Living with Intentionality

I was reading this morning about the disciples asking Jesus about things to come. That was a big topic then. It is a big topic now. There was then, as there is now, much suffering in the world. Wars. Natural disasters. Famine. Disease. Unthinkable evil perpetrated by human beings, one to another. So in Luke 21:7 they ask the question. When? When is this going to be all over?

In classic Jesus style He didn't answer their question. Once again they didn't know which question to ask. He didn't answer when. He answered how. He wanted to prepare them for what was to come. And His answer for them is relevant for us today.

Luke 21:12 “But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are My followers.13 But this will be your opportunity to tell them about Me. 14 So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, 15 for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you! 16 Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of you. 17 And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish! 19 By standing firm, you will win your souls.

He was giving them amazing counsel but it must have been hard for them to hear. They probably didn't expect to hear the hard things that awaited them, personally. They still had the Savior on a white horse mentality. They wanted Jesus to get the Romans out of their country and set up His kingdom right then and there. They hadn't connected the dots concerning a Savior Who just rode in on a colt, Who was about to be crucified.

We don't know what awaits us in life. We might face these kinds of things or other kinds of trials. But this counsel from the Son of God is none the less relevant for us today. Personally I see great advice on how to view life, on how to follow Jesus in this brief passage.

~ I can look at trials as an opportunity to tell others about Jesus. This may or may not include using words.
~ I can choose to not fear or worry.
~ I can trust Jesus to give me words and wisdom for every situation I find myself in.
~ I can stand firm in my faith knowing that it is how my soul is won.
~ I can be thankful that I can follow Jesus and He will give me what I need for every situation.
~ I can choose not be be bowed down by life but rather bow down to the Lord and trust He will lead as I follow.

I must live in much intentionality in order to follow this wise counsel. Lord help me to have Your perspective as I journey through life. Help me stand firm in my faith as I follow and trust You to be with me. Thank you for giving me words and wisdom to live well, no matter what.

The Gory of the Only Son of the Father

Reading the Psalms this morning. 

Insults and reproach have broken my heart; 
I am full of heaviness and I am distressingly sick. 
I looked for pity, but there was none, 
and for comforters, I have found none.

They gave me also gall [poisonous and bitter] for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar (a soured wine) 
to drink. (See Matthew 27:34, 48)

Psalm 68:20-21 (Amplified Version)

My first morning during this season of Advent, to meditate on Love. Hope, then Peace, then Joy. Now Love. Words to think deeply about. Words to wait in. Advent. Anticipation. We celebrate because He brought us these things. And He left them with us. These are words that give us strength and purpose.

This passage is referring to the suffering Messiah yet to come to Israel. What awaited Him? Insult, reproach, broken heartedness, heaviness, sickness, poison, bitterness, no pity, no comfort, gall and vinegar, thirst and hunger. 

These were His words. This was His fate, God's will for His incarnate life on earth. His mission. It wasn't the whole story but it was a big part of it. And He knew. He knew going in what awaited Him here. 

Yet He came. Jesus Christ was born. God Almighty made flesh. Love came down. He brought us hope. He brought us peace. He brought us joy. He brought us His unfailing, unfathomable, never ending love. 

It is said that the gospel is the story of the great exchange. His life for ours. His punishment for ours. All of the words describing His suffering are words we can relate to in some way. Yet we can exchange them for the words hope, peace, joy, love. He brings us these things still. Every day.

So the Word became human 

and lived here on earth among us. 

He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. 

And we have seen His glory, 

the glory of the only Son of the Father.

John 1:14 (Living Translation)

The Rhythm of Giving Thanks

Luke 17: 11 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.

They were sick and clamoring for Jesus' attention. They knew He healed the sick. He saw them and responded. He told them to go show themselves to the priests. They were healed as they went.

They did what He said to do (they responded in faith) and He healed them. So often that is how it is with us. He asks us to go, and as we go, we are healed. We want the instant healing but it is often in the process true healing occurs.  Somewhere along the way, we notice that we are more whole. He has done work in us.

So these men, happy and excited, went on their merry ways, back into the lives they could only dream of when they were sick. They had what they wanted. The One responsible was quickly forgotten.

All of them except for one that is.  One man came back and fell at the feet of Jesus. This man, the most unexpected one at that, wanted to thank Jesus. He wanted to worship Him. Jesus marveled at this. He spoke a blessing over him and sent him off once again.

