A Quickening Ray
Father, all I can say about today is that I am so glad that You encouraged me this morning to proclaim in both services that You are most definitely always with us but where we need to improve is to realize and acknowledge it! You do so much for us, and we see Your hand in all points of our lives. Amen.
Luke 1:67-80 (<<click to read the passage)
Reading through these verses once more my mind is literally bouncing all over the place! I am moved especially by the end of Zechariah’s song, where he proclaims the part that his newborn son will play in the coming of the Messiah – a long-anticipated event in the heart and mind of every faithful Israelite. Reread verses78 and 79,
Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.” (NLT)
My mind was instantly drawn to the image of a prisoner. One who has sat in the darkest of dungeons for so long that time no longer has meaning. Death is inevitable. He is aware that it may very well be a grisly end but he also fears that the end may never come and that he will sit where he finds himself, rotting away little by little, as does the fetid, flea-infested straw in his cubicle of squalor. No hope… No end in sight… No possibility of freedom or salvation…
And the worst element is the fact that he and he alone is to blame for where he finds himself. He is guilty of that; he has no doubt. He is in a cell of his own making with no expectation of escape.
That picture is clear in my mind but immediately a grand old hymn comes to mind. It is a favorite of many – Charles Wesley’s And Can It Be. Here is the third verse.
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night.
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray.
I woke; the dungeon flamed with light!
My chains fell off; my heart was free.
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off; my heart was free.
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
Didn’t Wesley pen the most beautiful prose to declare Christ’s work in our lives? It reflects the reality of where we all have been. Condemned… Separated… Guilty… Hopeless…
But because of Jesus’ coming, because He gave up himself, because He paid the price for the dastardly deeds we committed, we are free! And as Zechariah proclaimed, we now are guided “to the path of peace.”
Lord Jesus, all praise to You for setting us free through Your sacrifice! May it be a realization in our lives and may we life to proclaim to all, the freedom we have experienced so that some other prisoner might find freedom as well! Amen.
Oct 20th, 2019, Sun, 8:05 pm
MIGHTY! Not Just Meek and Mild
Father, it was definitely a day with some different elements. Not much time in the office but some very enjoyable one-on-one time with my father-in-law. Thank you for the blessings of family.
Luke 1:67-80 (<<click to read the passage)
Looking back over the life I have lived, one of my favorite jobs (if you can even call it a job!) ever was being a Children’s Pastor. The last church we attended my wife and I volunteered in children’s ministry and then for the last five years at that church I served in the wonderful role of Pastor to Families with Children!
When I share with people about my time in that position, I can honestly share that there was not a single day that I dreaded going to “work”. I loved the preparation. I loved the application. I loved my kids. I loved my volunteers. It was the absolute dream job!
Music is a very big part of my life, too – in fact, that was my first calling from God. I went to college to be a Minister of Music. But I am so grateful for what He has brought me through and where I am today. But it all started with music and music is an amazing part of ministering to kids!
When Zechariah regained his ability to speak, he didn’t just talk he sang! The first few verses of his song read,
“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
He has sent us a mighty Savior
from the royal line of his servant David,
just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
He has sent us (that includes us, too!) a mighty Savior!
As I read through this portion of this passage the words of this children’s song came to mind,
My God is so big
So strong and so mighty
There’s nothing my God cannot do!
We don’t have a meek and mild Savior – yes, He is gentle and caring and loving – but we have a MIGHTY Savior. There is nothing He cannot handle.
So many of us are overwhelmed with…well with life overall. When we’re young many struggle with school and relationships. We strive to be our people but we so want to be accepted that many will do almost anything to fit in.
Then comes young adulthood, we start dealing with finding our place in this world (Hey! Michael W. Smith’s My Place in this World – look it up!) We work so hard trying to figure it out, in occupations and further schooling and in starting families. Whoa! How in the world do we get it all together?
In the “adult” part of our life some things have come together but we have to keep up with it all – kids, church, homes, vehicles, finances, work, etc. ad nauseam! Sometimes we wonder how in the world we can keep it all together without losing our minds!
In our senior years, it is still a struggle. For most of us, in our minds, we are still young, but our bodies beg to differ. Little by little, we lose mobility, we lose strength, we lose control and once more we are dependent upon others to do things we once could do ourselves.
Repeatedly I talk with others who, in all stages of life, are dealing with all of this and the overarching exclamation – at least from believers in Jesus – is, “The only way I am doing it is through God’s power in my life!”
He has sent us a mighty Savior!
And that is the answer to all of life’s questions and heartaches and pain. Only Jesus is mighty enough to handle it all!
Oct 17th, 2019, Thurs, 7:34 pm
A Deliberate Investment
It was a rainy early morning and people complain but You give it all because we need it all. It may seem inconvenient and messy but it is life-giving as You have ordained! Thank You, Father, for meeting our needs even amongst our complaints.
Luke 1:66 (<<click to read the passage)
“What will this child turn out to be?”
Wow! What a loaded question! And it is applicable not only to John but to all children! It is a question full of possibility…full of potential! And for that matter, it is potential for good and bad.
As a school bus driver, I have the privilege of interacting with children almost every day! Teachers do, janitors do and school administrators do. I would challenge you to daily pray for each of us.
There are kids on my bus that come from wonderful homes! Moms and dads, just moms, just dads, grandmothers, aunts, and uncles. The kids are happy and eager for the life that is ahead of them.
