A Minute In It - Which Skin Are You In?

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins.  New wine must be stored in new wineskins.  But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.” Luke 5:37-39 (NLT)

Old wineskins = the religion and traditions practiced by the populace at large
New wineskins = Jesus revelation of God and how God wanted them to practice their faith

What are some “old wineskins” in your life that might prevent you from worshiping God as he says you should?
Where did they come from?
Why do you hold on to them?
What are some things you hold on to that prevent you from sharing Jesus?
What are some things you could add to your life that would allow you to fully realize the gospel?
Are you, like the people in the story, content to drink the old wine and not look for Jesus’ new wine?

A Little Goes A Long Way

And his disciples believed in him. John 2:11b (NLT)

The story in John 2 of when Jesus turned water into wine is one that I ponder. I’ve heard people discuss this and wonder why. Why was this the first miracle? Compared to the times he raised people from the dead, this is really small potatoes. In the big scheme of things it seems so inconsequential.

So why? Maybe we’ll never really know the answer to that but we can look at the things we do know.

We know Jesus came to show us the Father. What can we see in this story?

1. We can see that Jesus was social. Even though he had a tremendous work to do, he still hung out with people and was part of a community.

2. We know that he cared about the little things, like this man’s wedding. Maybe in the big scheme of things this miracle was inconsequential but it wasn’t inconsequential to the bridegroom. Jesus showed up where the bridegroom was and helped him with something that was important to him.

3. We know that God is a very generous God. Jesus could have turned the water into very mediocre wine. Even God’s mediocre would be better than their best. But he didn’t. He produced the very best wine. He gives us his all.

4. We know that after this first miracle, his disciples believed in him.

To me, this is the best result of this story. Every single day God is working in our lives to reveal his love to us. A lot of the time, we miss it. But when we do see it, we are amazed and we believe. And that is truly why Jesus came. He came so we would see who God really is and turn to him. He came so we would look at the stories in our own lives and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we are loved by a very generous God.

Living Love

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:17 (NLT)

I own a business. There are many days I wonder why. Especially on days that I am supposed to be on “vacation” but I am working. My husband has the same problem. His family has owned their own business for years and you are never really and truly not on the clock. It is something that is understood. When something happens, you step up.

I was thinking about this over the holidays when I didn’t get to “have my vacation” because things kept happening. Over the years I’ve heard a lot of Christians say this too (me included.) I’m on vacation or it’s my day off so I can’t ______________ (fill in the blank.)

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with resting and I definitely think I should do more of it (in a constructive way - which is another post.) But, I think we do a disservice to God when we try to compartmentalize what he is calling us to do. You see, what he’s calling us to do is love one another. He is calling us to take care of each other. When we try to say “I can’t go help that person” or “I’m on vacation today so I’m not going to reach out,.” it seems like we are trying to put our number one role in life on a schedule.

I am reading the book Everybody Always by Bob Goff (great book by the way) and he says this:

"We don’t need to call everything we do “ministry” anymore either. Just call it Tuesday. That’s what people who are becoming love do."

I love that line. What would happen if we did everything we are supposed to do with the idea that this is our business? Our business is to love God and each other before ourselves. What if we owned that like we own the other things in our lives? What if we stopped distinguishing between what our “jobs” are and what our life is supposed to be? What if we lived love in everything we do? Even when we are on vacation…..

I think maybe the world would look really, really different.

Hold Me

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3 (NLT)

My grandson loves to play with his Papou (Grandfather.) He will come over and they will play together and explore all kinds of things. One of the games they play is Hide and Seek. Now that The Little Dude (our nickname for our grandson) is older, my husband hides and the Dude is supposed to find him. Except, the Dude now knows that sometimes my husband will jump out and scare him.

When they start to play, my grandson comes and grabs my hand and says “Hold me.” It’s his way of saying he wants me to pick him up. Then he points to the room where his Papou is hiding and says he wants me to play too. As I walk into the room, he wraps his arms around my neck and buries his face in my shoulder and holds on!

You see, he wants to have the adventure with his grandfather but he is also nervous about what’s around the corner. He doesn’t stop playing and walk away, he goes to get someone that will hold him so he doesn’t have to face it alone.

I feel this same way sometimes. I love the adventures I go on with God but sometimes they make me nervous. Heck, sometimes they are downright scary. A part of me wants to turn around and sit comfortably in the room with all the lights on. There, I can see everything that is going to happen and I know how to handle it. But if I did this, I would miss out on the adventure with my Heavenly Father.

