Author: Jon Harris

Today we have a front row seat to an unimaginable event. We get a detailed account from Luke, describing a Roman crucifixion. Scavenger creatures are probably approaching and stench is in the air. Death is near.

It is a scene of torture, pain, blood, sweat, and tears, along with eternity-altering dialogue between three people who can barely breathe and are about to die. There was no mercy, no hope, no rescue in a crucifixion; once you’re up there, death is imminent.

With this, we get to be witnesses to what are perhaps the final words of three men. I’d think that when someone knows they are going to die, their words and thoughts become very raw and very real, very quickly. I find it truly fascinating that we have this conversation in writing.

We have Jesus (not guilty) then two men who are guilty.

First, we have words from one of the guilty men:

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39)

Adamant, defiant, railing (I interpret “railing” to mean mocking or scoffing, much like the rulers and soldiers were doing). While he didn’t seem to be in denial of the charges at this point, there doesn’t seem to be any repentance from him.

And the other criminal with a different heart:

⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40-41)

Even the criminal knew Jesus was innocent, yet sentenced to death. We get a glimpse into the criminal’s heart and mind. He acknowledges Jesus as king.

⁴² And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)

With that one simple statement of faith and a repentant heart, eternity in Heaven is his. The same goes for all of us, depending on our choice to either rail him or repent and call him who he really is: King and Lord of All.

And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Luke 23 & Psalm 71

Picture: La Crocifissione by Michele Da Verona (c. 1470 – c. 1536)

Luke 9:23 presents one of the greatest, direct, over-arching challenges to us in clear form. Jesus is saying, if you’re going to follow me, die to self.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

In a recent worship service, we were challenged to put everything aside apart from our focus on worshiping our heavenly father. Something was stated to the effect of “anything other than this, makes the worship about us, and not about God”.

This theme led me to once again realize that selfishness is at the root of most, if not all sin.

Selfishness manifests itself in many forms. We see people claiming to be Christ followers yet criticizing the church for preaching Biblical truth. I only see human selfishness in these arguments and it breaks my heart. Political standoffs, words of hurt, rock stars calling on Jesus but every other word points to himself or herself as someone almighty, and social media blasts clamoring on and on.

But hold on… before we get too upset over these things, do not forget that it is the ploy of the evil one to deceive and cause dissension – especially within the church. Jesus has already won. He defeated death, he defeated sin. We have love. We have the words of Jesus. We have this command:

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44)

It is a dark world to spiral into when we start thinking that some other human is the problem as this leads to blame, gossip, anger, retaliation, and even hatred. We cannot fall into the trap. When we judge our enemies we become hypocrites as we are basically making it about us. Revenge is his.

Vengeance is mine, and recompense,
    for the time when their foot shall slip;
for the day of their calamity is at hand,
    and their doom comes swiftly. (Deuteronomy 32:35)

Father God, please show me where I am selfish, where I need to die to self, where I need to pick up my cross and follow you, and you alone. Amen.

Luke 9 & Psalm 57

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. (1 John 5:14)

What a promise. What is on your heart today that you believe is in God’s will that you need to ask him for? I know it is in his will that we share the gospel, share his love, that we give, that we repent, that we flee from sin and that we turn our hearts and will toward him.

How often do we take this promise too lightly? No matter where we are, anytime, we have the ear of the almighty God, creator of the Heavens and the Earth, Lord of All, and oftentimes my prayers are just so lame it is embarrassing.

I repent right now Lord for treating you so small. You rescued me, you gave me mercy and grace. You offer perfect truth through your Holy Spirit and your word in the Bible. Thank you for forgiving my sin, for loving me, for listening, for your mercy and grace that I can never repay.

Taking God’s promises too lightly in my world is a result of my own selfishness, which ends up becoming idolatry; me first, everything else second.

Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. (1 John 5:21 NLT)

I asked my boys to read 1 John 5, then share any thoughts that the reading might have provoked. They both (separately) mentioned verse 21. The ESV uses the word idols, but I sure love how the NLT puts it in our terms today and basically defines idols as anything that might take God’s place in our hearts.

