Friday Thought -- June 10, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10:38-41)

Are you more like Martha or like Mary?

Martha was the doer. She was concerned about making sure everyone was taken care of. She wanted the meal she fed Jesus and His apostles to be just right. She is the kind of person who would have wanted the house spotless when they arrived and everything picked up again at the end of each day. She was busy – always busy. She was busy with good things – taking care of her guests – but still, she was busy.

Mary, on the other hand, found time for contemplation. She would have been fine with sandwiches that her guests would have made for themselves from the fixing she quickly set on the table. She would have done some straightening before Jesus arrived, but would not have been concerned if the house wasn’t spotless. She wouldn’t have noticed about any clutter that accumulated while her guests were there and wouldn’t have done anything about it even if she had noticed. She was content to sit and listen to Jesus.

Being a Martha isn’t wrong – as long as the busyness doesn't keeps you from focusing on the Lord and listening to Him.

Being a Mary isn’t wrong, either – as long as your contemplation doesn’t cause you to ignore things that really do need to be done – that God wants you to do.

There is a time to be a doer. There is a time to be listener. The hard part is in knowing which takes priority at any given time.

That’s what Martha missed. When Jesus was in her home it was time to simplify the doing and focus on the listening. She missed that opportunity and tried to get Jesus to make Mary miss it, too.

When Jesus wants you to be listening, are you? Or are you too busy doing?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- June 9, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

A religious lawyer came to Jesus with a question: "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25)

It is a very good question. What do you think the lawyer expected Jesus to say? Jesus didn’t answer directly, but instead He turned the question back to the lawyer and asked him what he thought the Law said was necessary for eternal life.

The lawyer gave the right answer and it was summed up two fundamental laws:

Love God completely -- “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.”

Love your neighbor wholeheartedly -- “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

Of course, Jesus didn’t allow the lawyer to get all smug because he had answered correctly and He didn’t allow the lawyer to think that he could actually keep those laws well enough to satisfy God. Jesus followed up with one of the most famous of His stories … the Good Samaritan.

The bottom-line of what Jesus was trying to teach the lawyer is the same lesson that He has tried over and over to teach to every audience who heard Him. The lesson is – none of us can keep the law well enough to gain eternal life by it.

We aren’t capable of loving God completely. There is always some aspect of our heart, mind or life that we hold back from God. We may not want to hold back – but we all do. Our self-centeredness gets in the way.

We aren’t capable of loving our neighbors as ourselves. Our love of self is inborn and try as hard as we can, we can’t stop loving ourselves. Love for others is not inborn and every bit of loving others requires intentionality and self-discipline. We all can manage that for a time – in spurts – but not all the time. That’s just beyond our capability.

Where does that leave us? Exactly where Jesus wants us to be – pleading with God for His grace and mercy. Grace and mercy – those are the only real path to eternal life.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- June 8, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.’” (Luke 10:23-24)

I was thinking about the kings that Jesus mentions in these verses. Their lives were not as luxurious as the lives of kings today, but they were as luxurious when compared to the lives of their subjects then as kings’ lives are today when compared to their subjects now. That brings a perspective to what Jesus is saying here.

Many of us watched a part of the royal wedding that took place in England a few months ago. It was more luxurious than any wedding we’ve ever attended. It was the thing of dreams. Little girls will put that wedding in their minds as the ultimate in wedding fantasies. Kings can do that; they can afford weddings that are luxurious beyond measure.

Kings can stay in the finest hotels. Eat in the most expensive restaurants. Play the most exclusive of golf courses. Live in palaces. Vacation in the most beautiful places. They can do the most amazing things.

The lives kings are the lives of dreams and fantasies. They are successful on an earthly level beyond what most of us can even imagine. That’s true today and that was true in Jesus’ day, too.

So listen to Jesus with that in mind: “For I tell you that many kings wanted to see what you see and did not, and to hear what you hear but did not.”

Jesus is talking about what the apostles saw and heard – and about what you and I have witnessed as followers of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, we have what kings dream of!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- June 7, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’ He replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’” (Luke 10:17-20)

Miraculous power is impressive. When the people of Jesus’ day saw the miracles He could do – healings, casting out demons, multiplying food, and raising the dead – they were VERY impressed. They flocked to Jesus to see more miracles. They flocked to Jesus so that He could meet their needs.

When Jesus sent out the 72, they were also impressed with the miraculous power that accompanied them. They even saw demonic powers submit to their commands. They enjoyed the power they had been given. They enjoyed the impact those powers could have on others. They probably enjoyed the notice those powers brought to them, too. We all like it when others think that what we can do is impressive.

