Seeing through the Smoke and Mirrors
Sing praises to God and to his name!
….Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the Lord—
….rejoice in his presence! Psalm 68:4 NLT
John 12:12-19 (<<click here to read the passage)
Looking at my own life, one of the biggest points of concern is the feeling that I have no control over my life. Others seem to hold that over me, but often I do not.
Some of it is a mindset that I allow to hover over me – society expects this and that, the congregations I serve, church leadership over me, my fellow bus drivers, leadership above me in the school system, my immediate family, my extended family – they all hold a certain amount of sway over my thoughts and actions.
Now some of it is beneficial in that I need to toe the line and do what is expected of me. That is what responsibility is all about. But other times my mind takes the opportunity to fret over things that seem to be a reality, but how often are they just “things” in my head? So-and-so doesn’t like me. So-and-so thinks I should be doing thus-and-thus and I’m not. Should I be? …or not? How much is just stirred up in my brain and how much is an actuality?
And in the middle of it all, it feels like I can’t really be myself if I am to remain a part of any of it. If I’m myself, I feel that I will be pushed even further away. Being in control is a mirage, it seems real but when I attempt to grasp it, it passes through my outstretched hand.
The only thing that I can truly hang on to – and I do so most earnestly! – is my faith in Jesus. Yes, He most definitely has control over my life, but I can truly trust Him to have my best interests at heart. He alone can see through all the smoke and mirrors that all of humanity is prone to erect.
As I examine John 12:12-19 in my Life Application Study Bible, it points out that the Heavenly Father was in control the whole time. He had set everything into motion. He was in total control.
Jesus began his last week on earth by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey under a canopy of palm branches, with crowds hailing him as their king. To announce that he was indeed the Messiah, Jesus chose a time when all Israel would be gathered at Jerusalem, a place where huge crowds could see him, and a way of proclaiming his mission that was unmistakable. On Palm Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as Lord of lords and King of Peace.
It was all in our Sovereign Lord’s almighty hands! Nothing was amiss. There were no blanks left to fill in. No one else held the reigns. This was all going down according to God’s perfect and holy will!
Jesus was not misled – He knew His destination. No one was forcing His hand. Throughout every single moment in this up-and-coming week, it was all according to a plan that was set in motion before the very creation of the world.
Humanity had rebelled. We had taken control of our lives, yanking them from the grip of our loving Heavenly Father. But God knew what we would do before any one of us had inhaled our first breath. He set into motion our only possibility of salvation…all because He loved us and sought to redeem us, no matter the cost!
Lord Jesus, may I trust in Your control and worry about none other. Your love for me is unfathomable! May I trust in that and that alone! Amen.
Aug 15th, 2021, Sun, 6:42 pm
A Very Long and Dark Tunnel
Natural Bridge Caverns, San Antonio, Texas
A celebration of 29 years of life is what we enjoyed today! Thank You, Father, for the gift and blessing of our son. May Your hand be upon his shoulder as he seeks direction for his future. Amen.
John 12:12-19 (<<click here to read the passage)
Six years ago today, we were in the beautiful state of Texas for Massey’s birthday. That year we took in San Antonio and several of the sights in that region of the state. One we enjoyed was the Natural Bridge Caverns about 30 minutes north of the city. That day it was a sweltering 103° but, in the caverns, it was a cool 70°!
To my recollection, any cave tour I have ever experienced has a point where the tour guide has everyone in a safe spot and all the lights are turned off. It is pitch black and can’t even see your hand right in front of your face! We would surely have been in a heap of trouble if we would have had to find our way out with no lights at all!
Through the last eleven plus chapters of John’s Gospel, he has shared Jesus’ ministry here on earth, equaling about three and a half years. Now, beginning with verse 12 of chapter twelve, John goes into great detail regarding Jesus’ last week. It takes him nine chapters to share many details as to what transpired and what Jesus had to say.
In hindsight, we know what is coming. The events of these verses in chapter twelve, which we often refer to as the Triumphal Entry, were actually the beginning of a very long and dark tunnel. As each day passed, the situation in which Jesus and His disciples found themselves got darker and darker. In the end, Luke’s Gospel tells that about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Luke 23:44 NLT
Total darkness engulfed them all.
Often, we feel as if our world is closing around us and that little by little all life and light is being siphoned away, leaving us in despair. We need to be encouraged to hang on. We are not alone. Jesus has been there, even to the point of death, and He is with us through it all!
Here is a wonderful quote from Corrie ten Boom, a Christian woman who was sent to a Nazi prison camp during WWII because her family aided many Jews in escaping from Nazi persecution.
When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. ~ Corrie Ten Boom
No matter how dark your life may get, don’t give up…sit still and trust the Engineer!
Aug 12th, 2021, Thurs, 10:18 pm
Drop Tail and Run
Thank You, Father, for a very productive day – got through a good portion of my sermon for Sunday, along with the PowerPoint to go along with it. I also was able to ready myself for a funeral service tomorrow for a dear lady of our church. I am so grateful that Your hand is in it all!
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For whatever reason, I didn’t realize that we had wild lizards in Ohio. In my mind I thought they were more indigenous to warm climates; be they dry arid areas or more tropical regions. Well, this summer, when we started mowing at my one church, I discovered that around our front entrance ramp and steps there is at least one lizard and maybe more!
After a little research, it wasn’t too difficult to narrow down what kind of lizard it was. In Ohio, we only have 4 indigenous lizard species. (A fifth one was introduced into Southwest Ohio in 1951 and seems to be doing pretty well!) The one living around Beulah is a Common Five-lined Skink and is found through most of central and southeastern United States.
