Yahweh is Here – Believe It or Not

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from September 25, 2008]

— Henry Neufeld

1Now the entire congregation of the Israelites traveled from the wilderness of Sin by stages as YHWH commanded. They camped in Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2So the people brought a complaint against Moses. They said, “Give us water so we can drink!”

Moses said to them, “Why do you bring a complaint against me? Why are you testing YHWH?”

3But the people were thirsty, so they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our flocks from thirst?”

4Then Moses cried out to YHWH. He said, “What shall I do for these people? Pretty soon they’re going to stone me!”

5But YHWH said to Moses, “Go over in front of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you, and take the staff that you used to strike the sea in your hand, and keep on going. 6Here’s the thing, I’ll be standing before you there by the rock in Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out from it, and the people will drink.”

So Moses did just that before the elders of Israel. 7And he named that place Massah and Meribah, because of the complaint that the Israelites brought and because they tested YHWH saying, “Is YHWH amongst us or not?” — Exodus 17:1-7 (HN)

I’ve translated these verses a bit loosely in order to get the feel of the story. Before we are too hard on the Israelites, we should ask ourselves just how likely we would be to travel through the wilderness, waiting for God’s command for each move, not knowing where our food and water was going to come from. Until we’ve been willing to do that, we should put ourselves in their place and realize our own weaknesses.

But I want to focus a bit on Moses, rather than the people. Moses goes to God and he is given instructions. He is to go out and stand in front of the people and keep moving forward. He is to carry his staff. He is to bring some of the elders with him.

The elders are clearly there to witness and to be part of this event. They are to learn, and also to be rebuked for their complaints as God resolves their problem. But what about the staff? For the Israelites at this point, the staff was the power symbol. They saw it as a magic staff. It was the thing Moses used to release God’s power.

I can be quite certain they saw it that way both because of their actions, and because that is the way such an object would have been seen in their world. It was a special physical artifact, blessed by the gods (or God in this case) and the item would release God’s power when done properly.

Moses goes up and strikes the rock with the staff as he is instructed, and out comes the water. What isn’t seen by the people is that God is standing there with Moses. The staff strikes the rock, but God brings the water.

We can test this by reading what happened in Numbers 20. There Moses is told simply to speak to the rock, but he falls back on the staff, and strikes the rock with it twice.

God was trying to teach the people that he was with them, and that it was not their ritual actions or their holy objects that made it happen; it was God. Their requirement in taking those actions was obedience. When they were obedient God acted. The staff itself had no power. The sacrifice of an animal had no power to forgive. God brought the water and God forgave.

This is one of the great lessons I have learned in studying the Torah (the Pentateuch or first five books of the Bible).

God demands obedience, but it is God who brings the results not the ritual. Even your obedience doesn’t cause God to act. You can see God’s grace in action as he lets them have the visible sign (the staff) while trying to turn their attention to him as they are able to take that step.

It is so easy to get the idea that we control God. If a prayer is answered, we want to think we have found a “prayer method.” If we are blessed, we want to look at aspects of our life that have brought the blessing. But the answer in both cases is that God acted because of his grace. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t cause it. As with Moses, God is standing there, whether we see and acknowledge him or not.

Posted in Exodus | Comments Off on Yahweh is Here – Believe It or Not

Plan A

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.    Genesis 3:23-24 (NLT)

[Jesus said,] “The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost.”     Luke 19:10 (CEV)

The tree of life can be found again in Revelation 22. It is found along the bank of the river of life that flows from the throne of God. God banished His children from this paradise because they themselves over Him. As much as He loves His children, He cannot live with them if they are covered in sin.

But God, our Father, didn’t give up on us. He had a plan. Adam, Noah, Moses, Rahab, David, through Mary and Joseph had a choice in God’s plan until Jesus came to look for and save all of us who were lost to the Father. I made a choice to accept Jesus’ free gift. How many more are still wandering around trying to find the path out of despair, suffering, confusion, and all manner of pain?

