probably noticed how often He is presented as an unemotional character.  "The Greatest Story ever Told" and "Jesus of Nazareth" come to my mind. Have we allowed films of this genre to color the way we picture Jesus in our minds?  If you say no, I'd caution you not to respond too quickly.  The fact is most people picture a Jesus who shows little emotion being calm, cool and collected.  One author calls this effect:  The Prozac Jesus.

If the first mark of a disciple is Passionately Devoted, and these marks are reflections of the character of Christ, then we had better address the Prozac Jesus or perhaps our fist mark is in danger of heresy.  When we turn to our bibles what do we find?  There aren't a lot of descriptive words of how Jesus may be acting out his emotions, but what about the words themselves?  If we survey the gospels do we find a passionately devoted Jesus or the Prozac Jesus?

Let's start at the beginning of His ministry.  After baptism and the temptation in the desert, Jesus shows up on the scene in Galilee and proclaims, "The time has come, the Kingdom of God is near.  Repent and believe the good news!" (Mk. 1:15)  Most of us really can't fathom just how provocative this statement is.  It falls nothing short of revolution on the ears of the first century occupied Jews.  John the Baptist had stirred the pot as the forerunner and now Jesus makes this claim, which would have been made with passion not without it.

Read the Beatitudes all the way through the complete Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:3-7:27) as one long sermon as though you are sitting on the grassy slopes of a mount overlooking the Sea of Galilee.  These words are dripping wet with emotion and passion, therefore I can't even imagine them offered in calculated monotone syllables.  Matthew 5:1 says, "...when He saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside..."  For all to hear these words Jesus would have had to be very loud and as an orator it is your passion that sells each point.   

All the pronouncements of "woe" are biting words of high caution that ooze emotion not lack it.  When Peter makes his famous confession of Christ then not long after over steps his bounds, Christ rebukes him as harshly as you will find when He says, "Get behind me Satan!  You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." (Mt. 16:23)  And, Peter was one of His closes companions.  Jesus was a master story teller.  His parables have amazed scholars for years, and a mostly illiterate society hung on every word.  Good story tellers always hold your attention with the emotion and passion in their words.  When the 72 disciples return after a successful mission trip Jesus is "...full of joy through the Holy Spirit." (Lk. 10:21).  In John's gospel the shortest verse in the bible tells us most about how emotional Jesus was.  When Mary runs to Jesus weeping, falling at his feet, and Jesus sees her friends also weeping over the loss of Lazarus, John says, "He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled." (Jn. 11:33b)

"Jesus wept." (Jn. 11:35)  Even though Jesus surely would have known what he was about to do - He wept anyway. 

These are only a few for I could also mention the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus is so emotional that he is literally sweating blood, not to mention when he grabs a whip and drives profiteers from the temple.  Truly, obstinacy frustrated Him, self-righteousness infuriated Him, but simple faith thrilled Him.  These aren't acts of a Prozac Jesus.  These are acts of a passionate man devoted completely to the Father's mission.  Perhaps author Philip Yancey says it best in his book "The Jesus I Never Knew":

"Jesus, I found, bore little resemblance to the Mister Rogers figure I had met in Sunday school, and was remarkably unlike the person I had studied in Bible college.  For one thing, he was far less tame.  In my prior image, I realized, Jesus' personality matched that of a Star Trek Vulcan...That is not what I found portrayed in the Gospels... Indeed, He seemed more emotional and spontaneous than the average person, not less.  More passionate, not less."  (p.23)

Prayer:  Lord Jesus thank you for your example of how we should live our lives.  You were the perfect balance of both grace and truth.  Enable us to go and meet others in that same character and fully follow you as a passionate and devoted disciple.  Amen.

The Second Mark:  Biblically Grounded

The Straight Stick and a Compass

The Bible is the most remarkable book in the history of mankind.  That is not just an opinion, but just plain fact.  The faithful of God claim that the Bible is truth, but skeptics might say it is merely a fascinating book of legend.  For those people of the 1st century and before, the Old Testament was considerably more than a fascinating book - it was how they learned of God.  For Christians, the New Testament was written to express the fulfillment of the Old Testament in the person and Lordship of Jesus Christ.  The Bible does two things:  It reveals to us truth and points to Jesus Christ.  It is the straight stick and the compass.

In the third century Origen, one of the early church fathers, used the word "canon" to describe what he called the "rule of faith."  The word is derived from the Greek word kanon and the Hebrew word ganeh.  The words mean a reed or cane which is used as a standard to measure.  It is the "straight stick" you can hold up to anything else and determine if what you have is "straight" in comparison.  The word canon basically means the officially accepted list of books we know as the Bible.  If you've ever watched the History Channel show, Banned from the Bible, without a doubt you probably have many questions regarding the canon and how it was contrived. 

First, the Bible was not determined by man, but discovered by man.  Some of the criteria for discovery was if the writer was a prophet of God, who was confirmed by  Dt.18:20-22 having spoken in the name of no other gods, but the one true God, and all he foretold came to pass.  Prophecy is one of the unique marks of the Bible.  "Other books claim divine inspiration, such as the Koran, the Book of Mormon, and parts of the Hindu Veda.  But none of those books contains predictive prophecy." (Norman Geisler and William Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible).  Other criteria that would be discovered in the writing was the truth spoken as the Word of God, the power exhibited as the Word of God, and the widespread acceptance by the people of God.  It would be akin to saying, "Yellowstone National Park is a marvel of the beauty of creation."  Yellowstone doesn't need your admission of that fact to be what it is, and neither does the Bible need your approval to be the Word of God.  It just is.  Likewise, the church doesn't regulate the Bible either, instead the church is recognizer of the Bible. 

Next, the Bible is not administered by the church, but the church is minister of the Bible.  We take the truth and make it available to others.  Interestingly, many cultures who previously had no contact with the Bible readily accept it because of the truth found in the Bible - the straight stick.  We are also not the judge of the bible, but the witness of the Bible.  One scholar says, "No book has been read more and understood less", than the Bible.  Being biblically grounded means more than just reading, but also understanding.  We are not masters of the Bible, but servants of the Bible.

Finally, just as a compass always points north, the Bible points to the Son of God, Jesus Christ, as the ultimate truth and act of God to reconcile people back to God overturning the fall of man.  Over 60 prophecies in the Old Testament are fulfilled in Christ clearly pointing to Him as Redeemer and Messiah.  Paul wrote it like this...

Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:6-11)

In truth, we can't stop at just being passionately devoted, but we must be biblically grounded.  The Bible is our straight stick of truth and our compass that points to Christ.

