My Neighbor
Strength for full days is found in You, Father. The day is waning and so am I. Be close by my side as I humbly come before You. Amen.
Luke 10:29-37 (<<click to read the passage)
Well, Lord, I guess you just dropped this one in my lap… I learned long ago that there are no coincidences with You.
Today we, specifically as a nation, find ourselves in very difficult circumstances. And really difficult is very inadequate in expressing where it is we find ourselves.
Fear and anxiety are rampant from sea to shining sea. We are overwhelmed by it. It is as a flood that day by day has risen to cover our heads and we feel like we are going down for the last time. The pandemic and all it has come to mean in reality, and in the recesses of our minds, is controlling us. And we seem unable to escape. We are entangled. And with no humor implied whatsoever, we have fallen, and we can’t get up.
Then in the midst of our despair, the vilest of actions has taken place. A man’s life was snuffed out, his infraction in no way equaling the punished he incurred. And as a pastor friend of mine wrote, like gasoline on a fire, this horrific incident has engulfed our nation in hatred, anger, and violence.
People are lashing out…and it is not just over this one occurrence of disproportionate punishment. It is a result of literally generations of infractions poured upon a people solely because of the color of their skin. In this battle of racial injustice, regardless of how they respond, they have been on the losing end.
I really do not feel qualified to address these issues but with them screaming in my face and pounding in my head – and now with this Scripture before me – I must respond.
My son and I have often spoken of the inadequacy of legislating morality – it just does not work! I am sure that I have friends who would do a far better job than I ever could in addressing the insurmountable cultural issues encompassing the entirety of the black community in our nation. It makes no difference who they are, what they have accomplished, their insurmountable love, and care for those in society at large…it makes no difference if they are devoted fathers or faithful leaders in their church. All some see is the hue of their skin. And to them, nothing else matters.
In the middle of everything I have done over the last few days, I have struggled with the question, “So, what can I do?” I am a man of little significance, but I cannot just sit back and ignore the whole thing because it doesn’t impact me…at least not directly. It would be easy to think that…but thinking that is a lie.
In the proceeding verses, Jesus acknowledges the most important passages in the Old Testament Law. “‘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.’” v27
A fellow pastor friend of mine, Scott Sharps, wrote today what is on my heart and he says what must be said.
To be against one thing means we’re for something else. To love God means we put away selfish ambition. I’m against racial injustice, but I’m for loving my neighbor. Who is my neighbor? Those who are hurting and broken. Those who’ve experienced injustice, who are marginalized and unsupported.
Actions speak louder than words. How shall we respond?
How will you love your neighbor today? May we stand with those who are hurting, so that we can demonstrate to them the love of Jesus Christ. It was not popular when Jesus ate with the less fortunate, associated with tax collectors, and freed the enslaved. But he did it because he loves them. In fact, he died to show us how much he loves us. Romans 5:6 “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” May we not lose our influence in such a time as this but demonstrate to the world how much Jesus Christ loves them.
June 1st, 2020, Mon, 7:47 pm
Empty Handed
Father, is today worse for You than other days? My heart is so heavy, and I know that Yours must be breaking. All that is happening in our world today… Truly, in the midst of it all, You are our only hope.
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Lord Jesus, music can touch me like many other things do not. As I sat down this evening, readying myself for our time together, I turned on my music and the very first song caught my attention.
I am a man of hymns and I know quite a few, though I realize that there are thousands upon thousands of them that have been written over the years. I have discovered that this one is well known by many – but it is “new” for me!
It is beautiful but in a somber, thoughtful way.
Here is the story behind it as written by Watchman Nee, a Chinese church leader and Christian teacher who lived in China during the 20th century. It was published in his book, Practical Issues of This Life. His writings are enough for me today…
Once there was a young man who fell into sin and was dying of tuberculosis. An elderly servant of God preached the gospel to him, telling him how the Lord Jesus had borne all his sins, and urging him to repent, confess his sins and receive the Lord Jesus to be his Savior. At first this youth felt quite reluctant, being obsessed with the thought of how ever could the Lord forgive such a sinner as he. Yet finally he did accept the Lord and was saved. He felt so happy and peaceful. After a few days the elderly servant of God revisited him, finding his face full of grief and pain. So he asked the young believer: “Why are you so sad? Do not let Satan deceive you!” He answered: “I know my sins have been forgiven.” “Then why are you so sad?” Forlornly he answered: “My days on earth are quite finished. What can I bring to the Lord when I shall stand before Him? My hands are empty. Must I go and see the Lord empty-handed?” Such was the reason for his grief. In answer, the elderly man comforted him by saying: “Brother, do not be discouraged. I will use your word to write a song. And whoever is constrained by this song to go abroad to preach the gospel and win souls, you shall have the reward.” Now this was the song that Charles C. Luther wrote which has since become famous: “Must I go and empty-handed? Must I meet my Savior so?” Many have been aroused by this song and have fervently served the Lord. Although this young man had lost many of his days, he still retained a little heart desire for the Lord at his dying, and the Lord fulfilled it.
May we all remember our days! May our lost days be restored: May each day be equal to a thousand days. And may we step by step walk in the light of God’s will!
Here are the lyrics to Must I Go, and Empty Handed? May they touch your heart and spur you on.
“Must I go, and empty-handed,”
Thus my dear Redeemer meet?
Not one day of service give Him,
Lay no trophy at His feet?
“Must I go, and empty-handed?”
Must I meet my Savior so?
Not one soul with which to greet Him:
Must I empty-handed go?
Not at death I shrink nor falter,
For my Savior saves me now;
But to meet Him empty-handed,
Thought of that now clouds my brow.
O the years in sinning wasted;
Could I but recall them now,
I would give them to my Savior,
To His will I’d gladly bow.
O ye saints, arouse, be earnest,
Up and work while yet ’tis day;
Ere the night of death o’ertake thee,
Strive for souls while still you may.
– Charles Luther
May 31st, 2020, Sun, 9:20 pm
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)
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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