You and Him

Sometimes God asks us to do hard things.  Maybe it is leading a bible study, maybe it is getting up at a certain time of the day and spending it in the Word, maybe it is a job change for the Kingdom, maybe it is singing in the choir - often times God asks us to do things that make us feel uncomfortable.  For me it was head covering (but that's a topic for another post one day). The point is, what is hard for you may not be hard for me, and vice versa.

But no matter what, I guarantee that it gives you pause, it makes you think, and sometimes it probably makes you fear.  What if I'm not good enough?  Surely someone can do this better?  What if I don't have time to commit to that?  What will people say about me?  Will I look weird?  Who's going to judge me?

No matter what the Lord is calling you to do today - no matter what you think people will say or think or believe - just do it!  I have heard it over and over that the Lord does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called.  The Lord has called you to do something to uplift the Kingdom, something He is going to get the glory for in the end.  Don't worry about what others think because in the end it isn't about you and them, it's about you and Him.

The Things That Are

I love when I open up my Facebook account and there is a TobyMac #speaklife image in my feed.  They are always so encouraging and usually I end up sharing them.  The one from the other day really struck me.  It said, "letting go doesn't mean giving up, but rather accepting that there are things that cannot be."  This struck me and I immediately had to share it but also write it down.

Sometimes in life we have to let things go - a relationship that is toxic to us, anger from being hurt, a dream we having been dreaming for a while - there are so many things in our lives that we hold on to and we usually believe that we cannot live without those things.  There is also the inevitable lingering in the back of our minds that if we let go of them then we have somehow failed, we've given up on the dream or we've given up someone.

Perhaps a better outlook is not that we are failures or not that we have given up but that God is maybe protecting us.  Maybe God knows that your relationship will never work because he has someone better picked out for you.  Maybe God knows you need to let go of your resentment towards the person that hurt you because that bitterness is affecting your relationship with him.  Maybe that dream wasn't right for you, maybe God has another dream he wants to plant inside you so that he will get the glory when it comes to pass.  Maybe you won't get that promotion because God is protecting you from missing out on time with your family. Remember that in Jeremiah 29:11-13, God says he knows the plans he has for us and that they will prosper us, never harm us - they are to give us a future and hope.

We are so quick to think that when things don't happen we have failed or that it is the end of the world.  Maybe we need to remember that God wants us to "accept there are things that cannot be" because in the background he is working on the things that are.

Easter Series: Jesus and the Thief

Most people never think about the two sinners on each side of Jesus as he hung on the cross.  It’s understandable because our focus tends to be on Christ as he is enduring his last hours.  The two sinners represent those of us in the world – one who doesn’t believe and cannot except who Jesus is; the other willing to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah – sinless, perfect, and the only way into the Kingdom of Heaven.

We know nothing of the thief’s background – no name, no record of his crime, no age.  What we do know was that while he was hanging from his own cross, he recognized the divinity of Jesus.  He tells the other criminal, who has been taunting and mocking Jesus, that they deserve their punishment but that Jesus does not because he has committed no sin, Jesus has done nothing that he has been accused of. (Luke 23:41 NLT)

 The thief understood more about Jesus’ teachings than some of the disciples at the moment.  Here was Jesus in the midst of the ultimate suffering.  Jesus had been beaten, nailed to a cross, and was struggling to breath.  His lungs were filling with blood as he slowly suffocated.  It was one of the most gruesome forms of death at the time.  Jesus wasn’t worried about his own suffering, Jesus wasn’t worried about his own death.  He knew his place was with his Father, he knew where he was going.  But he was worried about the repent sinner hanging next to him.  Jesus was dying and yet he was concerned about the heart’s cry of a man he didn’t even know.  When the thief cried out “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42 NLT), there was no doubt for him what Jesus’ answer would be.  Jesus promised that the thief would join him. (Luke 23:43 NLT)  This act of forgiveness and pardoning of sins is often overlooked but here was Jesus dying and yet he is concerned about where this sinner would spend eternity.

One thief was going to die and spend eternity in Hell.  The other was going to die knowing that he would be with Jesus, that Jesus would not forsake him – what blessed assurance.  Today we have that same assurance if we profess our love and belief in Christ.  With his death on the cross and the tearing of the veil, Jesus opened a way for sinners like us to get to God.  We have only to repent and accept Jesus and we too can be like the thief and join Jesus in Heaven someday.

