In It, Not Of It

Do you ever find it challenging to be a Christian who lives in the world, but is not of the world?

We know that we are called to live like Jesus in this broken world, but sometimes, I look in the mirror and I see someone who looks, talks and acts just like the rest of the world. I know that this should not be so. Today’s reading in John 17 is a reminder to me that, although I clearly live in the world, I am not to be someone who is of this world.

Today, first take a moment to read all of John 17 with me. This chapter of John has always been one of my favorites since I discovered it for the first time, as it is a beautiful prayer of Jesus for US. How incredible is that? As you read John 17 today, rest in the fact that Jesus knows you by name and that He knew every single person He prayed for so long ago. I can’t quite wrap my mind around the fact that Jesus interceded for me, for us, in the way that He did throughout this passage… it’s amazing.

Let’s focus on John 17:14-19 today and spend some time reminding ourselves how important it is to be in the world and not of the world:

14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

You’ve probably realized before that sometimes God answers our prayers differently than we might want Him to or expect Him to. For example, while God could deliver us from a challenge, He sometimes teaches us through the challenge instead. While God could heal us, He sometimes makes us wait for true healing in Heaven one day. You get the idea. Verse 15 above reminds me of this same sort of thing… Jesus certainly could have prayed that we would be taken out of the world and protected from the evil one in that way. But He didn’t.

Instead, verse 15 says that Jesus prayed specifically that God would NOT take us out of the world, but that He would protect us from the evil one as we live life in the world. Why wouldn’t Jesus just ask God to protect us by simply taking us out of the world?

Friends, I think there must be a reason Jesus prayed this way. I believe it is because He has work for us to do in this world, but in order to do that work, we simply cannot look like the rest of the world. It just doesn’t work that way. Of course, we are not called to be perfect as we live out an example of Jesus and His character. Instead, we can use our imperfections, weaknesses, and failings to point people to our desperate human need for God’s grace. But may I remind you today that you are, in fact, called to live here on earth for a reason? And may I also remind you today that as you live out your life here on earth, with purpose, you are called to do so in a way that does not look like the rest of the world?

Be encouraged today that although we are called to do life here on earth for a little while, we can make the most of that time here by not living like the rest of the world. Today, keep watch over your heart, your attitude, your words, and your actions and ask the Lord to help you focus on living in a way that is unlike anything this world has ever seen, and watch what the Lord does with that.

Glowing Box

Imagine a box in a dark room. Inside the box is a source of light that makes it glow. Now a pinhole is made in the box. The pinhole in the box gives off a thin beam of light piercing through the darkness of the room. You move to align your eye with the beam of light to peer inside the box. What you see, you see clearly, yet you can not see all the contents of the box, only what is within your field of view from the hole. What is shown is shown clearly but not all is shown. This is how I have come to understand a parable to reveal the truth. John 16 tells us that while Jesus revealed the truth in parables, He will send the Spirit that will open up the box completely and reveal truth plainly.

John 16 tells us that while Jesus revealed the truth in parables, He will send the Spirit that will open up the box completely and reveal truth plainly.

I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. – John 16:25

The word here translated as ‘figures of speech’ is paroimiais in the greek. Some versions translate this word as figurative language, some as allegories, some as proverbs and some as parables. A paroimiais is a pointed but veiled statement. Throughout His entire ministry, Jesus spoke in mashal which is the Hebrew word for the same veiled but pointed statements. These parables are very clear illuminations of the truth but they purposefully leave much hidden. (Luke 8:10)

An interesting fact, Jesus taught in parables, but from this point forward, from the end of the Gospels on, no one else ever gives a parable. After the cross, the resurrection, the ascension, and after the coming of the Holy Spirit, everything is unveiled. Everything is given to us plainly.

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. – John 16:12-13

When I think of the disciples being given one parable after another, I think of our glowing box and their having another hole made for them to see in. Their box had many holes from all of Jesus’s parables. So much truth yet so much truth still veiled. 

Now imagine our box again. The four vertical corners of the box are split. The box now completely opened up, lays flat on the ground. Everything inside the box is now perfectly visible and accessible.

The Spirit has given us the perfect account of Jesus ministry in the Gospels, the beginnings of the delivery of His promises in His Church from Acts, the clear and plain explanation of His teaching we get from the theology from the epistles, and the complete unveiling of the future from Revelation. This is Jesus delivering on His promise to unveil all the truth. (John 14:26) This is the perfect and complete testimony of God revealed to us in Scripture. This is the box, the truth, completely opened and accessible to us.

