Almighty God

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

From east to west, the powerful Lord God has been calling together everyone on earth.
2 God shines brightly from Zion, the most beautiful city.

3 Our God approaches, but not silently;
a flaming fire comes first, and a storm surrounds him.
4 God comes to judge his people.
He shouts to the heavens and to the earth,
5 “Call my followers together!
They offered me a sacrifice, and we made an agreement.”

6 The heavens announce,
“God is the judge, and he is always honest.”

7 My people, I am God! Israel, I am your God.
Listen to my charges against you.
8 Although you offer sacrifices and always bring gifts,
9 I won’t accept your offerings of bulls and goats.

10 Every animal in the forest belongs to me,
and so do the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds in the mountains,
and every wild creature is in my care.

12 If I were hungry, I wouldn’t tell you, because I own the world and everything in it.
13 I don’t eat the meat of bulls or drink the blood of goats.
14 I am God Most High!
The only sacrifice I want is for you to be thankful and to keep your word.
15 Pray to me in time of trouble.
I will rescue you, and you will honor me. Psalm 50:1-15 (CEV)

Psalms are, like most songs, good words to think about. They paint pictures in our minds. They can “flesh out” the skeleton of what we believe to be true.

Our God is mighty and Creator of all! I have a friend who has recently been seeing the world with a new perspective through the lens of a camera. She has been sharing her new adventure on FB and it has just so blessed me! We just released a new book this week, Letters to my Grandson, in which author, Dr. Bruce Epperly, shares a new perspective of life and faith through his infant grandson. It was no hardship to me to work on this project because I was learning something new too! Too often I race through this life and miss so much about my LORD.

God: All-powerful!

God: My fair and righteous Judge!

God: He does not accept my prideful offerings but is pleased with a humble, obedient and thankful heart.

God: When I am weak and turn to Him with a desperate heart, He hears and answers me.

I am a child who looks to her Father for everything because He is everything! That is just a wonderful, awesome perspective!

Awesome God written by Rich Mullins and sung by Michael W. Smith

 

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Last Testament

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

Hear this, all you peoples;
listen, all who inhabit the world, 2 both low and high, rich and poor together.
3 My mouth speaks wisdom; my heart’s meditation brings understanding.
4 I turn my ear to a proverb; I explain my riddle with a lyre.

5 Why should I fear in times of trouble?
The iniquity of my foes surrounds me.
6 They trust in their wealth and boast of their abundant riches.
7 Yet these cannot redeem a person or pay his ransom to God—
8 since the price of redeeming him is too costly,
one should forever stop trying — 9 so that he may live forever and not see the Pit.

10 For one can see that wise men die; foolish and stupid men also pass away.
Then they leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their eternal homes, their homes from generation to generation,
though they have named estates after themselves.
12 But despite his assets, man will not last;
he is like the animals that perish.

13 This is the way of those who are arrogant,
and of their followers, who approve of their words. Selah
14 Like sheep they are headed for Sheol;
Death will shepherd them.
The upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form will waste away in Sheol,
far from their lofty abode.
15 But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol,
for He will take me. Selah

16 Do not be afraid when a man gets rich, when the wealth of his house increases.
17 For when he dies, he will take nothing at all; his wealth will not follow him down.
18 Though he praises himself during his lifetime —
and people praise you when you do well for yourself —
19 he will go to the generation of his fathers;
they will never see the light.
20 A man with valuable possessions but without understanding
is like the animals that perish.                 Psalm 49 (HCSB)

It isn’t a bad thing to have property or money to leave to your children when you die. As the psalmist so clearly states, I cannot take anything with me when I die. No hearse was ever followed by a U-Haul trailer. But the wealth of this world will not save my children or grandchildren. Only their love and relationship with God will do that. Have I given my children and grandchildren the best of my life?

I am glad that my daughter knows how to make chili for her family the way my mother taught me. I am proud that my adult son responds with “Yes, sir” and “No ma’am” without thinking to someone he meets. But when I am gone, I hope and pray that it is the plain truth of my faith that they remember every day. It is the daily walk with Jesus in its simplicity and sincerity that I hope my children and grandchildren value far above a piece of jewelry or antique picture.