Prayer:  Father we give thanks and praise to you for inspiring those who wrote your Word, and how you have protected that word through the ages so that we have a straight stick and compass like no other.  Father create a fervent desire in us for your Word.  Amen.

17 Letters

The Third Mark:  Spiritually Guided

Survey Says...

When it comes to our third mark of a disciple, we must consider facets of being Spiritually Guided.  I like to look at it from the P's viewpoint.  Prayer.  Peace.  Perspective.  Purpose (Plan).  Those four concepts are intertwined with the indwelling Holy Spirit to connect us to God by spiritual means.  Of the four, prayer, is perhaps the most popular in theory, but what about practice?

Prayer finds a way to the top of surveys that seem counter to one another.  When poling Christians on the importance of certain practices - prayer will almost always be at or near the top of the survey.  I don't think I've ever been to a church that didn't pray, and it makes no difference which denomination, how liberal or conservative your leanings, whether your church is evangelical, traditional, contemporary, charismatic, or whatever.  If you are Christian you pray, but it doesn't stop there.  Prayer is a major part of almost every religion known to mankind - Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hindu, on and on.  Agnostics pray, they just don't know who they pray toward, or at the very least they can't be sure who it is.  Even some atheists pray, for example, during the throes of Communism in Russia, a comrade was instructed to "think" of Stalin.  If you found difficulty in your work, think of Stalin and it will  most likely get better.  If you feel fatigued, think of Stalin and you'll find strength.  If you are in need of making a good decision, think of Stalin and you will receive direction.  Prayer, it seems, is an essential part of our human nature regardless of the belief system.

So, why is it so hard?

On yet another survey Zondervan poled 678 Christians and only 23 out of 678 respondents felt satisfied with prayer.  Broadmoor Baptist Church conducted a survey of a large sample of the congregation in February 2009, and prayer was identified as our greatest struggle as a Christian.  Questions abound.  What good does prayer do?  In 1942, as the world plunged into war George Buttrick described prayer as, "a spasm of words lost in a cosmic indifference."   Has prosperity relieved prayer of its daily need?  Has time pressures gotten to the point where we just plain don't have time or when we finally get ready for bed we fall asleep from fatigue before we get passed - "Now I lay me down to sleep..."  Do we treat prayer more like a text message to God?  After all we don't have conversations with people any more, right?  We email, text, instant message, tweet, and post on facebook.  Why would conversation with God be any different?  I read where George Muller began each day with several hours of prayer for his orphanage, Lancelot Andrewes allotted five hours for prayer each day, and Charles Simeon rose at 4am each morning to put in four continuous hours of prayer to begin his day.  Can't we just join support groups, go to therapy, or read self-help books?  Wasn't most of that once reserved for meeting with God?  No wonder prayer is difficult?  Look what we've done to this intimate time with God. 

In truth, prayer is a place where humans and God meet. It is less a dusty plain or mountain top and more a closet, quiet place, car, classroom at church, or the lobby of a hospital, sick child's bedroom or as a worker cleans out their desk after losing a job.  Yes, when conditions change and things get tough, prayer time changes as well.  We have less trouble finding our knees when we are driven there.  What if we could maintain the same fervor for prayer in good times as in bad times?  If you don't share this struggle, count yourself as one of the fortunate.  The survey says you are in the minority.  You are one of the few, the humble, those who pray regularly for long periods of time. 

When we attended Calvary Baptist church in Asheville, NC, I rotated with several others serving on a prayer team.  We met during the worship hour and prayed in twos for an hour.  There was a room downstairs under the sanctuary, and you could hear the music upstairs, but that was it.  Two of us would meet and just pray each taking turns.  We prayed about everything.  People hurting, seeking, losing, gaining, listening, doubting, wondering, wandering, dying, living, trusting, lacking, backsliding, repenting, rejecting, falling, standing, giving, serving, loving, hating, searching, forgiving, proclaiming, ...  That hour believe it or not would just fly by. It was over before you knew it.  I recall looking forward to the time as though that little room transported you to a place where prayer was as easy as talking to your best friend.  There are plenty of books on the subject, too.  Few subjects have been written about more than prayer, but what have we learned?  As a group the survey says we aren't more spiritually guided than we used to be, as yet another book gets published or yet another sermon series is written.

Prayer:  Gracious heavenly Father, God of creation, we need you.  We need to speak with you and we need to hear from you.  God open our hearts to the dialog of prayer.  Help us to find the time, make the time and seek you in prayer.  Amen. 

Being and Knowing

(Psalm 46:8-10 from The Message)

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."

(Psalm 46:10a from the NIV)

Be still and know that I am God.

(Psalm 100:3 from NASB)

Know that the LORD Himself is God;
         It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
         We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Exactly what does it mean to "Be still and know that I am God"?  Another translation literally says, to "cease striving".  I love to cease doing, but it seems that my life conspires against this activity.  This verse is actually inviting us to just "be" rather than "do".  The Latin imperative for being still takes us even further out of ourselves:  to vacate.  Being still, ceasing, and vacating ushers us into a realization of the second part of Psalms 46:10a... knowing I am God.

God is inviting us to vacate our throne as god, and give Him the rightful place.  We must climb down from our own executive position as CEO of our lives and surrender control.  This is truly the first step of prayer.  Adam and Eve desired to be like God and we've kept the tradition going.  But, when we cease being God ourselves, or take a holiday from being king, then we can begin to know that He is God.  As the Psalmist implores, He made us not we ourselves. 

This two step process of being and knowing prepares us for proper alignment as we hit our knees.  We step our of our crafted, fashioned, controlled, and manipulated lives and marvel in the awesome greatness of who God is, and consequently who we aren't. When this is accomplished the net result will be a different position from which to pray.   Prayer should change when this is achieved.  Proper thanksgiving should be a given as we come to the realization of just how dependent we are upon God.  How blessed we are should be apparent.  Knowing that all blessings come from His hand helps me reconsider what I want and instead ponder what He wants of me.  Removing me from the picture also allows others to enter in.  I can now petition for others who are sick, have experienced loss, the hurting, and the downtrodden.  I have left the building to focus solely on the grand architect of it all.

If we can always just achieve these first two steps of prayer, then our prayer life will change.  We will enhance our ability to be spiritually guided as we humble ourselves properly before the guider. 

I close with this line from John Milton's, Paradise Lost, "That man may know he dwells not in his own."  Indeed.  Be still and know this truth.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father we stop, cease, quit and vacate our lives for a moment and gaze upon the awesome wonder of who You are. Lord hear our cry, search our hearts, and show us Your ways. Amen.