Preston related this verse to having the desire to play video games that he knows are wrong/bad for him. Peyton related it to choosing sports over spiritual growth. Pretty sure we can all relate!

Even during the writing of this post I allowed myself to be distracted by looking for the best hotel for an upcoming business trip. Hmm, the one with a 4.4 rating or the 4.3 rating that looks like nicer rooms but not as desirable location? Pretty sure I checked out for 15 minutes browsing photos and reading reviews. In the end, my investment in that search was about about seeking what would please me and would give me the most comfort. After wasting time on this search I literally felt empty and even a little depressed. Nothing on this earth will ever satisfy like the living water of Jesus… nothing.

Lord Jesus I need you, every day, every hour, every second. I repent for allowing the things of this world to take your rightful place in my heart. Renew me, restore me, guide me today for your glory. Amen.

Today’s reading links: 1 John 5 & Psalm 43

This week I had the privilege to travel a couple hours by car with a man I’ll refer to as “Patrick” who is a new friend. In the journey we had some cordial personal banter, then great business dialogue, then God revealed himself in glorious fashion.

As we neared the end of the ride, Patrick shared that he has a daughter who was conceived with help from In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). There were evidently some difficulties in becoming pregnant, but a few years later he and his wife were hoping to become pregnant once again. Except the timing wasn’t good; IVF is very expensive and Patrick’s mother had become ill with cancer.

Unfortunately, Patrick eventually lost his mother to cancer, however on the weekend of her death, Patrick’s wife shared that she was pregnant once again. This time, no help from IVF. Patrick praised God for this miracle and was such a joyful man, I couldn’t help but feel overjoyed and praised God for what he had done. I praised God for the opportunity to meet Patrick, for people who share their story and give God the glory. How refreshing!

Would you join me in saying a prayer for Patrick and his growing family?

What story can you share with someone today as to how God has changed your life?

^18-21 Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God. (1 Peter 1:18-21 – MSG)

Today’s reading links: 1 Peter 1 & Psalm 29

If you knew you were at the end of your life and writing your last letter to people you loved, what would you say?

2 Timothy 4 closes out Paul’s final writings in the Bible. He knew he was at the end of his life and he was passing the torch to his dear friend Timothy who was like a son to him.

In his personal instructions and closing (verses 9-22), we can observe that Paul is very people focused. Thinking about what is (or should be) most important to any of us, I think about the people I’ve been entrusted to love, teach, guide and to learn from and wanted to share two stories from this week.

On Tuesday, a close family member had a very serious health scare; one that caused great panic for a short period of time. Immediate thoughts went though my mind wondering if I’ve properly shared the gospel with him, if I’ve treated him with love, goodness, kindness, and gentleness. What if the last time I saw him was truly “the last time”? What would life be like without him?

On Thursday, Amy’s car broke down with an issue that was a severe safety hazard an hour from home while I was several hours away at work. She had our boys with her and the car was packed full of luggage. Generally a panic situation.

One of my biggest fears in life (apart from public speaking) is actually that my family would be stranded somewhere in a broken down car AND that I’d be too far away to help! With immediate prayer along with feeling nauseous, I started making phone calls.

Praise God, our local dealership actually called a tow truck, had the truck come to the dealership and pick up a loaner car, bring that car to Amy, then take our car back to the dealership.

And based on my own experience with tow truck drivers, I’ll admit to some negative bias. Not this guy! Amy said he was so nice and helpful, she was blown away… wow!

Praise God that these two situations had best case scenario results. Praise Him for putting people in our lives who listen, respond and give us love. May we respond in a way that honors God and his calling.

Starting today we’re going through the Psalms for additional praise and teaching. Here’s a link for today: Psalm 1

The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you. (2 Timothy 4:22)

My prior post inquired about being worthy of imitation and also asked “Are we living a life worthy of our calling?” When writing that post I hadn’t read the scripture for today’s post yet (which is 2 Thessalonians 1), and was completely surprised to find the following regarding being worthy of God’s calling:

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

This week my job has “called” me to visit Italy. The countryside, architecture, and historical sites are stunningly beautiful. Even more important than the physical beauty, our hosts are bending over backwards for us; setting aside their work and even their personal schedules to accommodate our every need.

