Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Don't Try To Put God In A Box

Jesus disciples turned into Pharisees.


Luke 18:15-17 One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him.

16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

It is the parents versus the disciples in the scriptures today. The parents were doing what they should do, we can probably all agree that parents should bring their children to Jesus, but the disciples didn't think so.

Jesus disciples told the parents to get out of the way, Jesus was too important to be bothered with children. It seems to me that in an instant the disciples have become just the same as the Pharisees, with their rules about who could come and do what before God, they were trying to be in control.

Their culture didn't give children much in the way of rights and respect but Jesus rebuked his disciples and told them that they were way off base. He told them that God's Kingdom belongs to the childlike and that you must receive the Kingdom of God like a child.

The disciples didn't learn the first time

Luke 9:46-48 Then his disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side. 48 Then he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest."
The disciples already had a lesson that included children but they didn't get it. Did you catch what Jesus said in verse forty-eight? They were told in the previous lesson that "anyone who welcomes a child welcomes Jesus" but now they are telling the parents to get the children out of there. Make any sense?

In both of these scriptures we can learn a valuable lesson about the importance of children to our Lord.  Jesus tells us that their demeanor is pleasing to him. Jesus wants us to come to him as an obedient, trusting child, just like a hurt child that comes for comfort in daddy arms, a child that comes in humility to their caring father after they have done wrong. Children are anxious to imitate their parents, putting on their clothes and playing dress up, Jesus wants us to be like that as well, impressionable and willing to imitate him (Ephesians 5:1, Philippians 2:5)

We can also see how quickly that we can all become religious and act like the disciples did, we like to be in control and have everything just right, problem is our idea of what is just right is usually not what God intended. It is very easy to try and push our own agenda off on God.

I need to be sensitive to your leadership Lord. Help me to resist putting you in the box and help me to stay in the center of your will.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Looking For Justice In An Unfair World

A lesson about prayer teaches us about God's character.


Luke 18:1-8 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.

2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’

4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

Jesus wanted to teach his disciples some more about prayer, he had already granted their request to learn how to pray in Luke 11:1-4 when he gave them what we call "The Lord's Prayer." This time around he wanted to teach them about the longevity of prayer and the nature of the person that we are praying to.

In Jesus lesson about praying, he talks about the persistence that may be required before getting an answer and he talks about seeking justice from God for the wrongs that are committed against us.

Our God loves justice

Job 34:12 Truly, God will not do wrong. The Almighty will not twist justice.
Psalm 99:4 Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established fairness. You have acted with justice and righteousness throughout Israel.
Jesus told his disciples that they should be faithful in prayer, doing it always without giving up, just like a nagging woman that won't stop. The judge in the story made it clear that he didn't play favorites and that he was fair with everybody. That's how it is with God, he is our impartial judge and he will bring justice, it is a part of his nature that cannot be changed.

We may have to pray for a long time about the same injustice but we can have hope in the fact that God is just and he will eventually make everything right in this world. No wrong will go without punishment except for the wrongs that have been forgiven by Jesus blood.

God wants us to be just

Zechariah 7:9 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. 10 Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.
The world that we live in is a very unfair place, things happen everyday to people that don't deserve it and other people get away with stuff that they shouldn't have. God wants us to seek justice but it is something that we should seek for others more than for ourselves.

Mercy and kindness should rule in our lives and we should strive to treat other people fairly. Throughout the Bible we find the message from God to deny ourselves, treat each other fairly and help out everybody that you can, we should let our heavenly father be the just judge that he is and let him deal with the wrongs that are made against us. 

God's justice is:

  • Impartial - 1 Peter 1:17
  • Infallible - Hebrews 4:13
  • Inescapable - Romans 2:3
  • In Christ - Romans 3:25-26
I need to be nice at all times, at home, at work and in traffic between those two places. Help me to be forgiving.

Help me Lord to reverse the trend of society by helping others and being nice in this world that needs a lot more niceness. Help me to pray without ceasing for all of my needs.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Business As Usual

Are you ready to fly when Jesus returns?


Luke 17:26-30 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 27 In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.

28 “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building— 29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Throughout scripture we can see plenty of examples of people being caught off guard when God decides that it is time to judge. It could be that he judges the whole world or a single individual, the people involved are never ready for God's mercy to end.

