A Minute In It - How Well Do You See?

A minute in God's word will change your life. Take a minute to read the passage below. Then, ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post. 

In John 9, Jesus healed a blind man on the Sabbath. The Pharisees got wind of it and started interegating the blind man and his family. They kept asking the same questions over and over trying to find out who did this. The people were afraid of the Pharisees so they gave generic answers trying to get out of the whole ordeal. The blind man just kept repeating the same story and finally the Pharisees threw him and his family out of the synagogue. Jesus heard about is and when and found the man. The rest of the story is below.

When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you! Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus. Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” John 9:36-39 (NLT)

Are there things in your life that are sacred?
If Jesus showed up and performed a miracle that was contrary to what you thought was sacred, would you question if it was God?
How do you treat people that believe different things than you?
Is it possible that we are the ones who think we can see when in fact we are blind?

Praying With Attention Deficit

O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord. Psalm 139:1-4 (NLT)

"Dear Lord, Thank you for a new day. Speaking of a new day, how am I going to get it all done? And what am I going to wear to that meeting....especially since I have a pile of laundry that didn't get done this weekend because ....oh, this weekend. Maybe I shouldn't have said what I said to her. But did you hear what she said to me?"

Do your prayers ever feel like they wind around the bend with no particular focus? Mine do, especially if I am not journaling them. I start out with good intentions but get side-tracked  easily. This used to bother me. I would get frustrated when I realized that my mind had wandered off some place and I was not really focused.

Then, I thought Why not pray about all this stuff that has me so distracted? Why not talk to God about it?

Does God care about my pile of laundry? Well, maybe not specifically but he does care about what I was doing that caused it to still be sitting there. And he does care about the fact that it's really distracting me which is taking my focus off what he wants me to do.

As I started praying through my attention deficit, I realized that a lot of what distracts me are actually things I can pray about. When I pray about the interaction over the weekend, God brings to mind that maybe I wasn't seeing things the way he does. When I pray about what I am going to wear to a meeting, it becomes prayers about my day and who I will meet with, not the actually meeting itself. And from there, the people in my life flood into my mind and I lift them up. Sometimes. Every time I pray it's different because every day is different.

I used to try to pray so it made sense but I don't do that anymore. Now, I pray real. I let my brain and my heart (which God created) lead the way and I know that God is listening and he doesn't get distracted at all. After all, he knows what I am going to say even before I say it. He's just waiting for me to get to the points he needs to bring home to my heart. Good thing he's so patient.

That's My Son

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19 (NIV)

When we go back to Greece to visit, I am often surprised at the intimacy of the villages. Usually, folks know we are there to visit before we reach out to them. Someone saw us and started telling folks and the word gets out.

I would guess Mary experienced this in a much greater magnitude. What do you think she heard as she walked around villages and towns?

"Did you hear what Jesus did? He made the blind man see."
"Jesus healed the leper."
"It's too incredible to believe, he walked on water!"
"Jesus fed 5,000 men with just 5 loaves and 2 fish!"

The Bible tells us in a few places that Mary pondered (treasured) these things in her heart. Here's my question. How did she stay humble? I'm a Mom. I am super proud of my kids. My heart swells when I see them and I feel good. Here is this Mom who has a son that is the Son of God. He heals people! He calms storms! How would you keep your pride in check in that scenario?

Maybe that's why God chose Mary. Maybe he knew that she would keep coming to him each day to keep herself grounded. Mary was not supernatural. She was a human that needed a Savior just like we do. I am sure she struggled with being a Mom, being a woman, being a human just like the rest of us. We don't know a ton about her but we know she had a relationship with God because God said she found favor in his sight. We also know she pondered....contemplated....thought about the things that were happening....is it possible this could also mean she prayed about them? In all that pondering, was she praying?

I look at Mary and I want that.  I want that relationship with God that grounds me so well that no matter what good is happening in my life, I stay humble. I stay connected. I want to stay grounded in the one thing that is true. I want to always remember that it's God who is doing great things, not me.

Father God, It is impossible for us to be humble without you. As soon as we think about how humble we are, we are not humble! But you, Holy Spirit, can change us from the inside out so that we can truly experience your humility. Please do that in my life. Amen

Until Then.....

Then Jesus wept. John 11:35 (NLT)

As I stood there in the middle of the the second Memorial Service in a month, I felt numb.  I watched the people cry around me and I didn't respond much.  My brain was telling me that Jesus will come again and this would all go away. I kept thinking about the hope that the cross brings to us and how important it is to know that during this time. It helped me hold on.

Then, after the service was over, after the lunch, on the long drive home, I sobbed. I sobbed and sobbed because of the pain I knew everyone was going through. I sobbed because children shouldn't have to bury their 'too young to die' mother. I sobbed because mothers shouldn't have to bury their daughters and husband their wives way before it was time. And I sobbed for my loss as well.

