When Jesus Follows

“‘Come and see, Lord,’ they said. Jesus cried.” John 11:34-35. “As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him” Luke 24:15” Luke 24:15

This morning I was thinking about the multitude of people who have followed Jesus in the past. I began thinking of the disciples and the throngs of people mentioned in the Bible who followed Him all around for various reasons. Even the enemies of Jesus followed Him around to try to trick Him, discredit and humiliate Him. The New Testament is filled with stories of the followed and the followers. But this morning I realized something precious. I realized that we are followers of Christ because He has been following us. He has followed us from birth ensuring we were protecting and loved. He follows us each day in whatever we have planned. He will follow us into the gates of Heaven to fellowship with us in eternity.

Jesus has been following people for centuries. He followed Mary and Martha to the tomb to see where Lazarus was laid. He followed the travelers on the road to Emmaus until it was time for Him to reveal Himself. He followed the disciples onto the beach after the resurrection and patiently waited by the fire. He followed his brother James and called out his name after He was raised from the dead. He follows the one sheep who strays from the fold and brings them back. He followed His Father’s will all the way to the cross so we could follow Him. Oh, what a follower He was and still is!

When we lay our loved ones to rest, He follows us through the process and picks us up when we cannot stand the journey any more. He follows us into our darkness when pain and heartache enter our lives. He follows us in our celebrations and also in our wanderings. Like the people on the road to Emmaus we may not recognize His presence, but we certainly can depend on His promise. He has promised that He will never leave us, and He hasn’t. He has promised that He will never forsake us, and He won’t. He has promised that He is not only near us but living inside of us.

Most of the time we are following Jesus, but we don’t ever have to doubt that He also follows us in our greatest time of need. He knows our heart and when we need Him most. There have been times in my life when I left the house to be alone because I was upset. All I ever really wanted was for someone to come after me and comfort me. But people cannot read our hearts and many times people respond based on what they would want in our situation. Not Jesus…He sees right into our hearts and will follow us no matter where we go. May we have eyes to see when Jesus suddenly shows up next to us like He did on the road to Emmaus.

“Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him…” Luke 24:31-32.

One Thing Needed

“But Martha was distracted with much serving… ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed…’” Luke 10:40-42

Anyone who really knows me fully understands how much I love college basketball and my Duke team. Last night I had Trauma Care Training at church at the same time Duke was playing in the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament to win a spot in the Final Four. Prior to going to church, I told Bruce to shoot me a text every now and then telling me the score, since my texts can be seen on my watch. When I got seated in the group, I had my phone sitting up in my pocketbook where I could occasionally glance down and see the score. During the opening prayer I felt convicted of my double-mindedness and my focus for the night needed to be my on the training. I knew that God was reminding me that my worried and troubled mind about a basketball game wasn’t true serving. True serving is having my focus and my heart settled on my calling. I asked Him to help me choose the better way…the one thing that is needed for those 2 hours. He equipped me with the self-control from checking my watch and my phone until the break. Every now and then the game would cross my mind, but I would picture my unwillingness to look as a way to worship Him. When I went on break, I had 18 texts from 5 different people regarding the game. That would have meant I would have been distracted 18 times in a two-hour span, not to mention the anxiety and frustration of Duke trailing. I know you are probably thinking how pathetic that it would take this much effort to not check a score. But it was my distraction for that period of time and the best way to learn how to choose ‘the one thing needed’ is to start with the little things. Our distractions lead us into temptation and away from time with God.

Distractions are one of the greatest barriers between us and the heart of God. Martha had Jesus in the next room for goodness sakes, and still allowed distractions to keep her in the next room. My Bible study states that there are two types of distractions, the ones we can control and the ones we cannot. I know there are many distractions over which we are powerless. But what about those distractions that hold us captive when we have the key to be released…surfing the internet…social media…the news… pleasing others… emails…a basketball game? God is faithful even in the little silly distractions of life that feel big at the time. If we will ‘set our face like flint’ as the Bible says we will not be distracted from what God has called us to do. We will determine to be resolute in not giving way to the lesser things.  “We’re becoming conditioned to distraction, and it’s harming our ability to listen and think carefully, to be still, to pray, and to meditate. Which means it is a spiritual danger, an evil from which we need God’s deliverance” Article, Lord Deliver Me from Distractions - Jon Bloom (Desiring God website).

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Col 3:2

Before the Storm

I was reading my Bible study this morning and the heading was Grace to Trust Him More. The author wrote about her sister drowning and the prayer she heard her dad lift by her sister's side committing her back to God. I felt my eyes tear up because I could relate as I watched my mom and dad do the same with our sister near the end of her battle with cancer. The author’s words regarding her moment cannot be expressed more beautifully so I will allow her to speak to the testimony of the most powerful trust we can have in God. The trust in God when our prayers aren’t answered…the trust that He will be our strength and our comfort…the trust that God will carry us through all things. ‘Becoming stronger happens before the bad news comes. My dad’s trust in God gave him strength long before the day my sister died. On the day of her death, when his heart was crushed, the truth was revealed. What we all saw was a man who trusted God with his whole heart. Trust proceeds strength. A fully surrendered trust allows the strength of God to be manifest in us.’ Stronger, Angela Thomas-Pharr, p. 87.

