Fear Nibbling at the Edges of My Mind
We had a good trip to see our doctor for med checks today. Thank You, Father, for safe travels and a good day out together. I am grateful for Your love and care!
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Lord Jesus, tonight I am unsettled. Normally, I would just pick up with the next passage of Scripture but…I feel that I need to go another direction this evening. The problem is, I don’t know what that is.
One thing that I know I must do is to come alongside You. My run-of-the-mill life is on its head. Routines in which I have found comfort, are off track. I am not overwhelmed with fear, but I can feel it nibbling at the edges of my mind.
I know that I am Your child. I know, without a doubt, that You are here…with me.
Your servant, David, wrote so long ago,
.7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
…Or where can I flee from Your presence?
.8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
… If I make my bed in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),
…behold, You are there.
.9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
…If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
….And Your right hand will take hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me,
… .And the night will be the only light around me,”
12 Even the darkness is not dark to You and conceals nothing from You,
….But the night shines as bright as the day;
….Darkness and light are alike to You. Psalm 139:7-12 (AMP)
Oh, what comfort is found in Your word. David didn’t just know of You, he knew You intimately. And most importantly, You knew David…and You know me.
Though others may refuse to acknowledge the truth, I – with the great assurance that comes with it – acknowledge that my life is in Your hands. Though my future seems so uncertain at this time, I must readily admit that it has never, ever been certain. I have never known what my future had in store for me…but You do.
Lord Jesus, I am sure that many others who read this have similar fears. But, Lord, many have also placed their trust – their faith – in You, as well. Keep us grounded. May You be our anchor in the storm that rages about us, for there is nothing to cling to but You. And what a blessing that is for truly that is all we need.
Here, too, is a song that I pray will shore up your confidence in our great God!
Apr 2nd, 2020, Thurs, 8:09 pm
Shake the Dust Off
Be heavy on my heart and mind tonight, Father, as I sit before You. May I communicate what is important to You, not me. Amen.
Luke 9:1-6 (<<click to read the passage)
As we continue through this time of global pandemic, it is shocking to see the number of people who have a total disregard for the dangerousness of it all.
At one point yesterday, as we ventured out for much-needed supplies, we had just gotten out of the van and a couple of young men had met up to get groceries themselves. One was wearing gloves and the other piped off with an air of flippancy, “Afraid you’re going to catch it?” The other guy basically expressed a better-safe-than-sorry response and offered his friend a pair of gloves. He refused, acting like it was a waste of time.
COVID-19 could be a death toll for many but not all. But every single one of us has an unescapable death sentence hanging over our heads. At some point, we will die. Hebrews 9:27 (NLT) declares,
And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment…
We cannot escape it. We can’t talk our way out of it. We can’t bargain our way out of it. We can’t buy or earn or bribe or cry our way out of it. Death is inevitable.
But…and this is a very big BUT…death is not the end. Yes, it’s the end of our earthly bodies but our souls are eternal and for those who have given themselves over to Jesus, glorified bodies will be had by all!
At the end of Jesus’ directions for His disciples’ ministry, He said,
“…as for all those who do not welcome you, when you leave that city, shake the dust off your feet [breaking all ties with them] as a testimony against them [that they rejected My message].”
Shaking the dust of certain towns from their feet had deep cultural implications. Pious Jews would do this after passing through Gentile cities to show their separation from Gentile practices. If the disciples were to shake the dust of a Jewish town from their feet, it would show their separation from Jews who rejected their Messiah. This action also would show that the disciples were not responsible for how the people responded to their message. Neither are we responsible if we have carefully and truthfully presented Christ but our message is rejected. Like the disciples, we must move on to others whom God desires to reach. *
As I have said before, we can’t take it personally if people reject our message of hope. But we must certainly not stop passing through those “cities”, on a regular basis if need be, for seeds will be planted by our obedience and we never know when one will take root. The Apostle Paul assures us in 1 Corinthians 3:7 (NLT),
It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.
Shake the dust off but don’t hesitate to let the dust collect again!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Apr 1, 2020, Wed, 7:54 pm
Balance
Father, thank You for Your watchcare over us as we ventured out to restock our supplies for ourselves and family. I would ask that Your hand would be upon us and if we did come in contact with the looming virus, that You would stop it in its tracks, for our sakes and the ones with whom we interact and love out of the necessities in which we find ourselves. Amen.
Luke 9:1-6 (<<click to read the passage)
Balance. Our lives are so full of so many things. And if we are not careful, we can become tempted to lean too heavily into certain things. Sometimes they are bad things, to the detriment of ourselves and others. They can be good things, as well. But even good things, in excess, can be detrimental.
Jesus was the embodiment of balance – fully God and fully man. That is who He was, but it is also how he lived.
In today’s passage, Jesus sent his disciples “out [on a brief journey] to preach the kingdom of God and to perform healing.” On this journey, they were to live and work as Jesus did, with a balance between preaching (the spiritual) and healing (the physical).
Living in this world as followers of Jesus, we must balance between the spiritual and the physical, too.
First of all, why did Jesus come as God incarnate (Emmanuel – God with us) into the world? Because of our disobedience, we caused a rift between ourselves and our Creator. That rift was sin. Jesus came to institute a permanent “fix”, if you will, for this rift. The penalty for sin is death but as Romans 6:23 says, “but the free gift of God [that is, His remarkable, overwhelming gift of grace to believers] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”(AMP) (emphasis mine)
So, our responsibility is to broadcast that good news to all the world, that is to every man, woman, boy, and girl – no exceptions! And for all who would accept and embrace this good news, eternal life in Jesus is the reward – not eternal death separated from Him!