Imagine what you would think the first time that you saw Noah building a huge boat, would you be concerned at all? How about when the animals started gathering around in pairs? Would it still be business as usual? (Genesis 6:1-22)

The people of Sodom were carrying on with their lives doing whatever they pleased when the day came that God ended their lives. The fiances of Lot's daughters thought it was a big joke. Nobody realized that they would not be having breakfast that morning. (Genesis 19:1-29)

The children of Israel were losing battles and didn't have any idea why. Achan knew why, but he thought that he would get away with it, so he was living his life "business as usual" when judgement came he definitely wasn't ready. (Joshua 7:1-26)

Judgment will come, but God prefers mercy

Ezekiel 33:10-11 “Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ‘Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?’ As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?
We can kid ourselves into thinking that everything is going to be okay and live life "business as usual" but God is in control and his plans will go on, judgement will happen. Man has been trying to figure out the date of Christ return ever since Jesus day.  We are so busy asking the wrong question, one that we cannot even answer, that we neglect the most important question. Here is a better question: When he comes will you be ready?

When Christ returns to get his church it will be business as usual for most people, that isn't the way that God wants it to be, he is a God of love and so he gives us many opportunities to accept his gift of mercy, but he knows that some people will not accept it.

Your complacency will do you in

Zephaniah 1:12 “I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners to punish those who sit complacent in their sins. They think the LORD will do nothing to them, either good or bad.
Prophecy has been coming true for thousands of years but does anybody really care? Are we paying attention? God has proven his love and mercy for so long and he has also shown us what he must do if we refuse it, but do we care? Judgment day is coming and we must be careful that we not grow complacent and allow it to catch us by surprise like a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-4)

Thank you Lord for your free gift of salvation that you have given to me because of your love and mercy. I must tell others of your love and how you want to give mercy and love instead of judgement.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

God Blesses More Than We Thank

One out of ten lepers appreciate Jesus


Luke 17:11-19 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

Modern medicine has an effective treatment for leprosy but back in ancient civilizations it was greatly feared and those that were affected had to isolate themselves from society.

There were different methods that Jesus used when he healed somebody, in this situation he told the guys to go see the priest before they were actually healed. The Old Testament law said that they were to go to the priest after they were healed so that he could verify the healing and offer an animal sacrifice as part of a cleansing ritual. (Leviticus 14:1-32)

The ten left Jesus to go to see the priest and then on the way there they were healed. Out of ten that needed relief, there was only one that returned to Jesus and this one happened to be a Samaritan, the people that the Jews despised. The crowd must have groaned when Jesus pointed that out to them.

We can never thank God enough for his kindness

Psalm 95:6-9 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over,   the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today! The LORD says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did.
Ninety percent of the men healed that day did not acknowledge that God had blessed them and changed their lives. That statistic probably stands true for every generation that has ever lived. We do not acknowledge God's love and compassion for all of the blessings that we have been given. His chosen people took him for granted and we all do the same. Worship was the appropriate response to the touch of Jesus in his life, Luke's gospel says that the man fell at Jesus feet and said “Praise God!” How often do we remember to stop and run to Jesus feet?

Reasons why people forget God:


  • Easy circumstances - Deuteronomy 6:10-12
  • Idolatry - Judges 8:33-34
  • Pride and stubbornness - Nehemiah 9:16

Consequences of people forgetting God:


  • Spiritual adultery - Hosea 1:2
  • Social decay - Hosea 4:1-3
  • The destruction of the nation - Deuteronomy 8:19-20
  • The death of the sinner - Psalm 9:17

God has healed me and provided for every need that I have ever had, he has blessed me a lot more than I have ever said "thank you." I need to remember that I was made to worship him and I have more than enough reasons to do so.

Thank you Lord for all of your blessing. From salvation from my sins to the awesome planet that you chose to create for my pleasure to the daily provisions that you have provided, there isn't anyway to adequately say thank you.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Loving Your Neighbor Isn't Optional

The rich man had no concern for people in need.


Luke 16:19-23; 31 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury.

20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.

22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and his soul went to the place of the dead.

There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.

31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Earlier in this chapter in Luke, we learned that Jesus wants us to use our money to benefit others, after being mocked, Jesus tells the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus to drive home the point.

The first character in the story is the rich man, this guy had it all, clothing, food, luxury, he even had a home that was nice enough to have a gate. He had the "American dream" type of lifestyle.

The second character in the story was a very poor man that had nothing but sores and hunger pains, he wasn't living the dream, he had to deal with sores all over his body and constant pains.

