I have been reading a wonderful book by Charles Swindoll Called When God Is Silent. If you are looking for a great study of the life of Job or maybe just an inspirational text if you are going through a difficult time I highly recommend this book. I want to borrow a an idea that Reverend Swindoll suggests on page 102 of his book. " A vertical perspective will keep us from horizontal panic."
Sometimes people just find a perfect way to put a wonderful idea, Swindoll hit this one perfectly. In life there is the way that we are suppose to look at things, with faith and trust. Then there is the way that we often do look at things, in a panic that we must fix the things that are going wrong.
The simple fact is that bad things happen to good people. How we respond to these adversities either builds a Godly character or shows our human weakness. Modern Christians often fall into a false ideology, that if we believe, if we do what we should and live the way we ought to then we will prosper. Sometimes this is true. Then there is the "Job syndrome." You do everything right, okay not everything, but most of it you do right. Still it seems as though the dark cloud follows you every time you zig or zag it keeps dumping rain on your head.
This is when we must be vigilant to keep our perspective vertical. We must look to God not only as a person saying fix it, but as a person with faith saying, "I know that there is a reason that I am going through this now. Even though I cannot see the reason I know in God's time it will be revealed." Easier said than done!! Trust me, I know
However, what a testimony this kind of faith and trust creates. In the face of great trial we do not walk around as non-believers saying woe is me; instead we endure, able to show our faith and able to praise God openly. Then, if it is his will, when we come through the other side others can look at us and say that we never lost our faith. They can say that they are not sure that in the face of the adversity we have met they could have withstood and maintained. Then, God can say to you, go be fishers of men. What a wonderful example of true Christian Faith we have an opportunity to become when we do not panic at the things of this world, but we keep our focus on the ways and thoughts of God.
It is this kind of faith, it is through this kind of trial that we develop Godly Character. Would Job have been remembered if he had not gone through his own trials? Would Paul's testimony mean as much if he had not been persecuted and found faithful at every turn? Whatever the trials in your life remember to look at them not from our horizontal, human perspective, but as an opportunity to be found faithful and useful in God's perfect, vertical perspective.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart."
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Humility (Originally Posted on March 16, 2008)
John 13
Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet
1It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.[a]
2The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
It is hard reading the gospels not to pick out favorite characters from Jesus' life. I think sometimes I pick out those people that I most associate myself with. That being said, Peter has always been one of my favorites. Later in life Peter is blessed with wisdom and discernment, he makes wise choices on a lot of important decisions. But here, here Peter reminds me of myself, sometimes too much mouth and not enough listening.
It is not that I don't understand where Peter was coming from. He didn't want to watch his master, his Lord, the incarnation of God himself humbled to do this task. By the same token, he obviously didn't want to humble himself and wash anyone else's feet either, such a lowly task. Notice that it is only after everyone has taken their seat and no one has humbled themselves to perform this task that Jesus rises and gathers the elements for the foot washing.
Remember that the Disciples have already been bickering among themselves about who will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Their is definitely a hint of jealousy even among these Disciples of Christ. So as they take their places and Jesus looks around the room he must have been thinking to himself, :what will they do without me?" Jesus knew that the time to give himself over was at hand, he knew that he had taught his lessons and now it would be up to these men to carry on the task of preaching his word. How many times had he taught that the greatest must humble themselves, how many times had he himself humbled himself before others to teach them, they still didn't get it.
So Jesus showed them one last time, hoping I believe that when they looked back at the events of this night and they would be moved by his act of humility. So he washed their dirty, stinky feet. He left the seat of honor at the table and assumed the role of the least respected servant. Why?
Jesus wanted us to be left with a powerful thought. If he could humble himself before a rag tag band of fisherman, tax collectors, and even a betrayer then we can humble ourselves before anyone who walks this earth. If we say that we can't then we say we are better than Jesus. We don't often think in those terms, if we are honest we don't like to because it makes us really examine our actions.
However, if we are honest, each one of us knows that we are called to serve. We might not like the place or even the people we are called to witness and minister to. Fact is we don't have to, no we have to love them and we have to get past the worldly idea that we are better somehow than those we minister to and understand that the one who ministers to our soul everyday is far better than we are. So who are we to judge, who are we to say I won't humble myself?
Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet
1It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.[a]
2The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
It is hard reading the gospels not to pick out favorite characters from Jesus' life. I think sometimes I pick out those people that I most associate myself with. That being said, Peter has always been one of my favorites. Later in life Peter is blessed with wisdom and discernment, he makes wise choices on a lot of important decisions. But here, here Peter reminds me of myself, sometimes too much mouth and not enough listening.
It is not that I don't understand where Peter was coming from. He didn't want to watch his master, his Lord, the incarnation of God himself humbled to do this task. By the same token, he obviously didn't want to humble himself and wash anyone else's feet either, such a lowly task. Notice that it is only after everyone has taken their seat and no one has humbled themselves to perform this task that Jesus rises and gathers the elements for the foot washing.
Remember that the Disciples have already been bickering among themselves about who will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Their is definitely a hint of jealousy even among these Disciples of Christ. So as they take their places and Jesus looks around the room he must have been thinking to himself, :what will they do without me?" Jesus knew that the time to give himself over was at hand, he knew that he had taught his lessons and now it would be up to these men to carry on the task of preaching his word. How many times had he taught that the greatest must humble themselves, how many times had he himself humbled himself before others to teach them, they still didn't get it.
So Jesus showed them one last time, hoping I believe that when they looked back at the events of this night and they would be moved by his act of humility. So he washed their dirty, stinky feet. He left the seat of honor at the table and assumed the role of the least respected servant. Why?
Jesus wanted us to be left with a powerful thought. If he could humble himself before a rag tag band of fisherman, tax collectors, and even a betrayer then we can humble ourselves before anyone who walks this earth. If we say that we can't then we say we are better than Jesus. We don't often think in those terms, if we are honest we don't like to because it makes us really examine our actions.
However, if we are honest, each one of us knows that we are called to serve. We might not like the place or even the people we are called to witness and minister to. Fact is we don't have to, no we have to love them and we have to get past the worldly idea that we are better somehow than those we minister to and understand that the one who ministers to our soul everyday is far better than we are. So who are we to judge, who are we to say I won't humble myself?
I invite you to watch the above video before reading further. I ran across this short devotional video tonight and the message jumped out at me. Why is it that some "Christians" are reluctant to go the full distance? I think that the answer can be found in the words of the video's narrator, we fail to realize the magnitude of the gift we were given.
Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ was a huge wake up call to Christians. Some of the more traditional films about the crucifiction and death of Jesus Christ tended to show the cross in a more gentle light. However, the reality of crucifiction was anything but gentle. As we aproach the Easter Season I think it is worth taking a close look at the actual crucifiction story so that we can understand the magnitude of the gift we have been given.
We could pick apart bit by bit all of the actions from the time Jesus was betrayed in the garden until the moment he died on the cross, but I want to focus with you on the two most brutal acts perpetrated against our Lord. I warn you that what follows will be graphic, but then again so were the actions of those who killed the Christ.
Let us first look at the flogging that Jesus experienced before his march to Calvary. If we make a study of the tool popularly used by the Romans at this time you will find that it was not the typical bull whip that many people in America think of when they hear about a whip. The whip instead had several strands and entwined in each strand would be strips of metal, chunks of shell, and other various jagged, sharp objects.
The purpose, of course, of having these materials entertwined was to cause more damage to the body as the materials dug into the flesh and were drug across in a tearing motion. The severe and brutal style of beating that Jesus received was not just to inflict pain but to cause the body of the person to be crucified to fall into early stages of shock.
Once the beating and flogging had been sustained, Jesus was forced to carry his cross to the top of Calvary, also called Galgotha. A full cross in Roman days would have weighed in excess of 300 lbs. Some have suggested that the Romans would have left the vertical beam in place because it was the regular area that this type of execution was carried out. There is little dispute though that those being crucified would have at least carried their upper beam which in themselves would have weighed between 75 and 125 lbs. For a body in the rugged and tortured state that Jesus now found himself in, carrying any weight for this considerable distance would have been excrutiating.
Once Jesus reached Calvary the real pain would begin. He would have been laid on top of his cross and held down as the nails were driven through his hands, some documentation suggests that the actual sight of the nails would be in the wrists because they provided a sturdier area for the body to be suspended from. Next came nails in the feet to secure his legs. Before he was hoisted upright the cross would be rolled over and laid on top of his body as the Romans used a hammer to bend the nails over in the back so the nails would not pull out.
Then the slow and agonizing process of dying actually began. Death on the cross was a death of sufication. As Jesus hung on the cross his body weight pulled him away from the wooden beams causing his arms to spread wide. If he did not pull against the nails embedded in his hands the weight of his body would restrict his chest from being able to rise and fall. So in this instant, as every inch of his being was burning and crying out he would pull against the nails holding him to the cross, tearing his flesh and muscle worse with each strain, to allow himself to breathe. In the end the one who breathed life into man would perish from a lack of oxygen as his body no longer could fight the strain and pain.
Of course, as Christians we know the humbling truth. He could have come down, he could have said no more that's it, I'm done with you and your kind. But he didn't, he stayed so that you and I would not have to endure that same kind of horror. Jesus paid the price for the sins we all commit and in doing so gave us the gift the video is talking about, Salvation. May we all see the value of his gift and never act as though it was an easy decision or an easy sacrifice. Jesus chose to endure a horrible trial, let us honor his gift by giving it the weight it deserves.
Thank you Jesus! Thank you!