But then here is the second point, if I just went out to my neighbor (the world) and said, “Hey! You’re as good as dead, straighten up…or else!”
Some might respond and change but many would just ignore me, at best!
I’ve watched many videos involving abandoned dogs. Many suffer from neglect, starvation, and not a few are diseased or injured as well.
A common thread in each story is a caring soul or group of people that attempt to intervein to help relieve them from their misery.
Every single one of them retaliated in fear and anger. Their breed or size makes no difference. If cornered, their teeth are bared and they lash out at any who draws near. Sometimes they can be lured into capture but most times they are physically wrangled to get them the help they so desperately need.
But over time, what gains their trust? Love. And not just words of love but love in action! And that’s when true healing begins.
James 2:14-26 speaks of faith and deeds (or works). A key phrase in the passage is, “faith without works [of obedience] is also dead.”
Jesus’ ministry here was filled with examples of physical and spiritual impacting in tandem to bring the world to faith in Him and the salvation He offered.
Lord Jesus, may we follow in Your steps! Amen!
Mar 31st, 2020, Tues, 7:40 pm
No Superiority Complex
Father, I realize the world is pretty scrambled right now, but it is surely comforting to see Your hand at work in the midst of it all. May our minds be put at ease, knowing that You are in control. Amen.
Luke 8:41-42, 49-56 (<<click to read the passage)
One of the most frustrating situations to deal with is working under someone with a huge superiority complex. And it happens in every line of work. It can even be an issue in the church. The authoritarian mindset rarely has any leeway and often, as the old adage goes, it’s their way or the highway. They know their level of status and don’t hesitate to throw their weight around. It makes for a miserable work environment. Honestly, (and after working 18 years in the retail industry, I think I have just a tad bit of experience!) that kind of leadership reduces productivity, compliance, and loyalty, not just to them but to the company at large, regrettably.
I have also been blessed to work under individuals who did not have that attitude and it was a joy to work for them – and really it felt more like I was working with them instead of working for them. Those kinds of people inspired me to give it my best and my all. Working together we accomplished great things and I would have done just about anything they asked me to do. They supported and respected me and I wanted to do the same for them.
Another aspect of this passage involves Jairus. Yes, he was a father, but he was also the “leader of the local synagogue”. A man in that position “was responsible for administration, building maintenance, and worship supervision” * of the community’s synagogue.
Synagogues – local facilities set apart for prayer, reading of the Tanakh (the entire Hebrew Bible, including the Torah), study and assembly – were very important places for a Jew, and because of that, the person in charge of the synagogue would have been someone of relatively high standing. He would have been well-educated. One source I read said they probably would have been a rabi.
So here we have Jairus – leader, educated, well-respected in his community – and we have Jesus. Jesus was developing a following amongst the people but at best, at least from a human perspective, He was just a simple itinerant preacher – simple of dress and demeanor. There was nothing flashy or impressive about Him. In fact, the last portion of Isaiah 53:2 (NIV) said as much,
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
But…Jairus “fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come home with him. His only daughter…was dying.”
There was not even a hint of a superiority complex! There was no authoritarian mindset! His humility shines forth! Yes, he was desperate to have Jesus heal his daughter but there is no sign whatsoever of him even pushing down his pride to do what he did. He simply showed a humble faith. And it is clearly seen throughout his entire encounter with Jesus from beginning to end.
Lord Jesus, in a lot of ways, Jairus was like You. Not even really knowing You, he reflected You. May we do no less. Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Mar 30th, 2020, Mon, 8:13 pm
Faith, Not Fear
Father, You deserve the credit for this day! A wonderful online “service”. It was a beautiful day to be outside for a bit. We got to talk with Massey. In the midst of all the craziness the world is in right now, I am blessed!
Luke 8:41-42, 49-56 (<<click to read the passage)
And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. Romans 8:28 (AMP)
I started to write something very similar to this verse and then I thought of this verse and figured the Apostle Paul said it better than I would’ve anyway!
This passage reflects how I feel about where I find myself right now. I keep thinking, “All we are hearing and seeing and talking about and thinking about these days is the coronavirus. We need a break! I should write something uplifting…something to get our minds off of what is happening around us.”
And then comes along my sermon this morning on the 23rd Psalm, which spoke of the comfort and care we get from God – what better message do we need from Him in times like these?
And where I find myself in Luke’s Gospel, it all points to finding ourselves in dire situations – the demon-possessed man, the woman that couldn’t stop bleeding…and today, a dying little girl, the only child of a mom and dad, who dies before Jesus can get to her.
We are living in challenging times, but God is there for us. A line in my sermon today said, “When we lean into Him, He’ll lean into us.” Isn’t it comforting to know that He is there for us? He is not offish. He doesn’t hold us at arm’s length. We are cherished and adored by our Creator!
So, on to today’s passage.
Friday, I asked you to imagine a twelve-year-old girl. She is beautiful, as all girls are, right? But in this case, when Jairus came to Jesus his only child was so ill that she was close to death.
Anyone with a child can readily put himself or herself emotionally in Jairus’s place. His daughter had died while they were on the way home. Luke did not record it, but the poor man probably cried out in grief. Jesus surely felt the father’s very human grief. Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Again, Luke didn’t record Jairus’s reaction to these words, but Jairus must have had at least some flicker of hope because he did complete his mission in bringing Jesus to his house. When you experience intense grief… don’t abandon hope. Don’t turn away from the one Person who can help you. Do what Jairus did: Don’t be afraid; just have faith. Your hope is found in the resurrected Lord, the one with power over life and death. *
During these trying days, continue to turn to the one Person who can help. His eternal word is as true today as it was 2,000 years ago, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Mar 29th, 2020, Sun, 7:12 pm