The Blame Game
Father, I am ready to come together with You. I pray that You will keep my heart and mind attuned to what You would have me think and write. Amen.
John 10:17-21 (<<click here to read the passage)
Excuses, excuses – one of the harder things to find today is someone who will take responsibility for their own faults and failures. I totally realize that horribly bad things happen to us, and they most definitely do impact us. Many things contribute to who we are and how we act. But ultimately it is our choice as to what we do with those things. We can have the worst childhood and have had the worst acts committed against us. But we chose to let those things drag us to the depths and misery or refuse to do so.
Another thing we like to do is to see some atrocity and blame someone for it. We see someone hurt or abused, and immediately we begin pointing fingers at the guilty. Yes, sometimes it is deserved. Many times, it is blatantly obvious who is at fault and who should be held accountable.
A quick reply to the question of who was responsible for Jesus’ inhumane treatment leading to His humiliating death, would bring about the answers of the Pharisees and the Roman government – personified in Pilate. But can we blame them? Were they guilty? Most definitely. But in the end, they just did what humans do. We are awful. We are cruel. And who but God alone knows us…I mean really knows us. In all honesty, He knows us better than we know ourselves. It is most bittersweet that He loves us in spite of who we are and what we do. (See this post for a correction of this last statment!)
“The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” vs17-18 AMP
Today’s passage opens our eyes to the fact that no one took Jesus’ life. He voluntarily sacrificed Himself. It was His call. He could have refused to do it. As the old song goes, “He could have called ten thousand angels…” but He didn’t. Jesus laid down His life…and Jesus took it up again. The Father commanded that it be that way. They played their respective roles, but in the Father’s perfect timing Jewish and Roman leadership did exactly what God knew they would do. Remember, He knows us through and through. We are selfish. We go to great extents to make sure we get what we want. No one gets in our way. We will trample down whomever we need to assure that we do…even God incarnate Himself.
If anyone should be blamed, we all should take that blame. If I had not sinned. If you had not sinned, Jesus would have had no need to lay his life down for us. But we did and He had to.
The Apostle Paul clearly stated in Romans 3:23,
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. NLT
So, enough of the blame game. Our perfect and holy God extends to each and every one of us forgiveness. It cost Him dearly, but He gives it freely! All praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
July 27th, 2021, Tues, 9:44 pm
Am I a Fake?
It’s just been one of those days Father, and I humbly sit in Your presence this evening. I am oh so grateful that Your marvelous grace and mercy grant me the privilege of doing so. All praise goes to You, Heavenly Father.
John 10:14-16 (<<click here to read the passage)
How often are we influenced by an out-of-line perspective? Even those of us who hold that we are abiders of true faith. Are we? Are we really? Or are we just wrapping the shroud of comforting religiosity about us and repeating over and over to ourselves, “It’s good. I’m good. Not a thing to worry about.”
I happened upon an article from The Washington Times entitled, America’s new religion: Fake Christianity. I don’t know if I agree 100% with everything that was said, but I agreed with enough of it for it to leave me a little rattled.
Take a moment and read through today’s passage – remember this is Jesus speaking.
14 I am the Good Shepherd, and I know [without any doubt those who are] My own and My own know Me [and have a deep, personal relationship with Me]— 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father—and I lay down My [very own] life [sacrificing it] for the benefit of the sheep. 16 I have other sheep [beside these] that are not of this fold. I must bring those also, and they will listen to My voice and pay attention to My call, and they will become one flock with one Shepherd. John 10:14-16 AMP
The end of verse 14 once more.
My own know Me [and have a deep, personal relationship with Me]
That is surely our goal…but do we? …do you? …do I? Oh, I want it. Sometimes I feel as if I am oh, so close. But other times, life sucks me away and, at least in my mind, there goes that relationship right out the window! But the very best news of all – the Good News! – is that Jesus never gives up on me!
He laid down his [very own] life sacrificing it for the benefit of…me…
Gratitude is much too small and insignificant a word to utter in that I – one of those other sheep – have been brought into His fold.
Lord Jesus, if I go my own way, life quickly becomes empty. It may entice for a while but every time, it leads to nothingness…and death. I pray that I will listen to [Your] voice and pay attention to [Your] call. I pray that I will be genuine and not a fake. And I breathe a most solemn amen (so be it.)
July 26th, 2021, Mon, 8:29 pm
Of School Bus Drivers and Shepherds
A fun picture of me and some of Highlands best from a couple of years ago!
Let the whole world bless our God
….and loudly sing his praises.
Our lives are in his hands,
….and he keeps our feet from stumbling. Psalm 66:8-9 NLT
John 10:11-16 (<<click here to read the passage)
As I was perusing through some writings on Jesus the Good Shepherd, I tried to think of some correlation to which I could relate. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised but one group of people that came to mind were…school bus drivers!
Now we are far from perfect and there are those out there that would more closely resemble the hired hand in Jesus’ narrative. But for the most part school bus drivers do what they do for the sake of the kids. It is by no means because of the sheer joy – though there are great days when you just love what you do – because there are many days that we ask ourselves why we continue to do it. Dealing with nasty kids and ungracious parents can be challenging to say the least. It’s not because of the over-the-top monetary benefits. I make a decent wage, but I know of many with whom I work who are the sole breadwinners in their families and it is a great struggle to make ends meet. There are probably just as many negatives for every positive but in the end, we do what we do for the sake of the kids.