Trust proceeds strength…those are very powerful words that give us some insight as we watch how others walk out their overwhelming circumstances. Fully surrendered trust means not allowing a devastation to define us. Fully surrendered trust means not allowing a decision to consume us. Fully surrendered trust means letting go of a dream to pick up God’s dream for us. I don’t pretend that it is easy to develop a kind of trust that propels the kind of strength needed for disparaging times. Trust that proceeds strength takes practice from one adversity to another. Life provides the backdrop for schooling in this spiritual discipline but what is the alternative for us? Is the alternative of resentment or paralyzing fear better than the choice to practice trust when the storm is raging? Is the alternative to live like a victim instead of a victor which is promised by God? Not that it was easy to watch Mother and Daddy in my sister’s experience, but it was a blessing for my spiritual growth to see their trust in God exemplified well. I can only pray that my children and grandchildren will someday see my faith in full bloom as I saw my parents.

I know that life has forced many of you into facing things you never dreamed you would have to face. I know that most of you have traveled from adversity to adversity. But I’ve watched you and I’ve been blessed by you and I am compelled to tell you to keep on practicing trust…keep on moving in faith… keep trading your weakness for God’s strength. ‘When we trust Him, God makes us stronger…As with most spiritual disciplines, learning to trust God takes practice. That means you begin to intentionally practice the action of trusting God with things you don’t understand…settle yourself with God…get alone with Him…get on your knees if you want…tell the Lord you are intentionally choosing to trust Him.’ Stronger, p 89. There is a calm and peaceful eye in the middle of every storm. It is the eye of God that is with us and trust in Him is what gets us to that place of peace and strength.

"You keep him [or her] in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.' Isaiah 26:3-4.

Royally Destined

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live…Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

This morning my Bible study was entitled Death and Dying which wasn’t exactly what I wanted to consider at 6:00 in the morning. But it was my focus for the day and so I write. More than likely most of you have experienced an impactful death of a family member or friend. Even as I write and you read this, someone is coming to our mind. I cannot remember a time when I have known so many people to lose loved ones in such a short period of time. I find it odd that I always use the word ‘lose’ when talking about our loved ones who have arrived in Heaven. The word ‘lose’ seems misplaced on this subject because every one of our precious loved ones are probably Christians, so we know exactly where they reside. ‘And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.’ John 14:3. I suddenly realized why I use that word…it is because we are the losers, not them. We lost something very precious to us, but only temporarily. The only things our loved ones lost were a decaying bodies…sinful hearts…lives that sometimes taunted pain and suffering. I read a quote this morning that is very powerful if we look at our grief from the standpoint of our loved ones. ‘Death is not king, and the grave is not the destination. God is stronger than death and stronger than the fear of death.’ Stronger, Angela Thomas-Pharr, p. 81.

I love the thought that I am walking a parallel life with my loved ones with only a thin veil between the two divides. I love the spirit connection that God provides wherein my memories are almost my realities. I love the truth that every arrival in Heaven is the perfectly orchestrated journey that God took them on. I love the image of my loved ones casting their crowns they earned on earth right back at the feet of the One they love most. I love that ‘death is not king, and the grave is the not the destination.’ I’m excited that they are already setting up house at the place where I am going. And what did I have to do to receive all of this for eternity?…Believe…that is our only part. Believe that because Jesus died we will live. Believe that God has a perfect plan for our lives on both earth and in heaven. Believe that every word and every promise given by our Father is steeped in truth. Believe that we are not residents of this world but only travelers passing through it. Believe that we can tease the grave, ‘Where is your victory?’

There was a woman who was diagnosed with an incurable disease and given 3 months to live. When asked how she maintained such a positive spirit, she gave a powerful piece of advice which I’ll never forget. ‘Keep your chin up and don’t go to the funeral – mine or yours or your loved ones – until the day of the funeral because you will miss the life that you have left.’ When we took our first breath, we began as royalty and because we believe we are destined for the Kingdom.

Living Out Our 'Yet'

“…yet, I will trust him.” Job 13:15

It seems that every time I bring up Facebook, I am faced with yet another precious life who is called to battle a disease. This journey is certainly not one walked in a vacuum for it invades their inner circle of family and friends. A diagnosis draws an unwanted line in the sand that separates the normal from the chaotic…the before from the after…the seen to the unseen. Job fully understood what is was like to receive bad news followed by devastating news, all the while experiencing his own physical suffering. His story is documented through 42 chapters in the Bible with the majority of those chapters being His discussion with God. He had lost his children, his livelihood, his resources and eventually his physical comfort. If anyone had reasons to be angry, despaired, devastated and crushed in spirit it was Job. But Job framed all his questions around the sovereignty of God. His trust that God was doing something he couldn’t understand was met with His confidence in God's goodness. His fellowship with God wasn’t based upon his circumstances in life, rather His relationship with God.