The county that I live in has recently changed the panhandling ordinances. The news last night showed film accounts of homeless individuals being arrested. This is a very difficult time of year for the homeless. Low temperatures, decreasing donations to agencies who assist the needy, and now laws that carry a $500 fine and jail. I guess that would give them “three hots and a cot”, wouldn’t it?

I share that news bit because Jesus said He came to save the lost. What was Jesus’ example on how to do this? He fed 5,000 (Matthew 14) and 4,000 (Matthew 15). Jesus fed spirit and body. What are we doing? How are we reaching out to the lost? Is it someone else’s problem? Is my nose so sensitive that the smell of the homeless is unwelcome in worship? Jesus said in His parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22) to go out into the streets and bring in “anyone you find”. Not just the clean and shaved people but all. Have I posted my own flaming sword to keep “some” from finding their way to Jesus? I stand in witness to a message by my actions. Is it a message from Jesus or of my own judgmental making? Those are uncomfortable, hard questions that I do not want the Holy Spirit to put to me.

The Prayer of Saint Francis is on my desk. It catches my eye almost every day. I frequently paraphrase Scripture to meditate on a passage in my own words. I was doing the same to this prayer last night.

Lord, make me the instrument of your peace that you desire.

Where hatred is spoken or creates acts – use me to show your love.

Where someone has sustained an in jury – help me to show them how to forgive like you.

Where doubt is causing confusion in a life – may I be used like you did Aaron and Hur for Moses.

Where despair is burying someone in a pit – may I be a conduit of your hope.

Where someone is lost in darkness – may I carry a candle of your Light.

Where there is grief and sadness – may your joy in me overflow.

Oh, my LORD, may I not look so much for comfort but instead comfort others;

not look to be understood but to extend understanding to my neighbor;

or look for love but instead love others like you have loved me – unconditionally.

Because when I give – I receive.

When I forgive – I am forgiven.

Because when I give up, permanently let go, of my way of living my life, I am born into your life, LORD.

Jesus came to look for me and save me so that I would tell others about what He has done for me; for all of us. There is no Plan B.

Posted in Genesis, Luke | Comments Off on Plan A

Torn Between Two Desires

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from November 30, 2009]

— Henry Neufeld
1For we know that if this earthly body that houses us is destroyed, we have a place to live that comes from God, an eternal place to live that is eternal and not made by hands. 2For while we are in this body we groan, wanting to put on that body that is from heaven. 3For if it happens that this body is taken off, we won’t be naked. 4We do indeed grown, weighed down by this earthly body, because we don’t want to take it off, but to put on the new one, so that the corruptible can be swallowed up in the immortal. 5God has been working in us to accomplish this very destiny. He is the one who has given us the Holy Spirit to prove to us what he is doing. — 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 (HN)

It’s advent season, in one sense the season of waiting—waiting for Jesus. Christians are used to waiting, though we can’t really get happy with it. Christians have expected the return of Jesus for nearly 2,000 years.

We also like to get things clear. When will the Messiah come? “Soon” doesn’t work all that well for us. We’d like a date, just like the Israelites would have liked in their time. There’s the struggle of waiting and being faithful where we are, while at the same time we stretch ourselves forward for what can be. Waiting and uncertainty are not popular. We are like Tolkien’s hobbits. He says that they liked books filled with lots of things they already knew set down plainly without contradiction. But our walk with God is often filled with uncertainties and paradoxes, and we have to deal with them.

As we grow older, I suspect we think of this more. There’s going to come an end to this life. There will be a last breath here, and then the next one will be in the kingdom. There are those who think that if one really believes in the afterlife, a place that is much better than this one, one should be in a hurry to get there. Perhaps not suicide—no mortal sins please!–but a certain amount of risk taking would be in order. Let’s get it over with and get to the other side!

But Paul points out the struggle that we all have. We have this one. We don’t necessarily feel safe losing it to be replaced with the heavenly body that Christ will provide. It’s a constant struggle, and Paul doesn’t try to pretend it’s anything else. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t instantly yell out “Hallelujah” the instant someone talks about Jesus coming, perhaps even today. There are lots of other people out there who feel much the same way. It’s just not “holy” to admit it.