Our hosts have been driving us around, booking our hotels, shifting plans on short notice, being patient with our inability to speak Italian and also teaching us Italian, offering coffee at least every hour and engaging us in work-related conversation (well and lots of talk about food) during three to four hour dinners very late into the night.

Our host just today after lunch offered to take me golfing “right now” and he was dead serious (had to decline that but going to plan for it next time), invited us to dine at his home tonight (hopefully his wife is aware), introduced us to the chef/owner of one of his favorite restaurants, introduced us to the owner of our hotel (along with the owner’s family), and offered to help us find the right school for our kids.

The food here is incredible; the best I’ve ever had. Same with the wine. There is so much.. I’m speechless (and very, very full).

Saying all of this, I can see how easy it can be to get distracted by the pleasures of this world. Food, wine, scenery, friendship, fun… these are all good things, but we all need Jesus, and this week my “work-related” calling includes building relationships, but my eternal calling has nothing to do with food, and everything to do with spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. I feel the pull and empty promises of the worldly things, so I am so thankful for what is not empty: the promises of God, for his holy truth, for being “found” whenever we seek him, for God being my rock, and my true comfort.

For many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14)

After a quick transition to a new job in a new state with a new company along with plans to eventually move overseas, this last month has given me a lot to look forward to, and it has also inspired me to pause and reflect. Today’s reading is on Philippians 3 and this verse stood out in particular in reflection of the spiritual mentors/influencers in my life:

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. (Philippians 3:17)

Since I was a kid, my mom prayed for me to have friends, mentors, guides and role models influencing my spiritual journey in a positive way. As a result, whenever this prayer is answered, I praise God for what he’s done and thank him for my mom and her countless prayers and dedication.

Many of us have people we look up to or consider heroes in this life. I’m a sports fan, not a fanatic, so while I respect and admire those at the top – I don’t really follow these people and I’d never consider purchasing a jersey with someone else’s name on it. Famous actors/actresses, and even musicians are not that exciting to me… I’ll enjoy the contributions to the arts, but I won’t seek to imitate or follow these folks closely, if at all.

Those who do inspire me are the strong, bold, influential, successful, yet humble and self-aware leaders who live out their faith both outside and inside the workplace. The ones whose priorities are in the right order and encourage/support others to prioritize the same; loving God and loving people. My friend Duane exemplifies all of these attributes and is worthy of imitation through his imitation and submission to Jesus Christ. While I’ve tried to verbally share with him the impact he’s had on my life, he certainly doesn’t know the depth. Thank you Duane!

I challenge our readers to consider the following by thinking of those who have influenced your spiritual journey for the better:

1. There are people observing our behavior and we likely have far more influence than we realize. What can or should we do about this? Are we living a life worthy of our calling?
2. Who are the most spiritually influential people in your life? Have you thanked them properly? Do they have any idea how much they mean to you or of the fruitful results of their actions?
3. What are the behaviors (known or unknown to others) that should not be imitated and are we seeking repentance? Can we, like Paul suggest that people imitate us?

Father God, thank you for putting people in our lives who pray for us, who lead by example and who boldly proclaim the gospel of salvation through your son Jesus. May our eyes be opened and affixed firmly on you to recognize your work, your plans, your will, and your ways. We repent for acting as though our ways are better. Give us the courage like Paul states (in Philippians 3:14) to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Amen.

The sermon titled Abrahamic Covenant from Sunday 6/18/17 at Eastview Christian Church hit so close to home, I really thought someone asked pastor Mike to share a sermon for the Harris family.

Today’s reading link:  Galatians 3

This is a story of faith going back to Abraham in Genesis 12, and still applicable to us today.

So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:9)

For over a year, our family has talked about the potential for us to move to Michigan. We have discussed the likelihood that my job would be changing and there would be new opportunities elsewhere for our family.