How guilty are we, of taking for granted the amazing things God does for us, day in and day out. Even in the midst of the things that are difficult and challenging there are things we can be thankful for. Where is our focus? On the blessings in our lives or on our problems, our pain?

Not to say that we can't bring our heartaches to Him. I just read Psalm 55 which is full of David's fear and anguish. Yet he lands at the end of the Psalm with, "But as for me, I trust in You." He constantly brought his focus back to God. He knew where his hope was, his help, his salvation. 

Our lives should be characterized by a rhythm of calling out to God, of being sent out but also returning to Him. This is called relationship.  We have the incredible privilege of being invited into a relationship with Jesus Christ, with God. He sees us from afar and speaks to us. He heals us. He keeps His hand on us, even when we don't see it.  Our part is respond to Him. To go out, to walk in faith, yet come back to worship Him and to give Him thanks. It is in this rhythm of life with/in Him, that He brings healing to our lives, body, soul, and spirit.

Lord, I am thankful for your many blessings. It is so easy to take things for granted, to ignore the fact that every breath I take is a gift. Forgive me that I am often full of a kind of passive ingratitude. I can get so consumed with the things I don't have, things that aren't right. Help me to patient. Help me to look around and see Your finger prints all around me as I trust in your goodness, your faithfulness, your provision, and your love.

Who Is This?

Jesus says, come along. Let's hop in this boat and go to the other side of the lake.  He was doing life with His disciples. His invitation as always, was to follow Him, to be with Him. They were in the school of Jesus. So off they went. 

Jesus found this time away from the pressing crowds an opportunity for a nap and promptly fell asleep. Our God in His humanity, experiencing exhaustion, enjoying sleep.

The storm comes up and it says "they were in danger." Some of these men made their living at sea and there was no question they were in a perilous situation. So they wake up Jesus. Good move. They turned to the One Who could save them.

I'm pretty sure though, they didn't know what was about to happen next. Jesus stood up and rebuked the wind and the waves. And all was calm. How incredible that must have been to see.  He revealed His authority over nature, over the sea and the sky. Nothing could have prepared them for this.

They were obviously shocked so His question to them was, "Where is your faith?" Their question back was, "Who is this?" 

This is the question we all must come to terms with. Who is this? Who is Jesus?  His question to them indicated that their faith was too small. He wanted them to really grasp Who He was, the magnitude of His power and authority.

He is commander over all of creation because He is Creator.  How can I worry and fear when He is Lord and King over EVERYTHING? 

They were learning as I am learning, by being with Him. They were, just as I am, learning to trust Him. That was and is what He ultimately wants us to learn. That we can trust Him. Our lives are safe with Him.

My reading in the Psalms this morning so perfectly goes with this.

The LORD is my Light and my Salvation 

- whom shall I fear or dread? 

The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life 

- of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1

All I needed was this one verse. He is all I need. I can trust Him with my life. I am safe with Him

Thank you sweet Savior.

God's Good Purposes

They "rejected God's purpose for themselves" (Luke 7:30) This was the Pharisees and the so called experts in the law. They refused to be baptized by John. They saw no need to repent, no need to turn their lives around. They had it all together. Everyone knew that. Life was good. Why would they need to change? 

Jesus saw it differently, as He did so often. He saw their false security, their smugness. He knew how lost they were in their pride and complacency. The sad thing is they missed it. They missed it big time. They missed all God had for them, His good purposes for their lives. 

Sobering. Scary how easy it is to dig in our heals and cling to our little kingdoms, our comfortable little worlds. I don't want to miss God's good purpose for my life.  I want His Kingdom come, His will be done and that starts in my heart. It begins with understanding that His purposes are good, that He loves us and has our very best interest in mind. Repentance is merely turning to Him. He takes care of the rest.

My prayer from the Psalms this morning, speaks to what turning our hearts to Him looks like. Amazing how thousands of years ago, David wrote this psalm that is so relevant for me, today. No matter what my life looks like, this is the answer.

Unto You, O LORD, do I bring my life.

O my God, I trust, lean on, rely on, and am confident in You. 

Let me not be put to shame 

or [my hope in You] be disappointed; 

let not my enemies triumph over me.

