Transition
Father, thank You for Your abiding presence through all the many facets of this past week. This weekend itself has been full. It has been good but it has also been draining. Fill me with Your strength and power as we come together tonight. Amen.
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I am no longer young – SURPRISE! If I would live to be 100 years old (be that good or bad) I have lived over half of my life. If I think of it seasonally, spring has passed, summer has passed and the onset of autumn is upon me.
I don’t think I am going through some sort of midlife crisis but this weekend, in a way, sits on the precipice of transition. We are fortunate to not have our local schools go into session until this week – last year they reverted to the old school idea of not starting until after Labor Day. So, a new year for me. I have so enjoyed spending basically each day with my wife – what a blessing! But now we will see each other a bit during the day but mainly it will once again be evenings and weekends (yay!) …transition.
Of course, Labor Day is associated with the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Flowers are dying. Leaves are beginning their descent. Pumpkin-spice everything is starting to pop up everywhere! …transition.
Yesterday I had the distinct honor of officiating at the graveside service of a husband and wife who were affiliated with one of my churches in years past. Some time ago they relocated their entire family to North Carolina…but their cemetery plots where here in Ohio. They had both been cremated and although she passed in 2015, he passed just this past spring and the family gathered for their internment. She was 88 and he was 94 at the times of their deaths. …transition.
It makes one think. When we are young, we have so many dreams. We want to accomplish so many things. We want to impact. We want to make a difference. We want to make a change. Not always on a huge scale but at least in our own lives and the lives of those who are close to us.
When I went to college back in the fall of 1981, I distinctly remember writing out Proverbs 16:9 and tacking it above my desk in my dorm room. That note is still in the Bible I used at the time which is packed away in our attic. But the Amplified Bible states it clearly,
“A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the Lord directs his steps and establishes them.”
It was on my mind then and it is on my mind now. I have done my thing. I have made my choices. Some of them, I am sure, were more me than God. But I know that many of my choices were more God and less me. He has directed my steps and used me in countless ways. My prayer is that I will continue to yield to His Lordship. That I will trust in a loving Father who has such a majestic view of the big picture…and I willingly follow – for Father does know best…through all the transitions.
Sept 1st, 2019, Sun, 8:27 pm
Just a Matter of Time
A solid day of work in the office today, Father, in preparation for Sunday. Please, continue to direct my thoughts and heart as I ready myself for sharing Your word with Your people, both for Sunday and as we come together this evening. Amen.
Mark 15:16-20 (<<click to read the passage)
It is just a matter of time.
But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 2 Peter 3:8 (NLT)
All the atrocities committed against Jesus, every person involved – and keep in mind it is not just the disciples and the Jewish leaders and Pilate and the entire regiment of Roman soldiers – but it is every, solitary individual that has ever walked this planet, including you and including me, we all will be held accountable for our actions.
Isaiah 53:7 prophetically spoke of Jesus at his point in His life.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth [to complain or defend Himself];
Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before her shearers,
So He did not open His mouth. (AMP)
We all have oppressed Him. We all have afflicted Him. And the Apostle Paul goes on to state,
For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 (AMP)
My Life Application Study Bible makes an excellent point in its notes.
When you feel that unjust people who control and viewpoints hostile to Christianity are carrying the day, rest assured that Jesus holds the highest place and will return in glory.
Regardless of what happens on this dusty ball flying through space, Jesus will, without the slightest bit of doubt, have the final say, no ifs, ands or buts. And one of the most assuring things to me is He will be fair and He will be just. It will all be black and white and there will be no gray.
Lord Jesus, may we confess our sins to You. May we be ready to stand before You at any given moment. Burden our hearts with the need to bring along as many as we can reach to join us, for we must all be ready! Amen.
Aug 29th, 2019, Thurs, 9:25 pm
Nudge Me All You Want
Oh my, Father, it is much later than I had anticipated it being. Many things were accomplished today and it has just taken this long to get to this point. I know You are with me whenever I can sit down with You. Thank You for Your love, for I surely love You, too!
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Today I had the opportunity to interact with a friend. We took care of some important business but then we interacted on a more personal basis. My friend’s son is going through a difficult time and, like any parent worth their salt, my friend is going through it right along with him.
My heart aches for them and I have thought of them several times as the day has moved on. I am so glad that I pursued that personal interaction. I could have just wrapped up our business and left but our lives are so much more than that. My friend had not hinted whatsoever about their ordeal but I feel that the Holy Spirit gave my heart a nudge and He used that time to impact someone for Him by using me.
It’s important to act on those nudges. At the time, we may not think a whole lot of it but looking back we can see that God’s hand was in it. If I had ignored His nudge, it may not have been a travesty but who knows what He will do with the words He gave me to speak. It may make a difference and it may not. God alone knows. But we must be willing. We must be obedient. We must take action when prompted to do so.
