Rain Falls – Love Flows

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

[Jesus said,] “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”      Matthew 5:43-48 (The Message)

It has been raining a lot here on the Gulf Coast where I live. It rains almost every day during the summer. We tell the tourists that it is “liquid sunshine.” And so I have been thinking about rain quite a bit. I was remembering the Scripture passage that says God sends rain on the just and unjust and so I wanted to see how that read in context. I wasn’t surprised to find it in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. If the people listening to Jesus that day were taking notes, they would have had carpal tunnel syndrome in their writing hand because there is a lot in Matthew 5-7.

It is a passage like this that I especially like to read from The Message because it isn’t that I have any doubt about the principle stated in the passage but this paraphrase often comes back over that principle and mashes down on my toes just a few extra times to make sure that I really understand! This isn’t a passage to get all theological. It’s a passage to get real about!

All I have to do is take out my phone and look over my contact list. Is there anybody there that makes me frown? Is there anyone listed that I hope never appears on my notification window that they are calling me? Is there anyone who appears on TV that I automatically turn off? Like the President? A former President? A member of Congress?

In the area of Jerusalem where Jesus is teaching, rainfall and sunshine in the amounts needed to grow crops and provide pasture for livestock was considered a great blessing. For Jesus to say that God sends these blessings on the just and the unjust is – mind-boggling to His listeners. For generations they had believed that God blessed only just people with good things and He punished the sinners with misfortune. Now Jesus says that blessings come from the Father to all people.

And Jesus says here as He has said in other places that I am to be like my Father. I am to love as He loves. If I wake up every morning and determine to be obedient to this command, I will have a lesson to work on for the rest of my life.

Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or5 rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered.
It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. 6 Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. 7 Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. 8 Love never fails!     1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (CEV)

Forever written and sung by Michael W. Smith

 

 

 

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A Baby

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”     Luke 2:8-11 (NLT)

The news yesterday that eclipsed all politics and all crime was the birth of a baby in London, England, a son to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, an heir to Britain’s throne. Most of us who live on this side of “the pond” probably thought the baby looked typically very cute and the parents happy over the healthy birth of their firstborn. But for the British monarchy and the people of that kingdom, it means continuity.

I was reminded of how something small and seemingly helpless can change everything in my life. If I had known what having a child would mean to my everyday life and to the whole of my life, I probably would not have had a child so young. I was 24 when I had my twins so, no, I wasn’t a child but I also was not prepared for the dramatic change in my life. I’m not sure that I’ve ever met anyone who was. Having a child means:

Their needs come before mine. I don’t remember too much about the first two years after the twins were born. Sleep deprivation erases many hours from your memory. We through measles and colds and stomach viruses and colic in those first years. They were totally dependent upon me to provide all that they needed. They demanded my attention. I remember going to the mall one day to pick-up an engraving at a shop and so I parked in a handicapped slot to make this quick and got my double stroller out, 2 three-month-old infants, a huge diaper bag and turned to roll into the mall – and a police officer pulled up behind me. He saw all the paraphernalia and said, “Lady, you are handicapped!” and drove off.

I would protect them with my life. Despite the lack of sleep and never a minute to call my own, I knew from the first moment that I held my children that I would face down any raging bear or criminal to protect them. I am not a lover of guns. I am not a violent person. But if someone or something threatened my children (or grandchildren!) I would not hesitate to do whatever was necessary for their safety.

I begin the understand the complexity and power of love. I found out immediately that my love for my children was not divided between the two of them. It was multiplied. I had plenty of love for both of them and for their brother who came almost eight years later. It truly was like there was a fountain inside of me with love that just kept flowing. I learned that if I allowed it, this love certainly did cover a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).

And so I began to understand more about Father God and His love for me. I could see the perfection of His love vs the imperfection of my own love. I could see how He identified my needs and answered before I even called. I may not like it but I also see when He says “No” when I ask for something that isn’t the best for me and how He allows the consequences of my actions to play out even when it is painful. He wants me to learn from my mistakes. And I see how God will do what it takes to assure me of a place in eternity and when it is time, He will lead me home.

A Baby Changes Everything written by Craig Wiseman and Tim Nichols, sung by Faith Hill

 

 

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Is God Real?

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

John’s followers told John everything that was being said about Jesus. So he sent two of them to ask the Lord, “Are you the one we should be looking for? Or must we wait for someone else?”     Luke 7:18-19 (CEV)

Have you ever wondered if God was real? If you have never doubted that, you are a blessed person and I hope you thank God every day for that gift. I am a member of the other group that has had times when I wondered whether God really existed. Now I am not an apologist. God did not gift me or call me to debate about His existence. And that isn’t what this devotion is about.

