Pressing On in 2013

Philippians 3: 12 -16 (NIV): I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

It's a brand new year and a good time to stop and reflect that the past is gone. We can't go back and we can't change what happened yesterday. We have to live in the present. I often say we don't live one day at a time, but one moment at a time. We have this moment and nothing else. The past is gone and the future arrives one second at a time and no faster, and we do not know what it will bring. We do not fear it because we know that God is already there waiting for us, but we are wise not to count on it to make changes or to make our peace with him. This moment is the one for that.

Paul knew he wasn't perfect – and he knew he never would be, but his goal was simple: to become more and more like Christ every day. That should be our goal, too, every moment of this new year. We can't go back and fix mistakes, but we can use our experiences and God's grace to avoid new ones today. We can't go back and erase pain, but we can lean on God for his comfort right now.

Paul says he is forgetting what was behind and straining forward like a runner in a race. Not looking back but putting one foot in front of the other as he pushed ahead. We too are running the race set before us. We strain ahead. We push forward. Sometimes it seems we cannot go any more. Sometimes our faith is weak and our strength has dried up. But we call on God and his bottomless power and we take one more step. We strain ahead. We march forward. We run the race.

And we live up to the maturity level we have reached. We do not backslide or waver in our faith, but continually move forward. Not a year at a time or even a day at a time, but moment by moment.

The Love Joseph Showed

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

    In Jesus' culture, the engagement was as legally binding as the marriage itself. Mary and Joseph were "married" legally, but Matthew makes it very clear there had been no sexual union yet. After that union they would be fully married and not just engaged. 

    Point one is that God is looking for clean vessels for his most noble purposes. Paul says some vessels in a house are used for noble purposes and some for ignoble purposes (2 Timothy 2:20-21). We all belong to God and he will use all of us for his purposes. I want to be used for noble purposes. It does matter that Mary was a virgin so she could fulfill the prophecy found in Isaiah 7:14, among other reasons. God chose Mary and Joseph, in part, because they were righteous.

    Joseph could have had Mary whipped or stoned for being unfaithful to him when she became pregnant. But he was going to divorce her privately because he didn't want to harm her -- even though he thought she had harmed him. Then he showed tremendous faith when he believed what the angel told him. He was a righteous man, a man of a faith and a man of love.

A Child is Born

Isaiah 9: 6-7: (NIV): For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. 

    Amazingly, this was written more than 700 years before Jesus was born. This passage is in the middle of an astounding prophecy that said the Messiah would come from Galilee. A light would dawn there, it says, and bring hope.

   Jesus, in fact, fulfilled 350 prophecies from the Old Testament. Several are in this chapter.

    Jesus didn't just appear one day as a grown man. He was born to a family. He grew up just like we all do, and he knows what we go through. The government that is on his shoulders is not some local jurisdiction -- he rules the universe as its creator, author and sustainer. He always has and always will. Two chapters earlier, Isaiah tells us he would be born of a virgin and she would call him Immanuel, which means "God with us." Only God himself could fulfill this prophecy. Jesus is God himself, in human form.

   Jesus is called Wonderful Counselor. He is without peer as a counselor and guide. The Holy Spirit lives within us, giving us hope and comfort and strength.

He is Mighty God. Again, the Messiah was not just a good teacher, he was God among us. He is an Everlasting Father, who desires that we are mature and fulfilled. He is the Prince of Peace. The peace Jesus gives is peace with God and peace with ourselves. True peace comes from Jesus. He gives light, hope, comfort, salvation and peace. This is why Christmas is so important. This is why we celebrate.

