Tag: blessing

Blessed to be a Blessing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monday Morning Quarterback

Today’s readings are 2 Kings 20, Isaiah 38-40, and 1 Corinthians 11.

In our readings from 2 Kings 20 and Isaiah 38-39 we learn about King Hezekiah of Judah who the Lord told Isaiah to deliver the message he would die from illness. Hezekiah then cried out to the Lord in prayer asking for healing to which the Lord obliged giving Hezekiah another 15 years of life. God even showed Hezekiah the words of Isaiah about his healing were true by turning back the shadow of the sun on the dial of Ahaz ten steps.

Merodach-baladan, the king of Babylon, heard of Hezekiah’s healing and came to visit him. Hezekiah proceeded to show Meodach-baladan his treasure house and all his riches. Isaiah then told Hezekiah all that was his, including his children, would be carried to Babylon someday foretelling of Judah’s future exile there. To this prophecy by Isaiah, Hezekiah mistakenly responded it would be good because it would bring peace.

These chapters don’t explicitly state that Judah’s exile to Babylon was a discipline due to Hezekiah’s actions after his healing (scholars differ on their opinions), and the Bible seems to overall seems to paint him in the light of a good king. He also gives us a great example of the power of prayer. However, it is evident when the King of Babylon visited because he heard of Hezekiah’s healing, Hezekiah did not glorify God for lengthening his life and for his blessings. Instead, he showed off his “stuff.” He also found comfort and peace in the prophecy of Judah’s exile to Babylon, rather than finding peace in God.

As we start football season, we can say it’s easy to play “Monday Morning Quarterback” when it comes to Hezekiah’s actions.  However, I think we can agree he could have better used his healing event as an opportunity to glorify God and witness to an unbelieving king and people, so they could know Him too. He should have continued to find his comfort in God and not in peace with this other nation.

Today, with the internet and especially social media, we live in a selfie-filled, “look at me” world. We like to show off our “stuff” like Hezekiah…ourselves, our kids, our spouse, our trips, our cars, our fancy meals, our accolades, and maybe even our recovery after an illness or condition like Hezekiah.

So..here’s the question…

Are we using these things to bring glory to ourselves or the One who gave them to us?

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

James 1:17

Let us check our hearts and make sure we are giving Him the glory He deserves for our blessings which come from Him. Social media gives us a platform to witness to this, so other non-believers can know Him in the same way Hezekiah had an opportunity to do so. We don’t need a king from a far-off land to come visit us though, we can witness to many non-believers 24/7. We can show them all good things come from Him and only through Him can we find a peace that passes human understanding (Philippians 4:7).

The Rich Fool

The Rich Fool

If you aren’t familiar with this parable, make sure to read these few verses.  Luke 12:16-21 and Psalms 99.

A farmer has an abundant harvest, more than he could store in his barns. So he tore down the existing barns, built bigger barns to store it and save for himself so he could relax. Specifically, he was looking forward to taking it easy, eating, drinking, and being merry, for the rest of his days.  Cue the voice of God: You Fool! Tonight you will lose your life, then who will have all of your stored up harvest?

Jesus wraps up the parable with the warning that the same will be for any of us, that store treasures and is not rich toward God.

I wonder where specifically this farmer went off track?  He is described in the beginning as rich (but not yet called foolish)…so maybe leading into the abundance he is a rich + wise farmer. Having a good harvest or abundance isn’t bad. I don’t even know that storing the harvest was all that awful. He had to put it somewhere, right?! Although I’m not sure why he had to tear down the small barns and build the bigger barns…couldn’t he have built an extra barn for the excess? Why tear town the existing barns? I’d really like to ask this farmer a few questions. 🙂

It seems like it went downhill with his heart + desire. We don’t hear anything about a grateful heart for the abundance, a tithe or offering back to the Lord, and we don’t read that he sought direction from God on how to use the abundance.  We don’t even hear any of his own plans to use the abundance to further the kingdom. He wants to relax and not have to worry about his future, keeping it in his own (perceived) control, relying on the abundance. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good sabbath – we are even commanded to rest. But not forever!

The farmer’s plans sure sound A LOT like modern era retirement goals!  Or lottery dreaming… “If I win the lottery, I am quitting my job tomorrow and living the good life”.  While retirement planning is a good way to show stewardship over what God has provided, doing it without the Lord will lead us down a path like this Rich Fool. It seems like a fine line!

