“After three days they found him…sitting…listening…asking…Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. ‘Son, why have you treated us like this?’ ‘Why were you searching for me?’ he asked…But they did not understand what he was saying to them.” Luke 2:46-50
My heart is extremely heavy for a friend and her family this morning. They have endured a fire in their home which has devastated everything in its path. This family has authentic faith but must still travel through the fear, chaos and emotions of their intruder. I ask for you at this moment to bow your head and life a prayer of unity in the Body of Christ for relief, comfort and deliverance for this family.
Any devastation beckons the question ‘Why’? God expects us to try to gain understanding when something so personal and tragic happens to us. When we ask Him ‘why’, it shows with absolute certainty our belief in Him that He was aware of the impending tragedy and already has the recovery plan. The word ‘astonished’ in the above verse is translated as ‘to be found only in the sense of knocking one out of his senses, to strike out with astonishment, terror, admiration.’ When we are struck with the terror of our circumstances, like Mary and Joseph we franticly search for Christ in the rubble. We find Christ in the lives of others, seeing him in fellowship with them, listening to their prayers and revealing His will through His answers. We feel like Mary on the sideline as a bystander wondering ‘why this?’ and ‘where are you?’
Christ welcomes our questions for it is another way He can show, reveal and fellowship with us. The boy Jesus was just as amazed as His parent’s question and they were with His actions. The Savior Christ answers us the same way when we ask ‘Why and where have you been?” To search is to have something missing…Christ is never missing from our circumstances - He is right there through it all.
While we cannot understand the why’s we can trust the Who. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish…so is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:9-11. Our circumstances will always be followed up with blessings, growth and perfect purpose in Him. He never leaves us in our trials even if we feel He is at a distance. He is never closer than when we feel He is far away. “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
Even the mother of Jesus didn’t understand why her circumstances were happening. Let us continue to pray for this family as they ‘get carried away by the Shepherd.’
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Traveling On...
“Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him…When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him…When his parents saw him, they were astonished. ‘Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you…’ ‘Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?’” Luke 2:46-49
When my sisters and I were little children my mom and dad would take two cars to church each Sunday. My dad would arrive early to make last minute ‘tweaks’ on the Sunday School lessons he would teach. It was not just one time when one of the four girls would be left at church with each parent thinking they were with the other. We have all experienced this scenario if we have been placed in charge of a small child whether our own or someone else’s. There is nothing more gut wrenching than to realize we have been separated by someone for whom we were supposed to care for, watch over and protect. We cannot be too hard on the parents of Jesus as it was common to travel in caravans. They assumed he was walking with others within the same group much like my family’s experience.
We have also experienced this on a spiritual level as we ‘travel on.’ Many times we make decisions about our lives thinking that Jesus is our company but then at some point look around and notice He is not there. We could have sworn we saw Him at certain stops along the way but we realize it was not Him. We desperately and anxiously search for Him as we learn of our blunder and detour from His will. My commentary states, ‘In order to re-establish contact with Him, we must go back to the place where fellowship was broken.” p. 1376.
It is only then when we can be sure that Jesus is traveling on with us in mind, body and spirit. We will know with certainty when we see Him ‘being about His Father’s business’ in bringing us around to the will and purpose of God.
When we discover that Jesus is missing from our caravan of circumstances we can be certain of where to find Him. We can usually retrace our steps and find Jesus.
When my sisters and I were little children my mom and dad would take two cars to church each Sunday. My dad would arrive early to make last minute ‘tweaks’ on the Sunday School lessons he would teach. It was not just one time when one of the four girls would be left at church with each parent thinking they were with the other. We have all experienced this scenario if we have been placed in charge of a small child whether our own or someone else’s. There is nothing more gut wrenching than to realize we have been separated by someone for whom we were supposed to care for, watch over and protect. We cannot be too hard on the parents of Jesus as it was common to travel in caravans. They assumed he was walking with others within the same group much like my family’s experience.
We have also experienced this on a spiritual level as we ‘travel on.’ Many times we make decisions about our lives thinking that Jesus is our company but then at some point look around and notice He is not there. We could have sworn we saw Him at certain stops along the way but we realize it was not Him. We desperately and anxiously search for Him as we learn of our blunder and detour from His will. My commentary states, ‘In order to re-establish contact with Him, we must go back to the place where fellowship was broken.” p. 1376.
It is only then when we can be sure that Jesus is traveling on with us in mind, body and spirit. We will know with certainty when we see Him ‘being about His Father’s business’ in bringing us around to the will and purpose of God.