Declaration of Dependence

You can learn a lot raising kids. One thing I've discovered from my four boys is they like to do things themselves. "I do it", has been a universal cry from all four concerning all manner of pursuits. We all really strive from birth to be independent and self reliant. Matter of fact, I have a small sense of pride when I hear, "I do it" as though the young toddler has taken a major step toward adulthood.

Think about it, we like to do things our own way. People long to "work for themselves", we strive to be property owners and live in our own house, we proudly display our degree of education we earned, like to make our own decisions, be a self made man or independent woman, and to learn more we read "self help" books. Meanwhile, we look down our noses upon people who rely upon charity or welfare. Being self reliant has it merits, but when it comes to prayer it is the dependent heart that discovers the truth of John 15:5 -- "apart from Me you can do nothing." It is the dependent heart that discovers the truth of reliant prayer. King David knew this. While he accomplished great things, he also knew real failure. These two verses from his prayer in preparation for the temple underline his heart (a heart God said was fashioned as His):

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.

Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.

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1 Chronicles 29:11-12

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That is a surrendered heart before God. You can't find any self reliance in it. Henri Nouwen left a career of prominence to go live among the mentally ill. He once said, "To pray is to walk in the full light of God., and to say simply, without holding back, 'I am human and you are God. ' At that moment, conversion occurs, the restoration of the true relationship. A human being is not someone who once in a while makes a mistake, and God is not someone who now and then forgives. No, human beings are sinners and God is love."

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Truly, it may be our weakness that most aligns this relationship. A character in Henry Adam's novel, Esther, cries out, "Why must the church always appeal to my weakness and never to my strength!" It is the world that revels in glorifying our strengths and worshiping success. It is weakness that dispels pride and places us open handed to receive grace. It is after all called the "sinners" prayer. Thus it is weakness that positions us rightly in prayer. As Paul said, "When I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10b As Phjlip Yancey explains in his recent book, Prayer - Does it make any difference, "In the presence of the Great Physician, my most appropriate contribution may be my wounds."

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Prayer: Father we are thankful that it is not by our strength that we come to you, but in our weakness acknowledging Your strength and power. Help us Lord to declare our dependence upon you everyday. We wait in eager expectation for Your guidance. Amen.

God?  You there?

Have you ever wondered why we pray?  Why do we spend the time to inform God of our needs when surely He who knows all, knows our needs.  Is it really necessary to thank God as though he needs a pat on the back?  Does He need our praise?  Does He need our adoration as though it were encouragement from a dear friend? 

Those are questions that everybody wonders about, but no one will ask.  They make us uneasy and appear doubtful. It appears to me that I am the one in need of prayer.  I need to know that God is there, and I don't always feel His presence.  A presence, by the way, that He doesn't promise we'll feel.  He promises never to leave or forsake us, but there is no promise that we'll always feel close to Him.  Frankly, like many relationships, our relationship with God has periods of distance and intimacy.  These times are based on where we are and not where God is.  He is there whether we feel it or not.  If it is us who need prayer, then it is God who wants prayer.  He desires to hear from us - unfettered, open, honest, sincere, and transparent. 

Why praise Him in prayer?  Because I think when we praise God we are reminding ourselves of what is important, of what is central to our existence.  In praise we show or demonstrate our love to the God of the universe, the God of the cosmos, the God of heaven and earth, the God of our country, the God of our church, the God of our neighborhood, the God of our family, the God of me.  Why thank Him in prayer?  I believe being thankful before God underlines our dependence on Him.  It is in thanks to an all knowing, all loving, and all powerful God that I discover humility.  "Who am I", the psalmist passionately asked.  We all feel that sentiment.  Who are we that He is mindful of us?  Simple.  We are His.  This is worthy of praise and thanksgiving.  Why should we pray for others?  We petition for their health, well being, a job interview, a test, a marriage, a loss...  We pray because we care for them and wish God to know it.  We pray knowing God is in control and realizing His power.  We believe miracles still happen. 

Why pray, then?  C.S. Lewis stated that he prayed because he couldn't not pray.  Prayer for him was like breathing, nearly achieving an involuntary status of what you do, as though checking in with a dear friend every day.  Another scholar says we should pray because Jesus did.  While on earth, Jesus always finds time to pray.  He prays finding a quiet place, all night on a mountain before selecting the twelve, in anguish in the garden, in power before raising Lazarus, recalling the previous relationship before the world began just after the last supper, lamenting over an unbelieving generation, or in tears as he approached the holy city as palms waved and praise filled the air.  Oh, yes, Jesus prayed. 

Perhaps Tim Stafford puts it best in this reflection on why we pray:

We do not pray to tell God what He does not know, nor to remind Him of things He has forgotten.  He already cares for the things we pray about.  He has simply been waiting for us to care about them with Him.  When we pray, we stand by God and look with Him toward those people and problems.  When we lift our eyes from them toward Him, we do so with loving praise, just as we look toward our oldest and dearest friends and tell them how we care for them, though they already know it.  Therefore, we speak to Him as we speak to our most intimate friends - so that we can commune together in love.

Prayer then is the dialog of an ongoing relationship.  There are periods of silence, closeness, distance and even times when you want to ask, "God?  You there?"  By His word, we know He is there and by His Spirit we sense and find our being in His responses.  Prayer is the practice of being spiritually guided, and Jesus practiced prayer constantly in relationship with the Father.

Prayer:  Holy God we are in awe of You.  How you love us.  How you desire to hear from us.  That You are mindful of us.  God enable us in our prayers to sense Your presence, Your power, Your love, and Your purposes.  Amen.

Wrestling with God

Any relationship at some point will deal with things like - hurt feelings, anger, disagreement, confusion, etc.  Have you ever felt any of those things toward God?  In prayer? 

Nelson Mandela tells of a prayer he heard that was a great encouragement for him.  The prayer thanked God for His mercy, concern, bounty and goodness, which sounds like many prayers we hear.  But, then the man took the liberty of telling the Lord that he felt as though God wasn't paying attention with all that was going on.  He prayed that if God didn't take more initiative he would have to take matters into his own hands.

What, you ask?  How could that prayer be an encouragement?  Don't we think those things, sometimes?  It would take someone very secure in the relationship to God to pray those things, wouldn't it?  When I read that, I thought of Abraham.  The promise of fathering many nations came to him late in life and after even more years, God didn't seem to be getting any closer to fulfillment.  Therefore, he and Sarah took matters into their own hands by arranging Abraham with one of the servant girls.  He was 86 years old after all.  Certainly time was running out.  Later, as the son of that arrangement was wandering in the desert, an outcast of Sarah's jealousy, Abraham was even sarcastic with God, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?  Will Sarah bear a child at the age of 90?"  Even Sarah joined in the fray, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" (Gen. 17:17 and 18:12)  Is this irreverent behavior beyond reproach?  Or, is this just blatant honesty before God?

