Do This In Remembrance of Me

 

Luke's Gospel is the only one that records it.

The words of Jesus. The red letters. The passover meal shared with His students.

And when Jesus took some bread, and gave thanks to God for it, He broke it in pieces and gave them to His disciples saying, "This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me."  (Luke 22:19)

And I wonder if they knew.
If they realized this would be the final shared meal with their Master. Their friend. Their would-be Savior?

My eyes well up with tears at the very thought of it.

He had told them.
He had warned them.

The impending doom was coming.

He was preparing their hearts to remember.

They were going to need to remember.

And so are we... going to need to remember.

I had written it in my journal all those years ago and reflect back upon it today.. this week.. the week we remember.

All of life is worship!
All of it.
And it isn't something we DO... it's something we ARE.

I would pen these words beside it.... "Are these the words over my life... 'Do this in remembrance of Me?'"

And I would ask myself the question again... are they?

Do THIS in remembrance of Me.

And we don't have to wait until Sunday's communion celebration to do it.

Because ALL of life is worship.

Do THIS is remembrance of me:

• serve your spouse
• make the dinners
• fold the laundry
• make the bed
• change the diaper
• show kindness to the cashier
• smile at the neighbor
• do the job
• call the friend
• forgive the offender
  

All of it.
The ordinary.
The mundane.
The challenging.

All of it.

Do it in remembrance of Him.

Because this one life is our one opportunity to bring Him a sacrifice of praise we can't do except for THIS side of eternity.

It's all for Him.

Do it in remembrance of Him!

Consequences and Miseries

 

2 Samuel 12.

It’s a sobering bit of text.

The sin identified and called out by Nathan the prophet to David the King.

Not only had David had an adulterous affair with another man’s wife, Bathsheba, but in addition he had the husband of this woman killed to cover up his crime.

But sin is not concealed from the eyes of the Lord.

He sees all.

And there are consequences for the sin we commit.

In the case before us today of King David, his price to pay would be the death of the child he had conceived with Bathsheba.

Once the Lord sent a deadly illness upon the child, David begged God to spare his life.  Scripture tells us that he went without food and laid on the bare ground all night contending for his son.  (verses 15-18)

But in the seventh day, the child died.

David’s advisors were afraid to tell him.  Considering what grief he had exhibited prior to his death, they were dangerously concerned this news would destroy him.

And yet it didn’t.

The Bible tells us that, “David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes.  He went to the tabernacle and worshipped the Lord.  After that he returned to the palace and was served food and ate.”  (verse 20)

His advisors were confused.  Scripture tells us that they were, “amazed.”  (verse 21)

But David knew God so well, that he knew there would be consequences for his wrongdoing.
And that was the death of his child conceived by deceit and sin.

David knew God’s heart so well and was so familiar with His work and His ways, that he did what only a man after God’s own heart can do, and that was to pick himself up, dust himself off, and press on to fulfill the calling of God on his life.

Easy?  No.
Possible?  Yes.

A reading of Psalm 51 will show us what the heart of a repentant man guilt-ridden by sin, looks like.  The one he wrote concerning the events found in 2 Samuel 12.

He says things like, “Have mercy on me, O God.”  (verse 1)
“Wash me clean; Purify me.”  (verse 2)
“I recognize my rebellion.”  (verse 3)
“It haunts me day and night.”  (verse 3)
“Give me back my joy again; you have broken me, now let me rejoice.”  (verse 8)
“Create in me a clean heart; Renew a loyal spirit in me.”  (verse 10)

The words penned in light of the tragedy experienced by the result of his sinfulness.

David had a choice.
Reside in the sin.
Live in the guilt.
Dwell in the miserableness of disobedience.

Or admit the failure.
Regain composure.
And “press on toward the prize.”

The choice was his.  And the same choice belongs to us.

The consequences of sin are God’s work.  But the miseries we experience consistent with the sin, are self inflicted.

