Seeing Clearly
We put our hope in the Lord.
….He is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
….for we trust in his holy name.
Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
….for our hope is in you alone. Psalm 33:20-22 NLT
Luke 23:32-43 (<<click here to read the passage)
One of the stories my father has told me from his youth is that early on in school he struggled with reading the chalkboard. His teacher kept moving him closer to the front and finally suggested that maybe he needed corrective lenses.
Sure enough, after his parents took him to an optometrist, they discovered that he needed glasses. Shortly thereafter he got them, he stepped out on a clear night, looked up, and asked, “What are those white things in the sky?” They were stars! His vision had been bad enough that he had never seen them before!
Of all the people, good and bad, that witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion, only one could see. Blindness was rampant throughout the crowd that day. Some were blinded by hatred, others by pride, or power, or possibly fear or grief. Some gathered there had known Him from the day of his birth. Some had walked with Him day in day out for over three years. Some had regularly clashed with Him. Yet not one of them, at least at that point, perceived what one single individual saw. And of all people to see what was going on, it was one of the two thieves hanging on his own cross by Jesus’ side. Who knows if their paths had even crossed until that very day.
The one thief was blind like all the rest and kept hurling abuse at Jesus, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us [from death]!” v39 AMP
But the other thief rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? We are suffering justly, because we are getting what we deserve for what we have done; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, [please] remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” vs40-42 AMP
He saw himself for who he was, and he saw Jesus for who He was. He honestly acknowledged that he was getting what he deserved for the life he had lived. He also plainly saw that Jesus was innocent. On all counts, he saw clearly.
The note in my Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation rings true.
The dying criminal had more faith than the rest of Jesus’ followers put together. Although the disciples continued to love Jesus, their hopes for the Kingdom were shattered. Most of them had gone into hiding. As one of his followers sadly said two days later, “We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel” (Luke 24:21). By contrast, the criminal looked at the man who was dying next to him and said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” By all appearances, the Kingdom was finished. How awe-inspiring is the faith of this man who alone saw beyond the present shame to the coming glory!
Lord Jesus, open our eyes that we see ourselves for we are – criminals (sinners) guilty and deserving of death but most importantly of all may we clearly see You for who You truly are – our Lord and Savior!
Jan 12th, 2021, Tues, 9:23 pm
Clueless
Father, please direct my thoughts and actions. It is way too easy to allow my own thoughts and actions to take over…and that is never a good thing. You “must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” John 3:30 NLT
Luke 23:27-31 (<<click here to read the passage)
How many times do we go through the motions of what we think is the right thing to do, when in truth we are clueless?
When I was fresh out of college, my first ministerial opportunity was as a Minister of Music at a nice-sized congregation in suburban St. Louis. (My degree is in Church Music.) It was a wonderful opportunity! I had a great choir, lead congregational singing, and coordinated special music. You get the picture.
I hadn’t been there quite two years when a big point of reality set in. The senior pastor had big ideas for where he felt the Lord was leading the church but there were quite a few congregants who felt it was the wrong direction to go.
I had grown up in the church and my father was a pastor, so you think I would have figured it out. But sometimes youth is not all it is cracked up to be!
It came down to a congregational vote. One member suggested that the proposition be tabled so it could be looked at in more depth. The pastor was leading the meeting and decided that everyone would vote by standing. So, the first vote was to approve the delay – I thought it was a good idea, so I stood, and boy was that the wrong decision! Needless to say, things went downhill from there! Eventually, the pastor resigned, the youth pastor stepped down, and I left shortly thereafter – sad but true.
As Jesus is trudging along toward His pending execution, He stopped to speak to women who were a part large crowd of the people who were following Him. Some of these women were mourning and wailing for Him. He said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”
There were doing what was socially acceptable. They were doing the right thing. But in truth they were clueless. Some may have known Jesus. Others, we might call ambulance chasers – they didn’t know Him, but they knew it was an awful situation in which to find yourself.