We don't know much about the rich guy, we just know that his main sins are neglect of the poor man and making an idol out of his wealth. He didn't realize that Jesus taught us that people matter more than money and that we should use money to win people to faith in Christ.

Jesus was very serious about loving our neighbor

Matthew 25:42-46  For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t take Me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe Me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of Me.’ 44 “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help You?’ 45 “Then He will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either.’ 46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
The decision to believe that Jesus is God's Son and that he came to earth to pay for the consequences of your sin is your most important decision. The next decision is a natural followup to the first, loving your neighbor in the same manner that God loved you, the two are so closely related that it is almost impossible to separate them.


Is that even possible?

1 John 3:16-17 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?
Friend or foe my neighbor deserves my love and compassion because of the undeserved love that I received from God through his son. Not loving the people that God has placed around me is not an option.

Lord, help me to love the way that you loved me.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Can You See Me Now?

The Pharisees loved for people to admire them.


Luke 16:14-15 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him.

15 Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.

Proverbs 21:2 People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart.

The Pharisees have an addiction problem, if there had been a local chapter for "Be Seen As Righteous Aholics" then they would have to signup. They were so full of self righteousness that they were rebellious right to God's face.

In the last blog post we were looking at "Using Your Money Wisely" In that lesson Jesus taught about the use of money, a subject that the average church goer hates to hear and the Pharisees didn't like it either and in a style similar to the Pharisees, a lot of us react negatively as well. 
 
There were many times that the reaction to Jesus teaching was scoffing or mocking, the Pharisees wanted to appear righteous and honorable, but Jesus would expose them as less. The Pharisees should be mad, after-all they have spent a lot of time on their image and then Jesus has the nerve to tell them that they don't measure up, he tells them that they wasted their time because he looks at the inside.

Jesus stressed the importance of a good heart, he doesn't like heart problems, he said that the people with a pure heart will be blessed (Matthew 5:8), he said that I am to love God with all of my heart (Matthew 22:37), he said that good deeds can only come from a good heart (Luke 6:45).

The Pharisees were known for their "book learnin'" but Proverbs says that they will never get it:
Proverbs 14:6, 15:12, 21:24  A mocker seeks wisdom and never finds it. Mockers hate to be corrected, so they stay away from the wise. Mockers are proud and haughty; they act with boundless arrogance.
I must be careful that I assess who I am and if I am living with God's approval. I can easily have man's approval for a while but God's assessment of my condition is the one that matters. I need to  remember that Jesus said that his own heart is gentle and humble (Matthew 11:29) and remember that he wants the same from me.

Help me Lord to inspect myself accurately when I hear a teacher or pastor sharing about your ways.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Using Your Money Wisely

Don't try to hog it all for yourself.


Luke 16:9-13 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.

10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?"

13 “No one can serve two masters.For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Just about everybody loves money, some love to save it but most people love to spend it. In today's verses Jesus tells us that our allegiance to money and our faith in what it can do for us is at odds with our faith in God. God tells us to use our money for his purposes.

Jesus told a parable about a dishonest manager that is a little bit confusing, after-all isn't honesty the best policy, that's what I was always told. We need to realize that the dishonesty wasn't the point of the story.
Proverbs 23:4-5 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. 5 In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle.
Jesus explains that the point of the story is that the manager used the money to benefit other people so that later they would recall his kindness and they would help him out. Jesus told us that unbelievers typically deal financially with each other so that they will win friends, whereas the believers often fail to use their financial resources to win people to faith, who will become their friends forever in heaven. The world tells us to use people to get money but Jesus says that people matter more than money and that we should use money to get more people.

We all have resources that we use everyday, the problem is that we usually use them for our own immediate satisfaction, we normally think of using our resources for our own benefit and we neglect to use them for the benefit of others or in order to advance God's kingdom.

Loving my money is a huge mistake and I will be severely disappointed when it disappears, but the friends that we win for Christ will be our friends forever, they will become part of the treasure that we are supposed to be storing up in heaven. (Luke 12:33-34)

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Welcome Home

Have you ever had a crazy idea that you needed to be rescued from?


Luke 15:11-13, 20 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.

20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

Where did you get an idea like that? Maybe you have said those words to somebody or maybe those words have been said to you. Have you ever heard of the guy that sold every pixel of a webpage? He made a million dollars doing it. Crazy ideas can be good as long as they are not morally wrong.