Yes, let none who trust 

and wait hopefully 

and look for You 

be put to shame or be disappointed; 

let them be ashamed who forsake the right 

or deal treacherously without cause.

Show me Your ways, O LORD; 

teach me Your paths. 

Guide me in Your truth and faithfulness 

and teach me, 

for You are the God of my salvation; 

for You [You only and altogether] 

do I wait [expectantly] all the day long.

Psalm 25:1-5 AMP

Take Courage!

Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that His disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while He sent the people home. After telling everyone good-bye, He went up into the hills by himself to pray. 

Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. 

About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw Him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking He was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw Him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” He said. “Take courage! I am here!” 

Mark 6:45-50

Jesus needed to get away to commune with His Father. He had been pouring His life out. In His humanity, He needed to be refueled and refreshed. After all He had done, He had to be bone tired but it wasn't sleep He sought. He needed to be loved on by His Father. This withdrawing to be alone with God was a regular habit of His. We see it all over the gospels, tucked away here and there. It is a habit we too need to cultivate with consistency. How could we need time with God any less than Jesus?

What really touched me, reading this, is Jesus saw from afar that the disciples were in trouble. The distance was nothing to Him. It was the middle of the night. The darkness was not a problem. The fact that He saw them is important to me. I believe He sees me too. When life gets hard, knowing He has His eye on me makes all the difference in the world. 

His disciples were struggling against the storm yet He didn't go right out to them.  He waited til the wee hours of the morning to come strolling across the lake. He knew they were going to be okay. He didn't even seem to be planning to stop until they freaked out and thought He was a ghost. So He did stop. He told them  to take courage.  He was there. There was no need to fear. 

This was the learning curve they were on. He was teaching them that they were okay. He had their backs whether He was physically present with them or not. After the resurrection we see these men had learned well that they could rely on Jesus, even though He wasn't with them in body any more. But in this story? They were still learning. The exciting thing is we see Peter got a glimpse of what courage could really look like. He walked on the water during this time on the lake at 3:00am! Jesus was patiently teachingHis followers, to be world changers. 

He is teaching me too. He wants me to take courage. I am so thankful that when I am alone with Him, He says to me, "Take courage. It is I." 

Led to Be Alone...With Him

Jesus took Peter, James, and John 

with Him and led them  

up to a high mountain, 

where they were all alone. 

Mark 9:2

Jesus led them to a place to be alone with Him. He had plans for their time together. They had no idea what He had in store for them up on that mountain top. Once they got there He was transfigured before their very eyes. They saw Him in a dazzling display of heaven's glory, shining brilliance, talking to Elijah and Moses. They were witnessing heavenly things. They saw the reality of Jesus' divine nature with their very eyes.

And then God came along. He wrapped them in a cloud and spoke to them. They heard the Voice of God. Peter had some ideas for God but God cut him off and said, "This is My Son, Whom I love. Listen to Him." And it was over. That was it. 

The message? Jesus is deity. He is God's beloved Son. They saw it. They heard it. Jesus is divine. He is radiant, full of glory. God affirmed Jesus and gave them a message.  Listen to Him.

How often do I resist when when He tries to lead me away, to be alone with Him? How many moments of His sweet revelation, His encouragement have I missed? How often am I just too busy, preoccupied with the mundane matters of life? Or maybe I am wallowing in difficulties and can't seem to find my way to that mountain top? Why do I clamor after the busyness and noise? How easily I forget how good it is to get away with Jesus. 

And then, how often do I question His Word? I read in the gospels time after time, Jesus imploring people with the words, "I tell you the truth." He so wants us to listen and believe what He has to say. He is the Way. The Truth. The Life. Life, truth and the way (direction). Isn't that what we all want? What He says is for our good. The beloved Son came to earth as an extravagant display of God's love. The Son's life was completely lived out in flawless love for all of mankind. 

What He has to say to me is out of love. He invites me to find time to come away with Him, to be alone with Him, so He can speak to me. He wants to speak truth and love into my life, to encourage and strength me. To guide and direct my steps.

Your Word is a lamp to my feet 

and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105

Lord, I am so thankful that You lead me to times and places to be alone with You. Not that you aren't always with me, but You invite me into special times, of lingering with You. You speak love into my life, love that is never spoiled or broken. I thank you that step by step, you shine Your light on the path before me. Walking in that light and listening to You will always keep me close, to You.