Why We Should Quit Making Excuses

I decided to write today’s post on a parable in Luke 14. Today writing is all about excuses. We all use them but I want to remind you of the danger in them.

12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers[b] or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant[c] to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you,[d] none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”

Today in Luke 14, Jesus told a parable about a great banquet. The man in the parable wanted to throw this great feast! I can just imagine this in today’s world. It would be in a great big house with different foods all over for people to try and enjoy. There might be some light music, wine, and of course everyone would be dressed in their finest clothing. Ok let’s get back to this parable, this man paid for the food and prepared it all for his guests and then sent his servants out to gather the people he invited. Then he waited. His servants came back to him saying that all of his guests gave them excuses about why they couldn’t make it and NO ONE was coming. Can we just stop right there and start to think about this? How would you feel if you spent hundreds of dollars and multiple hours cooking this beautiful feast only to find out your guests were no longer coming. I’d be a little upset; ok I’d be pretty angry. Of course, this guy was too! What he did though was amazing. He invited people who were crippled, blind, and lame. These were people who would never be invited to such a dinner…yet they were. He did all this work, spent all this money, and didn’t want to see it go to waste. Jesus ends the parable with what the man says, “For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.”

 

Can you spot the bigger story behind this parable?

 

This is a story of the heavenly kingdom. The servants are the people of God who are reaching out the people of this world. We are reaching out to people but find that people don’t need God or aren’t ready to change. Time and time again we give excuses or say we aren’t ready to change but where does that leave us. Those people who think they have time, or don’t want to change yet….God says that none of them will ever taste his banquet. NONE of them will ever be in glory with him if they don’t decide now. Do you see who does come to the banquet? It’s the people who are weak, people who rely on God to be their strength. Most importantly, it’s the people who ACCEPTED the invitation.

 

I grew up in a small town where there were a lot of guys that grew up in a good home but strayed away from it because it was too “constricting” to be a Christian. After time, and a whole lot of excuses, most make it back to the faith but all assume that they have time to do that. We so easily forget the God is coming like a THEIF in the night. Remember that we don’t always have time, and God, our heavenly father, is always ready to welcome us home. All we have to do is stop making excuses.

Salvation On A Curve

Today’s reading: Luke 13

Jesus is an incredible teacher. He has so much to reveal but it always seems that He waits for the perfect time to do it. Often in response to a question. His ‘answers’ to questions seem to get right to the root of what is really going on. I feel like the space between the question and the answer is often where I find a lesson.

In today’s reading Jesus was asked, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” 

In my estimation, in the space between the question and the answer here Jesus redirects the questioner’s thinking away from comparison and towards personal faith. Almost as if to say, ‘look, it doesn’t matter how many will be saved. What matters is that you be one of them.’ Comparison is empty. Salvation has nothing to do with out doing anyone. Salvation is not on a curve with our peers. We can not gauge salvation by looking to the culture. Praise God, He has revealed to us the truth and the truth stands alone as the standard, unchanging, never moving, the rock of our salvation.

Pursuit of a Stress Free Life

There are so many valuable verses to dig into in Luke 12. While spending intentional time in His word each day you find more meaning and make that connection with something directly impacting you. This is where I focused today. Many people have stress, anxiety, and worries about their day.  Some may turn to medications, drugs, alcohol, shopping, eating, and other types of binges that attempt to fill our mind with other thoughts to ease the pain.  In Luke 12: 22-34 The Lord offers us a way to not just “manage” or anxieties but eliminate them.

22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Life can be hard… when you reflect on years, days, or even moments you can think back to times where you have been totally consumed by a moment that leads to stress, worrying, or just fear. God offers for those who listen and obey, a stress free life. This is only possible through Him. Some of these verses quoted I’ve shared with others, and yet, there are times where I forget them myself.  This was a timely reminder to give it all to our Lord.  My “what if” scenarios lead to stress, worrying, and fear that are completely against what God has in store for us. He is committed to our well-being and we should be focused on His kingdom. There are no pharmacies which can eliminate this feeling of worrying or other earthly avenues to manage our pain. God offers a way to eliminate it.