God this morning we thank You for the gift of the New Testament and for revealing all the truth to us in plain ways. We praise You LORD God! God, we confess to not placing the proper value on Your revealed truth and ask that you would give us a strong desire to arm ourselves with your revealed truth and use it to Your glory. May Your Kingdom come LORD. On earth, as it is in Heaven. Amen.

 

Abide in our True Vine

Today’s Reading John 15 

Do you love grapes?  I do. I remember as a child as soon as the sun started to come up over the field and glistened through the tree line I would take off outside.  We had an apple tree, rhubarb, and carrots.  My favorite, when in season, was our grapevine. Many meals could be skipped when we hung out by these grapes.  As a kid, this earthly vine satisfied my earthly hunger.  Still my heart and soul hungered for our True Vine.

John 15:1 says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener”. Jesus, fulfills all needs.

Our True Vine, Jesus, provides nourishment to create any and all fruit in our lives. Independent of this vine, our branches can’t produce fruit.  Independent of Jesus, our lives are fruitless. He is the source of nourishment we need.  Are you receiving nourishment? 

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

The book of John has a series of  “I am” statements for us to remember. He says, “I am the Bread of Life. I am the Light of the World. I am the Door, I am the Good Shepherd. I am the Resurrection and the Life. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” He says in John 8:58 I am Eternally Existing, and in John 15, I am the True Vine. Our God is the great I am, and in in John 8:24 it says that we need to believe this.

Since we know that Jesus is the true vine, he says His Father is the gardener. The gardener who planted the vine, and cares for it. There are then branches that bear fruit meaning true disciples; or there are branches that produce no fruit, that are cut off. What is my branch looking like?

The key to knowing what my branch looks like is in the word abide.  Do we abide in Him? This word is repeated eight times in five verses. Starting in verse 4 where abide is used three times.  4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

So what does it look like to abide in Jesus? John 15:10 says,  “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”

We need to do all we can to faithfully keep his commandments.  To keep his commandments means to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind.  We love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37–39).  Our love for God is in our trust, prayer, and devotion to Him. We abide in relationships, prayers, and in love.

When our lives are intertwined with His, true joy fills our days.  Even in the face of adversity our consistent relationship keeps us able find joy in all circumstances.  So today and everyday, abide.  Stay connected to the True Vine that is connected to Jesus.

John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 

Dear God,

Thank you for another amazing day where we can praise you in everything we do. God we pray that you give us the strength to stay connected to you from the inside out.  That in the midst of any circumstances that may impact our day we remember who we are connected to, and who are gardener is!  Amen

 

 

Jesus, Our Father, and the Holy Spirit In-between

 

Today’s Reading: John 14

Today we begin our time with Jesus the comforter in John Chapter 14. Jesus is reassuring his disciples that he will go before them and prepare a place for them in heaven.  I love that he describes his Father’s house as having “many rooms.” It’s a wonderful reminder that there is a special place for each one of us that fits us perfectly.  Just as a child might decorate their bedroom with a favorite color or drawings, Jesus is preparing a place for each of his followers that reflects our unique relationship with Him. I can really identify with Jesus’ apostles in this chapter.  They are realizing that he is leaving, and they are afraid.  They don’t know how to go on without Him. Have you felt that way in your life? Have you lost someone you love and depended upon? Even though Jesus hasn’t died yet, his apostles are grieving. Thomas says,

“Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” John 14:5

 Such a short sentence but so powerful. Lord, we want to follow you but we do not know where you are going.  We can’t possibly find our way when we don’t know the destination. As a new Christian, this statement represents my life before Christ.  I really didn’t know the way.  I was just experiencing life as it happened, not understanding that there is a plan for me. Part of drawing close to Jesus Christ for me, is making connections between His life and mine. Here are his disciples so dependent upon him desperate to understand the future but not able to hold on to what they believe is their only connection to God the Father. Jesus responds to their fear and apprehension in verse six:

 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

 This verse is foundational for us. How can we know the way to God? Only through Jesus. Jesus is that way because he is both God and man. By uniting our lives with His we are united with God. This seems so simple but really, it’s life changing. Jesus is our direct connection with God.  We don’t need to mourn the loss of Him on the cross. I find this so encouraging. Of course the apostles are still doubtful.  They still feel lost, maybe even a bit abandoned.  Philip pleads with Jesus:

“Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us.” John 14:8

 Oh, don’t you just feel for Philip here? How many of us have gotten down on our knees and begged our Heavenly father to just show Himself so that we may believe that everything is going to be ok! Jesus responds but reminding Philip that knowing Him means knowing our Father. Then, he makes a promise:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever,even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:15-17

 Enter: THE HOLY SPIRIT!! If you are like me, you might struggle to really conceptualize The Holy Spirit.  I often think to myself, what is it exactly?  Is it a person, a spiritual being, is it just a representation of Jesus’ love for us? My NIV study Bible says this about The Holy Spirit: “The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God within us and all believers, helping us live as God wants and building Christ’s church on earth. By faith we can appropriate the Spirit’s power each day.” I did lots of reading and research about The Holy Spirit this week. I think he or she or it is underestimated.  For me, it’s easy to forget about the strong power of The Holy Spirit in my day to day life. Jesus told us in John 14 that The Holy Spirit is another advocate to help us and be with us forever. Isn’t that what we all want in this life? An advocate to comfort, counsel and encourage us? I’m going to challenge myself and our readers to focus our attention this week on The Holy Spirit in our lives.  It is truly one of the greatest gifts given to us by Jesus. Are we watching for and listening to the voice of the Spirit in our lives?  Are we quiet enough to hear?

“You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.  And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming.” John 14:28-30

 Have a great week with Jesus and the gift of The Holy Spirit

                                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gradually, and then suddenly

Potter's Field, Israel.  The place where Judas hanged himself.

Most Christians are familiar with Judas’ story.  We know him as a traitor, a cheat and a thief.  The Bible has plenty of evidence for those conclusions.  But, was it his fault?  Today, as we read John 13, I get stuck on three words from verse 27, “Satan entered him.”  As I read it, the thought of Satan entering chills my bones.  I begin to worry that Satan, at any moment, can take over my heart and mind. That he can control my actions as he did with Judas.  Does it work that way?  Are we susceptible to catastrophic failure at any given moment of the day?  To answer those questions, we need to look closer at Judas’ life.

Surely, like you and me, Judas’ choice to follow Jesus was pure.  He saw in Jesus what we all see.  Love, joy, hope and peace.  Also like us, as Judas followed Jesus, he was confronted with his old self.  Judas’ old makeup was filled with greed and love of money.  That life is marked with continuously cultivating thoughts of wealth and prosperity.  As an apostle, he must have found himself continuously at odds with those desires.  At some point, the frustration is too great.  He must choose one or the other.  How does he choose?  The same way we do.  Whichever desire gets more attention wins.

The Bible is clear that the desires we feed will produce results.  In fact, James 1:14-15 says that, “temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.  These desires give birth to sinful actions.  And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”  Sounds like Judas, doesn’t it?

Imagine Judas sitting at home, alone one evening, relaxing by the fire, contemplating his life.  His thoughts drift to the wealthy people.  He ponders what their lives are like.  He adores their clothing, their homes, maybe even their chariots.  But, he doesn’t have any of that.  How can he get it?  As he lies down in bed he’s still thinking of the possibilities of having money.  Oh, how it could change his life and how much better he could be.

The next day, Judas hasn’t shaken the thought.  He begins to think more and more about what he could have. He must have it!  Judas begins to craft a solution in his head.  ‘How can I get the money?’  As he evaluates his skills and resources, he has an idea.  He could sell out Jesus.  I imagine him immediately dismissing the thought as he remembers why he follows Jesus.  But, every time he is alone, he ponders how to live a bigger life.  The thought of selling out Jesus returns.  This time, it’s not so easily dismissed.  He begins to ask it questions like “how would it happen,” and “what is the next step.”   Over time, the thought is large enough to be carried with him.  Everyday, he’s returning to it, considering it, even strategizing it.  Just like us, once we have considered it long enough, an opportunity will present itself.  For Judas, he finds a special opportunity while talking to the chief priest. “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” (Matthew 26:15).  And that was it.  The response given by the chief priest encouraged and empowered him.  He could see victory.  Now, he just needed the right time.

Even though Judas’ mind was resolved and his heart now hardened against Jesus, he must have questioned the decision.  I see him sitting with Jesus and the disciple’s at the Passover table.  He’s floundering and filled with anxiety. Is this the time? Little did Judas know that the decision was no longer his. He had been surrendering the choice to Satan little by little for the last several weeks.  The thing that was once just a thought had been cultivated in his heart and it had control. His floundering was not an obstacle for Satan. He is crafty. He knows exactly how to finish him.  It happens in verse 27. I imagine that Satan, watching Judas take the bread, uses Jesus’ words to provoke the malice and hatred he had been cultivating. Now, rushing in all at once, Judas was fully won.  He went “into the night.”  Death was near.

