Cast Fire!
Father, all praise to You for a very productive day! My sermon for Sunday is set, though it might get a few tweaks yet. And except for getting the Prayer List together, the PowerPoint is ready to go. Thank You for helping me to focus and accomplish.
Luke 12:49-53 (<<click here to read the passage)
Many years ago, our son played on a local t-ball team for a couple of years. For those of you unfamiliar with the sport, it is a precursor to baseball/softball for boys and girls who are wanting to learn the basics of hitting, catching, throwing, etc. Regardless, for his birthday that year (he may have been six or seven) we set up a party with some of his buddies from the team and a few others from school. Since it was summer, we decided that they would have fun roasting hotdogs over an open fire.
This was in the early days of us living here so we had yet to set up a place for an open fire. We could tell that previous owners had used a place for that purpose, so we decided to use the same spot. I lit the fire and I guess I put just a bit too much wood in it and we hadn’t let it burn down enough because it was really, really hot! We used it but the boys basically had to lay flat on the ground around the fire to roast their hotdogs because it was too hot to stand or sit by it. Not very bright but I have greater wisdom on such things today!
Fire. Mankind has benefited greatly from it for millennia, but we have also suffered greatly because of it. It is one of those things that must be safely managed to help and not hurt.
Today’s passage seems to come out of nowhere and slaps us in the face! In it, Jesus speaks of fire.
There are many references to fire in the Bible. Sometimes it refers to division – think of the pillar of fire the nation of Israel followed in Exodus. It was a visual guide at night, but it separated them from enemies and their detrimental influence. There are also references to refining fires – for silver and gold to be purified they must pass through fire to burn out impurities.
Most theologians believe that, here, Jesus is speaking about the fire of judgment – no hotdog roasting here!
The Amplified Bible says, “I have come to cast fire (judgment) on the earth…”
And the word cast does not refer to a toss or a lob. One commentator said the word used “means ‘throw’ or ‘cast’. It implies great force. It might have been the word for how a baseball pitcher hurls the ball towards the plate. There would be nothing soft or gentle about that!”
We think of Jesus as gentle and loving and compassionate and peaceful, and He most assuredly masters those attributes…but He will also judge. And His judgment will not be in err. He will miss no detail of guilt or innocence on the part of any man, woman, or child. Every single one of us will stand before Him and how we have responded to his sacrifice for us will be made known to all.
Lord Jesus, it is easy for us to embrace all the pleasing things about You but Your pending judgment can be a much more difficult pill to swallow if our sins have not been eradicated by Your forgiveness before that day comes. May we all seek You out and be ready to be welcomed into Your presence instead of being cast into eternal fire. Amen.
Aug 13th, 2020, Thurs, 8:07 pm
Sorry Spidey, It Wasn’t Uncle Ben
Luke 12:41-48 (<<click here to read the passage)
If you were asked who said, “With great power comes great responsibility,” I would guarantee that many would attribute it to Uncle Ben, right? For those of you who don’t get the connection or who are wondering who in the world Uncle Ben is, he is the uncle of Peter Parker, also known by comic book fans as Spiderman.
Some may be shocked – sorry Spidey – but his uncle wasn’t the originator of the phrase. Many have shared it, Voltaire, Winston Churchill, and both President Roosevelts. Looking back to the aftermath of the French Revolution the phrase “They must consider that great responsibility follows inseparably from great power” is found in a collection of decrees published in May of 1793.
But, in actuality, unlike some phrases attributed to the Bible – the core of this one really is from the Bible. In verse 48 of today’s passage, Jesus said,
From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. NRSV
For those in a relationship with Christ, it’s easy to attribute this statement to pastors, to church leaders, etc. but everyone who follows Jesus wholeheartedly is gifted by Him to fulfill His command to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Mark 16:15 NLT
Now we won’t be held accountable for gifts we weren’t given but we are responsible to use what we have, no matter how big or small it is.
Here’s the end of verse 48 again, but this time from the New Living Translation,
When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.
You may not be able to sing. You may not be able to preach. But, if you can share an encouraging word, do it at every given opportunity! Though you may not be the richest person on the block, your act of generosity might make all the difference in someone’s life. You may not have the most sway with your words, but sometimes just standing in support of someone can change the course of events.
