tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81209725128925983372024-02-20T04:20:21.293-06:00Reading with the PastorPastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-29049145508444783902019-04-01T09:07:00.001-05:002019-04-01T09:07:10.961-05:00Thankfulness and BluebonnetsThis week our devotional readings are from the book of Acts, chapters 9 to 12. But my devotional thought this morning is drawn not so much from a particular passage in Acts as it is from my observation of God's power, creativity, and beauty this morning.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5l11n_MtoxYKC71iH51Jbe9hNJpoYtflnuu4yufOOTfLv2RD_JOMMhZXuJDo9aiT7my0Zs2dGB4qldz4LP3_nxtNpCN77yIJB3hOvmldLMwBIiegceTY7trKhxcdakE51F1ifHXEgI8/s1600/lesser+goldfinch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="480" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5l11n_MtoxYKC71iH51Jbe9hNJpoYtflnuu4yufOOTfLv2RD_JOMMhZXuJDo9aiT7my0Zs2dGB4qldz4LP3_nxtNpCN77yIJB3hOvmldLMwBIiegceTY7trKhxcdakE51F1ifHXEgI8/s320/lesser+goldfinch.jpg" width="320" /></a>As I was walking through the church sanctuary this morning, I was admiring the beauty of the wildflowers and agave plants on the hill behind the church. And birds were among the flowers, coming to the fountain for an early morning drink. There were mockingbirds and pheobes, Carolina chickadees and cardinals. And sitting on a tall stem of grass among the field of bluebonnets were two lesser goldfinches with their bright yellow chests.<br />
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And in that moment, my heart just welled up with a sense of thanksgiving. I was thankful for the beauty of God's creation. I was thankful for the Divine creativity. I was thankful for the Divine power and foresight that made these things possible - wildflowers of blue and yellow and red; the green of the grass; the song of the birds; the brightness of the avian colors. I was thankful.<br />
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And I realized that with this thankfulness came a sense of peace. There is a wholeness of spirit that is available to us when we are thankful for in our thanksgiving we are humble before the greater powers of God. "If God will so clothe the grass of the field that is here today and gone and tomorrow, will he not much more clothe you? O you of little faith!" (Matthew 6:30)<br />
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I pray that wholeness of spirit and that profound sense of thanksgiving will be yours today!PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-583629231560973662019-03-18T08:03:00.000-05:002019-03-18T08:03:34.198-05:00Resurrection Focus<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsabBYLfTu67gH8GdT3yfOYeWtuo1Q-tfYdM37jMlH5_4_VdRAbyIRSybpIX_9yx5LInXUK6E-nG4L3mWboYMQo66GqHUDGfxyBejckJFkre75XRX8V99IQZgEB4jV_ByMZTYBMCif2Fw/s1600/acts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsabBYLfTu67gH8GdT3yfOYeWtuo1Q-tfYdM37jMlH5_4_VdRAbyIRSybpIX_9yx5LInXUK6E-nG4L3mWboYMQo66GqHUDGfxyBejckJFkre75XRX8V99IQZgEB4jV_ByMZTYBMCif2Fw/s400/acts.jpg" width="400" /></a>Our reading this week is in Acts 1 through 4. I pray you will read along with me as we begin the<br />
second part of Luke's account of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.<br />
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After reading these chapters, my mind kept going back to something that Peter said in Acts 1. He is talking about filling the "office" of Judas Iscariot who "turned aside" from the way of truth. What interested me most about Peter's speech is his qualifications for the position and his understanding of the responsibilities of the position.<br />
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As to the qualifications, the person must have been a follower of Jesus from the beginning of Jesus' public ministry (the baptism by John). As to the responsibilities, the person "must become a witness with us of His resurrection." (1:22)<br />
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I think what amazed me most about this verse is what is not included in the responsibilities. Peter does not understand apostleship to be an organizer of any institution, a ministry of service or helps or healing, the leader of a worship service, the composer of songs, or the solver of the world's problems. His focus is clearly upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This person must be a witness of the resurrection!<br />
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The resurrection changes everything!<br />
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It is the key to everything!<br />
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The Apostle Paul will say in 1 Corinthians 15 that if Christ has not been raised, then our faith is worthless, we are still in our sins, we are enemies of God, and we are of all men most be to be pitied. But Christ has been raised, and that changes everything!<br />
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Twice in last week I have had conversations with people about how to share their faith with friends who prefer to be "spiritual but not religious." These friends admire the morality of Jesus, but they have no interest in giving him their allegiance. "How do I help my friends?" I answered, focus on the resurrection. That's the key. We can get bogged down in moral dilemmas. We can get lost in comparative religious studies. But the resurrection is a very clear historical event. If it did not happen, then the Christian faith is worthless. The Bible says so! But if it did happen, then it doesn't matter what you or I think about Jesus' morality. This is no longer a matter of personal preference or opinion. If the resurrection has happened, then Jesus has a historical claim that no one else can make. If Christ has been raised, then "he has been declared the Son of God with power." (Romans 1:4) And if he has been declared the Son of God, then he demands our allegiance, our loyalty, and our obedience.<br />
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As we draw closer to Resurrection Sunday, keep your eyes on he resurrected Jesus!PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-47517770221276639922019-03-11T08:47:00.001-05:002019-03-11T08:47:11.587-05:00Preparations We Do Not KnowThis week I am reading Luke 21 to 24. I hope you will join me in reading slowly and prayerfully.<br />
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It was a portion of Luke 22 that caught my eye this morning as I was reading. The Feast of the Passover is near, and Jesus and his disciples will be in Jerusalem for the Feast. His disciples ask about where Jesus wants to eat the Seder meal. Not surprisingly, Jesus has a plan. The disciples don't know it, yet, but Jesus has already thought about it. Even more, he has put events in motion that will make the meal possible for the whole group of them.<br />
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Both Matthew and Mark also report this seemingly simple event (Matt 26; Mark 14). The instructions are clear:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house he enters. And you shall say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"' And he will show you a large, furnished upper room. . . (Luke 22:10 - 12) </i></blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrj7uaXCRv2kfS-4QlW1ZLDPbBbGhhd5q7sIWaykCwzZkbHlhsjkhaUR1zHH7TB3Ksz0uiDhFuLYlPMBFdvv9fBTjc-QwZrTg27VttZx5ppWv8NTPWchzj-o5oGGlffuF3J4m6VFlHdg/s1600/jesus-last-supper-perea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="597" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrj7uaXCRv2kfS-4QlW1ZLDPbBbGhhd5q7sIWaykCwzZkbHlhsjkhaUR1zHH7TB3Ksz0uiDhFuLYlPMBFdvv9fBTjc-QwZrTg27VttZx5ppWv8NTPWchzj-o5oGGlffuF3J4m6VFlHdg/s320/jesus-last-supper-perea.jpg" width="320" /></a>Luke implies that Jesus has already made an arrangement with the owner of this house. The disciples do not know it. It has not been reported when or where Jesus made these arrangements. But Jesus clearly has a plan. He has done work that his disciples do not know or see. Jesus had made preparations that his disciples do not appreciate until just the right moment.<br />
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And I find this to be a comforting thought. Jesus is at work in ways that I do not see. I do not know or appreciate all that he is doing. But he is making preparations for me (and you). He is making arrangements to meet my needs and to further his work. And when the right time comes, he will reveal all that he has done.<br />
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My prayer this morning is that I will trust in the Providence of Jesus this week. I pray that I will trust in his preparations and his arrangements. And I pray that I will have eyes to see those preparations at the appropriate time. Christ is up to something! And that fills me with a sense of anticipation!PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-52205204897850395702019-03-05T08:41:00.002-06:002019-03-05T08:41:42.353-06:00Ready to ReceiveThis week, I'm reading in the Gospel of Luke chapters 17 to 20, and I'd invite you to read along with me.<br />
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Reading through these chapters yesterday, there was so much that jumped out at me that I didn't know where to dig in! Eventually, though I settled on the first eight verses of chapter 20. It is a curious exchange with Jesus. I say "curious" because we see a case where Jesus refuses to answer a question - a very straightforward question that had a very straightforward answer, and yet Jesus refused to answer it.<br />