After the sobbing I pondered the fact that we were not created for this.  We were created to live forever and because of sin, we don't. And I longed for the day when Jesus will come so there will be no more tears. And I was comforted with the fact that Jesus wept when Lazarus died. Jesus also knew that this was not what we were supposed to be doing. He knew that there is a better life ahead and that he would hold the key to that life. Yet he wept anyway. He wept because he could feel the pain around him and his tender heart broke.

As we drove home, I was comforted with the fact that my Lord and Savior also felt this pain and expressed it. I was also comforted with the knowledge that he will come again and take us home to a place where we won't have to say good-bye to people we love ever again.

Until then, J-9, until then.....

A Minute In It - What Are You Doing With The Good News?

A minute in God's word will change your life. Take a minute to read the passage below. Then, ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post. 

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”
At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:
Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.
As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.
Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told! Luke 2:1-20 (MSG)

Shepherds were considered to be the lowest of the social hierarchy of society. Why did God appear to them?
Why were they afraid of the angel?
If you were a shepherd, what thoughts would be running through your head as the angels sang?
After they saw the Baby Jesus, what did they do before they returned to their flocks?
If God revealed something miraculous to you, would you share it like the Shepherds did?
Wait! He did! He's told us about Jesus and the Cross! Who are you sharing that with?

People God Loves

The pain that you've been feeling, can't compare to the joy that's coming. Romans 8:18

There is a common misconception that if God loves us, everything would go our way. Our plans would work out. Nothing bad would happen to us. Life would be rosy. Truly, that is what we think and it is a misconception.

Let's look at two people in the Bible, Job and Mary. Job did everything right. The Bible says he was a man of complete integrity. God used him as an example to Satan when he said "Have you noticed my servant Job?" (Job 1) But Job's life was not rosy. Everything started going wrong. He faced death of his loved ones, loss of his wealth and some serious health problems. God loved Job and was proud of him. So....what's up with that?

Fast forward to Mary. An Angel appears to her and says "Greetings, favored woman. You have found favor with God." And oh by the way you are going to become pregnant out of wedlock which means she will be ostracized and possibly stoned to death. She was favored and her life was about to collapse around her.  As an average human just trying to get by, it makes me want to tell God that I am OK not being favored.

As you walk through their journeys, yes, there was a lot of turmoil, pain, and heartache. And yes, there are some downright gut wrenching moments. Can you imagine standing at the foot of the cross your son was hanging on? But you can't leave the story there.  What did they end up with?

They ended up with God. At the end of the chaos, Job says "I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes." (Job 42) He knew God. He had more of God. And Mary....she spent her life interacting with God in person. I can imagine she knew him rather well. But they wouldn't have known this when the journey started. They would have only glimpsed it (and probably not fully) in the end.

What you see is not always what you get. Remember that as you are digging into your faith bucket. Keep focusing on God - trust that he is in it. And like Job and Mary in the end you'll be able to say "It was sooooo worth it."

You Are Flawless

So I greet you with the great words, grace and peace! We know the meaning of those words because Jesus Christ rescued us from this evil world we’re in by offering himself as a sacrifice for our sins. God’s plan is that we all experience that rescue. Galatians 1:3-4 (MSG)

This thing we call the Cross......we are so comfortable with it we almost treat it like a piece of furniture. We talk about it, we celebrate it on holidays, we wear it as jewelry....it's part of our vanacular. But, do we really understand it? Do we fully grasp what it is supposed to mean to us?

There is a song that says "The Cross has made you flawless." (performed by MercyMe). What does that mean to you? What would it looked like if we lived our lives as if the Cross had made us flawless? What would it mean to us to treat others as if the Cross had made them flawless?

What would happen to our heads and our hearts if we let go of the burdens we carry about self-worth and lived unblemished, unmarked by our doubts? What would it mean if we lived our lives as if we were enough.

We are enough. God said so when Jesus said "It is finished." Done. They are all loved; they are all accepted. They are enough because I was enough.

Walking The Walk

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

We were in the middle of a family crisis.  We'd had two unrelated family deaths in one week. As I stood in the kitchen processing I saw a mug that had the word "Journey" on it with today's text written underneath. I realized this is oh so true.

Often we think that if we are Christians life will be OK.  But God isn't interested in making us OK. He's interested in saving us. He's interested in making us more like Jesus. Often to do that, he uses the hardships of life to grow our relationship with him.

We think our walk with God is going to be like that Facebook post that says "I wish someone would say It's going to be OK. Here's some chocolate and six million dollars." But God's goal isn't to get us to lounge around and eat bonbons.  His goal is to get us anchored to Him. His goal is to grow us in such a way that no matter what happens, he is our path. He wants us to see him as the only path to take.

So, strap on your hiking shoes. Grab your walking stick and turn your face into the wind. Because God doesn't usually use feather pillows and bonbons to get our attention.