A Modern Day Parable (Originally Posted on March 12)
Josh had always been a faithful follower of Christ, and it was little surprise in his mid-twenties he had been selected to be a Deacon in the local church. Josh went above and beyond the call, not only did he serve on his committees but he was involved in short-term missions, headed the ushers, and did a million and a half other thankless jobs that needed to be completed.
One evening, Josh was on his way back from work when his cell phone rang. He picked it up to hear the lovely voice of his wife asking him to pick up a gallon of milk on the way home. Josh went into the local 7-11 store, picked up a gallon of milk, and began to walk off. In the back of his mind though was an unmistakable twinge, he turned and looked saying to himself, "better pick-up two."
Without much of a thought Josh placed the two gallon jugs in the back seat and began to drive off. As he pulled up to the stop sign, his turn signal already flashing right, he felt that twinge again and he stared for a moment down the dirty little street to his left. He knew the way home was to the right, but something was definitely making him feel as though he should turn left. With a flick of his wrist the blinker began to flash in the opposite direction.
At then end of the road was a house with what must have once been a white picket fence, now it was more a dilapidated row of sticks. Josh climbed out of the car, again feeling a tug on his heart. The faint sound of a baby crying came wafting through the dusk and suddenly it struck Josh why he had been led to the this home. He pulled the pen out of his pocket and found last week's church bulletin sitting on the dash. "God loves you" is all he scribbled at the top of the bulletin, then he slid the paper into the handle of the milk jug, placed it on the front porch, knocked and drove off.
Josh felt good about himself, he felt thankful to have been chosen to complete the task, and he felt tired. He was ready to get home! He had completed God's little errand and now it was time to settle in for the evening. As he again pointed his car toward the outskirts of town, that feeling again caught his attention. He slowed, looked down the grungy city street to his right, and sighed as he pressed the accelerator and turned the wheel.
This was not the place you wanted a car to break down, this wasn't even the place you wanted to see a stop sign, but that was exactly what was in front of him. The glow of the tail lights lit up the now darkened corner and before Josh could press the pedal there was a knock on his driver side glass. "Speed away," his brain screamed. "Stay" came a quiet voice from inside his heart.
Josh couldn't believe that he was rolling down the window. "You looking for a good time?" came the voice across the glass. "I'd like to talk with you, " was his hushed response.
"We can talk honey, but talking isn't as much fun and it costs the same amount." Josh pulled his wallet out and handed the lady a wad of small bills, "I just want to talk." She shrugged her shoulders and walked around the car. Josh's head hung low as he unlocked the door. "God, what do you want me to do?"
"The well are in no need of a physician," came the reply from within. Josh began to drive and after several awkward minutes of trying not to look at or say anything to the woman in the passenger seat he asked her if she knew Jesus. He didn't know what to expect, would she laugh would she mock him, but no instead she sat quietly and answered back, "I use to."
Josh smiled as a surge of energy filled his body. Verses he had read years ago seemed to come to him as did all the right words while he spoke with the woman about her life and how God still loved her. He prayed with the woman and told her that she was not too far gone, that God still could use her, that he still wanted her. When he was done he pulled over to the side of the road and wrote down an address and telephone number. "This is my church, I wish you'd visit." he said.
The lady got out and with he own look of shame stretched her arm out to hand him his money back. "No, you keep it he said." With what Josh thought was tears beginning to flow down her cheeks, she closed the door and he drove off.
Josh arrived home quite late. He burst through the doors filled with joy and excitement, grabbing his wife in a warm embrace and erupting into his fantastic story. Gabrielle listened and at times looked more than a bit concerned, but once his tale was over she shared in his happiness and basked in the awe of the moment. Together that night they prayed for the unknown family and the lost woman.
The next day there was a call on Josh's cell phone. All they had said was there was a situation at the church and he needed to come by after work. As he pulled into the church parking lot he was surprised by the number of cars parked out front. As it turned out every Deacon was in attendance. Josh stepped into their meeting room and almost immediately knew something was wrong when everyone stood as he entered.
The next few hours were intense. Someone had seen him pick-up a prostitute last night and the rumor had spread. The church listened as he told his story, but the looks all said "yeah right, likely story." He was stripped of his title as a Deacon, after all the church couldn't have a person who would sink to such lows acting as a leader. Josh was humiliated. He tried to attend church as normal, but as you can imagine the looks and whispers made communing with God an impossibility. The next week he and his wife went across town to begin the search for a new church home.
The funny thing is that the week Josh left, church attendance went up by three. A small family who lived just in town remarked about how a kind person had committed selfless act in a time when it was greatly needed. A young lady, who looked strangely familiar to some, told of how she had been down on her luck and utterly lost until a man reminded her that there were those who cared about her just around the corner. She remarked that she was disappointed not to see him that morning. She didn't know his name but wanted to say thank you.
Not the ending you expected? This parable is three fold. For those who received help it teaches that God is there in your darkest hour. For those willing to hear God's Call, he is ready to use you. For those who see themselves lofty and worthy of judging their brother or giving into idle gossip, let this parable serve as a warning. While you may think you have all the facts, the only one qualified to judge us says, "judge not lest you be judged."
One evening, Josh was on his way back from work when his cell phone rang. He picked it up to hear the lovely voice of his wife asking him to pick up a gallon of milk on the way home. Josh went into the local 7-11 store, picked up a gallon of milk, and began to walk off. In the back of his mind though was an unmistakable twinge, he turned and looked saying to himself, "better pick-up two."
Without much of a thought Josh placed the two gallon jugs in the back seat and began to drive off. As he pulled up to the stop sign, his turn signal already flashing right, he felt that twinge again and he stared for a moment down the dirty little street to his left. He knew the way home was to the right, but something was definitely making him feel as though he should turn left. With a flick of his wrist the blinker began to flash in the opposite direction.
At then end of the road was a house with what must have once been a white picket fence, now it was more a dilapidated row of sticks. Josh climbed out of the car, again feeling a tug on his heart. The faint sound of a baby crying came wafting through the dusk and suddenly it struck Josh why he had been led to the this home. He pulled the pen out of his pocket and found last week's church bulletin sitting on the dash. "God loves you" is all he scribbled at the top of the bulletin, then he slid the paper into the handle of the milk jug, placed it on the front porch, knocked and drove off.
Josh felt good about himself, he felt thankful to have been chosen to complete the task, and he felt tired. He was ready to get home! He had completed God's little errand and now it was time to settle in for the evening. As he again pointed his car toward the outskirts of town, that feeling again caught his attention. He slowed, looked down the grungy city street to his right, and sighed as he pressed the accelerator and turned the wheel.
This was not the place you wanted a car to break down, this wasn't even the place you wanted to see a stop sign, but that was exactly what was in front of him. The glow of the tail lights lit up the now darkened corner and before Josh could press the pedal there was a knock on his driver side glass. "Speed away," his brain screamed. "Stay" came a quiet voice from inside his heart.
Josh couldn't believe that he was rolling down the window. "You looking for a good time?" came the voice across the glass. "I'd like to talk with you, " was his hushed response.
"We can talk honey, but talking isn't as much fun and it costs the same amount." Josh pulled his wallet out and handed the lady a wad of small bills, "I just want to talk." She shrugged her shoulders and walked around the car. Josh's head hung low as he unlocked the door. "God, what do you want me to do?"
"The well are in no need of a physician," came the reply from within. Josh began to drive and after several awkward minutes of trying not to look at or say anything to the woman in the passenger seat he asked her if she knew Jesus. He didn't know what to expect, would she laugh would she mock him, but no instead she sat quietly and answered back, "I use to."
Josh smiled as a surge of energy filled his body. Verses he had read years ago seemed to come to him as did all the right words while he spoke with the woman about her life and how God still loved her. He prayed with the woman and told her that she was not too far gone, that God still could use her, that he still wanted her. When he was done he pulled over to the side of the road and wrote down an address and telephone number. "This is my church, I wish you'd visit." he said.
The lady got out and with he own look of shame stretched her arm out to hand him his money back. "No, you keep it he said." With what Josh thought was tears beginning to flow down her cheeks, she closed the door and he drove off.
Josh arrived home quite late. He burst through the doors filled with joy and excitement, grabbing his wife in a warm embrace and erupting into his fantastic story. Gabrielle listened and at times looked more than a bit concerned, but once his tale was over she shared in his happiness and basked in the awe of the moment. Together that night they prayed for the unknown family and the lost woman.
The next day there was a call on Josh's cell phone. All they had said was there was a situation at the church and he needed to come by after work. As he pulled into the church parking lot he was surprised by the number of cars parked out front. As it turned out every Deacon was in attendance. Josh stepped into their meeting room and almost immediately knew something was wrong when everyone stood as he entered.
The next few hours were intense. Someone had seen him pick-up a prostitute last night and the rumor had spread. The church listened as he told his story, but the looks all said "yeah right, likely story." He was stripped of his title as a Deacon, after all the church couldn't have a person who would sink to such lows acting as a leader. Josh was humiliated. He tried to attend church as normal, but as you can imagine the looks and whispers made communing with God an impossibility. The next week he and his wife went across town to begin the search for a new church home.
The funny thing is that the week Josh left, church attendance went up by three. A small family who lived just in town remarked about how a kind person had committed selfless act in a time when it was greatly needed. A young lady, who looked strangely familiar to some, told of how she had been down on her luck and utterly lost until a man reminded her that there were those who cared about her just around the corner. She remarked that she was disappointed not to see him that morning. She didn't know his name but wanted to say thank you.
Not the ending you expected? This parable is three fold. For those who received help it teaches that God is there in your darkest hour. For those willing to hear God's Call, he is ready to use you. For those who see themselves lofty and worthy of judging their brother or giving into idle gossip, let this parable serve as a warning. While you may think you have all the facts, the only one qualified to judge us says, "judge not lest you be judged."
