Blessed to be a Blessing

Today’s reading is Deuteronomy 19-22, Psalm 6, and Luke 10.

Within Luke 10 we read the famous parable Jesus told of the Good Samaritan. A man had been beaten badly and robbed on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. In fact, it says in Luke 10:30 he was “half dead.” Both a priest and a Levite passed by him. However, a Samaritan stopped and gave him medical care, paid for a hotel for him to stay overnight to heal, and even told the hotel keeper that if he needs more help, I’ll give you more money when I come back. Why was this such a big deal? Well Samaritans were from the former Northern Kingdom of Israel, and they bred with the Assyrians who were gentile and as a result followed some different religious practices. In fact, Jews would rather cross the Jordan than have to travel through Samaria. They were considered “unclean,” and Jews would not expect these good actions from a Samaritan.

Jesus is underscoring here that a person’s heart and actions are what matters, not their background, position, or title. And those who sometimes have the title or background, are just playing a part without the actual heart. And those who may come from different backgrounds or have no status, actually have the heart. The old saying goes, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Many of you remember the NBA’s bad boy Dennis Rodman, his rap sheet is pretty long, However, I recently read a story that when he was with the Chicago Bulls. he would buy out Toys ‘R Us and deliver them to the children’s hospital in Boston when the Bulls played the Celtics without allowing any cameras or reporters. Not many would expect this from him, especially with no fanfare. We hear this and yet regularly we hear of religious and political leaders doing shady things.

My oldest son is 11. I recently shared with him that one way to tell the quality of a person such as maybe a girl he may like is to see how they treat those who can’t give them anything in return or someone in the service industry who they may be only interacting with one time like a waiter/waitress or someone serving them at the drive-thru. Are they your “friend” because they genuinely like you and are a good person, or because they feel they can personally benefit from a relationship with you?

Many of us build relationships with team members, bosses, and potential clients and we go out of our way to do something nice or special for them. There is nothing wrong with this if our heart and motivation is pure. It is good for us to reflect though if we also go out of our way to help others who we can’t get anything in return from or may never see again.

While I think it’s often best that the love of Jesus comes out of our heart in unplanned ways, here are 2 ideas I’ve heard of that I like with the 1st being one I do spontaneously and the 2nd now every time I stay in a hotel.

  • When going out to dinner and you have good service, leave a larger than normal tip to bless the server and write http://beentippedover.com on the receipt so they know they are appreciated and God tugged on your heart to do a little more for them.
  • When you stay in the hotel, leave a tip on your last day for the housekeeper and note thanking them with a Bible verse. I know I never dreamed of leaving a tip for the housekeeper in the past, but once I heard this idea I couldn’t believe I hadn’t previously since this has to be one of the most undesirable jobs in my mind. It’s a great way to thank them and let them know they are appreciated.

You never know what kind of tough day your server or housekeeper may be having and how this may change how they feel and most importantly even point them to Jesus as a source of peace and comfort which we all need.

I must say once I had an awareness, these 2 examples and even giving money to a beggar and telling them I’ll pray for them is somewhat quick and easy for me. I know my bigger opportunity now is to take next steps with those in need where it might be appropriate for me to invest more time in going deeper to build a relationship within one interaction or even greater, being willing to build a relationship which will go on beyond that single interaction.

What about you? Where is your opportunity to show the love of Jesus in your heart to others?

Chicken or the Egg?

Today’s readings are Jeremiah 22,23, and 26, Psalm 77, and James 2.

What comes first..the chicken or the egg? Most of us have probably heard this saying implying that you can’t have a chicken without an egg, but you can’t have an egg without the chicken. So, which comes first? James 2 digs into a similar question but with the topic of faith and works.

Christians believe that you go to Heaven by believing, or having faith, that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of your confessed sins and rose again on Easter (Romans 10:9-11). “Good deeds” don’t get you into Heaven and “good people” don’t go to Heaven if they don’t believe in Jesus. So, some can struggle with James 2:24 which says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” James 2:17 also says similar, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Are these verses saying just faith in Jesus doesn’t get you to Heaven? Is this saying works get you into Heaven?

I believe Scripture can often best be interpreted by cross referencing other Scripture, and I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that our all-church study verses last week came from 1 John 4 which can provide some more context when paired with James 2.

What compels us to do good works? Put simply…love. 1 John 4:16 says, “God is love.” Reading on in 1 John 4, we see verse 20 states..

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

1 John 4:21 follows up verse 20 also stating…

And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

If you truly have faith and love God, then it will show up in your actions. If you say you have faith and love God, but your works don’t show it…then do you really have faith and love God? James is telling us you can’t have one without the other..chicken or egg concept. Your faith in God is made complete by your actions just as in Abraham and Rahab who James references in James 2:23 and James 2:25.

Jesus gives us a great example of this when in John 13 He washed his disciples’ feet which was thought to be such a lowly task that Jews wouldn’t even let their Jewish servants do this for them, only Gentile servants. And of course, Jesus showed us the ultimate act of service when the next day He, the God of the universe in the flesh, gave himself up suffering one of the most gruesome and painful deaths possible through his scourging and Crucifixion on the cross, all so we could be forgiven and live with Him in Heaven.