What do you ponder when you are alone?  What is the thing that has your attention? Is it Holy?  Imagine yourself in possession of the thing that you most want, is it drawing you nearer to Jesus?

 

An Audience of One

John 12

The church I grew up in celebrates Holy Week with a Palm Sunday celebration and then a Maundy Thursday and Good Friday combined evening service and of course, Easter service on Sunday morning. I can remember walking into the church in the choir as a child carrying palm branches and singing about Jesus being king as we read about today in John 12 when he enters Jerusalem. This section in my Bible is appropriately called “The Triumphant Entry,” as the people shouted “Hosanna” and called Jesus” the King of Israel.”  Later in the week, in our combined Maundy Thursday/Good Friday service, we would turn off the lights at the end. There was a spotlight on a large, wooden cross in the front and sitting in dead silence, someone came the microphone yelling “Crucify him..Crucify him!”  Then, there was a wooden block being hit with a hammer 3 times loudly to represent the nails being driven into Jesus’ feet and both hands. I cringed with each strike of the block. We then sat in the dark with no one saying a word or moving for a few minutes which felt like an hour! Whoa! The lights came on and that was everyone’s cue to file out in silence. People would talk in the lobby, but the buzz, cheerfulness, and mood was a little different than the normal Sunday service.

On Easter Sunday, it was a time for celebration and the buzz and cheerfulness was back again. The palms were back, lilies were all around the church, a white sash hung on the cross to represent us being washed clean of our sins, and the sun seemed to always be shining on Easter morning. He is risen!

It was perplexing to me growing up, and still is  today, that Jesus was adorned as a king by a crowd and then just a few days later another crowd, with maybe some of the same people, shouted for him to be crucified.

Often in our life, we can feel like we are on top of the world. Maybe we get a big promotion, secure a big client, have someone praise us for a job well done, family relationships are great, and everything seems to be going our way. And then out of nowhere a job is lost, a client leaves you, a falling out with a family member occurs, you are criticized by a boss, you have an unexpected financial hardship, or even a divorce. Where does your identity come from in these low moments? I don’t know about you, but I feel it is hard not to lose confidence in myself during these challenging times because I can mistakenly get puffed up when others are telling me good job, and I put my self-worth and happiness based on what others are saying when things are going well. It is then equally as bad as it was good and my self-worth and confidence can decrease when others are critical of me or when nothing seems to be going right.

We don’t know Jesus’ thoughts on Palm Sunday as he was being praised like a king, but something tells me based off his humbleness and servant leadership throughout his lifetime that he was not puffed up and proud. During his toughest times on the cross, his focus was not on himself, but on others as he said in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Jesus did not put his identity and worth in what others thought about him. He knew who he truly was, and most importantly, whose he was.

When things are going well, let’s remember to give glory and praise to him and not be prideful and think it’s by our own doing. James 1:17 says “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above..” When things aren’t going so well, let’s not be discouraged by what others think, and let’s remind ourselves that we are living for an audience of one. Let’s remember who we are and whose we are. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” If we look in the mirror and we’ve made mistakes we are not proud of (and we all have), let’s be thankful instead of sad. This is why Jesus came and died on the cross. Our identity is in him and in his unconditional love for us. Let’s hold fast, for we know what is coming, the sunshine and celebration of Easter morning! He is risen…he is risen indeed!

 

Raising Lazarus

John 11

The book of John has certainly been one provoking deep thought. Jennifer’s post last Saturday on “Why are we doing this?” challenged us to really think through what we are reading. What are we doing with the messages we read? This week proved no different with the themes of teaching:  The Healing at the Pool, the Feeding of the Five Thousand, Jesus Walking on Water, Jesus at the Festivals, The Healing of the Blind Man, The Good Shepherd, all giving us a chance to continue to build our faith.

Today, we come to the wonderful story of Lazarus. Another example of Jesus’ power as he performs one of his 37 miracles. This miracle though seems a bit different because Lazarus is his friend. In the Bible, we see Jesus leave his parents at an early age. He then surrounds himself with the 12 disciples. Beyond this inner circle, there are only a few friends mentioned. We hear Mary and Martha mentioned a number of times including during Jesus crucifixion and resurrection and Mary washing Jesus’ feet.