Serving Who? (Originally Posted On March 11, 2008)
Sometimes in life we are called by God to do things that we can't see the reason behind. It isn't easy to keep doing what you feel God wants you to do when you are not seeing results. I love writing this page and hope that for someone out there God might use this page as a way of speaking to your heart. I must admit that some nights the message comes to me much easier than on other nights, but I feel that this is something I have been called to do.
Not long ago I placed a counter on the page just so I could see what kind of daily attendance the page was receiving. For a a few weeks I was greatly encouraged, although the numbers were far from astronomical, there was a steady stream of people reading and visiting. I was so excited when I saw that I had my first European visitor, and they came back. In the last few weeks though, the daily attendance and visits have slowly leaked down, until now the biggest visiting group is made of one, me.
Yes, it's easy to get down about things like this. It is easy to say to yourself that the outcome is not worth the input. However, God still hasn't taken away my desire to write, my feeling that this could be useful, or my sense that in writing I am being obedient, so I write. You see, God never called for us to be successful. He never said that you have to lead millions, thousands, hundreds, tens or even one person to Christ. Jesus decreed that we go out into the world and tell about his life, about the good news of his willingness to forgive our sins and save us. In the end no man ever "leads' anyone to Christ, we simply tell the story that our Saviour lived and wait for God to do the work on the interior.
So don't lose heart when your efforts feel unsuccessful. By being obedient to the call of Christ you are being as successful as any man can ever be, whether you are a Billy Graham and see a multitude of conversions or if your like me and you see very few. Work diligently and the call when you enter heaven will be the same, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant."
Posted by My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter at 6:01 PM
1 comments:
Kristi Steadman said...
Don't lose heart...I think you are doing a fantastic job with this blog. I have been reading since about the beginning of Feb. and have enjoyed them very much. I have miss some days, but I always go back and read the ones I missed. I admire your obedience and willingness to touch other's lives. Please keep doing what you are doing, it is really a blessing! Can you imagine what this world could be like if everyone listened to God's call?
March 12, 2008 8:53 AM
Not long ago I placed a counter on the page just so I could see what kind of daily attendance the page was receiving. For a a few weeks I was greatly encouraged, although the numbers were far from astronomical, there was a steady stream of people reading and visiting. I was so excited when I saw that I had my first European visitor, and they came back. In the last few weeks though, the daily attendance and visits have slowly leaked down, until now the biggest visiting group is made of one, me.
Yes, it's easy to get down about things like this. It is easy to say to yourself that the outcome is not worth the input. However, God still hasn't taken away my desire to write, my feeling that this could be useful, or my sense that in writing I am being obedient, so I write. You see, God never called for us to be successful. He never said that you have to lead millions, thousands, hundreds, tens or even one person to Christ. Jesus decreed that we go out into the world and tell about his life, about the good news of his willingness to forgive our sins and save us. In the end no man ever "leads' anyone to Christ, we simply tell the story that our Saviour lived and wait for God to do the work on the interior.
So don't lose heart when your efforts feel unsuccessful. By being obedient to the call of Christ you are being as successful as any man can ever be, whether you are a Billy Graham and see a multitude of conversions or if your like me and you see very few. Work diligently and the call when you enter heaven will be the same, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant."
Posted by My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter at 6:01 PM
1 comments:
Kristi Steadman said...
Don't lose heart...I think you are doing a fantastic job with this blog. I have been reading since about the beginning of Feb. and have enjoyed them very much. I have miss some days, but I always go back and read the ones I missed. I admire your obedience and willingness to touch other's lives. Please keep doing what you are doing, it is really a blessing! Can you imagine what this world could be like if everyone listened to God's call?
March 12, 2008 8:53 AM
Dark Places (originally posted on March 10, 2008)
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
...."4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me."
Psalm 23 is arguably one of the top ten most recognizable pieces of scripture in the world. It is a psalm of hope, it is a psalm of love, it is a psalm that speaks to a place where each one of us has been at some time in our lives, a dark, dark valley.
In verse 4 the line "through the valley of the shadow of death" can also be translated as "through the darkest valley." Have you been there? Have you been to that place spiritually where you have been beaten down, where you think that with the next swing of the devil's boot you will surrender, that place where you look up desperately seeking a glimmer of light and there is none that filters down?
You are not alone, in all of our lives we find ourselves in this lonely and miserable time. It seems as though there is no hope and even though you keep your eyes on Jesus the enemy keeps advancing, even though you pray your request remains ungranted, even though you praise in the darkness you can't find lasting peace. Welcome to the pit, welcome to the darkness, welcome to a place that believe it or not Jesus is waiting to for you in.
I feel your frustration, I know your pain, I totally sympathize with your desire to pull out your hair and yell at the sky, "why are you allowing me to go through this." The old cliche says that sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees, it is at these times that statement is often the truest. In these moments God is close to us. He is the good shepherd seeking to show us the way back to the fold, he gently nudges us with his staff to get us moving along.
This dark valley comes to us each in different forms and ultimately to all of us in the same form, death. Through life even the most righteous man endures hardships that place him in these caverns. What defines our character is not whether we avoid the valley, but how we choose to climb out. Do we lean on Jesus to show us the way out or do we rely on our devices and put our faith in our strength? I hope that you and I realize when we are in the dark we don't see clearly and that when we put our faith in the wrong things it only drops us deeper into the darkness.
A man who stumbles around in the darkness will grab onto anything to pull himself up. A smart man will light his lamp and examine the device he puts his faith in before hoisting himself up. If you, like me, find yourself in the valley remember to to turn on the lamp and allow the light to shine clearly for you so that you might set your feet upon the right path.
Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
John 8:12
Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
A psalm of David.
...."4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me."
Psalm 23 is arguably one of the top ten most recognizable pieces of scripture in the world. It is a psalm of hope, it is a psalm of love, it is a psalm that speaks to a place where each one of us has been at some time in our lives, a dark, dark valley.
In verse 4 the line "through the valley of the shadow of death" can also be translated as "through the darkest valley." Have you been there? Have you been to that place spiritually where you have been beaten down, where you think that with the next swing of the devil's boot you will surrender, that place where you look up desperately seeking a glimmer of light and there is none that filters down?
You are not alone, in all of our lives we find ourselves in this lonely and miserable time. It seems as though there is no hope and even though you keep your eyes on Jesus the enemy keeps advancing, even though you pray your request remains ungranted, even though you praise in the darkness you can't find lasting peace. Welcome to the pit, welcome to the darkness, welcome to a place that believe it or not Jesus is waiting to for you in.
I feel your frustration, I know your pain, I totally sympathize with your desire to pull out your hair and yell at the sky, "why are you allowing me to go through this." The old cliche says that sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees, it is at these times that statement is often the truest. In these moments God is close to us. He is the good shepherd seeking to show us the way back to the fold, he gently nudges us with his staff to get us moving along.
This dark valley comes to us each in different forms and ultimately to all of us in the same form, death. Through life even the most righteous man endures hardships that place him in these caverns. What defines our character is not whether we avoid the valley, but how we choose to climb out. Do we lean on Jesus to show us the way out or do we rely on our devices and put our faith in our strength? I hope that you and I realize when we are in the dark we don't see clearly and that when we put our faith in the wrong things it only drops us deeper into the darkness.
A man who stumbles around in the darkness will grab onto anything to pull himself up. A smart man will light his lamp and examine the device he puts his faith in before hoisting himself up. If you, like me, find yourself in the valley remember to to turn on the lamp and allow the light to shine clearly for you so that you might set your feet upon the right path.
Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
John 8:12
Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
The Big House (originally posted on March 6, 2008)
Tomorrow I am taking my class on a field trip to Asheville, North Carolina. Specifically we are going to see the Biltmore Estate. For those of you around the North Carolina area you have likely heard of this house. Others may not be familiar with it.
The house was built in the late 1800's by the Vanderbilt family. The Estate and home were such a massive undertaking that new railroad lines had to be built just to bring in the materials. A town literally sprang up so that the workers would have a place to live while building the castle sized home. The walls were made of 4 foot wide piece of limestone. We are not talking about a little mountain cabin.
George Vanderbilt wanted his home to be self sufficient. He not only included all the modern amminities (indoor bathrooms, electricity, etc.) he also established his own dairy farm, because who wants to drive int otown for a glass of milk.
When you first step out onto the lawn of the Biltmore Estates it is a breath taking view set against the Blue Ridge Mountains. You find yourself in awe at the sheer magnitude and over all beauty of this enormous structure. As you explore the rooms it is hard to imagine the time and intricacy that went onto designing each nitch, every cranny.
Even more amazing is that one day we will live in a mansion that makes George's house look like a doll house. Vanderbilt had an incredible house, the largest private residence in the United States. But the architect of our eternal home has even grander plans and can be infinately more ambitious with no limitations of time, material or money. Biltmore, eat your heart out!
John 14
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
The house was built in the late 1800's by the Vanderbilt family. The Estate and home were such a massive undertaking that new railroad lines had to be built just to bring in the materials. A town literally sprang up so that the workers would have a place to live while building the castle sized home. The walls were made of 4 foot wide piece of limestone. We are not talking about a little mountain cabin.
George Vanderbilt wanted his home to be self sufficient. He not only included all the modern amminities (indoor bathrooms, electricity, etc.) he also established his own dairy farm, because who wants to drive int otown for a glass of milk.
