No Lone Rangers
As I sit to type, Father, fill my heart, and mind with Your presence. Sweep through it, clearing all the cobwebs from all the corners. Eliminate anything that doesn’t belong in Your abode. Amen.
Luke 10:1-2 (<<click to read the passage)
I am very blessed that in my lifetime I have never once been unemployed. I have worked and served in several different places. I have been a minister of music, a minister of youth, a sales associate in a Christian bookstore, a fork-lift operator, a children’s pastor, a sales associate in a major retail chain, and now a school bus driver. But in all of those transitions, I have never had a lag time between them. Nor have I ever been laid off and needed to find some other means of income.
I realize that many cannot say that, especially in the current state of our nation’s economy. I am not special; it is just how my life has been.
From as far back as I can remember, I have felt that God called me to ministry, but if you look at the jobs I’ve had not all of them were in a church setting. What do you think of when you hear that someone is a minister? There are many words you might use to describe them but for the most part, most of our definitions would put that person into a church setting where they would “minister” to others on a regular basis. They would probably receive most of their support from said churches, as well.
I like what one of my churches had set a precedent long before I ever stepped into their building for the very first time. It was printed in their bulletins and I have continued to do so over the fourteen years that I have been their pastor.
In a box that has a header of Servant Leaders Today, following the word Ministers is the word Congregation. My name is not the sole name affiliated with that term – every believer that walks through the doors of that church (or that tunes in to the live broadcasting of our services) is a minister.
I love the very first sentence in my Life Application Study Bible about verse 2 in today’s passage. It states, “Christian service has no unemployment.”
No matter what “job” I have ever had, not once has my relationship with Jesus been set aside. And just as important is the fact that my responsibilities as a follower of Jesus do not have “Lone Ranger” attached to it. We are a body of believers. 1 Corinthians 12:12 makes it clear,
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. (NLT)
We are one part of many. We are one minister amongst a multitude of believers.
On occasion we may need to minister alone but, as with any task, the more that join our effort the more opportunities will be had. Jesus informed the troop of disciples that He sent out and us as well that “the harvest is abundant [for there are many need to hear the good news about salvation], but He also declares, the workers [those available to proclaim the message of salvation] are few.”
And then Jesus called them, and He calls us, to pray. The more who join together to “work the fields” the greater the harvest will be.
Lord Jesus, may we be diligent in our prayers for others to join us in our efforts from Your Kingdom. It really is a life or death situation!
May 11th, 2020, Mon, 8:51 pm
Rogue and Destructive Bandits
Father, this day did not turn out that way I anticipated but You have not let me down whatsoever. May You guide me as my fingers type in our time together. Amen.
********
As I said, today had a lot of twists to it. Five minutes before starting our online worship service, I discovered something wasn’t right. The problem was big enough that there was no way to “go live”. It took us out completely!
We were able to record our service another way but by the time it all came together, and we could post online, it was after noon. We’ve been touching so many lives each week since broadcasting online. Both of my churches together run between 30 and 40 each week. Estimated attendance on our virtual services has averaged almost 70! Last week we actually recorded 86 people that stepped into “church! That is awesome! I’ve never been a “numbers” pastor, but I’ve been so excited about how many lives that God is touching through our services! …and then today’s debacle.
We got word today that one of our cousin’s daughters, who is a medic in the Army Reserves is being called into active duty at a nursing home in Pennsylvania. This particular facility is dealing with an 85% COVID-19 infection rate of staff and residents. She’ll be there for at least two weeks and then will have to quarantine herself after that for two weeks. (Pray for Kara’s protection, please!)
I don’t normally watch much TV but today I caught a couple of old episodes of Elementary. It is set in current-day New York City with characters loosely based on Sherlock Holmes. A big part of the last episode I saw had characters dealing with heroin addiction – somewhere in the middle of their addiction and some were in the middle of recovery. Just the squalor portrayed… the devastation of those dealing with it all… the pain… the death …the relapse of healing people unable to stop themselves. It was heart-wrenching…
I think we have a rogue and destructive bandit around our house. I’m almost sure that a resident raccoon has raided the suet in my bird feeders three times now – and my feeder holds two whole suet cakes! They are there the night before and totally gone the next morning!
Yesterday I put a small bungee cord around the suet cake compartment. It tried to get them out (bending the metal grid around them!) but was unsuccessful in getting much of the suet cakes at all! (I’m sure it wasn’t pleased!)
Now again, I’m not 100% positive – because I can’t see in the dark and haven’t caught our “friend” red-handed -but I think it has also been digging for grubs or worms or something in the mulch around the house. A good part of the front flower bed has had all the mulch pulled away from the foundation into the flower bed – some of the back, as well! The booger!