Use what Jesus has given you. Stand strong, and even when you feel weak or insignificant, stand strong in Him. In His command to “Go” found in Matthew 28 He also spoke these words of encouragement, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” v20 Go – you are not alone!
Aug 12th, 2020, Wed, 7:35 pm
Am I?
A busy day, Father, that was full of responsibilities. I am glad these days only come a couple of times a year. But with some venting on my part, I have completed my tasks. Thank you for enabling me to get it all together!
Luke 12:35-40 (<<click here to read the passage)
The way our house is situated, if I sit on the east side of our dining room table, I get a clear view of our driveway. So, when we are expecting company, be it family or people providing us with their services, I will sit here and be aware of their arrival.
I could sit in the living room where my line of vision is obscured by curtains or I could work in the office which is at the back of the house. But if I want to really be ready for my guests I have to be in the right spot at the right time.
One thing Jesus spoke of repeatedly was in regard to His return. I’m sure it was a little confusing for His followers. He talked of leaving often, and they didn’t really understand that either. But His desire was for them – and for us – to be ready when that day comes. We don’t know when He will come back but we know for sure that He will return. He speaks only truth; we can bank on that!
So, what do we need to do to be ready? Like when I sit at my dining room table, there are things that we can do to be alert and ready for when that time comes. Here’s a great list from the notes of my study Bible*,
People who are ready for their Lord’s return are
(1) not hypocritical but sincere (12:1)
(2) not fearful but ready to witness (12:4-9)
(3) not worried but trusting (12:25-26)
(4) not greedy but generous (12:34)
(5) not lazy but diligent (12:37)
Everything He has said has been leading up to this point. His speaking has been chock-full of hard-hitting, attention-grabbing illustrations. And now He wraps it all up by emphasizing that we need to apply all of these things in preparation for His arrival to come back for us!
So, Lord Jesus, I have to ask myself, “Am I sincere? Am I ready to witness? Do I trust You? Am I generous? Am I diligent?”
It’s easy to be flippant and spout off, “Yep, I’m ready!” But these are all serious actions on our part. The hard part is that we can’t pick and choose what we want to abide by and what we would rather not worry about. We can’t abide by His directives on occasion when we feel like it, and then do what we want all the rest of the time.
This last illustration involved a servant being ready for his master whenever he returned. He didn’t know when that was going to be, he just knew the master was going to be coming. Don’t you think it would be easy to fiddle around with other things or maybe take a nap at the very least? At my age staying up late is a challenge, even if something interesting is going on but just waiting on someone would be tough.
Lord Jesus, help me to focus. Help me not to be slack in my following You. May I be consistent throughout every day of my life, with every person I encounter, in every circumstance in which I find myself. May my life be more like Yours so that when You come, I’ll be ready to greet You joyfully! Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Aug 11th, 2020, Tues, 9:27 pm
What’s in Your Wallet?
A lot of hard labor today, Father, but You got me through it! Thank You for the strength and the drive to see it through. Amen!
Luke 12:33-34 (<<click here to read the passage)
If I asked you the infamous question, “What’s in your wallet?”, what would your answer be? First of all, many of our minds would first go to the credit card company that uses that line in their advertising. But when I asked the question of Google, I also got a link for List Challenges where you could take a quiz to see where you fall amongst other participants with what you carry in your wallet. (If you’d like to take the quiz, click on it.)
Of the 77 items on their list, I only carry 11 in my wallet. I ranked 8,186 out of 11,402 users on that particular list. The average items carried is 17. I’m not going to lose any sleep over my ranking!
I have a debit card, a couple of credit cards – one of which I use regularly, bonus cards, a library card, a little bit of cash, and a couple of other things. Some items I have never carried in my wallet are a teabag, matches, or earplugs – all on the list.
I benefit quite a bit from my study Bible. I’ve referred to it numerous times over the years – it’s a Life Application Study Bible and mine happens to be in the New Living Translation. It is available in several translations. But the Life Application part often gets my mind going.