We go over our buses thoroughly every day to ensure that, to the best of our abilities, our buses are safe to operate. We are thoroughly trained in very extensive, all-inclusive safety protocol. We are all able to maintain that delicate balance of keeping our kids in line and keeping our eyes open for anything that could possibly interfere with that safety. If it came right down to it, most drivers would sacrifice their own lives, if it saved the life of a child.
Now, of course, Jesus far surpasses anything we could possibly do on any level. But the parallel is still there.
One website I looked at had a paragraph I thought I would share. (It is from GotQuestions.org.)
It should be understood that Jesus is “the” good shepherd, not simply “a” good shepherd, as others may be, but He is unique in character (Psalm 23; Zechariah 13:7; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25; 1 Peter 5:4). The Greek word kalos, translated “good,” describes that which is noble, wholesome, good, and beautiful, in contrast to that which is wicked, mean, foul, and unlovely. It signifies not only that which is good inwardly—character—but also that which is attractive outwardly. It is an innate goodness. Therefore, in using the phrase “the good shepherd,” Jesus is referencing His inherent goodness, His righteousness, and His beauty. As shepherd of the sheep, He is the one who protects, guides, and nurtures His flock.
Some might say we are lucky to have someone such as He watching over us, but there is no chance whatsoever in how He came to be our Good Shepherd. It was a deliberate act on God’s part and ever since humanity entered His mind, He has been all about bringing us back into the fold. Even before we chose to leave Him, everything was in place to redeem us.
My life verse sets the record straight.
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4 NLT
All praise to God Almighty for the great and glorious acts He has done!
July 25th, 2021, Sun, 8:05 pm
Brigands in the Pulpit
Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!
Sing about the glory of his name!
….Tell the world how glorious he is.
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Psalm 66:1-3a NLT
John 10:1-10 (<<click here to read the passage)
As a pastor myself, something that really bothers me is when I see other pastors taking advantage of or misleading the people of their churches.
Sometimes it’s a power thing. Sometimes it’s a money thing. I’ve seen churches lead astray by teachings that pastors can shore up with Scripture but are not of God. I know of pastors who needed to leave churches but fought tooth and nail because they “knew” they were in the right. And in the process, churches were divided and angry, and though people would not readily admit it, hatred factored in. And so, so much of it is in the name of Jesus. (No wonder people of the world are reluctant to join us!)
These ne’er-do-wells may get more publicity, but a far greater majority of pastors are truly looking out for the best interests of their local congregations and strive to lead them faithfully, seeking God’s direction in it all.
Jesus, in today’s passage, says in verses 7-8,
‘I’m telling you the solemn truth,’ he said. ‘I am the gate of the sheep. All the people who came before me were thieves and brigands, but the sheep didn’t listen to them.” (New Testament for Everyone)
Jesus is absolutely the only way to God. There is no other. Many came before Him who, as He says, “were thieves and brigands”. I liked this translation in particular because the term “brigands” communicates quite a lot.
Wikipedia defines brigandage as the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. For these types of individuals, it is not just a mistake or a one-time deal, for them, it is life and practice. The more they do it the better they get at it, so they do it all the more
There were those who came before Him and just because God Himself came to us there are those who have come after Him who do the same. Even the Apostle John at the very beginning of the church had to deal with them. He said in 1 John 4:1.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world. AMP
We have a responsibility to do our due diligence. Never just assume that a pastor or teacher is giving out the “Gospel truth”. Check it out. If it sounds fishy, it very well could be.
Here is an excellent quote I discovered that we would do well to heed.
“Because my pastor told me so” will not be a valid excuse for when you stand before the creator to give an account for your life.”
July 22nd, 2021, Thurs, 6:33 pm
A Christmas in July Lesson
(This is a free printable picture for www.BitsyCreations.com)
Father, thank You for being such a strong presence in all that transpired today. You know of my tech issues, also, please give me some direction as to what should be done. Amen.
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Rosemary – she was a wisp of a lady who humbly gave of her time and energy to the first church I served out of college. She was older (at least I thought so at the time, though she may have been just a few years older than I am right now!) and worked behind the scenes. She was by no means an up-front kind of person. But one year, I asked if she would be willing to sing a solo in the Christmas musical. It was nothing flashy but a short, simple, and peaceful opening to the Christmas hymn – I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. She was amazed that I would ask but I could also tell that she was so pleased to have been asked. It was something she had probably never even thought to do, but she did it beautifully.
Now over the years, I have had some powerful soloists. On many occasions, solos in musicals take strong singers who can really belt it out. Soaring high notes that sometimes go on forever it seems, can be the norm…but not this one. Both types of songs have their place, but Rosemary did so well with this one because she sang it in the same way she lived her life – with humility and a heart of service.
She didn’t sing it to impress or as proof of her giftedness. I believe she sang as a gift to her Savior.
We could all learn a lesson from Rosemary. She was a faithful, hard-working servant. She sought not accolades. She was probably tickled to see her name in the program of the program but that was by no means her reason for doing it.
Why do we do what we do? Is our goal to make sure others notice us? Do we desire words of praise? Many talented people are humble about the gifts with which they have been blessed. They gladly share them but are quick to give credit to the Giver of those gifts.
But there are more than a few who live for the fame and the praise and the glory of it all. They know they are special and strive to make sure every else does as well. Yes, they may be blessed with gifts of high regard but soon pride becomes dominant in their mindset, and not acknowledging said gifts and all the “gifted” think they are entitled to quickly puts you on their naughty list.
For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 1 John 2:16 NLT
Lord Jesus, may we keep our gifts in proper perspective. And may we realize that You, and You alone, are to receive the praise and glory. Amen.
July 21st, 2021, Wed, 9:09 pm