In verse 22 we hear, “Do not be anxious,” and verse 29, ” Do not keep worrying,” and then verse 32, “Do not be afraid“.  Let’s look at these verses in order to use His words for a stress free life. In addition to the David Jeremiah Study Bible and Tyndale Application bible I came across a few online messages found through the Grace To You app. John MacArthur did an amazing three part study of Luke 12 titled Anxiety-Free Living. In his message about Luke 12, Jon MacArthur unpacks six points that help us to understand that worrying rises from a failure to understand something about God. Here are the six points to think of when you are under pressure or starting to run down the “what if ” lane:

Divine Purpose  – Luke 12:22-23 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. This verse reminds us that we can either be rich towards ourselves or rich towards heaven.  Stop worrying about the basics like food or clothing.  Verse 22 says that these necessities will be provided for us by God.  Verse 32 offers our assurance to the kingdom God promises us in heaven.  My sin, at times, is my failure to understand these verses that God has already take care of these things in my life both here on earth and in heaven. God is going to take care of you. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us to cast all our anxiety on him because he cares for us.  Luke 9:23  tells us that our Lord wants us to be his disciple. We are a divine priority that God has put here to fulfill a divine purpose. Whatever the current circumstance God has been purposeful. Philippians 4:11 God has a purpose for you to fulfill today and always.

Divine Provisions – Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!  Since God has a divine purpose for your life he also will provide you with everything you need. So being rich in God means he will be rich in us. He will do everything he needs to sustain us for His purpose. Matthew 6:26  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  We don’t have to build bigger or horde more. Be smart and faithful.  Even the birds are dependent on God.  How much more he loves us and he will sustain us. His mission for us is to serve and to witness to others.  He will take care of our lives.

Divine Privilege – Luke 12:25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? We don’t have the privilege to determine our life span. God does. That is true, I recently had this conversation with a family member about how God gives us life and takes away. Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days for a heart of wisdom. Stay disciplined and moderate what you do so we can serve with all our heart, energy, and power. Avoid gluttony, laziness, or overindulging. When we are born or die is determined by God.

Divine Preference – Luke 12:27-28 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,[d] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! God created us in His image.  He has created the grass and covers it. How much more will he do for us.  The temporary testimony of the beauty of a flower. We are the bride of His beloved son. With His own personal touch he created us in His image. Genesis 1:26.  He then breathed His own breathe into us.

Divine Paternity – Pater in Latin means Father. God is our Father. Luke 12:30-31 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his[e] kingdom, and these things will be added to you. If we don’t have God as our Father who is? I lost my father to addictions, divorce, and cancer many years ago.  For many years I searched to fill a void in my life by a earthly father.  This void would never be filled with any temporary fixes of the world but by our heavenly Father who names all our names. He is our provider, protector, and gives us everything we need.  Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord;trust in him, and he will act.

Divine Pleasure – Luke 12:32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. God is pleased to give us His kingdom. He loves his children and will provide for us. Proverbs 23:22 says “Listen to your father, who gave you life,”

 

So today as you start the day, lets start and turn to His word and let our faith in God be fulfilled for his purpose.  Simply trust in him by praying and not worrying. Have a perspective on your problems and turn to the best problem solver there is, our God. Use your support team, utilize your fellow believing friends to pray for the wisdom and strength to get through whatever current situation you may be dealing with. Our father loves us and seeking His Kingdom means making Jesus the center of your life.  Are you holding anything back? Is there problems you can submit to Him? 

When you start the feeling of being anxious, worried, or fear starts to take over.  Prayerfully turn to God and His words in Luke 12 as a reminder of the faith we need to have in Him and his purpose for this life. Seek His Kingdom.

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let
the righteous be shaken.

 

Our Father

“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.” Luke 11: 2-4

Today’s Reading: Luke Chapter 11

One of the things that I’ve learned in the past year (hey…yeah I’ve been writing for a year now!) is that the sharing of our personal testimony, no matter how simple is so very powerful.  In so many ways, I’m working to strengthen my faith in what I call the post-honeymoon phase of Christian journey. Being a Christian isn’t so new and shiny anymore, it’s more about holding myself accountable to go deeper into God’s word and mature in my faith.  It’s not just about the having faith anymore but about growing in my faith.

When I read Luke 11 today I was struck by the coincidence that in the first several verses we hear the Lord’s prayer that was literally a cornerstone of my Catholic upbringing. The famous painting pictured above hung in both my grandmother’s kitchens as a symbol of their faith. Then, just a few verses later I read the verse that actually opened the door to real faith for me. I want to share that story with you today. I grew up in a strong Catholic family. I attended Catholic school my whole life from elementary school through my doctorate degree at Creighton University.  I wouldn’t trade my Catholic roots. I learned about social justice, about self sacrifice and most importantly about the strength that can be found in a group of believers. Even now, as we approach lent I will observe some Catholic traditions as a way to connect with God through discipline and intentional prayer.