Then later in Genesis chapter 18 God reveals to Abraham what He is about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah.  What follows is a bargaining between Abraham and God that is remarkable.  Abraham appeals to God's mercy asking the righteous be spared from the unrighteous.  Abraham starts at 50.  God agrees to save the cities for 50 righteous people.  Knowing how wicked the two cities are, Abraham continues to drive the number down:  45, then 40, 30, then 20, and finally for the sake of 10.  God relents every time.  Ten could not be found, but notice that Abraham stopped asking.  Would God have saved the town for one?  Dare we wrestle with God in prayer such as this?

Moses argued with God over his abilities.  "Who am I?"  "I don't know your name."  "What if the Israelites don't believe me?"  "I'm not a good speaker?"  "Please, send someone else."  Moses said all these things to God in Exodus Chapter 3.  Can we be that real before God?

Finally, Abraham's Grandson Jacob, who had gotten through life by all manner of trickery and deceit, waits alone as a peace offering is sent across the river to a brother he has cheated out of his birth right. It had been 20 years.  Then someone shows up looking to rumble and Jacob does what Jacob does - he fights.  All night the two go at it and Jacob wrestles without being overpowered.  Then the adversary merely touches the hip of Jacob and cripples him. But, Jacob won't let go, not till he receives a blessing.  He knows this man is from God.  That night Jacob's name changed from Jacob to Israel, which literally means "God-wrestler".  Could it be that prayer is an invitation to wrestle with God?

These examples tell me that God wants to hear the good, the bad and the ugly.  He wants me to be absolutely real.  He already knows my heart, frustrations, etc., why not voice them in prayer.  Frankly, you could hardly pray anything in prayer that God hasn't heard before.  Be real.  He can take it, all night long.

Prayer:  God we know you hear us.  We know you know our innermost thoughts and feelings.  Help us to hold nothing back and speak with you as though we were talking with our closest friend.  God reward our open hearts with your plan, purpose, peace and perspective.  Amen.

The Fourth Mark:  Morally Pure

Clean Hands and a Pure Heart

The Fifth Mark:  Relationally Healthy

Tending the Garden

Studies show that people who are involved in solid relationships are much happier and healthier than people who live more reclusive, keeping folks at a fair or safe distance.  Relationships it seems represent some of our highest highs and lowest lows.  We live in the days of the dysfunctional family, but yet we know more about and understand the function of relationship more now than ever before.  One of the tenants of the Laws of Entropy says everything is winding down universally.  While we may know more we certainly can't find extensive evidence of the practice of our knowledge in our relationships as a whole.  People aren't as close anymore.  We text, email and instant message one another - sometimes in the same house!  We know others only on the surface.  People file into to church in their Sunday best looking like they all have it together, but who knows for sure.  This is where Life Groups are so critical to our relationships with other Christians.  You just get to know people when you study the Bible with them, share prayer concerns, break bread, serve on mission projects together, and in general get to dive beneath the fluff of the Sunday best.  The Life Group is a place where life should be shared.  Where tears and laughter can exist without worry of what someone thinks. 

God by nature, is relational.  He is relational in what we know about the trinity and He shows a relational side in creation as he created Adam and Eve.  He created man from the very dust of the earth, but made man and woman in His image.  God gave man free reign in the great Garden of Eden and he was to tend that garden (Gen. 2:15).  Caring for a garden is a lot like tending a relationship.

Sowing seed.

In the perfection of the garden everything was already planted and there were no weeds, but our gardens are different.  When Paul taught the Corinthians that sowing sparingly results in reaping sparingly with their giving (1 Cor. 9:6), he could have said the same for relationships.  We should tend the garden of relationships by sowing seeds of love and friendship.  Yes, the birds, rocky ground and worn paths exist, but allow yourself to be vulnerable to get to know someone by being open to them.  Sow liberally and reap generously. 

Nurture the planted seed.

Once a seed has taken root be sure to nurture that seed, being thoughtful, compassionate, and understanding.  Put your new friends needs before yours and do as much listening as you do talking.  You are then watering and fertilizing the possibility of a flourishing plant.  A relationship.

Be on guard for weeds that sprout up.

Every relationship has moments of strife.  If you have nurtured the seed and plant then the relationship will not only survive, but become even stronger.  Weeds are like disagreements or hurt feelings, we must give attention to one another and pull the weeds.  This offers chances to forgive and ask forgiveness.  The plant either dies here or becomes even stronger.

Do some pruning and continue to nurture.

As relationships mature they will change because we change.  Some activities will need to be pruned, while new activities will be discovered in the various stages of life.  Pruning can be uncomfortable, but a true friends shoot straight with one another.  Communication is key.  Be careful in this stage as staying in touch becomes less important as the plant appears okay on it's own and is kinda left in the garden.  Like the plant, we surmise those friends that have advanced to this stage will always be there.  That is true enough, but the richer relationship is the one that continues to stay in touch.  Keep tending the garden.

Continually reap the harvest of friendship.

I love the time of harvest and their is much that a valuable friendship offers that is mutually beneficial.  It becomes like a tree of life for us.  I love the imagery of the future when the tree of life is given back to us this time forever.  ( Rec. 22) Down the middle of the great city flows the river of the water of life straight from the very thrown of God.  The tree of life must be massive and evidently straddling the great river because John describes it as being on both sides of the river.  The tree holds 12 crops of fruit and it is always harvest time every month.  All curses are gone and the leaves are for healing.  These are our greatest friendships, nurtured over the years, they continually feed our relational needs and help us through life with healing. 

The truth is as we get older we typically don't get too deep anymore, especially men.  At the end of the movie, Stand By Me, from the book Four Seasons, by Stephen King, we find how many drift apart as life separates:

As time went on we saw less and less of Teddy and Vern until eventually they became just two more faces in the halls. That happens sometimes. Friends come in and out of your life like busboys in a restaurant. I heard that Vern got married out of High School, had four kids and is now the forklift operator at the Arsenal Lumberyard. Teddy tried several times to get into the Army but his eyes and his ear kept him out. The last I heard, he'd spent some time in jail. He was now doing odd jobs around Castle Rock.

Chris did get out. He enrolled in the College courses with me. And although it was hard he gutted it out like he always did. He went on to College and eventually became a lawyer. Last week he entered a fast food restaurant. Just ahead of him, two men got into an argument. One of them pulled a knife. Chris who would always make the best peace tried to break it up. He was stabbed in the throat. He died almost instantly. Although I haven't seen him in more than ten years I know I'll miss him forever. I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anybody?

