"Every time I refuse to drop a net - every time I refuse to give, love, serve, forgive, go, or change a pattern of living because of something I treasure more - I tell Christ where He stands in my life." Following Christ Joseph Stowell
They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes... Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath."... They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?"... He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."... They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out. John 9:13, 14, 16, 17, 25, 34
This young blind man wisely answered the Pharisees. It got him excommunicated, which was serious and humiliating- but after all he could see! Would he even for a moment want to be acceptable to the elite Jews if it meant losing his sight?
The joy and pleasure was far too great! He would not turn back. For the first time -colors; the first time -sky; the first time -the faces of his parents! Now he could work instead of beg. He is no longer unclean. Go back? How? How could he deny the man who had brought so much light to his life? Give up his acceptability to the Pharisees? Alright. After all, he could see!
And not only that...vs 38 ..."Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him. The blind man's eyes and heart were opened. With his healed eyes he could finally understand the world; with his healed soul he could finally understand worship, and rejoice in God.
"...I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12
Isn't Christ worth rejection? Isn't He worth being passed over, left out, uninvited? After all, I was blind and now I can see. I was in darkness and now I am in light. I was dead and now I am alive.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Devotional -Snapshot 30 - Suffering
"We must not despair when we are tempted but, instead, seek God more fervently, asking for his help in this time of tribulation." Thomas a Kempis The Imitation of Christ
"But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you." 1 Peter 5:10
On October 14, 2003 I picked up a rock from the coast of the Pacific ocean.
It was once loose sand but thousands of years of pressure and heat took place solidifying it into one hard mass. One day it was lifted up out of the dark underground and broke free. Still sharp and rough-edged the ocean had its way with the little stone, until eventually it is swept ashore along the rocky beach of Oregon. I found it smooth, round, easy to hold.
So your life. Give God time. You will break free. Don't give up. Stay in the ocean of God's love as He buffets you from wave to wave, smoothing the rough edges into an "easy to hold" stone.
I know your life holds its own peculiar set of troubles and worries, but remember that the God of all grace who called you will strengthen and settle you. What a wonderful promise! What a wonderful Savior! It is glorious to be His child!
"No pit is so deep that God is not deeper still." Corrie Ten Boom
When I see you, my dear friend, I see hope.
"But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you." 1 Peter 5:10
On October 14, 2003 I picked up a rock from the coast of the Pacific ocean.
It was once loose sand but thousands of years of pressure and heat took place solidifying it into one hard mass. One day it was lifted up out of the dark underground and broke free. Still sharp and rough-edged the ocean had its way with the little stone, until eventually it is swept ashore along the rocky beach of Oregon. I found it smooth, round, easy to hold.
So your life. Give God time. You will break free. Don't give up. Stay in the ocean of God's love as He buffets you from wave to wave, smoothing the rough edges into an "easy to hold" stone.
I know your life holds its own peculiar set of troubles and worries, but remember that the God of all grace who called you will strengthen and settle you. What a wonderful promise! What a wonderful Savior! It is glorious to be His child!
"No pit is so deep that God is not deeper still." Corrie Ten Boom
When I see you, my dear friend, I see hope.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Devotional -Snapshot 29 - Bored
"If Christianity is dull and boring, if it is a burden and not a blessing, than most likely we are involved in a project, not a Person - a system not a Savior, rules rather than a relationship." Following Christ Joseph M. Stowell
"Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry." Luke 3:1,2
Forty days alone, without food, without books, without pen and paper. No bed - where did He sleep? On rocks, in caves, on sand, on palm branches? Wrapped in His cloak?
When we go on a forty day fast we sleep comfortably; we still have fellowship and conversation; we have books, and the Bible to catch up on; we have writing paper to record our thoughts; some go to work, make phone calls; we pay our bills, go shopping, attend church, we shower with hot water and soap; we listen to beautiful music and Christian tapes of speakers; we pray in air conditioned and heated buildings.
I find it remarkable to be absolutely alone without another noise but my own. I find myself wondering what did He do all day? Didn't He run out of things to pray about? Forty days of nothing but fellowship with God - may I dare write what flits through my mind about forty days in the desert - boring! Without TV, radio, bed, showers, conversation, telephone, church service, Bible study, trips to the fridge to put ice in my water. Forty days alone! Amazing!
I have always envisioned it being one big ache and pain. Every day arising cold from the desert night to endure heat of the desert day, achy from sleeping on the hard ground, stomach knotted from hunger, my mind remembering all I could not have that day - no baked bread and pomegranates, no grapes or roasted lamb, restless for something to do - something to say (by day two I would have spoken all that was on my mind to God, now all I would have left was introspective repetition).
