Not Even for a Nanosecond
All the credit goes to You, Father, for a very productive day. Thank you for good company and safe travel as we went to encourage dear friends at the passing of a loved one. I am listening to what You have for me this evening.
Mark 10:17-22 (<<click the green)
As I read through this story in Matthew last night, I remembered an additional recollection of another Gospel writer. Here it is in context.
“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” v.21-22
Did you catch the extra detail? Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him.
Now you know that Jesus knew how the young man was going to respond to his command. But did Jesus for one nanosecond (that’s one billionth of a second – I had to look it up!) hold back his love? Not on your life! It was genuine love – not pretend love, or conditional love but genuine love!
It is truly difficult for us to understand, but Jesus loves us – me and you and every other individual in the world – with genuine and unconditional love. He loves me just as much as He loves the person who has never loved Him in return. He loves us regardless of how much we love Him. He yearns for our love for Him but that does not in the least deter Him from loving us – His passion and death on the cross proved that.
Lord Jesus, may I continually be reminded of Your unfailing love for me. And in turn, may I continually be reminded of the love I have for others – how can I do anything else!
Aug 16th, 2018, Thurs, 9:18 pm
Check Lists
I have to admit, Father, that Wednesday’s are rough. Getting up at 4:00 am to be at work by 6:00 I just can’t seem to get up any earlier to write. After a very full day, I would ask that You would help me to give my full attention to You. Help me to hear what You would have for me, so I may be challenged and grow to be more like you. Amen.
Matthew 19:16-30 (<<click the green)
Most of us would agree that, at least in American culture, we are defined quite often by what we do. We label ourselves with monikers connected to where we go to school, what we do for a living or to whom we are related. Some of us rightfully take pride in how far down the road of accomplishment we have traveled. For many, it has taken many, many hours of hard work.
Honestly, just about any of us could stand in the place of this young man interacting with Jesus. It’s easy for us to ask this simple question, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
Our lives are all about doing. Jesus replied, “…if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.” And again, for the most part, we too could check off that box. We’re basically good people, right? We’ve never killed anyone or had an affair or stolen anything of significance.
So as the young man replied, we too could ask, “What else must I do?”
And Jesus’ answer turned his (and our) world on its head. Yes, Jesus told him to do something, but it really boils down to who the young man was – it wasn’t about doing, it was about being.
Life is not about checking all the boxes. Go to church –check. Be kind – check. Read my Bible – check. Pray before I eat – check. Throw a little something in the offering plate– check. Love others – check. Love my mom – check. We can do all those things but if we are not living our lives being in an honest, open relationship with God, it is all to no avail.
Lord Jesus, help our doing to be an outcome of our being. Amen.
Aug 15th, 2018, Wed, 9:21 pm
Thump to the Head
Father, we all are back at it today. Help us to be grateful for our time together and to cherish that as we move forward. May we be a soothing balm to those around us. May our lights shine brightly in the darkness. Amen.
Matthew 19:13-15 (<<click the green)
When I was in high school a popular commercial of the time had an actor eating or drinking something that wasn’t necessarily healthy, then they would thump themselves in the head with the palm of their hand and exclaim, “Wow, I could have had a V8!” Of course, V8 Juice is still around and the idea was that there was a much better alternative to the choice they had made.
In today’s passage, I think the disciples probably thump themselves in the head thinking, “I should have known better!”
Parents had “brought their children to Jesus so he could lay hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering [Jesus].” It hadn’t been but a few days since Jesus had brought a child to stand among them telling them, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4)
Definitely a thump on the head moment!
Lord, Your words have lost nothing in the 2000+ years since you proclaimed them. How many times do I thump myself in the head and think, “I should have known better!” I am so indebted to You for Your long-suffering love towards me. (Long-suffering communicates so much more than patient!) How often do I hear Your word loud and clear and in short order run contrary to it and have to thump myself in the head? May more and more of Your teachings be absorbed into my mindset. May I live out Your precepts each day. Amen.
