Walking With Jesus

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

[Jesus said,] “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him…They are judged by this fact: The Light has come into the world, but they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things. All who do evil hate the light and will not come to the light, because it will show all the evil things they do. But those who follow the true way come to the light, and it shows that the things they do were done through God.”     John 3:16-21 (NCV)

Do you remember the day (or night) that you said “Yes, Jesus, I need You as Savior and Lord”? Stop a minute and think about it. Maybe you have been blessed to grow up always knowing about Jesus and His love and it seems He has always been there for you. But I bet there was a moment, a time, when the enormity of what He did for you struck a chord inside you that changed your walk with Him forever.

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know the name Jesus and that He was born in a manger in Bethlehem and died on a cross on Calvary. But it took over 40 years until I admitted, accepted, the fact that Jesus did it … for me. My personal pride and at the same time my feelings of no self-worth had me rejecting the idea that Jesus did it all for me. No way! I could not accept that God loved me so much that He sent His Son to die for me so that we could spend eternity together.

My walk to freedom happened on a July night in 1995 when a preacher said,

“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes into his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”   Luke 9:25-26 (NIV, emphasis mine)

The truth ran through me like Drain-o through a clogged pipe. I was ashamed of God. I was ashamed that I needed Him and so had rejected His gift all my life. Well…He was going to reject me if I didn’t turn around, lay that pride of mine down, and walk toward Him. It was no coincidence that I was in a room with about 2000 people. The ‘ashamed factor’ was going to be dealt with right then! All of this went through my mind in the 15-20 minutes between when the preacher read that Scripture and invited all who would to come forward. I don’t believe that you must go forward in that way. It is about what has happened in your heart, not the ceremony. But for me, it was a tangible way for me to reject my pride and I have always had that memory to encourage and remind me of God’s extravagant love.

I got to my feet and stepped out into the aisle and I’ve never looked back. My life since that night has been more like the ‘via dolorosa’ than the ‘mount of transfiguration’! It has taken me awhile to understand that walking with Christ means walking with Christ. His life here was not easy or beautiful. It was with eyes on eternity that Jesus walked this earth in peace and joy. I’m learning.

I look at my walk to Jesus and my heart is full and overflowing with love and gratitude for the One, the only One, who loves me. He loves me without conditions and desires that I grow closer and closer to Him. My walk to freedom on that July night continues each day: “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty! I am free at last!”

…when a person changes and follows the Lord, that covering [veil] is taken away. The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Our faces, then, are not covered. We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like him, This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NCV)

Posted in 2 Corinthians, John, Luke | Comments Off on Walking With Jesus

Kingdom Principles

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don’t be tempted yourself. You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.

If you think you are better than others, when you really aren’t, you are wrong. Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others. We each must carry our own load.

Share every good thing you have with anyone who teaches you what God has said.

You cannot fool God, so don’t make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant.     Galatians 6:1-7 (CEV)

Never let it be said that God only brings me to the easy passages and that I receive an entire clear message that never has to be revisited for further pondering! This passage has many wonderful, valid points but when taken all together in context … I believe Paul is trying to get the point across to me that life with God does have some areas for me to balance.

The first point that I receive is that I am to be willing to reach out to my brother or sister in Christ who has slipped into sin. When the conviction comes to their spirit, I am to be willing to gently restore them. ‘Gently’ to me says that I do not condemn. That is not my job! I believe this passage is also encouraging us as a Church to make the restoration a family exercise so that not one of us is tempted to fall either into the pit of the one being restored or into a pit of pride. If we as a church are in the business of ‘seeking the lost’ then that includes restoring the lost also.

‘Offer each other a hand’ and ‘each must carry our own load’. Which one is it? There is that point of balance that Paul is trying to show me. In carrying another’s burdens, I have opportunities to pray for others, sit with them and listen, maybe even clean their yard! God shows me ways to let others know that I care and that I am there – right there for them. On the other side of God’s coin, He doesn’t want me to make an ‘invalid’ of someone by doing everything for them whether it is studying the Bible for them and spoon feeding answers or providing them with food and shelter, etc. when there are opportunities for employment, even at minimum wage.

‘A man reaps what he sows’. Here is a Kingdom Principle. It came to me that we as teachers and leaders in God’s Church would do well to spend more time teaching Kingdom principles than church doctrines. ‘Reaping and sowing’ is a Kingdom principle.

