Wednesday Thought -- June 1, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?’ But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village.” (Luke 9:51-56)

This passage contains a phrase that I think is one of the most impressive descriptions of how Jesus acted during His time on earth. It says, “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”

You have to remember that Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen to Him when He arrived in Jerusalem. Just a few verses earlier in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus had reminded the disciples, “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.” (Luke 9:44)

Jesus was going to Jerusalem for the last time. His ministry on earth was nearly complete, lacking only its final and climactic act. Jesus was going to Jerusalem to die. He had told the disciples that was going to happen several times already.

The disciples didn’t believe what Jesus had told them, but Jesus knew it was true and He knew the kind of torture that it meant for Him. He was going to Jerusalem, not just to die, but to carry to the cross the sins of the world. He would be rejected by the Romans. He would be rejected by the Jews. He would be deserted by His followers, even those closest to Him. He would be betrayed by one of the apostles. He would be denied by another, one very close to Him. And most painfully of all, He would be abandoned by His Father.

Unimaginable pain awaited Jesus … and He knew it. Yet, He “resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” There was no hesitation in Jesus. There was no dragging of His feet to delay the inevitable. Jesus with intentionality, Jesus headed toward the fate that had been planned for Him before the foundation of the world.

That is the extent of the willingness of Jesus to do what He and the Father had planned. That is the extent of His love for you and me.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- May 31, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.  Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him.  Then he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.  For he who is least among you all -- he is the greatest.’” (Luke 9:46-48)

Most of us work in a culture with clear lines of authority and rank.  Salaries go up as you rise to higher levels of rank.  Along with higher salaries come more and more perks.  The world seeks to identify how important people are and reward them on that basis.  That’s the way the American economy works.

It’s not the way the kingdom of God works.  Lines of authority and levels of rank are foreign to God’s kingdom.  There is only One authority, One head of the kingdom.  All others are servants, seeking to the do the will of the One we serve.

In fact, Jesus turns the normal structure upside down.  He declares that the greatest in the kingdom of God is the one who would be considered least in the schemes of the world -- the little child.  What is it about a little child that makes him great?  In a child you find the purest love and the most trusting faith.

It’s not about where you rank or how much authority you have or how important you are.  It’s about loving God and trusting Him.  Those are the things God seeks … those are the things God values.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- May 27, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters — one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ (He did not know what he was saying.)  While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.’ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.” (Luke 9:28-36)

Have you ever had a spiritual experience that you did not want to end? Youth sometimes have that kind of experience at church camp or on a mission trip. Adults sometimes have that kind of experience at a special worship service or at some other spiritually memorable point in their lives.

But spiritual experiences – even very rare and special ones – are not meant to be permanent. We aren’t meant to stay camped there. They are meant by God to equip us for the next phase of our journey with Him and service to Him. They are meant to encourage and embolden us for the work God is calling us to do.

Peter, James and John had that kind of experience on the mount of Transfiguration and Peter wanted to stay right there. He even offered to build a shelter for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. On a side note, you can see Peter’s humility in that offer – he didn’t say anything about building a shelter for himself or the other apostles. There was no way he would put them on a par with Jesus, Moses and Elijah.

This was a grand experience – one of the grandest ever and far grander than anything you or I have ever experienced. In fact, years later when Peter wrote his second letter he mentioned this event as an evidence of Jesus’ special glory and honor. “For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.” (2 Peter 1:17-18)

If God does ever provide a special spiritual experience for you – enjoy it, thank Him for it – and then allow God to use it for what He wants in your life – to equip, encourage and embolden you. Just don’t stay camped there.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- May 26, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:23-27)

Our natural instinct is to follow our own ideas and plans. We want to be in charge of ourselves and do what we want to do. Our instinct is to give in to our desires and to what we think will be best for us and make us happy. Our instinct is toward self-preservation. We are inclined to do whatever will protect ourselves and advance our lives and our will.

Jesus calls to that which is opposite from our natural instincts. He calls us to follow Him and His will, instead of our own. He calls us to seek His desires and what is best for Him and His Kingdom, denying our own desires and what is best for our personal interests. He calls us to put our lives on the line, to be willing to sacrifice ourselves for Him and for others, even to the extent of being willing to be executed for Him and His will.