We love because He first loved us.

1 John 4:19

Let us reflect personally.

  • How am I serving my family?
  • How am I serving my church?
  • How am I serving my neighbors or community?
  • How am I serving my friends?
  • How am I serving those who can do nothing for me in return?

Pick one you can improve on and let us complete our faith in action.

Bad Investments

Luke 21

When I read Luke 21, I get a little scared.  It starts with the destruction of the Temple.  Jesus is telling us that God’s very house will be destroyed.  When it does, we will be tempted to follow others that are not God.   We could easily be led astray.   There will also be wars, natural disasters and persecution.  Jesus makes it personal.  He tells us that we, as believers, will be beaten and tried with some being put to death.  This action is not caused by strangers or even the government. It is our own parents, brothers, relatives and friends.   Entire cities will be destroyed and overtaken.

The events found in this chapter are truly horrifying, with one exception.  Did you notice the first paragraph about the widow?  How did it land here?   It is out-of-place, isn’t it?  I thought so, until I got a closer look.  Read it again and note that the widow kept nothing back for herself.  She gave everything she had, because that is not where she found value.  Consider it this way.  She invested everything she had.  Why?  Was she foolish?  No.  She gave everything because she did not hold value in herself, her own comfort, or her own well-being.  Instead, she invested everything she had for the Kingdom.  She only though of others’ comfort and well-being.  She invested it so that God’s kingdom could be full.

It is worth considering our investments vs the widows.  I realize now that my fear when reading chapter 21 is a result of the investments I am making.  You see, if I am investing in my business or my possessions or even my family, Jesus is quick to show me that my investment will not pay off.  This is what gives me anxiety.  Thankfully, I have an opportunity to make it right.  Today, I choose to invest in God’s kingdom.  I can do it with my pennies and dollars as well as my talents and abilities. Will you?

Maybe You’re the One

 

Good morning and happy Monday.  As we head into Easter week I hope your heart is opening to miracle of the Risen Christ! Today, I’d like to introduce my friend Amy Perschall.  Amy and I sing together on Eastview’s vocal team. A few weeks ago, I learned that her devotion to Christ and skill in sharing His word goes far beyond the music. After hearing her present a morning devotional for a group of musicians, I knew I had to share her gift here! Amy holds a B.S. in Music from ISU, a Master of Divinity, a Masters in Christian Counseling and is working on her Doctor of Ministry. She has experience as a Pastor, Chaplain, Christian Counselor and Youth Pastor.  She has worked in churches, hospitals, prisons and led missions in the name of Jesus. As she completes her doctoral work, Amy is praying for a new opportunity to share her ministry. She is in the process of ordination and I know the next chapter for her will bless so many. I’m excited to share her with our Bible Journal readers!

Today’s Reading: Acts 6

Have you ever seen a need in the church and wondered why someone wasn’t addressing it?  Maybe there are rowdy kids running around between church services and you think, “someone should give them something to do.”  Or maybe there is a concern in the community with homelessness and you wonder, “why doesn’t a church step up and attend to the needs of this population?”  Or maybe you read an article about a school whose students’ grades are failing and you question, “why doesn’t a group step up and help with tutoring or after-school programs?”

A similar questioning arose amongst the Hellenists (or Grecian Jews) and the Hebrews (or Hebraic Jews) in Acts 6.  The Hellenists were a community of believers from places other than Israel and most likely spoke Greek as their primary language.  Their social and religious practices would probably have differed from the Hebrews as well.  And when bringing two different cultures together, there will always be challenges to overcome.

The dispute between the Hellenists and the Hebrews was over the treatment of their widows.  In the Ancient Near East, widows were often unable to provide for themselves and their care was left to the community.  Israelite farmers were to leave grain unharvested so widows, orphans, and foreigners could glean the leftovers and eat (Deut. 24:17-22).  Also, the tithes given to the priests were to provide for the widows, orphans, aliens and priests every third year (Deut. 26:12-13).  So, when the Hellenists complained because, “their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution” (Acts 6:1b), it was a big deal!

Now, I imagine when the Hellenists lodged their complaint to the Twelve (think Twelve Disciples of Jesus), they were expecting one of the leadership to do something.  However, the Twelve had a different plan.  They needed to continue in the call on their lives to preach the Gospel and spread the word of God.  So, just as any good leader does, they delegated.  In developing a team of seven who are “of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3b), the Twelve involve more people in ministry and leadership.  Instead of trying to do everything themselves, the Twelve encourage those who had identified the problem to step up and serve within their giftedness and they were ready to serve!  I’m sure there were growing pains as these new leaders learned how to lead, but in spreading out the work, more people were served in the end.

So, as you notice needs within the church and your community, instead of wondering why someone else doesn’t step up, maybe God is trying to get your attention!  Maybe you are exactly the person God has in mind to spearhead a new ministry.  Are you ready to serve?