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
End of the Rope
Father, we place ourselves in Your hands. In reality, it should be no different than any other day, but in these days of uncertainty, it brings great comfort to remind ourselves that You are in control. All praise to You!
Luke 8:40-48 (<<click to read the passage)
If you will, in your mind’s eye, picture a twelve-year-old girl. It is a little easier for me, in that in a time of normalcy I get to see twelve-year-old girls a couple of times each day. And for some reason, twelve-year-old girls give me a lot less grief than twelve-year-old boys – at least at this point in my bus driving career!
I cannot imagine being in Jairus’ shoes, having to deal with my child being so ill that she was close to death. All in all, the twelve-year-old girls on my routes over the past two years have each had a pretty sweet demeanor. Just picturing any of them in this position, tugs at my heartstrings for sure!
Depending on where their birthday falls, twelve-year-olds would be in the 5th or 6th grade. They are starting that transition from being children and will soon be entering their teen years. They are solidly coming into their own as individuals. Their futures are ahead of them and for many, it shines brightly.
Now stop…
If you will, in your mind’s eye, picture a much more mature woman. We don’t really know how old she is but let’s say she was in her 30s or 40s. As long as Jairus’ daughter had been alive, this poor woman had been dealing with a serious issue of bleeding.
Where at one point her life, too, had been full of promise, she now found herself at the end of her rope…and at the end of all hope. But then Jesus went before her (providentially!) and believing that He would be the one to restore her, she took a big risk in reaching out to touch – not His arm or shoulder or elbow – but just the very “fringe of his robe”.
Her act of faith brought immediate healing! And I am sure that though she believed in Jesus that she thought that she could just slip back into the crowd with Him being none the wiser. But…that was not the case!
There is not even a gap in Luke’s writing! Without a single pause, Jesus asked, “Who touched me?”
Everybody was like, “Good grief! There are all kinds of people touching you!”
But Jesus knew…not just that someone had intentionally touched Him and not just that “healing power” had gone out from Him, but he most definitely knew who had touched him and all the circumstances of why she had done so.
She knew she had been found out and, trembling, fell to her knees before Him, and in her pent-up anguish gushed out the entirety of her story to Jesus and the “whole crowd”.
So, knowing all He knew, why did Jesus call her out? He had given her a wonderful gift in eliminating her affliction but isn’t Jesus so much more than that? He wanted to make sure that she clearly understood His healing wasn’t just some cold “surgical procedure” – just one more act of compassion by a man of great power – but with her act of faith, she had received Him, as well.
“Daughter, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in Me] has made you well. Go in peace (untroubled, undisturbed well-being).” (AMP)
Later in John’s Gospel, Jesus would proclaim,
Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.] John 14:27 (AMP)
And, my friends, Jesus has not changed one bit! May you this day find His peace. May you embrace Him as He surely embraces you. Amen.
Mar 26th, 2020, Thurs, 6:14 pm
No Light at the End of the Tunnel
Sovereign Father, I yield myself to You. Guide my thoughts as we come together this evening. Open my eyes and my heart that I may hear You clearly. Give me the words to communicate your message to all who will hear. Amen.
Luke 8:26-39 (<<click to read the passage)
Wouldn’t it be cool if we could’ve had a Paul-Harvey-The-Rest-of-the-Story moment after Jesus’ encounter with the man possessed by Legion? When he begged to go with Jesus after he was set free,
Jesus sent him home, saying, “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.”
Just imagine what he did!
First of all, what was going through his mind? For so long he had not been in control of…well, of anything! Verse 27 says,
For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in the tombs outside the town.
I cannot even begin to comprehend his lostness. His loneliness. The insanity he must have felt and the hopelessness that came with it! From his perspective, there was no light whatsoever at the end of the tunnel, just day after day of impenetrable darkness.
People had tried to help him, or more than likely control, him but,
Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power. v29
And suddenly…there was no more tunnel – only Light!
Jesus would later proclaim,
“I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12 (AMP)
And, all praise going to God, that’s where he found himself!
Secondly, as he traveled, he had to have shocked everyone with whom he came into contact! Jaws dropped and many probably ran. There were probably many who just couldn’t comprehend it. “This just doesn’t make sense! This is that crazy dude! But he’s dressed and in his right mind!” It had to have freaked them out!
But he didn’t let any of that stop him! He had a story to tell! That may have been him then, but it wasn’t who he was now! He had been set free at the command of his Savior! And all the world would know!
Then, what about his family? Initially, they probably had the same reaction as everyone else…but once the reality of it all had sunk in, can you imagine the joy! The celebration! The grand reunion!
It makes me think of the reaction of the father at the return of the prodigal.
“…for this son of mine was [as good as] dead and is alive again; he was lost and has been found.” Luke 15:24 (AMP)
Lord Jesus, may we always find hope in You. The darkness may seem never-ending, but surely You are Light! May we personally experience Your Light each and every day and may we draw others to You by reflecting that Light in the way we live our days! May we be the one that points those with no light at the end of their tunnel, to the One True Light! Amen.
Mar 25th, 2020, Wed, 7:49 pm
Make Us Squirm
Heavenly Father, may we reflect You in all our actions in these up-and-coming days. That should be our goal every day but guide our thoughts, and tongues and actions. Amen.
Luke 8:26-39 (<<click to read the passage)
This is one of the passages that can make us squirm. Some may write it off as superstitious folly. Others go to the other extreme, embracing all things of the occult – TV shows and movies are replete with demonic characters. Some of them enjoy the “entertainment” aspect while others seek the power which they believe they can obtain by feverishly taking it all to heart.
So where does that leave those of us who have given ourselves over to the lordship of Jesus? Do we not take it seriously and pretend it doesn’t really exist? Or do we give the devil and his minions credit for every bit of evil, depravity, and disease that runs amuck in our world? Running to either end of the gamut is dangerous.
First of all, let me assure you, it is all real. There are too many instances throughout Scripture to discount the reality of demonic activity in the world.
But I must also stress that we must not credit the devil and his cohorts with having enough power to be behind all the evil that we find around us. They are active but we, in our sinful state, don’t need a whole lot of help perpetuating evil on a multitude of fronts!
So why didn’t Jesus just destroy these demons – or send them to the bottomless pit? Because the time for such work had not yet come. He healed many people of the destructive effects of demon possession, but he did not yet destroy demons. The same question could be asked today – why doesn’t Jesus stop all the evil in the world? His time for that has not yet come. But it will come. The book of Revelation portrays the future victory of Jesus over, Satan, his demons and all evil. * (emphasis mine)
Lord Jesus, so often the weight of this world is overwhelming, and we feel that we cannot take much more without our knees buckling under us. The pain is real. Evil and all of its personifications are real.
The Apostle Paul encourages us by saying,
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. Ephesians 6:12 (AMP)
May we come to You, for You told us,
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Mar 24th, 2020, Tues, 6:31 pm