In October of 2011, I realized for the first time that I needed a lot more spiritual strength than I had. I hit a literal spiritual rock bottom. Our son had come through a very severe illness and was seemingly healthy again. Until one day he wasn’t.  A whole new and different problem arose that had been silent since his conception. Our pediatrician found the problem with Ollie’s heart purely by accident.  He heard a murmur that was actually unrelated to his actual more serious diagnosis. I’ll never forget that day. In fact, I now work at the same hospital that we went to for his first cardiac echo.  Would you believe that just last week I ran into the technician that performed that echo while at work? Just seeing her face brought that day back to me with full force.

It was a Wednesday.  I was supposed to be at work but instead I just drove home and sat alone on my couch. I kept thinking that I should call this parent I knew from work, but I really didn’t know why.  I know now that it was the firm hand of the Holy Spirit guiding me.  Amy acted quickly.  She showed up at my door with her bible in hand and those infamous yellow cards.  I have all my cards as you know if you are a frequent reader here.  The other thing I have are the memories of the words she said to me. On that day, I was hopeless. I viewed what was happening as a kind of punishment.  I was searching for a way to bargain with God to make this go away. Through tears I asked Amy why God was “doing this to me?” What had I done wrong and how could I appease him again so that he would take this suffering from my child. Her answer was this passage from Luke:

“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:11-13

For the very first time in my life, I saw God as a gracious and loving Father.  For the very first time. I understood that my pain and sadness were not something He was “doing” to me rather something that He was using to bring us closer to Him. Now, when I face these types of situations, and I often do, I have the ability to look to God for strength and trust in Him that there is a greater plan.  What a miracle! Our Father is there for us. In the daily ritual of a prayer and in the bigger chasms of our life. I hope you’ll read Luke Chapter 11 today and receive the comfort and strength that our Father has for us. Certainly, there are lessons to be learned but also the reminder that He is with us always.

 

ReFocused

Today’s Reading: Luke 10

I’ve been a Christian for a long time.  I count 39 years.  In that time, I’ve prayed for miraculous healing, asking God to remove cancer, take away brain tumors, and restore failing marriages.  I’ve looked to him when I feel broken, confused and distraught.  I have even asked for miraculous powers of healing that Jesus gave the disciples.  Have you?  Seriously, who hasn’t thought about how amazing it would be to cure cancer in an instant?  In my mind, God could use such works as a powerful testimony.  What a great way to build his church!

Today, in Luke 10:17-20, we see the apostles returning from their missionary journey.  Prior to their journey, Jesus bestowed on them the miraculous healing powers that I have prayed for.  They were wildly successful.  How do we know?  Because “The seventy-two returned with joy (v17).”  They were celebrating.  They were in awe over what had a happened, exclaiming that, “even the demons are subject to us.”  Rightfully, they remained clear about the source of these powers, knowing that it was only possibly because it was “in Jesus name.”  It sounds legit, doesn’t it?  They have gone out faithfully, performing the work of Jesus exactly as he says.  They were hugely successful.  So, they did exactly what we all would do.  Celebrate!

Jesus observed a shifting focus in their exuberance and quickly put a hold on the celebration.  He decided it was time to pause and refocus the apostles’ joy.  It was a simple reminder.  He said, Hey, wait a minute.  “Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, instead, rejoice that your names are written in heaven. (v20)”

Why did Jesus interrupt the party to remind the apostles of the gospel message?  I see three reasons.  First, focusing on redemption causes us to remember our brokenness, which points us directly toward the Savior.  Second, when focused on redemption, we cannot escape the greatness of Jesus’ love and grace.  Finally, redemption is not situational.  Think about it.  We can celebrate redemption anywhere and anytime.  In the best of circumstances and in the worst.  This is true no matter our mental or physical prowess or it’s frailty.  It does not change with our emotions; it is always the same.  Redemption is not about success or failure; it is about Jesus.  It’s mystery and grandeur do not fade with the passing days.  It is eternal.  We get to receive it every minute, hour, day month, year.  Forever.

Follow Me

Today’s reading is Luke 9. A few years ago our small group studied a series called Follow by Andy Stanley. He talks about how Jesus said, “Follow Me,” approximately 23 times in the Gospel. A mentor of mine would always say that “repetition is the mother of learning.” So, if Jesus says those words that many times, we should probably take note. Ever since we covered Andy Stanley’s study, it always jumps off the page when I read Jesus say it like He does in Luke 9:23-25 and Luke 9:57-62, and I underline it in my Bible.