Jesus - Inconvenienced

 

There’s a story of Jesus being asked by a Roman officer to heal a young servant who was lying in bed paralyzed and in terrible pain.

And I love the words of our sweet Savior, Jesus.

We see it in Matthew 8, verse 7.  Jesus says, “I will come and heal him.”

He had just returned to Capernaum and likely had been weary just following His Sermon on the Mount.

But Jesus says, “I will come and heal him.”
I will go to him.
I know he can’t come to me.
So I will go to him.

Jesus inconveniences Himself as He pauses in His activity to go to the inflicted man.

And it wasn’t, “I will go check him out.”
But rather, “I will go heal him.”

Confidence.
Authoritative.
Merciful.
Compassionate.

And willingly inconvenienced.

And the order is the same for you and I.

Expect Afflictions But Anticipate Victory!

 

"In this world you will have trouble..." John 16:33

 

"But thank God! He gives us VICTORY over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

 

You can expect afflictions... BUT you can also anticipate victory!

 

Amen?

Amen!

Jesus - Our Patient Redeemer

 

Jesus is our pattern.

What sometimes feels impossible, He made possible by the instructions of some of the final words He spoke before returning to the be with the Father after His death and resurrection.

He said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”  (John 14:12)

And so because Jesus was 100% God AND 100% man, we have an inspiration to admire BUT ALSO an example to emulate.  And our assignment is to do what He did.  Behave as He behaved.

Easy?  No.
Possible?  Yes.

And Jesus is our patient and meek redeemer.

The thought of Jesus is never to be far away, nor altogether absent from the mind of those who truly trust Him, seek after Him, and love Him.

His love constrained Him.  What could have been a commanding abomination, turned into an extension of the highest amount of grace the world has ever seen.
All because of love.

His rule of behavior controlled Him.  He knew why He had come.  And He placed more importance on fulfilling the mission than on forgetting whose He was.

His example compelled.  The disciples wanted to be like Jesus.  And in the end were given the opportunity to exercise love and mercy to change the world.

Jesus was patient.
Jesus was meek.

And the order is the same for you and I.

Walk in The Light

John 12:35 says this, "Jesus replied, 'My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going.'"

 

In other words... "Walk as people who are conscious that the light is among them."

 

Do you?

I Find No Fault With This Man

 

The filter for living our lives is simple.

It's the same filter Jesus used when He lived His earthly life.
He, "only [does] what He sees the Father doing." (John 5:19) And this, "I don’t speak on My own authority. The Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it." (John 12:49)

Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing.
Jesus only said what He heard the Father saying.

It’s simple.

I didn't say it was easy.  I said it was simple.

One example is seen in the way Pilate saw Him.

The one who was to impart judgement and assign punishment said this of our King, their perceived “criminal”…. “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”  (John 19:4)

“I find no fault in Him.”

And so here we find not only a clear initiative, but an attainable aspiration.
To live like Jesus.
To live in such a way no one can find fault.

That doesn’t mean living to please man.
It simply means living in a way that so reflects the life of our Jesus.  Living a life filled with mercy and grace.  Living a life filled with joy and peace.  Living a life that declines to be influenced by hate… a life that refuses to live reactionary to evil,  but only in response to the Father.

Can it be said of me too?  “I find no fault with her.”

It’s worth wrestling with this question for ourselves.

Yet I Am Confident!

 

Psalm 27:13 has become one of my favorite verse in ALL the Bible.

David says with shaking confidence, "Yet I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living."

Yet.

And what if we adopted this one single verse into all areas of our lives?

I am in a hard season with my kids...
YET, I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living!
I am struggling with a co-worker...
YET, I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living!
I just suffered a terrible setback in my career...
YET, I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living!
I feel like a failure...
YET, I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living!

Whatever you're facing today, perhaps you can begin speaking life over that situation.

Though I may feel lost... though there is suffering in this season... though I have experienced pain... though my circumstance is difficult... YET, I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living!

Being Useful Is Better Than Being Applauded

 

It’s a difficult thing, sometimes, to do work that no one notices.  Or appreciates.

Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes a story which illustrates this very thing.

Chapter 9, verses 14-18 say this, “There was a small town with only a few people, and a great king came with his army and besieged it. A poor, wise man knew how to save the town, and so it was rescued. But afterward no one thought to thank him. So even though wisdom is better than strength, those who are wise will be despised if they are poor. What they say will not be appreciated for long. Better to hear the quiet words of a wise person than the shouts of a foolish king. Better to have wisdom than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is good.”

My commentary says this, “Wisdom may labor under outward disadvantages.”

I was talking with someone recently who was very discouraged.
Following Jesus isn’t always easy when the way is so narrow.
And it’s even more difficult when the work you do is unappreciated, undervalued, or simply unnoticed.
While she’s been working so hard to “be Jesus in the world around her”, it’s proven to be the most challenging.
Because often the onlooking world doesn’t rightly recognize the strides being made in our spiritual formation.  And even when those sacrifices are being made to further Kingdom building and win souls to Jesus, it can go unnoticed and despised even.

Serving, especially sacrificially…. like our Suffering Servant Jesus… is routinely a thankless pilgrimage.

But there is great reward for those who maintain Kingdom careers this side of forever,
And it’s the reward we must keep ever before us… the prize that wins the race.

My commentary says it, “The time will come when they who speak the truth will gain the ear of the world.  There are generations to come, and we may leave our reputation to them, as many of the wisest and worthiest of our race have done.”

And then this, “To be useful is a better reward than to be applauded, or to be enriched.  How much better to have ‘delivered the city’ than to have been honored by it.”

So keep going, friend.

I know it’s hard to choose the higher course.
I know it’s difficult to trudge the narrow path.
I know it’s often painful to remain overlooked, undervalued, and forgotten.

But the real truth is that Jesus did the same.

“He was despised and rejected— a Man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.”  (Isaiah 53:3)

“He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him.”  (John 1:11)

Our record is being managed by God.
This home… for the follower of Jesus… is not this world, but the to come.

So let us, “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”  (Matt 6:20)

“I say to myself, 'The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!’” (Lam 3:24)

Don't Wage War As Humans Do

 

In 2 Corinthians 10:3 Paul says this, “We are humans but we don’t wage war as humans do.”

I love how Paul insists on taking the higher ground.
He doesn’t look for an escape from duty.
He doesn’t use his “humanness” as a way out of the responsibility of godly living.

He says it like it is.

“We are humans… but we… the Jesus people… are not to ACT like humans act.”

He goes on.  “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.”  (verse 4)

In fact he uses the identifying tools of an aggressive army when talking about the weapons we’re to use against the enemy at war with the believer.

“knock down” the strongholds.
“destroy” false arguments.
“destroy" proud obstacles.
“capture" rebellious thoughts.

Defensive warfare because of the hatred of sin.

And we see the reason Jesus came in 1 John 3:8, “to destroy the works of the devil.”

The strongholds, the arguments, the obstacles, and the thoughts.
They all have a hold on the believer, especially.

And it is our responsibility to nip them in the bud.
And to, “teach them to obey Christ.”

Teach our strongholds to obey Christ.
Teach our arguments to obey Christ.
Teach our pride to obey Christ.
Teach our thoughts to obey Christ.

The King James Version for verse 3 says it like this, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh.”

Our war is with OUR flesh.  
This is not a war AFTER flesh.

Our war is with our own strongholds, our own arguments, pride, and thoughts.

But we are not called to war AFTER the flesh.
In other words, we are not to fight in the spirit and manner with which we are fought against.

Jesus says, “If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also.”  (Luke 6:29)

It is the upside down Kingdom of God.
The harder way.
The narrow way.
But the path that leads to Jesus!

When Christ suffered under the cruelty of his fellow citizens, He returned silence for insults.

Silence for insults.
Deeds of mercy and grace for deeds of retaliation and bloodshed.