How much of my financial planning and saving is to be a good steward and how much is me wanting to have control? It feels hard to discern. Are my conversations with God about money sincere? Is my heart and mind completely open to whatever He would ask of me? I love this picture of having our hands open – fully willing to use anything the Lord gives, however He directs. And it’s when our hands are fully open, we are also able to fully receive what He has for us.

Earlier this week I left a conversation with my jaw wide open and a tear in my eye.  Truly humbled by someone I really don’t know that well – but I crossed paths with Bob and wished him well in his upcoming “retirement”. I asked him what he had planned, to which he quickly replied “FIND A JOB”! What I know  about Bob is that he has a heart for the Lord and a heart for kids. His career has been in shaping children, and at home, he and his wife have fostered and adopted children. I really don’t know much more about his family or his story, other than he was at the point in his career where he either could retire or had to retire, and yet he wasn’t planning to truly retire. He shared that he needed to keep working to get these kids through college. I think about the choices he had to make when welcoming kids into his home, and knowing it would push back his time to retire. I wonder what else he and his wife have sacrificed for the kingdom. Would I have a heart like Bob, who likely sees his peers “retiring” and he is retiring from one career and actively looking for the next.

Lord, thank you for all the prosperity you have given me. Thank you for the talents and opportunities to prosper. Help me to surrender any control or fear about money, and have complete confidence in Your provision. Please put people in my path that have current needs, more than the future me might need. Give me wisdom in being a good steward and keep me from being a fool! Thank you for people like Bob that show me how to be rich toward you. Amen.

Malformed

sweet vanilla heaven

Judges 11:12–40; Acts 15; Jeremiah 24; Mark 10

I was reminded this week of a statement made by A.W. Tozer. He says “what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” The truth is that I rarely take the time to consider what I believe about God. It’s likely that many my beliefs were formed in childhood. The startling reality is these, often wrong, views of Him affect the way that I read and interpret Scripture, which affects all of my life! Most days, I breeze through our daily reading assignments quickly, so that I can gain the information it contains and get on with my day. As I do, the information that I glean and the nuggets of wisdom that stand out to me are subject to my biases and opinions of who God is, how he acts and what he thinks about me. Thankfully, not every day ends this way. Today is one of those days.

I cannot tell you how many times I have read the parable of the rich young man, found in Mark 10:21-27. If you are like me, your thoughts were shaped the first time you read it and remain unchanged to this day. Gratefully, God revealed something new to me today. It is discovered by changing the emphasis. My focus has always been on what Jesus said and not what Jesus did. Let me show you the difference. Verse 21 tells us what Jesus said. It’s highlighted in red, so it is hard to miss. “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Without closer examination, I can easily mistake God as a taker, preventing me from enjoying all the fun things this world has to offer so that he can have all the glory.   NONE of those are true! In fact, the opposite is true, in every case. God is a God of giving, abundance and the creator of all good things. Not only that, he created us, individual and special. When we enjoy the work of his hands and remember that he is responsible for it all, he receives glory. He would never force it!

Today, in my umpteenth time of reading this scripture, I saw the more important part. It’s what Jesus did. Read the first part of verse 21, hidden in front of all the red letters.  It says, “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” Understand that when I focus on what Jesus said, I am left with what God wants to take away from me.  I, consequently, develop the wrong thoughts about who he is and how he works. However, if I first look at what Jesus did  and think about how Jesus loves me, my interpretation changes drastically. Look at these word descriptions for “love.”

  • wish well
  • to take pleasure in
  • long for
  • denotes the love of reason, esteem.

Now, use love to interpret what Jesus was doing.  Jesus first looked at the man and with all of his heart took pleasure in him, longed to be in a close relationship with him, held him in high esteem and wished him well.  I now have a whole new picture of who God is, how God works and what God thinks of me.   Clearly, Jesus words were not born of condemnation; they were born of his deep desire to see the young man become exactly who he was created to be. Whole and vibrant, living an abundant life. Do you see it? This is what he wants for us too!

My conclusion is that if I think of God as a bully or a taker, I can never experience what he so desperately wants to give me. And that is just it, Jesus does not take, he gives. He gives love, to be exact.  Unfortunately, the young man was not willing to recognize the love in Jesus’ comments. How about you? When you think about God, do you see love?  Do you gain hope and abundance or do you, like the young man, see absence and scantiness that leads to despair? Whichever the case, I pray that God will graciously bring us to a right understanding of who he is, how he works and what he thinks about us so that we can live the full lives he created us to live and receive all glory and honor that are due him.