Jesus paints a vivid picture for us in the parable of the prodigal son, he shows us the decisions that we make and what we do and then he shows us how God reacts.
What we do to ourselves:
Approach God with selfishness
Approach God with greed
We separate ourselves from God
We are not good stewards
We lose our values
We feel ashamed
The craziest idea has to be to walk away from our heavenly Father and think that the grass is greener somewhere else. We all do it, we think that if we choose our own way then things will turn out better, we think that we will have more fill in the blank. Just like a child going at it with his earthly father we do the same thing with God, we usually don't know what's good for us as much as our earthly father and we surely know a lot less than our heavenly father.
What God does for us:
Gives generously
Allows us to go
Waits anxiously for our return
Has compassion
Loves us without regrets or a grudge
Celebrates our return and restoration

Need to get back home? Don't be afraid to go.

Luke 15:23-24 We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
If you moved away from home, remember that God is waiting with open arms to treat you better than you deserve, he is ready to celebrate your return. There isn't any room for grudges or revenge, the son that stayed home resented the fathers welcome to the prodigal son, he couldn't stand the celebration. We should celebrate the father's merciful attitude, after-all we have all benefited from it.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

You Can't Reach The Lost If You Hide From Them

Do you rejoice when the lost are found?


Luke 15:1-10 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” 

Eating with sinners! How could Jesus do that again? The Pharisees fussed at him before when he was having dinner with the "scum" right after he asked one of those "scum" to be his disciple. (Luke 5:30-32) After that incident Jesus still had the nerve to feed over 5,000 people, and you can imagine that there must have been some lowlife people there that day. (Luke 9:10-17)

Jesus always makes things simple and to all of this criticism Jesus explains a very simple concept: "To reach sinners you can't avoid them." How could anybody find anything that is lost if they avoid the places where the lost thing could be? Easy enough?

We have all been lost sheep

1 Peter 2:25 Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.
The Pharisees didn't realize that at the foot of the cross we are all equal, we are all lost sheep and we are all worth looking for. Jesus knew that none of us is worthy but by his grace he has enabled us to be friends of God. (Romans 5:11)

These two parables about things that are lost are telling me that:

  1. I have to get out there away from the safety of the flock, go find a lost sheep and bring him back to the Savior. 
  2. I need to turn on the lights and pierce the darkness so that the lost can be found.
Thank you Lord for saving me and calling me your friend. Help me to feel a stronger urgency to find the lost.

Monday, January 09, 2012

What's Important To You

Your actions should be matched up with the right attitude.


Luke 14:25-30, 33 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

Popularity polls can be very misleading, they seek to know who is popular but they never ask why that person is popular, somebodies popularity could be based on misconceptions instead of reality.

In this scripture today, Jesus popularity was way up, the crowds are all excited and willing to follow him around as he teaches, heals and gives away free food. But was his popularity based on misconceptions about who he is and what his agenda is? It looks like following Jesus is a free ride, he talks about love, he feeds us and he keeps us healthy.

Jesus wasn't ever slow to set the record straight and today's scripture is no exception. Jesus told the crowd that "following" him required so much more than just "following" him through the dusty streets of Israel. Jesus told them that their allegiance would have to change, he told them that they would have to change their attitude and their actions.

Attitude is everything in following Jesus, trying to make yourself great or following just for the rewards is futile and if you think that a rigorous compliance to all of the rules will get you anywhere then you need to talk to the apostle Paul about his Pharisee days.

Right behind attitude is your actions, denying yourself and accepting the cross that Jesus has asked you to carry should only come from someone having the proper attitude, if you try to carry your cross with the wrong attitude then you won't carry it very far before you decide that it isn't worth it.

Is it worth it to give up so much for Jesus?

Matthew 11:28-30 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.
It seems like you are giving up so much, Jesus is asking you to live a different lifestyle from the rest of the world, but what does the world really have to offer? Wouldn't you rather live for so much more?

The world is trying to sell you on ways to find joy, peace and happiness but the only way to get lasting results is from following Jesus Christ, he said that we will receive many benefits from following him and that carrying our cross will be so worth it. (Matthew 7:24-25, 19:29, Mark 10:29-30, Luke 11:28, John 14:27, 15:10-1)

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Humility Is More Important Than You Think

Jesus shares some tips on humility with us.