Others live in situations that are challenging to say the least. Many live in almost impossible situations… Some struggle just to make it through one more day. Many of their lives are filled with landmines around which they must carefully maneuver. The slightest misstep and there could be devastating results.
But we must remember that wonderful or challenging, their homes contribute to their development but do not necessarily commit them to a predetermined outcome. Each of us comes to the point where we must make our own decisions about who and what we will be.
Just because we are raised in a stable and affirming environment doesn’t guarantee that we will perpetuate that in our own lives. How many families have been torn apart because a child has been lured into an obsession and eventual addiction to drugs?
And for that matter, how many “success” stories do we hear of individuals who refused to be chained to the horrid examples set before them in their youth and pushed themselves to overcome and impact the world in a wonderful way with their personal contributions?
Regardless, I choose to deliberately invest my life into the lives of the children (and adults, for that matter) that I interact with in my life. For who knows what this child will turn out to be?
Oct 16th, 2019, Wed, 1:08 pm
Just the Four of Us
The chill of autumn is setting in but I am glad that the warmth of Your love never fades. May our time together bring about what is on Your heart tonight. Amen.
Luke 1:57-66 (<<click to read the passage)
My family takes great pride in our names. My grandfather (who was birthed in the middle of 17 children!) was given the name Thomas Swentzler Fowler. It is unique, to say the least. Some years later when his first son was born, he was given the same name and now there was a Sr. and a Jr. Twenty-five years later, I was born and – you guessed it – I was given the same name and twenty-nine years later I gave the name to my son. So, it was Sr., Jr., the III, and a IV. The picture for today is just the four of us on the day of Massey’s dedication to the Lord! (My granddad was Tom. My dad is Tom. I spell my name Thom, the first part of Thomas, and we gave my son the last part of our name and call him, Massey.)
Family tradition and pride in our family is of great value. I cherish my ancestry and I know my granddad would be proud of all three of his namesakes and what we have become.
After Elizabeth gave birth to a son, on his day of circumcision – a very important day observed by every devout Jew – his father Zechariah was still unable to speak due to his unbelief. Everyone just assumed that the newborn boy would take his father’s name – family lines and family names were important to the Jews, too. But Elizabeth exclaimed, “No indeed; instead he will be called John.” (Can’t you hear your mom talking that way?) And their response to her was, “None of your relatives is called by that name.”
At this point, Zechariah is consulted and when he asked for a writing tablet, he wrote…, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. At once Zacharias’ mouth was opened and his tongue freed” – and here is what I want to latch onto today – “and he began speaking, praising and blessing and thanking God.” (emphasis mine – all Scripture is taken from the AMP)
I love how this is translated! I write this way quite often for extra emphasis – putting an “and” in between every word.
Zechariah had nine months plus of being unable to speak. And now that God’s promise had come to fruition in a mighty way, it just all seemed to come out at once! There was no complaining or questioning or anger – not one of those descriptive words is negative on any front. Sure, Zechariah had played his part, but God – and God alone! – deserved the praising and the blessing and the thanking!
Lord Jesus, You are constantly at work in our lives. May we be quick to praise and bless and thank You for You – and You alone! – deserve it all! We are slow to do so many times in our lives but may it become a habit to give credit where credit is due! Amen.
Oct 15th, 2019, Tues, 6:31 pm
Upside-down
A difficult day as friends are dealing with the death of a young son and another friend is dealing with a severe shoulder injury. Father, the world about us is never stagnant. Life moves forward, often at an alarming rate, caring not who is hurt as it barrels forward. Father, I would pray for my friends, may they find comfort in Your arms and in the arms of Your children who embrace them, as well. Amen.
Luke 1:46-56 (<<click to read the passage)
A few years back I preached a sermon series on the upside-down Kingdom. God’s ways are most certainly not man’s ways. Here are a few of them.
- To become a leader, be a servant (Matthew 20:24-28)
- To truly find life, die to self (Matthew 16:24-25)
- To get back at your enemy, love him (Matthew 5:43-44; Romans 12:19-21)
- To become rich, give money away (Luke 6:38; Luke 16:9; 2 Corinthians 9:10; Matthew 6:33)
As I was reading through Mary’s song of praise, verses 51-53 grabbed my attention.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
That’s a little topsy-turvy to the way the world thinks. As a follower of Jesus in the “real” world, if you will, it is a challenge to get our brains to think the way God thinks (the more time we spend with Him the easier it becomes!) But what is a common mindset amongst all of us? Get to the top of the heap! That seems to be the goal no matter where you are. I have kindergarteners already complaining that they have to sit in the front of the bus, they want the seats of prestige in the back of the bus! Many people’s goals are to be the leaders, the supervisors the managers – and really its no different in the church. It’s all about power and the sway we can wield.
The proud and haughty ones…the princes on their thrones have been brought down but the humble are exalted.
The haves become the have nots and visa versa. The hungry have been filled…with good things and those with everything are sent away with empty hands.
Our culture touts that we deserve to have everything we want regardless of cost, regardless of who gets hurt. And many of us, followers of Jesus included, live that way!
Lord Jesus, may we take Paul’s statement in Romans 12:2 (AMP) to heart.
And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].
Oct 14th, 2019, Mon, 5:40 pm