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A little while after reading this passage, it occurred to me that God has refused to answer some of my questions. And then I wondered if Luke 20:1 - 8 might give me some insight into why that was. After all, I thought, some of my questions were pretty straightforward and relatively simple. Why did no answer come?<br />
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In Luke 20, Jesus meets the question about his authority (verse 2) with a question for his questioners (verse 4). Jesus wants to know about John the Baptizer - was his baptism from heaven or from men? In other words, who authorized John?<br />
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We then get to see the chief priests, scribes, and elders reason among themselves. Like their own question to Jesus, this question is straightforward with a simple answer. But they worry over it. They look at it from all of its angles. "If we say. . . then he will say. . ."<br />
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And so we receive a profound insight into the minds and hearts of these men. They are not interested in the truth. They have a preconceived outcome for this encounter. They are willing to play loosely with the facts as long as their answers produce the outcome they desire.<br />
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Jesus' question reveals this about them. His question to them lays bare their hearts. They will say "I don't know" to a question that the rest of the population had already answered (verse 6), and in their unwillingness to commit to the truth and their further unwillingness to submit to the revealed will of God, they will reveal their own selfishness.<br />
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Jesus refuses to answer their question because they have already proved that they will not respond with either faith or obedience.<br />
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And I have to wonder if the times God has refused to answer my questions was it because he already knew that in my heart I would not respond with faith? Perhaps my mind was already made up. Perhaps my intentions were already fixed. Perhaps I was asking more out of curiosity than out of any real desire to be more faithful in my service.<br />
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God is not interested in answering our curiosity. Nor does God waste his time giving more information or counsel to those whose hearts are hardened. If we would know the will and way of God, we must come in humility and with every intention of honoring his authority rather than seeking to judge him and his ways. We've got to be ready to receive direction!<br />
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As you come to God today, are you ready to receive - or are you more interested in telling God how he should conduct himself? The position of our heart before him will make an enormous difference!PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-73538790210242600552019-02-25T08:59:00.000-06:002019-02-25T08:59:39.809-06:00ExcusesMy focal passage this week is Luke 13 to 16. I hope you will read it along with me.<br />
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As I read through this morning, one phrase of one verse really stopped me. I was reading this morning out of the Holman Christian Standard Bible, and the first part of Luke 14:18 just stopped me as I read it:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>But without exception they all began to make excuses. . .</i></blockquote>
Without exception. The attempt to "get out" of the invitation of the Lord was not a statistical anomaly, not a fluke, not a one-in-a-million response. Rather than the exception to the rule, this was the rule - Lord, I've got something I'd rather do. . .<br />
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Without exception. It speaks to the brokenness and rebellion within the human heart. It speaks to how wrapped up we are in our own desires that we would be blind to the as-yet-untasted blessings that God has planned for us.<br />
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The Apostle Paul will echo this sentiment in Romans 3:23:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.</i></blockquote>
C.S. Lewis will strike at the same vein in his sermon <i>The Weight of Glory</i>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. </i></blockquote>
Without exception.<br />
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We make excuses. Certainly none of us want to paint ourselves in a bad light - the light of rebellion, or ignorance, or sin. We have our reasons for wanting what we want. We consider them good reasons. We just never consider that when placed beside the wisdom of God, our good reasons pale in comparison to his best.<br />
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I pray that this week would not be a week of excuses, but a week of saying "yes" to the promises an the commands of Christ Jesus. I hope you will join me in praying for just such an attitude and response.<br />
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PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-66590251917773892122019-02-18T07:51:00.004-06:002019-02-18T07:51:48.662-06:00Harvesters<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9o_MCqY7HLoOhSouKOOLazt5wNLGDWqo4J4DqAqq3NJeiwYZhGSMRVD4hDBO8h2VfaDiBXC-ybL153-T-eJJj4-0t-CtVJtHc2Wf_UslyJv-hxCAgF4oFrJZ6utYRN-0UQmH27wkNAc/s1600/standing+wheat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9o_MCqY7HLoOhSouKOOLazt5wNLGDWqo4J4DqAqq3NJeiwYZhGSMRVD4hDBO8h2VfaDiBXC-ybL153-T-eJJj4-0t-CtVJtHc2Wf_UslyJv-hxCAgF4oFrJZ6utYRN-0UQmH27wkNAc/s320/standing+wheat.jpg" width="320" /></a>Our focal passage this week is Luke 9 to 12, and it was in Luke 10 that a verse jumped out and grabbed hold of me this morning. Luke 10:2<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>And [Jesus] was saying to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."</i></blockquote>
This verse jumped out at me immediately because I was already thinking along similar lines. . . I was thinking about how much good could be done in our world today if people of influence and means would do it. I was thinking of the advances that could be made in education in impoverished areas of the world, particularly if education was paired with industry or job opportunities for the newly educated. I was thinking of the importance of just laws justly enforced. I was thinking about how businesses might bless more people if "the common good" was an equal goal with profit. And I was thinking most of all how all these kinds of "good" and many more were possible for people of good will.<br />
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But Jesus is speaking about more than doing good in the world here. He is speaking about that essential foundation out of which eternal and abundant life grows: allegiance to a faithful God. Apart from a heartfelt loyalty to God, there is no foundation upon which to build lasting good. Apart from the faithfulness of God, there is no soil to plant seeds of hope for the future. Apart from a God who creates and loves human beings, there are no inalienable human rights to respect and nurture.<br />
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And Jesus know this. But he also knows that people in the world are hungry for just such a hope-filled relationship with just such a faithful God. The fields are white unto harvest! But the laborers are few - men and women who will do the relational work necessary to communicate the hope, the faithfulness, and the goodness of God to those who are hungry for it.<br />
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So we are commanded to pray. Pray that the Lord will send out harvesters. Pray that the Lord will raise them up, equip them, empower them, encourage them, and send them out! If you've ever wanted to know what Jesus might pray, here is one answer. He would pray for harvesters in the fields of God.<br />
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Will you join Jesus in praying for harvesters this week?<br />
Will you be such a harvester?PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-38743476684635255212019-02-11T07:41:00.000-06:002019-02-11T07:41:09.828-06:00A Fishy TestimonyWe are in the books of Luke and Acts through April, and this week, I'm reading slowly through Luke 5 to 8.<br />
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I was immediately struck this morning with the confession of Peter at the beginning of Luke 5. It is really a rather remarkable story, and it demonstrates that we may have a life-changing encounter with Jesus anywhere - even in a boat filled with wet, flopping fish!<br />
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Jesus used Peter's boat for a pulpit that morning - gaining some distance from the crowd that was pressing around him on the beach. Peter got to "sit on the platform" with the preacher since it was his boat and he was doing the rowing.<br />
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After the sermon, though, Jesus went to meddlin' as we say. He had some job advice for the career fisherman - Let's go fishing! Peter had fished all night without success. He was tired, and this was out of the ordinary. Imagine, a carpenter telling a fisherman how to fish! But Peter, out of respect for Jesus, does what he says.<br />
