With Jesus

Mark 3:13 "Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called the ones He wanted to go with Him. And they came to Him. Then He selected twelve of them to be His regular companions, calling them apostles. He sent them out to preach, and He gave them authority to cast out demons." 

This is the way of Jesus. He calls us to be with Him, to be His regular companion. When we are with Him day in and day out we see how He does things, we see His heart toward us and toward others. This is the Way of discipleship. Being with Jesus. Everything else flows from there. 

He called a group of men. They formed community around Him. There was companionship, fellowship. They walked with Jesus together. They learned together. We see times of confusion, competition, all the human stuff. But Jesus used it all to teach them to live the way of faith, of love, of holiness. How to live His kingdom lifestyle. Community is important.

This is the practical way of Jesus. Ongoing and relational. Us with Him.  He calls us and we come to Him. Day by day. The invitation and the choice. The first disciples who got to live with Jesus in the flesh are gone now, but now He calls us. He calls me. Same call. "Come! Be with Me."

We so often get caught up in the project, the business and forget to spend that time with Him. We are so darn capable. But did we spend the time with Him? Are we joining Him in His work or are we just doing our thing? Did we just launch out on our own? We often get too busy to be with Jesus, not understanding the vital importance of being  Him with first. Its all His work. He lives outside of time and space. There is always enough time for Him, wherever we go. He wants us to come to Him. That is the first thing first. Everything else is secondary.

It is a beautiful plan, this plan of God's. His invitation stands. Lord, I pray I heed your call, and come....to You. First. Day by day. Minute by minute. Always.

The Dance

I get insecure.  Especially when I have to speak in groups.  And other times. Exodus 4:1. Moses. "What if they don't believe me or listen to me...."  God's answer? "What is that in your hand?"  That's it. That's all He asked. Moses was holding his staff so God told him,"throw it to the ground." That was Moses's part. That was all God asked of him.  Just take what he had in his hand and throw it down. God did the rest.  It is God who does the work, the exciting stuff, the live altering, the miraculous. We are merely asked to offer what we have and then trust Him to do the rest.  So simple. 

Okay, so what gets in the way? Me! I think I have to do it all. I think I need to have it all figured out. And really all I have to do is my little part, with what I have and what I know. Listen to Him and trust Him. He leads me and He will do what He wants, when He wants and how He wants. And He gets all the glory. I know when it isn't me, when I am following His lead! So I am learning. To do my part.

I am learning to dance. To dance with the Father. To let Him lead. To let go of the outcomes, let go of the struggle. To enjoy the steps, the music, the joy of being with Him. Held close. Is it easy? Not always. Sometimes the steps are complicated. But I am realizing that I just need to throw down what I have, as inadequate as it may seem, and He does the rest. I can trust Him to follow through in His way, in His timing. I lean into Him, keep my eyes on Him and He takes care of the rest. Learning the dance takes a lifetime. He is a patient teacher. The awesome thing? The dance is for eternity.

From this morning's reading, a beautiful tribute to our God Who hears and answers the cries of our hearts.

You answer us 

with awesome deeds of righteousness,

O God our Savior,

the hope

of all the ends of the earth

and of the farthest seas, 

who formed the mountains by your power,

having armed yourself with strength, 

who stilled the roaring of the seas,

the roaring of their waves, 

and the turmoil of the nations.

Those living far away fear your wonders;

where morning dawns and

evening fades

you call forth songs

of joy.

Psalm 65:5-8

His Love is a Fortress

Wow! I am so taken with Psalm 48 today. I think it has the secret of walking with God in it. The secret of the transformed life. 

Meditating on the love of God is the part I think is the key to everything. That is where our wholeness is to be found. Only in His love. When we soak in, dwell in, abide in, meditate on, revel in His Love, we gain a new perspective. We live from a different place. The Kingdom of God feels more and more like home and  the kingdom of self slithers away.  The kingdom of self is so small and so fraught with trouble, why do we ever think that our own way will get us anywhere good anyway? But that is a whole different subject. When He comes into our lives He gives us a change of address and a whole new identity.  

About this address, this psalm speaks of Zion, the City of God. The Bible is full of references to place, the City of God, Zion, the Kingdom of God. Jesus also spoke of abiding and dwelling in Him and when He left, told of going to prepare a place for us, in His Father's house.  Place is what we can relate to.  Place is where we do life. We are invited to this place of God's love and everything this magnificent love manifests. 

So this Zion (the city of God) in Psalm 48. We are told to walk about her, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels. We are to be there and inspect thoroughly everything about her. The nooks and crannies of discovery are endless!  God's Word continues forever in its revelation, its blessing. This is all a beautiful metaphor of what it is like to spend time in God's Word, and in prayer. This is how we learn from Him, how our lives are to be guided by His governance, His Kingdom rule, which is just and right.  This is a psalm of protection and safety. And all by the power of His love. 

This may seem esoteric but in the practical aspect of it, we are called to spend time with God. That is it.  He is with us always so it isn't that hard. With Him is where we discover the endless depths, heights, width and length of His love for us, which never fails.  Life can get really hard, but understanding this, changes everything.

                Psalm 48:9-14

Within your temple, O God,

    we meditate on your unfailing love.

 

Like your name, O God,

    your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;

    your right hand is filled with righteousness.

 

Mount Zion rejoices,

    the villages of Judah are glad

    because of your judgments.

Walk about Zion, go around her,

    count her towers,

 

consider well her ramparts,

    view her citadels,

that you may tell of them

    to the next generation.

For this God is our God for ever and ever;

    He will be our guide even to the end.

Because I live....

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 

Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, 

but you will see Me. 

Because I live, 

you also will live."