In this story today, Mary and Martha sent for Jesus because Lazarus was ill. We aren’t told what he had but obviously, they knew it was severe and possibly life threatening if they sent for Jesus. They knew Jesus could potentially help or heal their brother.

What strikes me is that Jesus heard he was sick and still waited two days. If one of our best friend’s was very ill, wouldn’t we drop everything and come home or go to the hospital or be with that person, whatever was needed, right away? In this case, Jesus knew that this situation would be another one of his signs (there are 7 revealed in the book of John). He would show the believers and non-believers that his miracles come from the power given to him by God. He knew he would raise Lazarus from the dead just as he had others such as Jarius’ daughter.

When Jesus is finally approaching Bethany, Mary goes to meet Jesus. She still has hope that Jesus can help or just had the need to see him right away. Martha on the other hand stays back at their home. Is she mad that he didn’t come sooner and doesn’t believe Jesus can do anything at this point as Lazarus has been dead four days? Or is she so overcome with grief that she cannot bear to leave their home? Eventually she goes to meet him.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

35 Jesus wept.

Jesus sees the grief of the sisters and the other mourners. He is overcome with grief himself, weeping, and showing his compassion.

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

Do you ever feel like crying when you see a close friend or family member that upset over something? What a powerful moment to see these friends together, weeping and consoling each other. It also gives us an indication of what a wonderful person Lazarus must have been. We don’t know much about him in the rest of the Bible. We do not even know how old he is or what his profession is, but he must be a kind and generous man to share his home with his sisters.

The scene moves from this emotional state to the climax of Jesus’ sign. As they are at the tomb, Martha worries that the stench will be too great. She is showing a slight weakness of faith. As the stone is rolled away, we know Lazarus is alive. Calls for him Jesus brings his friend back to life.

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

We can only imagine what joy the friends experience. Believers and non-believers see yet another sign.

As you read this story, I hope you experienced the same powerful imagery in your head as I did. It is a miraculous story of friendship, compassion, miracles and belief. We can rejoice in this miracle and believe. Our faith is strengthened.

Yet this story can’t help me think of Jesus’ death, Mary and Martha at the tomb, and then Jesus’ resurrection.  Stay tuned for John 20.

Our We Missing the Point Entirely?

I turn 24 on Saturday. I have learned to reflect on my life so that I can truly learn from decisions and choices I have made over my lifetime so far. Birthdays are some of the best reminders of where I have come from and where I am headed. Part of my reflection process includes reflecting on my relationship with God. Where have I come in the past year? Where have I grown in my walk?

My small group started a Galatians study this past week and we started the study by writing out our story. It started with where we were without God, and then moved on to the moment where we experienced God for the first time, and finally ending your story with how that encounter is shaping your future. As I wrote my story, I took some time to really reflect on my life with God. It’s been just under 24 years since I was born and even though I accepted Christ at an early age, I didn’t have a relationship with him until I was in my early twenties, which means I’m still a toddler in my faith walk. Today’s reading is about having that relationship with God so let’s dive into that.

John 10 talks about Jesus explaining how to truly have a relationship with him.

He says,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers”

They didn’t understand so he explained it again.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is ha hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

The reason I explained my story above was that I was like the Jews in this story. I was missing the moral of the story. Jesus is the only way to the father. No matter how many good things we do, how much we give to the church, or how many times we got up early to go to church on Sunday mornings. If we don’t have a relationship with Jesus, then all of that means nothing. The passage says that Jesus knows his own and his own know him. If we don’t have a relationship with God, how can we truly know him? He wants us to know him, so today do some reflection. Reflect on your life and your walk with Christ. Does your walk truly reflect a relationship with God or is it just filled with good works? Think on that. I hope this passage starts a work in you today.

Simple, Pure Faith

Todays reading is John 9

So we all read John 9 today and got the chance first hand to see Jesus working in our world. A man born blind gets his eyes covered with a mixture of Jesus’ spit and dirt and then is told to go wash in the pool of Siloam. After following Jesus instructions he can see. For the first time in his life, he is not in total darkness. He is not forced to feel his way around the world or be lead by another person. His life is changed drastically by the opportunity to earn a living instead of sit at the city gate and beg for coins or food to keep himself alive each day. This turn of events moves him in society from an outcast to a functioning part of a community. It is also possible that he could now be found worthy by some family, worthy enough for them to consider giving their daughter to him in marriage. Everything has changed.

