The Benefit of Grief
A simple and beautiful day, Father! What a gift it has been. Thank You for blessings abundant!
Luke 18:31-34 (<<click here to read the passage)
One of the worst experiences of my life took place many years ago. Karen and I were relative newlyweds, and I was serving as an associate pastor at a good-sized church. I had been on staff for about a year when I was asked by the senior pastor to step down. He gave me no reason as to why. In fact, it seemed to me that it wasn’t even his idea. To this day I don’t know why, and the pastor went to his eternal reward a few years back, so I don’t foresee knowing in this lifetime. And in eternity, it really won’t make any difference at all. Long ago I made peace with the whole sordid incident and after working through everything held nothing against the pastor or the church, for that matter.
In today’s sermon, we talked about mourning and the fact that we benefit from the grief in our lives, even though we try everything within our power to avoid it. I loved a quote I gave. There is an Arab proverb that says, “All sunshine makes a desert.”
We are so much the better for all the heartache and loss in our lives. Our souls would wither without it. I realize that sounds strange but time and again, I believe our distress has allowed us to empathize with someone else’s loss and that in turn allows God to use us, if we will let Him, to touch someone else’s life.
Jesus clearly knew what was ahead and told the disciples so. But they just weren’t getting it. There’s a good chance that every time He spoke to them of His pending death, that that blocked their minds from processing anything else. They simply could not grasp the significance of His words, though He hid nothing from them.
My Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation says that that was the case “until they saw the risen Christ face to face.”
Our heartache, our loss may not make one bit of sense in this lifetime. We struggle and, oh so many times, we just can’t seem to let it go. We grieve and wallow in the all-to-familiar mire of self-pity. It can be extremely difficult to break free from it all but, I can assure you, there will come a day when we too will see the risen Christ face to face. And at that time all of our questions will be answered…or better yet we will realize that no answers are necessary, for Jesus Himself will be the only Answer we need!
Lord Jesus, may we trust in You in the here and now, in the middle of our grief and loss as we eagerly anticipate that day when every tear will be wiped away as we step into Your presence for all of eternity! Amen.
Oct 25th, 2020, Sun, 4:41 pm
We Are Camels
A lot of different twists and turns today, Father, but I thought of You often throughout it and I am certain that You thought of me, as well. What comfort I find in You each and every day!
Luke 18:24-30 (<<click here to read the passage)
A couple of days ago, we looked at the Rich Young Ruler. When He saw the young man’s reaction, He said,
“How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?”
He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” v24-27
The camel part took the forefront in my mind, as I have heard it expounded upon and have preached on the text myself.
I Googled it just to see what I would find and interestingly enough the Food for the Hungry website had some provocative thoughts. Under a heading of We Are Camels, they said regarding this passage,
If you’re…thinking of the rich as billionaires who lead Fortune 500 companies, you may need to reset your idea of wealth. Worldwide statistics show that, in fact, you are probably one of the world’s wealthiest people. According to a paper from the World Bank in 2012, if you make more than $50,000 annually, you are in the global 1 percent.
Now, compared to others in your geographic area, you might consider yourself to be middle class, or your income may even hover near your local poverty line. But if you know how to read and write, if your home has electricity, and if the device on which you are reading this article belongs to you, chances are that you are in the top tier of the world’s most wealthy people.
Understanding ourselves as wealthy changes our mindset. Rather than seeing Jesus’ teaching about wealth as a lesson for others, we must examine ourselves.
In a lot of ways, it is difficult to see ourselves in this light. I would say that we are comfortable, but I wouldn’t say that we were rich but reading this article helps align my perspective.
If we are ardently following Christ, we should be accustomed to adjustments. In fact, we should welcome adjustments. If we are the same people we were when we gave our lives to Him as Lord and Savior, we are in a bad spot…actually a very awful spot! To grow in our relationship with Christ we need to always be moving forward. And truth be told, there is no standing still…there is no treading water. Either we are moving forward (as we should be) or we are losing ground.
Lord Jesus, open our eyes that we may see where we are in relationship with You. If we are losing ground may we wake up and strive to move ahead. Maybe our first step would be to examine our “wealth” and adjust our mindsets and learn to give in all the many areas of life where we are so very blessed. Amen.
Oct 22nd, 2020, Thurs, 7:18 pm
See How Fast You Can Fly!
Father may our time be filled with more of You and less of me. Use this vessel as You see fit. Amen.
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Last week on my afternoon high school route a turkey flew across the road – close enough to know what I was seeing but far enough away that I didn’t have to touch my brakes.
First of all, did you know that turkeys can fly? I did but until I looked into it, I didn’t realize how fast they could fly! A wild turkey’s top speed in flight is 55 miles per hour! That’s as fast as I would drive my bus on the open highways of my route! I’d never have guessed just by looking at them. They are pretty gangly and don’t seem the least bit graceful. Now, of course, that speed is not sustainable for long periods of time…but still!
Without actually seeing a turkey fly or without doing some research, if you would just see a turkey pecking around, you’d never think they were capable of a speedy flight. But that’s exactly the way God made them!
Look at yourself. How many things in life do you think that you are incapable of doing? Maybe there are things we have never attempted because we don’t believe they are possible to accomplish. Sometimes we are thrust into situations where we have no choice but to push through. And when we do, we are often astounded that we did what we did.