Then on top of all my physical distractions (oh yes, don't forget the bugs - a dry climate is wonderful for gnats, ticks, hoppers) - on top of that there was the super-natural temptations of Satan... to do and think sinfully. To be for forty days alert and constantly in control of my thoughts... never sinning once in my thinking - no enduring the boredom with day dreams, no envisioning the excitement of future earthly glory, no meditating on what I will eat when this is all over - perfect control of thought.
But wait a minute - was it boring for my Lord Jesus? Was it devoid of joy and delight? Was it pure terror, work, pain; or pure praise, glory, love, pleasure? Jesus went willingly, He went with the Spirit. Were there moments of ecstasy as He communed with the Father? Did He sing, laugh, thank God for the cool drinks of water? Did He observe His desert creation in all its beauty? Did He reverently watch the sun rise and the sun set because He set it in motion?
Alone time for Him was not boring. It was filled with deep, reverent joy. Make it so for us, Lord.
"Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry." Luke 3:1,2
Forty days alone, without food, without books, without pen and paper. No bed - where did He sleep? On rocks, in caves, on sand, on palm branches? Wrapped in His cloak?
When we go on a forty day fast we sleep comfortably; we still have fellowship and conversation; we have books, and the Bible to catch up on; we have writing paper to record our thoughts; some go to work, make phone calls; we pay our bills, go shopping, attend church, we shower with hot water and soap; we listen to beautiful music and Christian tapes of speakers; we pray in air conditioned and heated buildings.
I find it remarkable to be absolutely alone without another noise but my own. I find myself wondering what did He do all day? Didn't He run out of things to pray about? Forty days of nothing but fellowship with God - may I dare write what flits through my mind about forty days in the desert - boring! Without TV, radio, bed, showers, conversation, telephone, church service, Bible study, trips to the fridge to put ice in my water. Forty days alone! Amazing!
I have always envisioned it being one big ache and pain. Every day arising cold from the desert night to endure heat of the desert day, achy from sleeping on the hard ground, stomach knotted from hunger, my mind remembering all I could not have that day - no baked bread and pomegranates, no grapes or roasted lamb, restless for something to do - something to say (by day two I would have spoken all that was on my mind to God, now all I would have left was introspective repetition).
Then on top of all my physical distractions (oh yes, don't forget the bugs - a dry climate is wonderful for gnats, ticks, hoppers) - on top of that there was the super-natural temptations of Satan... to do and think sinfully. To be for forty days alert and constantly in control of my thoughts... never sinning once in my thinking - no enduring the boredom with day dreams, no envisioning the excitement of future earthly glory, no meditating on what I will eat when this is all over - perfect control of thought.
But wait a minute - was it boring for my Lord Jesus? Was it devoid of joy and delight? Was it pure terror, work, pain; or pure praise, glory, love, pleasure? Jesus went willingly, He went with the Spirit. Were there moments of ecstasy as He communed with the Father? Did He sing, laugh, thank God for the cool drinks of water? Did He observe His desert creation in all its beauty? Did He reverently watch the sun rise and the sun set because He set it in motion?
Alone time for Him was not boring. It was filled with deep, reverent joy. Make it so for us, Lord.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Devotional -Snapshot 28 - Jesus
"We are not his equals. We don't occupy the same stratum or possess the same status. He is God, and we're not. For many people, that's the crux of their predicament: if Jesus is God incarnate, than he could demand too much. And in fact, he does demand everything."
The Case For the Real Jesus--- Lee Strobel
"But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."
Luke 2:50, 52
Joseph and Mary did not understand what their twelve year old son was saying to them.
I do wonder what God was like as a child. Did He wander off and pray and meditate when Joseph thought He should have been working? Did He laugh easily? I don't remember reading that Jesus as a man laughed. I read that He wept. Did Jesus enjoy being a child? Did He have an adult mind in a child's body? How could Jesus ever grow in wisdom, He is wisdom?
Did the parents ever sit quietly at night and ask their Son about heaven? Would He remember? They could have asked what God was like. They could have asked about angels and demons. Would I have picked my Son's brain about the next life? Could Jesus describe heaven to me as a child?
It is a great and marvelous wonder to me that God came as a baby. As Mary I do not understand. It is a mystery. Fully God and fully man. Both human and divine. Such is the Christmas story.