Relationships take work and sacrifice.  Certainly friendships are worth it.  The above quote rings true for many because we just aren't willing to tend the garden.  Therefore, tend the garden, sow generously and reap the rewards.

Prayer:  Father we give thanks for the people You place in our path.  Help us to plant, nurture, and harvest the fruit of relationships.  You have created us to connect with each other.  It was never good for man or woman to be alone - it is not how you planned it.  Amen.

An Unlikely Friendship

"...but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Pro. 18:24b)

Do you have that friend who is as close as a sibling?  These are usually lifelong friendships that are defined just as much by tough times as great times, if not more.  In the Bible we find the story of a prince and a shepherd boy, and their friendship. 

Jonathan was the son of King Saul, and the heir to the throne by birth.  Unlike his father, Jonathan relied on God and looked to God.  He was successful as a soldier, greatly trusted and respected by the men he led.  David was the shepherd boy who had been anointed to be the future king by the great prophet Samuel.  It is hard to find a more fierce and brave lad in all the Bible.  He saved his father's sheep on two occasions by slaying a bear and a lion with his hands.  He was skilled with the harp, could speak well, and was handsome.  Of course, we all know what he did to Goliath. 

It was after the victory over Goliath that Jonathan became close friends with David. Jonathan was so moved that he gave David his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt.  He loved David as he loved himself, and this unlikely friendship was born; a shepherd boy and prince overcame their social status to be great friends.  In their story there is no hint of jealousy, and certainly Jonathan knew at some point that Saul had disqualified his right of birth.  David married Jonathan's sister and the two became family.  Time and time again, Jonathan would urge Saul not to think ill of David, and he would betray his own father to warn David of pending doom.  Where Saul was corrupt to the core, Jonathan was good to his core and never betrayed his friend. 

Saul and Jonathan would meet a bloody end and David would compose the "Song of the Bow", instructing that it be taught to the men of Judah.  David sought out the son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth, and looked out for him the rest of his life.  It was what a friend would do.

David and Jonathan could have easily been enemies and rivals, both were zealous, driven, resourceful, bold, courageous leaders.  Instead they became the greatest of friends and their friendship was never compromised by their situations.  They were both loyal to one another and even the corrupt king they served under.  Their friendship reminds me of what Christ said about true friends:

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."  John 15:13 

The greatest of relationships are void of self.  The welfare of the other is always higher regard than the needs of self, and nothing comes between these friendships - not envy, strife, ambition, greed, status, good times or bad.  Bumps in the road don't derail these types of friendships, instead they grow stronger.

Prayer:  Father we are thankful for the friends You have presented us with over the years.  Friends that know all our warts, but care for us anyway.  In many ways they are a study in grace.  Your grace.  Amen.

The Inner Circle

Our closest relationships are the most critical.  They are the people we know the best, bare our soul the most, understand us better than ourselves, seemingly know what to say and say what they know.  They can be a spouse, a life long friend, a parent, a sibling, cousin, or any facet of relation.  All that is required is a deep and enduring connection that is way below the surface of the trivial.  In other words, you talk about considerably more than the weather.  You will have other friends who are close, but not as close, others who you are faintly close to on down to casual acquaintances.

Jesus while on earth was the same way.  I marvel at how he would meet people.  In most cases within a few short sentences conversations with Jesus dove well past the surface.  From the rich young ruler to a woman by a well, Jesus gets to the heart of the matter in lightning speed compared to the rest of us.  When He came upon those who would eventually become the twelve (after an agonizing night of prayer before selecting them), Jesus says hardly more than "Follow me", or as to Andrew and John, "Come and see", and they're in leaving their lives behind. 

Jesus has an inner circle within the twelve and they are James and John, the fiery Son's of Thunder and Peter, the impetuous guy who asks more questions and attempts to answer more questions than all the rest combined. These three see more and are confided in more than the rest.  They are there on the mount of transfiguration, the raising of the daughter of Jarius from the dead, and when Jesus goes to pray in the garden before His arrest.  They were the closest friends and confidants of Jesus.  Then there was Andrew who joined in a private conversation about the predicted destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem.  As for the rest, certainly Philip and Matthew are closer than James the Less or the other Judas.  His brothers aren't portrayed as being close, but a unbelieving lot that chided him to go to Jerusalem during the festival instead of languishing in Galilee.  He appears to be close to his mother, but we never hear another word about Joseph outside the birth accounts.  Then there was the 70 or 72 (depending on translation) that were sent out as missionaries.  There were 120 in the room after the ascension to add a few more to the number. These were the earthly friends of the Lord and they had varying degrees of closeness with Him.

Who is your inner circle?  As I write mine down, I am disappointed in myself.  I don't treat my inner circle like they should be treated.  I take them for granted, and somehow placate that off as them knowing me or looking over my faults.  I feel like I take more than I give from them, which makes me ponder if they feel the same way.  We are more apt to step on toes and hurt feelings.  The honesty can be brutal.  Maybe these things are part and parcel to the dynamics of the inner circle, I'm not sure, but I'm thankful for those who are in mine.  These are valuable blessings, these friendships in the inner circle.  Tend this garden well and take good care of these so close.  In a world that will often tell you what you want to hear, we must have a few that will shoot us straight and tell us like it is.  Thank God for them.

Prayer:  Lord than you for our closest relationships.  What a blessing in life.  Help us to keep one another lifted up in prayer and highly regarded in action and deed.  Amen.

The Great Exchange

^{Matt. 6:14} For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

^{Matt. 7:2}  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

^{Luke 6:38}  Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

^{1 Corinthians 9:6}  Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.


Verses such as these are a very common theme of Jesus.  The first three He said himself, the last one was probably a well known proverb applied by Paul.  Relationships are simple in the same vein.  What you get out of a relationship is or will be what you put into it.  Give and take is a big part of any relationship and those who live to take always strain relationships.  They miss out on all that healthy relationships can offer.  My wife is an the ultimate giver, which makes me feel bad - how can I compete?  Well, thankfully, it is not about competition either.  No one should be keeping marks on a chalk board of how much is given and how much is taken.   The first command of each of the four verses is to do the giving first:  Forgive and find forgiveness, judge wisely and receive wise judgment, give and it will be given to you, sow and reap.  The return always follows the investment.

