Divine Home Design

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from August 25, 2010]

For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; …    Ephesians 3:14-17 (WEB)

When I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, the Redeemer of my life, He came to live in me.  His Holy Spirit became a part of me. What kind of accommodations am I offering to God? What does my home look like?

How about the ‘Kitchen’?  Do I “cook up” good stuff in my spirit, my soul?  Do I mix pleasing portions of personal Bible study, private and corporate worship, and private and corporate prayer? Do I store up items in my pantry that will never spoil or am I more concerned about having ‘name brand’, religious accessories that mean nothing to God who can see the truth of my heart?

What happens in my bedroom, including the closet?  What is my relationship with God?  I can be totally honest here because this is the place where nobody sees — except Him.  God will help me

de-clutter the closet and sweep out the dust bunnies of my life. The secret sins that I think no one else knows – God will clean that out!

Not to be indelicate, but what about the bathroom?  Have my past sins that I have repented, and are covered by Jesus’ blood from the cross, truly been flushed away?  Or do I continue to revisit them and the stench affects every part of my home?  Nothing from this world can cover-up and set me free. Only the Blood. Nothing else is needed.

And finally, there is my front porch and yard.  Is it beautiful and fragrant with good fruit and flowers?  Or does it look deserted like no one lives there any more? Is my faith my life? Am I disciple of Jesus Christ 24/7? Do I have curb appeal that beckons people closer to ask about what makes me different? Am I prepared to share what produces the fruit in my life?

As I look around my physical dwelling place and consider how much time and effort I spend in keeping that ‘up’ and clean and repaired — how does that balance with the time and effort I put into my spiritual home where God lives!?!!

Just like any home designer, Jesus as a vision of what I can be. He wants to live inside of me and construct His home from the inside out. Jesus gives me free choice for many of the details of my life but He has also set an example of what will work well for me. He wants my life to be more extravagant (abundant) than I can imagine.

Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.     Psalm 23:6 (WEB)

Eagles Wings written by Reuben Morgan, sung by Hillsong Worship Team

 


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Legacy of Faith

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.      Hebrews 10:19-23 (NLT, my emphasis)

What legacy will I leave? What legacy will you leave? Now this is an unimportant question if we all live to see Jesus return. If we arrive in heaven in the way everyone before has, by dying, then we will leave a legacy.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews speaks about a legacy of faith in Chapter 11. It’s a passage with some comfort as I read it because the list of “greats of the faith” are not great because of their perfection but rather in spite of their im-perfections! Abraham did not just blindly follow God’s directions and wait patiently for the fulfillment of His promises. He took matters into his own hands, made a mess of it, and then found his patience to wait on God. Moses argued with God about His directive to return to Egypt to the point that God’s anger burned against him! And during the trek through the wilderness Moses attempted to “tweak” God’s way of doing things and ended up locked out of the Promise Land.

And so as I look at my life and what I might leave my children, grandchildren and friends, I am comforted that my legacy is also imperfect. I leave the same message as I have learned from those who went before me.

It is God who is great. It is God who takes this clay, me, and shapes and molds it into a useful tool to build His Kingdom. That whatever I leave behind as a worthy testimony was created because of the Hand that directed its path.

A legacy can be influenced by choices made throughout one’s life. That’s a fact that I don’t often sit and consider. How do my decisions affect a decision that may come up a day or a month or year or ten years later? It is so vital that I spend time with my LORD. It is His wisdom and revelation of knowledge that gives me lessons to learn and examples to live by. There are no shortcuts, my friends. The disciples were who they were because they gave up everything to live three years with Jesus, listening and learning from Him.

I have a friend who is battling a life-threatening illness. I pray for him every day. I want God to heal him and restore his physical health. There is so much that he can continue to do in God’s Kingdom. There is so much he has already done. The word that I would use to describe him is steadfast. He has taught me so much about staying true to the course or race that I have been given. His legacy has greatly affected my life. His is a God-given legacy of faith. That makes this gentle, humble man another “great in the faith.”

In the Blink of an Eye written and sung by MercyMe

 

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Communion: Do You Know What It Is?