Avoiding Holiday Stress

1 Thessalonians 5: 26 - 24 (NIV): Be joyful always;  pray continually;  give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  Do not put out the Spirit's fire;  do not treat prophecies with contempt.  Test everything. Hold on to the good.  Avoid every kind of evil.  May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

    I want to give you a five-step plan to help avoid Holiday stress. Paul was writing about living a joyful, spiritual life in this passage, and if we will do so, we will remove stress from our lives and be more content.
First step is Rejoice. Choose to be a joyful, upbeat, positive, hopeful person. See the glass half-full instead of half-empty. Remember, joy isn't the absence of pain, but the presence of the Lord.
Second step is Pray Continually. If we will live our lives in a continuous dialog with God, we will keep everything else in perspective. Micah 6:8 tells us that God wants us to walk with him. Prayer is how we do that.
Third: Always be Thankful. Paul says, "for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I believe Paul is saying to be thankful in all circumstances because whatever circumstance you are in is God's will for you. In other words, God is always up to something good and we must trust that he knows what he is doing and is always at work in your life.
Fourth step: Don't Smother the Spirit. Don't resist God's influence in your life. Live by faith and not by sight. Know the Word and do what it says. Jesus says you are wise if you hear his words and put them into practice. Obedience to God's Word will reduce stress.
Fifth: Avoid Every Kind of Evil. How much stress do we bring into our lives when we fall into sin? Evil influences are all around, tempting us. But remember, sin always takes us farther than we wanted to go, keeps us longer than we wanted to stay, and costs us more than we wanted to pay. Jesus said to be "shrewd as snakes, but innocent as doves." We will live joyful, less stressful lives if we will live wholesome, godly lives, full of grace and full of the Spirit.

The Good Shepherd

John 10: 9 - 15 (NIV): I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.  The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me -- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father -- and I lay down my life for the sheep.

    Jesus often used illustrations that his hearers could easily understand. They knew that a person hired to watch sheep would not take as good care of them as their owner. Jesus said he is not some hired-hand sent to watch us – we belong to him and he loves us so much he would lay down his life for us.
  Jesus, then, is a the Good Shepherd. We are all a bunch of sheep and the only safe place for us in under his care. He states clearly that he is the only way to salvation; the only way to right standing with God. He knows us by name and loves us.
  And the life that Jesus offers is a full life. This doesn't mean it is full of materialistic value or that it is devoid of pain. It means it is satisfying, joyful, full of goodness, and meaning. We, lowly sheep as we are, can have a relationship with God himself. We can know we are part of something greater than ourselves.
  David used this same illustration – from the sheep's perspective – in Psalm 23. He said he received comfort and courage from God, his life was full of goodness and love, God took care of him, and his cup overflowed. And if all of this wasn't enough, he would also live in God's house forever.

The Ebenezer Stone

1 Samuel 7: 10-13 (NIV): While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us." So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again. Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines. 

    We sing the song "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" in church and the second verse says, "I will raise mine ebenezer...", but we may not know what it means. This Scripture passage happened while Samuel was judge in Israel, before Saul and David became kings. The Israelites were under attack from a hostile neighbor and cried out to God for his help.

    The people had just repented and stopped worshiping and following other gods. They assembled together to cry out to God. But while they were together, the enemy drew plans to attack them. Samuel sacrificed an innocent lamb and the people fasted and prayed. God "thundered" against the enemy and threw them into confusion. Israel won the battle and the war.

    So Samuel set up a stone to mark the occasion. He called it Ebenezer, which means "stone of help", saying "Thus far has the Lord helped us." It is good for us to set up markers to remember what God has done for us. It is good for us to remember how he has brought us through, walked with us, intervened on our behalf when we prayed, and shown us his mercy and grace.

    This Holiday season, I encourage you to mark the occasion by being thankful. I gave everyone in my churches a small stone Sunday and told them it was an "ebenezer stone" to help them remember that God is good -- and God has been good. Thus far has the Lord helped us.

A Blind Man is Healed

John 9: 1 - 7 (NIV): As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.  As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

     The disciples made a couple of wrong assumptions. First, they assumed that someone sinned to cause the man to be born blind. Why else would God have allowed him to be born this way? Their only question was who sinned? Could this man have somehow sinned before he was born -- or was he being punished for sin his parents committed?