 

She Prayed...God Answered

The hush fell over the crowd as Jesus was raised on the cross.  Standing nearby was the woman who had spent 30 years of Jesus’ life raising him, caring for him, teaching him, loving him – his mother, Mary.  She wasn’t alone, as she stood with her sister Mary and Mary Magdalene.  The disciple whom Jesus loved, who we believe to be John, stood with them as well.   (John 19:25 NLT)  But I imagine even surrounded by people she must have felt utterly alone.  She had to stand by and watch as her son was spit upon and cursed.  Her son who had committed no sin. Her child, her firstborn, her miracle from God was going to die and there was nothing she could do about it.  There can be no greater suffering than for a mother to watch her child in pain and know there is nothing she can do about it.  To make matters worse, Mary must have known that this was part of God’s plan from the beginning. 

Mary and Jesus spent more years of his life together than Jesus did with his disciples.  We know very little about Jesus’ early life, except for a few small scenes in his early childhood.  What we do know was that as a young fourteen year old girl, Mary trusted God enough to carry his son, to birth him and to raise him.  I imagine at some point in the thirty years that Mary and Jesus were together that they might have had a conversation about his death.  I often imagine that Mary knew what was going to come and how her son was going to suffer.  Did she watch her son everyday wondering when this day would come? Did she pray for God to change His mind? She trusted God enough to carry His son, now she had to trust Him to take her son from her.

She could have left.  There was nothing that required her to stay at the cross and watch Jesus die.  She could have said her goodbyes and gone so she didn’t have to watch the tragedy unfold.  But she stayed.  Mary stayed because she loved her son.  She couldn’t walk away from him anymore than I could walk away from my children in their suffering.

I’m sure Jesus knew what difficulty it was for his mother to watch him.  And we know that he was concerned for her because we are told in John 19:26-27 that Jesus told Mary that John was now her son and told John that Mary was now his mother.  Even as he was hanging from the cross, he was honoring the woman who had birthed him and raised him.  A scene of tenderness at a time of great sorrow.

So here Mary was, watching her child take his last breaths and commit himself to God’s plan.  I have to believe that even when that was happening that Mary trusted God.  How could she not?  She had seen his works, she had talked to his angels, and she had carried his son.  Every day for thirty years she had witnessed a miracle.  

She had thirty years’ worth of memories – smiles, hugs, kisses, laughter, prayers – thirty years to carry her through his loss and the rest of her life.  I have to believe that as Mary watched, she prayed for strength, for peace and for Jesus’ suffering to be over quickly. She prayed – and God answered.

Mary trusted God and honored God with her obedience, and for that he heard her prayers and answered them just as he hears the prayers of the righteous man. (Proverbs 15:29 NLT)  That’s why when we pray for strength in difficult situations and trials, He hears us and He answers.

Easter Series: Thirty Pieces of Silver

Judas Iscariot.  His name is often used in association with betrayal or treason. Probably one of, if not the, most hated men in the Bible. Oh he didn’t start out that way.  Judas was one of the Twelve.  One of Jesus’ most devoted followers and the treasurer for the group.  But Judas, like many of us, had a sin problem.  He was easily tempted by Satan and it led not only to his downfall but to that of Jesus as well.  

Throughout His ministry, Jesus had mentioned that someone was going to betray Him.  No one knew who it was going to be or even why Jesus was talking about it.  According to historical scholars, that betrayal probably took place on the Tuesday night before Easter.  

Luke 22 tells us that the priests had been plotting for a while as to how to get rid of Jesus – how to kill him.  Then they are given the opportunity that they had been looking for.  According to Scripture, Satan entered Judas and he goes to the chief priest, Caiaphas, to make the deal.  Oh how they must have been overjoyed that Judas was willing to betray Jesus.  Caiaphas and the other leaders had been plotting to kill Christ and here was Judas offering him up like the sacrificial lamb and all for thirty pieces of silver.  Thirty pieces of silver that in today’s currency would only be about $25.  Jesus will be betrayed and Judas will sell his soul to the devil for less money than the price of a tank of gas today.