Now Jesus was doing the right thing for the right reason and by no means was He going through the motions. No one else saw the reality of it all…but He did. He admonished them not to weep for Him but for themselves.
It looked like His time was soon to be up but what they didn’t realize was that sooner than they realized their time would be up – along with all of Jerusalem and all of Judea. Within 40 years, Jerusalem and the Temple would be utterly destroyed by the Romans.
Jesus’ last recorded statement here is, “For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
In essence, He was saying, “If the innocent has to suffer what will happen to the guilty.” (Amplified Bible note)
He was suffering unjustly as, truly, He was innocent of all accusations…all sin. But what would happen to those who were truly guilty?
We are in the same boat. We think we’re doing the right things in life, but we are clueless. Only by falling in with the Truth – Jesus – can we have any assurance. We may not know when and where our life will end but we can know what will happen to the guilty, if and only if, we have surrendered our lives to Him. May it be so.
Jan 11th, 2021, Mon, 6:65 pm
Walk Humbly
Father, I’m grateful that You are in charge! There is so much going on in our world. Around every bend there is pain and suffering, there are anger and bitterness. There are violence and hatred. Relying on ourselves, we are hopeless. Even those who claim to follow You can be tripped up and run full steam ahead thinking they are in the right when they have wandered so far from the truth found only in You. Help us! May the scales drop from our eyes -we are blinded by our pride! – may our ears be cleared of plugs and pollution – we think we are following Your still, small voice but our bellowing egos drown You out! May we humbly place ourselves at Your feet, seeking Your mercy and forgiveness. I pray that we will allow to get it through our thick skulls that You are our only hope!
It was not my intent to go this way but there have been several parts of this day that have been less than encouraging – and on top of that our world is a total mess right now! Tensions are high – pandemic, elections, separation, loneliness – all have made contributions to where we find ourselves.
In looking up prayers of humility in Scripture, I came across a couple of prayers of humility that spoke to me on crosswalk.com (<<click for the entire post) .
Prayer to Walk Humbly:
Father,
In Micah 6:8 You say, “O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You.
In Jesus name, Amen
I like how the Amplified Bible puts that verse from Micah.
He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion),
And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]? Micah 6:8 AMP
Prayer for Humble Spirit:
Father,
Today we ask for Your help to walk humbly with our brothers and sisters. It is all too easy for us to fall prey to our flesh and to walk in arrogance, but pride causes division and we desire peace. Lord, help us to humble ourselves in order that we do not let the lies of the enemy overtake us, rather, help us to count ourselves as equals with one another. It is then that we will stop attempting to be better than others, and we can love their hearts for the unique person You made them to be. Help us to value one another in this humble spirit so that we may live to the fullest.
In Jesus name, Amen
Lord Jesus, help us all! We are all capable of stepping off the path You have set before us. May we take these prayers to heart. Prompt our hearts to read them not just today but in the days and weeks ahead. Amen.
Jan 10th, 2021, Sun, 5:55 pm
The Choice Is Ours
Father, this past season of celebrating Jesus’ birth was nothing like any I have ever experienced. It was a bit more difficult to taste but as we still have our tree and other décor up, may it help me to savor Your gift just a while longer. Amen.
Luke 23:26 (<<click here to read the passage)
We make choices regularly – what we are having for supper, if we are going to go somewhere on vacation this year, what we want to give mom for her birthday, will we go home via interstate or the scenic route.
Those are some of the many choices that we can make. But unfortunately, sometimes things are thrust upon us and we have absolutely no choice at all. For example, one of the managers I had at Kohl’s thought it best to do a couple of overnight shifts when we needed to do jewelry case changes. It made sense in that we were dealing with thousands of dollars’ worth of diamonds and gold, along with some pretty nice watches. If it was just she and I and maybe our security supervisor we could set things out without worrying about someone “helping themselves” to some nice stuff as they strolled by. There was one not so good thing though, it was overnight, so we’d come in around 10 pm and stay for an entire shift, getting off around 6 am. I didn’t have a choice, it’s just the way it was.
