Friday Thought -- July 1, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, “Give this man your seat.” Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, “Friend, move up to a better place.” Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’” (Luke 14:7-11)

There is strong temptation to make sure that we get what we think we deserve.

I think my position entitles me to the best parking place. I deserve the best seat at the game. No one should dare to sit in my chair in front of the TV. I want to be at the table at the front of the room. Let someone else sit by the restaurant kitchen – I should be in a quieter and better place.

It’s what I deserve. It’s what I’ve earned. It’s about respect. It’s about honor. It’s about my place in life.

Really, it’s about pride!

Consider this: what place on earth did Jesus deserve? Was coming into the world in the womb of a woman the kind of entrance He deserved? Was a stable the appropriate place for Him to be born? Was Nazareth a fitting place for Him to be raised? Should He have slept outside much of His life—or would a palace have provided accommodations more befitting who He is? Did He deserve the mocking – the spitting – the beatings – the execution? Was a cross the fit way for Him to die?

Of course none of what Jesus got on earth was fitting for Him and who He is. What He deserved was the place He left in heaven – the glory that He knew in eternity past. What He accepted was a place of humility. He did that for us.

Are you following His footsteps to humility or walking in the pride that comes so naturally?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- June 30, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Luke 13:34-35)

Can you sense Jesus’ heart in this passage?

He loved the people of Jerusalem. Now understand that these are the people who will kill Him. Jesus knew that. He knew what awaited Him in just a very short time. Yet knowing they would kill Him, Jesus still loved them.

That says a lot about the heart of Jesus for those who are lost. Jesus loves lost people. His heart breaks over their lost condition. He doesn’t look forward to the separation from Him that will result from their choice to reject Him. He weeps when He considers what fate awaits them in eternity.

Jesus considers lost people His children. He longs to sweep them under His protective wings like a hen does for her own chicks. That speaks of love and compassion. All people on earth are God’s children and He longs for all of them to be with Him in eternity.

The heart of Jesus is challenging to me because I have opened my own heart to Him with a desire for my heart to become like His heart. Yet I know that my heart often does not reflect the depth of love and concern for lost people that Jesus’ heart reflects.

Consider the way that many people responded when Bin Laden was killed – even many Christian people. There was rejoicing at his death. There was little weeping that he entered an eternity that broke God’s heart and should have broken ours. Was it justice? Yes – but justice doesn’t bring God joy – it brings weeping instead.

Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- June 29, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, ‘Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, “Sir, open the door for us.” But he will answer, “I don't know you or where you come from.”’” (Luke 13:22-25)

There are some troubling phrases in this teaching of Jesus.

One is – “make effort to enter through the narrow door.” I thought it wasn’t by our efforts that we are saved? I thought we were saved only by the efforts of Jesus. The efforts Jesus is speaking about here are not the efforts to earn our way to salvation. Rather, He is speaking of the effort involved in seeking God – the effort involved in opening our heart to the Lord – the effort involved in responding to God’s call on our lives. The work is all Jesus’ – but accepting His work and responding to His invitation, that is ours.

A second troubling phrase is “many will try to enter and will not be able to.” Does that mean that there are some who want to be saved and won’t be accepted? That’s sort of what it means. There are some who aren’t willing to come in the only way Jesus offers salvation. They want to come in some other way, some way of their own making or their choosing. Some want to come on their merits – and even though they do want to be saved, they won’t be, not on that basis. Some want to come through a means other than Jesus – they want to choose their own god or change the nature of Jesus. They won’t come to Jesus as He is; they want to redefine Him in a way that is more acceptable to them. Some only want heaven and want to exclude Jesus from their life on earth. That’s not a way Jesus will allow anyone to come, no matter how badly they want heaven. The salvation that Jesus offers isn’t just fire insurance – hell avoidance – it’s a life here of following Him that opens to an eternity with Him. Those who don’t want to be with Him here won’t enjoy being with Him there, either.

There is no one who truly wants to know Jesus and who is willing to allow Jesus to be Lord, who will be turned away from Him. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- June 28, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

"Then Jesus asked, 'What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.' Again he asked, 'What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.'" (Luke 13:18-21)

What is the characteristic of a mustard seed? It starts small and then grows into a large plant, like a tree. God's kingdom is like that. Consider how the kingdom of God started. It started with a handful of men and women and during Jesus' life it did not grow large. The biggest group that saw Jesus resurrected was only 500 people. After His ascension, there were only 120 gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem. That's not a large group, the kingdom started small. Not only did it start small in number, but it started small in its geographical location. The area in which Jesus lived and preached is a small area, not much bigger than the Willamette Valley of Oregon -- 90 miles or so north to south and 40 miles or so east to west. And it is an obscure area, tucked into a small corner of the world. The kingdom didn't start in Rome or Egypt or some other powerful and visible place, it started in a corner. Yet, today, the kingdom spreads all across the world. There is no place in the world that has not been touched with the Gospel. And the kingdom numbers into hundreds of millions. What started small has grown huge. What started tucked into a corner has spread around the world.

