Right Under My Very Nose
Thank You, Father, for being with me throughout the last several days. I feel Your active presence in my heart and mind. I pray for Your continued touch in every aspect of my life. Amen.
Luke 17:20-21 (<<click here to read the passage)
I am sure that I am not the only man, amongst the multitude of men, who occasionally struggles when it comes to my ability to find things in my home when asked by my wife to do so. She says it is in a certain place and I can look several times in that location and cannot for the life of me find it. She, in exasperation, walks over and quickly picks the item up, under my very nose! (I will say, though, that I did find the extra container of Miracle Whip yesterday, after I asked where it was! …and I’m sure that Karen would go, “Whoop-de-doo!”)
As I was thinking along these lines, I saw a meme on Pinterest that read, “Sweetie, of course I know where we keep everything in the house. I live here, remember? Said no husband ever.” Well! I resemble that remark!
Here is today’s passage.
One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”
Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.” NLT
In the New Living Translation’s notes, it says that that last line “…is already among you.” can be translated as “…is already with you” or “…is already in your grasp.”
It’s like Jesus, in exasperation, is saying, “Guys! The Kingdom of God is right under your nose! And you don’t even see it for what it is!” Or more than likely there’s a good chance that they didn’t want to see it for what it was because it didn’t fit their idea of what it was supposed to look like or be like.
Unfortunately, we have that same tendency when seeking His Kingdom. Once again, my study Bible* makes a great observation.
The Kingdom of God…begins with the work of God’s Spirit in people’s lives and in relationships. We must resist looking to institutions or programs for evidence of the progress of God’s Kingdom. Instead, we should look for what God is doing in people’s hearts.
Lord Jesus, open our eyes to see where You are working in the world around us. And once we see Your Kingdom in action may we get on board without delay! Amen!
Oct 8th, 2020, Thurs, 7:46 pm
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Gratitude
Father, many things in life are beyond our control. It seems that a couple of those things have hit me at the same time. I pray for patience in the middle of it all and may love overcome my frustration! Amen.
Luke 17:11-19 (<<click here to read the passage)
Rudyard Kipling, who wrote The Jungle Book in 1894, amongst many other things, was one of the few authors who had the opportunity to enjoy his success while he lived.
One time a newspaper reporter came up to him and said, “Mr. Kipling, I just read that somebody calculated that the money you make from your writings amounts to over a hundred dollars a word.” Mr. Kipling raised his eyebrows and said, “Really, I certainly wasn’t aware of that.”
The reporter cynically reached down into his pocket and pulled out a one-hundred-dollar bill and gave it to Kipling and said, “Here’s a hundred-dollar bill, Mr. Kipling. Now, you give me one of your hundred-dollar words.”
Mr. Kipling looked at that hundred-dollar bill for a moment, took it and folded it up and put it in his pocket, and said, “Thanks.”
I think I would agree that the word, and more importantly the attitude of “thanks” should be highly valued.
Of ten lepers who were healed at Jesus’ command only one…returned to express thanks. I appreciate the way the Amplified Bible puts it.
One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying and praising and honoring God with a loud voice; and he lay face downward at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him [over and over]. vs15-16 (emphasis mine)
It seems that as a society we are very prone to complaining…and we don’t just do it under our breath or in our head. For many, it is a common activity. And often, we gather around and share in a whine-fest, if you will, chasing each other’s tales of woe with tales of our own.
But aren’t we blessed – and not just a little bit, but abundantly? How many of us went to bed last night with empty stomachs? And didn’t we have nice cozy beds to crawl into? And wasn’t there a solid roof over that bed? Folks, we are rich beyond measure in comparison to much of the world.
Oh, we may think about it at Thanksgiving time or maybe around the holidays but for many of us, the things and experiences we have are just taken for granted.
My study Bible* notes say, “…only grateful Christians grow in understanding God’s grace. God does not demand that we thank him, but he is pleased when we do so. And he uses our responsiveness to teach us more about himself.”
Lord Jesus, though You don’t demand my gratitude, may it be more spontaneous when I think of all the many things You do for me every day. For in truth, falling at Your feet and thanking You over and over would fall very short of the love and gratitude You richly deserve. Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Oct 7th, 2020, Wed, 12:59 pm
Doing What We Ought
As I sit here on my bus at an athletic event, I praise You Father for getting us here safely. May each participant in tonight’s game do their best and injuries be few and better yet nonexistent! Amen.
Luke 17:7-10 (<<click here to read the passage)
One of the frustrating things that little by little became the mindset of where I worked in retail was the overarching importance of getting people to open charge accounts. I understand that it generates a huge amount of income but while it benefits the company, in many instances it does not benefit the customer. Yes, they get all their discounts but that was a pittance compared to the interest paid out each and every month! (That is a soapbox for another time!)
My main point in bringing it up is that before I left it got to the point that as long as an associate could generate credit, nothing else mattered. They could accomplish it by just about any means, ethical or not, and higher-ups would look the other way. It was disgusting! Earlier in my career, credit was important and there were incentives for getting it but most of the time, it was just considered part of your job. Even people who were in departments and not on registers were expected to get their share…because it was part of the job! If we got credit we were merely doing what we were supposed to do.
Initially reading through today’s passage it almost sounds offensive. Verses 9-10 state,
He does not thank the servant just because he did what he was ordered to do, does he? So you too, when you have done everything that was assigned and commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants [undeserving of praise or a reward, for we have not gone beyond our obligation]; we have merely done what we ought to do.’”