The apostle Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have but what I do have I give you” (Acts 3:6). Faith in God through Jesus Christ is the best I have to give to my children and grandchildren. I give all I have that they too might have an abundant life!

Heirlooms written and sung by Amy Grant

 

 

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Have You Touched Jesus Lately?

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from July 27, 2011]

Once they crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the men of that place recognized Him, they alerted the whole vicinity and brought to Him all who were sick. They were begging Him that they might only touch the tassel on His robe. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.       Matthew 14:34-36 (HCSB)

I have had a week of meeting with people in a great deal of pain. They are grieving. Their loved ones have died and they feel lost, profoundly sad, angry, hopeless, numb, and confused. Most of them have loved the LORD for many years, even all their lives. And now He has allowed someone that they love to die and they cannot take that in.

Jesus isn’t just about healing bodies. He also wants us to be healthy in spirit. He wants us to be filled with joy. He wanted us to know that terrible things happen, hard times will come, but when we are connected to Him, we will be “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37).

It can be near to impossible to have the energy (the strength) to move toward Jesus in the times we need Him most. We may be angry or shut down and refuse to move toward Jesus when we need Him most. We may not be able to see Jesus. That is when Jesus sends His angels to minister. That is when Jesus puts out His ‘call’ to the parts of the Body who are willing to go like Aaron and Hur and lift weak arms (Exodus 17:8-13); go like Ananias and pray over blind eyes (Acts 9:17-18); pray as His Body to set the prisoner free (Acts 12).

It only takes a “touch connection” to Jesus to receive His healing but sometimes my bruised and battered spirit and tired, low-on-hope heart needs some “therapy”. The healing happens over a period of time as I soak in His presence in prayer and worship.

Paul tells me in 2 Corinthians 1 that God’s comfort is given in all troubles so that we in turn can comfort others. His plan is to impart His comfort through me and you. That is why support groups are so vital in bringing people through grief, through addictions, through divorce, and other trials.

May we “alert the whole vicinity” that Jesus is just a touch away. May we be willing to go when called by Him to take His healing to another. May we be willing to pray without ceasing for someone to be “made perfectly well”.

For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.      2 Corinthians 1:5-7 (NIV)

The Lord’s Prayer/ Reach Out & Touch written by Albert Hay Malotte/Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, sung by CeCe Winans

 

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The Lost

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

Tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus.2 So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, “This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this story:

4 If any of you has a hundred sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won’t you leave the ninety-nine in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? 5 And when you find it, you will be so glad that you will put it on your shoulder 6 and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, “Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep.”

7 Jesus said, “In the same way there is more happiness in heaven because of one sinner who turns to God than over ninety-nine good people who don’t need to.”       Luke 15:1-7 (CEV)

I hope many people heard a good word on this passage of Scripture in their fellowships yesterday. It is a passage like John 3:16 that should be taught more than once a year. Reaching out to the lost, looking for them, finding them, and leading them to God is what we as disciples of Jesus Christ are about. If we are not celebrating the return of one who has been lost every week, then we aren’t “about our Father’s business” because there are certainly many lost souls out there.

I submit to you that there are many who believe that Jesus the Son of God came to die for their sins and yet they are lost in this world. They are confused, hurt, and struggling with addictions, looking for love in all the wrong people, and are unable to make that turn to trust God with their lives. And we are waiting for them to find their way into the door of the church instead of going to look for them and carry them home on our shoulders.

We do not have to be evangelists to be a seeker of those who are lost. We just need to be a friend. Hold out our hand-:

  • pray for that person and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart and theirs
  • give the person a call and listen, don’t preach
  • offer to pray with them and ask God to bless them, may it be a prayer of grace not condemnation
  • trust the Holy Spirit to lead you to invite them to dinner or to church, make sure you are on His agenda, not yours
  • and when they come home to God, remember that He did all the work and that they are His disciple not yours

We do not celebrate the choice of the lost to come home but instead seem to look at them cross-eyed as if to ask, “What took you so long? Couldn’t you see what dumb choices you were making?” Oh, my brothers and sisters, God hates pride and self-righteousness! He will humble us!