In John 13, Jesus and the disciples have shared the Last Supper and Jesus has performed the foot washing, Jesus’ act of divine love.  The Savior puts on a towel and instead of being waited on, He himself attends to the disciples.  He cleans their feet.  Can you imagine?  I don’t know many people who would be willing to wash someone’s dirty feet – but Jesus does it – as a way to show the disciples how to care for the people.  And now Jesus tells them that one of them will betray him this very night.   I can imagine the murmurs that went through the disciples.  Peter must have been dying to know who it would be.  He makes a request of John to ask Jesus but Jesus just replies that it will be the one He gives bread to.  He gives the bread to Judas.  As if that isn’t heartbreaking enough, Jesus then tells him to go and do what he needs to quickly.  

Jesus could have told the disciples that Judas was his betrayer.  He could have called for guards to take Judas away before the transaction and plan could take place.  But He doesn’t.  Jesus lets Judas leave knowing what is coming.  Knowing that in just a few days’ time He will die.  Jesus must have felt such anguish at the betrayal of one that He loved.

And that’s just it.  Jesus loved Judas, just as He loved Peter and the other disciples, just as He loves us.  Jesus loved the man who was going to sell him out for thirty pieces of silver.  I imagine that the anguish Jesus felt at Judas and yet He still loved him is how God must feel every time we sin.  Every time we sell our self out to sin.  The anguish that God must feel knowing we have turned to the ways of the world or broken His commandments and yet just like Jesus with Judas, God loves us anyway.  He forgives us and yet He knows that the chance we may commit another sin is great.  Our own thirty pieces of silver.

Easter Series: Just Like Peter

As the Easter season nears, I tend to ponder things associated with Christ’s last days and the people around him.  I have questions that run through my head about the last week of his life.  How did Jesus feel knowing that by Friday night most of the people who had followed Him and professed their love for Him would have abandoned him and gone into hiding?  What went through Mary’s head as she kneeled at the cross watching her Son die?  What mother’s anguish she must have known.  How was Peter able to go on, knowing he had fulfilled Jesus’ prophecy and denied him?  There are so many more questions we could ask and ponder over as the drama of the Crucifixion and Resurrection unfolded.

 

Today, I am drawn to Peter.  In many ways I think so many of us are like him – we profess to love Christ but at the same time we are often quick to abandon His teachings and live as the world does.   Peter had been Jesus’ devout follower, the one on whom Christ would build the church.  However, in the blink of an eye Peter will fulfil a prophecy that finds the Master all alone.
 

Peter and the disciples had shared the last supper with Christ – broken bread, drank wine, learned of the new covenant to come.  Headed to Gethsemane to pray, Jesus tells of a prophecy from Zechariah about the Shepard being struck and the sheep scattering. Peter is quick to proclaim that if they all leave that he will not abandon Jesus.  Jesus replies that within only a matter of hours, by morning, Peter will deny him three times before the rooster crows. (Matthew 26:31-35)

He does.  

Peter follows Jesus after He is taken and three times people from the crowd wanting to see what would happen to Jesus try to associate Peter to Christ and three times he claims not to know who Jesus is.  After the third time and the rooster crows, Peter and Jesus share a look. (Luke 22:61)  I wonder what that look was – did Jesus have a look of sadness on his face, was it a look of disappointment, an “I told you so”.  We will never know but what we do know is that after they shared that look Peter left and wept. (Luke 22:62)

What anguish Peter must have felt that he had done exactly as the Master had said.  He had walked away from all Jesus had taught him and was utterly alone.  We often find ourselves like Peter – down, broken, in anguish.  We know what we have been taught, we know the right way to live, yet we still break the Commandments, we still sin, we still rebel against Jesus.  

However, there is a light to the end of the story, if one can be found.  In John 21, Jesus and the disciples have just finished breakfast when Jesus asks Peter three times if he loved Him.  Peter becomes very upset that the Lord is asking him over and over and each time Peter responds that he does.  Peter is upset because he fears that Jesus doesn’t believe him.  What Peter failed to recognize was that Jesus was allowing him to affirm his love for each time he denied Christ.  For every denial, an affirmation of love.  

God, as with Peter, already knows we are going to make bad choices, surrender to the flesh, and fall short of the Glory of God. Many times we don’t intentionally sin but yet when we do we tell ourselves there’s a good reason for the sin, and so on. However, even in our sin God makes a way of redemption.  An affirmation of love. We have only to ask for God’s forgiveness and in His loving mercy, He makes a way for us to come back to Him and once again proclaim our love.   Just like Peter.