We kind of like our lives here. We enjoy them and we don’t want to lose them. And that’s not a bad thing. God is preparing us for that new body, that great future, and as the first payment he has provided is with the Spirit. We truly are people divided between two kingdoms. The Spirit is working in us to prepare us for eternity, and at the same time we are enjoying this present life.

Advent is a good time to be torn. It’s not unnatural. That conflict is appropriate. Notice that Paul uses the word “we,” and he’s talking about his mission and ministry. Advent is, in many ways, the essence of the Christian life. We are in one world, longing for, waiting for, the next.

Posted in 2 Corinthians | Comments Off on Torn Between Two Desires

Every Day with My LORD

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

LORD God All-Powerful, make us strong again! Smile on us and save us.     Psalm 80:19 (CEV)

God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.         1 Corinthians 1:9 (NLT)

Lectionary Texts: Isaiah 64:1-9, Psalm 80, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Mark 13:24-37

The lectionary texts seem to follow what God was saying to me all last week. He is faithful.

Too often I run into Christians who paste on their “faith face” and blissfully quote like Paul that they have learned to be content in all their circumstances (Philippians 4:11). Contentment does not come easily and certainly not through any of my own strength or knowledge. Prior to putting his contentment pronouncement out there, Paul says (Philippians 3) that he has no confidence in his flesh and that he if he desires to suffer along with Jesus then he must forget his failures and press on toward the ultimate goal to also share in Jesus’ resurrection.

God is faithful, my friends. He will walk right along with me through the trials and terrible difficulties, never missing a step. Cling to Him! Grab on to His hand and do not let go! Speak to Jesus constantly throughout the day! It isn’t about being inside a church or on your knees. It is about the direction of my focus and the desire of my heart.

I was reminded yesterday about when Paul and Peter were beaten and imprisoned, they did not get up the next day and step back up on a boulder and preach. They did have to heal and recover. We forget the importance of allowing God to heal our minds, bodies, and spirits. There is an important time to be quiet and listen, allowing God’s words to flow over me healing, refreshing, encouraging, and feeding my starved spirit and bruised heart. In the physical, how often have people kept working through a “simple cold” and ended up with pneumonia because they did not take the time to rest? What is manifested in the physical will also reveal itself in my spiritual life. God is faithful.

I encourage you to take every day and spend time with Jesus. If you pray in the morning, before meals, and before you go to bed at night, then take another bit of time and read the lectionary passages and allow them to soak in. First thing in the morning or before you go to sleep – see if you do not feel Him closer. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and ears to more of God’s presence so that you see and hear His voice more clearly. And then thank Him.

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.      Isaiah 64:4 (NIV)

Posted in 1 Corinthians, Isaiah, Psalms | Comments Off on Every Day with My LORD

Thankful To Belong

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

Matthew 25:31-46

“Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says to them: See, I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Since you have pushed with flank and shoulder and butted all the weak ones with your horns until you scattered them all over, I will save My flock, and they will no longer be prey for you. I will judge between one sheep and another. I will appoint over them a single shepherd, My servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd.”           Ezekiel 34:20-23 (HCSB)

I hope you will take time today or this weekend and read the passage from Matthew’s Gospel and remember that the Old Testament was the “Bible” that Jesus read. Then consider God’s words through Ezekiel and Jesus’ words together.

It may be hard for those of us who are not familiar with the life of a shepherd to understand the depth of love and care that God is expressing through these two passages. Sheep, by their very nature, were totally dependent upon a shepherd. It was a shepherd that would bring his flock to places of abundant food and safety that would allow them to rest and grow. It was a shepherd who protected the flock because sheep had no way to protect themselves or run away from a predator.

I am also dependent upon God for all that sustains me. When I follow my Shepherd, I find that place of peace in the middle of a cruel and unfair world. I grow and mature when I graze on the wisdom and “good food” provided by my LORD. I am not aware of how often Jesus steps in front of terrible difficulties in my life. How often does He lead me to go down a street and avoid a car crash or give me an opportunity to share a sandwich with a homeless person on the corner? I am often so oblivious or caught up in the “crisis of the moment” that I miss His opportunities.