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And the results are staggering! Immediately the net was filled with such huge quantity of fish that the nets were breaking and the boat would not hold all the catch! Desperately, they signaled their partners on the shore to bring the other boat, and they loaded both boats with fish.<br />
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When the last bit of net was drawn in, and the last fish that could fit in the boat was aboard, Peter turned and looked at Jesus. And he saw Jesus with new eyes. No longer was he just a carpenter or even just a popular teacher. He saw the power of God at work in Jesus, and he knew that he was a man unworthy of God's blessing. Here was greatness in his boat!<br />
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And he fell on his knees in the midst of those wet, flopping fish, and he called Jesus "Lord."<br />
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And his Lord, who had already shown him grace, now gave a further grace - he gave him a place and a purpose in the eternal Kingdom of God! "From now on, you will be catching men."<br />
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What has caused you to see Jesus with "new eyes?"<br />
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And have you received the further grace of a place and a purpose in the eternal Kingdom?<br />
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Live out your identity in Christ this week! You are His!PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-3288880295812181582019-01-28T08:25:00.004-06:002019-01-28T08:25:42.653-06:00Cast Your Burdens on the LordOur reading this week is Psalm 54 to 57.<br />
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All of the psalms in our reading this week are psalms of David, and they were inspired by his own life events when he was on the run from King Saul. In those years, David faced not only the constant threat of capture and violent death at the hands of Saul, but also betrayal by friends and public scorn by many who were powerful in Israel. It was a daunting time, and all David had to rely upon was promise of God (delivered by the prophet Samuel) that he, David, would be king over all of Israel.<br />
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Along with the promise, he had memories of God's providence - his victory over Goliath and over Philistine enemies. But I am sure those memories seemed to grow increasingly distant as the years dragged on and he was still in danger and still not king.<br />
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What was his secret during those difficult years? What sustained him as he lived hard in caves and was frequently on the move for fear of discovery? How did he keep his focus when every circumstance in his world seemed to whisper and sometimes shout of his defeat?<br />
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We see the answer to these questions in these psalms. He states both his difficulty and his solution throughout. Psalm 55 gives a perfect example:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>His speech was smoother than butter,<br />But his heart was war;<br />His words were softer than oil,<br />Yet they were drawn swords.<br />Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;<br />He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. (55:21-22)</i></blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLT-EImjdCxmREUfP_73Y1tJaSe49J8rgeu0a9hzCBNPkikw6x1LCy_khBHn7qOZqjM3-vnSPGWu_0AGRR9xBDAF8ufkXQVEVUYRxiZ8RznD9KP5jm4_9k7dUGv4jD5Ehod4THpQ5yeig/s1600/burden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="700" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLT-EImjdCxmREUfP_73Y1tJaSe49J8rgeu0a9hzCBNPkikw6x1LCy_khBHn7qOZqjM3-vnSPGWu_0AGRR9xBDAF8ufkXQVEVUYRxiZ8RznD9KP5jm4_9k7dUGv4jD5Ehod4THpQ5yeig/s320/burden.jpg" width="320" /></a>Despite the disappointment and hurt by the betrayal of a friend, despite the on-<br />
going hardships of life, despite the sorry circumstances that seemed to never change, David made it a habit to cast his burdens upon the Lord and let God sustain him. It is a great habit to cultivate. To begin every morning and to end every day with the giving of our burdens and heartaches to God and then moving on to praise and some statement of trust in both the goodness and the power of God.<br />
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We can lament our present circumstances, and we can still honor God with our worship. We can complain to God about our situation, and we can still trust in God's goodness to us. We can unburden ourselves of our hurts and heartaches, our grief and our grievances, and we can still love God with both our words and our obedience.<br />
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And in the midst of our struggles, we find, as David did, that God is sufficient. God provides. God sustains. The Apostle Paul echoes these very same sentiments - this very same truth - in 2 Corinthians 4:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 2em; margin: 0px 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 1em;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #777777; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. </i></span><span style="color: #777777; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you.</i></span><span style="color: #777777; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed, therefore I spoke," we also believe, therefore we also speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.</i></span><span style="color: #777777; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (4:5-17)</i></span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
So cast your burdens on God this morning, and let Him sustain you - today and throughout the week!PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-19514331988679530422019-01-22T07:58:00.001-06:002019-01-22T07:58:44.604-06:00Psalm 50 - A Song about Justice and MercyWell, I'm late posting the blog this week thanks to the MLK Jr holiday yesterday.<br />
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This week, we continue reading in the Psalms - Psalm 50 to 53. And somehow, on the week that we observe MLK Jr Day and recognize his accomplishments, it seems very right to dwell on Psalm 50. It is a song about the justice of God.<br />
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The Psalmist takes for granted that there is great injustice in the world. Many of the more common injustices that the prophets speak against are absent here - too obvious to be named, perhaps. Instead, Asaph, the song-writer, gives a short list of charges against God's people - people who ought to know better!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I do not reprove you for your sacrifices [God says] (vs 8). . .<br />But to the wicked God says,<br />What right have you to tell of My statutes<br />And to take My covenant in your mouth?<br />For you hate discipline,<br />And you cast My words behind you,<br />When you see a thief, you are pleased with him,<br />And you associated with adulterers.<br />You let your mouth loose in evil<br />And your tongue frames deceit.<br />You sit and speak against your brother;<br />You slander your own mother's son. (16 - 20)</i></blockquote>
This may not be an exhaustive or even extensive list of injustices within a community, but it is more than enough to start with, don't you think? Willfully forgetting the word and the way of God includes a multitude of sins. The perversion of good is seen in a community's acceptance, praise, and honor given to thieves; and it is seen in the friendly association with those who forsake their marriage promises; and it is seen in the evil things that people say to and about one another - even their own brothers. A person can read this and then read the headlines and find plenty to feel guilty about!<br />
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This is what injustice looks like when we break it down into little pieces. These are not the big, systematic injustices and evils of a community - racism, political and business corruption, and human trafficking. These are the little things that make those bigger things possible.<br />
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It is against such people and such a community that Asaph cries:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>May our God come and not keep silence;<br />Fire devours before Him<br />And it is very tempestuous around Him (3)</i></blockquote>
But though we live in a corrupt society, filled with those who forget the words of God and honor those who break their promises and who lie against their brothers, still God is merciful:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;<br />And to him who order his way aright<br />I shall show the salvation of God. (23) </i></blockquote>
To which we can all say, "Amen." May we do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with our God!<br />
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<br />PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-87240223345327566032019-01-14T07:51:00.002-06:002019-01-21T20:30:46.162-06:00A Song about PerspectiveWe are reading Psalms 46 to 49 this week.<br />
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As I got to Psalm 49 this morning, my first thought was that this psalm has the flavor of Ecclesiastes. And if you want a fuller treatment on the perspective of the Psalm writer, take a bit and read though the book of Ecclesiastes at one setting. It is a humbling read!<br />
