Participant or Party Pooper-pooper

When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread to feed these people?” He said this to stretch Philip’s faith. He already knew what he was going to do. John 6:4-5

This is the chapter where Jesus feeds the 5,000. He talks about being the Bread of Life – the Manna from heaven. Jesus speaks before the miracle takes place. It sets the backdrop for the miracle. Jesus asked Phillip how he is going to feed the crowd so Phillip would understand the gravity of the situation.  Jesus had everything under control, but Phillip didn’t know that.

Wow!  God doesn’t enter into the possible with miracles, but into the impossible!  Phillip needed to see how ridiculous the idea of feeding all these people was. No place to buy food!  No money for that much food! How many disciples do you think were saying to each other, “Just send them away, hungry!”  Yet Jesus knew all along how this was going to play out.

How often have I missed a miracle because I didn’t allow Jesus to work in my impossible situation?  Did I quit too soon, compromise my desires, or take the easy way out and send people away hungry? All miracles come from God, both great and small but the big miracles come amid the biggest (impossible) needs. If I can’t meet the need with the natural resources He has given me, then He already has a plan in mind for the miracle. But sometimes He just wants me to see how great the need and how awesome the miracle will be!

Father, if I could see with spirit eyes all that is going on around me and out of my control, it might (WOULD) be more than I could handle. Yet, no matter how impossible the problem, the brick wall, the limited finances, or the lack of supplies, Jesus, You know the miracle soon to unfold. I must listen and obey, use the little I have and watch You work to supply the needs. Help me not to be a miracle party-pooper, doubting, giving up and walking away from the physically, emotionally, spiritually hungry, but a praising and expectant participant in Your miracle!!

Pray, Listen, Obey

I can’t do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide. You can trust my decision because I’m not out to get my own way but only to carry out orders. If I were simply speaking on my own account, it would be an empty, self-serving witness. But an independent witness confirms me, the most reliable Witness of all John 5:31-32

Earlier in this same chapter, Jesus says that He can do nothing independently of the Father. Here He reiterates that same truth, only goes a step further detailing how that works. He seeks the Father’s will, listens then chooses to obey, not to get his own way or use his own wisdom but is always dependent on the Father for orders. When the Father speaks, He listens. What He sees the Father do, He does. Where He sees the Father go, He goes. He is always eager to participate in whatever the Father is doing.

The words that shouted out to me today were: “listen,” and “obey”.  I am to have no agenda other than to carry out the Father’s will.  Listening takes time and discipline as we must clear our thoughts and focus on the Father’s words to us. If Jesus did not speak or act without first seeking the Father’s wisdom and will, how can I do less? Can listening only be done on the quiet mountain, or in a prayer room, or can it be done during the daily battle? Can we become so attuned to the Father, like Jesus, that we hear His voice amidst the chaos around us? Is it possible that once the mind and heart are trained to constantly be tuned to the Father’s voice, listening can become second nature? Not by our might or will power but, by the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, are we enabled to listen and then obey.

Father, I still have many lessons to learn about listening and obeying as I continue this journey with You. My desire is to be like Jesus and show Your love to the world around me. I realize I must choose daily to come to You for wisdom and direction and listen closely before speaking and acting out of my own desires. You have provided the power, but I must make the choice. Help me Jesus!

Understanding Scripture in Crisis

17 Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.” 18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” 21 But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.

In John 2:12-22, Jesus and His disciples have entered the temple area during Passover and found profiteers selling animals for their sacrifices. He made a whip and drove out the animals and rebuked those who were selling in the temple court and making a profit. They were angered and asked for a sign if He was so high and mighty, so He responds with verses 19-21. about destroying and rebuilding the temple in three days. The people didn’t understand for sure, but neither did His disciples at that time. It wasn’t until they remembered His words after his resurrection that they fully understood and believed his body was the temple and He was truly the Messiah.

I realized how often in my journey with Jesus that I have read Scripture and missed the point until something happened that would bring a scripture to mind. I remember well the day when we heard screeching tires in front of our parsonage. I held my breath as we ran out the front door to find our 10 year old daughter, Amy Jill, lying in the street. She made it to the hospital but there was no hope in keeping her alive. When we returned home to plan her funeral, I remember lying prostrate, pounding the floor with my fists and crying out to God, “Why?” What had we done wrong that He would take her from us? Were we not good parents? Why did I give her permission to cross the street? The enemy poured on the guilt and I was mad at God for not protecting her.

As I lay there screaming at God, I heard a voice in my spirit say, “Oh, child, I didn’t cause this; I am crying with you. I gave up my child too and I understand your anger and your tears.” It was then I fully understood John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son ….. to live in this sinful world and die an excruciating death so we could see Amy again in heaven. I also remembered the Scripture from Matthew 5:4 that says those who mourn shall be comforted. It didn’t take away my pain, but knowing I wasn’t alone and that God was crying with me and understood my grief gave me courage to allow God to hold me, cry with me and comfort me one minute, one hour and one day at a time. Amy died on October 10, 1989. I know she is singing and dancing and keeping the angels busy in heaven!