When you first step out onto the lawn of the Biltmore Estates it is a breath taking view set against the Blue Ridge Mountains. You find yourself in awe at the sheer magnitude and over all beauty of this enormous structure. As you explore the rooms it is hard to imagine the time and intricacy that went onto designing each nitch, every cranny.
Even more amazing is that one day we will live in a mansion that makes George's house look like a doll house. Vanderbilt had an incredible house, the largest private residence in the United States. But the architect of our eternal home has even grander plans and can be infinately more ambitious with no limitations of time, material or money. Biltmore, eat your heart out!
John 14
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Under Attack! (Originally posted on March 5, 2008)
2 Timothy 4:18
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
If you logged into CSZ between late yesterday evening and this afternoon you may have noticed that we apparently underwent a bit of a cyber attack. Somehow a group apparantly hacked into Godtube and caused all of the feeds we have to show a commercial. After contacting Godtube, the situation was promptly resolved and CSZ was back up and running like nothing had ever happened, A Big Thanks to Godtube.
Having my site attacked got me thinking. Although this little site is simple and doesn't reach a huge number of people, it is important to me and I hope that it is becoming important to you as well. When you have poured yourself into something the way I have into CSZ there is just a terrible sinking feeling when you see that someone else has messed with your creation.
Imagine how God feels. I was upset because it was going to take me hours to go back and fix code, but my problem could have been reworked and fixed. God's creation is you, me and the billions of other souls that walk and have walked this earth. Can you imagine how it must feel to him when he sees one of us under attack? "I made them, they belong to me, leave them alone!"
As we have talked about before, sometimes God allows us to go through trials in order to strengthen us, to make us more useful to his needs. But, I hope you never think that God is toying with you or that he is sitting back in delight as he watches us struggle. I know that there are people who think of God as just that type of entity, but nothing could be farther from the truth.
Our God created everything that we see and then said to Adam, here you go take care of and enjoy this. That is mind blowing, this world wasn't floating around in space at random, it was made and formed perfect so that you and I could not only exsist but thrive.
I am amazed at how often I overlook little miracles of the world that God made especially to sustain you and me. Take for example water. The only planet in the solar syatem that has liquid water on the surface (including moons) is earth. So what right? How about a quick Science lesson. All substances on earth exsist in one of three states: solid, liquid or gas. As a rule the least dense form of any substance is vapor or gas, thats why it floats around in the atmosphere. Liquid is the second most dense form of a substance, the molecules and particles that make a substance are more tightly packed together in liquid form than in gas form. Solid is the densest of the 3 forms of a substance, the particles are tightly packed together thus making the solid "heavier."
Again you say, "so what Mr. Wizard?" Water is the exception to this rule and 70 % of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans. With water, gas is still the least dense, but liquid and solid flip flop. Liquid water is more dense than ice. This is why ice floats in water. Imagine what the Earth's surface would be like if ice didn't float. If ice was more dense than liquid water and sank it would raise the water levels of the oceans significantly. The result would be either a greatly reduced or totally depleted living space.
Class dismissed. I know that sounds like a bunch of scientific explanation, but to me that is the fingerprints of God. For all other materials to follow one rule, but the critical one that allows you and I to live on this spinning sphere to be different, that is God!
A God that cares for us enough to go through the trouble of making such minute details a reality is not a God who is going to sit back and laugh. God cares deeply about everyone of us, if he didn't he wouldn't have sent his son, he wouldn't have stood by and watched the world spit and beat and kill him. No, God loves us all very much and he never lets us face more than we can handle. He never lets us face the opposition alone either, if we have accepted him into our hearts he is always there.
If you are walking through that dark valley, eyes peering from the shadows, doom gathered so thick you could stir it with a stick, I encourage you to call on your Father. He wants to encourage you, to help you, to hold you and whisper it's okay Daddy's here. No matter how dark a path I have been down, he has never left me alone when I was willing to call on his name. He is the loving, protecting Father!
Matthew 7:7
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
If you logged into CSZ between late yesterday evening and this afternoon you may have noticed that we apparently underwent a bit of a cyber attack. Somehow a group apparantly hacked into Godtube and caused all of the feeds we have to show a commercial. After contacting Godtube, the situation was promptly resolved and CSZ was back up and running like nothing had ever happened, A Big Thanks to Godtube.
Having my site attacked got me thinking. Although this little site is simple and doesn't reach a huge number of people, it is important to me and I hope that it is becoming important to you as well. When you have poured yourself into something the way I have into CSZ there is just a terrible sinking feeling when you see that someone else has messed with your creation.
Imagine how God feels. I was upset because it was going to take me hours to go back and fix code, but my problem could have been reworked and fixed. God's creation is you, me and the billions of other souls that walk and have walked this earth. Can you imagine how it must feel to him when he sees one of us under attack? "I made them, they belong to me, leave them alone!"
As we have talked about before, sometimes God allows us to go through trials in order to strengthen us, to make us more useful to his needs. But, I hope you never think that God is toying with you or that he is sitting back in delight as he watches us struggle. I know that there are people who think of God as just that type of entity, but nothing could be farther from the truth.
Our God created everything that we see and then said to Adam, here you go take care of and enjoy this. That is mind blowing, this world wasn't floating around in space at random, it was made and formed perfect so that you and I could not only exsist but thrive.
I am amazed at how often I overlook little miracles of the world that God made especially to sustain you and me. Take for example water. The only planet in the solar syatem that has liquid water on the surface (including moons) is earth. So what right? How about a quick Science lesson. All substances on earth exsist in one of three states: solid, liquid or gas. As a rule the least dense form of any substance is vapor or gas, thats why it floats around in the atmosphere. Liquid is the second most dense form of a substance, the molecules and particles that make a substance are more tightly packed together in liquid form than in gas form. Solid is the densest of the 3 forms of a substance, the particles are tightly packed together thus making the solid "heavier."
Again you say, "so what Mr. Wizard?" Water is the exception to this rule and 70 % of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans. With water, gas is still the least dense, but liquid and solid flip flop. Liquid water is more dense than ice. This is why ice floats in water. Imagine what the Earth's surface would be like if ice didn't float. If ice was more dense than liquid water and sank it would raise the water levels of the oceans significantly. The result would be either a greatly reduced or totally depleted living space.
Class dismissed. I know that sounds like a bunch of scientific explanation, but to me that is the fingerprints of God. For all other materials to follow one rule, but the critical one that allows you and I to live on this spinning sphere to be different, that is God!
A God that cares for us enough to go through the trouble of making such minute details a reality is not a God who is going to sit back and laugh. God cares deeply about everyone of us, if he didn't he wouldn't have sent his son, he wouldn't have stood by and watched the world spit and beat and kill him. No, God loves us all very much and he never lets us face more than we can handle. He never lets us face the opposition alone either, if we have accepted him into our hearts he is always there.
If you are walking through that dark valley, eyes peering from the shadows, doom gathered so thick you could stir it with a stick, I encourage you to call on your Father. He wants to encourage you, to help you, to hold you and whisper it's okay Daddy's here. No matter how dark a path I have been down, he has never left me alone when I was willing to call on his name. He is the loving, protecting Father!
Matthew 7:7
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
A Bit Fruity (Originally posted March 4,2008)
John 15
The Vine and the Branches
1"I (Jesus)am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
John 15:5
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Galatians 5:22-23
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Now I've been called nuttier than a fruit cake, one apple short of a fruit basket, and even a bad apple on occasion but none of these fruity statements qualify as the type of fruit Jesus was talking about. In Galatians 5 the fruit that Jesus wants his followers to display are spelled out for us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Jesus tells us that there are certain characteristics that we should display if we are rooted in his truth and his life. These are the earmarks of the Christian life. If you are living to resemble Christ Jesus, each of these fruits should be evident in your daily walk.
Personally, there are some fruits that I smile and give myself a little pat on the back when I read about them listed. Others I hang my head a bit and know that this is an area I need to work on. Isn't it nice though to know that God has laid out for us a self check list. If you are wondering how close a walk you are having to God all you need do is take a sincere appraisal of your life and see which fruits of the spirit you can honestly say are sprouting on your tree and which fruits need a little extra fertilizer. The closer you are to God the more you will resemble him and the more fruit you will bare.
The Vine and the Branches
1"I (Jesus)am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
John 15:5
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Galatians 5:22-23
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Now I've been called nuttier than a fruit cake, one apple short of a fruit basket, and even a bad apple on occasion but none of these fruity statements qualify as the type of fruit Jesus was talking about. In Galatians 5 the fruit that Jesus wants his followers to display are spelled out for us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Jesus tells us that there are certain characteristics that we should display if we are rooted in his truth and his life. These are the earmarks of the Christian life. If you are living to resemble Christ Jesus, each of these fruits should be evident in your daily walk.
Personally, there are some fruits that I smile and give myself a little pat on the back when I read about them listed. Others I hang my head a bit and know that this is an area I need to work on. Isn't it nice though to know that God has laid out for us a self check list. If you are wondering how close a walk you are having to God all you need do is take a sincere appraisal of your life and see which fruits of the spirit you can honestly say are sprouting on your tree and which fruits need a little extra fertilizer. The closer you are to God the more you will resemble him and the more fruit you will bare.
Surely Not Them (Originally posted March 3,2008)
John 13
Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet
10 Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.
Jonah 1
Jonah Flees From the LORD
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."
3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
Luke 5:30-32
30But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
31Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Each one of these passages from the Bible refers to a very different situation, yet each passage has one thing in common. In John 13 we read about the night of Jesus' last meal. Jesus gets up from his place of honor at the table, disrobes, and begins to do the work of the most lowly servant, wash his Disciples feet. Why was this considered such a lowly job? Think about the standard modes of transportation in Jesus' day, there was mule, horse, the occasional camel and there was foot.