The kingdom of God is like yeast. Yeast makes up a very small part of the ingredients that are mixed together to make bread. Yet, a small amount of yeast affects the whole batch of dough and causes it to change. So, too, does the kingdom. It started a small amount, but it has impacted the whole world.

There are times when people think the church is so small and weak compared to the powerful forces of the secular world. Those people don't understand!

The church is everywhere and its influence is huge. It started very small, but now the world can't even contain it!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- June 27, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, ‘There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.’ The Lord answered him, ‘You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?’ When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.” (Luke 13:14-17)

Which do you think is more characteristic of God – loving action or strict legalism? If you said “strict legalism” then you would fit in well with the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus’ day and be far removed from the heart of God.

It’s not that God is unconcerned about His Law. God does want us to embrace His standard of right and wrong. But love trumps legalism. In fact, in the Old Testament, through the prophet Hosea, God said, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Hosea 6:6)

The Pharisees and scribes understood that principle when it came to the care of their animals. They would not deprive their ox or donkey of the water that it needed on the Sabbath simply because for them to get water would require that they untie the rope that bound them. They cared about their ox and their donkey. But when it came to the needs of people – the strict Sabbath prohibitions took precedence.

In this story, Jesus healed a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years and the synagogue ruler chastised Jesus for His act of love. Jesus was expressing the heart of God for the woman – the ruler was far from God’s heart.

Sabbath prohibitions don’t bind many people anymore, but I wonder if there are other ways that we allow some aspect of strict legalism to get in the way of demonstrating love to those around us. Years ago one of the elders at the church I served was on his way to church one Sunday morning and didn’t get there. Instead, he saw a family with a broken down car of the road and he stopped and helped them deal with the problem. Strict legalism might have said he was wrong for missing church. Love said that he made the right choice.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- June 24, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, “For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?” “Sir,” the man replied, “leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.”'"  (Luke 13:6-9)

There are two men in this parable – the owner of the vineyard and the caretaker. Which of the two displays more of the character of God? The answer is obvious – it is the caretaker.

The owner is impatient. He has waited an appropriate length of time – three years – and has not received any return on his investment. For him, patience ran out and it was time to do away with the unfruitful plant.

The caretaker demonstrates an abundance of patience. He, too, had waited three years to see the vine produce fruit and his efforts had been wasted. In fact, he is the one who had put in the work on the plant. He had the most invested. Still, he was patient. He didn’t want to give an appropriate amount of time – not just what was expected. He wanted to go above and beyond with patience. He was willing to put in more than the expected labor in order to see the plant flourish.

God demonstrates patience like that of the caretaker. He is the one who puts in the work to produce fruit in our lives. He has the most invested. Still, he is patient. He doesn’t want to just be satisfied to put in the appropriate amount of effort to see our lives change. He goes above and beyond with patience.

But note, too, that even the caretaker’s patience had a limit. He was willing to invest one more year of work and waiting. But the end of the next year and he, too, would be done. His patience would run out.

So, too, God’s patience has a limit. He’ll put in far more than is expected in an effort to see change in our lives. But a time comes when His patience will finally run out.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- June 23, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them — do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.’” (Luke 13:1-5)

There have always been those who believe that people get what they deserve in life. If life brings a person health, prosperity and happiness, then that has to mean the person is doing something right. They are being rewarded for their good character and behavior. On the other hand, if life brings a person sickness, poverty and trouble, then that has to mean the person has done something terribly wrong. They are being punished for their sin.

That seems fair and most people want life to be fair, or at least some express some semblance of fairness. They want to believe that if they work hard and strive to be good that it will pay off for them and their family.

Jesus reminds us that life isn’t about fairness. The Galileans He mentioned weren’t more wicked than others around them. Their wickedness did not result in the tragedy they experienced. They were not being punished. The same was true of those who suffered in the fall of the tower in Siloam. They weren’t more sinful than the rest of the population that lived in Jerusalem.

Life isn’t about fairness. Bad things happen to good people. Good things come on those filled with sin.

But there are lessons to be learned by all of us who see tragedy strike those around us. The primary lesson is about the need repentance. The truth is all of us deserve punishment. If life was about fairness we would all suffer tragedy. So let the tragedy we see move us to turn toward the Lord and seek His grace and mercy for our own sin. Let it be a reminder that punishment for evil will come and the only way to avoid it is through the protection that Jesus offers.

His, by Grace,

Steve