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My second thought as I read Psalm 49 was that Jesus was probably humming this psalm under his breath as he told the story of the rich man who built big barns and contented himself in his wealth. (Luke 12:16 - 21) The ideas and the point of the message are the same.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5dAWKgj-0bgbR7yIETrEJhw-ZLbEM0qdm8sDgWp3kE0fo-sTSV0vgaK86WLMcvZTkCuD8MFYqmAjlZvL9yZcsax0YHUYjP1JsgaoOxAO8KriLs5kMcBiL6miEqdCZGbU406APhmAbWc/s1600/board+game.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="727" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5dAWKgj-0bgbR7yIETrEJhw-ZLbEM0qdm8sDgWp3kE0fo-sTSV0vgaK86WLMcvZTkCuD8MFYqmAjlZvL9yZcsax0YHUYjP1JsgaoOxAO8KriLs5kMcBiL6miEqdCZGbU406APhmAbWc/s320/board+game.jpg" width="320" /></a>This is a psalm that calls us to consider something unpleasant (our own mortality) so that we can appreciate the the true value our souls before God's eternity. The wealth of this world, we cannot take it with us when we die - or in the title of one of John Ortberg's books - <u>When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box. </u><br />
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Most of us don't take the eternal view of life. We are content with trying to "win" at the activities before us. Wealth is one of our main markers for success in this life. It shows we have done well.<br />
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But wealth is an unsteady and inadequate foundation upon which to build for eternity. God and the Eternal Kingdom have no exchange rate for earthly wealth. When all the world is His, what need does He have for a few dollars of our "made up" money? "Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, is like the beasts that perish." (49:20). It is a sobering thought.<br />
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So, in what are you placing your trust this week? Where do your hopes and satisfactions lie? There is only one place that is eternal, and there is only One who can get us there. Will you renew your trust in him today?PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-3348560545082294082019-01-07T07:42:00.001-06:002019-01-07T07:42:36.713-06:00Thirsty for GodThis week I am reading Psalms 41 to 45, and as I read all five of those psalms this morning, there was no one verse or phrase or word that jumped out at me. Rather, there was a sense or perception I received <br />
from all five that impressed me: a deep longing for God. The psalm writers (and at least two are named in these selection: David and the sons of Korah), in every psalm, express a heart-felt longing for the presence and activity of God. This is true whether the writer is celebrating the king's wedding (Psalm 45) or is anxious and sick (Psalm 41). The desire for God, the longing for God, the hunger and thirst for God are writ large in every poem.<br />
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We see it most clearly in Psalm 42:1 & 2.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzI1aVo_0EdTTCw8-T3xPpvPnKTqQ1-7wRcyzq9xKH8ZtKebG8bPXTNHk3DT50ruUwC0df4bGayXsOIk1RYXsW9RYgJ4eD0wLfwQsDqZEL5NjMAfNe2TJGERCtx_PxTHv3tqmZH23I38/s1600/deer+drinking+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="740" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzI1aVo_0EdTTCw8-T3xPpvPnKTqQ1-7wRcyzq9xKH8ZtKebG8bPXTNHk3DT50ruUwC0df4bGayXsOIk1RYXsW9RYgJ4eD0wLfwQsDqZEL5NjMAfNe2TJGERCtx_PxTHv3tqmZH23I38/s320/deer+drinking+water.jpg" width="320" /></a><i>As the deer pants for streams of water,<br />So my soul pants for you, God.<br />My soul thirsts for God, the living God;<br />When shall I come and appear before God?</i></blockquote>
It is desire made plain - expressed simply, yet we see it in all of the psalms.<br />
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And the question that came quickly to my mind this morning was: am I longing for God this morning?<br />
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It is a Monday morning, and as soon as my alarm went off, my head filled with all things I have to do today. And that not being enough, my mind soon turned to all the things I had to do this week. Bible studies to prepare, meetings, people to visit and check on, administrative duties, and phone calls I need to make. But in the midst of it all, am I longing for God? Do I thirst for the presence of God's Spirit? Do I hunger for the Divine love and mercy and activity?<br />
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So my prayer this morning is one of longing - that I may desire God more and that in my longing for him I should find Him at work in me.PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-10237845589675438982018-12-31T09:15:00.003-06:002018-12-31T09:15:48.165-06:00Back to the Psalms!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-3rIZpTjNJQf6l9lVn8T3U_Y0K9aNJ5UYqhaPA6DIqn1vGwqpGa8k1GO2VPv8yCljkBWBvE6ohBNoTOb4KwTl1WJZD7zswzEcimZQibwOH7-8g0CkUwqp-OXPhKd64X2ZPJiFbmG6hM/s1600/happy+new+year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-3rIZpTjNJQf6l9lVn8T3U_Y0K9aNJ5UYqhaPA6DIqn1vGwqpGa8k1GO2VPv8yCljkBWBvE6ohBNoTOb4KwTl1WJZD7zswzEcimZQibwOH7-8g0CkUwqp-OXPhKd64X2ZPJiFbmG6hM/s320/happy+new+year.jpg" width="320" /></a>In this first month of a new year, we are returning to the Book of Psalms for our devotional readings. We are picking up where we left off: Psalm 37. This week, we will read through Psalm 40.<br />
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I found the first six verses of Psalm 36 to be amazingly timely - both as guidance for a new year and as meaningful for the current situations in our world and nation. David is identified as the writer of this Psalm, so that gives us some understanding of the circumstances out of which he composed this poem. Here was a man who was long pursued by those who sought him harm. He begins his song: "Do not fret," or "Do not worry," or "Don't be anxious." If any man in Scripture had cause to be anxious and worried, it was David, yet his faith in God's providence and plan shines through!<br />
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In contrast to worry - we might say the opposite of worry - David inspires his listeners to trust in the Lord. And this trust immediately eventuates into action - trust in the Lord and <u>do good</u>. When we are surrounded by difficult circumstances and difficult people, it is easy to set our hearts on evil and on wickedness. They seek to hurt us; we seek to hurt them. But David cautions us here. Indulging in our desire to do evil is to embrace the way of worry. The path of trust is filled with us doing good for the Lord's sake. Rather than worry this new year, look to do good!<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.</i></blockquote>
Many have misunderstood this verse to reveal some way of manipulating God into getting what we want. But this is not a playbook on how to manipulate the Almighty. On the contrary, this is road-map to peace and fulfillment. As we delight in the Lord, our hearts will be transformed. We will be changed as we follow God and love Him and seek after Him daily. And as our hearts are changed, they are drawn into alignment with God's heart so that eventually, we are desiring what God desires. Why, then, wouldn't God give us what we want? It is also what He wants! And since He only wants what is best for us, we can be assured that our heart's desire is for our own <br />
good and the good of others. It will be in accordance with Truth and Beauty and Goodness.<br />
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So, commit your way to the Lord! That's a great challenge at the beginning of a day, the beginning of a week, and the beginning of a new year. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust Him. And do good. It will keep you from worry and it will lead you to peace.PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-20396391968057479032018-12-17T09:05:00.004-06:002018-12-17T09:05:45.196-06:00A Prayer for YouOur reading this week is Ephesians 3 to 6, and there were actually two sections that really spoke to me this morning. I hope they speak to you as well.<br />
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The first begins in verse 16 of chapter 3. Paul tells the Ephesians that he is praying for them. And more than that, he tells them <i>what</i> he is praying for them. He is praying<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>that [God] would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.</i></blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKs3P2Mx8QaJtiHMHG-grqRQLSe8cPmngZrRBaghPxVKFpJtF-QfFXlBGvmlw-m2xjt-62yCgWvklTKR0HtA7yofiCRRxSloOkF24x4Ry0AlAZUdwTU-Ci0riCrrAzzgIuyDJ_RIPTPo/s1600/overflowing+cup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKs3P2Mx8QaJtiHMHG-grqRQLSe8cPmngZrRBaghPxVKFpJtF-QfFXlBGvmlw-m2xjt-62yCgWvklTKR0HtA7yofiCRRxSloOkF24x4Ry0AlAZUdwTU-Ci0riCrrAzzgIuyDJ_RIPTPo/s320/overflowing+cup.jpg" width="320" /></a>My initial feeling at reading this was conviction. I was convicted for the smallness of my own prayers for others. I mean, honestly, when was the last time you prayed a prayer like this for someone else? Are we not much more inclined to pray quick prayers for help or healing or strength for the day or peace for the grieving? Band-aids for the deeply wounded and broken, but seldom reaching for an understanding of the God's deep plans or the heights of God's love. When was the last time we actually disciplined ourselves to pray for our families and our friends and our church members and our neighbors that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith and that they would be filled up with the fullness of God? The fullness of God!<br />