I believe many keep their distance from Christianity because they believe it is just a bunch of rules to abide by. We live in a society today that tells everyone to just do whatever they feel like, so if they believe all Christ does is make you follow rules then they will not be drawn to Him.

Jesus does not say to do X, Y, and Z and then you can, “Follow me.” He doesn’t say learn the Scriptures, change these habits, get your life in order, and then, “Follow me.” He just says, “Follow me.” Jesus only wants to see our faith and trust in Him. That is what amazes me so much about the disciples. They just left their lives upon Jesus invitation. Jesus did not pick guys that were scholars and had their lives together. He picked regular people like you and me. Earlier this week in Luke 5:27-28 He asks Matthew who was a tax collector to, “Follow me.” Tax collectors were Jewish outcast because they were Jewish, but collected taxes for the Roman government. Andy says they could only hang out with other tax collectors because even the worst sinners wouldn’t hang out with them. Yet, Jesus still called Matthew to follow Him and then he even hangs out with Matthew and his tax collector buddies after. While the occupations of all 12 disciples are not known, it is believed that most were fishermen or tradesmen of some kind. They were not set apart already because of their occupations or previous works before Jesus asked them to come along for the ride.

You may be thinking to yourself because of my earlier comments that the Bible and Christianity does have “do’s and don’ts” so to speak. Yes, it does because God knows what is best for us, and He knows that often what feels good at the time will eventually cause us pain later at some point. Jesus doesn’t lead with this though because He knows that by following Him our hearts will be changed, and we will stop sinful habits (Luke 12:34).

Jesus also knows we are not perfect, and we will still sin and lose faith at times. I know daily God answers prayers that could have altered the course of my entire life if they were not answered. Prayers for safe travels for family, favorable news from an uncertain doctor’s appointment, that a big meeting goes well, and the list goes on. Yet days, hours, or even minutes later I’ve forgotten already, and I’m anxious or nervous about something else! The disciples were no different though, and they even saw Jesus’ direct acts firsthand. Not only did they leave their regular lives to follow Him, but in Luke 9:1-6 He instructs them to leave and take nothing with them as they go to tell others about the Kingdom of God and heal others which they did. Then, in Luke 9:13 right after that, He instructs them to give five thousand people something to eat, and they say they don’t have enough food wondering what they should do. They didn’t even say, “Jesus can you come up with some food like you’ve done before…please perform another miracle.” They just doubted. Yet again, He delivers. Not only does Jesus always satisfy…He even leaves us with leftovers (Luke 9:17).

As we go into this week and think about our own lives and hopefully look to share the Gospel with others, let us not just share the love of Jesus with others we think are ready. In Matthew 19:16-22, a rich young man asks what good deed he must do to have eternal life. Most in our society I believe are wondering the same or think if they do more right then wrong they will earn the favor of God. But, Jesus tells the man there is only One who is good. Let’s make sure they know that they must only do one thing to go to Heaven…follow Him. He gave them, and all of us, that open invitation to do so not only with His words, but with his arms wide open on the cross.

 

Are you a sower of seeds?

(Luke 8)

Yet another packed chapter! So many verses and stories to choose from this week. We are familiar with a number of these stories and characters from Mary Magdalene to healing Jairus’ daughter to casting the demons in Legion into the pigs. One of my favorites is Jesus calming the storm, showing we have to keep the faith as Jesus is supporting us. I read this chapter many times and decided upon the Parable of the Sower.  We read about this parable in (Matthew 13.) Jesus tells us this parable and then the disciples question why he is using parables to share his message.

9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 1

It is interesting to see how effective his use of storytelling is and why he is sharing in this manner. Did you know that Jesus told forty six parables? The parable of the sower is #11. It took the Disciples 11 parables to ask him? He also told five parables using seeds, including the infamous mustard seed (another one of my favorites).

If we look at the Parable of the Sower, he has a crowd gathered and is spreading the good news.   He describes four scenarios, one where the seeds are trampled, one where the roots try to take hold but can’t, one where thorns appear and the final scenario showing success of the seeds growing, “yielding a hundredfold”.

