“I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love. John15:9-10
Jesus has just described the metaphor of the vine and the branches and staying connected to the Father through Him. He has operated out of the Father’s love and passed that love to His disciples. And now He encourages them to be at home, completely comfortable in His love.
Home is the place where you let your hair down and relax, where you feel secure and protected. Home is a warm fire on a cold night, where you can be yourself and not worry about trying to meet other’s expectations. Home is where the heart is! Is that how you feel about Jesus? Do you feel you can let your hair down and relax and feel protected in His presence? Do you enjoy the warmth of His presence in a cold world without trying to impress Him with your churchiness or holiness? Is your heart so totally one with His, that you are comfortable no matter where He sends you or what He asks of you?
Jesus, help us to feel totally at home in Your love today. Even when we fail or sin, we can feel perfectly loved and know Your immediate forgiveness. You know us intimately, understand us completely and love us unconditionally. Keep working on us until we fully accept that love. We will only receive that love as we sit by the home fire daily with you.
I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless]; I will come [back] to you. 19 After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20 On that day [when that time comes] you will know for yourselves that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. 21 The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].(AMP)
Jesus continues His discourse on leaving the disciples. Here He refers to orphans, which I’m sure is how some of them were imagining themselves to be when He left. Apparently, a Rabbi’s students were considered his children and when they died their students (children) were considered as orphans. The disciples would have known this and feared being left as orphans. Jesus said He would not leave them alone as orphans.
Spurgeon had some ideas about this that I embellished in my mind.
An orphan’s parents are gone (dead); Jesus said HE would be alive in them.
An orphan is left alone; Jesus told them He would never leave them alone.
An orphan has lost their provider; Jesus promised to meet all their needs.
An Orphan is left without instruction; Jesus said the Holy Spirit would teach them all things.
He closes this section with another reminder that this promise only applies to the ones who keep His commandments. We can memorize His commandments and can shout them to those around you. But, if we don’t KEEP His commands, we don’t really love Him. His commands must become second nature to us. We are not homeless, lonely, bereft orphans. We are God’s beloved children who will one day sit on the Father’s lap and hear, “well done child; I love you.!
He closes this section with another reminder that this promise only applies to the ones who keep His commandments. We can memorize His commandments and can shout them to those around you. But, if we don’t KEEP His commands, we don’t really love Him. His commands must become second nature to us. We are not homeless, lonely, bereft orphans. We are God’s beloved children who will one day sit on the Father’s lap and hear, “well done child; I love you! Thank You, Jesus!!
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another [c]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you. John14 :16-17 (AMP)
Jesus had just reminded his disciples that love for Him meant obeying His commands. His commands were to love your neighbor, forgive your enemies, consider others better than yourself, endure suffering for the Kingdom’s sake, and to live like He lived. He would no longer be there beside them guiding, encouraging, and even rebuking them. How could this be possible? He had lived in the “human” and knew the challenges they would face. He understood their frailties, temptations, and questions and encouraged them with this promise of a Helper who would never leave them. He would provide the strength and power they needed to live like Jesus in this world.
There is so much more that can be said about this promise and how it plays out in our lives. The older I get, the more I wonder what I have missed out on over the years by not fully grasping these words. He is Truth, Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, all things that Jesus was to the disciple while on earth. And the best part was He was promising to live in them, not just be in their physical company! He would no longer be far away when Lazarus died. He would no longer hear about His disciples struggling in another village while He was pursuing demons elsewhere. Now HE would be IN them continually in the form of His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus himself!
The question for us today is how much of this promise am I realizing on our journey with Jesus? Have I relegated Him to being my backseat driver. You know, “I’m driving, and I’ll let you know when I need you.” Or is He my GPS, giving directions for each turn, each stop and each attraction along the way? Do I heed His warning of roadblocks, construction, or closures ahead? Is my tank of faith and praise full, only half full or nearly empty? Who is in the driver’s seat as I head into this day?
OH, Jesus, thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit to empower us to be like You. Help me to acknowledge and accept this beautiful gift in its fullness. I put my complete trust in You as my HSPS (Holy Spirit Pilot System) for the rest of my journey. Help me to seek and accept Your guidance and wisdom to complete Your will in my life this day!