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

Note from Jody 2/26/13: Many churches will celebrate with communion in their worship on this first Sunday of the month. Let’s prepare ourselves for an act of worship that Jesus Himself showed us and encouraged us to do.

[Devotion reprinted from July 1, 2011]

When we drink from the cup that we ask God to bless, isn’t that sharing in the blood of Christ? When we eat the bread that we break, isn’t that sharing in the body of Christ? 17By sharing in the same loaf of bread, we become one body, even though there are many of us.        1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (CEV)

I have been receiving the elements of communion since I was six-years-old. It took me another 40+ years to begin to know the what and why of what I was doing.

For many years, communion was part of the every day ritual of going to church. Yes, every day I went to church when I was in parochial school. Because it was just part of my school day and had little to do with my heart, I can’t say it improved my behavior or thought process as a child.

It is in what we call The Last Supper that we get our scriptural basis for communion. Jesus said to break bread and drink the wine as a remembrance of His body and blood sacrifice for us (Luke 22:17-21). Jesus connected the Passover ritual to the new eternal covenant He made between God and us.

Recently I was reading 2 Corinthians 4-5 and those chapters clicked with “communion” in my spirit. Paul says that we have a treasure, a relationship with Jesus that is the power of God in us. We are reconciled to God because of Jesus and so we have a ministry of reconciliation to share this treasure with others.

Communion is a sacrament. It is an outward sign of an inward change in me. And for me, communion is a celebration of the change in me as I have been reconciled to God and a celebration that we as a Body are reconciled to each other.

But there’s more. There always is with God.

I remember one communion when my heart was hurt and walled off from a friend and as I accepted the elements, I was able to receive and give forgiveness in my heart.

I know a man who was not a Believer but came to church with his wife, went to communion (because the pastor said he could even if he didn’t believe) and met Jesus in that moment of communion. His heart was strangely warmed by the love of Jesus’ broken body and spilled blood.

Communion can be just a ritual, an opportunity to smile and greet people as we walk up the aisle or pass elements. But if we look to it with expectation, put ourselves at the table with Jesus and expect a time in His presence, maybe it will be something more.

Read Luke 22 and 2 Corinthians 4-5 this weekend. When God sees a weekend, He doesn’t take time off from us. He sees it as an opportunity to spend more time with His children. Will we invite Him along?

Remembrance written and sung by Matt Redman

 

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God, You Are …

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You.
I thirst for You; my body faints for You
in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.
So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory.

My lips will glorify You because Your faithful love is better than life.
So I will praise You as long as I live;
at Your name, I will lift up my hands.
You satisfy me as with rich food;
my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.

When I think of You as I lie on my bed,
I meditate on You during the night watches because You are my helper;
I will rejoice in the shadow of Your wings.
I follow close to You; Your right hand holds on to me.      Psalm 63:1-8 (HCSB)

Lectionary Texts: Isaiah 55:1-9, Psalm 63:1-8, I Corinthians 10:1-13, Luke 13:1-9

As I sit at my desk and write this, it is raining outside my window. To me, rain can produce more emotions than any other weather phenomena. It can be comforting and lull me to sleep under a warm quilt. With claps of thunder and pops of lightening, it can be at once terrifying and extraordinary. And it can express deep sadness.

At this moment it is a backdrop to deep contemplation as I consider the Scriptures in this week’s lectionary texts. “When I think of You God as I lie on my bed and meditate on You during the late night hours because You are …” What are You to me, God? You are so much. You are everything. But to really learn, I need to get more specific than that.

My Provider. Isaiah 55 has God giving an invitation to come and receive His water and food that He provides free and this food and water will satisfy. The food and water can certainly be literal as God does provide me with an income that defies our present economy. But it can also be the intangibles that I need every day to survive: wisdom, courage, faith, hope, compassion, forgiveness, and love. The prophet warns me to go after God while I see Him and not take Him for granted. Remember that God’s ways and understanding are not the same as mine but He will provide me with the faith to trust Him for whatever I need. He will provide.

My Redeemer. In Luke 13 I hear anger in Jesus’ words as He verbally slaps at some people who are pointing their fingers at the sins of others. Jesus warns them that there are no “worse” sinners and that all, ALL need to repent of their sins and accept the redemption that He offers. And He tells the story of the fig tree that produced leaves and looked good but had no fruit. It is not enough that I believe in Him. I must produce fruit. That is what a disciple does. A disciple shares the Good News and encourages others in their journey so that they too produce fruit.