Even our dear apostle Paul, when faced with the reality of his own personal accusers says, “I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.”  (2 Tim 4:16)

The more difficult path?
Yes.
But the one necessary if we want to live in victory over the war on our very soul.

Live Transfigured Not Disfigured

 

I have been working my way through the Psalms for a couple years now - looking for patterns of prayer in the life of our dear David.  The one God called, “A man after My own heart.”

Because David prayed boldly.  Honestly.  With humility.  Confidence.  Bravery.

And we have so much to learn from the way he petitioned from a repentant heart.

Psalm 26 is one of these chapters.
He prays boldly.
Verse 1, “I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.”
Verse 2, “Put me on trial, Lord, cross-examine me.  Test my motives of my heart.”

He then goes on to list all the reasons God should grant his requests, by declaring truths about his life.

Verse 3, “I am always aware of Your unfailing love.”
Verse 4, “I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites.”

And I am stopped there for a moment.
The King James Version says it this way, “I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.”

The world.
And yet isn’t it the world we must be in in order to bring the Gospel message?

Yes.

But you and I are to be IN the world, not of it.

You and I… the Jesus-people… the ones who spend time beholding the Son of God in order to be changed in His likeness, must not spend time with those who are, “hypocrites, liars, dissemblers.”
It’s not speaking of the unbelievers.
It’s speaking of those who claim Jesus, but live contradictory to His Word.
It’s speaking of those who are hypocrites.  The Greek word here is, “hypokritai” and means this, “dissemblers, pretenders… a stage player.”

It’s the warning found all throughout Matthew 23.
Jesus called the Pharisees…. the self-proclaimed “religious experts”… hypokriai’s.  Hypocrites.
And it’s those that we are to remain at a safe distance from.

Because you and I - we are called to be “holy” because He is “holy.”  Holy = separate.  Different.  Called out.

Charles Spurgeon says it best, “Those who would be TRANSFIGURED with Jesus (converted, transformed), must not be DISFIGURED by conformity to the world (made ugly or distorted - unable to recognize as belong to Jesus.)"  (parentheses mine)


Are you recognized as belonging to Jesus?
It’s a question we should be asking ourselves every day of our lives.

There's A Fly In The Ointment

 

I have been saying it on repeat.
Our words matter.
And then I see it.
Another example in the text.
In the life of Jesus.

And before you’re tempted to make the common argument, “Jesus was perfect, I can never be like Jesus.”
Ahh… but shouldn’t that be the aim of our days?
 This dress-rehearsal in preparation for eternity?

Ecclesiastes 10:1 says this, “As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.”

In other words.. dead flies (our sin), causes even the ointment (our reputation) to send forth a “stinking savor.”  (as the KJV puts it.)  “To smell bad, to be offensive.”

And a study of our Savior gives us reason not only to hope, but to make habit of ourselves in practical daily living.

Because even one small moment of set back can jeopardize an entire lifetime of wisdom-seeking.  One false move of the blade can produce malpractice that threatens to extinguish an entire future career.

We do it in many ways.
We gossip and spread lies.
We argue and complain.
We withhold forgiveness and grace.
We remain inflexible in our purpose.

And one small decision eradicates our reputation, and the notoriety of Jesus living inside of us is compromised.

There’s a fly in the ointment.

My commentary says that one of the most obvious and impressive features of the Savior’s character was His meekness.  It suggests that Christian’s lack most, the beauty of their Master’s holiness.  We are afflicted with evil tempers, and cannot “rule their spirits, or rather do not try.”

And yet it is the responsibility of those claiming Christ, to live as He did.

The one who had patience, generosity, and gentleness.
Patience that grievances couldn’t upset.
Generosity which disgrace could not ruffle.
And gentleness which no foolishness could extract an unadvised word.

Jesus was meek.
Jesus didn’t retaliate.
Jesus didn’t offend with harsh language.

And what Jesus was, I should strive at becoming.

Evidence of Darkness

 

I would find myself saying it almost on repeat to several different people in many different conversations in the last several weeks.