When the 72 returned, they were excited to tell Jesus about what they had been able to do. And Jesus could tell them about even greater works of power. In what seemed like the ultimate work of power, Jesus told them of seeing Satan fall from heaven. The most powerful demonic force was subject to the power of God.

But Jesus went on to tell the 72 that there was something even more impressive than seeing Satan cast out of heaven. There was something more impressive than seeing spirits submit to the power that has been given you. The something more impressive is the eternal place that God has given to us through Jesus.

What is the source of your joy? Is it in what you can do for God? Is it in what God can do through you? Are you impressed with your gifts and your powers? Or are you impressed just that you’re saved?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- June 6, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

"Woe to you, Korazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies?  No, you will go down to the depths.  He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."  (Luke 10:13-15)

The principle is that people will be judged, at least in part, according to the opportunities they received during their lives.  Korazin and Bethsaida received many opportunities, but they did not respond to them very well.  They will be judged more harshly because of that.  Places like Tyre and Sidon which did not receive as many opportunities will be judged less harshly.

It seems, then, that America will be judged very harshly because the opportunities we have received are more than any other nation in the world, at least in this era.  There are more churches and more ministries here, per capita, than in any other place in the world.  More money is available for preaching the Gospel here than can be imagined in other places. The Gospel has been broadcast many times on television and radio, preached in huge stadiums and other large venues, books have been distributed, videos given away.  Americans who have not responded to the Gospel have no excuse, they've had plenty of opportunities.

It is discouraging that so many Americans have heard the Gospel but have not responded to it by receiving Christ.  Even as we have shared our own faith with those around us we've seen that happen, people don't always respond to what we share.  Judgment awaits them -- harsh judgment.  That's a powerful motivation for us to keep sharing.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- June 3, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” (Luke 10:1-4)

I’ve been appointed to things before – committees, boards, jobs, etc. With each appointment came responsibility. But there was more than responsibility that came with the appointments – each appointment also came with trust. In fact, the very decision to appoint me to something was a statement of trust. Someone was saying that they were trusting me to do what needed to be done. That’s what Jesus was saying about the seventy-two He appointed to bear His message to the villages. He was trusting them with an important responsibility. He believed they could do what needed to be done. When He appoints you to some task – bearing His message, doing His work – He is saying the same about you – He trusts you. That’s a huge statement – the Lord of Lords trusts you!

I also note that this passage says that Jesus sent them out “ahead of Him.” They weren’t responsible for the whole thing. All of the work of God was not tied to what they were going to do. In fact, they couldn’t do all of the work. They were responsible for only a piece – but the Lord would bring the work to its completion. That’s still true today about the work we do for Him. We do what He assigns, but all the work is not tied to what we do. In fact, we can’t do all the work. There is a piece – an essential piece – the biggest piece – that is God’s to do. He’ll bring the work to completion.

What was lacking in the work that God longed to see done was not people ready to respond. There were many ready to respond in Jesus’ day. There are still many ready to respond in our day. There are places around the world where the response to the message of Jesus is huge. And even here, where the impact of the Gospel seems limited, there are still people who are responding and still lives that are being changed. What was lacking then – and what is lacking now – are not responders, but those willing to bear the message.

And one final point: remember whose harvest it is. The Lord sends workers. The Lord answers prayers. He is the Lord of the harvest. It is His harvest field.

The Lord is looking for workers for His harvest. Will you bear His message?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- June 2, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’ He said to another man, ‘Follow me.’ But the man replied, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Still another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.’ Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:57-62)

Jesus presents some hard situations in this story. They strike at some of the most basic questions that are involved in following Jesus.

Will you follow Jesus even if it is not comfortable? Jesus wasn’t offering a comfortable place to stay and an easy path when He invited people to follow Him. Jesus’ own life was not comfortable and His own path was not easy. Why should we expect that what He calls us to will be different from what He Himself experienced? In fact, Jesus’ path led Him to a cross. Will you follow Jesus even if the path He calls you to leads to a cross, too?

Will you follow Jesus even if it is not convenient? The second man seemed to have a legitimate excuse for delaying a decision to follow Jesus – he wanted to bury his father. But most scholars believe the man’s father wasn’t even dead, yet. The man was just asking Jesus for a more convenient time to follow Him. There are many things that seem so important to us – too important to interrupt to follow Jesus – school, family, career, pleasures, etc. But should anything be more important to us than following Jesus?

Will you continue to follow Jesus no matter what, or will you turn aside for one reason or another? The decision to follow Jesus is to be a lifetime decision. It’s not a decision that is to be picked up and set aside whenever and for whatever reason we want to. Make the decision and it should dominate the rest of your life. Does your decision to follow Jesus still dominate your life?

The basic question Jesus was asking in this story is … Are you serious about following Jesus … or are you just playing at it?

His, by Grace,

Steve