Luke 14:7-14 When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice:

8 “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? 9 The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

10 “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. 11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

12 Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

Here are some practical tips from Jesus to help you save face:

1. If you are a dinner guest, remember that somebody more important may be there, don't take a chance on getting pushed out of the best seat.

2. If you are hosting a party, don't invite the important people, all of the rich people and your friends that can pay you back.

In both scenarios we find that we have to make a choice to look out for others ahead of ourselves. You see the party may not be all about you, that can be hard to believe, we get caught up in our own importance and we forget that the rest of the world may not be as impressed as we are with ourselves. 

We want to do just enough for other people so that we won't be embarrassed when they out do us. Sometimes we find that we do unto others that will do back for us, if I give then I will get, but Jesus said to give to those that won't give you a payback.

We need to get rid of our pride because it gets in the way of loving people the way that Jesus wants us to, our pride is a sign that we don't see others as valuable as Jesus wants us to see them. We can't see their value when ours is so inflated, we can't see their needs if we are staring at our own needs all of the time.

Why do we hold on to pride?

1 Peter 5:6-7 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Fear gets in the way of humility but I should remember that the Bible tells me that God is almighty and he cares for me, I can be humble and I can give up all of my worries because I know that the almighty God is looking out for me better than I can ever do.

In God's economy the first are last and the lowly are exalted, look at the example set by Jesus when he came to earth, he came humbly and gave up his rights and honor that was due to him and yet now he is in the seat of honor at God's right hand. (1 Corinthians 15:24-25, Hebrews 10:12)

Who am I Lord that you are thinking of me? Since you are thinking of me I don't need to, help me to be humble, to see the world through your eyes and help me put others first.

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

God Has A Bad Reputation

The Pharisees are impossible with all of their rules.


Luke 13:10-16 One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight.

12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” 13 Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!

14 But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”

15 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? 16 This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”

Jesus was teaching in the synagogue when he noticed that a woman in the congregation had a physical deformity and he had compassion on her. A demon had afflicted a woman for 18 years and suddenly the demon was homeless, Jesus kicked him out with just one touch.

Jesus had cast out the demon and straightened her spine with one simple touch and the woman was praising God, but not everybody was happy about it. What about the man in charge of the synagogue, well he told her that she should have waited for her healing to come on the right day.

Every Jew had the compassion to take their farm animals to water instead of making them go an entire day without and yet they criticized Jesus for reaching out his hand and touching a woman with an earnest need. The sabbath rules were never meant to be of more importance that helping your neighbor.

How did they come to the point where they forgot that God is love? When did we get to the point that we decided that God is rules?
Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
God wants obedience and a willing heart to do what is right. Yes he is a God of judgement and he will punish those that do not accept the gift of salvation but ultimately God is love, he shows his love to his children and to those that do not believe yet. God loves us enough that he sent his son to die for our sins while we were still his enemy.

Thank you Lord for building a bridge so that I can have a relationship with you.

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Suffering Doesn't Always Come From Judgment

Nobody is immune from suffering here but will you suffer the ultimate tragedy?


Luke 13:1-5 About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple.

2 “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? 3 Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. 4 And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? 5 No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”

Ever since the beginning of time, man has supposed that if he did the right things that only good would come his way, if you do bad stuff or neglect to do good stuff then you will be punished. The book of Job is thought to be the oldest book of the Bible and in it we see that Job's friends used this logic on poor Job. We have all heard of ancient civilizations that offered sacrifices to the god's so that they will in favored by them, if you forget to sacrifice to the rain god and you will be going through a drought, that's the rationale they used. (Ecclesiastes 9:1)

In today's scripture we see that Jesus changed the direction of the conversation from a political tragedy, to a natural catastrophe. He told the crowds that in either situation the catastrophe didn't happen because the people were out of God's favor.

Instead of trying to determine a cause for the tragedies, Jesus tells them that they need to be ready for eternity, no matter what causes them to get there. The good news is that we don't have to die, Jesus said that there is a way to avoid death which is the ultimate in suffering.

"You will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God." 

Only repentance can change death from a tragic end into a bridge to a new life, we cannot avoid this tragedy by being good or being in the right family, just as descendants of Abraham didn't automatically have God's favor. (Luke 3:8) It isn't about who you are but instead it is about who he is and what he has done for us.

John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
I am going to suffer in this world but thankfully I do not have to suffer the ultimate tragedy of death. Thank you Jesus for changing my final destination.