God made you with a host of talents and abilities. Many of us barely tap into that reservoir. It’s possible that we have been handicapped by those around us repeatedly telling us that we couldn’t, telling us that we shouldn’t even try. Maybe at first, we pushed back but as time went on, we came to believe the lies told us.
I am almost done reading a second book by Andy Anderson. This is a sequel to his book, The Traveler’s Gift. This one is entitled, The Noticer. They are both excellent reads. They are also very inspirational in that in a “fiction kind of way” they speak of not settling for being average but reaching for what you can accomplish even though you’ve never really even thought that way.
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT
My challenge today would be to not just dismiss new things because you’ve been taught that you are incapable. Test the waters, you never know what God has in store! See how fast you can fly!
Oct 21st, 2020, Wed, 12:38 pm
The Most Excellent Portion
I’m glad that I am in Your hands, Father. Nowhere else is secure, of that I am certain. In these trying times, that is where I want to be.
Luke 18:18-23 (<<click here to read the passage)
Growing up many of us were experts at sizing up portions. Maybe you had a freshly baked chocolate cake for a special occasion and when it came time for dessert, we would eye each piece that passed by us hoping that no one else got a bigger piece than we did and also hoping that we got a bigger piece than everyone else! (Gotta look out for #1, right?)
The older we get, hopefully, that mentality begins to wane. Moms are great at making sure everyone gets a good helping and then they clean up whatever’s left, small or nonexistent. Even when Karen and I go out to eat, on occasion I have to corral my brain. “We ordered the same entrée and her’s looks bigger…hmmm.” And I know that if she thought it was, she would be the first to want to switch plates!
Another thing we might do as we mature is to deliberately offer a larger or better portion to someone else. To those we love we offer the best there is…though on the downside, I doubt many of us would be disappointed if they insisted that we have the better portion…right?
The rich young man in this interaction with Jesus came to Him offering the best He had. In essence, he was wanting to make sure he had all the bases covered when it came to obtaining eternal life in God’s Kingdom. He was a pretty good guy, so I’m guessing he felt pretty confident that he did, he either was concerned that he had all of his ducks in a row or he was looking for a pat on the back for confirmation that he was set. But…he wasn’t…
In a way, Jesus accepted the good portion but then asked for the better portion, too. The rich young man hadn’t anticipated that and became very sad, for he was very rich. v23
By no means was Jesus being selfish. If anything, He wanted what was best for the young man. The young man had given a very generous gift, but in all honesty, he had kept back for himself the most excellent portion of all. It was what he cherished most…and Jesus knew he had done so.
We’ll go on to discuss the next few verses in greater detail but Jesus made it very clear to those around him that those things we hold so dear to our hearts, in the scheme of eternity, will be as nothing in comparison with what He offers to us. Nothing will be given up that won’t be returned many times over, either now or in eternity.
Lord Jesus, You know best. May we wholeheartedly give to You all that we are and all that we have. Then we can stand back in wonder as You have Your way with them in our lives. For us, it is never a loss but a great reward!
Oct 20th, 2020, Tues, 12:48 pm
As a Child
It is a bit of an oppressive day, Father, but may I focus on You – the warmth of Your love, the brightness of Your spirit in mine. Amen.
Luke 18:15-17 (<<click here to read the passage)
I’ve mentioned it before, but one of my greatest jobs was the time I served as a Children’s Pastor back in the late 90s. That’s probably why I enjoy being a school bus driver, too! Children definitely bring their own set of unique challenges but overall, it is a joy – their smiling faces, their laughter, their chatty conversations. Their delight brings me delight. Their heartache brings me the same.
Here’s a cute short story about kids.
A pastor was giving the children’s message during church. For this part of the service, he would gather all the children around him and give a brief lesson before dismissing them for children’s church.
On this particular Sunday, he was using squirrels for an object lesson on industry and preparation. He began by saying, “I’m going to describe something, and I want you to raise your hand when you know what it is.” The children nodded eagerly.
“This thing lives in trees… and eats nuts…” No hands went up. “And it is gray… and has a long bushy tail…” The children were looking at each other, but still, no hands were raised. “And it jumps from branch to branch and chatters and flips its tail when it’s excited…”
Finally, one little boy tentatively raised his hand. The pastor breathed a sigh of relief and called on him. “Well,” said the boy, “I know the answer must be Jesus… but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me!”
You have to laugh!
As verses 15-17 clearly convey, Jesus loved children. He also makes it very clear that “…anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” v17
Children are naturally beings of faith. Most children – unless they’ve been taught otherwise – will believe what they are told. They are trusting. Early on, they are not jaded by the pain and deceit of which there is an abundant supply in the world. And on top of that, all in all, their love is unfathomable – deep and wide.
The older we get, the more difficult it is for us to maintain these highly desirable traits. This old sinful world wears on us. We become faithless, untrusting and the love we felt and found in abundance once upon a time, we find to be so, so allusive.
As we mature, as followers of Christ, we realize the utmost importance of reclaiming these attributes. Our goal should be to get back to the basics that we had down-pat as children. If we can do that, the Kingdom of God will be ours! May it be so!
Oct 19th, 2020, Mon, 12:42 pm