For example, when I read through this passage the very last note posed a question, “Does God’s love touch your wallet?”
Hmmmm…well, it made me stop and think. I’m not sure that I am always successful. In some ways, I would say yes. We are faithful givers to our churches. We support parachurch ministries, one, in particular, is Wycliffe Associates who are striving to translate God’s word into every language in the world! When we go out to eat, I feel that it is important to give a worker his/her due, so I try to be a good tipper. If we have unwanted gently used goods, I try to make sure we donate them to institutions that help the less fortunate. Those are a few good and important things.
But I don’t always part with our money so freely. I struggle with panhandlers standing on the corners asking for handouts. I hang up on robocalls from organizations soliciting donations, even if they are calling from law enforcement or political affiliates I support or for cancer research. I keep the return address labels with my name on them from those who send them to me asking for money, but everything else goes in the trash.
Some of those reactions are wise but where I feel that I need to be careful is that I don’t allow my heart to be calloused to the point where it is dead to the need of others. Sometimes giving is risky.
My one church is on a main highway heading out of our area. We’ve had so many people stop and ask for assistance – it is usually for gas money – that we keep a couple of gas gift cards on hand to help when asked. They are not for huge amounts, but we pray that we impact them with our gift. Are they spent on gas? Or wasted on something else? Or traded for something else? We don’t really know but we do it because we know it is the right thing to do. God knows our intentions and He honors them.
Lord Jesus, may we all take the time to ponder the question “Does God’s love touch your wallet?” May we be generous to Your kingdom no matter what it looks like or who it is. Amen.
Aug 10th, 2020, Mon, 8:65 pm
Look at the Ravens
Father, an up and down kind of day but I would ask that You would enable me to move forward. I would humbly ask that Your word would pass from your heart to my mind to this keyboard before me that, despite this earthen vessel, people may clearly hear what You have to say. Amen.
Luke 12:22-34 (<<click here to read the passage)
It is not unusual for me to witness a murder behind my house. Oh, not that kind of murder but a murder of crows! Quite a few of them live in the wooded areas around our home. They are loud but serenely beautiful in their solid black plumage.
Ravens are in the same family as crows and are technically known as corvids. (A little side note: a group of ravens is called an “unkindness” or “conspiracy” – fitting since they are traditionally considered creepy. Not much better than a murder!)
In today’s passage from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus refers to ravens. He says in the first portion of verse 24,
Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. NLT
To my knowledge, I’ve never seen a raven in the wild (though they do live in the Appalachians, so I might have seen one and not realized it) but I see lots of crows. I’ve never seen a thin, malnourished crow. They all seem to be well-rounded, well-fed, and full of mischief. They don’t have a care in the world for their Creator cares for them.
It’s strange that though we know that God loves and cares for us, too, that we seem to be full of worry, care, and anxiety. We can stress over just about anything!
Interestingly enough, Andy Andrew’s The Noticer comes to mind once again. In chapter four, one of the main characters – Jones – is sharing his wisdom.
“Forty percent of the things you worry about will never occur…. Thirty percent of the things you worry about are things that have already happened – in the past. And all the worry in the world ain’t gonna change what’s already happened, right? Twelve percent of all worries have to do with needless imaginings about our health. My leg hurts. Do I have cancer? My head hurts. Do I have a tumor? My daddy died of a heart attack when he was sixty, and I’m fifty-nine…. Ten percent would be petty-little-nothing worries about what other people think. So if my math is right, that leaves eight percent…. Eight percent for legitimate concerns … these legitimate concerns are things that can actually be dealt with. Most people spend so much time fearing the things that are never going to happen or can’t be controlled that they have no energy to deal with the few things they can actually handle.” – Andy Andrews (The Noticer, pg.54-55)
So, what are we to do? Jesus goes on to say,
And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? v24b-26 NLT
Lord Jesus, faith factors in greatly here. Once again, there is wisdom in planning ahead but worrying about all the what-ifs and maybes eats away at us bit by bit consuming our time, energy, and mental faculties. Help us to trust You with it all, for the crows and ravens do it each day and flourish. We can do the same! Amen.
Aug 7th, 2020, Fri, 8:43 pm