When we discover that Jesus is missing from our caravan of circumstances we can be certain of where to find Him. We can usually retrace our steps and find Jesus.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
'Amen'
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” 2 Co. 1:20
There is nothing better than our wonderful imaginations and there is nothing worse than our dreadful imaginations. The difference is in the brain food. I can get myself so bound up in the ‘what has happened, what is happening and what may happen’ that peace burns off like dew in the morning. We must feed our minds with the promises of God made absolute through Christ.
I find myself basing future circumstances on past behaviors of someone who will be a daily part of my life in the near future. This person is difficult and self-consumed at best requiring everything of me mentally, emotionally and physically. It is very easy to deduce that history will be repeated and energy will be wastefully depleted if I do not stay focused on God. I find myself this morning needing to replace history with God’s history of promise. Through the finished work of Christ all of the promises of God may be mine if I believe and trust in advance.
I love the way in which my commentary describes our ‘Yes’ in Christ. “Christ reaches down and faith stretches up, and every promise of God is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In and through Him we appropriate and take them to ourselves and say, ‘Yes, Lord, I trust You.’ This is the believing ‘yes’. p. 1823. So based on this I am saying Yes, Lord and I will receive the promise of rest for the weary, strength for the weak, ALL things worked out for my good and victory for all of the battles.
Our ‘Amen’ in advance is our active and trusting proclamation to an active and faithful God.
There is nothing better than our wonderful imaginations and there is nothing worse than our dreadful imaginations. The difference is in the brain food. I can get myself so bound up in the ‘what has happened, what is happening and what may happen’ that peace burns off like dew in the morning. We must feed our minds with the promises of God made absolute through Christ.
I find myself basing future circumstances on past behaviors of someone who will be a daily part of my life in the near future. This person is difficult and self-consumed at best requiring everything of me mentally, emotionally and physically. It is very easy to deduce that history will be repeated and energy will be wastefully depleted if I do not stay focused on God. I find myself this morning needing to replace history with God’s history of promise. Through the finished work of Christ all of the promises of God may be mine if I believe and trust in advance.
I love the way in which my commentary describes our ‘Yes’ in Christ. “Christ reaches down and faith stretches up, and every promise of God is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In and through Him we appropriate and take them to ourselves and say, ‘Yes, Lord, I trust You.’ This is the believing ‘yes’. p. 1823. So based on this I am saying Yes, Lord and I will receive the promise of rest for the weary, strength for the weak, ALL things worked out for my good and victory for all of the battles.
Our ‘Amen’ in advance is our active and trusting proclamation to an active and faithful God.
Friday, May 28, 2010
When Faith Demonstrates
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds…Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do…You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” James 2:14-26
This passage inspired by God has been misinterpreted in many ways over the years. Many believe that James is saying that our saving faith is not complete without works. If this were true then the work that Christ did on the cross was not enough which contradicts the Bible. James is stating that if we possess true faith then our actions should be the fruit of our faith. Man should be able to look upon our deeds as we walk in faith and see the sacrificial actions of a spirit-filled life. Being justified by what we do apart from our faith means that because of the strength of our faith we walk in deed and action as a result.
My commentary states, ‘James is describing the man who has nothing but a profession of faith. He says he has faith, but there is nothing about his life that indicates it…He is speaking about a say-so faith that is not backed up by good works. Such a faith is worthless. It is all words, and nothing else…In other words, works are not the root of salvation but the fruit; they are not the cause but the effect. True faith and good works are inseparable…The first produces the second, and the second evidences the first.’ p. 2229
We are called upon to live life with a faith that many times mandates sacrificial actions. These are the deeds of faith that will be rewarded and justified by God. These are the actions that will ensure God will credit us with righteousness. We will enter into that wonderful fellowship with others such as Abraham whose faith was justified in the eyes of God. We will be called to sacrifice what means most to us at some point but will inherit the blessings from God for our offering.
“Faith is invisible. The only way others can know you have faith is by a life that demonstrates it.” p. 2229
This passage inspired by God has been misinterpreted in many ways over the years. Many believe that James is saying that our saving faith is not complete without works. If this were true then the work that Christ did on the cross was not enough which contradicts the Bible. James is stating that if we possess true faith then our actions should be the fruit of our faith. Man should be able to look upon our deeds as we walk in faith and see the sacrificial actions of a spirit-filled life. Being justified by what we do apart from our faith means that because of the strength of our faith we walk in deed and action as a result.