Jesus went out into the streets and homes to find the lost. He did not put up clever signs and billboards to lead them to the Father. He took them in His arms and carried them. A lost soul is a hurting, limping, weak soul. They need loving, strong arms to help them make that journey back. They need calm, comforting words that are soothing to their battered spirits.

Father, open our eyes and hearts by the power of Your Spirit. May we look with compassion on the lost souls we know. Teach us how to gather them in our arms and carry them home to You just as Jesus did. Send Your healing rain to our town, our neighborhood, today. In Jesus’ name we pray.

Healing Rain written and sung by Michael W. Smith

 

 

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There’s Always Time

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

Our God, our ancestors told us what wonders you worked and we listened carefully.
2 You chased off the nations by causing them trouble with your powerful arm.
Then you let our ancestors take over their land.
3 Their strength and weapons were not what won the land and gave them victory!
You loved them and fought with your powerful arm and your shining glory.

4 You are my God and King, and you give victory to the people of Jacob.
5 By your great power, we knocked our enemies down and stomped on them.
6 I don’t depend on my arrows or my sword to save me.
7 But you saved us from our hateful enemies, and you put them to shame.
8 We boast about you, our God, and we are always grateful.

9 But now you have rejected us; you don’t lead us into battle, and we look foolish.
10 You made us retreat, and our enemies have taken everything we own.
11 You let us be slaughtered like sheep, and you scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for little or nothing, and you earned no profit.

13 You made us look foolish to our neighbors, and people who live nearby insult us and sneer.
14 Foreigners joke about us and shake their heads.
15 I am embarrassed every day, and I blush with shame.
16 But others mock and sneer, as they watch my enemies take revenge on me.

17 All of this has happened to us, though we didn’t forget you or break our agreement.
18 We always kept you in mind and followed your teaching.
19 But you crushed us, and you covered us with deepest darkness where wild animals live.

20 We did not forget you or lift our hands in prayer to foreign gods.
21 You would have known it because you discover every secret thought.
22 We face death all day for you. We are like sheep on their way to be slaughtered.

23 Wake up! Do something, Lord! Why are you sleeping? Don’t desert us forever.
24 Why do you keep looking away? Don’t forget our sufferings and all of our troubles.
25 We are flat on the ground, holding on to the dust.
26 Do something! Help us! Show how kind you are and come to our rescue.       Psalm 44 (CEV)

Yesterday was a very busy day for me and I did not spend my “usual” time reading the Bible. By the time I laid down to sleep, I was so tired! But I turned to psalms and went to the next one. Psalms and Proverbs are great to do one a day and when you have a super busy day and just can’t get to the study mode, they are the go-to chapter that always have something to say!

This is a psalm that reads like a prayer to me. It is a cry from my heart about our nation, our fellowship or even my personal life. It takes me from my wondering, “What is going on?” and leaves me with a firm reminder of the faithfulness of God.

You Are Still Holy written by Kim Hill and sung by Kari Jobe

 

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Such a Prayer

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from September 20, 2011]

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.      James 5:13-16 (NLT)

I received a text from an acquaintance who has a relative who is very ill. She asked me about this passage, specifically if she should ask the leaders of her church to go with her to anoint her mother with oil and pray for her. I told her that the important question was whether that was what God was telling her to do. Did she feel the conviction of God’s Spirit in her spirit to do this? I could tell that she wasn’t sure how her mother would react to a group coming to pray for her and being anointed with oil was not a faith act that she and her mother were familiar with.

There is wisdom that I feel God has given me over the last ten years about prayer and healing.