Luke, in this single verse, shares the story of Simon of Cyrene. There he was just minding his own business coming in from the countryside when seized him and put [Jesus’s] cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. He wasn’t given a choice. It was his only viable option.
A few chapters back, in Luke 9:23, Jesus said,
“If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross daily [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].” AMP
The word “must” is there but He begins the whole statement with “If anyone wishes”. The difference between us and Simon is we get a choice. We can follow Jesus, as His disciple, or we can say “no”. But, choosing to follow Him brings about the “must” and like Simon, we will then take up our cross – daily, mind you – and carry it behind Jesus.
It is not a choice to be made lightly. Following Jesus is not a stroll through the park. The Amplified Bible stresses that in doing so we express a willingness to endure whatever may come…conforming to His example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Him.”
As we spoke of yesterday, persecution – real persecution – could factor in.
Lord Jesus, enable us to wholeheartedly follow You regardless of the cost. May we cling to the words of the Apostle Paul. Amen.
For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory [a fullness] beyond all measure [surpassing all comparisons, a transcendent splendor and an endless blessedness]! So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 AMP
Jan 7th, 2021, Thurs, 5:15 pm
The Tongue Screw
There has been good in this day and there has been evil in this day. Father guide my thoughts and my hands as we come together. Fill the void in me, with You.
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Twenty-some years ago I served as a children’s pastor. Part of my responsibilities, and truly it was a privilege, was to serve on my district’s Children’s Ministry Council. Our leader was a wonderful woman by the name of Elaine Gray. She has since gone home to her eternal reward. But in our time of service together, she gifted me a devotional entitled, On This Day. (<click the link if you’d like to order one for yourself!)
I love history and have read it through and over the years have used it as a source for short devotionals before board meetings. I’d like to share an excerpt from one of them with you.
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Have you ever heard of a tongue screw? I had not until reading the devotional for January 4th. This past Sunday I spoke of persecution in and of the Church – people like Stephen and James, some of the first martyrs of the faith. It bothers me that so many in our American culture feel that we, as believers, are being persecuted. Truly we have absolutely no idea!
One of the most heinous parts of Christian history was when Protestantism first came into being. Up until this time, the Catholic Church was the only church. But as more and more individuals began “protesting” against what they thought was out of line with mindsets and practices in the church, persecution – real persecution – overtook the church. (And no side can claim superiority over the other, in that all sides have been the persecutors and have done the persecuting through the generations!)
January 4th’s devotional speaks of a young man named…Hans Bret. He and his widowed mother…belonged to a Protestant group in the Netherlands. In his spare time, Hans studied the Bible and taught new converts in the church, preparing them for baptism. One evening a knock sounded on the…door. Hans opened it to find a delegation of officers. The house was surrounded and Hans was arrested. For the next several months, authorities alternately questioned and tortured him
In short order, Hans’s treatment worsened, and when intense torture failed to break his spirit, he was sentenced to the stake. Early on Saturday, January 4, 1577, the executioner came to Hans’s cell and ordered him to stick out his tongue. Over it he clamped an iron tongue screw, twisting it tightly with a vise grip. Then he seared the end of Hans’s tongue with a red-hot iron so that the tongue would swell and couldn’t slip out of the clamp. The officials didn’t want Hans preaching at his execution. The young man was taken by wagon to the marketplace, secured to a post with winding chains, and burned alive.
It takes my breath away! We whine of inconveniences. We complain about our “rights” being abused or taken away. And we laud them as persecution. We know nothing of persecution.
For a moment, read through these words of Jesus and let them sink in.
Blessed [comforted by inner peace and God’s love] are those who are persecuted for doing that which is morally right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].
“Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness] are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because of [your association with] Me. Be glad and exceedingly joyful, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:10-12 AMP
I truly believe that persecution does not snuff out the church but ignites it! What will it take for us to change the world?
Jan 6th, 2021, Wed, 7:47 pm