In life – especially our spiritual life – we must be very careful when things begin to dig away at our “foundation”. We are in the middle of an unprecedented time in history. We are confined, way more than normal, to our homes. Yesterday we got my in-laws out of their house and got some carry-out food and went to a local greenhouse (all with proper distancing and face masks, of course!) For the most part; they have been nowhere except a couple of medical-related trips for 6 weeks! We all know, at this point, that it wears on you!
Things like plans that don’t come together as we think they should, loved ones being called to honorably serve in harm’s way, seeing the “seedy” side of life vividly portrayed and realizing is not just fiction but reality! It all impacts us!
Those things, along with the “raccoons” in our lives can erode our ability to remain in an upright position! They can knock our feet out from under us! But…
We have a God who is not distant but who is there for us! If we abide in Him we can stand firm! Ephesians 6:13 (NIV) tells us,
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand your ground. And after you’ve done everything…stand!
Lord, help us to put on the full armor that we can find only in your arsenal! (Read Ephesians 6:10-18) May we stand firm in You! Amen
May 10th, 2020, Sun, 8:13 pm
Hold On
It was a full-plate kind of day today, Father, but we got through it! Now at the close of it, may I hear Your voice loud and clear as we come together. Amen.
Luke 9:59-62 (<<click to read the passage)
A couple of times this week, as I have been delivering lunches, I’ve seen an Amish gentleman plowing his fields with a team of draft horses. This picture only shows three but the gentleman I saw had a few more – maybe six? I didn’t drive right past him, so it was a little hard to tell.
Any person plowing with horses or even a tractor has to pay attention to what they are doing. The goal is to plow a straight line to make the most use of the acreage being farmed. Even with the development of GPS (Global Positioning System) driven tractors, the goal is the same, it is just done remotely. (They really do exist! Check out this story on The John Deere Journal)
In this passage, after several had made seemingly legitimate excuses for not following Him right then, Jesus told his disciples
“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things left behind] is fit for the kingdom of God.” v62 (AMP)
If we are truly going to follow Jesus, and if it is going to truly impact the world around us like it can, we must follow him unswervingly. To be used to the utmost for His Kingdom we can’t look back to what we’ve left behind if we are going to plow a straight line, making the most of the “acreage” in which we’re working.
When I was in college, I loved a spiritual that we had the privilege of singing with the college choir. Its title? Hold On (Keep Your Hand on the Plow). Here are the lyrics as sung by Mahalia Jackson on her 1955 album, The World’s Greatest Gospel Singer. It’s all about keeping our focus on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Hold on
Hold on
Keep your hand on the plow, hold on
Hold on
Hold on
Keep your hand on the plow, hold on
Heard the voice of Jesus say
Come unto me, I am the way.
Keep your hand on the plow, hold on.
When my way gets dark as night,
I know the Lord will be my light,
Keep your hand on the plow, hold on.
Hold on
Hold on
Keep your hand on the plow, hold on
You can talk about me much as you please
The more you talk, gonna stay on my knees.
Keep your hand on the plow, hold on.
When I get to heaven, gonna sing and shout
Be nobody there to put me out.
Keep your hand on the plow, hold on.
I know my robe’s gonna fit me well,
I tried it on at the gates of Hell.
Keep your hand on the plow, hold on.
Hold on
Hold on
Keep your hand on the plow, hold on
May 7th, 2020, Thurs, 8:26 pm
Foxes Have Dens
A quiet day of work and rest, Father. Thank You for enabling me to make some good progress on Sunday’s sermon. There is great comfort in Your presence.
Luke 9:57-58 (<<click to read the passage)
Reading these few verses immediately brought a couple of things to mind. First, for some time I have been wanting to share my fox sightings and it also brought to mind one of my favorite Christmas hymns. I know…a strange combination, but what can I say?
The first time I remember seeing a fox in the wild was a few years back while sitting in my home office. I get a nice view of the back of our lot from there. I happened to glance up from my desk and there, much to my surprise was a fox! It was standing on a little rise in front of a small grove of trees. It was winter, so the bare trees and leaves on the ground provided its background. I was spellbound -it was beautiful! It stood in the “open” for a bit then darted back into the cover of the trees.
I have sighted foxes a couple of times on my bus route, too. One time I was coming up on a house of one of my elementary girls and along a property line of bushes, I saw another one before it took off along the line of bushes. The family has a couple of outdoor dogs, but I don’t think they had caught wind of it.
They are beautiful creatures, but I realize that they are a problem for many farmers in that they prey on chickens and whatnot.
The Christmas hymn, of which I spoke, is entitled Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne and actually it ties in with today’s text very well.