My Savior. I Corinthians 10 is a testimony that I need to engrave on my heart. It’s about my Savior. He came and with His perfect Blood sacrifice, He saved me. But He didn’t stop there. He knew that temptation would be a part of my life and so He lived here for over 30 years and showed me what a holy life is like. He promised me and then showed me that when (not if) temptation comes that there will always be a path to escape. “Lead me not into temptation, LORD, but show me the way out.” Help me to avoid the enemy’s schemes, LORD. Give me sharp eyes and a spirit that senses the schemes of Satan. More than my Savior, You are!

As there are many drops of water in this storm, so my God has many facets that show what He is to me. Yes, I am not worthy of Him but that’s what love is about when it is unconditional.

God You Are My God written and sung by Fernando Ortega

 

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Focus on the Mission and the Blessings

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men…”

Then they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be dishonored on behalf of the Name. Every day in the temple complex, and in various homes, they continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.          Acts 5:29, 41-42 (HCSB)

Sometimes I allow myself to get pretty sad about aspects of my life. I miss my children and grandchildren. I wish we had a reliable car or a different place to live. But then the LORD reminds me of His extravagant love that assures me that my family will be together eternally and brings me through His Word to see the lives of those who have gone before me.

Unlike my life here in the United States, the first century disciples were called on to choose death or sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ every time they spoke of Him. And it wasn’t just the Roman government but the local church doing the persecuting. And that is my example. I may not have to choose my life vs obedience to the call on my life but I do have to choose between my “wants” and obediently living where and how God has placed me. And I can do that with a joyful or a whining heart. It’s a choice.

I have friends who live in foreign lands because that is where they have been placed. I have other friends who would like to be in a foreign mission location but have been asked to stay where they are and minister in the U.S. (I’m not sure they haven’t been given harder ground to plow!) It’s about obedience and about how I live that obedience that glorifies God. It is agreeing that He has the best plan and walking in that plan.

God provides all that I need. I am wonderfully blessed in so many ways and every day I should see the bow on the gift of that day! And, not surprisingly, when I start my day with “LORD, thank You for the day. It is the day You made. Point me in Your direction and I will go” then I have invited the Holy Spirit to direct my spirit and the eyes of my spirit to see the goodness of the LORD.

Spending time reading the Book of Acts or Peter’s letters to the church, gives me an opportunity to put myself into his day. I can see into the life of this disciple and see the witness of his life, even 2000 years later. That is encouragement and faith that takes me through another day with Holy Spirit joy!

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, – let me sow love;
Where there is injury, – pardon;
Where there is doubt, – faith;
Where there is despair, – hope;
Where there is darkness, – light;
Where there is sadness, – joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, – as to console;
to be understood, – as to understand;
to be loved, – as to love.
For it is in giving – that we receive.
It is in pardoning – that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying – that we are born to Eternal Life.   Amen.

 Make Me A Channel of Your Peace from the Prayer of St. Francis, set to music in 1967 by OCP Publications, London, England

 

 

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Even in the Darkest Valley – My Shepherd

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from April 23, 2012]

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil;
For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.     Psalm 23 (NKJV)

Lectionary texts: Acts 4:5-12, Psalm 23, 1 John 5:16-24, John 10:11-18

The texts for this next week are powerful and encouraging. I suspect that many who preach from these texts will use the very familiar John 10 text. I think there is an opportunity here to preach/teach a very important message that many may feel they “cover” at funerals. But too often at funerals, we who need to hear the message are to focused on shock, pain, and many other emotions to hear and receive the truth and encouragement we so desparately need in our daily lives.

Jesus uses the example of the shepherd and sheep because it did speak to His audience at that time. They understood the concepts that He was speaking. There is a great book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller [ISBN#0310274419 ], that you can get for $5 on Amazon.com and it is worth every penny for building your spiritual health. Mr. Keller goes through every point of Psalm 23, explaining about a sherpherd’s staff, the mentality and characteristic of a sheep and how it depends on its shepherd for its very life. That is what Jesus is trying to explain to us in the John 10 passage.