It seems like just yesterday when within a 4-week timeframe, my dad was diagnosed with cancer, my father-in-law with Alzheimer’s and my daughter with a disease requiring intense treatment with little hope of cure. It was a dizzying time in my life as there were so many waters through which to navigate. There is so much uncertainly when medical concerns arise, and it seems that no one in the medical field is in a hurry. I have come to understand that this slow pace is a part of God’s providence. He knows how much our hearts can take, and moved according to that knowledge. It takes great trust and patience to live in the starts and stops of illness. It takes great courage to awake everyday and chose faith over fear when fear screams louder. But God does not leave us alone in our journeys and gives us the courage and grace to face our unknowns. He calls those in the inner circles to walk their own part of the journey, developing their own trust in God.

No matter what may fall upon our lives, may we look to God for our strength, confidence and trust. Whatever we will experience may these words be our companion, ‘yet I will trust Him.’ They are words of offering…words of life…words of comfort. We all have a beginning to that beautiful battle cry that begins with ‘yet.’ When your heart starts to fail just close your eyes, picture your Father and whisper ‘yet I will trust You.’

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

Linking Arms with Creation

“…because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption…For we know that the whole creation groans and labors…Not only that…even we ourselves groan within…eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” Romans 8:22, 23b

I’ve always considered the consequences of Adam and Eve to mainly affect us since we are born into sin and live in the flesh. But this morning I am realizing that every single thing God touched in creation was subjected from the fall to sin, decay and death. When I look at the beauty in creation, I see the handiwork of God, but this morning it seems that we really only see a limited display of creation. The verse above personifies that sin ushered in the bondage of creation as a prisoner itself assigning emotions to its anticipation of a delivery. I read the most beautiful quote from John Eldredge this morning regarding the fall of mankind and its implications for all of creation. He wrote, ‘Creation sometimes screams a confusing message…Fires burn, rivers flood, winds go hurricane, the earth shudders so hard it levels cities. But you must remember – this was not so in Eden. Mankind fell, surrendering this earth to the evil one. Paul says that creation groans for the day of restoration, making it clear that everything is not as it was meant to be…the earth is broken. Which only makes the beauty that does flow so generously that much more astounding. And reassuring.’ Beautiful Outlaw – John Eldredge (New York: Faith Words, 2011) p 61.

In keeping with that powerful quote, it reminds me of how broken people can still be beautiful. The beautiful Christian heart reveals the things of Christ when facing challenging circumstances. We sit and watch the testimony of their lives reveal the beauty of their fellowship with God. Even in suffering the heart of a Christian displays its version of amazing sunrises and beautiful sunsets through the service and love for others despite what they are going through. While still broken, the Christian heart still believes in the mending touch of the Creator and the sinner has confidence in the forgiving love of Jesus.

So as we eagerly anticipate, we stand shoulder to shoulder with arms linked with creation anticipating Heaven opening, and the One who will set everything right in its beautiful restoration will join us in perfection…and Eden will be restored, and Satan will be no more!

Until then, may our lives have beauty that flows generously like creation through our communion with Christ.

Searching for Shark's Teeth

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” Psalm 32:8

When our children were very young, we were at the beach and all they wanted to do was search for shark’s teeth. There had been other years with other searches, so we knew how this was going to go down. Kristen would find kids to play with on the beach, Caroline would end up finding all the shark’s teeth and Michael would end up in tears. This time Bruce and I had a plan so that Michael could feel victorious. We went to the store ahead of time and as they were picking out their beach toys, we were picking out shark teeth. Once it was time to walk on the beach and search for the hidden treasures Bruce would plant the teeth in certain areas and I would distract Caroline in other areas. We were determined to let Michael have some success before Caroline snatched up all the prizes. Michael was always so distracted by the birds and the people that he rarely looked down. But finally, on that day, as Bruce lovingly guided him to certain areas on the beach, he was able to collect a few shark’s teeth in his bucket. Caroline also found a few that day and the world made sense one again! I remember wanting so badly for Michael to find what he was searching for and I never took my eyes off on him while holding Cara’s hand. The joy on his face became the joy in my heart.

That is the way our Father is as He guides us through life and important decisions. He has placed the answers and the blessings upon our path and if we allow Him to guide our decisions, we will never miss our treasures. Without God being on the path with us in every step we run the risk of missing the message…run the risk of making the wrong decision…run the risk of missing the joy. God has a storehouse of blessings for you and for me and has the desire to help us discover His good and perfect plan. He takes us by the hand when we become distracted and lovingly walks us to the prize.

‘God is stronger than all our struggles with direction, our wrong turns and circuitous routes. He is able to guide each one of us – even those of us who feel completely lost.’ Stronger – Angela Thomas-Pharr, p. 62