My commentary states, ‘James is describing the man who has nothing but a profession of faith. He says he has faith, but there is nothing about his life that indicates it…He is speaking about a say-so faith that is not backed up by good works. Such a faith is worthless. It is all words, and nothing else…In other words, works are not the root of salvation but the fruit; they are not the cause but the effect. True faith and good works are inseparable…The first produces the second, and the second evidences the first.’ p. 2229
We are called upon to live life with a faith that many times mandates sacrificial actions. These are the deeds of faith that will be rewarded and justified by God. These are the actions that will ensure God will credit us with righteousness. We will enter into that wonderful fellowship with others such as Abraham whose faith was justified in the eyes of God. We will be called to sacrifice what means most to us at some point but will inherit the blessings from God for our offering.
“Faith is invisible. The only way others can know you have faith is by a life that demonstrates it.” p. 2229
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Separate From The Linen
“This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manager…When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off…” Luke 2:12, 15, 16
I love studying the Bible with notes, commentaries and organized studies by those who have been inspired by God. You can discover a new gem at every sitting in a treasure box in which you have plundered many times before. This happened to me this morning as I am studying the Book of Luke.
In large part, the New Testament was translated from Greek. The word ‘sign’ as used in the above passage is translated from the Greek word ‘semeion’ which means finger-marks of God. These humble shepherds stood on the hillsides in the dark of the night tending to their flock when this angel appears lighting up the entire sky. I know how bright a full moon is so I cannot imagine how bright this angel’s visit must have been illuminating the hillside. It must have been as God flipped on the overheads and everything became in pristine focus. The message continues…God has left a finger-mark, His creation, His Son and the Lamb who is the Messiah!
Not only did God take those powerful hands and create but He left His mark for humanity through His creation. That small baby was His most precious mark of all, yet He gave it unselfishly and sacrificially to the world only to witness the condemnation, ridicule and murder of man. I think it is more than just a coincidence that God’s ‘finger-mark’ was introduced to this world in cloths and departed this world in cloths. “Then Simon Peter…arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.” John 20:6-7
Separate from the linen...exact description of Jesus as He lived life on earth. His life exemplified a life of separation from the world in which He walked in a commitment to His Father to accomplish God's will, not His own. A piece of cloth swaddled this precious baby only to be replaced by an empty piece of cloth which swaddled His head upon death on earth. God’s finger-mark, that empty piece of cloth, tucked in our treasure box this morning, is the finger-mark that can carry me through the day with hope, comfort and belief in deliverance from anything.
Praise God for leaving His finger-marks everywhere for everyone who ‘hurries off’ to find Him. Will we live a life 'separate from the linen'?
I love studying the Bible with notes, commentaries and organized studies by those who have been inspired by God. You can discover a new gem at every sitting in a treasure box in which you have plundered many times before. This happened to me this morning as I am studying the Book of Luke.
In large part, the New Testament was translated from Greek. The word ‘sign’ as used in the above passage is translated from the Greek word ‘semeion’ which means finger-marks of God. These humble shepherds stood on the hillsides in the dark of the night tending to their flock when this angel appears lighting up the entire sky. I know how bright a full moon is so I cannot imagine how bright this angel’s visit must have been illuminating the hillside. It must have been as God flipped on the overheads and everything became in pristine focus. The message continues…God has left a finger-mark, His creation, His Son and the Lamb who is the Messiah!
Not only did God take those powerful hands and create but He left His mark for humanity through His creation. That small baby was His most precious mark of all, yet He gave it unselfishly and sacrificially to the world only to witness the condemnation, ridicule and murder of man. I think it is more than just a coincidence that God’s ‘finger-mark’ was introduced to this world in cloths and departed this world in cloths. “Then Simon Peter…arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.” John 20:6-7
Separate from the linen...exact description of Jesus as He lived life on earth. His life exemplified a life of separation from the world in which He walked in a commitment to His Father to accomplish God's will, not His own. A piece of cloth swaddled this precious baby only to be replaced by an empty piece of cloth which swaddled His head upon death on earth. God’s finger-mark, that empty piece of cloth, tucked in our treasure box this morning, is the finger-mark that can carry me through the day with hope, comfort and belief in deliverance from anything.
Praise God for leaving His finger-marks everywhere for everyone who ‘hurries off’ to find Him. Will we live a life 'separate from the linen'?
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
A Day at Work
"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them." Luke 2:8-9
It was just another day at work for the shepherds. We can relate as we face our work days with routine and consistency. We know what needs to be done, the same pleasantries will be exchanged and we wonder if any difference at all is being made. We look at those who have been given authority over us and wonder what guarded knowledge they possess as they make decisions regarding our lives. Usually, these are people who have been privy to precious and valuable information...not the case with the birth of Christ.