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Yet this is precisely what the Apostle Paul prays for his friends in the community of Ephesus.<br />
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So I was challenged to pray this very prayer with Paul for those I know this morning - and I hope that you will join me in that prayer.<br />
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Then moments after I prayed this prayer of Paul's, I read the opening verses of chapter 5 where Paul says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.</i></blockquote>
The imagery here is so powerful - as a fragrant aroma! And the command is so clear - be imitators of God [by] walking in love. No wonder Paul prayed such a prayer in chapter 3! We need the strength of the Spirit in our inner selves. We need Christ to dwell within us. We need to be rooted and grounded in his love so that we can accomplish the task set before us - the task of being a fragrant aroma! A powerful, memorable, and meaningful presence in the lives of others!<br />
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So I was moved to pray again - to pray for those of you who read this, and to pray for those I know in my own community - to pray the prayer of Paul in Ephesians. May the love of Christ fill your life until it overflows from you! Amen.PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-35350895152838426702018-12-10T09:26:00.001-06:002018-12-10T09:27:05.149-06:00Watch Out!Our reading this week covers parts of two books - the last two chapters of Galatians and the first two chapters of Ephesians. It is a conclusion and an ending - just not in the usual order, and this may illuminate some ideas that we often overlook due to familiarity. So I invite you to read prayerfully and read attentively this week, and let us see what God may say to us.<br />
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It did not take me long in reading these four chapters this morning for one of the verses to jump out at me. Perhaps it is is because I had skimmed the news headlines this morning, but Galatians 5:15 sparkled blindingly at me:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.</i></blockquote>
The Holman Christian Standard translation renders "take care" as "watch out"! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rUkjUTMFdPrDE6-pq7OSPaesvhWdfSFEkwq70BM-AoX08e-syrml-GlJqmWEigthKSpIExoYm1SO8VrKsOH8WfwGHsZefGPEX5zs_Ei6HeoW0WOOdlBowxcZ1SNuLiZbzdknbFmBNUI/s1600/watch+out.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="309" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rUkjUTMFdPrDE6-pq7OSPaesvhWdfSFEkwq70BM-AoX08e-syrml-GlJqmWEigthKSpIExoYm1SO8VrKsOH8WfwGHsZefGPEX5zs_Ei6HeoW0WOOdlBowxcZ1SNuLiZbzdknbFmBNUI/s200/watch+out.png" width="200" /></a>Here is something that requires a warning sign - our unloving treatment of one another. How easily we fall in with the crowd. How quickly we move to condemn, to bite, to tear down, to belittle, to dehumanize. Social media is a multiplier of this tendency, but it is not the cause. The real reason we are such a bickering, hateful, uncaring society is because our hearts are corrupt and we have not heeded the command of God. Social media has just given us all a larger platform from which to reveal the mess in our hearts.<br />
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Watch out!<br />
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Of interest to me is that the judgment for breaking God's command about love is not God's direct intervention. Instead, it is God allowing the natural consequences for our unloving actions to have have their full effect. We bite and devour, thus breaking God's law, and we discover that we ourselves are being devoured.<br />
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The better option - God's option - is that we refrain from biting and devouring one another and walk according to God's Spirit. Paul contrasts these two options in verse 19 to 23. Reading verses 19 to 21, do you not think of our own society? And reading verses 22 to 23, we see God's plan.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. (Gal. 5:25)</i></blockquote>
What a challenge for us today - and everyday! Walk by the Spirit! Love our neighbors as ourselves! Let the fruit of God's Spirit - love, joy, peace, and all the rest - fill our lives!PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-52727650622419418402018-12-03T09:53:00.003-06:002018-12-03T09:54:25.659-06:00Deep RootsOn this first week of December, I am beginning to read through Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians. This is not the usual Christmas or Advent reading, I know, but I feel it provides a good balance to those familiar Christmas stories. God's plan is bigger than Bethlehem. Paul's writings help keep me grounded in the bigger plan that God is accomplishing through the Incarnation, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.<br />
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So in Galatians 1 to 4 this week, I was struck by Galatians 2:1 this morning. Paul is giving the testimony of how he came to know Jesus as the Messiah. If we remember the stories from the Book of Acts, it is easy to assume that Paul became a missionary church-planter almost immediately after his conversion. But in Galatians 2, he describes how this was not so. After his conversion, he withdrew into the desert of Arabia and then went back to Damascus (where he had encountered the Risen Christ). This was an interval of nearly 3 years. No doubt, he was having to do a complete reevaluation of his theology in light of his encounter with Jesus. After three years, he went to Jerusalem and met with Peter and James, and then he went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. He lived and worked there for more than ten years before returning to Jerusalem.<br />
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Piecing his story together from Acts and his other writings we can assume that about a year prior to his return to Jerusalem, Paul had been recruited by Barnabas to come to Antioch and minister there. In Antioch, the church commissioned Paul and Barnabas to spread the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. Thus Paul and Barnabas embarked on what has become known as their First Missionary Journey.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwgVSzzKyZM_mINUF13L-JMkxChyt8WuTbOr09Q3bq50_RG4AGZi0Vb82D3pNdXCSLq1nPoMLE_E1ZwpOqskfeJc97ukYrAHgHhgdwVpkzuIWkvEaUIw3H42JEpT84VnZvcp451Ik30o/s1600/treewithroots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwgVSzzKyZM_mINUF13L-JMkxChyt8WuTbOr09Q3bq50_RG4AGZi0Vb82D3pNdXCSLq1nPoMLE_E1ZwpOqskfeJc97ukYrAHgHhgdwVpkzuIWkvEaUIw3H42JEpT84VnZvcp451Ik30o/s320/treewithroots.jpg" width="320" /></a>Consider the timing of this. This is not an immediate work after Paul's conversion. There are three years of reconsideration. Then there is an additional decade or so of life, work, and local church ministry.<br />
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Only then does God call Paul to engage in that activity for which he will become best known.<br />
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It takes time for God to develop within us the qualities and characteristics that he desires. It takes time for God to nurture and cultivate us until we are capable of withstanding the storms of life or bearing much fruit. God gives us deep roots.<br />
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Are we allowing God to do a preparatory and maturing work in us? Are we seeking to be faithful in the little things, the local things, the interior, spiritual, growing-in-knowledge-and-wisdom kind of things?<br />
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<i>Father prepare our hearts, our minds, and our spirits throughout this season to receive and respond to your grace and your leadership! Amen</i>PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-14612023425615781002018-11-19T09:18:00.002-06:002018-11-19T09:27:37.356-06:00An Answer to Anxiety<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYeDu9lVIjptrxQUGZ7dGPrco7ANAKt2gzfEgqEu3HE87eMYt9dNKl8MQ6PKqnSKdtL3IlLnP0apVDOClhAHBjawD7jHUTT3YmkudjWF0TWPI3CZ8xEBW7s0RcoLDn_85EuXb8fuS1c8/s1600/ball-n-chain-guy_ball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="333" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYeDu9lVIjptrxQUGZ7dGPrco7ANAKt2gzfEgqEu3HE87eMYt9dNKl8MQ6PKqnSKdtL3IlLnP0apVDOClhAHBjawD7jHUTT3YmkudjWF0TWPI3CZ8xEBW7s0RcoLDn_85EuXb8fuS1c8/s320/ball-n-chain-guy_ball.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Our reading this week is Proverbs 9 to 12. It was in chapter 12 that a verse jumped out at me from this morning's reading. Proverbs 12:25 -<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down,</i><i>But a good word makes it glad.</i></blockquote>
With our recent elections behind us, I am finding some reduction of anxiety and worry among the people I speak to throughout the week, but I am still finding a lot of anxious people. As the holiday season approaches, new stresses will weigh on people's hearts. There is the stress of hosting holiday parties, the stress of visiting family, the stress of cooking a perfect turkey, the stress of buying gifts for the kids, the stress attending all the social events of the season, the stress of attending the kids' Christmas performances, and the stress of closing out a business year while juggling all these other responsibilities. People are anxious. Their hearts are burdened.<br />