When my parents died, when my young son died, the comfort and peace of my faith was ripped. There are questions and thoughts that I may have never considered or pushed into the closet of my mind so as not to think about it. “Why is this happening? What have I done wrong? How do I regain my footing?” Let us go back to the shepherd and sheep example.

Unlike many animals, sheep do not have natural protection against their predators. They don’t change colors so they blend in with their environment. They are not swift so they can outrun their trackers. They do not have long claws or sharp teeth to fight off the aggressors. They are weak. And so they rely on the shepherd to protect them. And the Shepherd is faithful to the care and protection of His sheep.

As my LORD and I build our relationship I learn about who He really is. I find out that I can take any question to Him and He won’t brush me off. Even when I am walking through this valley where death lives, my Shepherd, my Savior, my Friend, and my God is there. Death does not win. Jesus has overcome death and the ones that I love are not in cold graves but safely with the Shepherd. The Shepherd is the present and eternal connection between myself and them. That is a comfort to me. Goodness and mercy from my LORD who loves me does follow me all my days. And when my time comes to leave this world, I will see Jesus. And standing right there with Him will be my James and my parents. My shepherd is faithful.

We know what love is because Jesus gave his life for us. That’s why we must give our lives for each other.   1 John 3:16 (CEV)

Grief is a time of hard work, especially in when it comes to faith which touches every aspect of my life. Jesus knows that and so He leads me through this time. He sends me “Aaron and Hur” just as He did Moses in the desert march, to hold my arms up when I am too tired to raise them myself. They aren’t there to provide the answers but to help me step closer to the One, the only One, who can provide answers to my questions. My Shepherd who provides all that I need when I am most vulnerable and weak.

Look for an opportunity to share about the Shepherd with someone who is hurting. Invest your time, maybe even $5 for a great book, with someone who may be forever changed to hear that they aren’t alone in the valley and that you know from your experience that they can trust the Shepherd who is there with them all the days and nights of their life.

Yet I Will Praise You by Andy Park, sung by Melissa Boraski (1999)

 

 

 

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Timing Isn’t Everything

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it.Then they went and told Jesus.
When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.    Matthew 14:12-13 (NIV)

There’s sadness in my home today. A long-time friend has unexpectedly died. We will miss her infectious smile and the joyful light that she brought along wherever she went. We all know that she is home with the LORD and rejoice in her life. But there is a hole in the fabric of our lives that will take a while to mend. The fabric will never be the same.

It isn’t unusual for us to wonder about the “why” of God’s timing on the death of someone we love. We know that there must have been a better time in the future to have taken this person to heaven. A wise chaplain told me a true story one day when I was questioning God’s timing.

As a military chaplain, he was often called to notify active duty personnel that there was a death in their family. One day he had to tell a young female ensign that her civilian husband had been killed in a traffic accident. The woman was devastated. The young couple had discussed that she might lose her life in the call of her military duty but they had never considered that he, a civilian, might die. They had been married less than a year and she cried as she expressed all that they had not had the time to experience together. The chaplain let her talk and then asked, “What if God did allow you to chose the day and time. What day would you chose for your husband to die or even for your own death? How would you decide on the day?”

The young woman, like most of us I suspect, would not be able to make such a decision. Should I choose sooner, before suffering and unforseen difficulties come? Should I choose after a child is born or finishes school or gets married or has their first child or last child? Yes, this decision is certainly best made with the wisdom and sight that only our Creator and LORD has.

Even Jesus, who knew the Father with a singular intimate knowledge, withdrew to allow Himself some moments to grieve for the loss of His cousin, John the Baptist. Grief is a normal response to loss. It’s a journey to a “new normal” as my life becomes different in the loss.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.   2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NLT)

I believe that the key to coming through sadness, or grief, with a healthy spirit, is to share our grief with others and receive the shared comfort from each other. God works through His children, to His children.

And so my friend, you have gone before me to your home in heaven. I envy you. I will try to share more smiles and the Light of Christ just as you did. Thank you for being you. I’ll see you later.