Thomas, the apostle, was not the only one to doubt the divinity of Jesus Christ. Luke and Matthew both share in their gospels that John the Baptist, the last one to proclaim like the prophets before him that the Messiah was coming, had his doubts. John was in prison at the time and there, for me, is the common denominator for those of us who doubted God. The question, “Where are You, God?” usually comes just before “God? Are You real?”

Throughout the Bible, I read story after story of people who are stunned, shocked, and angered when God does not answer or act in a way that seems within His character and in a way that He has acted in the past. He healed this person but then another person dies from their illness. He imparts forgiveness and compassion on a person or group of people and they are used to heal and reunite. Another group destroy each other in rage and misunderstanding. “Where are You, God?”

I have no definitive answer that will satisfy everyone in every situation. Right now, on July 23, 2013, the answer I live with is: if God is Creator of All and all-powerful and all-knowing, I, in my limited intellect and reasoning as a human, cannot understand all that He does or doesn’t do. That means I must live by faith. The faith that I live on comes from my long-term relationship with God and my observation and testimony of others. If I am not putting in the time and effort in that relationship and spending time with others in this faith walk, then during times of doubt, it will seem that I am in a desert. And that is a good way to die.

In a few weeks, my husband and I are going to open our home on Thursday nights for fellowship. It’s going to be known as “Communion Night.” All are invited to come. Bring a dish or drink to share or don’t. There is no study planned. It is a time to break bread together and laugh and encourage each other. We are not alone. We are there to love and provide strength to the weary and receive the same when we ourselves need it.

I hope that each of us will pay attention to our spiritual health. It is not something that can be maintained without intentional choices and input. One hour a week will not do it. It cannot be done as a solo. It is a team effort. Faith is personal, not private.

Jesus said to the messengers sent by John, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard. Blind people are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People who have leprosy are being healed, and the deaf can now hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news. 23 God will bless everyone who doesn’t reject me because of what I do.”     Luke 7:22-23 (CEV)

Come to Jesus written and sung by Chris Rice

 

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Time Well Spent

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

I will take pleasure in your laws and remember your words.     Psalm 119:16 (CEV)

This weekend I am going to spend time reading this psalm. It has the most verses of any chapter in the Bible. My husband tells me that he memorized it once upon a time. I am not going to memorize it but I am going to dig around in it a bit and see what the Holy Spirit has for me within all those verses.

I want to remember God’s promises. There is so much in this world that tries to distract me from truth. Advertising and commercials are created to take one phrase and have it be so clever in it’s repetitive style that it will stick in my mind and play over and over – and maybe that will make me buy the product. God’s Word has some phrases that are pretty catchy as they tell me about His everlasting love and eternal hope.

There are no short cuts to Bible study but it shouldn’t be boring but instead leave me better than when I began. Notice I didn’t say smarter or content that I have all the answers. Frankly, the more I study the more questions I have. But I also discover more truth and feel strengthened and loved.

Your teachings are wonderful, and I respect them all.
130 Understanding your word brings light to the minds of ordinary people.    Psalm 119:129-130 (CEV)

Holy and Anointed One written by John Barnett and sung by Brian Doerksen

 

 

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Knowing God

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from September 2, 2010]

Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you. The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things. He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live, and move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’             Acts 17:22-28 (WEB)

I am originally from Missouri. Some would say that my personality is typical of the state motto “Show me”! I like things that I can quantify. I like my desk organized. I dislike clutter. And I think God likes to mess with me on this! It is very difficult for me to ‘just be’ and allow God to ‘drive the car’ or ‘steer the boat.’ I like an outline with well defined goals and sublists on how to achieve the goals. (There are people laughing as they read this and there are some nodding in agreement and wondering what the problem could be!)

God gave me a brain and He gave me gifts. He has blessed me with organizational skills. He expects me to use the gifts He gives me. But sometimes I misuse the gifts. When I attempt to over-think and run ahead of His plan, then I am not where He wants me to be. Paul says to these people that they are very intelligent but they need to remember what they know – that they do not know everything, including not knowing a lot about God.

God understands (since He created me!) that I do not know all about my Creator. It is logical that the created does not know all about the Creator. And so He wants me to walk in faith. God gives me promises; tells me truths. He tells me His grace is sufficient. His love is everlasting. I should be joyful in hope. How do I quantify those things? How do I know when I have ‘enough’ so that I am prepared ‘just in case’? I don’t want to repeat ‘mistakes’ or go through bad times again. I want some kind of ‘God insurance’ (assurance?) that if I just pray enough, study enough, fast enough, serve enough, store up enough, that I will be ‘safe’.

God doesn’t promise that. He promises that He will always be there. He promises that He will not give me more than He can bring me through. The point is that I do not try to do it myself. God is there for me to reach. He is engaged in my life. He died for my life. Jesus is as close as I will allow Him to be.