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Maybe this describes you. Maybe it describes someone you know.<br />
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The writer of Proverbs 12 seems to know people carrying similar stresses and anxieties. And the writer has also observed a remedy -- a good word.<br />
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It is amazing what a word of encouragement and affirmation can do. You can alter someone's whole day with a good work spoken at the right time.<br />
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Can you think of someone who needs a good word today?<br />
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Can you be the one to deliver it?<br />
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Isaiah 52:7 says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>How lovely on the mountains<br />Are the feet of him who brings good news,<br />Who announces peace<br />And brings good news of happiness,<br />Who announces salvation,<br />And says to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'</i></blockquote>
Maybe today you need to receive such a word. Jesus is speaking such words, and his words are life to our bodies and souls. That's why we call the message of Jesus "Gospel." Gospel means "good news." It is a good word to our anxious hearts. It is hope in the midst of despair. It is life when the circumstances of life are killing us.<br />
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Hear the good word of Jesus today. He loves you. He has a purpose for you. He will not abandon you. In him, there is forgiveness and freedom. In him, your past does not have to define you or weigh you down. In him is the good word of eternal and abundant life!PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-20355835549463034082018-11-12T08:03:00.001-06:002018-11-12T08:03:44.306-06:00The Cords of SinThe "cords of his sin." (Proverbs 5:22b)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tBcjEeXFQw_XPMPyiRItYtZFCgGRq7hZeb-duFfJvmr3Uwsvkq5EA02w84AQLJVXoezM9yGe4sK2qtX4tCppG19uH5llHn3Z0ZKPBYvdWo5T9FvIu7LGBfNd2mfwuE8zjMmjF5LYK00/s1600/rope+cord.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tBcjEeXFQw_XPMPyiRItYtZFCgGRq7hZeb-duFfJvmr3Uwsvkq5EA02w84AQLJVXoezM9yGe4sK2qtX4tCppG19uH5llHn3Z0ZKPBYvdWo5T9FvIu7LGBfNd2mfwuE8zjMmjF5LYK00/s1600/rope+cord.jpg" /></a>I found this phrase interesting and instructive this morning. One of the regular and recurring challenges of Christian ministry is providing help and wisdom to people who have been broken and crushed by life. Many is the time that I sit and listen to stories of dire need and wonder at the chain of decisions that has brought them to this point. And all too often these decisions are like a chain, weighing them down, keeping them bound and enslaved to destructive habits and lifestyles. "Cords of sin' is a poetic, descriptive phrase for them and their situations.<br />
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And if I am honest, I am hardly better. I often find myself entangled with and fighting the cords of sin. My selfishness gets in the way. My impatience with not having it all my own way rises to the surface. My mind and my attention wander from the good that God has given to me at this moment, in this place, on this day. If I am not careful, I can trip and fall over these treacherous cords.<br />
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But as I read Proverbs this morning, I was reminded of good news. Gospel.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, </i>(Luke 4:12)</blockquote>
Jesus quoted Isaiah during his sermon at Nazareth.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>He breaks the power of canceled sin<br />And sets the prisoner free,</i></blockquote>
said John Wesley in the hymn, <i>O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
And what about the Preacher of Hebrew's great words:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God this morning.</i> (Hebrews 12:1 - 2)</blockquote>
If you find yourself tangled in the cords of sin, weighted down by a past that seeks to enslave and belittle you, know today that you are loved and that Christ has set you free. Receive his grace, and let new life begin!<br />
PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-45201248751778341542018-11-05T08:44:00.001-06:002018-11-05T16:12:10.670-06:00Turn Your Foot from EvilWe begin this morning a month long reading in the Book of Proverbs. Chapters 1 to 4 are our focus this week. And chapter 4 ends with these words:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Turn your foot from evil.</i></blockquote>
In many ways, this is the aim of the entire collection of Proverbs - to challenge and equip a person to turn their feet from evil paths. Wisdom is the key. Wisdom enables and instructs a person to recognize evil and to choose good. This is why Solomon can write of wisdom:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Prize her, and she will exalt you;<br />She will honor you if you embrace her.<br />She will place on your head a garland of grace;<br />She will present you with a crown of beauty.</i><br />
Proverbs 4:8 - 9</blockquote>
And where does wisdom begin? It begins with "the fear of the Lord." (1:7) To recognize the truth about God's greatness, God's power, and God's majesty is a good place to start reckoning about one's own life and the path's we have chosen. It is also a good place to start one's day!<br />
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And what is the first application of this truth about God that Solomon identifies? He warns us away from violence and violent men.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.<br />If they say, "Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood,<br />let us ambush the innocent without cause. . .<br />. . . My son, do not walk in the way with them.<br />Keep your feet from their path,<br />For their feet run to evil<br />And they hasten to shed blood.</i><br />
Proverbs 1:10 - 16</blockquote>
Despite all of our civilizing efforts and our talk of human rights, we still live in a very violent world. The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the attempted cover-up by the Saudi state, and the thinking and talking about it in our own country reveals a disturbing inclination toward violence and its justification. As does the recent shooting of rock-throwing protesters in Nigeria by the Nigerian army. Equally troubling - and maybe more so - is the justification of those shootings by quoting our <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46074719">American President's words</a>! And it seems to much to mention the recent shootings at the Tree of Life Synagogue, or the shootings at the yoga studio, or the explosive devices sent to those of a different political persuasion. We are surrounded by violence - and we are surrounded by those who would justify it. There are many who would "hasten to shed blood."<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h3BJcSAcpDrjDHetWNgfGkigRRWQ9xMdWyatp3OKqMGwXlVhmWfCsimqS4nPLwA-7fbKaQ4ZWkPTTtiZ89SVNHj6VX_EOUfLRsghK8QC0WEXX9FgorEKl_lgG2PW_1zjN7yn1Jgnlrk/s1600/two+paths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="500" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h3BJcSAcpDrjDHetWNgfGkigRRWQ9xMdWyatp3OKqMGwXlVhmWfCsimqS4nPLwA-7fbKaQ4ZWkPTTtiZ89SVNHj6VX_EOUfLRsghK8QC0WEXX9FgorEKl_lgG2PW_1zjN7yn1Jgnlrk/s320/two+paths.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
But this is not wisdom. Nor is this the path to good. On the contrary, Solomon identifies such bloodthirsty and callous people as "sinners," and he calls their methods "evil."<br />
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Today, I pray that God's church would be a place of peace and that we would be known as peacemakers. God, keep our feet from evil! Turn our feet from the paths of violence and lead us in the way of life!PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-69545162167210456492018-10-29T09:44:00.001-05:002018-10-29T09:44:13.256-05:00What Would Jesus Pray?I expect that we are all familiar with the acronym, WWJD: What Would Jesus Do?<br />
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But What Would Jesus Pray?<br />
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We discover the answer to that question in John 17 which is in the first chapter in our five chapter focus for this week. Some refer to this as "The High Priestly Prayer" because Jesus intercedes for his disciples - and not just for the original Twelve. In 17:20 Jesus says,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word.</i></blockquote>
You and I are included in that extension! In John 17, we encounter a prayer that Jesus prayed for us!<br />
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And what did He pray? What as the focus of that prayer? What was it's aim?<br />
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Jesus is very clear:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>. . .keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.</i> (John 17:11)</blockquote>
And again<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>. . .that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. </i>(John 17:21)</blockquote>