As Jesus and His disciples passed the unwelcoming village…
“…someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” (NLT)
In other words, we desire to follow Jesus but there are no guarantees of what that might mean. Hebrews 13:14 (NLT) says,
For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
Here are the lyrics of Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne:
Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home there was found no room
For Thy holy nativity.
Refrain
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus;
There is room in my heart for Thee.
Heaven’s arches rang when the angels sang,
Proclaiming Thy royal degree;
But of lowly birth didst Thou come to earth,
And in great humility.
Refrain
The foxes found rest, and the birds their nest
In the shade of the forest tree;
But Thy couch was the sod, O Thou Son of God,
In the deserts of Galilee.
Refrain
Thou camest, O Lord, with the living word,
That should set Thy people free;
But with mocking scorn and with crown of thorn,
They bore Thee to Calvary.
Refrain
When the heavens shall ring, and her choir shall sing,
At Thy coming to victory,
Let Thy voice call me home, saying, “Yet there is room,
There is room at My side for thee!”
My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,
When Thou comest and callest for me.
By Emily E. S. Elliott, 1864
The common animals of the field find comfort in their “homes” but Jesus? He willingly gave up what was rightfully His due, that we might be redeemed.
I highlighted a few phrases in the hymn. If you haven’t already, read them through once more. Remember, Jesus gave up everything, His very life included, so that we could find our forever home…with Him.
Apr 6th, 2020, Wed, 6:02 pm
How Is Your Patellar Reflex?
Father, after our blood donations yesterday, we both seem to be dragging. It’s to be expected but I would ask that You spur me on, that I might be attentive to You in our time together. Amen.
Luke 9:52-56 (<<click to read the passage)
So, how is your patellar reflex? I’d say mine is fine…and yours probably is, too. At some point in time, we’ve probably all had it tested. Your doctor has you sit on the edge of the bed and taps right below your kneecap. MedicineNet describes it this way.
The normal knee-jerk…reflex is elicited when the knee is tapped below the kneecap (patella). Sensors that detect stretching of the tendon of this area send electrical impulses back to the spinal cord. The spinal cord automatically sends a signal back along a nerve to muscles of the front of the thigh. These muscles are then activated to contract, causing a kick. The brain is never involved in the reflex.
I read that definition and literally laughed out loud at the last sentence! The brain is never involved in the reflex. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a knee-jerk reaction as a quick reaction that does not allow you time to consider something carefully. In other words, the brain is never involved!
A few days back I referred to the incident in today’s passage. Jesus and His disciples were coming up on a Samaritan village and Jesus sent messengers ahead to…prepare for His arrival. The villagers were less than hospitable and when James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up [as Elijah did]?”
(A quick little side note, the phrase “as Elijah did” does not appear in all the original texts that Bible translators use when translating this passage. An additional portion that bridges verses 55 and 56 is the same way. But I must say it makes a strong point and strengthens Jesus’ response.)
James and John’s reply was no sooner out of their mouths when Jesus turned and rebuked them. And then this is the added portion,
And he said, “You don’t realize what your hearts are like. For the Son of Man has not come to destroy people’s lives, but to save them.”
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges has an interesting commentary of this passage. In essence, the author said that eventually, the disciples learned that the spirit of Jesus was the spirit of the dove; and that there is a difference between Carmel and Hermon.
The analogy is cool, and I don’t want to leave you hanging as to what it means. I’ll try and make it short. Mt. Carmel is the location of one of the great stories of the Old Testament. The “prophets” of the false god Baal basically had a duel with God’s prophet Elijah. They had called all day for their so-called god, to consume their ritual sacrifice. Of course, nothing happened; except that Elijah laughed and made fun of them. This was in the middle of years of drought and when Elijah’s turn came up, he had his sacrifice doused in water three times so that everything was thoroughly soaked through and even the trench around the altar was full of water. He prayed one short prayer and fire fell from heaven consuming the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and even the water in the trench! (Read the whole story here, it’s awesome! >> 1 Kings 18:16-45)
That’s where James and John got the fire idea, but Jesus realized that they had absolutely no idea – yet – what He was all about.
Now, what is Hermon? Tradition holds that that’s where Jesus’ transfiguration took place and remember James and John, just a short time ago, were there with Jesus.
When Jesus said, “You don’t realize what your hearts are like.” the commentator says in today’s language, that their hearts were more like Elijah’s and not nearly enough like that of Jesus.
So, what does this all have to do with us? Would you not agree that if there was ever a knee-jerk society, it is the one in which we live? How often do we respond (retaliate is more like it!) and our brain is never involved! Our mouths are engaged long before our brains! As we strive to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, may we also strive to not destroy people’s lives, but to save them”!
May 5th, 2020, Tues, 6:19 pm