“Light exposes darkness.  And the closer you become to Jesus, the uglier the world becomes.”

And I had this thought just this morning, when God so lovingly answered the cry of my heart, “Show me something you want me to see.”

Isaiah 51.
Three times within the first half of the prophesy we read the words, “Listen to Me.”
It’s a call to trust the Lord.

And verse 4 says this, “Listen to Me, My people.  Hear Me, Israel, for My law will be proclaimed, and My justice will become light to the nations.”

Light to the nations.

Wow.
Do we need light to the nations or what?

And any time I talk with someone who is discouraged by what they see… something deep inside of me celebrates the discovery.  Something in me revels at their revelation.

Because our perception of the darkness is evidence of our awareness of light.
The more aware we are at the damage evil decisions are having on our nation as a result of ungodly leadership, and unholy actions that tear the moral fabric of our God-centered foundation, the more this confirms our growing intimacy with the Father.
The One who will not compromise… nor allow His people to either.

And so we can celebrate, too, our ongoing and increasing intolerance of the grievances that break His heart.

Because when we see darkness… when we look out in the world around us and can mourn the injustice and the repulsiveness, then we have reason to rejoice that He has given us enough inner light to see clearly the very things that ought to bring us one again to our knees in  intercession and repentance.

John 1:5, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

2 Cor 4:6, “For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Eph 5:13, “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible--and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.”

Eph 5:8, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.”

John 3:19-20, “God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.  All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.”

Be encouraged, friend.  If you can see darkness, it means Light is in the room.  The Light… our Savior… is inside of you!

Your Work Is Not Insignificant If It Brings Honor To God

 

In the final prayer of Jesus before He was arrested can be found in John 17.

It’s a beautiful prayer with so much to take away from the sacrificing love of the Suffering Savior.

In verse 4 Jesus confidently says these words, “I brought glory to You here on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do.”

And next to that verse I wrote the question I wrestle with in my own life: “Can this be said of me?”

Because if we’re being honest, we all struggle with our call from time to time.  We all wrestle with our life’s work.  And I think, at least at times, we question the legitimacy of our assignment and the confidence of the interpretation of our personal duty.

And I have heard it on repeat from the mouths of those I love and pray for regularly: “I just don’t know what God would have me to do.”

I’ve said those same words myself: “I just don’t know if this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”

And at least for me those vocal utterances stem from a feeling of unworthiness, confusion, and perceived insignificance.

But then on a Friday afternoon in late February I am reminded once again why I do what I do.
It comes to me in the form of a mailed hand-written card.  
And it’s words are simple, yet enormously profound and equally as significant: “Thank you for what you do.”
And the tears come.
And they don’t stop for a long time.

Because the truth really is that no work we ever do for the glory of God is insignificant.
Oh the work may be small… the task might be ever so minuscule… but out of it may grow an endeavor that will bless the world.

I see in my commentary and am eager to encourage others, “The seed you plant may grow a mighty tree, whose wide branches may shelter the weary and whose rich fruit may feed the hungry long after you have passed away.”

We never know.
I don’t know.
You can’t know either.
Perhaps one day when you arrive at heaven’s door, there to greet you will be one… two… maybe 20 or more people who, in unison say, “because of your investment I am here today.”

And it will surely make every tear shed on account of overwhelming discouragement worth it.

Every one.

Your work is not insignificant if it brings honor and glory to God.

An Outrage To Love

There’s very few passages that are harder to read than those found in Jeremiah 9, verses 10-22.

Jeremiah had desired to run away and build a shack in the desert to blot out the reality of war from his memory.  He knew that the people he loved and served were riddled with sin. He also knew punishment was descending and he didn’t want to be there to watch when it happened.

And then we see the words of what are thought to be those of our Lord pronounce judgement from a broken heart.