Most of the times I can remember the Bible referring to Jesus traveling, it was on foot. Now when you traveled on foot you walked the same roads as the donkeys, horses and camels. You think the emissions from an SUV are nasty, it doesn't hold a candle to the pollutants a mule leaves on the road. Factor in the popular footwear of the day, sandal like footwear, that equation adds up to something you wouldn't want to smell during dinner. So typically the lowliest of servants would wash the feet of his master's guest when they arrived to keep the house clean. By washing his Disciples' feet, Jesus humbled himself from God, Lord, Master, Teacher, to the level of a lowly servant. No wonder Peter reacted in such a shocked way when Jesus came to him.
All of this sounds bad enough, now take a closer look at what John 13 tells us. Jesus while washing the disciples feet knows full well that Judas is going to hand him over to the Pharisees and Saduciees. He still washes Judas' feet. What you say, why, how? Like Jesus said, he was setting an example. You don't just serve those that will respect and deserve it, you serve even those that do not deserve it.
If you need a farther illustration that God desires us to extend a hand of service to those that are least deserveing look at the story of Jonah. Have you ever wondered why exactally Jonah did not want to go to Ninevah? These people were really the worst of the worst. These people were the ones that found it pleasing to run their enemies through on a stake and then leave their bodies hanging around the walls of their city as a warning. Vlad Dracula had nothing on the Ninevites.
So does God say give up on them? Does he send thunderbolts and brimstone to fry these devils in human clothes from the face of the earth? Nope. He picks up the God phone and calls his prophet Jonah.
'Ring, Ring'
"Hello, Jonah prophet of the Lord Most High"
"Jonah, hey it's God. Got a message I need you to deliver."
"No problem, where are we going? Jerusalem, Bethel, you name it."
"Ninevah."
"Come Again. I thought you said Ninevah."
"That's what I said, Ninevah."
"The line is breaking...can't .....buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."
I know, the God line is not exactally biblical but I think it pretty well sums up how Jonah felt when he got the message from on high. I'm to young to be shish-kabob especially for a no good dirty rotten people like those Ninevites. God obviously had different ideas though and he didn't give up until Jonah delivered his
message, even though it took the belly of a fish to get him there.
Tax collectors were considered the worst of the worst in Roman occupied Isreal. There is no doubt why. Tax collectors often used their position to blackmail those they were sent to collect from in order to line their own pockets. This earned the tax collectors of the day a reputation that makes the IRS look like Gabriel and his holy host. When Jesus was questioned about why he hung out with these tax collectors and other sorted sinners, his reply was I have come to call the unrighteous to repent, not the righteous. Jesus came to minister to the unworthy, the unrighteous not only the unloved but the flat out hated.
What do these three passages tell us in our daily lives? If we are to walk like Christ and follow the lead that God has set before us, then we must not only serve those that make us feel warm and fuzzy but those we really can't stand. I know it doesn't exactally paint a smile on my face either, but it being obedient in this way does paint a smile on God's face.
Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet
10 Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.
Jonah 1
Jonah Flees From the LORD
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."
3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
Luke 5:30-32
30But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
31Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Each one of these passages from the Bible refers to a very different situation, yet each passage has one thing in common. In John 13 we read about the night of Jesus' last meal. Jesus gets up from his place of honor at the table, disrobes, and begins to do the work of the most lowly servant, wash his Disciples feet. Why was this considered such a lowly job? Think about the standard modes of transportation in Jesus' day, there was mule, horse, the occasional camel and there was foot.
Most of the times I can remember the Bible referring to Jesus traveling, it was on foot. Now when you traveled on foot you walked the same roads as the donkeys, horses and camels. You think the emissions from an SUV are nasty, it doesn't hold a candle to the pollutants a mule leaves on the road. Factor in the popular footwear of the day, sandal like footwear, that equation adds up to something you wouldn't want to smell during dinner. So typically the lowliest of servants would wash the feet of his master's guest when they arrived to keep the house clean. By washing his Disciples' feet, Jesus humbled himself from God, Lord, Master, Teacher, to the level of a lowly servant. No wonder Peter reacted in such a shocked way when Jesus came to him.
All of this sounds bad enough, now take a closer look at what John 13 tells us. Jesus while washing the disciples feet knows full well that Judas is going to hand him over to the Pharisees and Saduciees. He still washes Judas' feet. What you say, why, how? Like Jesus said, he was setting an example. You don't just serve those that will respect and deserve it, you serve even those that do not deserve it.
If you need a farther illustration that God desires us to extend a hand of service to those that are least deserveing look at the story of Jonah. Have you ever wondered why exactally Jonah did not want to go to Ninevah? These people were really the worst of the worst. These people were the ones that found it pleasing to run their enemies through on a stake and then leave their bodies hanging around the walls of their city as a warning. Vlad Dracula had nothing on the Ninevites.
So does God say give up on them? Does he send thunderbolts and brimstone to fry these devils in human clothes from the face of the earth? Nope. He picks up the God phone and calls his prophet Jonah.
'Ring, Ring'
"Hello, Jonah prophet of the Lord Most High"
"Jonah, hey it's God. Got a message I need you to deliver."
"No problem, where are we going? Jerusalem, Bethel, you name it."
"Ninevah."
"Come Again. I thought you said Ninevah."
"That's what I said, Ninevah."
"The line is breaking...can't .....buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."
I know, the God line is not exactally biblical but I think it pretty well sums up how Jonah felt when he got the message from on high. I'm to young to be shish-kabob especially for a no good dirty rotten people like those Ninevites. God obviously had different ideas though and he didn't give up until Jonah delivered his
message, even though it took the belly of a fish to get him there.
Tax collectors were considered the worst of the worst in Roman occupied Isreal. There is no doubt why. Tax collectors often used their position to blackmail those they were sent to collect from in order to line their own pockets. This earned the tax collectors of the day a reputation that makes the IRS look like Gabriel and his holy host. When Jesus was questioned about why he hung out with these tax collectors and other sorted sinners, his reply was I have come to call the unrighteous to repent, not the righteous. Jesus came to minister to the unworthy, the unrighteous not only the unloved but the flat out hated.
What do these three passages tell us in our daily lives? If we are to walk like Christ and follow the lead that God has set before us, then we must not only serve those that make us feel warm and fuzzy but those we really can't stand. I know it doesn't exactally paint a smile on my face either, but it being obedient in this way does paint a smile on God's face.
Baked to Perfection (originally posted March 2, 2008)
Isaiah 64:8
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
I must admit that in my family I am probably the least versed in pottery. Even so, I have a general idea of how the process works. You see I have heard stories ever since I was very young about how my family worked clay and ceramics. My Great gandmother had a small studio in an out building behind her house. She and my great aunt would spend hours creating pieces of ceramics and pottery that adorn the houses of my family even today.
My father has several pieces of pottery and ceramics that he made along side of my great grandmother. My aunt went on to run her own pottery store for several years.
It is a funny thing about pottery. All pottery starts out as glorified mud, wet mushy, messy mud. You can sculpt it, you can push it here and tuck it there, but it still is just a well shaped lump of clay.
In order for clay to move from useless lump to beautiful, useful pottery it must undergo a trial by fire. Pottery must be placed in a kiln to be heated. If the potter has not gotten out all the airholes, as the pottery solidifies the air will expand and cause the pottery to explode. If the potter has not taken care to properly mold and gauge thickness, the pottery will crack and fall apart.
What we, the clay, must understand is that in the end the clay is powerless. If we try to form ourselves, make something of ourselves apart from the potter, when the fires and test of life come along the holes in our spiritual life will cause us to explode. What could have been a beautiful useful life ends up in shambles cracked by the pressure of the world.
However, if we listen and follow the potters plan then we find that in his hands there is a perfect form or plan. When the pressures and fire of life come pressing in we have been designed to not only withstand the heat but come out on the other side a more beautiful and useful than when we went in.
Sometimes when hard times come we don't see that we are in the kiln. Many have called it baptism by fire. We go through a season of testing, and sometimes retesting and retesting. Once we have come through each season we are better equiped to help those that are about to start their firing process. They in turn come through intact and able to help others, who can help others.
Let us pray that the Father would find us moldable, pliable, willing to be formed, and worthy to be fired.
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
I must admit that in my family I am probably the least versed in pottery. Even so, I have a general idea of how the process works. You see I have heard stories ever since I was very young about how my family worked clay and ceramics. My Great gandmother had a small studio in an out building behind her house. She and my great aunt would spend hours creating pieces of ceramics and pottery that adorn the houses of my family even today.
My father has several pieces of pottery and ceramics that he made along side of my great grandmother. My aunt went on to run her own pottery store for several years.
It is a funny thing about pottery. All pottery starts out as glorified mud, wet mushy, messy mud. You can sculpt it, you can push it here and tuck it there, but it still is just a well shaped lump of clay.
In order for clay to move from useless lump to beautiful, useful pottery it must undergo a trial by fire. Pottery must be placed in a kiln to be heated. If the potter has not gotten out all the airholes, as the pottery solidifies the air will expand and cause the pottery to explode. If the potter has not taken care to properly mold and gauge thickness, the pottery will crack and fall apart.
What we, the clay, must understand is that in the end the clay is powerless. If we try to form ourselves, make something of ourselves apart from the potter, when the fires and test of life come along the holes in our spiritual life will cause us to explode. What could have been a beautiful useful life ends up in shambles cracked by the pressure of the world.
However, if we listen and follow the potters plan then we find that in his hands there is a perfect form or plan. When the pressures and fire of life come pressing in we have been designed to not only withstand the heat but come out on the other side a more beautiful and useful than when we went in.