I am trying to be more like my grandson. I go to Jesus and say “I am afraid of this next step. Will you hold me?” And he does. As I pour out my concerns to him, he takes hold of my hand and says “Just keep walking. I am here with you.” I am still nervous, just like my grandson, but somehow venturing into the unknown is a lot easier if I am being held.

A Minute In It - Recognizing God

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Take a moment to read the passage below and answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

24 Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. They divided his clothes and threw dice to decide who would get each piece. 25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. 26 A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29 The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. 30 Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!” 31 The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him. 33 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 34 Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 35 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 36 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!” 37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!” Mark 15:24-39 (NLT)

Over Jesus life and during the crucifixion, how many people witnessed what he did?
In the text above, who was it that recognized him as the Son of God?
Over the years, Jesus helped many people. Why didn’t they see that he was the Son of God?
What was it that made the Roman officer see God at this moment?

Verdict: Not Guilty

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 1 John 2:1 (NLT)

A little bit ago I went with friends to lend support as they went to court. They were told to show up at the lawyer’s office at 9 a.m. Court started at 9:30 a.m. So, my friends showed up at 9 a.m. When they walked in to the office, the receptionist said “Have a seat. Your lawyer is not here yet.” They sat and waited. And waited. Pretty soon it was 9:30. Court was starting without them.

They began discussing among themselves about how troubling this was. The receptionist heard them and said “Don’t worry.” As the conversation continued she began to explain what happens in the courtroom, the process they go through and the fact that my friend’s names are already on the docket with the lawyer assigned to them. She said, “As long as you walk in with your lawyer, you will be fine.”

This made me think of Jesus. The Bible says we all sin and fall short of God’s glory. We all do things that would make us guilty in God’s court. And if we were tried by the law alone, we would be condemned. It would be a done deal except…..except for the fact that we have a lawyer. And his name is Jesus.

As long as our name is on the docket next to his name, we are fine. As long as we walk with him and choose him as our Council, we don’t have to worry about what happens in the proceedings. Jesus is pleading our case and unlike the proceedings in an actual court room, our case has already been decided. The verdict is Not Guilty.

Not Guilty because we have the best Lawyer in eternity. I’ll take that verdict any day!

Trusting I AM

As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”  So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:35-40 (NLT)

Jesus, do you say that to me? “Why are you so afraid? Don’t you have faith in me? Don’t you believe what I tell you?” I am sure you do. But Lord, like the disciples I am watching the waves crash on my boat. I’m seeing it fill with water and I feel the pull as it seems to sink just a little lower into the depths of the black. I feel the sting of the cold water as it washes over my body. And Lord, I can’t swim when the waves are so rough.

“Do you trust that I will not let you sink?”

Yes, sort of, but how do I reconcile that you do let some people sink that deep. Some people lose everything - including their lives. That makes me afraid.

“They didn’t sink. I was holding them. What they learned to trust was that my love is not dependent on your circumstances. Just because the waves are fierce doesn’t mean I am not walking in the storm with you. Is it possible that you trust what you see more than you trust who I AM?”

Touch Me Again

When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch the man and heal him. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?” The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.” Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly. Mark 8:22-25 (NLT)

Can you see me now? Sounds more like something we would say as we try to fix something, right? It doesn’t sound like something Jesus would say. We are so used to Jesus performing a miracle one time. One and done. There isn’t ever a question about whether he got it right the first time.

That’s why this story made me pause. And of course, then it made me ponder. Why? Why did he spit in the man’s eyes and then touch them and ask “Can you see anything?” I know Jesus could have healed the man immediately so to me, that’s not the question. The question is why didn’t he? We also know that Jesus always did things for the people’s benefit and God’s glory.

So what was it in this man that made Jesus heal him in stages? One of the interesting things in this passage is that other people brought him to Jesus and begged him to heal him. In other stories, the person who needed healing is crying out to Jesus for healing. Could the man have given up? Was his faith gone? Maybe he’d never heard of Jesus and didn’t know the possibilities?

When the friends brought him to Jesus, Jesus took over. He led him out of the town and had a one-on-one with him. He involved him in the process and engaged him in his healing. There could be so many reasons that Jesus interacted with this man the way he did and until we get to heaven we won’t know what they are. But, we do know a couple of things.

We are often like this blind man. Maybe we’ve given up. Maybe we are so discouraged we don’t have it in us to seek what is best for us. Maybe we just need a one-on-one.

I know Jesus has touched me and grown me in stages. I long for him to just change me into what he wants me to be. I really would like him to just make me new but because this has happened over time and in a relationship with him, it is so much more valuable to me.

When we encounter him, we are not healed all at once. It takes multiple encounters. And maybe, just maybe when we get a glimpse of the “trees”, we know there is something better and we keep looking for more.

Lord Jesus, please touch me again!