I believe that one of the most important desires that I am born with is a need to “belong”. As a child, I want to belong to a family that will love me and be there for me no matter what. As a young person, I want to belong to a circle of friends that encourage me to do what is honorable and kind. And yet, these are not enough. There is still a “hole” that can only be filled when I accept that all that I can see and touch cannot meet this need. I am missing my Father who knew me since before He conceived me. I want a relationship with my Creator and it was my Shepherd, Jesus, who made that possible. On that night that I threw myself into His arms, I knew that I belonged. I felt safe and satisfied for the first time in my life. And when life is difficult and I look around like a lost sheep, I know to listen for the Shepherd’s voice and that is where I will find my way back to the fold where I belong.

Today before I take off on a path of my own design, I am going to listen and be. Stop and rest from the striving and trying. Sit at the feet of my Shepherd.  

He Leadeth Me by Joseph Gilmore (1862)

Posted in Ezekiel, Matthew | Comments Off on Thankful To Belong

Thankful He Knows Best

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.     Ephesians 1:15-18 (NLT)

[God said to Job,]“Can you direct the movement of the stars—binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion?
Can you direct the sequence of the seasons or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?
Do you know the laws of the universe?
Can you use them to regulate the earth?”               Job 38:31-33 (HCSB)

God knows better than I do about any subject. Now before you say, “Duh!”, let’s consider if I accept this not just in my head, but in the way I live my life.

There are many people having a rough holiday season. They may be having turkey sandwiches alone for Thanksgiving instead of a roasted turkey and a table full of family. They may have no presents for Christmas because the choice was the mortgage and power bill or gifts. They are working hard but prices are increasing and salaries are not. And certainly even this life here in the United States is a different world from the majority of people on this earth who have no clean water, little food, basic shelter, and live with war in their streets.

I do not claim to understand God’s plan in all of this. I know that God is love. I know that God has shown throughout our known history that He is closely present and involved in the lives of His children. I can see God in the hope and strength that brings us through these conditions and gives a spirit of victory if we allow Him to do so. There are so many “threads” in this tapestry that I cannot possibly imagine what my decisions will unravel or make into a beautiful picture. God’s words in Job 38-41 bring me into the reality of the all that God created and how only His omnipotent power and wisdom can keep it all where it should be. Do I begin to see myself in relationship to the all?

Tomorrow, when I bow my head along with my husband, I will take whatever time needed to come quietly before God to give thanks and draw close to hear what He has to say on this day. It is going to be a quiet day for us and there is an opportunity to turn my ears toward God and listen to that still, small voice. Like a child who initially rebels against the wishes of the parent, so I have pulled myself away from God and tried to find my way alone. Now, at this time in my life, I want to keep my hand tucked safely in my Father’s hand and with with my friend, Jesus, until we have talked out my questions and concerns. Our relationship changes and grows and we spend more time together and I learn who my LORD is and that He does know best.

 

Posted in Ephesians, Job | Comments Off on Thankful He Knows Best

Thankful for God’s Love

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.           Psalm 100 (NLT)

[Jesus said,] “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.”         John 10:14-16 (NLT)

God made us. We belong to God. We are God’s people who belong in His pasture. That means that He puts His protection around us. He provides us with all that we need. It’s a beautiful picture to keep inside our minds and hearts, isn’t it? Life doesn’t always look like a reflection of that picture. Sometimes life is just beyond hard.

I have had so many prayer requests this year. Young people dying from cancer. Hard-working, faithful people who have lost their jobs. Others who are struggling with banks to pay their mortgages and car loans. And more who give of their time and talents to bless “the least of these” and yet, they continue to barely keep the lights on in their own homes. Where is God in the lives of His children?