Aug 14th, 2018, Tues, 7:33 am
Changed
Father, I am so grateful for the time we had to spend with Massey. Thank You for providing each of us with time off for our regular routines so that we savor the moments together! Thank You for loving us the way You do so that we are able to love each other.
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I haven’t touched on it for quite a while but a little over three years ago I came to a point in my life where I knew it was time to go deep if you will. I cannot tell you when I accepted Christ as my Savior; I just know that it was at a young age. So I’ve had a relationship with Christ for probably close to 50 years. I had struggled with that relationship – not that Christ wasn’t extending the entirety of himself to me – but that I, even despite great efforts at times on my part, never seemed to get much below the surface.
I knew that He wanted an intimate relationship with me but though I had even served in many areas of full-time Christian ministry, in many ways I felt as if I barely knew Him. I knew of Him…but I really didn’t know him.
Back to three years ago…a surface relationship was no longer going to cut it! So I set out to specifically take time to spend one-on-one with Jesus. For me, it was early morning and in order to stay focused I journaled. I wrote an opening prayer to my Father and then read a passage of Scripture – at that point I was reading through the Epistles of the New Testament – and then I would ask the Lord to speak to me, to open my heart and mind to what would have me to glean from His Word…and He did.
It was hit and miss at the beginning but eventually, I went for days without missing a single opportunity to come together…and our relationship flourished!
After a time, my son, Massey, encouraged me to share my writings on a more public level and shortly thereafter More than Useless came together. I decided on that “label” because even with all I had taken part in through ministry, I felt unworthy…I felt on many levels that I was useless. But my time with Jesus changed it all!
Ephesians 1:4 came to mean a great deal to me.
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
I am chosen! You are chosen! Before anything that we know even came into existence we were loved and chosen! As I said, my time with Jesus changed my whole mindset.
I recently came across a song with which many who enjoy Contemporary Christian music will be familiar. It is entitled, “You Say” and is sung by a young lady by the name of Lauren Daigle. In this song, she proclaims that regardless of how we may feel about ourselves, all that makes any real difference is what You say…for what You, Lord, have to say about is what really matters! Amen.
Aug 13th, 2018, Mon, 9:14 pm
Mold and Shape Us
(My surgery went very well. And today, as yet another well-received entry is posting we are heading to take Massey to the airport for his return flight to Texas. What a joy it has been to have him home! Please pray for safe travels!)
Even at this early hour, Father, many things are running through my mind – joy in seeing Your mighty hand at work in the life of a newborn recovering from life-changing surgery – thinking, with a heavy heart, of events which transpired at work yesterday and what it means for parties involved – a gamut of emotions but though I feel both joy and sorrow the depths of what I feel is nothing compared to the joy the mother of the newborn is feeling or the sorrow of the life-changing events with which the individual from work is dealing.
And, Father, You permeate the mix – You are right there with us, rejoicing when we rejoice and there to console us in our loss. But what is our response to You? It is easy to give You praise in the midst of blessing… but can we do so in times of heartache? If we can, it would help us. Sometimes we are able to do so but only after a period of time.
There are times when, because of our own actions, we experience heartache. We did something we should not have done or we didn’t do something we should have done. Either way, we must deal with the consequences. It may seem odd but praise is appropriate. We can praise because now that it is exposed we can deal with it – no more hiding, no more denying, no more avoiding it. Even if sin is involved we can praise because if we repent, You love us and will forgive – new slate, new start – move on.
We can praise in that everything we experience in life can be built upon. You use it all to mold and shape us into what we need to be – even the bad stuff can be used. It can make us more sensitive to the plight of others. It can strengthen our own fortitude so as not to fall again. It can be a catalyst to move us on to bigger and better things. It can help us see the importance of our relationship with You – more dependence on You and less on ourselves.
Lord, help me this day to “rejoice with those who rejoice” and “mourn with those who mourn.” Romans 12:15 Remind me to pray for them and help me to remember that in my walk with You, that You “must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30 Amen.
May 11th, Tues, 5:51 am