Remember God answers our prayer better than we can pray it. The Gospels have many stories of healing and those who receive healing did not speak their request with a prescribe set of words. The requests came from the heart with great desperation. They believed they were helpless to help themselves. Some didn’t even recognize Jesus as anyone “special.” Some received their healing because a friend brought them near; they rode on another’s faith.

It is all about obedience and God’s Kingdom plan. There’s a scene in C.S. Lewis’ second story of Narnia when young Lucy asks Aslan why he didn’t save them like he had before. Aslan answered that he never worked in events the same way twice. I can see that in the many ways that Jesus healed. I so must be open to the path of healing that Jesus has for me. It could involve anointing with oil but it may be something as simple as faithfully going to my doctor appointments and taking prescribed medication. That would certainly be a lesson in obedience and discipline and, who knows, I may have a “divine appointment” in a waiting room or even with the physician! God could have a plan for a group to gather and faithfully pray for someone. He can see so much more than I can and so I must be open to all God’s ways.

It is an intimate, wonderfully blessing to be used by God in prayer. It is a precious, life-changing moment to be touched by God in prayer. Listen. Learn. Receive His wisdom and then follow His plan. Always leave the person who desires prayer more encouraged and more uplifted than when you arrived. Truly the prayers of those who seek our LORD and live in a right and ready relationship with Him will achieve much. May God be glorified!

I Give You My Heart written by Rueben Morgan and sung by Hillsong Worship Team

 

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Keep My Candle Lit

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from January 10, 2012]

Jody’s note 9/11/13: Remembering all those who died on September 11, 2001 and all those who continue to walk on, keeping their candle lit.

There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of one small candle.

These words were found inscribed on a small headstone after a devastating air raid in Great Britain during World War II. Can you picture sitting at your kitchen table with a small candle giving the only light? Maybe there is a power outage. Now think of that candle symbolizing faith. What does that small light of faith mean to you?

“If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will He do for you—you of little faith?” Luke 12:28 (HCSB)

The knowledge that Jesus knows me is both disconcerting and very comforting. He knows how much faith I have. He knows the weakness of me when I try to stand alone. Jesus’ words here tell me that the blessings that God pours out on me, wraps around me, and infuses into me is not based on the amount of my faith. I do not give to my little granddaughter based on her love or faith in me. The love that fills my heart for my grandson is not based on his love for me. How much more does my Father in heaven pour out on me because of His great love for me? My ‘candle’ of faith may be small but God sees it.

“But I can promise you this. If you had faith no larger than a mustard seed, you could tell this mountain to move from here to there. And it would. Everything would be possible for you.” Matthew 17:20 (CEV)

My ‘candle’ of faith may be small but it does give light. Jesus says that this tiny light can illuminate great truth. The amount of my faith during the illness and death of my young son was pretty small. I was a nurse and had a lot of “knowledge” about cancer. I knew the percentages. I told God that those numbers were going to be an ongoing battle for me. I needed help. I clung to His promise that with Him all things were possible (Matthew 19:26). I actually bought a box of mustard seeds so I could see how small they were. They are not much bigger than a period on this page. I knew I had that much faith. God took that faith and walked me through the victory. He is so faithful!

Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. 1 Timothy 4:1 (NLT)

It is important that I realize that there are going to be “winds” from all directions who will try to “blow out” my candle of faith. I shouldn’t expect the obvious hurricanes that come from easily identified shysters who promote their self-help for their own pockets. No, these people will stand in pulpits and promote their own good news that God is there to bring them prosperity not to help the poor and widows and orphans but to raise themselves up. It is so important to build my candle of faith with “good wax” that will burn well, not smoke and fade out.

I believe one of the primary ways a candle of faith can be sabotaged is through isolation. It is so important that we keep connected through daily time with Jesus and time with fellow disciples who are to encourage and build each other up. I know from experience that it isn’t easy to find a group to study and pray with but if we ask God, He is faithful to answer. You may think your candle is small and insignificant. But in God’s Kingdom that light from your candle of faith may be the very light that helps to lead someone to meet Jesus. Ask Him to lead you to a small group that will keep your candle trimmed and burning.

