Nothing Is Impossible
Father, I realize that I can complain and be ungrateful about where I work but if I sit back and really look at where I find myself, I am truly blessed. Yesterday, as I experienced my first time of processing an inbound truck I had the privilege of seeing many of my compatriots working together in a well-orchestrated feat. Each person doing what needed to be done in (at least from my perspective) perfect synchronization AND having fun together at the same time. Thank You, Father, for the privilege of it all.
Matthew 15:29-31 (<<click the green)
In this translation, it all comes down to one paragraph with 6 sentences and 78 words. Not much, right? But look at what happened! Once Jesus seated himself on a hill it tells us that a “vast crowd“ brought him…well, they brought him another vast crowd! But the second crowd consisted not just of family, friends, and acquaintances. No, this second group was made of those with a multitude of needs. They were “lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn’t speak, and many others.”
No specifics, no names, no shared words – just action! If you don’t believe the statement that nothing is impossible with God then read that paragraph through again! Every single need that was brought before Jesus was met. There is absolutely nothing that we cannot bring to Him! Nothing is too big or too small.
Lord, help us to give all of our needs over to You. We must keep In mind that Your answer may be a “yes” but it could be a “no” or a “wait”. Grant us patience. Grant us peace. Amen.
May 24th, 2018, Thurs, 6:54 am
Trust
Father, I just have to thank You for dragonflies! I saw my first one of the year leaving work. Their intricacy and beauty confirm to me Your loving touches of detail in all of Your creation! Summer is just around the corner and it will be full of Your glory. Praise Your holy name!
Matthew 15:21-28 (<<click the green)
Lord, from a purely human perspective this story makes me squirm a little. But when I think of You, I have to study who is involved in the story and why things transpired the way they did.
First, You love us, no holds barred. So why didn’t You respond to the woman’s need immediately? Someone needed to learn a lesson. It may have been the woman. It may have been Your disciples. It most definitely is I. At least part of the lesson was perseverance.
While You lived amongst us, when You interacted with needy people, Your response was almost always immediate. But I know from experience that sometimes You answer “yes”, sometimes You answer “no” and sometimes You answer “wait.” Do You love us any less with a “no” or a “wait”? Not one bit! You alone can see the entirety of the big picture – we can only see the here and now. You do what is best us all.
Secondly, just because she was a Gentile (not a Jew) didn’t mean she was sub-par. You weren’t so narrow-minded as that. Your disciples may have thought more that way but all along You knew You were going to help her with her need. You “came to seek and save those who are lost.” Luke 19:10 And that includes everyone.
Lord Jesus, You call me to trust You. You call me to persevere. You want me to learn from You. Your desire is for me to love as You have loved me. May I follow Your leading. May I find peace and n security in knowing that You know what’s best. Amen.
May 23rd, 2018, Wed, 4:30 pm
May I Be Less
A full and busy day it surely has been, Father. Thank You for enabling me to accomplish as much as I did. Thank You for being with Karen, touch her, please. May our time together be productive. Amen.
Matthew 15:15-20 (<<click the green)
As we saw yesterday, Lord, You have the uttermost love for the lost and zero patience for those who should know better…but Your disciples? They fell somewhere in the middle. They were surely teachable but they were slow enough to catch on that the Amplified Bible has You asking Peter in verse 16, “Are you still so dull [and unable to put things together]?”
The disciples had been with You well over two years and yet they still weren’t getting it! I know that quite often I am one to second guess myself on things rather than be wrong. It’s how I’ve trained myself to respond. I’m a relatively intelligent individual but I always feel better if I make sure that my assumptions are correct.
Regardless of whether this had been Peter’s thinking or not, You go on to answer his question and I ‘m sure he was speaking for the lot of them. What we ingest goes in and comes out, plain and simple. But what we say? What we say springs “from the heart – that’s what defiles [us].”
Eating “wrong” things, at “wrong” times with unwashed hands has no impact whatsoever. You go on to say, “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you.”
Outside influences may fuel the fire but every single one of us is born with that flame already lit and glowing – and that flame is sin. We may expand our repertoire with things we hear and see but at the core of it all, there is no one to blame but ourselves. And there is no way to extinguish that flame – no way to eradicate that sin – than to trust in the gift of salvation offered by You and You alone.
Lord Jesus, may we fall at Your feet in repentance. May we joyfully accept Your payment for our sins. Fill us with Your presence that we may be victorious in our daily walk. May I be less so that You can be more. Amen.
May 22nd, 2018, Tues, 9:20 pm
Out of Line
Father, I know I shouldn’t be but I am repeatedly astounded by Your interaction with me! This morning I had to be up extraordinarily early (4:00 am!) and You have consistently been faithful in waking me for years. As I settled into sleep last night it crossed my mind to set the alarm on my phone, I struggled a little bit but realized You are faithful… and You were, of course! Thank You, Father!
Matthew 15:12-14 (<<click the green)
One of the many things to admire about Jesus is the fact he knew people – I mean he really knew people. We think we can hide behind our facades – and it may work with others – but not with Him. When we read the Gospels we never – absolutely not one instance – never do we see Jesus get in the face of “sinners” as the Pharisees liked to call them. He has never met a “sinner” he didn’t like…uh, scratch that…He has never met a “sinner” he didn’t unconditionally love and adore to the uttermost! He sees right through to the very core of our being.
…and that’s why He didn’t indulge the flapping jaws of the “religious” leaders. When his disciples asked Him, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?” He replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”
“…ignore them…” That’s pretty straight and to the point!
Lord Jesus, I pray that I could be more like You. You reached out in compassion to those who so desperately needed Your love. And You were quick to set straight those who knew better and were out of line. You. We tiptoe around what too many cantankerous folks, coddling them instead of correcting them. And we are fearful of speaking to the lost who so urgently need to hear of You and Your salvation. May I follow the example of my Master. Amen.
May 21st, 2018, Mon, 9:45 am
STAR WARS – My Downfall?
At the end of a very full day, it is a blessing to sit with You, Father. Thank You for Your presence in our worship services and in our travels to see family. Bless those who heard Your word proclaimed. Bless my family as well. I know that I am blessed because of them all!
Matthew 15:10-11 (<<click the green)
I have a very conservative heritage. I am not ashamed of one stitch of it but many, especially those outside that particular mindset, would be astonished at some of the many things that were considered taboo when I was younger.
One thing that comes to mind was that we did not go to movies. As a freshman in high school, I was in the band. Prior to school beginning, we had band camp and unbeknownst to me one of the big activities for the band was the “treat” of going to see a brand new movie out in theaters at the time. (For those curious minds that want to know, it was the original Star Wars!) Well, I had never been in a theater and told the band director that I wasn’t allowed to go – it was against my religion. He tried, unsuccessfully, to reach my parents and being the only student with an issue, I had no choice but to go with everyone else.
I thought for sure that lightning would strike me the moment I crossed the threshold of the theater but, of course, that didn’t happen. I really enjoyed the movie but to say the least, it was a harrowing experience for an impressionable 14-year-old.
At that point in my life, it wasn’t necessarily that things that were outside of me that were defiling me, as You put it, Lord. Jedi, stormtroopers, and Wookiees did not lead me down the path of eternal destruction but the things that played out in my mind and heart were the much bigger culprits.
Lord Jesus, we must be very careful. Many things in and of themselves are not evil but they can lead to an impaired relationship with You. Inevitably, if we let them, things coming into our hearts and minds from the outside can coagulate into a lethal combination that can ooze out from the inside. May I be wary of the things that I let in – may I remain true to You on all sides. Amen.
May 20th, 2018, Thurs, 10:07 pm