I like this parable because it gives us scenarios we can relate to at work, with our friends, and at home. It is truly applicable to all areas of our lives. You can plant seeds at work with your insights and innovative ideas. Coworkers may try to weed you out and scuff at a new idea. Other times, you might gain traction with an idea but you lose funding and can’t move forward with your idea. What about the coworker who is out for themselves and will sabotage your best laid plans so that you don’t get ahead? Hopefully you can find supportive coworkers who will get on board and help you grow your idea.   Maybe it is a manager or teammate who knows its best to work together for the good of the company.

We have also all experienced friends in all four of these categories throughout our lives. Those who are inconsistent, those who wear you out and drag you down, and those who just die off as you age or move away.  In the end, we figure out the seeds who are truly good friends.  Those who enrich our every day lives.  We stick close to those who help us grow and leave those who choke our growth behind.

As a parent, you consistently try to give your kids seeds of knowledge and sow those seeds through out the years.  When they are young, they take what you have said to heart, but sometimes don’t fully understand what you are trying to say or sow.  As children grow into young adults, they start to question your “seeds of knowledge” and even become influenced by others, thorns, who may have evil thoughts, perform harmful acts or even tempt them. Hopefully though, as they continue to grow, the early roots have taken hold and they make good decisions based on your seeds of knowledge.  They grow and “yield a hundredfold”.

God wants us to take his seeds of knowledge and let his word take root in us. He wants us to grow.  He desires his disciples to “yield a hundredfold”.  He wants us to nurture his words and see it grow in our hearts and minds. He asks us to turn our knowledge into action by sharing with others the good news and embracing his word by taking action in all we do. The tricky part is practicing and perfecting the fourth scenario. At work, at home, with friends, how can we be a “sower” of his word?

We Belong to Him.

If you’re like me, sometimes you forget who you belong to.

If you’re like me, you also sometimes forget who you are.

Thank goodness, we belong to Jesus, and our identity can be found fully in Him.

In Luke 7, we see that a mother was having a challenging time remembering just who she and her son belonged to. Her son, whose age is not specified, had recently died. Read verses 11 through 17 of Luke 7 with me.

11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!”17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

I’m not a mother yet, but I cannot imagine the utter grief that would accompany a loss of this magnitude. We can imagine that this mother was most certainly heartbroken, likely confused, and perhaps, understandably frustrated at God for the way His plan for her son’s life had unfolded. In the face of grief, it is so common to feel all of these things… and we can see that this mother in Luke 7 had forgotten Who her son’s life belonged to.

As Jesus approached this mother, He saw her in her heartbreak, in her confusion, and in her frustration. That is the first thing that touches my heart as I read this passage. Today, be reminded that the Lord sees you and knows you. He knows your circumstances, and He knows the current state of your heart.

But Jesus didn’t just stop at seeing her heartbreak, confusion, and frustration. He entered into that heartbreak, confusion, and frustration with her, gently encouraging her to not cry anymore. While it might seem that such encouragement wouldn’t make sense to a grieving mother, Jesus knew what He was about to do. That’s the second thing I love about these verses: Jesus is present in whatever we are going through. Even if what He puts on our hearts in those seasons doesn’t make sense, He knows His plan and He knows the final outcome, no matter how big or how small the situation.

As we can see in the final verses of this passage, Jesus miraculously healed this mother’s son and brought him back to life. After He did this and after the son sat up and began to speak again, Jesus did something that stands out to me most of all in this part of Scripture: He gave the son back to his mother.

The son, and his life, ultimately belonged to God. God had simply given him, entrusted him, to this mother for his time here on earth. Yet Jesus saw fit to give the son back into his mother’s care again.

How comforting that we, like this son, belong to Jesus. Our lives are truly in His hands alone. He has the power to give us other people in this life to love and to care for and to serve, but they don’t belong to us. They belong to Him.

You belong to Jesus. That is where your identity is to be found. Be encouraged in this truth today.

Love Your Enemies

Luke 6

Today I’d like us to focus our time on one of Jesus’ instructions from this passage. Just two verses, a few sentences, but wow are they worth looking into for a few extra minutes today.

36-‘Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to get paid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your father is compassionate.”

Love your enemies, exclamation point? Love? Lets start with the definition. Lets look at 1 Cor 13 for God’s definition of love.