Deny ourselves – take up our cross – follow Him. Those are the invitations of Jesus. They are the demands of Jesus for those who seek what He has to offer, who want to be His disciples and learn about life from Him.

Seems like the wrong path – a path away from what is best for us. But if we think that – we are wrong! The path Jesus sets before us is the path toward saving our lives and advancing our eternal advantage. In fact, if we chose to follow our natural instincts – although it seems like the path toward what is best for us – it turns out to be the path toward destruction.

Which path are you on?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- May 25, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.’ ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, ‘The Christ of God.’” (Luke 9:18-20)

Do you have friends, co-workers, neighbors and relatives who have different views about who Jesus is?

Those who embrace Islam believe that Jesus is one in a long line of prophets. Not the greatest prophet, that position is reserved for Mohammed, but still He is a prophet.

Those who embrace Mormonism believe that Jesus is a son of God. Not the only Son of God, just one of the sons of God.

Many in our world believe that Jesus is a great teacher. Some would even call Him the greatest teacher. They are impressed with His moral and ethical teachings.

There are other less positive opinions about Jesus, too. Some call Him an imposter. Some say He is a myth, at least in the way Christians believe in Him.

There are all sorts of opinions about Jesus.

But the opinions of the people around you are the most important opinion. The most important opinion is the true one: that Jesus is the Christ of God.

Which belief do you embrace? Does your life reflect that belief?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- May 24, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.’ He replied, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They answered, ‘We have only five loaves of bread and two fish — unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.’ (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, ‘Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” (Luke 9:12-17)

This is a story of a great miracle that Jesus performed. He demonstrates His compassion for the simplest needs of the people around Him – they were hungry. He demonstrates His awesome power – He can multiply bread and fish. He also demonstrates His ability to great things with few resources – He fed thousands with just five small loaves and two fish.

That last point is a key one for us. It is a reminder that Jesus can do amazing things through the little that we have to offer Him. None of us has much – even the most talented among us doesn’t have much to offer the Almighty God. But God can take our little bits and use them to do mighty things that will accomplish His purposes.

But there is one strange question in this story that we often overlook. Before He worked the miracle, when the apostles first brought the need to Jesus, He responded with this question: “You give them something to eat.” It’s a strange question because the apostles didn’t have anything to give the crowd and surely Jesus knew that. It was a strange question because what was needed was Jesus’ touch and He proved in just a moment that He was willing to provide that.

I think Jesus wanted a couple of things from that question:

1.    He wanted the disciples to realize how little they had to offer – after His question they surveyed to see what was available and found only the small lunch.

2.    He wanted them to realize how much they need Him.

3.    He wanted them to know that He wanted to use them – He wasn’t willing to just do that miracle without their involvement and the offer of their little bit.

He wants us to see the same things as we look at the needs around us.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- May 23, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: ‘Take nothing for the journey — no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.’ So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere. … When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done.” (Luke 9:1-6; 10)

I read last week that Christianity is the most rapidly growing religion in the world. The church in China is experiencing explosive growth and experts are predicting that there could eventually be 500 million Christians there. The church in Africa is also growing very rapidly. Already the center of Christianity has shifted to Asia and Africa.

Those statistics speak of the power of the Gospel. The Gospel has the same power that it had in the days of the apostles. They saw multitudes respond in faith to the simple of Jesus. That kind of response can still be seen today.

Jesus predicted that the apostles would also see places and times where there would be little response to the Gospel. The apostles found some places where the hearts of men were cluttered or hard and the response was minimal. Jesus’ instruction to the apostles was to put their effort into the places where the response was strong and leave those places where response was minimal alone until they were softer toward the Gospel.

I am deeply concerned about the United States right now because I see such minimal response to the Gospel here. It’s not that there is no response; it’s just that the response isn’t very large. I wonder when God will choose to pull His resources out of the US and put them in places where the response is more powerful.

His, by Grace,

Steve