Sometimes when hard times come we don't see that we are in the kiln. Many have called it baptism by fire. We go through a season of testing, and sometimes retesting and retesting. Once we have come through each season we are better equiped to help those that are about to start their firing process. They in turn come through intact and able to help others, who can help others.
Let us pray that the Father would find us moldable, pliable, willing to be formed, and worthy to be fired.
Faith--Is a mustard seed enough? (Originally Posted March 1, 2008)
Hebrews 11
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Matthew 17:20
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
You know that Jesus guy was a pretty smart fellow. Perhaps this is never more clear than in the verse above from Matthew. A mustard seed, one of the smallest of all seeds is defintely not a large amount to speak of. Yet Jesus boldly makes this statement that if we have enough faith in God to amount to the size of a mustard seed we can do anything.
So when is the last time you have ever stepped out into a range of mountains and said, "you there with the frosty peaks fall into the ocean?" Answer, never. Why is that? Because in the very act of walking out to tell the mountain to move or crumble we lose our mustard seed.
Think about it for a minute, why in the world would we ever tell a mountian to move, except for being lazy and not wanting to go over it. Because we want to test what Jesus said. Ahh, I see said the blind man. In the statement Jesus makes, he asks us to have faith in his power without testing the Him.
Luke 4:12
Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "
I know it can be frustrating sometimes to follow and believe. Sometimes I just want to cry out, "one little hill God, just let me move the little hill a few inches and I'll believe." What would be the proof of our resolve though if every time we flipantly said move stone, it did just that? Then we are no better than those that do not believe in God. For those that do not believe in God believe in cars and trucks because they can see and touch them, they can say move truck and by pressing a petal it moves. Where is Faith if it requires a reaction for us to have it? That mustard seed is looking bigger all the time!
John 20:26-29 (After the death and resurrection of Jesus)
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
I was reading tonight in a devotion my church is doing about a statement from one of my favorite authors. Mark Twain said, "Faith is believeing in what you know ain't so." All reason says that an insignifacant man like me can't tell a moutain to move and it budge one millimeter. Reason says try it out and see if it works, see nothing.
Faith though says if you believe in God and you don't test just to see if God was telling the truth, when you really need that power it will be available.
Faith is not always easy, but then again allowing yourself to be nailed to a tree for the sins of a bunch of doubters like me couldn't have been very easy either.
Prayer: Jesus thank you for being so compassionate and loving. Thank you for being so understanding of our short comings and forgiving with such ease. Father, we come to you tonight as a bunch of Thomas like people who too often want proof instead of offering Faith. Help our doubting hearts to believe in your awesome power, help our minds to understand that the answer is sometimes that we can't comprehend your might or your ways. Thank you for all you have done and for what we, in daith, know you will continue to do. If it be your will, please bless us and use us to spread your word and to bring you glory. We love you Father, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Matthew 17:20
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
You know that Jesus guy was a pretty smart fellow. Perhaps this is never more clear than in the verse above from Matthew. A mustard seed, one of the smallest of all seeds is defintely not a large amount to speak of. Yet Jesus boldly makes this statement that if we have enough faith in God to amount to the size of a mustard seed we can do anything.
So when is the last time you have ever stepped out into a range of mountains and said, "you there with the frosty peaks fall into the ocean?" Answer, never. Why is that? Because in the very act of walking out to tell the mountain to move or crumble we lose our mustard seed.
Think about it for a minute, why in the world would we ever tell a mountian to move, except for being lazy and not wanting to go over it. Because we want to test what Jesus said. Ahh, I see said the blind man. In the statement Jesus makes, he asks us to have faith in his power without testing the Him.
Luke 4:12
Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "
I know it can be frustrating sometimes to follow and believe. Sometimes I just want to cry out, "one little hill God, just let me move the little hill a few inches and I'll believe." What would be the proof of our resolve though if every time we flipantly said move stone, it did just that? Then we are no better than those that do not believe in God. For those that do not believe in God believe in cars and trucks because they can see and touch them, they can say move truck and by pressing a petal it moves. Where is Faith if it requires a reaction for us to have it? That mustard seed is looking bigger all the time!
John 20:26-29 (After the death and resurrection of Jesus)
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
I was reading tonight in a devotion my church is doing about a statement from one of my favorite authors. Mark Twain said, "Faith is believeing in what you know ain't so." All reason says that an insignifacant man like me can't tell a moutain to move and it budge one millimeter. Reason says try it out and see if it works, see nothing.
Faith though says if you believe in God and you don't test just to see if God was telling the truth, when you really need that power it will be available.
Faith is not always easy, but then again allowing yourself to be nailed to a tree for the sins of a bunch of doubters like me couldn't have been very easy either.
Prayer: Jesus thank you for being so compassionate and loving. Thank you for being so understanding of our short comings and forgiving with such ease. Father, we come to you tonight as a bunch of Thomas like people who too often want proof instead of offering Faith. Help our doubting hearts to believe in your awesome power, help our minds to understand that the answer is sometimes that we can't comprehend your might or your ways. Thank you for all you have done and for what we, in daith, know you will continue to do. If it be your will, please bless us and use us to spread your word and to bring you glory. We love you Father, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.
The Trinity--Three in One (Part 4) (Originally posted on February 29, 2008)
Let me open by saying that the Irony of "The Trinity--Part 4" is not lost on me. Why exactally did I choose to have a part four when talking about the three persons of God? Up to this point we have studied the Three parts of the deity as mostly seperate persons. For instance we saw how the Holy Spirit was the great communicator and guide, we saw how God the Father was Creator and Judge, and we have seen how Jesus Christ was the compassionate sacrifice. Today I want to examine how the three are entertwined and explore more closely the statement, Three in one.
Christian doctrine holds that the God is one being that simultaneously and eternally exists in three persons. What this basically means, as I understand it, is that the essence of God is one spiritual being. However, the essence is poured into three seperate "containers". Although 1/3 of the essence dwells in each part, no part is whole without the other 2/3. Equally, each part is God. However, unlike polytheistic religons(where they believe in more than one god who often control one element of the earth or afterlife) Christians believe that the three persons of God share one deity and one being.
It is important to understand that all three persons of God co-exsist simultaneously. One part does not go away just because the other part is present. Jesus prayed to God the Father and at the time of his baptism the Spirit (Holy Spirit) descended upon Jesus like a dove. So in the lifetime of Jesus we saw all three persons of God active. Just as in biblical times we had the physical form of Jesus, yet we did not have the Holy Spirit (until Pentecost), now we look for the return of Jesus yet have the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and guide us.
I hope that this idea makes sense, but I totally understand if it does not. This is not an easy of biblical ideas to grasp. The more important question may be, "is it important for us to completely understand the Trinity?" The answer, I believe, is no. God never says that we must fully understand everything about him, only that we understand enough to trust him. Job certainly did not understand the ways of God when he was going through his trials.
Job 37:5
God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding
Job was the most righteous man of his day, and I believe that we would be hard pressed in our time to find a man to rival him. In all of the tests and trials Job experienced he was able to come to a great epiphany. Man cannot always understand why God is the way he is or why he does the things he does, but if man trusts in God, believes in his word, and lives in righteousness God will be with him. While we may not fully understand why one God would choose to live in three persons we must accept it as truth and be thankful for what God provides us through all of his persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Prayer: Father you are a marvelous and wonderful God. We praise your name and stand in awe of who you are. We thank you Father for being creator and making every good gift in this world and the next. We thank you Holy Spirit for dwelling within us, giving us guidance and, when needed, convicting us to substantiate change. We thank you Lord Jesus for shoosing to place compassion over power, we know you could have said enough, you could have said no more, you caould have said we are not worth it. You instead chose love over pain, thank you. Be with us we pray in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. Use us as your modern disciples to go into all the world and preach the good word, being unafraid and believing that you are Soveriegn and holy. In all things your will be done. Amen.
Christian doctrine holds that the God is one being that simultaneously and eternally exists in three persons. What this basically means, as I understand it, is that the essence of God is one spiritual being. However, the essence is poured into three seperate "containers". Although 1/3 of the essence dwells in each part, no part is whole without the other 2/3. Equally, each part is God. However, unlike polytheistic religons(where they believe in more than one god who often control one element of the earth or afterlife) Christians believe that the three persons of God share one deity and one being.
It is important to understand that all three persons of God co-exsist simultaneously. One part does not go away just because the other part is present. Jesus prayed to God the Father and at the time of his baptism the Spirit (Holy Spirit) descended upon Jesus like a dove. So in the lifetime of Jesus we saw all three persons of God active. Just as in biblical times we had the physical form of Jesus, yet we did not have the Holy Spirit (until Pentecost), now we look for the return of Jesus yet have the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and guide us.
I hope that this idea makes sense, but I totally understand if it does not. This is not an easy of biblical ideas to grasp. The more important question may be, "is it important for us to completely understand the Trinity?" The answer, I believe, is no. God never says that we must fully understand everything about him, only that we understand enough to trust him. Job certainly did not understand the ways of God when he was going through his trials.
Job 37:5
God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding
Job was the most righteous man of his day, and I believe that we would be hard pressed in our time to find a man to rival him. In all of the tests and trials Job experienced he was able to come to a great epiphany. Man cannot always understand why God is the way he is or why he does the things he does, but if man trusts in God, believes in his word, and lives in righteousness God will be with him. While we may not fully understand why one God would choose to live in three persons we must accept it as truth and be thankful for what God provides us through all of his persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Prayer: Father you are a marvelous and wonderful God. We praise your name and stand in awe of who you are. We thank you Father for being creator and making every good gift in this world and the next. We thank you Holy Spirit for dwelling within us, giving us guidance and, when needed, convicting us to substantiate change. We thank you Lord Jesus for shoosing to place compassion over power, we know you could have said enough, you could have said no more, you caould have said we are not worth it. You instead chose love over pain, thank you. Be with us we pray in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. Use us as your modern disciples to go into all the world and preach the good word, being unafraid and believing that you are Soveriegn and holy. In all things your will be done. Amen.
