From Pain to Joy!
Father, I would ask that Your hand would be upon our extended family. There is quite a bit of pain and in our own strength and wisdom, it is not going to improve any time soon. May we yield to You. Amen.
John 16:16-24 (<<click here to read the passage)
Almost 30 years ago, a life began. We had to wait nine months to hold him and cater to his every cry, but a wonderful life came into being. Most of Karen’s pregnancy was a time of excitement and expectation. It is recent enough in history that we could have known the gender of our child beforehand but mutually chose to be surprised!
I’m sure the latter months were more uncomfortable in that they took place in the heat of summer but again the joy of it all took precedence.
When it came time for him to make his grand appearance, he took his good ol’ time. Karen ended up having two epidurals and they were on the verge of taking him by C-section, but at the last moment, he decided he was ready. Altogether she was in labor for 27 hours. And as any mother will tell you, it was a hard 27 hours full of pain and a fair amount of suffering.
Karen has teased Massey about it over the years but once the birth took place and she held him in her arms for the first time, all the pain and suffering became a thing of the past. Joy took its place and continues to do so!
Jesus likened his pending death and resurrection to a mother giving birth. Obviously, His pain and suffering culminated in His death, causing those who loved Him to weep and mourn. Oddly enough the world rejoiced in His death, thinking they were victorious over this interloper who they saw as too full of Himself and not enough benefit to fulfill their aspirations for what they thought He should be.
But, and we can surely praise the Father, that was by no way the “end” but just the beginning of eternal victory! Within three short days of His death, their grief turned suddenly to wonderful joy and Jesus emerged as conqueror of death and the grave. Sin no longer held sway but fell to God in all of His strength and might never to hold the power it once did over all of creation! Jesus’ resurrection showed that which was already truth – Jesus is sovereign over all! Nothing…absolutely nothing! …can take that away. Jesus Christ – the Messiah – reigns for always! And all of creation, like it or not, bows at His feet in acknowledgment of Who He is!
Oct 6th, 2021, Wed, 7:05 pm
Do You Know It All?
Chaos. Division. Selfishness. Oh, Father, these are running rampant. But is the situation any different now than at any other time since time began? No…just different points of interest and argument. Help us to hear Your voice despite all the noise about us. May we hear Your truth amongst all the clamor. Amen.
John 16:12-15 (<<click here to read the passage)
So, do you think you know it all? Do you think you know better than a lot of other people? Most of us in our initial reactions would probably say something like, “Of course, I don’t know it all!” But do our actions speak louder than our words?
Especially when it comes to our pride, many are quick to defend their thoughts or actions. Even when we are proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are in error, many of us are still hesitant to accept another point of view.
Maybe it’s our view of our current political climate. Maybe it’s our view of everything that has to do with COVID. Maybe it’s hard and fast mindsets about what we believe about God, the Church, and what we as His followers are called to be and do. Even at this moment, I would dare say that some have gone into a defensive mode just waiting for me to speak regarding a certain point of view. They are ready to pounce, expounding their point of view and why it is right and mine is wrong!
Put on the brakes for a moment. Let’s back up and think – not react…but think.
Verse 3 of today’s passage from the Amplified Bible states,
But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth].
Far too often we are lured down one particular line of thought. We are enticed. We are seduced even. Our interest is piqued and there may be a few questions, but we journey a little further down the line of thought…then a little further…and a little further. Our questions seem to be answered and whatever hesitations we have had no longer exist.
But in the midst of this journey, have we taken any of it to the Spirit of Truth for verification? Or is it that once we are thoroughly convinced, we just assume that it is the truth because the Holy Spirit would have stopped us…right? Not so fast.
One point of concern is the importance of the time we spend with the Holy Spirit. Do we make a point of spending time in His presence on a regular basis, or do we feel that as we go along with the flow of life that His influence on our thoughts – and our actions – just sort of happens? Do we take time to sit and listen to Him? Do we deliberately bring our questions and with open hearts and minds listen to Him? Or is it just easier to come with our preconceived notions and believe that His silence is equal to His seal of approval?
If it is new information or information that has been passed down through the generations, we must be cautious. We need to ask, and we need to listen if we are to know all the truth [full and complete truth].
It’s sort of like cleaning house. Ofttimes, we begin to overflow with all kinds of things. We accumulate innumerable trinkets and baubles, and it seems too overwhelming a task to go through it all and question the legitimacy of having it at all. But it needs to be done…and not just in our homes but in our hearts and minds, as well. Lord Jesus, help us. Your will be done. Give us ears to listen and the courage to act! Amen!
Oct 5th, 2021, Tues, 6:56 pm
No Misconstruing
Father, what a blessing to be called Your child! You are always there to direct me in the way I should go. You are a simple prayer away when temptation is near, and You help me stand strong! All praise to You!
John 16:6-11 (<<click here to read the passage)
When the pandemic began back in 2020, I signed up for a music subscription service. It was a free offering that I enjoyed. After several months of free service, I even agreed to an extension at a somewhat minimal cost. As time has gone on, I have come to the place where I am not using the service and decided to cancel my subscription. I prepared myself for the onslaught of sales pitch from one of their representatives when I called to do so. But at the beginning of the call, I quickly stated that I was not interested in any extension with discounted rates or whatever else they were offering to keep people from canceling. And much to my surprise, the representative got right to business canceling my subscription with just a couple of questions! It’s all said and done and I’m even getting a refund of what I haven’t used from this month’s payment!