He says, “I will weep for the mountains, and wail for the wilderness pastures.”  (verse 10)
“I will make Jerusalem into a heap of ruins.”  (verse 11)
“This has happened because my people have abandoned My instructions; they have refused to obey what I said.”  (verse 13)
“Instead they have stubbornly followed their own desires and worshipped the images of Baal.”  (verse 14)

And then one final blow to our own consciouses in verse 18… “Quick!  Begin your weeping!  Let the tears flow from your eyes.”

The doom here portrayed is dreadful.
And the saddest reality of all is that there had been a momentary pause of mercy during which the sin might have been repented of and forgiven.

But in the meantime Jeremiah had the awful task of communicating the consequences to the stubborn population.

My commentary calls these… the punishments of God… the “Threatenings of Love.”
Because even though it’s part of His sovereignty, the Lord would rather bless.  His very essence is love itself.
Because His love for those He has called unto Himself is deeper than His anger ever is against them.
Because His purpose in punishment is correction not humiliation or shame.

The cuts by a surgeon may be painful, but if in the end it save a life… the risk of hurting momentarily is worth it.

And yet even when God, here, applies the pressure of discipline, we still see disobedience, refusal to listen, and huge dishonor within the body of those chosen to be set apart.

Exile wouldn’t even evoke remorse in most.

And sadly it doesn’t even today.

We are still a nation steeped in sin.
We are still a people radically opposed to indifference in the slightest bit.
We still hold to a self-serving mindset riddled with a compromised value system.

And the truth really is that we will never see sin in all it’s ugliness… in all it’s hatefulness… in all it’s disgrace, until we see it as an outrage done to Love.
We will never see the reality of our sinful condition until we feel what grieves the heart of the Suffering Savior.

While we saunter through life believing the lie that disobedience to God is only that of disregard to “rule of law” and not as a shameful injustice done to the Father’s heart, we will never look upon sin as we should, nor will we ever be willing to repent as we must.

We have to perceive the sin… our sin… as an outrage to Love.  Because it is.  And what breaks His heart, ought to break ours.

God, make us better.

Let It Go. Leave It To God.

 

In First Corinthians 6 Paul speaks to Christians and strongly urges them to avoid lawsuits against other believers.

In fact, the language choice he uses in verse 1 includes this sentence of condemnation, “how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers?”

It’s a strong order.  One that Paul seems rather passionate about giving.

He says, “Don’t you realize that we will judge angels?  So you should surely be ale to resolve ordinary disputes in this life.”  (verse 3)

In verse 7 he says, “Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you.  Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that?  Why not just let yourselves be cheated.”



Ahh.. the hard words to hear for the one who still holds tightly to fleshly living.

But Paul looks like the Savior in this moment.
Because wasn’t it the Sermon on the Mount that issued all kinds of challenges.  “If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.”  (Matt 5:40)  “But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.”  (Matt 5:39)  “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”  (Matt 5:44)

Oh such duty we would call nearly impossible is not only our assignment… it’s a command right from the heart of the Suffering Servant.

The call of the Jesus people - the ones who are to, “be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16) and, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt 5:48) - is to be tender-loving, mild in temperament, and radically forgiving in all their dealings.  Period.

And the difficulty comes when we see this as “rule” and not as a way to display His glory in the universe.  When we see this as merely another “impossible command”, then we fail to see the good that could be fashioned in our life as a result.

What we ought to be most concerned with is the cause of Jesus Christ.
We ought to be more afraid that the cause of Jesus would be injured than we should be worried about being a little weaker looking by those who oppose us.  We should be less concerned with any worldly loss we suffer from the misconduct of others, and more concerned about the suffering in our spiritual character at the injustice aimed at our destruction from outsiders.

Think about this… it would be better for us to suffer an improper wrong than for the case of Christianity to suffer.  We should love the cause of our Jesus more than our own individual interest.

And so maybe we can take this even further than in-court litigation.  Maybe we can hold this same standard in all of our disputes and disagreements.

It might be time to let it go.  Leave it to God.  Lest it damage our soul, and diminish the Gospel.

It really matters…

What Will Be My Yes To Him Today?