If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments. (AMP)
As I continue working through John 14, this is probably one of the most challenging passages. Christ had just told His disciples how to show their love for Him. True love would not be just emotional and theoretical, it would be lived out daily by obeying His words. He wasn’t just referring to the Ten Commandments, but to His words to them over the last three years as they walked with Him. He was leaving them, and He was telling them to walk like him, talk like Him, love like Him, become more like Him with every act of faith and obedience to Him.
I can see the disciples looking at each other like, does He know what He is asking? Of course we love Him, but… But what? We walked with Him in the flesh and yet, doubted, denied, failed and questioned his tactics. Now, He is leaving us and is asking what looks like the impossible! Notice, Jesus didn’t mention their past faults and failures, He seems to be saying,” since” you love me, I know you want to keep my commandments. I know you are feeling overwhelmed at the thought of me not being here to guide you, but don’t worry, I have a plan. First, you must concentrate on what love for Me looks like.
So, the question today is, how much do I love Jesus? Have I completely surrendered my life to Him? Do I obey His commands 100% of the time, or just when it is convenient or fits my lifestyle? Do I consider how much He loves me, and that my disobedience breaks His heart. If you are a parent, you understand that kind of heartbreak. Do I realize how much my obedience pleases Him and what He can accomplish through me for the kingdom. Oh, Father, I do not want to break Your heart or ignore your commands. I want to live in daily obedience to Your commands and glorify Your Name with my life. Thank You for loving me and providing all I need to live in obedience to Your will.
John 14:12Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
This verse has always troubled me. How is it possible that anyone can do “greater things” than Christ? Jesus is answering Phillip’s question asking Jesus to show His followers the Father. Jesus answers,
“ 10.Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you I do not say on My own initiative or authority, but the Father, abiding continually in Me, does His works [His attesting miracles and acts of power.”
Then He gives the unbelievable statement in verse 12. But, how can I do greater things than Jesus??
The disciples and believers in Christ were going to be able to reach hundreds and thousands that in His sacrificial limited human body Jesus would never reach physically. They were going to carry the gospel into many different regions and nations in years to come. Think of the apostle Paul and his travels. Think of Peter and the thousands that he reached for Christ. Think of the great evangelists in each century who have led hundreds to Christ. Yes, but I’m not called to preach the gospel, right? So, how does this apply to you and me today?
As much as my generation pronounced TV and movies as sinful and today, we sometimes decry technology, these very resources allow us to reach millions throughout the world with the gospel. God can use anything for His glory, when placed in a believer’s hands. We, too, can do greater things for His kingdom, but are we? How many of our Facebook, Twits, Twitters and Tweets testify of God’s goodness, protection, power or blessings in our lives? What if we posted just one testimony or scripture a week on our social media? We might lose a few followers (Peeps or whatever they are called), but our witness for Christ might just be what someone needs and used by God to change the life of someone in despair, discouragement or dissolution. Think about it! Hum?
Dear Jesus, this is convicting, and I(we) need Your strength and power to let Your light shine through all the resources at my(our) disposal. The enemy would like to own all communication resources, but we, as Your people who are called by You Name need to step up to the plate and reclaim our media posts for your glory. Holy Spirit speak through us and help us to Do those greater things You promised!
John 14:1-4 “Do not let your hearts be distressed.[a] You believe in God;[b] believe also in me. 2 There are many dwelling places[c] in my Father’s house.[d] Otherwise, I would have told you, because[e] I am going away to make ready[f] a place for you.[g]3 And if I go and make ready[h] a place for you, I will come again and take you[i] to be with me,[j] so that where I am you may be too. 4 And you know the way where I am going.
I am going to dwell in John 14 for a few days. This chapter is so rich with hope and direction that I cannot resist it. Here Jesus is speaking to his disciples about the future they have with Him. Many mansions, here more accurately translated dwelling places, reminds me of Noah’s Ark where each set of animals had their own space. Bigger animals, bigger space, smaller animals, smaller space, each according to their needs. Here Jesus says He is preparing a perfect place for you and me. Whether that is a private space, or a family dwelling is not the issue, it will be exactly what we need.
Next, I notice that Jesus tells them, they know how to get to this place He is preparing. He has spent three years showing them the way to the Father. All they need to do is follow His teaching and obey His commands. Believe in faith, obey in faith, and wait in faith, knowing He is faithful to all His promises.