Proverbs 3:6-7 from The Message, a personal paraphrase of the Bible by Eugene Peterson, states: “Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God!”
Lord Jesus, I am humbled that You can use me. I am an imperfect vessel that You choose to use to touch others with Your word for them. Make me all the more sensitive in my interactions with others. Nudge me all You want. “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10b
Aug 28th, 2019, Wed, 10:43 pm
Transparency
Father, thanks for walking alongside me this day. It was a good day and everything went smoothly. You bless me in abundance! Praise Your Holy Name!
Mark 15:6-15 (<<click to read the passage)
In 1837 Hans Christian Andersen published a short tale entitled “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” It is about two weavers who promise an emperor a new suit of clothes that they say is invisible to those who are unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent – while in reality, they make no clothes at all, making everyone believe the clothes are invisible to them. When the emperor parades before his subjects in his new “clothes”, no one dares to say that they do not see any suit of clothes on him for fear that they will be seen as stupid. Finally, a child cries out, “But he isn’t wearing anything at all!” (Wikipedia: The Emporer’s New Clothes)
Oh, how humiliating to be caught out and about in your skivvies because you were a fool! The emperor’s “transparency” showed him for who he truly was.
In today’s passage, the leading priests truly believe they had everyone fooled…but they were the fools. As followers of Christ, we are challenged to be transparent, but their transparency showed them to be all we strive not to be – self-seeking, hypocritical, envious, etc., etc.
Pilate may have interacted with them to some degree but regardless he saw through their thinly veiled “righteousness” to the heart of who they really were. He attempted to sidestep them but because of his own weaknesses and vulnerabilities, he broke and yielded to the pressure the leading priests placed on him, as well as the pressure of the people they pushed to call for Jesus’ execution. Pilate was transparent as well – he had no true desire for justice. His one and only desire was to cover himself.
As I wrote earlier, as followers of Christ, I believe we are challenged to be transparent. When we hide who we really are and the truth comes out, everything we have said about who we are comes under scrutiny. Proverbs 28:13 states,
People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. (NLT)
In Numbers 32:23 we find Moses stressing to the Israelites that must do what they said they would do – transparency – and if they didn’t he said: “you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” (NLT)
The Apostle Paul in his writings to the church in Corinth used himself as an example of transparency.
This is our [reason for] proud confidence: our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world [in general], and especially toward you, with pure motives and godly sincerity, not in human wisdom, but in the grace of God [that is, His gracious lovingkindness that leads people to Christ and spiritual maturity]. 2 Corinthians 1:12 (AMP)
Lord Jesus, help me to live a life of transparency. May I never misrepresent You. May what people see in me – hear from me – may it be a genuine reflection of You in my life. If they hold me up to the light, may they see You shining through! Amen.
Aug 27th, 2019, Tues, 8:11 pm
Resolved
Father, I almost forgot to sit down with You this evening! Karen and I have spent the day working on a fun project together, while I prepped for an outpatient procedure for tomorrow. May our time together be profitable. I am so glad You reminded me!
Mark 15:2-5 (<<click to read the passage)
A favorite hymn of mine from years past is entitled, “I Am Resolved.” Here are the words of the second verse and refrain.
I am resolved to go to the Savior,
Leaving my sin and strife;
He is the true One, He is the just One,
He hath the words of life.
Refrain
I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free;
Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.
I will hasten, hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free;
Jesus, Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.
Resolved. Dictionary.com defines it as firm in purpose or intent; determined.
I may be “resolved to go to the Savior” but Jesus was by far more resolute than I could ever possibly be. In these few verses, it is obvious He has resolved Himself to the mission He was born to complete. Ephesians 1:4 tells us,
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. (NLT)
He knew what we would do. He knew, even before a single one of us had been formed in our mother’s womb, that we would turn from Him and go our own way and do our own thing… But He still brought us into existence. All the while knowing that the only way we could ever be reconciled in our relationship with Him was for Him to give up His own life so the price for our rebellion – our sin – could be paid.
Why, when Pilate prodded Him to respond to the fabricated charges being brought against him by the pompous leading priests, did He just keep silent? It was time for Him to complete the task that had been set before Him. And at this point, nothing He would have said would have made any difference. And honestly…it didn’t need to. He was fulfilling the Father’s call upon His life and absolutely nothing was going to stop Him.
Lord Jesus, I grieve knowing that my disobedience brought You such pain. But I also rejoice, knowing that Your choice bought my salvation. I could not pay the price but You could and…You did! All praise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! “He is the true One, He is the just One, He hath the words of life.” Amen!
Aug 26th, 2019, Mon, 9:49 pm