    This implies that God must be pleased with people who are doing really well. If we are ill or broke or injured, God must be upset with us. If things are going well, God must be happy with us. Simple.

    But Jesus busted this theory on the spot. He told them that no one sinned to cause the man to be born blind. He was born that way so that God could be glorified. He was born that way so Jesus could heal him and demonstrate his power in his life through the healing. It gave Jesus to opportunity to prove he was the Messiah. 

    Was this fair to the man -- to live the first years of his life in darkness so that Jesus could use him to demonstrate his power? We must realize that God is God and he is our creator. We wouldn't have life without him. We wouldn't be here if not for him. It is our privilege to serve him whatever it costs.

    But we have this promise from the Word: Paul tells us that all things work together for our own good if we belong to Jesus. It's not always easy to trust in God in all things, but it's always best.

Throwing the First Stone

John 8: 3 - 11 (NIV): The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

    Jesus was being set up in this situation. John tells us it was a trap. If Jesus had condemned her to death, as the Jewish law stated (Deuteronomy 22:22), he would have gone afoul of the Roman authorities -- who alone had the right to condemn a person to death. But if he failed to condemn her to death, he would have openly broken the Jewish law and shown himself to be a lawbreaker. 

    They thought they had him in a no-win situation. But Jesus was too smart for them. He neither condemned her to death, nor showed himself to be a lawbreaker. What he did showed his genius: he said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

    Where was the man? The law also stated that the man must be stoned to death. But their hypocrisy is not the true message here, the true message is that we have all sinned and none of us has the right to throw that first stone. None of us should tell our neighbor he has a splinter in his eye when we have a plank in our own eye (Matthew 7:3).

    Jesus did not condone or overlook her sin; he told her to stop doing it, but he used this occasion to teach us not to judge others. We should hate sin and stand against it, but we should love people and offer them grace, not judgment. That's God's job.

The Work God Requires

John 6: 27 - 29 (NIV): Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

    To me, this is such an important passage because it shows us what God requires of us to achieve eternal life.

    The Old Testament had spoken of living a long, good life, but this was something new and radical: the idea that a person could live forever. No one had ever made such a promise. No one had ever said we had the option of living eternally. Then Jesus came along and offered just that.

    Naturally, people wanted to know what they had to do to get in on this eternal life. This would have to be the most expensive item ever purchased. It must be so expensive that few could afford it. But it would be worth any cost to get. Nothing could ever compare to such a gift.

    The people's question was simple and legitimate: okay, what must we do to get this? What work must we do to earn a spot in eternity? Everything in our nature tells us we must earn something like this. And it must be hard to get.

     Jesus' answer was every bit as radical as the concept itself: "believe in me." He said you can't earn eternity by any works other than that one thing – believe in the one God sent. In other words, believe that Jesus is the Messiah. There is no other way to heaven. Jesus was soon to pay for eternity with his own broken body and spilled blood. Only Jesus could pay for something so expensive and that is exactly what he did. But we must believe that. We must trust in him for our salvation and not try to earn it ourselves.

    Yes, our salvation has already been paid for, but there is one thing we must do to receive it, we must believe in Jesus.  A simple concept, yet Jesus said himself that few would do so.

Feeding the Five Thousand

John 6: 5 - 13 (NIV): When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 

    God is more interested in our availability than our abilities. He can use what we have, but we must offer it to him. The little boy sacrificed his lunch on this occasion, and Jesus took it and multiplied it to feed thousands of people.

    This story shows that God can use anyone for a mighty purpose. In this case, a child fed a mob by giving what he had. If God can use a child, he can use you and he can use me. He loves to use the least likely person for great things. You may think there is nothing you can do for the Kingdom, but this story proves that God can use you, no matter your circumstance. You simply must be willing to offer what you have.