My question today is, am I believing, obeying and waiting with the assurance that there is a perfect dwelling place awaiting me with the Father, Son and Holy spirit. A place where all my questions will be answered, all my needs, physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional will be met and I will never have to worry about being evicted! 😊
Father, I want to see You in all Your glory and dwell with You forever. I do know the way. Help me to surrender to that way and believe in all You have done and have prepared for me. Help me when the enemy tries to tell me that I am not worthy, and this promise is too good to be true. Help me to stand firm in my faith and obedience and to stay on the path that You have made plain in Your Word! I love You!
When his master saw that the Lord was with him(E) and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Genesis 39:2,3
Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph in everything he did. Hum? How did Potiphar know it was the Lord? Joseph had displayed such integrity and character that he stood out. I believe that he also spoke of his Lord and gave Him credit for who he was. They knew where he came from and had heard of the God of Israel. Now, Joseph puts that God on display in front of these Egyptians.
This chapter reads like a soap opera – the good guy gets caught in a horrible situation, gets accused of a crime of which he is not guilty, gets sent to jail, while the real criminal, Potiphar’s wife, gloats in her success. But, even in prison His God is with him, and he is successful. Nothing can stop God’s Plan! He will use us in whatever circumstance we find ourselves when we give Him the credit and praise by living a life that reflects HIS character and love.
Living that kind of life is not always easy. Sometimes it comes naturally, and we aren’t even aware that we are doing it. Other times, it is by sheer will, determination, and pure grit without emotion, but knowing it is the right(eous) thing to do. Lord, help me in those times to hold firm, even when I don’t feel like it, even when everything in me wants to lash out, defend myself, or protect my rights. God give me such confidence in You, that I can trust You to shine through and bring all things under Your control for Your glory and even my benefit and Your purpose!! You are always faithful to Your plan!
“Send away the ark of the God of Israel; let it be returned to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people.” I Samuel 5:10
Every city that possessed the ark was cursed with disease.The Philistines expected to just add the God of Israel to their list of Gods. He would be just another god to them. But the God of Israel was not just another god. He was the GOD of all creation! When they saw what was happening to each city, you would have thought they would have realized His power and that He was not like any of their gods. They saw His power yet refused to surrender to it. Disaster followed wherever the true God was not worshipped.
Application
First, do I have any gods, things more or as important as God, that I am secretly or openly allowing to control my life, to influence my decisions? Do my words say one thing, while my actions and choices reveal another?
Second, I look at our country. Are we in danger of disaster because we are worshipping political power, greed, pride, and sinful behaviors? Does the phrase, “In God we trust,” have any meaning at all? Is God’s name used only in vain, or is there any respect for the God of our forefathers?
I am reminded that we always have a choice to bow in submission to the Ark of God’s presence and power or the gods of this world. Although His judgments may seem slow, they are always sure! We will reap what we sow, personally and collectively. The God of Israel is the ONE true and Living God of all ages and He will have NO other gods before Him.!!
Prayer
Lord, Jesus, help me to examine my heart for any gods that I have placed along with You in my life. Reveal anything that I cling to for security. Holy Spirit, fill me with faith to believe what You say and live out my faith daily in the small things as well as the great. God, help our leaders to re-evaluate their policies and laws in accordance with Your Word and commands. Help us to return to the God of our fathers.
I don’t usually post on Tuesday, but I felt led to share an article I wrote for Charis Woman Magazine last November. I have several friends who are going through some trying times right now and I know it seems like it will never end. Enduring these times can really challenge your faith. I have found Christ to be true to His promise, “I can do (endure) all thing through Christ who strengthens me. Phil. 4:13 I pray this encourages you as you endure.
Hebrew 10:36 “For you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised.“
To understand what it means to endure, we must begin at the beginning. When God created the world, he said it was good. Adam and Eve had a perfect life in the garden of Eden. Their existence was governed by joy and fellowship with God. They were to enjoy living and working in the garden. But the loving God wanted them to love him and walk with him willingly, so He gave them free will and the ability to choose to love and obey Him. The word endurance did not exist in that garden They were simply to enjoy and walk in fellowship with their loving creator, which they did until they were presented with a choice. They chose to disobey the only restriction that God gave for their own good and protection. Without this restriction, to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, there would have been no choice. Thus, the idea of endurance was born the minute they decided to disobey God’s command. They would now have to endure pain and suffering such as they could never have imagined, as they were cast out of their perfect world. Welcome to the world that we now know and must endure because of their choice.