Do you understand the humanity and deity of Christ? John 1:1-4, 14 The Word was God and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He got hungry, needed sleep, felt pain and yet in John 8:58, He called Himself the "I AM" from Exodus 3:14. In the Trinity He is God, in the Incarnation He is man.
"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:14,15
Let us thank God for this mystery and ask Him to continue to deepen our understanding.
The Case For the Real Jesus--- Lee Strobel
"But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."
Luke 2:50, 52
Joseph and Mary did not understand what their twelve year old son was saying to them.
I do wonder what God was like as a child. Did He wander off and pray and meditate when Joseph thought He should have been working? Did He laugh easily? I don't remember reading that Jesus as a man laughed. I read that He wept. Did Jesus enjoy being a child? Did He have an adult mind in a child's body? How could Jesus ever grow in wisdom, He is wisdom?
Did the parents ever sit quietly at night and ask their Son about heaven? Would He remember? They could have asked what God was like. They could have asked about angels and demons. Would I have picked my Son's brain about the next life? Could Jesus describe heaven to me as a child?
It is a great and marvelous wonder to me that God came as a baby. As Mary I do not understand. It is a mystery. Fully God and fully man. Both human and divine. Such is the Christmas story.
Do you understand the humanity and deity of Christ? John 1:1-4, 14 The Word was God and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He got hungry, needed sleep, felt pain and yet in John 8:58, He called Himself the "I AM" from Exodus 3:14. In the Trinity He is God, in the Incarnation He is man.
"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:14,15
Let us thank God for this mystery and ask Him to continue to deepen our understanding.
Devotional -Snapshot 27 - Seeing Jesus
"He is the all-satisfying Object." - John Piper "--Pleasure in God is the end of our search."
"And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him."
Luke 2:25
Simeon saw. We think him old, but the scripture does not say, only that he would not die before seeing the Christ.
And I might be tempted to think that Simeon lived a boring life, always in Jerusalem, keeping the law, at the temple - but actually the opposite is true. He was there because it was his desire. He was fulfilled and happy. Being righteous and devout defines the deepest joy man can experience. Being led by the Holy Spirit comprises the most exciting life that one can imagine.
Holding God as a baby! Pause and think on it! That is the privilege he experienced by waiting for the Consolation of Israel: he saw. He took the month and half old baby, he looked upon His face. He cuddled and patted the Son of God. Then he looked up to heaven and praise to God came naturally and enthusiastically from his heart.
What a day for Simeon! Not only would he never forget, neither will thousands and thousands of readers, neither will I.
Jesus is the Sovereign Lord. Jesus is the promise. Jesus is salvation. Jesus is Light. Jesus is revelation to Gentiles. Glory to Israel!
You have the privilege also of seeing Jesus. Bless the Lord as Simeon did for this great honor. Oh how He loves you and me.
"And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him."
Luke 2:25
Simeon saw. We think him old, but the scripture does not say, only that he would not die before seeing the Christ.
And I might be tempted to think that Simeon lived a boring life, always in Jerusalem, keeping the law, at the temple - but actually the opposite is true. He was there because it was his desire. He was fulfilled and happy. Being righteous and devout defines the deepest joy man can experience. Being led by the Holy Spirit comprises the most exciting life that one can imagine.
Holding God as a baby! Pause and think on it! That is the privilege he experienced by waiting for the Consolation of Israel: he saw. He took the month and half old baby, he looked upon His face. He cuddled and patted the Son of God. Then he looked up to heaven and praise to God came naturally and enthusiastically from his heart.
What a day for Simeon! Not only would he never forget, neither will thousands and thousands of readers, neither will I.
Jesus is the Sovereign Lord. Jesus is the promise. Jesus is salvation. Jesus is Light. Jesus is revelation to Gentiles. Glory to Israel!
You have the privilege also of seeing Jesus. Bless the Lord as Simeon did for this great honor. Oh how He loves you and me.
Devotional -Snapshot 26 - Praise
"Worship is basically adoration and we adore only what delights us." Desiring God John Piper
"My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior." Luke 1:46,47
Mary's praise came from her utter happiness and joy in her God. God had become personal to Mary. "The Lord is with you." Luke 1:28 She would bear the Son --the long awaited King, the Messiah. Her heart is near bursting as the words of adoration tumble out before Elizabeth.
An angel came to her and she believed. And in believing God she was blessed --"blessed are you among women." Luke 1:28 Blessed not so that she would be prayed to, worshipped, venerated, given holy days to honor her, but blessed in the sense of happiness. Responding to God in obedience brings pleasure and great joy. She believed that what the Lord had said would be accomplished.