John 14:18-19  

This passage of scripture is so incredibly rich.  I could write about many parts of it, for a long time! But for now, the part that really resonates with me is, "because I live..." I am so taken with all that can be added to that, all that is possible, all to be thankful for. I am in awe of, "because He lives."  Oh how we need Him, His Presence, His love, His guidance, His forgiveness, His mercy and grace, His peace (that passes all understanding), His provision, His Spirit. We need Him for every breath we take, every step we make. And the amazing news is He lives!  Our resurrected Savior, died, yet He lives!

And He comes to us. Left to ourselves, we don't have a hope. He had to be the One to initiate this divine relationship, this holy relationship of life and love. Our Creator, us the created. He is Master, King and Lord. We are His servants, followers and children. Yet He calls us friend. Because He lives...

We have hope, sure and secure, like an anchor, because He lives.  We are not alone, because He lives.  We have purpose because He lives. We are understood, can grow and mature, flourish even, because He lives. We are loved beyond what we can imagine, because He lives. Jesus is alive!

Every day, Lord help me to recognize the great and precious gift your eternal Life is to me.  Help me to also know that you laid down that life, for me, that I might live, with You, forever.  Help me learn to live like you did, with a heart for giving and serving and for dying to my own selfish ways.  I fall so short. Help me Lord.

And thank You Lord that you came, and you come, and you bid me to come....to You.  Your Presence, Your love is everything.

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. 

My purpose is 

to give them a rich and satisfying life.

John 10:10

Amazing. Thankful.

Following the Light

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

John 8:12 

My problem is I think He is like a flashlight, pointing out there, showing me where to go.  But that isn't it. He is more like a candle, flickering in the darkness.  I need to just keep looking at Him, moving where He goes, keeping in step with Him.  That is following. Being as close to Him as I can.  The closer I am, the more light I am in. He will take me with Him, where and when. But also, sometimes, we stop and rest, wait, together.  My task is to follow Him, not launch out from where He is.  It is a sight distinction but one that makes all the difference in the world.

We so want to know what is out there, what we are to do.  We want to get out and fix things, solve problems.  We are do-ers. But the key is to trust Him. We need to be be-ers! All we need to worry about is following that light that lights up the darkness.  He is there, His light available to everyone.  This has to do with the moment. He is in every moment, Present. And He is enough.  He will worry about when, how and where.  I only need to concern myself with Who and my following of Him. Jesus Christ, the light of the world.  He said by following Him, we will never walk in darkness.  That is quite a promise. Why do I stray from the simplicity of this?

Oh Lord, help me to stay close and not wander away, for when I do the light dims.  I need your light. I need you.  I can be no help to anyone when I am shrouded in darkness. Thank you Lord, for being the light, for coming and bidding me to follow You! Thank you for lighting the way.  Thank you, that you are the Way!

My heart says of You,

"Seek His Face!"

Your Face, O Lord, I will seek.

Psalm 27:7

The Bread that Gives Life

John 6:26 Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.  

The crowds were literally chasing Jesus all over the place, bringing their dire needs to Him.  As we do. They had seen the miraculous. Miracles are hard to dismiss. We need them so badly! This is a hard world. We hurt. We struggle. We strive and strain.  How can we not want someone to make it all go away?  Yet He chastises the disciples for missing it.  Even when they saw it up close, they missed it. Didn't they see that everyone, 5,000 on a hillside, had had their fill? Satisfied. What we really seek is not the miracles but the One who satisfies our  hungry, needy heart.  That is the message He revealed, and is revealing, to the world. Emmanuel. God with us. It is our heart hunger, our aloneness, that plagues us most.  The other things of this broken and beaten up world?  He will take care of that too, but in the meantime, He is with us. He breaths life into our weary souls.

Throughout the Bible, God declares His Presence as the answer to our problems. We just want more.  I think it is normal for us to want it all to go away, but how profound is it, really, when we realize that the God of the universe and beyond, is with us.  Personally.  Never to leave or forsake us.

Jesus continued to teach the disciples...you don't get it guys? It is Me Who satisfies. Seek Me.  They eventually got it and it made different people out of them. They surrendered their lives to Him and together with Him, they changed the world.

Sometimes I get it; He continues to be patient with me. He teaches me. Thank you Lord for Your patience and Your Presence. As I seek You, You make all the difference.

Yet He Still Calls Us

I was thinking of Jesus today, waking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. I thought of the Author of Creation, feeling the sunshine on His shoulders, the Maker of heaven and earth, enjoying the beauty of a clear blue sky day and the sparkle of the sea. Strolling along He noticed four of His soon to be closest friends, His followers, His disciples.  Mark 1:16-20 says that He saw them tending their fishing nets and He called them to. He called to them and invited them to follow Him. And so they did.  Something deep within their hearts recognized the call of the Father. Their decision to follow Jesus was life changing. It was a learning process for them personally as He transformed them into amazing men of God. And as they were changed from fishermen to fishers of men, they helped change the world.

For some reason I thought of another time God walked about on the earth, in an exquisite garden in the cool of the day. It was in the beginning when there was just one man and one woman.  They lived in the beautiful garden that God, Himself, walked about in. One day God called to the man and the woman but the man and the woman were hiding, for they knew shame. But God called them still. He knew their condition. And as it was then it is now and He calls us yet. He sees us.  His nature is love and in that love He has a desire to be with us.  Our most primary desire is always for Him, to be with Him.

We know the story of the fall... but what I love is, here is Jesus, all this time later, and He is still calling to His people. His disciples then and to us now. God reaching out to us. Ever reaching out. He is still invested in His creation. He invested the life of His One and only Son. 

He saw these disciples and He sees me.  He calls me to be with Him.  God became a man and walked among us. Jesus on the shore enjoying the sunshine, the beauty of the sea and the people He came to save. There is still beauty all around. And His love beckons. Enjoy Him. Respond to Him. Follow Him.