Unity.<br />
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Not uniformity. We are not all alike. But we are all united. One God. One Lord. One Savior, Jesus. We are drawn together in him. We are drawn into one fellowship with the Triune God and with each other. We are joined together with one love, one source of joy, one hope of eternity. Though we may come from vastly different places and have widely diverse life experiences, still there is only One in whom we find salvation.<br />
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What would Jesus pray?<br />
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He would, he did, and he does pray for our unity in His name. Our witness is tied up with our unity.<br />
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This is not an optional piece of our religious response to the grace of God. This is an essential and non-negotiable part of what God is doing among us in Christ.<br />
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And in a world that is so divided, in a nation that is so divided, the unity of believers will certainly stand out.<br />
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This is what Jesus wants from us. This is what Jesus prays for us. That we may be one in him.PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-2684156636414358022018-10-22T09:51:00.000-05:002018-10-22T09:51:43.245-05:00Don't Let Your Heart Be TroubledIt stood out so plainly this morning as I was reading chapters 13 to 16 in the Gospel of John.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Do not let your heart be troubled. . . John 14:1a</i></blockquote>
Reading the news this morning, talking to church members, visiting with people in the community, I see a lot of troubled hearts. Hearts are troubled with anxiety over the politics of our nation. Hearts are troubled over our nation's relationships with other nations. Hearts are troubled with marital issues and by scary words like "cancer." And into the midst of all these troubles and more, Jesus speaks these very direct words: do not let your heart be troubled.<br />
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We should all take notice that these words imply that we have a choice. The troubling of our hearts is not a foregone conclusion. We are not enslaved by it. Jesus implies that we have a choice - "do not let."<br />
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And then he gives some resources to help us "not let" our hearts be troubled.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Believe in God, believe also in Me. . . John 14:1b</i></blockquote>
Faith becomes the shield against a troubled heart. We are trust in the providence of God at this point. We are trusting that God is greater than whatever troubling circumstance arises in our life. We are believing that God has got hold of us and that God will not let us go no matter what comes. God is greater than politics. God is greater than national and international conflict. God is greater than disease and disability. God is greater than cancer. God is greater than death. To believe in God and to believe in Jesus is to trust in their providence and their goodness and to see the circumstances of life through the lens of their sufficiency.<br />
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PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-71781556132591581882018-10-19T09:16:00.002-05:002018-10-19T11:24:02.783-05:00Corruption WithinReading John 12 again today, the first thing that grabbed my attention is the good that Judas Iscariot said he wanted to do.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Why was this perfume not sold for thee hundred denarii and given to the poor?"</i> (John 12:5)</blockquote>
Judas talked a good game, didn't he? He fit right in with the rest of the disciples. Indeed, he was so much like them that at the Last Supper, no one suspected him of betrayal when he left a little early. Everyone just assumed he was going out to do some good that the Lord had commanded him to do (see John 13:29). After all, here was a man who had heard the same teachings they all had heard. He had seen the same miracles. He participated in the same activities. He ate the same food, shared the same hopes, and experienced the same fears. The reason he fit well with the other disciples is that he was just like them.<br />
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But his heart was twisted.<br />
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Corruption is a matter of the heart. It does not mark a person physically. Such people don't suddenly start wearing signs saying "I'm a bad guy." They don't wear black hats when everyone else is wearing white. A movie soundtrack does not start playing in a minor key every time this person appears. To all appearances, such people look just like everyone else. And such people can be full participants in good works in the world. They can give lots of money to the poor. They can guide charitable organizations to help others. They can be civil servants serving the good of the nation.<br />
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And their heart can be corrupt and filled with hurtful self-interest.<br />
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They're nice people, for the most part.<br />
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They could be any of us.<br />
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Hearts unchanged. Religious for what they can get out of it. Interested only in their own wants, likes, and interests. Hearts hardened to the leadership of God.<br />
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And such corruption within makes a person susceptible to greater evils. Luke 22:3 tells us that Satan "entered into" Judas. His corruption had laid the welcome mat. His self-interest had opened the door and set the table. His unfaithfulness in the little things positioned him to be unfaithful in something much greater. It is not so far from justifying one's theft to seeing everyone else as less than fully human. People become objects that can be used or discarded. And once people cease to be human and start becoming objects, murder is not so big a step, particularly if we can justify that murder by our self-interest.<br />
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Judas, of course, didn't need to do the murder himself. He only needed to deliver Jesus over to the ones who would. Such a small thing, really, in the big scheme of things. Easily justifiable for the thirty pieces of silver he received.<br />
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Our nation right now is having a conversation about murder, and I am worried at how I see it unfolding. When a religious leader can claim that whatever happened to the Saudi reporter in Turkey should not jeopardize big money contracts, I hear a not-so-faint echo of Judas' words in John. People are becoming objects. Murder is becoming justifiable. We are becoming desensitized to that which God sees in each of us, and we are opening a door and offering an invitation to an adversary that should be guarded against at all times. He seeks only to destroy. We do not want him in our hearts. We do not want him in the heart of our nation.<br />
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So I see in Judas this morning a call to self-examination. A self-check for pride, for greed, for a desire to follow Jesus only for what he can do for me. And I pray that the Holy Spirit would create a right heart within me and within all who function as leaders. Lord, save us from corruption!PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-42702387358215736362018-10-16T08:50:00.003-05:002018-10-16T08:50:47.267-05:00The Celebration of What IsOur slow reading through the Gospel of John brings us to chapter 9 this morning. And as I read the story of the blind man who was healed by Jesus, I was struck by one of the questions the synagogue officials asked him - How?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>So they kept saying to him, "How then were your eyes opened?" (John 9:10)</i></blockquote>
I thought in response, "Isn't that a perfect picture of human nature?" Rather than celebrating a good occurrence, a good event, a Divine miracle, we are immediately suspicious and want to know the the "why" and the "how" of it. We break it apart and refuse to enter into the joy of it.<br />
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In John 9, a man who was born blind has become seeing. But no one rejoices with him in what must have been a joyous occasion for him. No one offers to throw him a party. No one offers to buy him lunch. No one offers to buy him a drink. Instead, he becomes an object to be poked and prodded and dissected. He is less than human. He is a curiosity. He requires explanation.<br />
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So they "kept on saying to him. . ." This was not a one-time asking. This was something they kept coming back too. How? How? How?<br />
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We get a sense of his eventual annoyance in verse 27:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?"</i> </blockquote>