4-7 “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand it’s own way, it is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

Now it is starting to come into focus a bit better for me. If I think about what love looks like from the world’s standpoint, I am talking about feelings of affection, brotherhood and goodwill toward another person. I can’t muster up those feelings for an enemy. But as I think about my enemy and interact with him or her, through the lens of 1Cor 13, “loving” begins to look different. It is by no means easy! Any form of “love your enemy” goes against our human nature. We aren’t capable of sustaining love toward someone who intends to harm us. We must remember Who’s we are. We must remember that the Most High resides in us and has begun the work of making us new creations. He is able to help us choose the action of love (1Cor 13) instead of us hoping that a loving feeling pops into our heart at the right time.

When I was a senior in High School there was a party one weekend. There was alcohol there and many of my classmates drank. I did not attend or even know about the party. (That’s how popular I was!) One of the partygoers went to my church and her parents were friends of my parents. Unbeknownst to me, her parents reached out to my parents for advice on how to deal with their child being at this party, after they found out about it from a source that to this day I am unaware of. Because my classmate knew that her parents had talked with my parents, and then she got in trouble, she assumed that I told my parents about the party, (probably out of spite because I hadn’t been invited…makes sense) and that my parents went to her parents to inform them about their daughter’s choices the night of the party. Clearly she and the rest of the popular kids were furious that they had been ratted out and punished. (I think there was a lot of grounding going on which ruined everyone’s fun for the next however many weeks or months…I can’t remember.) What I do remember is that for the rest of my senior year, I was everyone’s enemy! (…and I would like to point out that I did NOTHING!) I was devastated! I had to walk back into that school on Mon with everyone (it wasn’t really everyone, but it sure felt like it) wishing me harm, and somehow deal with all of them. I was NOT equipped to handle this! So I did what every high school girl would do and ran to tell a friend, (not my parents) how wrongly I had been treated. Because my friend was older, wiser and my youth pastor, he spent hours over the next few weeks praying with me and for me to walk into that school every day and not keep a record of wrongs. He prayed with me to ask God to help me daily have the courage to keep my big mouth shut and love those kids by being kind, patient and not demanding my own way. God helped me in one of the biggest messes of my life (to that point in my life) to never give up, never lose faith, be hopeful and endure through every circumstance.

Can we today, look with God’s lens at the people in our lives that are wishing us harm? Can we love our enemies by being patient and kind? Can we ask God to help us have the courage to keep from retaliating, to keep from being rude and to always have hope for those people?

 

Please note that my classmates got the last laugh by choosing me as “Most likely to become a minister” on the page of the year book where everyone else gets noted for having the best smile, best hair or being the class clown.

 

 

 

 

 

Luke 5

    Two weeks ago, when we were studying the gospel of Mark, I wrote about abundance.  The specific verses that I focused on revealed that Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross so that we could have a full and abundant life in Him.  When I first read Luke 5, our text for today, I noticed that the same theme of abundance is echoed in this chapter.  This isn’t surprising.  Abundance is a character trait of Christ’s, so we can expect this theme to pop up throughout the Bible.

    In this chapter, Jesus responds to three different people by meeting their needs with more than was asked for or expected.  In Luke 5:4, Jesus tells Simon (later known as Peter) to fish off the side of the boat.  Simon hadn’t been fishing that morning because he had fished all night the evening before and caught nothing.  Yet Christ, in his goodness, filled Simon’s net with more fish than he could ever have imagined.  In fact,  Luke tells us that the disciples and the onlookers were “astonished” (Luke 5:9) at the amount of fish that were caught.

    Later in this chapter, Jesus heals a man with leprosy.  In those days, people afflicted with leprosy were basically shunned because people were fearful of catching this untreatable disease.  This man, though, walked boldly up to Christ, saying “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” (Luke 5:12).  And again, Jesus did the unimaginable:  He healed this man from this disease for which there was no cure, and He did this by reaching out and touching the leper.  Some time later, a group of men brought their paralyzed friend to where Jesus was speaking, and Jesus told the man to stand up, walk, and go home (Luke 5:24).  The people in the crowds following Jesus were first-hand observers of His early miracles, and as the news about His healings spread, Luke tells us that many “glorified God and were filled with awe”, calling what they had seen “extraordinary” (Luke 5:26).

     Each of these examples – the overabundance of fish, the healing of the man with leprosy, and the healing of the paralyzed man – point to Jesus’ love for answering our prayers in overflowing ways.  I think this chapter and its theme resonated with me so much because it reminded me of my favorite verse in all of Scripture, Ephesians 3:20-21:  “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  Remember to ask,  because He is abundantly capable.  And let us respond with awe, reverence, and praise.