To begin my journey of endurance, let’s check the definitions of the word “endure” :
1.To suffer (something painful or difficult) patiently.
2.to remain in existence; last throughout time (eternity).
First, we will look at the “tails” side of the endurance coin-to suffer patiently. I have had to endure my share of suffering in my seventy-seven years of life. To begin with, I could and would have been aborted had my mother’s boyfriend, who was not my biological father, not offered to marry her, sign the birth certificate, and raise me as his own. This fact was revealed to me at my father’s death when I was twenty-eight years old. Suddenly my insecurities, fear of rejection, need to please, and desire to be perfect, that I had battled all my life made sense! It explained why my father and I were never close and why my mother lived with such guilt all her life. It explained why as a college freshman, when I decided, as a believer, that I would totally commit and surrender to Christ and whatever he had for my future, I thought of Job and cried out to God that,” tho He slay me,” I would still love and serve Him anyway! I knew how much I loved God, but I only understood a love of obligation and guilt and figured I was not worthy of unconditional love, so I would just endure whatever God was willing to give me.
I graduated college with a teaching degree, something I had never even dreamed of, went back home to Ohio, and began my career. I prayed to always obey and serve God and worked tirelessly in my home church, where I met the preacher boy God had waiting for me. We were off to Tennessee for more education, training, and ministry.
We endured a childless marriage for seven years and then adopted our Amy at six weeks of age. Eighteen months later, to our surprise and lots of hard labor, we welcomed our daughter, Jennifer. Those years of teaching, raising two daughters, and being highly involved in ministry with its ups and downs, ins and outs, were blessed and easy to endure.
I made great progress in my understanding of God’s love for me through the years, until October 10, 1989. That day our older daughter, Amy, was hit by a car in front of our parsonage and killed! The enemy came in full force telling me that I wasn’t a good enough mother, that I had done something to displease God. The idea of being rejected by God hovered over me. As I lay prostrate before Jesus, crying out my questions and telling Him I had done my best, He gently held me in His arms and allowed His tears to mingle with mine. He assured me that He was grieving with me and had also surrendered a child to death. He said the accident was not a part of the perfect world He had planned, but because we live in a sinful world, bad things could and would happen. He assured me He was holding Amy and I would see her again! I endured several years of grief, and counseling and held on to the truth of God’s undying love for me, standing against the lies of the enemy.
Ten years later during our younger daughter’s senior year in high school, she developed an unhealthy relationship with a boyfriend. She was a believer and had been blessed with a good mind and many gifts to use in God’s kingdom, but the enemy was at work to distract and derail her. This time I was called to endure a year of sleepless nights crying out to the Lord for her protection and for her to see truth and answer God’s call on her life. That’s when, thankfully, she chose to attend Grace College, break off the relationship and allow God to bring a wonderful man of God into her life. Endurance in prayer paid off richly as she is blessed with a godly husband, three beautiful children who love the Lord, and all are serving Him as they plant a church for His glory.
Fast forward to 11-11-11, a date that would be easy for me to remember in years to come. I had retired from teaching and was working at the information desk at the local hospital. I noticed my left side becoming numb as my shift continued. At the end of my shift, instead of going to the ER, I decided to go to a Walk-in Clinic where I waited three hours to be seen and sent back to the hospital for an CT scan of my brain. They found nothing abnormal. Two weeks later as the numbness grew worse, I had an MRI, and they found a blood clot that had caused a stroke on my left side. The result would be the slow death of the nerve endings on the entire left side of my body. I didn’t lose my speech or ability to walk or move my left side. It was like someone had divided my body in half and put a tight blood pressure cuff on the left side while having a completely normal right side. This was not a time of doubting God’s love, that issue was settled. This was a time of natural anxiety and wondering what God’s plan was in all of this. As a type A personality and a fixer, this was not something I was looking forward to. My life was about to change with something I would have to endure and would only get worse until eath parted us. Now there’s a happy thought!
Talk about endurance, this one continues to be a huge trial of trust and belief in a loving God who promised not to give me more than I could handle. The complicating fact was and is that no one can see any physical effects of this stroke and they expect the same energy level and workload I have always carried. I have had the embarrassment of having to tell folks that I cannot keep up with them and do what I have always enjoyed doing. This act of endurance is going to last the rest of my life, not just for a season, and pride threatens to rear its ugly head. I don’t like slow; I tend to be impatient. If you know me, you can stop laughing! I don’t like the idea having sit down half-way through the mall because of pain. I don’t like not being able to hold babies for fear of dropping them.