The Trinity, Three in One (part 3) (Originally posted February 26)
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
So far we have explored two parts of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit and God the Father. Today we take a look at the most publicized portion of the Trinity, Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
It is important to make a distinction here that is similar to a distinction made when we examined the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not come into being when he was born and entered the scene here on earth. Jesus is an everlasting, eternal being that exsisted before time. His birth in human form only marked his arrival as Son of Man, not his "creation".
How do we know that Jesus was around in the times before his birth? Let us take a look at a vital pieve of scripture that teaches us this truth:
John 1
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
Although the name of Jesus is never directly referenced in this excerpt, a quick referenc of the remainng story about John the Baptist (or Baptiser)reveals that when verse 7 says he came as a witness to testify concerning the light. When we study the teachings of John the Baptist, it becomes clear that the light was Jesus Christ. John was sent by God as a preperation for Isreal. His job was to draw attention to the need for people to repent and to make them ready to receive the teachings of Emanuel--which means God with us.
Notice how John refers to Jesus in the opening of this chapter. In the beginning was the Word, the Word here refers to Jesus Christ. The Word was with God, so at the beginning of time who was with the Godhead? Jesus. Then notice the next part of John's statement, and the Word was God. Here is a powerful statement proclaiming the existance of the Trinity and of Jesus Christ as deity.
Jesus, the Word, was with God which proclaims already that the Godhead and Jesus are two seperate persons, but in the same breath John acknowledges the power, authority and deity of Christ by saying that the Word was God. We will discuss this idea of Three persons forming one God more indepth tomorrow in our final day of studying the Trinity.
Once the deity of Christ is established, we must then look at the roles Christ plays. During Jesus' time on earth he acted as a teacher, he exhibited great compassion, he was prayful, and in the end he was a sacrifice for you and me. Let us not forget though that the story does not end with the cross and the grave, if it did then Jesus would only ne a prophet, it was his deity, his power, his resurection that made him the bringer of our salvation.
Let us focus on this sacrificial spirit of Jesus, because the cross was not the only demonstration of this nature. When long hours passed by and Jesus was tired as he certainly must have been, he still taught, he still healed, he still loved. When it would have been easier to turn a blind eye, Jesus gave of himself, not most of the time, not some of the time, all of the time!
Make no mistake either, Jesus was fully human. There is never a more clear example of this that in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prays to God a very human prayer with a very Godly twist. He says to the Father, if it is possible, let this cup (dying on the cross) pass from me. How human of Jesus, I don't want to die is what he was saying, I don't want to go through the pain, please Dad, give me another way.
Then the God in him shines through, but not my will but your (God's)will be done. If there is no other way to save them though Father, if it takes my blood to save those that have broken your law. If it saves those that will not appreciate the pain of the whip, if it will spare those that drive the nails into my hands and feet, if it gives hope to those that spat in my face and beat me, then I will let them nail me to the tree, I will let them push entwined thorns upon my head, I will die a criminals death even though the devil himself could not tempt me in the desert, even though I have never done a single thing wrong, never cussed, never had an evil thought.
Jesus is compassion, Jesus is love! Jesus never gives up on us, even when we nailed him to the cross!
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
So far we have explored two parts of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit and God the Father. Today we take a look at the most publicized portion of the Trinity, Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
It is important to make a distinction here that is similar to a distinction made when we examined the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not come into being when he was born and entered the scene here on earth. Jesus is an everlasting, eternal being that exsisted before time. His birth in human form only marked his arrival as Son of Man, not his "creation".
How do we know that Jesus was around in the times before his birth? Let us take a look at a vital pieve of scripture that teaches us this truth:
John 1
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
Although the name of Jesus is never directly referenced in this excerpt, a quick referenc of the remainng story about John the Baptist (or Baptiser)reveals that when verse 7 says he came as a witness to testify concerning the light. When we study the teachings of John the Baptist, it becomes clear that the light was Jesus Christ. John was sent by God as a preperation for Isreal. His job was to draw attention to the need for people to repent and to make them ready to receive the teachings of Emanuel--which means God with us.
Notice how John refers to Jesus in the opening of this chapter. In the beginning was the Word, the Word here refers to Jesus Christ. The Word was with God, so at the beginning of time who was with the Godhead? Jesus. Then notice the next part of John's statement, and the Word was God. Here is a powerful statement proclaiming the existance of the Trinity and of Jesus Christ as deity.
Jesus, the Word, was with God which proclaims already that the Godhead and Jesus are two seperate persons, but in the same breath John acknowledges the power, authority and deity of Christ by saying that the Word was God. We will discuss this idea of Three persons forming one God more indepth tomorrow in our final day of studying the Trinity.
Once the deity of Christ is established, we must then look at the roles Christ plays. During Jesus' time on earth he acted as a teacher, he exhibited great compassion, he was prayful, and in the end he was a sacrifice for you and me. Let us not forget though that the story does not end with the cross and the grave, if it did then Jesus would only ne a prophet, it was his deity, his power, his resurection that made him the bringer of our salvation.
Let us focus on this sacrificial spirit of Jesus, because the cross was not the only demonstration of this nature. When long hours passed by and Jesus was tired as he certainly must have been, he still taught, he still healed, he still loved. When it would have been easier to turn a blind eye, Jesus gave of himself, not most of the time, not some of the time, all of the time!
Make no mistake either, Jesus was fully human. There is never a more clear example of this that in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prays to God a very human prayer with a very Godly twist. He says to the Father, if it is possible, let this cup (dying on the cross) pass from me. How human of Jesus, I don't want to die is what he was saying, I don't want to go through the pain, please Dad, give me another way.
Then the God in him shines through, but not my will but your (God's)will be done. If there is no other way to save them though Father, if it takes my blood to save those that have broken your law. If it saves those that will not appreciate the pain of the whip, if it will spare those that drive the nails into my hands and feet, if it gives hope to those that spat in my face and beat me, then I will let them nail me to the tree, I will let them push entwined thorns upon my head, I will die a criminals death even though the devil himself could not tempt me in the desert, even though I have never done a single thing wrong, never cussed, never had an evil thought.
Jesus is compassion, Jesus is love! Jesus never gives up on us, even when we nailed him to the cross!
The Trinity--Three in One (Part 2) (Originally posted February 25, 2008)
Yesterday we began exploring the Holy Trinity by taking a close look at the Holy Spirit and the role within the Trinity that the Holy Spirit plays. Today we will look at Father God and specifically the way God the Father interacts with man.
In the Old Testament the Hebrew people understood God's name to be YHWH or YHVH (english interpretations). Ancient Hebrew did not have vowels or vowel points, these names today have been interpretted by Christians as Yahweh. The name Yahweh was the holiest of all names for God, so holy in fact that it could not be spoken out loud. As a result, other words came into common use when reference to God was made. The name Jehova is believed to have come from an improper translation of the personal name Yahweh. It is believed that this translation may have occured sometime in the 1500's. As a result, may people use the name Jehova when the original text would have called for Yahweh.
When examining the New Testament and specifically the words of Jesus we find that God was ofeten called Abba, which means Father. Elohim, El-Shaddai, and Adonai are also names used to refer to the Godhead in the Old Testament. El-Shaddai is normally translated to mean "God Almighty who is all sufficient" where Adonai is Hebrew for the word "Lord". One interpretation of the name Elohim is "The Power over all powers". When God refers to himself when Moses asks, "who shall I say has sent me?" God answers with Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh which when translated into Egypt means, "I SHALL PROVE TO BE WHAT I SHALL PROVE TO BE."
Why is it important to examine the names of God the Father? In ancient times and still today in many cultures, a name imparted qualities about the object or person being named. By examining the names God was called by they tell us about the Character of God.
It is important for us to remember that God is not simply an idea or a set of rules. It is easy for the human mind to simplify God to an idea, it is important to remember that even in the beginning God was an Entity, not unlike human kind. This is evident in Genesis when we are told that God walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve and that He created man in his own image.
God the Father is first and foremost the creator, an almighty being with the power to do what man cannot, make something from nothing. This is boggling to the Scientific mind that follows the law that matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transfer from one form to another. God makes the impossible, possible. We call this Omnipotent--all powerful.
God is also Omnicient--all knowing. An important concept to know is that there will never be anything that will happen, there has never been anything that has happened that God does not know about. God knows what we think, how we feel, the thoughts we don't verbalize, the actions we do behind closed doors, as well as what we do in the open. GOD KNOWS EVERYHTING! Stop and wrap your mind around that for a moment. While this is something learned Christians know it should never go without a certain amount of awe to comprehend that our God is that far superior to us. We go through the day everyday, not being able to take in all the things that happen all around us. How many times does someone ask us about someting that happened right around us yet we were oblivious? Simulatneously, God knows everything that is happening in this moment, the next moment, and every moment that will ever take place, and he misses nothing!
God is a judge. While there are many other things that we could study and find about God, it should not go past our perception to acknowledge that God is going to sit in judgement of every human that ever lives. God gave his laws to Moses and told us what he expected and wanted out of our lives. Every person will go before God and give an accounting of their life. God will then sort all humankind into two categories faithful and damned. (Luckily, because of the Sacrifice of Jesus, which we will explore more in Part 3, humans have a way to appear perfect in the eyes of the Father.)