    This story also reminds us that God is a God of more than enough. Not only was this mob fed until everyone was full, but there were twelve baskets of bread left-over. Jesus didn't just provide a taste for everyone, or a small meal, he provided all they could eat, with plenty left-over. He offers an abundant life, not just an adequate one. When we belong to Christ, we don't just exist, we truly live.

The Healing Pool

John 5: 1 - 10 (NIV): Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie--the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."

Are you kidding me? This was the religious leaders' reaction to a man being healed? He had been paralyzed for 38 years and suddenly is standing there holding his mat – that stinking mat he had been confined to for years – and their reaction was, "Hey you can't do that."

But the church is often guilty of this today. We see lawbreakers instead of people who are hurting. We see what people are doing wrong instead of rejoicing with them that God is moving in their lives. We overlook healing and see issues. Come on man!

Oh, the church needs to take a stand against sin, don't get me wrong, but let's see people the way Jesus saw them: as hurting in need of compassion. A third of Americans now say they are no longer affiliated with a church. Could it be that they went to church for healing and found condemnation instead? Could it be that they felt beat down all week and went to church only to get beat down some more? We must preach the truth, but part of that truth is compassion and grace.

This is a mysterious story. It is found only here in the Scripture. I'm not sure if anyone was ever healed when the water was stirred, but I know this man was healed when Jesus came along.

The Samaritan Woman

John 4: 7 - 14 (NIV): When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?" Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

    Jesus broke several social and cultural barriers in this event. He spoke in public to a woman, he spoke to a Samaritan, and even asked a favor of her, and he allowed himself to be alone with her. These were things that Jewish men in his day simply did not do. But he was more concerned about her than the social boundaries placed upon them.

   Like Jesus' visit with Nicodemus in John, chapter 3, Jesus used natural examples to describe spiritual events. She understood what it was like to be thirsty. It is an ever-increasing longing that takes over your thought processes. But as Jesus told her, even if you quench your thirst, you will soon find yourself thirsty again. Jesus quenches the thirst we all have for meaning, hope, purpose and fulfillment. We are all born with a God-shaped hole in our hearts and only he can fill it. Trying to fill that space in our lives with other things will leave us unfulfilled.

    I encourage you to read the rest of this story. We can see her spiritual journey. She recognized Jesus as a prophet when he told her personal things about her, and the Christ when she tasted the spiritual water he offered. She left her water jar and shared the gospel with her town. She had been discarded by at least five men and was certainly an outcast because of it, but Jesus gave her salvation and she became a soul-winner. Jesus loves us all and offers each of us right-standing with God. We simply must accept the living water he offers.

Mary and Martha

Luke 10: 38 - 42 (NIV): As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself ? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Often life presents choices not between good and evil, but between what is good and what is best. It is best, Jesus said, to spend time with him. To sit at his feet and get to know him. There is nothing more important than this. We were created to fellowship with God and sitting at his feet is how we fulfill our purpose.

Martha was fussing to make everything just right and, because of it, missing out on the time she could have spent with him. “Only one thing is needed” may mean something like, “I don't need anything too fancy, just find some bread and come visit with me.”
Jesus understood the cultural need for a hostess to provide for her guests. He understood that Martha felt compelled to feed him. Jesus simply used this situation to teach us that working for him is not the best thing, our relationship with him is. Our faith is not about rules, regulations and work, it is about having a loving friendship with Almighty God.
Ours is the only faith that teaches that the Creator desires fellowship with his creation and paid dearly to have it. That is amazing to think about. How do we sit at his feet today? By reading his Word, praying, and attending church.
One of the devil's favorite tools is to keep us so busy, we neglect our time with God. Sometimes we are so busy, even doing good things, that we neglect just sitting quietly at God's feet. As we fall in love with Him, we will serve him more and more, but it will be from an outflowing of our love for him. That's the best service of all.

You Must Be Born Again

John 3: 1-3,14-17 (NIV) Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. " ... "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

    Nicodemus knew that Jesus was from God because of the miracles he had performed. Jesus had proven who he was by healing people and raising the dead. Nicodemus had a faith based on the evidence, not just wishful thinking. We base our faith on this same evidence, especially the evidence that he rose from the dead. 