There are many things that are now challenging that others will never suspect or notice. That’s where pride enters in, as I don’t want to admit my limits or pain. But as this season of endurance continues, I choose to keep on singing and giving thanks for the goodness of God and His love for me! In the last twelve years, I have learned so much about God’s love, His faithfulness, His sovereignty, His compassion, and strength in my weakness. I am determined to say with Paul, 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV) In other words, I have endured!!
No, I did not forget the other side of the coin. The flip side of the definition to endure, is to remain in existence; last throughout time (eternity). Scripture repeats forty-four times that “His love endures forever.” Ecclesiastes 3:14 declares that, “ whatever God does will endure forever.”
I am excited as I sit here telling my story of endurance to know that God’s love for me endures forever! I certainly have not arrived, I am still learning and enduring. Each time the Lord tests me or corrects me, I know He loves me. With each correction I learn more about His purpose for my life and how to live out that purpose in His love. I want to close this story of endurance with my version of my life scripture, Psalm 139. These words keep me going when I am tempted to believe the lies of the enemy, rejection and unworthiness. Of course, I am unworthy and so are you. Our worthiness in found in blood and love of Jesus Christ and HE LOVES ME and HE LOVES YOU!
Psalm 139 (Joyce version)
O Lord, you search me and know me. You know when I sit or stand. You know it all. You know where I go and when I lie down. You are acquainted with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, You know it already! You go before me and behind me and keep your hand on me. You are absolutely beyond my comprehension. Where can I go from Your Spirit or hide from Your presence? If I go to heaven, You are there. If I go to the grave, You are there. If I rise with the dawn in the East, or settle in the sea in the West, there Your hand holds me. Surely the darkness will hide me, but darkness and light are the same to You. I know you formed all my innermost parts. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made! My frame was not hidden from you when I was formed (in the back seat of a car.) Your eyes saw my unformed body, (and saved me from abortion). All the days of my life were written in Your book before one of them came to be. Your thoughts toward me are precious and vast in number. If I tried to count them, they would outnumber the sands of the seas. So, Jesus, search my heart and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any unrighteous way in me. And please forgive me and lead me into everlasting love and life with You!
May God bless you as you continue to endure for His sake and the gospel. May He strengthen you and give you peace and joy for the journey even in the most difficult times. May you feel Him crying with you, hurting with you, and laughing with you. May you feel His everlasting, enduring love enveloping you completely as you move forward in confidence and faith in Him. Shalom!
If you’d like to read the other uplifting articles and stories from the Endurance issue of Charis Woman magazine, you can order here: http://www.chariswomen.com/shop
Genesis 15:5-6 “Look up at the sky and count the stars(L)—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring[d] be.”(M)6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
This is God’s astonishing promise to Abram and Abram actually believed it. That’s the astonishing part to me……he believed, and it was credited to him as (holiness).
I tried to put myself in Abram’s place and here’s what I came up with. “Joyce, I promise you my unconditional love and a place prepared in heaven for you. I will never leave or forsake you. You will be used in a mighty way for me,” says God. I reply, “But God, that’s too good to be true. You don’t know my thoughts and how unloving I have been at times. I’m sure you didn’t love me when I ……. I have failed You so many times. I’m really not worthy!” How different my life could have been if I had just said, “Ok, then, so be it! I will believe and accept all You say about me.” How about you? Have you ever felt unworthy of God’s amazing love? Are you living like the beautiful favorite daughter you are in Him?
I’m so thrilled to say I believe more today than ever before that God’s love is unconditional and that I can trust Him to do what He says He will do. But there are still times when I think, how can this be, because I am not talented enough, smart enough, spiritual enough, rich enough, disciplined enough, strong enough. Oh, shame on me, because I know better. If I were all those things I wouldn’t need Him, I would do it all on my own! Thank You, God, I am not enough, but YOU are MORE than enough! You continually call me into “more” for Your glory.
Thank You Jesus for taking my “not enough” and adding Your “more than enough” to transform my life. Thank You for taking me just as I am and making me what You designed me to be. Thank You for understanding my excuses but not accepting them, and for calling me out of them to Your glorious truth and light!
Journey with Joyce 