The Common Five-lined Skink can measure up to 8.5 inches in length and are considered large lizards. They have short legs with long bodies and tend to be brown, black, or gray with five white to yellow stripes. Their stripes run two on either side of the body with one down the center of the back. Also, juveniles have bright blue tails that fade as they age with males often losing their stripes with an orange to red-colored head.
Yesterday’s post got me thinking about the skink in that when I first looked it up I learned something very interesting that ties in very well to how we should respond when we are tempted to yield to sin.
When threatened, the skink can make a quick getaway – they are very fast. If, for some reason, it is caught by its tail…the tail falls off! And that remnant, while detached, will keep quivering – to distract its attacker – as the lizard makes a run for it. (By the way, its tail grows back!)
Even though the Apostle Paul targets a specific audience – youth – 2 Timothy 2:22 applies to us all.
Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. NLT
1 Corinthians 10:13 is another great passage.
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. NLT
Lord Jesus, may we learn from the excellence of Your creation. Like the skink, when needed help us to drop tail and run!
Aug 11th, 2021, Wed, 8:36 pm
Betcha Can’t Eat Just One!
Father, I am grateful for a restful sleep last night, for today has been a busy one for sure. Thank You for getting us through all the many elements of our day and for the blessing of having each other.
John 12:1-10 (<<click here to read the passage)
I was surprised to discover that I am as old as Lay’s Potato Chips theme “Betcha can’t eat just one”! It was introduced in 1963 and one of its earliest promoters in commercials was the one and only, Bert Lahr, famous for his portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz.
Over the years, several people have advertised for them, but as many will recall, the person in the clip would have one chip and simply could not eat one. They always had to have another…and in at least Lahr’s spots the whole bag!
Chips, at least in controlled amounts, are very tasty but whole bags at a sitting can be very detrimental to one’s health – the salt and the carbohydrates alone make for a very bad combination! They are best avoided by diabetics and those dealing with high blood pressure for sure!
Something else that is bad for us is sin! And of course, sin can take many forms and can literally affect every aspect of our lives. The biggest problem is that sin very easily multiplies. In our thinking, one little sin isn’t going to hurt anything but if it remains unchecked, it widens the door inch by inch allowing bigger and bigger sins to remain unchecked. Eventually, that little introductory sin becomes a whole lifetime of entanglement, from which we will never be able to escape…at least not in our own ability and strength!
In verses 9-10 of our passage John notes,
When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too,
My Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation spells it out very clearly.
The leading priests’ blindness and hardness of heart caused them to sink ever deeper into sin. They rejected the Messiah and planned to kill him, and then plotted to murder Lazarus as well. One sin leads to another. From the Jewish leaders’ point of view, they could accuse Jesus of blasphemy because he claimed equality with God. But Lazarus had done nothing of the kind. They wanted Lazarus dead simply because he was a living witness to Jesus’ power. This is a warning to us to avoid sin. Sin leads to more sin, a downward spiral that can be stopped only by repentance and the power of the Holy Spirit to change our behavior.
Lord Jesus, You were tempted by sin but never yielded to its lures (Hebrews 4:15). You understand what we go through but even that does not stop us. Even those who are faithful and strive to obediently follow in Your footsteps can struggle with temptation. It lurks behind every corner, under every rock, biding its time, knowing that we will pass and be tempted for just one chip. May we resist and even if we yield may we stop at just one. Amen.
Aug 10th, 2021, Tues, 9:07 pm
Heads…or Tails
A little different view today, Father – looking out on a putting green at a golf course. Thank You for Your watchcare over us as we traveled to get here, and I lay hold of Your hedge of protection as we head back home. Amen.
John 12:1-10 (<<click here to read the passage)
We are all pretty familiar with what a coin toss is. At some point, we’ve been part of making a decision that way.
Interestingly enough the coin toss goes back centuries. It existed during the rule of the Roman Empire and through the Middle Ages.
Today it is a permanent fixture in everything from high school football games up to the National Football League. (In fact, the coin toss has been a part of professional football since its start in 1892!)
It factored into which Wright brother got to take flight at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, in the first-ever powered aircraft in December 1903. (Wilbur won, by the way.)
And one more factoid, the naming of what now is Portland, Oregon, came down to a coin toss. Asa Lovejoy and Francis Pettygrove, who both owned the land that would become Portland, each wanted to name the new town after their respective hometowns: Boston, Massachusetts, and Portland, Maine. Pettygrove prevailed in the 1845 coin toss, and the Oregon city was christened Portland.
Interesting tidbits but in those instances, it is pretty much chance.
Something else that has two possible outcomes, is our eternal destination. But in this instance, there is no chance whatsoever. It is each person’s choice…period.
In these first verses of John 12, we see an example that involves two people – Mary and Judas. Jesus was a part of each of their lives. He influenced each of them but prior to His interaction with them, they each had already established a propensity. It was not destiny. They had a choice.
Mary was thoughtful. She was not wasteful. She gave the best of herself to others.
Judas was deceitful. He was a liar and a thief. He looked out for himself and no one else.
Jesus saw them for who they were. And even knowing what Judas would do…He loved Him. Judas could have chosen – even at the last possible moment – to shift his loyalties. But he didn’t… In the end, he felt he had gone too far to be forgiven. He made his last choice, and no others could be made.
Each of us has a choice. The world and its “treasures” are passing into nothingness. May we choose wisely. Amen.
Aug 9th, 2021, Mon, 12:47 pm