    Jesus told him he must be born again. When Nicodemus expressed that he did not understand, Jesus explained that we are born once naturally, but we must be born spiritually too, to enter into heaven. Something must happen. That something is we must believe that Jesus is who he claimed to be and put our trust in him. In other words, we must believe in him. This is not just head knowledge, it is real faith that changes us. A real faith that causes us to call on him to save us and to surrender our lives to him.

    Jesus referred to the snake in the desert. The people had to look at the bronze snake for healing. We look to Jesus for our spiritual healing. Jesus was also prophesying that he would be lifted up on a cross to pay for our sins.

    God wants everyone to be saved, but we each must believe in him. When we reach the point where we understand, it is up to us to choose to believe. God allows us to make that choice and offers eternal life for all who do. 

Zacchaeus and the Sycamore

Luke 19: 1-10 (NIV): Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' " But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

    Jesus was passing through Jericho to go to Jerusalem where he would be crucified. This, then, was the last time he would pass that way. We never know when it is the last time we have a chance to encounter him. We never know what day may be our last or when he is coming back.
Zacchaeus didn't let the crowd keep him from seeing Jesus. He was short so he had to take an extra measure to see him. It is interesting that because he was short and climbed the tree, he caught Jesus' attention. If he had been just another face in the crowd, standing by the road, Jesus may not have noticed him. God has a reason for everything he does. He never makes mistakes. If you feel you are too short, God has a reason for it. Whatever your circumstance, God has a reason for it even though you may never understand it this side of heaven.
The good news of this story is that Jesus is a friend of sinners. He called Zacchaeus by name and told him he wanted to fellowship with him. Zacchaeus was saved because he obeyed and welcomed him. When he met Jesus, he believed in him. His actions (giving half his wealth to the poor) didn't save him, but it proved that he had been saved. Our actions prove our salvation in the same way.
Do whatever it takes to see Jesus. And when he calls your name, welcome him and discover that eternal life with Christ is far greater than riches.

His Love Endures Forever

Psalm 136: 1 - 9 (NIV): Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. "His love endures forever." Give thanks to the God of gods. "His love endures forever." Give thanks to the Lord of lords: "His love endures forever." to him who alone does great wonders, "His love endures forever." who by his understanding made the heavens, "His love endures forever." who spread out the earth upon the waters, "His love endures forever." who made the great lights-- "His love endures forever." the sun to govern the day, "His love endures forever." the moon and stars to govern the night; "His love endures forever."  

    This Psalm was apparently written so that the leader would sing a line and then the audience would sing, "His love endures forever." It served to remind everyone that God loves us all the time without fail

Hebrews 13: 5 says, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (The writer of Hebrews is quoting from Deuteronomy 31:6.) God will never leave us or forsake us. He will never fail us or let us down. He will never sleep on the job and allow something to happen to us without his permission. God never makes mistakes. He knows exactly what he's doing.
And God is a big God. It would be one thing if a small god was watching over us, but this is the creator of the whole universe watching over us, loving us, caring for us, hearing our cries, concerned about us.
Give thanks to God alone who has done great things. He is good now and forever. He spoke the universe into existence and did, frankly, an outstanding job. He understood how to put everything together so that it would work properly. He's the master of the laws of physics, chemistry, biology, plate tectonics, geology, zoology and every other ology we can think of. He is the master designer. Life on earth couldn't exist without the sun, everyone knows this, but it can't exist without the moon either. Scientists are just now coming to this understanding.
Yes, he is a big God. He is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, and amazingly, he loves us unconditionally now and forever. His love endures forever. Praise his name.