God chose to appear to his humble servants who were out in the fields caring for others. God seems to enjoy both choosing and appearing to the simple man with simple duties in life. He could have chosen the king of that time to herald in the Messiah. Word would have certainly gotten out more quickly but God always blesses those who love Him and seek Him. My commentary states that 'And is there not a world of meaning in the fact that it was very ordinary people, busy about very ordinary tasks, whose eyes first saw the glory of the coming of the Lord? It means, first, that the place of duty, however humble, is the place of vision. And it means, secondly, that it is the men who have kept to the deep simple pieties of life and have not lost the child heart to whom the gates of the Kingdom most readily open.'
No matter what we have been chosen to do on any given day, in any given town, it is at the Lord's choosing and we will be recipients of His visions. No task is too small or too unimportant when we are pursuing a life with Christ.
And the glory of the Lord will shine around us!
It was just another day at work for the shepherds. We can relate as we face our work days with routine and consistency. We know what needs to be done, the same pleasantries will be exchanged and we wonder if any difference at all is being made. We look at those who have been given authority over us and wonder what guarded knowledge they possess as they make decisions regarding our lives. Usually, these are people who have been privy to precious and valuable information...not the case with the birth of Christ.
God chose to appear to his humble servants who were out in the fields caring for others. God seems to enjoy both choosing and appearing to the simple man with simple duties in life. He could have chosen the king of that time to herald in the Messiah. Word would have certainly gotten out more quickly but God always blesses those who love Him and seek Him. My commentary states that 'And is there not a world of meaning in the fact that it was very ordinary people, busy about very ordinary tasks, whose eyes first saw the glory of the coming of the Lord? It means, first, that the place of duty, however humble, is the place of vision. And it means, secondly, that it is the men who have kept to the deep simple pieties of life and have not lost the child heart to whom the gates of the Kingdom most readily open.'
No matter what we have been chosen to do on any given day, in any given town, it is at the Lord's choosing and we will be recipients of His visions. No task is too small or too unimportant when we are pursuing a life with Christ.
And the glory of the Lord will shine around us!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Go On...
“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins…And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.” Luke 1:76, 77, 80
This passage is introducing no other than our beloved John the Baptist as he is introduced by his father following the circumcision of his son. My commentary states that “The mission of John was to be the Savior’s herald. John would be the prophet of the Most High, preparing the hearts of the people for the coming of the Lord, and proclaiming salvation to His people through the forgiveness of their sins.” Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 1373
The word herald means messenger, bearer of news as a person who has a sense of urgency in his delivery. John’s entire purpose for his life was to be the messenger of a Savior soon to come and mighty to save. John spent the majority of his life living and experiencing the wild ways of the desert. Scripture records that in the desert the Lord’s messenger became strong in spirit and the ‘child grew.’
I cannot depict a more clear example of spiritual growth than that one simple verse which sums up John’s life. We are all babies in Christ until we face the dangers and fear of the desert. It is not until we are forced out of our comfort zones and into the darkness of uncertainty that we grow from spiritual babies into seasoned heralds for Christ. It is through our times in the desert that we feed off of the provisions of faith in God alone. We put our trust in Him alone since our darkness is unrecognizable and fearful at best. Just as God did with John in the desert He will accomplish the same for us when experiencing our dark times.
Then…one beautiful day, when we emerge from our desert, those people who knew us before will say, ‘My, how she has grown,’ and we will sing our stories of God’s redemptive love and unyielding deliverance.
So…you, my child, go on before the Lord!
This passage is introducing no other than our beloved John the Baptist as he is introduced by his father following the circumcision of his son. My commentary states that “The mission of John was to be the Savior’s herald. John would be the prophet of the Most High, preparing the hearts of the people for the coming of the Lord, and proclaiming salvation to His people through the forgiveness of their sins.” Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 1373
The word herald means messenger, bearer of news as a person who has a sense of urgency in his delivery. John’s entire purpose for his life was to be the messenger of a Savior soon to come and mighty to save. John spent the majority of his life living and experiencing the wild ways of the desert. Scripture records that in the desert the Lord’s messenger became strong in spirit and the ‘child grew.’
I cannot depict a more clear example of spiritual growth than that one simple verse which sums up John’s life. We are all babies in Christ until we face the dangers and fear of the desert. It is not until we are forced out of our comfort zones and into the darkness of uncertainty that we grow from spiritual babies into seasoned heralds for Christ. It is through our times in the desert that we feed off of the provisions of faith in God alone. We put our trust in Him alone since our darkness is unrecognizable and fearful at best. Just as God did with John in the desert He will accomplish the same for us when experiencing our dark times.
Then…one beautiful day, when we emerge from our desert, those people who knew us before will say, ‘My, how she has grown,’ and we will sing our stories of God’s redemptive love and unyielding deliverance.
So…you, my child, go on before the Lord!
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