 

Second Corinthians 3:16 says this, “But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”

It's an interesting verse.
Because we might be tempted think that it’s backwards.
That the veil would be taken away and then the person turns to behold the Father.

But it says the turning happens first.. and THEN the veil is removed.

In His lovingkindness… in His goodness.. In His mercy… the veil isn't lifted until the person turns their heart's affection toward the Lord.

I can speak from experience in this.

In the early days of my “serious” walk with the Lord.. about 11 years ago.. I was in a very dry season of my life.  And I desperately wanted to know God more, but I realized that I had not taken the steps to turn from my worldly ways and follow Him with my whole heart.

I had not yet surrendered my “yes” to Him.

And so for a long time, the veil remained to be what separated God and myself.

It was when I turned to Him completely and wholeheartedly that things became more clear.

Slowly the veil was removed… but it took my full repentance… a complete shift in my focus… in order for that to happen.

The clarity of sight is indeed the reward for turning!

It was me saying “yes” before I even understood the question He was asking.

When God asked Abraham to sacrifice His Son Isaac, Abraham didn’t understand.  But he said “yes” before clarity of sight was gifted him.

And every day is our opportunity to say “yes” to whatever He asks.  Even before He speaks.

Every day is a chance to turn to Him… and receive vision by the removal of the veil that hinders and separates.

What will be my “yes” to Him today?
What will be yours?

God Never Leaves

 

Someone needs to hear this.

Because sometimes others leave.
Sometimes others abandon.

But God... He never leaves.

What man rejects... God redeems!

And He is redeeming the parts of your brokenness you thought may never heal again.

He is God.
He is good.
And He will not leave you or forsake you.

Ever.

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people." Gen 50:20

Who I am Not... But Who God Is!

 

I remember a few years ago facing a great challenge that I felt all too disqualified for.

I was so fearful I was going to make a mistake.
Say the wrong thing.
Be misunderstood.

I had a real concern that I would fail miserably.

And yet looking back they... and others that have come and gone just like them... have ultimately served to teach me how small I am and how big God is. How flawed I was in my perception of who was actually in control.

And it wasn't me.

Our moments of feeling disqualified serve us well as they teach us who we aren't but who God is!

Improper Focus and Inappropriate Fear

 

Deut 11:18 (NIV) says, “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.”

Prov 4:25 (NLT) says, “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.”

2 Cor 4:18 (NIV) says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

There’s something to be said about “fixing our gaze.”

This is to fixate our gaze on His glory.

To fix means: “to look at, regard attentively, take heed, beware, consider.”
To fixate means: “to make stable or stationary; become excessively attached.”

Oh and it is my prayer daily.

Jesus, keep my eyes focused on You.

I would tell it to a friend bogged down with the worldly condition.

I see it too.

But I won’t allow myself to be consumed by it.

I will pray every day to have eyes that see Him.
Because giving attention to anything else that is inferior to Him will ultimately lead to inappropriate fear.

Our Speech

 

In our home as of late we have been watching the series, The Chosen.

And one of the things I have been thinking about is- what it must have been like being in the presence of Jesus.

I can only imagine!

And then I read this quote by Spurgeon and it fit my thought process precisely!

"If we were to meet with our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and were then to speak of Him in the state of mind in which His presence left us, what a style of speech that would be!"

Would we be more conscious of how we spoke about others?
Would we be more kind?
More gentle?
More loving?
More grace-giving?

His daily presence ought to be reflected by our daily conversations.

Is it?

His Will and The World's Necessity

 

Jesus left us with an example of how to live.

 

And we know that He only did what He saw His Father do, and He only said what He heard His Father say.

 

He was concerned primarily with one thing only.

God's will.

 

And there was a close runner-up.

And that was the necessity that was in the world.

The lost world He was called to serve and save.

 

And so the stimulation of His activity was influenced by two important questions:

 

1.) What is the will of God?

2.) What is the world's necessity?

 

Perhaps we can begin thinking these same things as it relates to our position this side of heaven.