As people around him realize what has happened to him, they start questioning him to find out how this has happened. People do not lose their blindness. Everyone knows that being born blind is a lifelong ailment. So what happened? He tells his story. It doesn’t really add up to people so they take him to their leaders. Surely the people’s leaders are smart enough to be able to make sense of this craziness. When the leaders hear the story they start to argue amongst themselves because they can’t really make heads or tails of what has happened either. As they are trying to come up with a feasible answer, they ask the man to tell his story to them again and then ask him, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?” He answers that Jesus must be a prophet.” This doesn’t clear up any of the question that the leaders have so they bring in the blind man’s parents for questioning and go through the entire story again with them. A person born blind, being wiped with spit and mud, and washed in a pool of water does not equal a seeing person. What are they missing here?

The leaders decide to question the man himself a bit more thoroughly. By now, the man is fed up with the questions. Why do you want to hear the story AGAIN? Are you guys wanting to become his disciples, too? This question honked the leaders off royally! They cursed the formerly blind man and basically made fun of him for placing his trust in Jesus. The man replies, “Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.” Simple, pure faith! He didn’t require logic or explanation. (There isn’t any to be had here.) He was changed, healed and he knew that Jesus was responsible for his miracle. He didn’t have to understand how or why, it was enough for him to know that it was from God or it wouldn’t have happened.

In vs 35-39 Jesus meets back up with the man and asks him a few questions to see where the mans heart is after all he has experienced. The man simply and purely professes his belief in Jesus and worships Him.(I can’t stop wondering what that looked like.) So Jesus continues to visit with him and tells him. “I entered this world to render judgment-to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind”. The leaders are standing close enough to hear Jesus comments and are offended…Are you saying we are blind? Jesus responds, “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty. But you remain guilty because you claim you can see”.

I want Jesus to see simple, pure belief in my heart. I don’t want to be lying to myself about the things in my life I am trying to cover and hide from God. I don’t want my motives to be elevating me and my agenda. I want to worship and honor the One who deserves the credit. I want my first thought to be, it was from God or it wouldn’t have happened. Can we be brave enough today to simply believe that faith in our “making the blind see”-God is exactly what we need to meet what we will face today?

Fully Known

     Fully known.  How do those words make you feel?  Peaceful?  Anxious? Calm?  Ashamed?  All of the above, maybe?  Does it depend on the situation, or maybe the person?  In John 8, our reading for today, Jesus makes it very clear that He knows the people around Him.  And not only does He know them, He FULLY KNOWS them,  He knows their thoughts, even when they don’t speak them aloud.  He knows their actions, even before they take them.  He knows them better than they know themselves.  He knows their hearts.

     Sometimes, Jesus reveals His knowledge of the people around Him in subtle ways.  For example, when He speaks to the crowd who accuses the woman of adultery, He says, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7)  Jesus knew that each of the accusers was a sinner.  Yet He didn’t need to call each person out on his individual, specific sin to make His point clear.  When the crowd heard His words, “they went away one by one.”  (John 8:9)  Likewise, in his conversation with the woman accused of adultery, Jesus did not need to name her sin to make His point.  He simply says to her, “…go, and from now on sin no more.”  (John 8: 11)  Simple, and subtle.

    Later in John 8, however, Jesus reveals to the Pharisees that He knows them as well, and this time, He is less subtle.  In fact, He does not hesitate to name their sins.  Here are several examples:

– He knew that the Pharisees judged according to the flesh  (John 8:15)

– He knew that the Pharisees sought to kill Him, and He knew why –                            because His word had found no place in them (John 8:37) and because                      they couldn’t bear to hear His word  (John 8:43)

– He knew that the Pharisees did not believe Him  (John 8:45)

– He knew that the Pharisees did not know God  (John 8:55)

Not only does Jesus know the adulterous woman’s heart and the hearts of the Pharisees.  He also knows our hearts, yours and mine.  David confirms this in Psalm 139:1-4:   “O Lord, you have searched me and known me!  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.  You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.  Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.”    I think that David’s tone here is not one of embarrassment but one of relief.  He sounds thankful to be fully known by his Creator – and in this, David serves as a good example for us.

We, too, can give thanks that our God fully knows us and wants to have a relationship with us.  Any relationship deepens as we allow ourselves to be fully known by the other person, and our relationship with Jesus is no different.  Furthermore, relationships strengthen when we ourselves seek to more deeply know the other person as well.  Jesus, too, wants us to seek to know Him better.  I pray that the fact that we are fully known by our Creator gives us not anxiety and shame, but peace and comfort.  And I pray that we would seek to know Him better as we rest in the security that we are fully known, and fully loved.