Obligation
Well, a different kind of day but thank You, Father, for walking beside me today. The schedule for the last couple of weeks has really worn me down, literally to the point of tears. But it is all to Your glory! This morning I truly believe my weeping helped convey Your heart as I spoke on “healing”. May I sleep well tonight and be ready for the full week ahead. And, Father…I will be leaning fully on You.
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
For quite some time I have felt compelled to take a picture from the window in my dining room – so I finally did…and here it is.
We have lived here now for almost 30 years and to my knowledge, my friend, Jerry, has farmed the land across the road for at least that long and probably longer. He rotates the roadside of this field between corn and soybeans and obviously this year’s crop is corn (the backside of the field is the exact opposite – beans this year).
Year after year, I have a front-row seat as the cycles of the season run through once more. He sows the seed, the seeds germinate and grow and grow and grow, until finally, they reach the point of maturity where fruit is born and then in short order reaches the time of harvest.
Now Jerry is the farmer and I am just an ignorant non-farmer watching, as it were, from the sidelines. I’m sure I could learn to do what Jerry does but that’s his thing, not mine.
I’m sure you are familiar with the passage in John’s Gospel, the fourth chapter where Jesus has been talking with a Samaritan woman while the disciples went into town in search of food. Upon their return, they are shocked to see Him talking with a woman and a Samaritan woman on top of that!
In the middle of all that has been going on and all this about to transpire. They urge Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.”
But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”
Uh, what? Where did He get food? Isn’t that why we went into town?
Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.” John 4:31-38 (NLT) (emphasis mine)
I may be a bystander in the corn harvest across the road but not in “the fields [that] are already ripe for harvest.”
Every single one of Jesus’ followers has the obligation to “gather the harvest.”
We may protest, well that’s his thing or her thing, not mine but does Jesus even hint that there is any kind of loop hole in His command? Nope. “Wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.”
Jesus calls and we have no choice but to answer and act upon that call.
Lord Jesus, may we gain wisdom as to how to participate in this calling. Many have “already done the work” and now we “will get to gather the harvest.” If Jerry fails to harvest his crop, he loses his investment of time and resources. If we fail to harvest Your crop, they may just lose the opportunity for an eternity with You. May each of us feel the weight of that obligation and act. Amen.
Sept 15th, 2019, Sun, 5:48 pm
Stereotypical Boxes
Father, thank You that blessings of a new school year. Thank You for Your watchcare over us all. May I become better acclimated to my early mornings, as well. Amen.
Mark 15:39 (<<click to read the passage)
One detriment to being around “church” for a length of time is that we begin to see things – and quite often important things – in a tunnel vision mindset.
You begin to sing a familiar hymn or worship song and you just go through the motions, singing the words but not really even thinking about what they say. (Have you ever been driving to a familiar destination and all of the sudden you tune back in and realize that you must have been on autopilot because you don’t remember being on the last part of your journey?)
Or how about important things like observing the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. You take the bread and you take the cup but instead of focusing on the importance of those elements your mind drifted to what you would be having for lunch?
You see or hear a familiar passage of Scripture and either skim past it or tune it out because, “Yeah, I’ve heard this one before…”
Well, for me at least, this is one of those passages.
When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last [being fully in control], he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Mark 15:39 (AMP)
I sort of divide this whole section of Scripture into good guys and bad guys. Jesus, the disciples, Simon of Cyrene, the women at the cross – they are the good guys. The Sadducees and Pharisees, Judas, Pilate, the Roman soldiers – they are the bad guys. It’s a pretty black and white assessment.
But if we think about it, we realize that the disciples were a mess at this time. Simon was probably trying to figure out what everything meant – so not necessarily all good.
The Sadducees and Pharisees as a whole were pretty bad…but what about Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea? They were part of that group but not so much when it came to the reality of who Jesus was.
How about the Roman soldiers? They were rough and tough…and well, overall, pretty nasty – they cracked Jesus over the head with a reed, spit on Him, mocked Him, put a crown of thorns on His head as “king” and all this after whipping Him almost to death.
Yeah, not a nice group of guys but…what about the centurion in verse 39? His proclamation is phenomenal! He didn’t throw all “criminals” into the same basket. And neither should we…
Two thoughts for today. Don’t let time with God become routine. Pray for freshness. He is as dynamic and powerful as ever! Maybe we’ve just become unplugged. And don’t automatically group people into stereotypical boxes. We are all unique and just because we find ourselves amongst “criminals” doesn’t mean we are one, too.
Sept 12th, 2019, Thurs, 9:31 am
Think on These Things
Father, as I look out my office window, I see the beauty of Your gift. Most of what I can see is still green but I am beginning to see signs of autumn everywhere I go. What blessings You bestow!
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
All kinds of things can remind us of God each day. Looking out my window reminded me of God. Sitting down to eat and seeing what He has provided reminds me of God. A close call on the highway reminds me of God watching over me. Numerous things do so.