Tears in Heaven written and sung by Eric Clapton

 

 

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Abba

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from November 1, 2010]

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.   Romans 8:15-16 (NLT)

Scripture records many references to ‘children’ or a ‘child’. Many of them I have often read in regards to my own children and their upbringing. I have certainly regretted that I did not read Scripture, much less study it, when my older children were growing up. It would have been life-changing for them and me to be reading the best ‘How to…’ manual on the market! Recently I’ve been reading those wonderful Scriptures about ‘children’ again. My focus has been a little different as I think about God’s children, no matter what their age, chronologically.

Even children are known by the way they act, whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.   Proverbs 20:11 (NLT)

Others may know me as a Christian and usually by my actions, correct? Do I walk my faith or just give it lip service? Is it rooted in my heart and bearing fruit throughout my life or just rhetoric?

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.   Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)

Discipleship is an essential in every church or fellowship. Evangelism is the beginning. How much emphasis do we give Sunday School or Bible Study in our lives? Do we ‘teach our children’ and set the example so well that they just know it is a part of their lives – like brushing their teeth? If they do not do it, spiritual decay will occur!

Don’t fail to discipline your children. They won’t die if you spank them.
Physical discipline may well save them from death.   Proverbs 23:13-14 (NLT)

Even in the Church, we could have debates about ‘corporal punishment’ of God’s children, couldn’t we? We as members of God’s Church are very reluctant to call a Child of God to task. When we see a brother or sister in sin, we do not want to offend them, so more often than not – we let it slide and say nothing. More often than not, I tell myself that I am to just pray. Now, I suspect that is truly what I am to do in most situations. But God could also ‘call’ me to speak to my friend with the guidance of His Holy Spirit – and I ignore the summons. God told Ezekiel that it was a serious thing not to speak when he was called to do so. The ‘blood’ of those people would be on his hands! (Ezekiel 3:18)

Growing up is sometimes a reluctant phase in my life. Growing up means taking responsibility for my actions and realizing that there is more than just me in the world. Temper tantrums and self-indulgent ways are childish and are not characteristics of a mature Child of God.

Children can teach me a lot about the love of God. As a parent, I saw just a ‘peek’ of how big God’s unconditional love is for me as I have felt this unconditional love for my own child. That kind of love is all-encompassing and has such height and depth to it that I cannot see an edge. ‘Abba Father’ is my example just as an earthly father and mother are examples. Abba is the First and Last.

Abba Father written and sung by Hillsong Worship Team

 

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No Worries

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom should I be afraid?
When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh,
my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.
Though an army deploys against me, my heart is not afraid;
though a war breaks out against me, still I am confident.

I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking Him in His temple…

Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me…

Wait for the Lord;
be strong and courageous.
Wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:1-4, 10, 14 (HCSB)

Lectionary texts: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18, Psalm 27, Philippians 3:17-4:1, Luke 13:31-35

For me, the lectionary texts this week are about believing and trusting God even when you cannot see a glimpse of His promise. It’s about driving that Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:14-18) deep into the Rock of Jesus where I have taken my stand and believing that He will keep His promise.

Genesis 15 is Abrahm receiving the promise of a descendant even when he and Sarah are far past their childbearing years. Philippians 3 is Paul exhorting us to put our minds, not only an earthly, quick-fix life but to look toward the treasures and rewards of our eternal life with Christ. And finally, the Luke 13 passage has Jesus scoffing at the Pharisees who are trying to intimidate Him to “shut up and go away” because King Herod wants to kill Him. Jesus, instead, points to the Pharisees and the rest of us (then and now) who are worried about what might happen from an earthly king instead of catching that we are missing the Messiah who is right here with us.

The LORD is the Light in my life. He shines no matter what the darkness that may try to push me off my journey and into a pit. I may see trouble coming. It may come unexpectedly. That’s a reason to spend time every day with my LORD and not just during troubles. Be prepared! In this world, it isn’t if trouble is going to come but when it comes.

And no matter how hard the troubles, there is nothing that God hasn’t overcome. Not wars. Not death. Not cancer or any other illness. Not loneliness. Nothing. God is the victor over all of it and has the strength, courage, wisdom, grace (love), mercy (forgiveness), to see me through.