As we started to sense the probability of a move start to increase, our conversations became a little more serious. With this seriousness, reality started to settle in and that caused me to become uneasy.

Our life in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois is good; it is comfortable. My commute to work is an easy 12 minutes (15 minutes with bad traffic!), I’ve had a successful business there for over 12 years, our house is cozy and in a great location, we have friends we love and who would do anything for us (I just got tears in my eyes because this is so true), and now more tears… words cannot describe our love for Eastview Christian Church and our eternal gratitude for what God has done through the preaching, teaching, and love that abounds there.

Our boys are happy, they have super nice friends, a wonderful school, they’re enrolled in an affordable, phenomenal music program where they’ve learned to play the cello, and they have a multitude of opportunity when it comes to sports.

Why would we leave this comfort and goodness? The answer lies in God’s plan for us; not just the Harris family, but all of us. God has plans. We do not always know the plan, but he is calling each of us to himself, to his son.

The following verses were at the heart of the 6/18/17 sermon:

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)

Abram was seventy-five years old at the time, and in the sermon pastor Mike shared that Abram was probably comfortable where he was. This reminds me of a lot of us being comfortable but then God calls to mission trips, serving opportunities, career changes, small moves and big moves.

What did Abram do after God called him? He went. “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him” (Genesis 12:4a). Abram went out of obedience and faith. God is a promise maker and promise keeper and he will never leave us.

Pastor Mike also shared that if we knew the timing and the exact plans God has, we’d likely shove God aside and say “I’ve got this” (I can say amen to that because of the many failures I’ve experienced when trying to take over). When I try to control the outcome, it typically results in frustration, anxiety and disappointment. When I give it all to God; both fear and hope, no matter the outcome from an Earthly perspective, the Heavenly rewards outweigh everything.

Lord God, we praise you for loving us first. For the grace and mercy given though your son Jesus Christ. Thank you for the work of your Holy Spirit; may we continue to see your hands in all of our experiences. May we have faith, inward and outward, that reflects your mighty power. I give you control God. Take my sinful pride, I’ve achieved nothing without you. Let me see you in the good times and bad times. Do not let me forget how you’ve saved me. Amen.

The word beauty immediately sparks many images in my mind.

There are the typical images many of us would first mention… The Grand Canyon, sunrises, sunsets, a starry night, a bride walking down the aisle, etc.

When meditating further on “beauty”, more extensive thoughts come to mind… a solid marriage, the smell of a baby’s forehead (I could write a book on this), a soaring bald eagle (I finally was able to see one fairly close just two weeks ago… mind blowing!), the sound of a waterfall, a hug at just the right time, string instruments played together with precision and grace, a swimmer exhibiting a perfect stroke gliding through the water…

As we set our focus on words like beauty, power, wisdom and truth (attributes of God) I see this as an act of worship when the mindset gives the glory to our creator, the creator of all good and beautiful things, our mighty God.

With this, as we intentionally take beauty in, it is a conscious act. Sometimes we can have beauty right in front of us, but if we don’t notice and actively consume the beauty, it is as though it is hidden and we miss it.

Today’s reading link: 2 Corinthians 3

I see a parallel in today’s chapter with taking in beauty as opposed to beauty almost being hidden. As I share Jesus with “future” believers, I often sense a response that tells me they just don’t see it. These are typically intelligent and wise people, however it seems like the beauty of Christ is hidden much like how the following verses refer to a veil covering their hearts, thus hardening their minds.

But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. (2 Corinthians 3:14-16)

Jesus’ perfect life was marked by beauty, and even his death while gruesome, was beauty because of what it represented. Further, what greater, more beautiful act can one commit than to defeat death?

Father God, we are all sinners and that sin separates us from you. Show us our selfish and wrong ways so that we may repent in the name of your son Jesus, and what a beautiful name it is. Lift the veil from those who do not yet know your son as lord of their lives. Show us opportunities to share your love, grace, mercy, truth, and beauty. Amen.