Our culture has conditioned us to expect praise and reward for just about anything we do, regardless of whether its part of the job or not. Too many people struggle with commitment in many areas if they are not constantly being commended for a job well done with all the perks expected as well.
The note from my study Bible* says,
If we have obeyed God, we have only done our duty, and we should regard it as a privilege. Do you sometimes feel you deserve extra credit for serving God? Remember, obedience is not something extra we do; it is our duty. Jesus is not suggesting that our service is meaningless and useless, nor is he advocating doing away with rewards. He is attacking unwarranted self-esteem and spiritual pride.
Ouch! That smarts a little! There are times when service to God can really wear on us. We get down and consider giving up because we’re not getting the strokes we think we deserve.
As I am typing a comparison comes to mind. Jesus has already gone above and beyond to give us the opportunity to join Him for eternity. Broken body…spilled blood, hanging on a cruel cross…all for me…all for you.
The next time a pity party wants to get started, think on that and proclaim,
“We are unworthy servants [undeserving of praise or a reward, for we have not gone beyond our obligation]; we have merely done what we ought to do.”
Oct 6th, 2020, Tues, 6:32 pm
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Quality vs. Quantity
A foggy morning turned into an absolutely beautiful day! Thank You, Father, for Your protective watch over myself and my fellow bus drivers this morning. My prayers were answered!
Luke 17:5-6 (<<click here to read the passage)
Reading through the notes of my study Bible* brought something to light that had never crossed my mind!
Here is today’s passage.
The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”
The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!
Jesus gave a response to the apostles’ question but if you read the question and the answer He gave; He did not give them the answer for which they were looking. The answer He gave them was the answer they needed to hear, mainly because they were asking the wrong question!
Not for a minute do I doubt the sincerity of their request – they wanted to be more faithful and there’s nothing wrong with that! But what they were asking for, was an increased quantity of faith. Jesus’ answer pointed out that quantity wasn’t the issue – quality was what was needed!
My study Bible* asks, “What is faith? It is complete trust and loyalty to God that results in a willingness to do his will.”
We can have tons of faith but if we don’t act on it, it is useless. We must have complete and humble obedience to God’s will, and a readiness to do whatever he calls us to do.
In James 2:17 Jesus’ brother very clearly states,
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. NLT
In the context of today’s text, Jesus is speaking of forgiveness – not just once but ever how many times forgiveness is requested. That’s not easy to do but even a speck of faith that is genuine and full of complete and humble obedience to what God wants in our lives will be enough!
Lord Jesus, may we be ready to do whatever you call us to do. May we strive to trust You completely and may we have a stalwart loyalty to You as You work in and through us! Amen!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Oct 5th, 2020, Mon, 12:32 pm
Anything BUT a Cakewalk!
(The cakewalk is still a part of life in Tucker County West Virginia – thought the numbers are not in chalk anymore!)
Wait patiently for the Lord.
….Be brave and courageous.
….Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 NLT
It’s not always easy, but it is always necessary!
Luke 17:3-4 (<<click here to read the passage)
I graduated from Tucker County High School in the great state of West Virginia! It sits on the top of Backbone Mountain at about 3,000 feet above sea level smack dab in the middle of the Monongahela National Forest. The closest community east is over 7 miles away, down the mountain. The closest community west is over 6 miles away.
I was in the band in high school and a big fundraiser for us were cakewalks. We would sit on the steps of the county courthouse in Parsons and play songs. There were chalked numbers on the sidewalks and people would pay to walk around the numbers and when we stopped playing a number would be called. If you were standing on that number, you got the cake (or pie or cookies) with that number on it! Real exciting, huh? But kids loved it and many adults did, too!
That may have been fun but striving to follow Jesus amid living life here on earth is quite often anything but a cakewalk!
Did you happen to read today’s Scripture…or did you skip past it? Well just in case, let’s look at it, but this time from the Amplified Bible.
Pay attention and always be on guard [looking out for one another]! If your brother sins and disregards God’s precepts, solemnly warn him; and if he repents and changes, forgive him. Even if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him [that is, give up resentment and consider the offense recalled and annulled].” AMP
That’s a pretty tall order, isn’t it? Honestly, isn’t forgiving someone one time a difficult enough task? It may depend on what is being forgiven and who we are supposed to forgive…but is there anything in that passage that allows for any of those qualifiers? …no, there isn’t. Jesus doesn’t give us any room for “buts” and “what ifs”. There are no “maybes” and not a single “could” or “should” …but there is a must. And the must is not a suggestion…Jesus didn’t give suggestions. It is a command. And it’s not from a mom or a dad, or a teacher or a coach or a drill sergeant or a boss or a spouse…it is from God Himself.
It was from a different set of circumstances but Jesus’ statement in Matthew 19:26 is just as applicable here, too.
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” NLT
Once again, the Amplified Bible’s emphasis at the end of verse 4.
Even if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him [that is, give up resentment and consider the offense recalled and annulled].” (emphasis mine)
Forgiveness can be challenging enough, but giving up resentment? Recalling and annulling the offense? That is why we cling to Jesus’ promise in Matthew 19:26! It is difficult but, with God – everything is possible!
Oct 4th, 2020, Sun, 5:28 pm