It doesn’t matter where I’ve come from — only where I am going with God. Today is a brand new day on the journey.

I Live to Know You More written and sung by Darlene Zschech

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The Battle in My Mind

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally brothers, whatever is true,whatever is honorable,whatever is just,whatever is pure,whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things. 9 Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.     Philippians 4:4-9 (HCSB)

For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ.     2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (HCSB)

The passage from Philippians is often quoted by Christians who are attempting to lift up someone else or rolling their eyes about their own current life experiences. It’s so much easier to tell someone else to buck up, isn’t it? I don’t believe that Paul is writing this from a cheerleader’s lofty inexperience but from a path that has led him through some rocky roads. He is repeating Jesus’ teaching that worry doesn’t help but if I choose God’s way and focus on His treasures, the rest He will take care of (Matthew 6:25-34). But how do I control my thoughts?

There is no magic formula. I believe that there is a component in my flesh that is like a “worry virus.” I was born with it and depending on my upbringing and external inputs it can grow and become part of my personality. And like any other virus, there is no easy cure. But there is a treatment.

“Take capture every thought” Paul says is part of our spiritual war. We know that the Holy Spirit speaks, sometimes without words, to our spirit. I begin with a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to take control of my mind. Let the Holy Spirit put a filter on my mind and sift out the garbage, leaving only what is true,whatever is honorable,whatever is just,whatever is pure,whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise. It is a choice. It is accepting that allowing worry to spin and spin around in my head is destructive. It is letting go of the reins that I have firmly gripped in my hands and opening my grip to allow the Spirit to program my mind to listen to His words.

The exercise of training my mind will involve choosing what I will listen to, read, and watch. If you do not believe that what you read, watch & listen to affects your mind, you are deceiving yourself. Movies and television shows of wars, horrific conflicts and crime impact my mind in a different way than musicals and comedy that I watch with my children. Watching reality shows filled with over-the-top drama and idiotic behavior can be funny but do not ignore the subtleties of their conflicts and disrespect. Am I a Christian fanatic if I take the time and effort to take what I watch, listen and read and hold it up to Philippians 4:8? Test it. Take a month and put that filter on and see how you feel after 30 days.

There is darkness in this world. I want to choose to bring Light into my life. I want Light to fill me so that it leaks out of me to everyone I meet. I want people to know the Light in me. As I go through this life I want only the Light of all that is God to remain when I am gone.

Days of Elijah written by Robin Mark and sung by Paul Wilbur

 

 

 

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Strange Way to Save the World

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.      Romans 3:19-26 (NLT)

The more I read and think about the Scriptures that speak of God’s love and His desire to have His children with Him, the more I have to shake my head in wonder and puzzlement. God, Creator of all, all power is His, and His plan to save His children from sin seems so – words just fail me!

Born to a girl. Mary was just a girl. She wasn’t royal. She was poor. And if that alone didn’t seem like sending the extraordinary to the ordinary, Mary was a virgin and yet, to her community, she was pregnant before the marriage!

But if there is someone reading this who has been described as “just ______” and yet knows that God has whispered a mission in your ears to make an impact in your world, then look at Mary and know that God uses just people. And if you have ever made mistakes in your life and had people ridicule you and look down on you, then keep your eyes on Jesus and your head up because with Him in your corner, you have all you need.

Lived among us. I’ve often wondered about what Jesus did for 30 years and why we have no account of that time in the Bible. If Luke interviewed Mary and others, why wasn’t age 12-29 mentioned? Maybe that time is known through the historical literature that tells us what children and young men did in those days. Maybe the point is that I know that Jesus’ life here on earth was ordinary, just like mine. We know that He was obedient to His earthly parents (Luke 2:51). So Jesus did what kids do: chores, work in the family carpentry shop, go to Temple, and have meals together including weddings and funerals. The Gospel accounts seem to continue that thread. Jesus shows me how to live in the everyday as His follower.

Chose twelve guys. I use the word “guys” as a way to note that they were ordinary, not extraordinary. They weren’t highly educated, popular among their peers, or wealthy. They were just guys who were maybe even seen as just guys. Like Mary, the men that Jesus chose to entrust His message were no more than me. Jesus entrusts His message to me. Am I going to share what He has taught me or bottle it inside me where it will die in the darkness. “Let your light shine before people …” (Matthew 5:16).

Died not gloriously. Jesus did not die in a glorious war with Rome with His sword in His hand. He died like a criminal on a cross. And so many might see this cross as a foolish symbol of a just another life. But I know different because this Jesus, 2000 years after dying on a cross, saved me from a life of hopelessness. He made me brand new by the Blood He shed on that cross. That was a glorious night in my life!