Right there. Where He has always been. These difficulties, horrible times, did not just begin in the last century. When James and Peter and Andrew and Paul and their families and friends were being persecuted and killed off one by one, they too wondered where God was. God is faithful and loving. He is there to encourage and lift up. The question is not “Where is God?” but “Where are His children?”. When life comes roaring like a lion – loud, aggressive, and scary – what is my response? Do I give up, crawl in bed and pull the covers over my head? Do I beat my fists on the table in anger and frustration? Or do I fall to my knees saying, “Help me, God!”? (I’ve done all of those!)

God knows me. He did not fall asleep (Isaiah 40:28) and so is taken by surprise by my circumstances. He has the wisdom to guide me through whatever choppy waters I must navigate. Take a few minutes and read Psalm 37. God promises that He does not abandon the righteous and their children will not beg for bread. There are many more good promises just in that one chapter. When my life here is throwing all the muck and mud it can, that is when I need to hear God’s truth about who I am and what I am in the future. It is the hope that is Jesus that means more than this life. He is the anchor in a world that changes like the wind that blows across a beach, a mountain range or a flat land. Isn’t that what I want deep down? Aren’t I looking for truth to hang on to amid the shifting sand of my life?

I am so thankful for the loving LORD whose love is not counted because of how good I am. God’s love is the warm wrap on these cold, difficult winters in my life. I am humbled and so blessed by my Father’s love.

Posted in John, Psalms | Comments Off on Thankful for God’s Love

Thankful for my Shepherd

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.”       Ezekiel 34:11-12 (NLT)

[Jesus said,] “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”          John 14:1-3 (NLT)

On recent Mondays I have looked at the lectionary texts for the previous Sunday. This week I am going to look at a passage a day as they were all about “thanks” and that seems a good subject for this week.

Ezekiel 34:11-14, 20-24

I never thought about this Ezekiel passage as it relates to Jesus’ personal metaphor that He is our shepherd. The Father said it first, didn’t He? He made the promise when the Israelites were in exile that they would return home. They had hope. They understood what it meant to be “aliens” in a land. They yearned to return to the place that was familiar. That was home.

In our modern western world, we do not have “exile” experiences. We may move to various parts of our country but we generally have the same language and access to familiar foods. We continue to worship our LORD in a familiar way. Jesus, in John’s gospel, speaks to what we should recognize as home. And that isn’t where I currently reside.

More and more I am feeling less “comfortable” in this world. Language, culture, interests that are promoted leave me flat. Promises made are promises easily broken. I find words and promises like Jesus speaks in John’s gospel to be “juicy” and “comforting” and filled with hope. They enter my heart and confirm to me in that place where I know that I know – I have a promise I can count on. I begin to wrap my mind and live my life based on eternal plans. Plans that cannot be demolished by the winds of crumbling banks or kowtowing politicians. I see my weaknesses now as what God can use and make something with His power. This is an “upside down” revelation for me. I have always wanted to be in control. I am learning to see that my weaknesses and limitations are opportunities for God to be magnified, not me.

As we move toward a day when we focus on thanks, let us begin today to give thanks for our Shepherd who has loved us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). Our Shepherd has kept His promises and will keep His promise to bring us home to Him. He has prepared a home that is beyond any Extreme Makeover! I look at Niagara Falls, galaxies from the Hubble Telescope, the first snowfall of the year, and even my newborn grandchild – and I know that my promised “heavenly home” is better. Thank you, Father.

Posted in Ezekiel, John | Comments Off on Thankful for my Shepherd

Give Glory to God

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and, with a loud voice, gave glory to God. He fell facedown at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan.

Then Jesus said, “Were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine? Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?”     Luke 17:15-18 (HCSB)

Next week, we Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving. Last night I went to a worship service to celebrate and give God thanks for an inner-city ministry that has been serving God’s children for 14 years. They feed 150 families with boxes (not plates) of food every week. They help out with utility bills in a time when most non-profits are decreasing their utility assistance. This ministry also provides after-school tutuoring and mentors. The number of people who came last night would have fit in my living room and we all support and encourage each other. No recipients came.

Questions to ask myself:

Have I thanked God for anything yet today? As I was reading a news story the other day I was struck that when I go to sleep every night, I have no guarantee that I am going to wake up the next morning. Undetected medical illness, criminal incidents, natural events like lightening strikes and tornadoes could all occur during the night denying my anticipated wake-up call. So when I wake-up every morning, do I thank God that it was His plan that I am here another day?

