Directions with Pictures
A full plate today, Father, but thank You for Your guiding hand from start to finish. Bless Your holy name!
Luke 10:25-28 (<<click to read the passage)
Directions can be difficult to follow. For example, this past winter we got a pre-lit 7-foot Pop-up Twinkling Snowman for our front yard Christmas display. On the box in bold letters, it clearly displayed “ASSEMBLE IN 4 EASY STEPS”. Well, you didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to do it but, at least for me, it was a lot more than four easy steps! (Getting it back into the box after Christmas was a whole other story!)
Many things come with instructions on how to put them together – everything from Tinkertoys to bicycles and bookcases. What helps a lot is when written directions are accompanied by pictures. Usually, there is a parts list – with pictures – and then a step-by-step guide to assembly – again with pictures to assist us in getting the desired completed project.
They can be a challenge but, in most cases, we find success if we just follow the directions! That is why they come with whatever we are trying to put together and pictures are a definite asset!
In today’s passage, Jesus is approached by an “expert in religious law”, that is the Law that was given to Moses almost 1,500 years before this interaction. He puts forth a straightforward question to “test” Jesus. He asked,
“Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus then replied with a question,
“What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
I am impressed at the fact that “expert” gave a very succinct answer – on occasion experts like to hear themselves talk! But he kept it short and right to the heart of the matter. He answered,
“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
He summarized the entirety of the Law by quoting two verses, one from Deuteronomy 6:5 and the other from Leviticus 19:18.
“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
It was the correct answer to the question, but do we live it out? Other experts may have gone into quite a bit more detail. They may have backed their answer up with all kinds of sustaining passages of Scripture and in the process making something very simple, quite complicated instead.
Today, when we think about living out our lives following Jesus, do we keep it simple, or do we feel that it is necessary to complicate things. Do we have a checklist of dos and don’ts that we attempt to adhere to? Do we attempt to rack up a mountain of “good deeds” in hopes that we can sway our Judge on the day we stand before Him and have to give an account of what we did and why we should be “allowed” in?
Let’s go back to directions and believe it or not…we get pictures!
Jesus lived out the Law (which by the way He authored!) He loved His Father with all His heart, soul, strength, and mind. He held back nothing. As sports enthusiasts like to say, He left it all on the field. And, He loved His neighbor as Himself – so much so that He literally loved us…to death. In doing so, he assured that we could live.
Lord Jesus, first and foremost, we are indebted because of Your sacrifice. We would be lost and condemned without You. May we keep our life of following You simple. Complicating things accomplishes nothing. We miss out. Others miss out. And most importantly You miss out because we don’t allow ourselves to be used to the fullest for You and Your Kingdom. Amen.
May 28th, 2020, Thurs, 9:39 pm
Wipe Away the Tears
I will bless the Lord who guides me;
….even at night my heart instructs me.
I know the Lord is always with me.
….I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Psalm 16:7-8 (NLT)
******
I enjoy listening to a variety of music when I write. I seem to do best with instrumental pieces and enjoy a plethora of styles and genres. Recently while poking around on Spotify – an online audio streaming platform – I came across a collection of orchestral hymns. They are beautiful and I have enjoyed listening to them immensely!
One hymn, in particular, stuck in my mind. I recognized it but couldn’t recall much of its text. Interestingly enough, I couldn’t find it in any of the hymnals I use regularly. I have four hymnals published by the Church of the Nazarene and I had to go all the way back to the one published in 1931 to find it, so it’s not probably one that I sang growing up.
Its title? When I Can Read My Title Clear. It was written by Isaac Watts in 1707. The tune I heard it set to is called Pisgah. It is based on a beautiful old Scottish tune. There’s a couple of links at the end of the blog if you’d like to listen to it
The tune is one thing, but the lyrics are impacting, as well. It was first published under the heading “The Hopes of Heaven our Support under Trials on Earth”. We surely struggle as sojourners on this dusty globe we call earth but for those who follow Jesus, this world is but a steppingstone to an eternity spent with Him. We have the assurance of heaven and it provides for us one more anchor for the soul.
The portion of Scripture associated with the text in a couple of different resources is from Isaiah 25:8, …the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces… (NRSV)
When we think of heaven, visions of gold-paved streets and gates of pearl may come to mind but reading through Watts’ text we can embrace the peacefulness of being at home with God. No more pain. No more tears. No more wandering. Peace at last.
“When I can read my title clear to mansions in the skies,
I bid farewell to every fear, and wipe my weeping eyes.