God’s plan to save the world may seem strange to many. But God sees beyond the primary objective. God saw beyond salvation. He saw our broken hearts. He saw our struggles. He saw our need for a Friend that would always be there. He saw our need for His Spirit to speak to our spirit beyond the words we can physically utter. He saw the whole of His children and His love for each one is both unique and complete. His plan was – is – perfect.

A Strange Way to Save the World Written by Dave Clark, Mark Harris & Don Koch, sung by 4Him

 

 

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There is a Woodshed

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.      Colossians 1:19-23 (NLT, my emphasis)

Lectionary texts: Amos 8:1-12, Psalm 52, Colossians 1:15-28, Luke 10:38-42

The texts this week are some that are wonderful, scary texts. They remind me to stay the path because the alternative is a trip out to God’s woodshed! There are consequences to rebellious behavior.

There are many who may not want to read passage like Amos 8 and Psalm 52. God speaks bluntly and harshly that if I choose to do evil, then God will not “wink” and pat me on the head. Amos, like many of the prophets, had a difficult message to give to Israel who was worshiping gods other than Yahweh. They, at best, were trying to straddle the fence and claim their birthright as one of God’s children while appeasing their neighbors or the king and living a life contrary to God’s commands. That did not fly with God.

I believe the important point here is that in Amos and the psalm and even here in Colossians, when I know the truth and choose to disobey and go my own way, there will be consequences. In all these passages, the Word says that we have been given knowledge of what God wants from us, expects from us. Unlike when I first committed my life to God, I thought the Father was sitting up there on His throne just waiting for me to mess up and then He would smack me down! God is a good Father and He teaches me and shows me the Way through Jesus and His Word and Spirit. He is just.

Luke 10 passage is such a precious passage because I can just hear Jesus say, “Jody, Jody. You are fretting about many, many things but your friend here has chosen the best and I am not going to stop her and tell her to make you feel better. She’s listening to me. You need to do the same!” Discipline is so much better when it comes with a time of teaching and listening instead of digging my heels in and not listening and I end up taking a trip to the woodshed.

It is so important that we read all of Scripture. All of it is good for teaching, correcting, rebuking and training (2 Timothy 3:16). But we must always read in context with the chapter, the book and whole of it, including our experience which helps us to understand who God truly is. When I read passages like today, I read about discipline but I read it within the context of God’s eternal and extravagant love.

Alabastar Box written by Janice Sjostran and sung by Cece Winans

 

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Alarm Clock

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

4-7 He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free.    1 Timothy 2:3-4 (The Message)

[Jesus said,] “I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”   Matthew 12:36-37 (HCSB)

What motivates you to get up in the morning? Is it a positive thing like: I have a job to do and I want to do it to the best of my ability? Or is it a more negative thing like: If I don’t get up and get to work, I won’t have a job and be able to provide for myself and my family?

My motivation depends on the morning – and on the job. I’m just being honest here. In all of the jobs I had in my “nursing season,” my reasons for going to work were positive, up until the last six months or so that I was at the job. Even before I committed my life to Jesus and building His Kingdom, I saw nursing as something one did for reasons beyond money and status. It isn’t a high paying job and it is difficult to find the “status” in many of the tasks I had to do. For the 34 years that I was a nurse, I had six different jobs. I didn’t move around much. I left those jobs to have babies or because the bureaucracy grew and outweighed the pleasure of what I was doing for people.

My current position as partner and editor with my husband in a Christian publishing company stack the odds in my favor that I will continue in this ministry because my partner and I have put Jesus as the CEO of the ministry.

Whether our job is in our home or for employer, Jesus has called us to serve, every day. And these two Scriptures today are examples of the question: What motivates us to do our jobs every day? Because every day, whether intentionally or not, we are witnesses to who Jesus is if we call ourselves His disciples. Every person we meet can be left with an impression of Jesus whether we speak of Him verbally with our lips, act as He would act, or silently pray for someone and trust the Holy Spirit to do as He will.

I am going to be thinking about this questions today and through the weekend. I will be asking the Holy Spirit to shine His Light of truth on me. How about you?

Love You So Much written by Russell Fragar and sung by Darlene Zschech

 

 

 

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Time Out

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

[Jesus said,] “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.

11-15 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.

16 “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.

17 “But remember the root command: Love one another.”          John 15:9-17 (The Message)

I am battling a sore throat and aches today so I am going to take this time to rest. May we all have ears to hear Jesus when He calls us to work and when He says, “Rest.” Jesus said the second greatest command was to love others just as I love myself. I am going to receive that love for myself today so that there is love to give away.

The song today is – simple. I hope you find it restful and restoring.

All I Need is You, LORD written and sung by Hillsong United

 

 

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