Later we see Jesus honoring all women who would believe and obey. He put His own mother on the exact same level as all believing mothers.
"And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!' But He said, 'More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" Luke 11:27, 28
So do I want to be happy? Do I want to have a heart full of praise as Mary? Then listen to the words of Christ and obey.
Spend a few moments meditating on the Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55
"My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior." Luke 1:46,47
Mary's praise came from her utter happiness and joy in her God. God had become personal to Mary. "The Lord is with you." Luke 1:28 She would bear the Son --the long awaited King, the Messiah. Her heart is near bursting as the words of adoration tumble out before Elizabeth.
An angel came to her and she believed. And in believing God she was blessed --"blessed are you among women." Luke 1:28 Blessed not so that she would be prayed to, worshipped, venerated, given holy days to honor her, but blessed in the sense of happiness. Responding to God in obedience brings pleasure and great joy. She believed that what the Lord had said would be accomplished.
Later we see Jesus honoring all women who would believe and obey. He put His own mother on the exact same level as all believing mothers.
"And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!' But He said, 'More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" Luke 11:27, 28
So do I want to be happy? Do I want to have a heart full of praise as Mary? Then listen to the words of Christ and obey.
Spend a few moments meditating on the Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55
Devotional -Snapshot 25 - Love
"An angry retort from someone may be just the occasion we need in which to learn not only long suffering and forgiveness, but meekness and gentleness; fruits not born in us but borne only by the Spirit." Amy Carmichael missionary to India
"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1John 3:18
Let's get this straight, self, even if you don't "feel" love, if you do what is right for the other person you are loving them. Even if I feel irritated with ( ), if I respond with a kind tone of voice and do not provoke him or her to anger, then I do not need to be guilty about my feelings. Is that right, Lord? When it says to love your enemy can it be devoid of feeling, can it be in correct action only?
"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1John 3:18
Hmmm - truth sounds like it might involve my inner thoughts and feelings. How could I possibly love God correctly if it did not also involve my feelings? When Jesus said love your enemies might it mean I must not only do kindness to him but actually feel kindness toward him?
I read in a biography of persecuted believers of one who was beaten every day. And every day he would speak to his tormentors about Jesus with real love in his eyes. How could he? Impossible! I would hate my persecutors! O God, give me that kind of love! That I could love those who don't love in return! I am needy for You, because without the working of the Holy Spirit, without You doing it, reforming and changing my heart, I feel powerless to love my enemies.
"My people come to You, as they usually do, and sit before You to listen to Your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain." Ezekiel 33:31
So the heart also matters. Of course the heart puts goodness into action. Can I have one without the other? So if I do good, but my thoughts are unlovely and critical I must ask forgiveness. Eventually what is in a man always spills out into action. Amy Carmichael said: "A cup brimful of sweetness cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, no matter how suddenly jarred." Loving acts without the heart can not maintain over the long haul.
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." Romans 12:9
Write down your prayer to God that He would help you love your enemies. Now pray for those persons.
"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1John 3:18
Let's get this straight, self, even if you don't "feel" love, if you do what is right for the other person you are loving them. Even if I feel irritated with ( ), if I respond with a kind tone of voice and do not provoke him or her to anger, then I do not need to be guilty about my feelings. Is that right, Lord? When it says to love your enemy can it be devoid of feeling, can it be in correct action only?
"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1John 3:18
Hmmm - truth sounds like it might involve my inner thoughts and feelings. How could I possibly love God correctly if it did not also involve my feelings? When Jesus said love your enemies might it mean I must not only do kindness to him but actually feel kindness toward him?
I read in a biography of persecuted believers of one who was beaten every day. And every day he would speak to his tormentors about Jesus with real love in his eyes. How could he? Impossible! I would hate my persecutors! O God, give me that kind of love! That I could love those who don't love in return! I am needy for You, because without the working of the Holy Spirit, without You doing it, reforming and changing my heart, I feel powerless to love my enemies.
"My people come to You, as they usually do, and sit before You to listen to Your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain." Ezekiel 33:31
So the heart also matters. Of course the heart puts goodness into action. Can I have one without the other? So if I do good, but my thoughts are unlovely and critical I must ask forgiveness. Eventually what is in a man always spills out into action. Amy Carmichael said: "A cup brimful of sweetness cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, no matter how suddenly jarred." Loving acts without the heart can not maintain over the long haul.
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." Romans 12:9
Write down your prayer to God that He would help you love your enemies. Now pray for those persons.
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