But despite his annoyance, he recognizes one, undeniable thing - he was blind, but now he sees. He cannot answer how. He cannot answer why. At this point in the story, he cannot even answer who. What he knows is that something incredible has happened to him. He has been healed - beyond all expectation, beyond all hope, beyond all experience, beyond all explanation, he has been healed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLFpyfgAUgY1zWQ0kL7uZTif26vPzVI0dQYOz2ne3NLEWKK17hu79yZ7rUK1ASswvf88CNa3klpqroTKs2EypWqDoOWRmopoHa7W5Ok7IrbSFiauVXlUJOtYnMoqb3r3Myxy5mIXGjPY/s1600/10563637-blindfold-head-the-man-is-thinking-with-blindfold-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="417" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLFpyfgAUgY1zWQ0kL7uZTif26vPzVI0dQYOz2ne3NLEWKK17hu79yZ7rUK1ASswvf88CNa3klpqroTKs2EypWqDoOWRmopoHa7W5Ok7IrbSFiauVXlUJOtYnMoqb3r3Myxy5mIXGjPY/s320/10563637-blindfold-head-the-man-is-thinking-with-blindfold-.jpg" width="296" /></a>But his neighbors, his teachers, and even his own family fail to celebrate what has happened. They are too caught up in questions that do not always have satisfactory answers. How? I don't know. Why? I am not sure. Who? Jesus.<br />
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At the end of the chapter, Jesus points out that this fixation on the "how" is actually an indicator of blindness. The formerly blind man's contemporaries are the ones who are blind to joy, blind to love, and blind to the power of God. If they cannot explain it and cannot control it, they close themselves off from experiencing it.<br />
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I pray that I would be among the seeing today - seeing the power of God at work in me and in others; celebrating what is good; rejoicing in what is wonderful; contemplating what is beautiful; in awe of what is marvelous.PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-6625307849692597032018-10-12T06:30:00.000-05:002018-10-12T07:44:49.479-05:00Pleasing GodIt was John 9:29 that caught my attention today:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.</i></blockquote>
There is so much that is rich in this verse!<br />
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"He who sent Me is with Me." There is a lot of encouragement in this word from Jesus. He is speaking about himself, but we can confidently apply this to ourselves as well. If we are faithful, if we are following after Jesus, this promise is for us. Remember Matthew 28:20: ". . . and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." He is with us! He is with us in the good and the bad. He is with us at church and at home. He is with us in class and at work. He is with us in grief and in great joy. He is with us among our friends and among our enemies. He is with us!<br />
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And just in case we need further encouragement, Jesus phrases the same promise a slightly different way: "He has not left Me alone."<br />
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There are times when being alone can be a wholesome and refreshing thing. But there is a difference between being alone and feeling along. Feeling alone can be a soul-sucking, scary feeling. It robs our hope and our joy. The present and future seem dark.<br />
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But hear Jesus' words again: He has not left me alone!<br />
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This is hope and light! This is strength and comfort! We are not alone! He is with us. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" (Ps. 23:4).<br />
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This is a verse filled with good news. He is with us. We are not alone. And the courage and the inspiration this brings to our lives can be translated into something good and positive. Knowing His presence and His enabling power, we can act and think and speak in ways that please Him.<br />
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As I read this verse, the first thing that came to mind was a quote from Toyohiko Kagawa:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I read in a book that a man called Christ went about doing good. It distresses me that I am so easily satisfied with just going about. </i></blockquote>
It distresses me that I give so little thought to what pleases God and so much thought to what pleases myself. Jesus points the way! He knew He was not alone, and that knowledge worked its way into his words and his actions so that all that he did pleased the Father.<br />
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May the sure knowledge of God's presence work its way into all of our thoughts, words, and actions today!PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-13712425393256210722018-10-08T07:47:00.000-05:002018-10-08T07:47:44.678-05:00Look First to the FatherWe are reading this morning in John 5 to 8, and it was John 5:19 that stood out to me first this morning as I read.<br />
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<i>Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.</i></blockquote>
The Father is at clearly at work (<i>My Father is working until now</i> - John 5:17). Jesus is watching the Father's work, and Jesus is doing what the Father does.<br />
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At first, I am convicted. How often am I looking for the Father's work in the world? Is my usual pattern not simply do what I think is best and good and then ask the Father to bless it? But this is not the way of Jesus. Jesus looked first to the Father. He took his cues from the Father. He patterned his life and his ministry after what the Father was doing.<br />
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Should I not do the same?<br />
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At first, I am convicted. But then I am inspired. God is at work. It is not all on my shoulders. God is at work. He is at work in my life, in my community, and within my church. God is at work. This is great news!<br />
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And Jesus, who told me to follow him, set a pattern of responding to the Father's initiatives. If I am to follow, then I must do the same. Where is the Father at work? What is the Father doing? Is the Father in "this"? These are the questions for the day. These are the questions for the week. These are the questions that should serve as a lens to help me see the opportunities and the challenges around me today.<br />
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So far in the Gospel of John, God has been at work at a wedding and at a well. God has been at work on the Sabbath and in the middle of the week. God has been at work in special occasions and in the middle of daily chores. God is at work today. How can I join Him?PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8120972512892598337.post-82696478444369619012018-10-01T09:19:00.001-05:002018-10-01T09:19:29.275-05:00It Begins with GodAs we move into October, the focus of our devotional reading shifts to the Gospel of John. In order to get through the book in a month, we will have to alter our reading schedule a little. We will read four chapters a week for four weeks, and then we will read five chapters on the fifth week. Read along. Read prayerfully. Read slowly, seeking the direction of God.<br />
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As I read the first four chapters of John this morning, there were several verses and phrases that jumped out at me. Chapter 3 verse 19 struck me as a timely verse:<br />
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<i>This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light for their deeds were evil.</i></blockquote>
I suspect this verse will linger in my mind for some time. I say that because of the political climate and the vicious partisanship within our country at the moment.<br />
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Without getting bogged down in this one thought, though, I was also reminded of the larger plan of God in the world. It begins in Chapter 1 verse 1:<br />
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<i>In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. </i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9go3uP2Qyye8phqgkky5Gk8FP9fpN-YAspIIXZvGLt2VVoQ7FZVJOIScDCWoWr4ZDxrMle_6gsky3B0e21LJ_w4tmQU5zgNUYUviuNBhelt44rnbzKpPWCenFgM7smwKNZXQOYA1b0g/s1600/orbital+sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="945" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9go3uP2Qyye8phqgkky5Gk8FP9fpN-YAspIIXZvGLt2VVoQ7FZVJOIScDCWoWr4ZDxrMle_6gsky3B0e21LJ_w4tmQU5zgNUYUviuNBhelt44rnbzKpPWCenFgM7smwKNZXQOYA1b0g/s400/orbital+sunrise.jpg" width="400" /></a>All good theology begins with God. All good worship begins with God. All good devotional thinking begins with God. All proper seeing of ourselves, of each other, and of our world begins with God. Here is the first principle from which we reason. Here is the foundation upon which we must build. Here is the beginning of everything good and eternal. Before we get trapped in a cycle of bad news, before we enter into our day of meaningful work and relationships, it is important - essential, even - to recognize that everything worthwhile begins with God.<br />
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Begin your day seeking the One who began the universe! Begin your understanding of yourself, your view of your neighbor, and your outlook on the world with the First Word!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.<br />Matthew 6:33</i></blockquote>
PastorChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10196234681838384748noreply@blogger.com0