Go Rest High on that Mountain written & sung by Vince Gill

 

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Suffering for …

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

The Lord said:

I have seen how my people are suffering as slaves in Egypt, and I have heard them beg for my help because of the way they are being mistreated. I feel sorry for them,…   Exodus 3:7 (CEV)

For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.     Psalm 22:24 (NLT)

Day-in-and-day-out pain or suffering is a difficult aspect of life. Whether that pain is physical or mental, there are people that live with daily pain. How do you do that? Why does God allow it?

I am not a theologian. I am not a psychiatrist or counselor. I am just one of God’s children who is seeking His Way and His Truth in all facets of my life. My faith grows stronger as I talk daily with my LORD. He teaches me that every day is an opportunity to learn something more from Him.

I used to think that if I asked God for healing, with enough faith or the “right” prayer, He would answer. I looked at the stories of healing in the gospels and I thought that they were telling me that healing was always God’s desire and His answer to my request. I have learned as I continue to read the Bible that what I thought was true is still there along with a “yes, but …”

The more I read the Bible the more I see that God is always looking at His children and His Kingdom. This world and the life that I lead as His child here is but a wisp of smoke in His time line (James 4:14). It is the eternal life that God tries to teach me is the priority.

Throughout His Word, I can hear God’s assurance that He does see my pain and it does touch His heart. Paul, in speaking about his own suffering, tells me that hardship and pain bring perseverance and hope (Romans 5:2-5). James even says that the testing of my faith produces perseverance (James 1: 3-5). Most of us would not raise our hands to have the testing of our faith through pain and suffering. However, what these apostles have said is true. We can see it in a revival happening in China and it, like the first century church, is fueled by the hardship, even suffering that is a constant companion to the Christians living in China.

When Paul asked for relief from his suffering, he tells me that God said, “My grace, my love, is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) This was not a proclamation of healing but a proclamation of His love. It is a wondrous thing to hear God say that He loves me.

It may be that when pain is a daily companion, it is even more important that God is an even closer companion. The understanding of how to continue to pray, like the persistent widow (Luke 18), for God to heal and yet continue to live with pain, is certainly an opportunity to spend a lot of time with God and grow in my relationship with Him. Answers may be slow to come and in their ability to provide peace to my spirit. But God is faithful and He will speak to my spirit with His Spirit and that can be a great relief.

Everything We Need written and sung by Acapella

 

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War isn’t Coming – It’s Here!

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

[Jesus said,]“When you hear about wars and threats of wars, don’t be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn’t the end. 8 Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. There will be earthquakes in many places, and people will starve to death. But this is just the beginning of troubles.”          Mark 13:7-8 (CEV)

By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.            2 Corinthians 10:1-5 (NIV)

There will be a lot of talk this week about war. While the leaders of various nations discuss and decide, many of us will be praying. I have faith in God to influence leaders. But wars between countries are not the only conflicts where we need to focus our prayers.

We do not wage war like the world. Our enemies are not identified with black hats, like in old westerns. The weapons we use are not guns and bombs.

Most of us are involved in a spiritual battle right now. There are no ‘neutral’ or non-participants. There is God and there is Satan. Everyone will be on one side or the other, whether they want to be or not. Satan’s strategy involves attacking us where we are the most vulnerable. For most of us that is either our spiritual health or our loved ones.

Satan wants us to stay isolated. He wants us to stay away from the support of other Believers and distract us from our personal time with God. Alone we will be listening only to our own weak flesh and the chatter of Satan’s slightly twisted philosophy. I say “slightly” because remember when he tempted Jesus in the desert (Matthew 4, Mark 1, Luke 4)? Satan quoted Scripture out of context to Him?!! We need fellow Believers for support and accountability.

If that scumbag can’t fool me, then He will go after someone I love. If I have a loved one making poor choices and struggling, may God give me His eyes and ears to see and know what is really going on. When a loved one rejects me, may I know it is not me they reject but the Spirit of God in me. And may I pray for them with the love, mercy and power of God! And, maybe most importantly, may I remember that our Father God loves them so much more than I can imagine and will do all He can to bring them safely home.