Forgiveness is a biggie.  So big in fact, that Jesus doesn't say the other person may forgive you, but your Father in heaven will forgive you.  Forgiveness is tough, but harboring ill will for some wrong toward you is worse.  This damages relationships to the core and is even more damaging to you personally.  Releasing another person for a wrong they did against you may be the closest thing to grace that we can do for one another.  Forgiveness always releases the captive of the one who did the hurting.  You may not be able to control whether or not the other person accepts forgiveness, but you can be sure you will be liberated in the process.  Furthermore, it you can forgive someone else, you have a much better perspective when someone forgives you. 

I know what you asking?  Why does he have judging in here?  Doesn't Jesus say not to judge?  Yes and no.  In the Sermon on the Mount, this is more of a warning.  In the same way we judge, much like the reciprocal theme, we will be judged.  I think judgment when done in a loving and helpful way is beneficial to a relationship.  For example, judgment can we used to build up, but we only seem to see it as a means of tearing down.  Jesus in Matthew Chapter seven was plainly saying do not judge as a hypocrite would judge.  We need close relationships where we can give and accept constructive criticism.  This shouldn't be a bad word, but a clean loving practice.  The Bible is rife with scripture that tells us to seek the counsel of others.  Basically, when you do you are seeking the judgment of others.  It is not a bad thing.  (See Proverbs 1:5,11:14, 12:15 and 15:22 for a sampling)

Give.  Every relationship needs giving by both parties and much like the giving of money - when you give you will receive.  Now, don't expect people without a practicing or authentic Christian world view to get this one.  No, many only understand is taking, but even with those not yet in the kingdom, you usually get a giving response when you give.  The universal reaction to love is generally love in return.  There are so many ways to give to a relationship - time, an ear, in counsel, keeping in touch, talking about what is important, etc.  When you truly give in this way your giving multiplies.  I always think about a soda when I read this verse in Luke.  When you press upon it, and shake it up - it really will spill out into your lap!  If not spray you in the face.  Being a genuine friend means giving first.  The receiving is a natural response to the giving.

I look at sowing as investing.  A farmer invests in the harvest when he sows liberally.  A banker invests in a business when he approves a loan.  An athlete invests in practice to become a better player.  Sow the seeds of friendship absolutely everywhere.  Be known as a friend to many.  In many ways you are networking for Him, by being a person who seeks healthy relationships with others.  This is a huge function of your witness in how you treat others.  Yes.  Invest greatly in the lives of others and you will reap rewards and benefits.  You will have a huge return on your investment. 

Prayer:  Father lead us to be investors, not driven by a return, but by Your love.  Help us to love one another and those not like us.  May we not be guilty of sowing sparingly.  Amen.

A Thing in Action

Relationship:  (noun) A connection, association, or involvement.

I like words like "relationship".  It is a thing, therefore it is a noun, but it is an action (connection, association, or involvement), which is the sign of a verb.  It is a thing in action.  Recently, I've been evaluating my relationships in conjunction with this class.  This has brought up all sorts of thoughts and questions.  Is quality more important the quantity?  What does an introvert do with this mark of a disciple?  How many really close friends do I have?  Why don't I keep in touch with people better?  Why do I treat those closest to me any different than new acquaintances?  There are lots of questions and all  answers seem to do is plunge me toward more questions in some spiral of circuitous descent that doesn't lead to clear resolutions.  Jesus didn't seem to have my problem.  Sure, there were complexities in His life, but connecting, associating, and being involved with others was not complex for Him.  When He selected the twelve Mark says He had a simple purpose:

He appointed twelve - designated them apostles - that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach.   (Mark 3:14)

Simple, huh?  Jesus wanted them to be with Him (relationship) and He wanted them to preach - to use the Good News to make more connections, associations, and involvements.  This is an action plan in motion to love God, love each other, and love those not yet in the kingdom.

In John chapter four, Jesus heads back to Galilee during the early part of His ministry.  Things are going well and the disciples have actually eclipsed John in baptisms.  The regular path was to go way around Samaria to get back to Galilee.  The people there were nothing more than half breed Jews, with questionable character and twisted doctrine.  Jesus doesn't go around, He goes through.  Stopping by Jacob's well just outside of Sychar and tired from the journey, Jesus rests while the rest of the disciples go into town to find food.  As He sits a Samaritan woman approaches the well to draw water.  Jesus turns to her and asks if she will give Him a drink.  Sounds harmless enough, she has a water jar and Jesus does not, surely she would help a stranger who has traveled until the sixth hour of they day.  Something about Jesus must have said He was Jewish.  She knows "those folks" (Jews) do not associate (have relations) with Samaritans.  She was an unclean being, not only in her living, but just being who she was born under the curse of the half breeds.  "How can you ask me for a drink?", she concludes, her question dripping with disdain. 

Jesus comes right back at her explaining that if she knew the gift of God and essentially who He was (the real gift of God), that she would be doing the asking for water, and not just any water - living water. I imagine her having a bit of a laugh at this statement.  Jesus must have come across as the typical arrogant Jew and she responds accordingly, pointing out that Jesus has nothing to draw water with and the well is deep.  I sense sarcasim in the question of where can Jesus get this "living water".  She then questions Him further in a chastizing tone accusing Jesus of thinking He is greater than Jacob who had created the well many years ago. 

The Sixth Mark:  Faithfully Serving and Giving

To Serve or Be Served?

Serving others is basic Christian doctrine, and Jesus was clearly the instigator.  Most of the Hebrew world was looking for a king Messiah who they could serve, so the last thing they expected was a King Messiah who would serve. 

^{Mark 10:45} For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (NKJV)

The Greek word for "serve" in this verse is diakoneo.  It basically means to minister, but has different areas of ministry in which it was used:  1)  Administrate for others, holding office for the purpose of serving the needs of others much like a public office - ideally anyway.  2)  To wait upon, or the very simple task of waiting on people at tables during meal time, or serving the meal.  3)  Preparation of food to be served, which had a broad interpretation that included the feeding and care of the poor, or those who couldn't feed themselves.  4)  To minister to any needs of anther placing their interests above your own.

Quite frankly, those first century Messiah watchers weren't all that in tune with wanting to serve a Messiah, no their service to Him would be on the condition of a return to the days of Solomon, when silver was as common as pebbles along the road. 

The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones  (2 Chron. 9:27a)

Rome would be overthrown and no longer rule over the people with a twisted iron fist.  Everything would be restored...the way they wanted it.

Of course, Jesus operated under different guidelines, which were set by none other than the Father.  The mission was simple - to minister, serve, carry out the will of the Father.  For us, 2,000 years removed, we take up that mantle as our mission in service.  So, why is there an old adage that says, "20% of the church serves the other 80%."  Are the 20% the only authentic Christians?  Are we looking to be served expecting a Messiah who gives us silver as pebbles along the road?  Why does this percentage hold true for most churches? 