And wipe my weeping eyes, and wipe my weeping eyes
I bid farewell to every fear, and wipe my weeping eyes.
“Should earth against my soul engage, and fiery darts be hurled,
Then I can smile at Satan’s rage, and face a frowning world.
And face a frowning world, and face a frowning world,
Then I can smile at Satan’s rage, and face a frowning world.
“Let cares, like a wild deluge come, and storms of sorrow fall!
May I but safely reach my home, my God, my heav’n, my all.
My God, my heav’n, my all, my God, my heav’n, my all,
May I but safely reach my home, my God, my heaven, my all.
“There shall I bathe my weary soul in seas of heavenly rest,
And not a wave of trouble roll, across my peaceful breast.
Across my peaceful breast, across my peaceful breast,
And not a wave of trouble roll, across my peaceful breast.
If you have access to Spotify, here is the link to the orchestral piece I heard:
Otherwise here is a YouTube link to another nice arrangement:
May 27th, 2020, Wed, 9:52 pm
Of “Whats” and “Whens”
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
….I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you.
….I will sing praises to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2 (NLT)
Luke 10:23-24 (<<click to read the passage)
I know one thing for sure, we all have unanswered questions as to what the future holds. Now maybe that sounds like a “duh” kind of statement but isn’t there usually a relative sense of security in knowing that general layout of life?
We just came off of a Memorial Day weekend. It is a national holiday where we take the time to remember the many who gave their lives in the wars throughout our country’s history to keep our freedoms secure. We humbly acknowledge their great sacrifice.
This particular weekend also is the unofficial beginning of summer. As part of our remembrances we have traditionally come together and share good food and make memories to look fondly back upon.
But the wrinkle in things this year, is that we find ourselves amidst the upheavals of life in response to a worldwide pandemic. Some have suffered great loss and others have suffered great inconvenience but all of us have suffered a breaking of our routines and the normalcy of life.
We all seem to be in a “wait and see” mode. Things that are a regular part of our lives, things that are part of our culture and societal norms are being canceled for cautionary reasons – fairs, festivals, concerts, etc., etc., etc.
Things like school have been turned upside down with no clear direction as to what next school year will even look like. We just. Don’t. Know.
Can you imagine being a prophet of old? Isaiah or Micah or Jeremiah or David or Daniel and the list goes on… The Lord opened up to them all kinds of thoughts of future things but not one of them knew the “whens”, they just knew the “whats”. And for that matter even some of the “whats” were pretty incomprehensible! But they were faithful and abided by the Lord’s command to proclaim the “truths” they had heard, though they would die never seeing their proclamations come to reality.
In this portion of Scripture Jesus tells His disciples,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen. I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.” Luke 10:23-24 (NLT)
They heard and saw the fruition of so many “whats” and they had the great privilege of sharing in the “when”. But, at least in the middle of it all, they had not a clue as to their privilege. Not until it had all passed by them would they truly come to realize that Jesus had been pointing it all out to them along the way. And they were amazed!
Today we are filled with questions…questions that have no answers – at least not yet. I am speaking of how this whole pandemic and our attempts to keep it under control to some degree but many believe that we are seeing a lot of “whats” coming to fruition and that the Lord’s return is just around the corner.
That is a possibility. But it is also a possibility that that is not the case. In either case, as the prophets and kings of old, we are called to be faithful and we are called to proclaim the truths we have heard.
Lord Jesus, may we be about Your business and may we avoid being caught up in the “whens”. May we live out the prayer we exclaim, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 NRSV). Amen.
May 26th, 2020, Tues, 8:26 pm
As a Child
It’s a psalm kind of day.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
….let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
….that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
For you bless the godly, O Lord;
….you surround them with your shield of love. Psalm 5:11-12 (NLT)
Luke 10:21-24 (<<click to read the passage)
Twenty-five years ago, I was hired to fill the newly created position of Pastor to Families with Children in the church we had been attending for the previous five years. After several years in Christian retail, I was working in a warehouse as a forklift operator and Karen, after teaching music in a Columbus-based Christian elementary school, was now a stay-at-home mom caring for our 3-year-old son.
I had spent 3 years in full-time ministry before my stint in Christian retail and we were active in areas of ministry in that in-between time in a local church in Columbus and then the church in Mt. Vernon after we relocated to the home in which we now live.