God’s battle strategy is different from the world’s. God’s strategy involves powerful weapons like: His name (Philippians 2:9), prayer (2 Chronicles 7:14), love (1 Corinthians 13 & 1 Peter 4:8), meeting together (Hebrews 10:25), and His full armor (Ephesians 6).

We already know how the war ends. God knew how bad it is going to get. He gave us not only His promise that He would take care of us and never leave us (Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 6:24-34) but He also told us how all this will end and where we, His children, will end up (Revelation 20-22). And that scumbag who has been attacking and tormenting us and those we love, he ends up in the lake of fire where he belongs!

So if you are going through a rough season, stop right now and talk to your Heavenly Father. Tell Him everything. Yes, He already knows what is going on but He has really broad shoulders and it just feels so much better to dump the burdens on Him! And then ask Him who to reach out to and share your needs and whowill join you in prayer. God will bring to your mind and heart who that is. And #3, list the promises of God. I’ve given you quite a few here. List them on your heart, on a piece of paper, and commit them to your mind. God’s promises are true and He never goes back on His Word.

Onward Christian Soldiers written by Sir Arthur Sullivan and sung by St. Philips Boys Choir

 

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At What Price

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon,5 because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people.6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.7 Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

8 That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do. 9 But because of our love, I prefer simply to ask you. Consider this as a request from me—Paul, an old man and now also a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus.

10 I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison.11 Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us. 12 I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.                            Philemon 4-12 (NLT)

Lectionary texts: Jeremiah 18:1-11, Psalm 139, Philemon 1-21, Luke 14:25-33

The texts this week brings me to a place of much personal soul-searching and prayer. And that is what, to me, the four lectionary texts should do.

Jeremiah 18 is God’s instruction to Jeremiah and the nation of Israel through the work of the potter. I am familiar with the lesson that God is the potter who takes the clay that is my life and molds and shapes it as He will. When my life may become misshapen and not useful, He will not allow me to just sit there useless but instead will push and shape until I become all that I was meant to be.

Psalm 139 is a beautiful song of God’s vision for my life since before I was in my mother’s womb. With extraordinary and unfathomable love, He sees all that I am, as nothing in me is hidden from Him. I may be able to hide my sins and imperfections from the world, but God knows the all of me. And He loves me still.

This week’s passage in Luke 14 is the very pointed teaching from Jesus that the price that I must pay for being a disciple (more than just a Believer in Him), is everything. God must be first in my life, even before my parents and my children. This is not an easy teaching to take. Jesus goes on to describe the my life as a disciple as one that involves carrying my own cross, just as He carried His cross to Calvary. This teaching destroys the expectation the disciples may have had that they, as His chosen ones, would have a life of power and ease, as the church leadership of their day had. It also destroys our modern day “prosperity gospel” that is often taught: as a disciple of Jesus Christ, God will give me health, home, and money because of His great love for me.

For me, Paul’s letter to Philemon brings the other three passages into a very pointed message to me this week. Paul asks, he doesn’t demand, that Philemon receive Onesimus with love and extend to him all that Philemon would do if it was Paul himself. I get the impression from Paul’s words that Onesimus had been less than a helpful, honorable follower of Jesus Christ. Philemon is being asked to extend unconditional grace and mercy. This is the cost of being a disciple.

It isn’t easy in my own flesh, I would say even impossible, to welcome a fellow Believer back into my life when they have abused our relationship. To extend the hand of fellowship to someone who has lied or in some way broken trust is to look at Jesus on the cross who said, “Father, forgive them because they truly do not understand what they are doing.” and take that example for my own. It is hating my way of conducting my life and accepting The Way that Jesus is teaching and showing me instead.

God knows the all of me and He knows that with His help I can be all that He sees in me. I can be the useful vessel that He has formed by His own hand. At what cost? The cost of everything that I am, that God made me to be.

The Potter’s Hand written and sung by Darlene Zschech

 

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