Service is faith engaged.  Diakoneo is the result of conviction so deep that we are compelled to action subservient to the Holy Spirit, God's Word and ultimately God's Will.  This is service not because I have to, but because I want to.  Desire replaces obligation, and it is not necessarily the desire to carry out the act of service, but a deeper more profound desire to do what pleases God. 

When Jesus made the comment in Mark 10:45, James and John (and their mother) had requested the finest seats in the coming kingdom on either side of Jesus.  The Sons of Thunder wanted to be enthroned above their fellow disciples.  It was a common argument among the twelve, wasn't it?  They were caught up in trying to decided who would be the greatest among them.  We are wired that way to expect a pecking order and the disciples spent a lot of time trying to determine their pecking order.  Luke even says the argument broke out at the Last Supper.  Perhaps then we should not be so shocked by the 20/80 rule of thumb.  We have an innate expectation to be served that is alien to the heart of God.  Becoming (continually ongoing process) a new creation means we step away from our desire to be served and instead turn toward the God driven desire to serve others.  This doesn't make anyone a doormat to the 80%, but a servant of God.  He'll direct you from there.  Following God (a disciple) means serving God.  This mark of a disciple is elementary to being a Christian. 

Prayer:  Father grant us Your desire to do Your work.  Enable us to utilize our gifts not for ourselves or expect others to minister to us, but to boldly give of our talents to serve others.  May we be intentional with our acts of service as You guide us.  Amen.

The Faithful and Wise Servant

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?  It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.  I tell you the truth he will put him in charge of all his possessions."  Matt. 24:45-47 (NIV)

It was the last week of His ministry on earth and Jesus was preparing the disciples for something even more challenging than His death.  Now His death was devastating, but even within the darkness of Friday night, Sunday was coming.  The resurrection would peel away all the sense of loss and replace it with a hope that burns bright even 2,000 years later.  No, that last week Jesus was preparing the disciples for his departure.  It was the plan. 

The parable of the tenants tells of a landowner who plants a vineyard, puts in a wine press, builds a watch tower, then leases the vineyard to some local farmers, placing them in charge and goes away.  The good and faithful servant in our focal passage this morning is put in charge while the master is away.  In the parable of the ten virgins, they fall asleep awaiting the return of the bridegroom who is a long time in coming.  And, the parable of the talents tells of a man who makes investments in others giving them varying amounts of money and then again, goes away on a journey.  A departed Master was the master plan.  Even on the day of ascension (Acts 1) the disciples were expecting that the kingdom would be installed as Christ as King reigning forever, but the day ended with them gazing into a blue sky as their King floated away.  They would probably have just stayed there gazing into the sky had angels from heaven, men in white, not been dispatched to give them instruction.  It is as though you just jumped into the car with the King to drive on a long journey across the country and at the first rest area, the King handed you the keys and tells you to continue on alone.  He then disappears and there you are holding the keys to the car, and even though He promised that He really is with you - you can't see Him.  For the disciples they had been with Him for three years, and had struggled to drive the car on their own fighting over who was the greatest driver.  The Holy Spirit would change all of that. 

Our servant in today's passage is in charge of the household of his master.  Their are two prerequisites or characteristics of this servant that gave him the job:  He was faithful and wise.  Faithful in that the master could trust this servant.  He wasn't in it for himself, but had faith in the Master and His dealings.  The servant is also wise or discerning.  The Master knows that the servant's head is level and will be obedient.  These two things mean that the servant's heart and mind were qualified.  The heart was for the Master and the mind was solid not displaced by a weak heart - the servant knew who he was, but more, he knew the Master, and this qualifies him for the job. 

The job was to serve the others of the estate, to give them their food at the proper time, to take care of them.  If this job must be done then we can assume that some people can't take care of themselves.  The Master doesn't give us the option of looking away or being apathetic.  The faithful and wise servant knows the Master's business and those whom he has been charged to serve.  The household really is the community where you've been planted.  Where are they you ask?  Those for me to serve?  Look around with the faithful heart of the servant and the discerning mind.  He may be a lonely guy on a bench.  A hospital full of the sick and dying.  A lonely widow who keeps to herself.  Someone at work who has anger issues.  A child looking for a role model because he can't see one in his own parents.  An elderly lady heating her home with the burners from her gas cooking stove (she is real by the way - Ray and Mandy Robertson found her and raised enough money to get her a proper space heater).  They are out there.  It takes the heart of the faithful and the discernment of the wise to find them, but in every community someone is hurting, feeling the void of loss, being tested by life, and needing a helping hand. 

Not that we are in it for the reward, that would question the heart, but the Master promises that the faithful and wise servants of this world will be rewarded.  Concerning what little I have done, I'll tell you this:  You will be rewarded in the effort here and now.  When you serve the Master in this regard, you will come away gifted with an intangible inner blessing that I don't have words for.  You have to experience it.  Taste it. 

Gary Haugen tells the story of a visit to Mt. Mckinley with his brothers and dad.  Gary decides to stay in the welcome center as his dad and brothers go out and explore the mountain.  Upon their return Gary is envious.  The welcome center had lost and ability to hold his attention a long time ago and his dad and brothers are awash with the thrill and adventure of the hike.  He implores that we get out on that mountain and leave the welcome center.  Don't let church be just about the building, but be the faithful and wise servant called into the greater community around the building, and around the world.  Gary Haugen did.  He is the founder and president of the International Justice Mission.  He is impacting the world as a faithful and wise servant.  Read about his organization here:

http://www.ijm.org/whoweare/garyhaugen

Prayer:  Gracious Master, You have departed, but there is work to be done.  May be be found as faithful and wise servants, sharing Your love, grace and truth to a world starving for such.  Amen.

Do you remember that gift?

A package wrapped with a bow sits on a table.  A woman walks by it every day.  Some days she stops and looks at it, other days she even picks it up and shakes it.  She wonders what is in the wrapped box, but dares not open it. So the gift sits there on the table.  It is addressed to her, however, she is certain it is a mistake.

Another gift sits in a closet collecting dust.  A young boy was presented with the gift and he eagerly played with it every day.  Then one day the gift wasn't new anymore, he thought he knew all there was about the gift and how it could be used.  Slowly he begins to play with it less and less until finally it comes to rest in a closet packed with other things that were once new in his life, but are now boring and old.

Another gift is worn by someone everyday.  It is no longer a separate entity, but is so much a part of their lives that in many ways it has become an integral part of them.  They can't imagine their life without the gift.  In many ways the gift completes them.