Have I sent someone a “thank you” note this week? There are so many people that God uses to bless me in any given week. Take five minutes and think about yesterday. Who spoke something that encouraged me or made me smile or made me feel better than I did two minutes before? Did I thank God for that person? Is it someone I know? Could I send a card or text or leave them a note on Facebook? Something???

Have I made an extra effort to give thanks? I spend a fair amount of time and energy on preparing meals when my children and grandchildren are visiting. It is definitely one of the ways that I show my family how much I love them. Do I prepare and sweat – put forth that amount of effort — to show my Heavenly Father how much I love Him? Do I make the time? Is “God-time” my “priority time”? Or does Jesus get a “drive-thru” thanks?

Just like I do not want rocks crying out in worship because I am not worshiping (Luke 19:40), I do not want to be counted with those nine lepers who did not “bother” to give their Healer thanks. It is not about ritual or what any person thinks. It is about the condition of my heart. Is my heart tender and humble? May I give God all the glory for what He has done, is doing, and will do in my life?

Let all that I am praise the Lord;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.     Psalm 103: 1-4 (NLT)

 

Posted in Luke, Psalms | Comments Off on Give Glory to God

Are You Saved?

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

[Jesus said] “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”        Luke 19:10 (NLT

If someone asks, “Are you saved?”, what do they mean?

I first heard this question when I was 14-years-old. I had been raised Catholic. I knew Jesus was God who came to earth to die for my sins and three days later rose from the dead and now lived in heaven. I had a young teen crush on a boy who walked me to class and ate lunch with me in the public school we attended. He invited me to a revival. I had never been to a church service with “Amens” and loud, shouting preaching. I had never seen an altar call and found myself the focus of people (4-5) that came up to me asking, “Are you saved?”. I had no frame of reference to know what they meant. And now, 40 years later, I can say, “Yes, I am saved” but my meaning and any 20 other people can mean 20 different things. What did Jesus mean? His meaning is the one that matters, isn’t it?

Jesus was clear in Matthew 4:17 that there was a need for us to “make a change” (repent) because God’s Kingdom was coming and God and sin did not mix! In the Luke passage Jesus said that He came to save those who were “lost”. If my Creator and I are not living together, then one of us is lost. Jesus also told the leadership of the Church that He came to call sinners, not the righteous (Matthew 9:12-13). Throughout the gospels Jesus brings the message from the Father that He desires to be with His children. He loves His children. He sent His own Son to bring us to the safety of the sheep pen (John 10). So when someone speaks about Jesus and questions a person, “Are you saved?”, I believe Jesus’ answer is more encompassing than the answer most of us require.

Too often my requirements for someone to be “saved” from their sins is more about their relationship with me not God. I want to hear the person say the “right words” so I know they are “right with God”. I want them to agree with my interpretation of specific important Scripture passages. (Which Scriptures are more important?) I want them to stay away from “certain sins”. Sins that aren’t a temptation for me so I can’t see how they could do such things! I want people to be “clean” inside and out before they attend my church. (Hmmm. Jesus said He came for the “sick” so doesn’t that make a church = a spiritual hospital?) Do I eat with those who are “unsaved”? Jesus did. Do I spend time sharing everything Jesus has shared with me – including His love? That’s what Jesus said to do (Matthew 28:19).

Am I saved? Yes, because I am a sinner loved extravagantly and unconditionally by God Himself. He loved me before I loved Him. I cannot do anything without my LORD. I cannot “save” myself from sin. I need Jesus. He came, died for me, and now guides me with His Holy Spirit to live my life as a servant until He brings me home with Him forever. I am saved by Love

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. [I pray] that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. [I pray that] you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and width, height and depth, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19 (HCSB)

The Cross, covered in the Blood of God’s Son, is also the symbol of His Love – not condemning but convicting as it comes with complete forgiveness for all God’s children who will hear His voice to “Repent for the Kingdom of God is near”.

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