Your Body is a Temple

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV): Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
    Paul was talking specifically about sexual immorality in this passage, but it reminds us that our bodies are not our own – they belong to God. He purchased them with a high price. Since the Holy Spirit lives in our bodies once we become believers, we are obligated to take care of these bodies. Paul says our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
I want to share with you the journey I have been on with my temple.
I had always been fairly active. As a journalist and then youth minister, I never sat much. But then I got a desk job and sat all day. Worse, I enjoyed candy bars and sweet tea. I was a disaster waiting to happen. My doctor, Dr. Wayne Brown, spotted this. My blood sugar was high and my blood pressure was even higher.
I grew more and more tired and sluggish. I couldn't walk through the buildings I worked in without getting winded.
Then Dr. Brown told me I was diabetic. He put me on blood pressure medicine, which made me dizzy at times when I stood up. I knew I had to do something. God knew it too. He gave me a new job. Now, I'm on my feet all day. I lift computers and carry them here and there. I get in the floor and set them up. I'm much more active. Sometimes I complain about it, but it may have saved my life.
I also went to work on my diet. I cut out the sweet tea and candy bars and watch other sugar and carbs. I do give myself a treat of mini dark-chocolate bites, but in moderation. I only drink diet cola. Mostly, I drink water. I snack on raw almonds and unflavored pork rinds.
I had blood work done this week to see how I was doing. Dr. Brown called my wife and said my numbers were "wonderful". He told me to keep doing what I'm doing. My blood pressure is down, I can take a smaller dose of medicine, I've lost 16 pounds, and I'm no longer diabetic. The best part is I feel better than I have in a long time. I tell you this to encourage you to cut out the sugar, get active, and take care of your temple too. After all, the Holy Spirit needs a good place to call home.

Difficulties and Devotion

-->

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (NIV): When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

This passage contains my grandfather's favorite verse. In it, God directly ties Israel's difficulties to its devotion. In other words, God said he would stop the rain or send financial ruin or physical illness among the people when they began to forget about him. Sure enough, after this was written the people would ignore God when things were going well and God would send difficulties, and they would repent and turn back to him, then repeat the pattern again.

Does God have the right to send a famine or sickness among his people? Can he do this and still be a good and righteous God? We must remember that God is more interested in our holiness than our success or comfort. God is a holy God and he demands total allegiance to himself. When we stop seeking to know him and start sinning, he will allow the natural forces he created to get our attention.

This is not because God is a mean or unjust God, but because he loves us and desires to keep us pure in heart. He demands that we be a holy people, different from the world, and in love with him. He is the God of the universe and has every right to do this. It angers God when our devotion is only half-hearted.

So the remedy for our difficulties is to humble ourselves, which means we realize we need him, spend time in prayer, and desire to know him more. We must stop habitual sinning and turn back to him. When we do this, God will hear our prayers and heal our land. We cannot expect God's blessings if we ignore, reject, or disobey him. We need this verse today more than ever.

The Superiority of Christ

Hebrews 1: 1 - 6 (NIV): In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father "? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"? And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."

    If we want to know how to become right with God we see what Jesus says about it. Jesus is now God's spokesman. All truth about God is revealed in him. God used prophets in the Old Testament, but when Jesus came, he assumed that role. Jesus is our one and only prophet now.

    We think of Jesus as God's son, and that is true, but he is also God himself. John tells us this in the first chapter of his Gospel. Paul tells us this in Colossians 1:16 and the writer of Hebrews (probably Paul) tells us this again today. Jesus is the creator of the universe. He created everything for his pleasure. How can Jesus be God's son and also God? God became flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus Christ.

    Because Jesus is God himself, he is superior to the prophets in the Old Testament who were men of God, but not perfect. Jesus was and is perfect. When he said he was the only way to the Father, we better take that to heart. He wasn't kidding.

    And Jesus is superior to the angels. Angels were created to minister to God and to us. Angels worship Jesus but never the other way around. And if an angel brings a message that is new or contrary to what Jesus taught, let that angel be accursed (Galatians 1:8).