This is a giant stumbling block for some humans, the fact that God will sentence some people to eternal damnation. However, it is a point that is clearly explained. God does not wish that anyone would ever be damned, that is why he has made the way so easy for man to enter heaven (at great personal expense). If a man believes in God the Father and that Jesus Christ came to earth in order to die for our sins. All that man need do is to accept God, to admit he is a sinner, to ask God for forgiveness and for the Holy Spirit (see part 1) to come into his heart and guide him in God's direction. If a man would do this, God is willing to forgive every single wrong thing the man has ever done. Imagine that, he will throw it as far as the east is from the west. The God that knows everyhting is willing to forget what he knows you have done wrong because he loves you.
Some say that God is a tyrannt because he is willing to damn some to hell. I say that he is benevolent because instead of damning us all, which would be intirely within his right as creator of a creation that rebels at every turn, he chooses to love us and forgive us. All he asks is that we acknowledge him and love him back. I don't think that is too much to ask! Thank you God, I love you Abba!
In the Old Testament the Hebrew people understood God's name to be YHWH or YHVH (english interpretations). Ancient Hebrew did not have vowels or vowel points, these names today have been interpretted by Christians as Yahweh. The name Yahweh was the holiest of all names for God, so holy in fact that it could not be spoken out loud. As a result, other words came into common use when reference to God was made. The name Jehova is believed to have come from an improper translation of the personal name Yahweh. It is believed that this translation may have occured sometime in the 1500's. As a result, may people use the name Jehova when the original text would have called for Yahweh.
When examining the New Testament and specifically the words of Jesus we find that God was ofeten called Abba, which means Father. Elohim, El-Shaddai, and Adonai are also names used to refer to the Godhead in the Old Testament. El-Shaddai is normally translated to mean "God Almighty who is all sufficient" where Adonai is Hebrew for the word "Lord". One interpretation of the name Elohim is "The Power over all powers". When God refers to himself when Moses asks, "who shall I say has sent me?" God answers with Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh which when translated into Egypt means, "I SHALL PROVE TO BE WHAT I SHALL PROVE TO BE."
Why is it important to examine the names of God the Father? In ancient times and still today in many cultures, a name imparted qualities about the object or person being named. By examining the names God was called by they tell us about the Character of God.
It is important for us to remember that God is not simply an idea or a set of rules. It is easy for the human mind to simplify God to an idea, it is important to remember that even in the beginning God was an Entity, not unlike human kind. This is evident in Genesis when we are told that God walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve and that He created man in his own image.
God the Father is first and foremost the creator, an almighty being with the power to do what man cannot, make something from nothing. This is boggling to the Scientific mind that follows the law that matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transfer from one form to another. God makes the impossible, possible. We call this Omnipotent--all powerful.
God is also Omnicient--all knowing. An important concept to know is that there will never be anything that will happen, there has never been anything that has happened that God does not know about. God knows what we think, how we feel, the thoughts we don't verbalize, the actions we do behind closed doors, as well as what we do in the open. GOD KNOWS EVERYHTING! Stop and wrap your mind around that for a moment. While this is something learned Christians know it should never go without a certain amount of awe to comprehend that our God is that far superior to us. We go through the day everyday, not being able to take in all the things that happen all around us. How many times does someone ask us about someting that happened right around us yet we were oblivious? Simulatneously, God knows everything that is happening in this moment, the next moment, and every moment that will ever take place, and he misses nothing!
God is a judge. While there are many other things that we could study and find about God, it should not go past our perception to acknowledge that God is going to sit in judgement of every human that ever lives. God gave his laws to Moses and told us what he expected and wanted out of our lives. Every person will go before God and give an accounting of their life. God will then sort all humankind into two categories faithful and damned. (Luckily, because of the Sacrifice of Jesus, which we will explore more in Part 3, humans have a way to appear perfect in the eyes of the Father.)
This is a giant stumbling block for some humans, the fact that God will sentence some people to eternal damnation. However, it is a point that is clearly explained. God does not wish that anyone would ever be damned, that is why he has made the way so easy for man to enter heaven (at great personal expense). If a man believes in God the Father and that Jesus Christ came to earth in order to die for our sins. All that man need do is to accept God, to admit he is a sinner, to ask God for forgiveness and for the Holy Spirit (see part 1) to come into his heart and guide him in God's direction. If a man would do this, God is willing to forgive every single wrong thing the man has ever done. Imagine that, he will throw it as far as the east is from the west. The God that knows everyhting is willing to forget what he knows you have done wrong because he loves you.
Some say that God is a tyrannt because he is willing to damn some to hell. I say that he is benevolent because instead of damning us all, which would be intirely within his right as creator of a creation that rebels at every turn, he chooses to love us and forgive us. All he asks is that we acknowledge him and love him back. I don't think that is too much to ask! Thank you God, I love you Abba!
The Trinity--Three in One (Part 1) (Originally posted February 24)
The Trinity, or idea that God exsists in three parts yet is together as one being may be one fo the most dificult ideas to understand in the Bible. Let me preface this by saying that I am no great theologian just a simple man trying to bring to you the best understanding of this concept as I see it. As always I welcome your comments and input as we walk throug this study.
Let us first look at the often over-looked 3rd member of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit (sometimes called the Holy Ghost).
Matthew 3:11
"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire
Luke 4
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
John 1:33
33I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:4
4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.
1 Corinthians 2:12-14
12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
John 14:26
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 20:21-22
21Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
Acts 5:32
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."
2 Peter 1:20-21
20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
I realize that this is a lot of text to take in and digest at once, but I do believe that it is important to take a sampling of Biblical Text about the Holy Spirit as the core of our study. It is equally important to understand that while the Holy Spirit is refered to mainly in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit has been in existance for all of eternity, just as the Father and the Son have been. We will explore this more as we dive into the study of the other two parts of the Trinity.
Proof that the Holy Spirit has been around before New Testament time can be found all the way back in Genesis 1, "the spirit of God was floating over the waters." This verse is widely accepted to be speaking of the Holy Spirit. Some believe that the prophets of the Old Testament received the word of God through the Holy Spirit.
If we were to break the Trinity down and study it by the "tasks" each branch completes, the Holy Spirit might well be characterized as the delivery and communication center. Two of the most important tasks that are associated with the Holy Spirit are the bringing of spiritual gifts and the ability for a Christian to divine God's will through an internal compass or guidance.
Isaiah 11:2-3, 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, Ephesians 4:11-12, and Romans 12:6-8 each give a listing of Spiritual gifts. Each of these portions of scripture makes it clear that Spiritual gifts are to be used to build the body of Christ, or the church. The Holy Spirit is the hand of God that imparts these gifts to the people of God.
The second of these important "jobs" the Holy Spirit performs is guiding the life of Christians. The Holy Spirit "lives inside us" as a guide to the heart of man. When we pray for direction and feel that we are being directed by God to complete a task or to take a particular path, it is the Holy Spirit that is guiding us. While it may seem that the Holy Spirit is serving man, it is important to remember that man was created to bring glory to God. The Holy Spirit provides man the means by which to complete this task.
Let me reiderate again, that this is, in my opinion, one of the most dificult ideas to understand in all of Christianity. In the days to come we will look at the role of the Father and the Son and the idea of the Trinity as Three-in-one. I encourage you to comment, clarify, and discuss this devotion by leaving comments. May God Bless you.
Let us first look at the often over-looked 3rd member of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit (sometimes called the Holy Ghost).
Matthew 3:11
"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire
Luke 4
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
John 1:33
33I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:4
4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.
1 Corinthians 2:12-14
12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
John 14:26
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 20:21-22
21Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
Acts 5:32
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."
2 Peter 1:20-21
20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
I realize that this is a lot of text to take in and digest at once, but I do believe that it is important to take a sampling of Biblical Text about the Holy Spirit as the core of our study. It is equally important to understand that while the Holy Spirit is refered to mainly in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit has been in existance for all of eternity, just as the Father and the Son have been. We will explore this more as we dive into the study of the other two parts of the Trinity.
Proof that the Holy Spirit has been around before New Testament time can be found all the way back in Genesis 1, "the spirit of God was floating over the waters." This verse is widely accepted to be speaking of the Holy Spirit. Some believe that the prophets of the Old Testament received the word of God through the Holy Spirit.
If we were to break the Trinity down and study it by the "tasks" each branch completes, the Holy Spirit might well be characterized as the delivery and communication center. Two of the most important tasks that are associated with the Holy Spirit are the bringing of spiritual gifts and the ability for a Christian to divine God's will through an internal compass or guidance.
Isaiah 11:2-3, 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, Ephesians 4:11-12, and Romans 12:6-8 each give a listing of Spiritual gifts. Each of these portions of scripture makes it clear that Spiritual gifts are to be used to build the body of Christ, or the church. The Holy Spirit is the hand of God that imparts these gifts to the people of God.
The second of these important "jobs" the Holy Spirit performs is guiding the life of Christians. The Holy Spirit "lives inside us" as a guide to the heart of man. When we pray for direction and feel that we are being directed by God to complete a task or to take a particular path, it is the Holy Spirit that is guiding us. While it may seem that the Holy Spirit is serving man, it is important to remember that man was created to bring glory to God. The Holy Spirit provides man the means by which to complete this task.
Let me reiderate again, that this is, in my opinion, one of the most dificult ideas to understand in all of Christianity. In the days to come we will look at the role of the Father and the Son and the idea of the Trinity as Three-in-one. I encourage you to comment, clarify, and discuss this devotion by leaving comments. May God Bless you.
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