Maybe I just got the right rep at the right time, but I think it does help to clearly lay things out so that they can be no misconstruing what the expectations are. (All those years of retail experience did benefit me!)
As Jesus continued to prepare His disciples for His pending departure, He made it very clear what the Holy Spirit (which they had yet to experience personally) would accomplish in His stead.
Jesus stated in verses 8-11,
…when the Holy Spirit comes, He will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment: about sin [and the true nature of it], because they do not believe in Me [and My message]; about righteousness [personal integrity and godly character], because I am going to My Father and you will no longer see Me; about judgment [the certainty of it], because the ruler of this world (Satan) has been judged and condemned. AMP
It is very clearly laid out and though we may make it all far too complicated, Jesus is simply saying that there are three important tasks of the Holy Spirit…
(1) convicting the world of its sin and calling it to repentance
(2) revealing the standard of God’s righteousness to anyone who believes, because Christ would no longer be physically present on earth
(3) demonstrating Christ’s judgment over Satan.*
Following Christ is not easy, but it is also not complicated. The Holy Spirit can do what Jesus was unable to do in that as He was fully God, He was also fully man. And the very nature of our creation limits us to being in one place at a time. The Holy Spirit by the very nature of His being (He of course was not created but is an eternally existing being) can be anywhere at any time with anyone!
Lord Jesus, help us to daily rely on the Holy Spirit. He is there to help and guide us, we just need to be open and willing to be led! Amen!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Oct 4th, 2021, Mon, 7:01 pm
The Ultimate Trainer
…I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits. Psalm 71:14-15 NLT
John 16:1-4 (<<click here to read the passage)
In any kind of intense training, it’s not just about how to do the job. You are informed about the perks and tricks of the trade. But a good trainer includes the bad stuff, too.
When I was trained to drive a school bus, I had an excellent trainer. She covered all the bases and she for sure didn’t leave out undesirable parts of the responsibilities either. There will be major disagreements between your students – my first year, I had a 5th grader punch a 4th grader in the face! There will be vomit on your bus – I don’t know how she did it, but a Kindergartener managed to catch it all in the crook of her arm the very first day of school my second year.
There are other things that (thankfully) I have not had happen. Though I’ve had my bus break down several times, I’ve never had a tire blow out. Last week the bus behind me grazed my bus with his front mirror (I didn’t know it even happened!) but I am grateful that I’ve never had anyone hit and really hurt my kids or my bus.
There are innumerable benefits to driving a school bus but bad things – very bad things – can happen, too. (Just last week a veteran driver, while on his bus with 35 elementary students on board, from Washington state was stabbed and killed by a total stranger and nobody knows why…)
Jesus has been with His disciples for three and a half years but His earthly ministry was quickly coming to an end. At this point, He knows they need to hear the whole of what following Him means. The ultimate Trainer wants them to know that seeing God’s Kingdom come to fruition has innumerable benefits. But they also need to know that there will be problems, there will be pain, and there will be death.
He said,
“I have told you these things so that you will not stumble or be caught off guard and fall away.” v1 AMP
He was calling them to carry on, to pick up where He left off. They would by no means be left alone, the Holy Spirit would be there for them, but the road to ultimate victory would definitely not be an easy one. They would be outcasts and people would think they were offering service to God by killing them. The Pharisee Saul, who would become the Apostle Paul felt just that, Acts 9:1-2, 26:9-11 tells us so!
So ultimately, we too must be diligent in our service in God’s Kingdom but don’t think we will get by unscathed. It will definitely get a bit more than bumpy along the way…but Jesus will be with us all along the way, as well!
As God said to Joshua way back in the Old Testament, he says to us,
“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT
Oct 3rd, 2021, Sun, 6:59 pm
Head and Heart
Father, today being my dad’s birthday, I would give You praise for the wonderful blessing of parents who have endeavored to follow You. They, like me, are not perfect, but they have faithfully shown me the Way. All praise to You, Heavenly Father!
John 15:26-27 (<<click here to read the passage)
In our church services, we use different mediums. I strive to link as much as I can together according to whatever the sermon is addressing. It doesn’t always work that way but many times it does. The Scripture is at the core, the sermon is built on that foundation. Expounding upon the text to make it applicable and easily understood is my goal. I also try to find pertinent illustrations. Sometimes they touch the heart, other times they touch our funny bones! If we remember the stories, we are more apt to remember the Scripture.
On many occasions, I attempt to put together a solid PowerPoint presentation that goes along with the sermon. I try to find pictures that engage the mind visually, as I am also providing verbal engagement. I select hymns that, once again, point to the key concepts of the Scripture at hand – audio stimulation.
Overall, my goal is to communicate God’s Word in as many different ways as I can. Some things will stick in some people’s hearts and minds, whereas other things will impact others of different mind and heart sets if you will.
My Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation says, concerning verse 26,
Jesus uses two names for the Holy Spirit-“Advocate and “Spirit of truth.” The word Advocate conveys the helping, encouraging, and strengthening work of the Spirit. Spirit of truth points to the teaching, illuminating, and reminding work of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit ministers to both the head and the heart, and both dimensions are important.
God has already put into place a means of reaching our whole person. Every aspect of who we are can be impacted by the Holy Spirit. Read again, what an Advocate accomplishes and then, what the Spirit of truth points to. I’ve highlighted them to make it a bit more impacting.
The Holy Spirit impacts us on many levels. I make myself available to the Holy Spirit so that He can use me as He chooses. May He continue to do so by whatever means necessary. Amen.
Sept 30th, 2021, Thurs, 6:21 pm