Jesus Ruins a Funeral

Luke 7: 11 - 18 (NIV): Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out--the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

    If you think about it, Jesus ruined every funeral he attended. Imagine walking up and raising the dead person back to life and stopping the whole thing. I guess the pallbearers gave the empty coffin back to the funeral director and everyone went home. Not sure if the funeral director got paid. He may have seen Jesus coming and said to himself, "uh oh, here he comes. I'm about to lose another one!"

    It's not that Jesus didn't have compassion on the people involved. His heart went out to the widow and he told her not to cry. You can feel the love and compassion he had for her in her time of sorrow. And Jesus knew this was more than an emotional loss for her. It would have devastated her, as a widow, to lose her only son, her means of support in that culture. The son came out pretty good in this deal too...

    But Jesus is not going to stop every funeral. He said we would have to face death and sure enough, we do, but Jesus knows the big picture. He knows that we are not bodies that have a soul, but souls that live temporarily in this body. He said believers will never die, even though our bodies do. Jesus knows that death is only a temporary separation. And Jesus has seen heaven so there is no mystery to him about how great it is.

    Jesus walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death. He comforts us in times of sorrow and loss. But more than that, he gives us hope that we will go to heaven and be with each other again. Jesus always did know how to ruin a perfectly good funeral.

The 24-Hour Boss

 

Luke 17: 7-10 (NIV): Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'

I think sometimes we get things turned around in our heads. We believe that we are God's boss, telling him what to do and using him for our purposes. That's backward. God is our creator and, when we become believers, our Lord. Jesus' illustration shows what that means.

A boss tells you what to do eight hours per day, then the rest of the day is yours, but a lord owns you. He tells you what to do all day, every day. You work for him all day long, then when evening comes, you serve him first before you sit down to eat. Then you put away the dishes and clean up the house before you rest. Then it begins again the next day.

A servant has no rights. He is owned by his master. He cannot serve half-heartedly, and he should expect no praise for doing extra duty. That's just simply his reality day after day.

You may read this and think you don't want to have a lord. You don't want someone to own you. But here's the irony of the Christian faith: being owned by God sets you free! Yes, he is our Lord and we belong to him 24-hours per day, but Jesus promises rest for the weary (Matthew 11: 28-30). When we turn our rights over to him and let him make our decisions, we find a peace, comfort and rest that we could never have without him. We are owned by a gentle King who knows what is best for us and gives it freely. A King who loves us unconditionally – so much he died and rose again for us.

The reality is that we are all owned by something. We all have a master. We are all slaves to something. Jesus said if you sin you are a slave to sin (John 8: 34-36). God gives us the choice to make him our Lord, and when we do we find a freedom we never knew before.

The Ten Commandments – Ten

God ends the Ten Commandments where they began, in the heart. This commandment does not tell us how to act, but how to feel. God created us and knows we are tempted to look across the fence at our neighbor's house and wish we had what he has. God, in his wisdom, forbids this. He tells us not to covet what belongs to others. Exodus 20:17 (NIV): You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Covet means to wish you had something that belongs to someone else. It also involves being envious of others because of what they have. We are God's children and he wants us to be content, but he knows we never will be if we are continually wishing we had what others have. There will always be something better to possess. There will always be more success to grasp. There will always be a better job or spouse. Contentment will never come. God knows that the key to contentment is being happy with what we have, not longing for what others have. Coveting will completely steal our joy.

The Ten Commandments are not only spiritual, but practical. Does this commandment mean we shouldn't try to better ourselves or strive to become more successful? Not at all, but God wants us to focus on the blessings he has given us instead of wishing our lives away, wanting more. And believe me, God has blessed each of us.

Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments like this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-38). In this way, Jesus summed up the first commandments, which deal with our relationship with God, and the last commandments, which deal with our relationship with each other. As we see today, it is not only how we treat God and each other that matters, but how we feel as well. If we will obey these commandments, we will find ourselves joyful and contented, and we will please God.