Karen and I had been leading Children’s Church in a volunteer capacity but when the opportunity to come on staff full-time was extended to me, I jumped at the opportunity. The Lord’s hand was in it all and I must tell you that I fondly look back on that time as one of the best times in my life! I loved the kids. I loved ministering to them. We did some wonderfully impacting things in my time there. It was a privilege to serve with such great servant leaders, including a senior pastor who loved and lead by great, God-filled example.
It was a wonderful transition in my life, but more transition was ahead of me.
At the time, I was encouraged to pursue ordination as a minister in the Church of the Nazarene – the church in which I was raised and also the church I had faithfully served for many years. The Church of the Nazarene has tracks of study for ordination. If you felt the Lord was leading you to lead a church as a preaching pastor, that is the chief shepherd of the flock, you would pursue ordination as an elder. If you felt the Lord was leading you to work in other areas of ministry – say in the areas of music, youth, or children – you pursued ordination as a deacon.
The problem was technically I should have followed the deacon track but as I pursued my course of study, it became clear that God had other plans. I felt called to preach, my congregation was just shorter and younger than those with whom most preachers worked!
I still truly believe that ministering to children is foundational. And even though my transition from children to adults was a bit rocky, God knew what He was doing. My senior pastor was faithful to God’s leading and though it threw my life into a bit of a tailspin, his admonitions and even his pushing me out of the nest, as it were, all resulted in God’s will being done.
I have been the preaching pastor – and the only pastor – at the churches I serve for 18 years now. The height and age of my congregations have changed but one thing that has not changed? We all need to understand God’s will for our lives. We need to understand God’s word and we need to know how to live it out. We are all God’s children and unless we come to Him in childlike faith, progress in that relationship will be difficult at best.
Lord Jesus, may I continue to learn from You. Continue to inspire me to bring the lofty ideas of Your kingdom down to earth, that Your children may hear and be challenged to grow in You and to be inspired by You, as well, in their daily walk. For that is truly what You did while living amongst us. Amen.
May 25th, 2020, Mon, 8:40 pm
Jesus’ Joy
What a full weekend it has been, Father. And as always You have been in the middle of it all. Thank You for blessings of home and worship. Thank You for Your blessing of love, both Yours and the one You have given me to share my life. Continue to watch over us. May we be the children we need to be in all of our endeavors. Amen.
Luke 10:21-24 (<<click to read the passage)
When you picture Jesus in your mind, what do you see? Is He somber? Sad? Stern? Serious? Does He have a furrowed brow? Does He have a displeased countenance?
Yes, those may apply but please do not let your mind get stuck in that rut of thought! Please know that we all reflect God in our reactions to others and life itself – for we are all created in His image. Yes, we can be somber and sad, we can be stern and serious We can have furrowed brows and be displeased with people and things around us. But we also smile and laugh! We rejoice! We are filled with pride (in the good kind of way) at our accomplishments and the accomplishments of others near and dear to our hearts, as well.
In the first phrase of this verse it is said of Jesus that He was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit.
What would it have been like to see Jesus smile – especially if He was smiling at you? A loving, accepting, knowing smile. A smile replete with joy and pride, knowing that at that moment there was no place He would rather be than with you.
Can you even begin to imagine what it must have been like to hear Jesus laugh? At least for me that takes a little more thought and concentration. I would think His laugh would have been full and rich and He would not have just laughed with His mouth. I feel that His joy would have radiated through His eyes as well. His joy for life. His love for those near and dear to His heart would have just poured forth!
Do you think that Jesus may have laughed when He said these words?
“I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things [relating to salvation] from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants [the childlike and untaught]. Yes, Father, for this way was [Your gracious will and choice, and was] well-pleasing in Your sight. v21 (AMP)
His disciples had returned and were so excited to share with Him all they had accomplished! Their joy overflowed and he, in turn, rejoiced with them.
Please understand that when it comes to us and Jesus, that, as some have said, we are all on even ground at the foot of the cross. My Life Application Study Bible puts it so well.
Many of life’s rewards seem to go to the intelligent, the rich, the good looking, or the powerful, but the Kingdom of God is equally available to all regardless of position of abilities. We come to Jesus, not through strength or brains, but through childlike trust. Jesus is not opposed to engaging in scholarly pursuits: he is opposed to spiritual pride (being wise in one’s own eyes.) Join Jesus in thanking God that we all have equal access to him.
Lord Jesus, thank You for your love. Thank you for accepting me right where I am. And Jesus thank You, too, for loving me enough to not leave me there but with Your joy and encouragement we can become what You know we can be! Amen.
May 24th, 2020, Sun, 10:18 pm