1 Peter 4:10-11 (New International Version)

¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Peter was a man of action.  He was the one to get out of the boat to go to Jesus on the waves, he brandished the sword ready to take on the angry mob in the garden while slicing the ear off Malchus, he was ready to build tributes on the mount of transfiguration, and go fishing when nothing else made sense wallowing in his guilt.  It took quite a while for God to harness that eagerness for His action, and in today's verse Peter calls us all to action.  There are some very good points in these verses concerning gifts and service.

1)  Everyone has a gift.

Peter says each of us has a gift.  Yes, it may be on the table and we have no clue what it is, but make no mistake, you have a gift.  When God created you in the womb of your mother, he planted a gift specifically for you to be discovered at some point in time.  Maybe you haven't discovered it yet, but it is there, and there are countless classes, books, and exercises that can help you open the gift. 

2)  Every gift has a purpose.

Peter tells us that your gift is used for others.  God creates these abilities in us that will flourish and impact others, so in many ways our gifts are given to be gifts to someone else.  Your gift, whatever it is, has the purpose of serving others.  Matter of fact, the gift will not be fully utilized or satisfactory until it is used as the gift was designed.  If used to serve you the gift gets old and loses the unique sense of original form.  The gift doesn't go away, but it is definitely in the closet crowded by other used up facets of life that were employed for selfish gain.

3)  We are the managers of our gift. 

The gift comes with responsibility.  We are stewards of the gift, for the gift is not of ourselves, but a tool of the divine providence of God.  The gift is given with expectation and purpose, and we will be accountable for how we use it toward those expectations and purposes. 

4)  There are many gifts.

Gifts are given in various forms with different talents and skill sets, but all for the same purposes.  Romans 12:4-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 list many gifts, but the list was not meant to be an exhaustive list of all gifts as though you could catalog them like units of inventory.  Peter makes it clear that gifts are as varied as the very grace of God. 

5)  Gifts are to be used.

Whatever the form of the gift, it is called to action, and we don't just go through the motions with the action.  We are called to excellence in Christ as we use our gifts with all our hearts (Col. 3:23).  We work for Him and by using our gifts He works through us.

6)  Gifts complete our lives.

Gifts are designed to ultimately bring glory to God.  Like a well struck ball, when in the sweet spot, labor melts away and you bask in the pure majesty of the flight of the ball.  God uses our gifts to help us find our sweet spot of service.  When that happens we are made complete in Him from where the gift comes and we live lives void of our own power, rooted in His power.  Like that ball, it is not how hard you hit it, but how square you hit it in the sweet spot.  Whatever your gift is - you were made to use it.  It won't seem like work.

When we come to Christ it is as though you've just dumped out a 1000 piece puzzle.  At first there is great excitement that you will become like that beautiful picture on the box, but it doesn't take long to get frustrated from all the pieces, which don't resemble much of anything.  Slowly you get all the pieces turned over, and all the side pieces collected.  A border is fashioned in place and like colored pieces are gathered here and there.  Our gifts are like those pieces of the puzzle, and when we diligently work them in place the beautiful picture on the box comes into view.  We become what we were created to become - in service to others through Him and for Him. 

Do you remember that gift?  Is it sitting there on the table?  I bet you had no idea it was a puzzle.  Unwrap that thing and get started, the result will be worth the effort. 

Prayer:  God we praise You for the various gifts given.  We realize that You have gifted us all to serve others in Your name.  May we be good stewards of the blessing You have given.  Use us Lord.  May we always be ready.  Amen.

The Gift of Giving

The Math of Giving

I've heard the term "new math" my entire life.  To be honest, I'm not sure what it means.  Perhaps it is the evolution of how math is taught to our young, or what they are taught, again I'm not sure.  If you search the Gospels for math you find an old math, and it is different.  I'll call it God's math and it doesn't sit well with our views on various subjects.  Just as our ways are not His ways, neither is our math His math. 

God would leave 99 sheep on a hillside to go chase after one stray.  We'd just as soon cut our loss and make sure the 99 are safe.  Like Peter we would say forgiving someone 7 times would be more than enough and a noble effort, but Jesus would instruct that seventy times seven is the number.  We believe in fair pay for the amount of work accomplished, but Jesus told a parable where everyone got paid the same no matter how much or how long they worked.  Philip would look out at a sea of humanity and figure 8 months wages to feed them, but Jesus took a little boy's lunch and accomplished the feat.  Our annual income as an amount would do much to help the poor, but Jesus seemed ambivalent when Mary pours a year's wages worth of pure nard upon Him.  In today's math with today's average incomes, that would have been $43,000 worth of nard.  With Jesus last is first, in our world there is really only first or how close you can get there.  Last gets the coach fired, the players traded, the business closed or the manager replaced.  Maybe these quirks are to be expected, for God lives in a realm where a day is like a thousand years.  Perhaps we have no concept of His math because we don't have His perspective. 

When it comes to giving the math of God is just as strange.  Both Luke and Mark tell the story of the widow's offering.  (Luke 21:1-4 and Mark 12:41-44)  One day Jesus was teaching very near the court of the women in the temple.  The temple collection devices were in this location, 13 trumpet like devices looking like megaphones were positioned so the worshipers could easily toss in their offering.  This was a very busy place, with only 13 receptacles and hundreds if not thousands of worshipers.  This was also as far as the women could go in the temple so just as many were turning back as were going onward.  It would have been a traffic nightmare and teaching here would have been difficult with all the noise of the crowd and the constant sound of precious metal being tossed in the offering horns.  Some scholars speculate that the wealthy made sure their offering made plenty of noise as the coins clanged in the receptacle as if to say, "That was a huge offering!"  However, on this day, Jesus looks up and watches the proceedings.  He watches as the wealthy give much, then a widow makes her way toward the offering horns.  She tosses in two small very thin coins.  They don't make much sound.  The Greek word for these coins is lepton, which was a very tiny brass or copper coin that was valued at 1/5 of a penny.  She could have thrown in small rocks and they be worth more.  Jesus then calls the disciples over and says, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all that she had."  If Jesus ever starts a sentence with "I tell you the truth", or "Woe", you'd better listen for He is saying, "Remember this it is remarkably noteworthy." 

The disciples must have thought this absurd.  They were thinking lump sum and Jesus was looking a percentages.  If everyone gave the same percent as the widow the horns would overflow and 13 wouldn't be enough - it would take thousands.  Jesus, then, doesn't see what we don't have but looks at what we do have when it comes to giving.  It is the math of giving.

1 Corinthians 8:12
For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

Prayer:  Father teach us Your math.  Help us be as giving as the widow and have her kind of faith.  Amen.

The Seventh Mark:  Evangelistically Engaged

The First Evangelists