Spending time with the LORD is spending time in that place that is as close to heaven as I get while I am still here on earth. When I am singing or just quietly connecting with Jesus in “our place,” the LORD is showing me that I am welcome in His house. That where He is, that is where I am going to be for all eternity.

The one phrase in Psalm 27 about “even if I am abandoned by my mom and dad” has always been such a comfort to me. In my mind, having my parents turn away from me would be the worse feeling ever. And here I have the promise that I have not been deserted – the LORD Himself still cares for me.

And finally, I am reminded again to grab on to what I know is true about my LORD – His faithfulness – and wait with courage that He gives because He is here in every trouble. I am never alone.

You’ll Never Walk Alone by Rogers & Hammerstein (1945), performed by Andre Rieu & Company

 

 

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Eager to Listen

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Jody Neufeld

Each day, Jesus kept on teaching in the temple. So the chief priests, the teachers of the Law of Moses, and some other important people tried to have him killed. But they could not find a way to do it, because everyone else was eager to listen to him.     Luke 19:47-48 (CEV)

As I was reading this chapter in Luke again, it struck me that once again Jesus knows what I am going through right now. That His example, His teaching is still relevant today. Here I am reading that the leaders of the church wanted to silence Jesus. They wanted to kill Him because what He said was not what they wanted and the way they wanted things to be run. And how did Jesus oppose them? He didn’t try to legislate His teachings. He did not work to make His teachings the government sanctioned teachings. He didn’t work to put His disciples into positions of power. He didn’t try to overthrow the government. He didn’t even speak negatively about the government! In the one passage where He speaks specifically about the government (Matthew 22:21), Jesus tells the people that their allegiance to God is more important than their question of taxes, which is the question that they had brought to Him. And so I am meditating on my allegiance today and how I live my allegiance that would encourage everyone else to eagerly listen to Him.

Abortion. Children were treated like and were slaves. They were often treated worse than a horse. What did Jesus do? He touched children. Spoke to them. Said that all should have faith in Him like a child. That whatever we did to the least, we did to and for Him. So if we provide homes for these mothers, tangible support that gives them an alternative to abortion, that sounds like a way to be the Good News.

Prayer in schools. If I had a “mulligan” (a do-over) for my years as a parent, it would be showing my children in our home routine that praying before meals, before studying for a test, before bed, before anything was so important that to not do it would seem strange. And that no one can stop them from praying in school. No one can tell them that they can’t bow their heads and pray before their lunch or a test or a game or pray for a classmate or teacher who needs it. I would want my child to lead a prayer when it was needed, not a teacher. It is my job as the parent to teach my children about God, just as it is my job to teach them morality and ethics. Every student at some point learns to disagree with what is taught to them. I was in sixth grade when a teacher told me, in front of my whole class, that I was going to hell because I went to church with my father. This was in a private religious school that, as the years went on, taught me many things that were just plain unbiblical and not of God. It’s part of growing up. I didn’t talk enough about my faith when my children were young. I rejoice because they have learned from my mistakes.

Israel. Somewhere in the 1980’s I realized that the government, the legislature, of the country that I love and am so blessed to live in, was seriously “off the rails.” By that I mean that the ideals and passion to “form a more perfect union” had somehow gotten lost in the powerplays and games of special interests. It was the young men and women of my generation that got drafted or served in a war that had no high ideals but was motivated by only politics. If we believe, as a disciple of Jesus, that we should be supporting Israel, then let’s support Israel no matter what our legislature thinks. I have two friends that know many people in Israel and so we can raise money and help them assist people right there, right now. My mind can’t imagine what might happen if the Good News – the compassion, kindness, outpouring of tangible goods as well as “We are praying for you!” – was sent like a loving flood. What a different message that would be!

Instead of trying to “reinvent the wheel” in our faith, let’s just keep it simple and yet powerful and do what Jesus did – share His Good News. Yes, that involves our mouth but we only have one mouth but two eyes, two ears, two hands/arms and two legs. Maybe we should our mouths only half as much as the other parts. Let Jesus do more of the talking. Let’s do whatever creates an atmosphere where more people are eager to listen to Jesus.

Make Me a Servant from Psalty & Kids’ Praise #4

 

 

 

 

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