What about you? Have you ever read scripture and not fully understood what was being said until you had an experience that set God’s words ablaze in your spirit and you understood clearly what He was trying to communicate.. The problem is, that it can’t happen unless you and I are in the Word regularly, and hiding it in our hearts so the Holy Spirit can bring it to mind at just the right moment. No, you don’t have to grab your Bible and try to read it all in one day so you won’t miss His voice when the unthinkable happens. He is Sovereign and knows what you will need and when. Just spend time in the Word daily and rest in Him. He knows, He cares and He will speak to Your deepest needs and hurts.

Father, I would not be here today without Your comfort, compassion and mercy. I continue to be amazed that You hold me in the palm of Your hand, understand my humanity and see my heart. You dry my tears, heal my hurts and in the darkest night You give me hope and remind me of the future that awaits me when I see You face to face and get to give my Amy an eternal hug! I love You, Jesus. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Set Apart

 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.  John 17:23

Jesus wants us to be like Him in complete unity with the Father. Isn’t that our prayer as believers, to be in unity with the Father, to hear His voice and move at His command. I am reminded of the words of a song, “I have one deep supreme desire, that I may be like Jesus.” Like Jesus in His devotion, obedience and unity with Father, God. But how deep does that desire go in my life?

Today as I was meditating, I was reminded that to be like Jesus, to know the Father intimately is to be sanctified (set apart), which takes an enormous amount of focus, discipline, and surrender. I cannot set myself “set apart”, but He sets me apart when I accept His forgiveness and surrender my life to His will. I am set apart to follow His example to be in unity with the Father.

What does it look like to be in unity with the Father and Son and set apart for His work and glory?  It means giving up some innocent pleasures if they deprive me of time and energy to do His bidding.  It means staying in the Word of truth and allowing it to direct my steps. It means treating others the way Jesus would treat them. It means to be “set apart.”  When something is set apart, it stands out because it is different, unusual, uncommon, sometime a bit shocking and even thought provoking, all in a good way.  Would those words ever describe you or me?  Do I stand out in a positive, even convicting way while others around me follow the people-pleasing, follow -the- leader world, or the Sunday go to meetin’ crowd? How much am I willing to be sanctified -set apart- for God? The choice is mine, but the power comes from my obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, thank You for truth which is not always easy to hear or follow. If this is a truth that I need to heed, don’t let me forget or move on until I understand exactly what You are putting Your finger on in my life.  Help me not to worry about what others think or do, but to be willing to be “set apart” for You! Thank You, Father, for loving me enough to use the Holy Spirit to call me deeper in my unity with You!

Grafted In or Cut Off

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:1-2

Jesus continues to teach his disciples what true discipleship looks like and what you can expect as a disciple. Throughout this chapter He speaks of fruit-bearing and encourages, yet warns his followers of the rewards for producing fruit and the result of not producing fruit. What shouts at me today is the fact that He says, “He cuts off every branch in Him that bears no fruit.”  The preposition “in”, indicates that they are both “in Him.”  Those who chose to believe but refused to grow He cuts off.  Let that sink in, just because you once prayed a prayer of repentance and believe in Jesus, does not guarantee heaven, at least according to this and other passages in the Bible.  Your eternal security rests in the vine, the source of your salvation.  If you choose to be grafted in and then refuse to grow, you will be cut off.  That’s a scary truth in this passage.

But the question remains, what does the fruit of the vine look like? How do we know if we are growing? So often in the church the fruit that was overwhelmingly emphasized was the fruit of soul-winning. If you hadn’t won a soul in the last year, you were not bearing fruit. But I believe the fruit spoken of here includes so much more.  Galatians tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, kindness, and self-control.  You only obtain this fruit by staying in the vine, in constant communion with the source of life. You produce fruit unto righteousness that looks just like the vine itself. Your fruit includes faithfulness, humility in repentance, continual watering of the Word, acts of compassion, obedience, suffering for Christ’s sake, and self-control in your daily life.

Jesus, we know You are the vine and source of life. Thank You for grafting us into the vine. Thank You for sending the Spirit of truth to teach us what it looks like to be in the vine. Thank You for supplying grace and mercy that we might produce fruit unto righteousness and for pruning us to increase our fruitfulness. You supply everything we need to grow and be fruitful. Thank You for being our Master Gardener.

Totally at Home with Jesus

“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.

Never Orphans

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!!

A Holy GPS

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!

Love Equals Obedience

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.

Greater Things?

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!