One of my favorite things that I get to experience every time I drive my bus is several reminders of people in the Bible – God’s word. I have quite a few kids on my route but interestingly enough several of them share names with Bible characters – 22 of them to be exact! I have two kings, two namesakes for the tribes of Israel, a patriarch, an angel, three famous wives, two famous mothers, an ark builder, three Old Testament prophets and one New, a prophetess, three disciples of Jesus, a male companion of the Apostle Paul and one female associate, and a brother of Jesus, as well.
All kinds of Bible lessons flow through my mind on any given day. Now they may not act like the people with whom they share a name but that is beside the point.
There are so many things that flow through our lives on any given day – people we see, things we read, things we hear, other things we see – and they all have the possibility of reminding us about God.
Hear God’s word for such a time as this,
Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. Philippians 4:8 (AMP)
There are no excuses, we choose what we think on. I realize that sometimes a lot of bad things surround us but there a examples aplenty where people in concentration camps, or those waiting to be burned at the stake for believing in Jesus, or those who have suffered as prisoners of war – many have, though pressed from every side, they have followed what Philippians 4:8 directed us to do.
Lord Jesus, help us to focus on You. May we find You in the things that flow through our lives. And though things around us are not of You, may we find You in the midst, regardless. Amen.
Sept 11th, 2019, Wed, 10:18 am
When Morning Guilds the Skies
I’ve used some Psalms recently but this one came to mind today!
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Getting back into the routine of being up at 4:00 am now that school is back in session has been an adjustment, to say the least! But – and some may find this hard to believe – it is, in so many ways, inspirational! The children with whom I work, adults, as well. And of course, the world around me! The sunrises the last couple of mornings have been absolutely breathtaking! And what should pop into my head today but the opening lines of an old, old hymn.
When morning gilds the skies my heart awaking cries:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer, to Jesus I repair:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
How appropriate! The rising sun radiated on the clouds that covered the horizon and my first thoughts – my heart awoke! – and it praised the Creator of all things!
“Repair” here is an Old English word meaning to go back or to go home again. It makes no difference what we are doing, we can “repair” to Jesus – we can go back to or go home to Him!
I found “When Morning Guilds the Skies” in a couple of my hymnals. One had four verses, the other had six. But then I checked it out on http://www.hymntime.com and it showed 15 verses! Wow! Can you imagine singing all of those on a Sunday morning?
When I checked it out in a couple of my hymn “history” books it stated that Edward Caswall actually translated the original text (written in 1744) from German to English (in 1854) and when all was said and done, what he had translated and what he had written himself, he ended up with 28 stanzas!
They are wonderful reminders to praise Jesus Christ throughout every aspect of our lives.
Psalm 113:3 gives us the direction we must go.
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised. (NIV)
Here are a few of the stanzas of the many.
When you begin the day, O never fail to say,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
And at your work rejoice, to sing with heart and voice,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Does sadness fill my mind? A solace here I find,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Or fades my earthly bliss? My comfort still is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this at meals your grace, in every time and place;
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this, when day is past, of all your thoughts the last
May Jesus Christ be praised!
When sleep her balm denies, my silent spirit sighs,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
When evil thoughts molest, with this I shield my breast,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Amen, amen, and amen!
Sept 10th, 2019, Tues, 10:51 am
No Longer a Curtain
Father, I would ask for Your voice to speak loud and clear to me this evening. Lay upon my heart the word that You want to be heard. Amen.
Mark 15:35-38 (<<click to read the passage)
The latter part of this passage reads,
“…Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”
This particular portion of Scripture has always left me in awe. This curtain to which Mark refers to is not just a piece of décor. It was not placed there to muffle sounds or to give privacy to those standing behind it. In the Jewish faith, it served as a divider. It kept the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle, originally, and eventually, the temple cordoned off. Basically, no one was permitted to enter the Most Holy Place. It was entered only once a year – the Day of Atonement – and then only by the High Priest himself. It was the one time a year that he offered up a sacrifice to gain forgiveness for the sins of all the people my Study Bible* says. It was known as the Holy of Holies, the place where the presence of God Almighty was to be found.
You might be thinking, “So? A curtain got torn in half…big deal…”
But, oh, it was so much more than that!
Jesus’ death on the cross eliminated the need for that curtain. Before His death, humanity had to wait for that one person on that one day to go before God to seek forgiveness for sins committed. Now? God welcomes every single one of us right into His presence! No need to wait…go anytime you want! No need for some earthly mediator…Jesus is our mediator and because of His death and resurrection, we can go before our Father in person!
When we accept Jesus’ work on our behalf, His blood covers over all of our sins, once and for all! No need for repeated sacrifice – He has taken care of it all! The price – which we all owe! – has been paid by our Lord and Savior…for only He is worthy to do so… We could never be worthy enough for “When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6)
Jesus, what can I say? Nothing I say is worth a hoot! Only You are worthy Lord! Only You can save me! Only You are the reason that there is no longer a curtain! Amen!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Sept 9th, 2019, Mon, 8:37 pm