Remember this: the person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not out of regret or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.     2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (HCSB)

This passage is often quoted regarding tithing but it certainly speaks to me about the giving of my talents and time to God. If I give just a little of my time and talent to God (which, they all belong to Him any way!) then all I will get in return is a little. And God wants it to be given cheerfully with a glad and open heart, not grudgingly and with the idea that I have a gun to my head or because I care what others will think if I don’t serve! Reaping and sowing is a principle given by God to me so that I can grow strong in Him!

I’ll be pondering this passage for awhile today, tomorrow… I’d like to hear what God says to you about it also.

Posted in 2 Corinthians, Galatians | Comments Off on Kingdom Principles

Communion: Do You Know What It Is?

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

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. It’s a long holiday weekend. When God sees a holiday, 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?

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God? Can You Hear Me Now?

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

[At 2 a.m. I finished writing a devotion for today about “communion” – and my computer crashed and ate my devotion! It has taken until now to bring technology back online! So I saw this devotion from 2008 that seemed very appropriate given the circumstances. I hope God will re-dictate the communion devotion for tomorrow! – Jody]

Even Michael, the chief angel, didn’t dare to insult the devil, when the two of them were arguing about the body of Moses. All Michael said was, “The Lord will punish you!”   Jude 9 (CEV)

In my mind, since I was a child, there has been a mental picture of Michael the archangel. He is huge! – like nine feet tall! And his wingspan would not fit in the sanctuary of most churches. He is dressed in armor with a sword in his hand. His eyes are steady – not mean but like he sees the truth of what is really happening and isn’t frightened a bit!

Michael is disputing (arguing vigorously) with the devil about Moses’ body. Remember how God buried Moses and it says that the site of the burial is unknown? (Deuteronomy 34) Do you think that satan might want to identify the spot so a shrine could be built? satan is all about idolatry! Remember that Peter wanted to build a tabernacle for Moses and Elijah? (Matthew 17) satan is sly and slick. Take a seemingly innocent idea and twist it into his own scheme – get us to give worship to someone or something besides God!

This is just one verse – but God just stuffs it with His wisdom!

Michael, the mighty archangel, who is in the throne room of God, when he is vigorously disputing with satan, does not call on his own strength to kick satan down. He uses the name that really has power – His one and only LORD! God has the power and the strength to send the tempter packing.  How do you turn from temptation? Call on the name of the LORD!

Praise the LORD and pray in his name! Tell everyone what he has done.

Sing praises to the LORD! Tell about his miracles.

Celebrate and worship his holy name with all your heart.

Trust the LORD and his mighty power.       Psalm 105:1-4 (CEV)

When the tough times come, the tough Christians…fall to their knees! Yes, that is right! When I am on my knees with my heart and voice calling out to God, satan trembles in fear. He knows Who is there! Let me give you a classic example:

The worse time to get a family dressed and in the car is not every weekday going to school and work.  No, no. It is getting the family dressed and in the car to go to church! From the moment I would open my eyes on Sunday morning, through breakfast and dressing three children, it was chaos and yelling and arguments! By the time I pulled up in the parking lot of the church, I was looking forward to Sunday school because that meant we would all be in different rooms! But the minute we got out of the car at church, peace would reign. It was like the devil would throw every stone he could until he realized that we were not going back – and he gave up! We were coming to worship our Lord and the devil wants none of that!

So if your day has a few bumps and unexpected curves – call on the name of the Lord – and He will lift you up!

Posted in Jude, Psalms | Comments Off on God? Can You Hear Me Now?

How Do I Know God?

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

Shout praises to the LORD!

Our God is kind, and it is right and good to sing praises to him. Psalm 147:1 (CEV)

It is rare to get into a conversation about God with people and not get to questions.

How do I know God really exists?

Does God talk to you? How do you know it is His voice you are hearing?

Who has it right – the Baptists, the Methodists, the Catholics, one of those non-denominational churches? Does any church you know have it right, the way Jesus taught?

The answers to these questions can be as varied as the number of people who try to answer them. My husband, a Biblical scholar who has studied Scriptures for many hours, grew up in a home where God was the Head of their home, went to seminary and came out knowing much about God but turned away from God for a time, he came back to God with a new relationship. His head knowledge about God has found a healthy growing balance with heart knowledge about God.

My relationship with God is much more experiential. God has shown me, through Henry and other teachers, that studying God in His Word can deepen and strengthen an experience and also give me an important tool – testing my experience as one of God – or not.

If my knowledge of God is only based on what others tell me, even pastors and other ‘professionals’, then my relationship with God will also be only as close as a ‘third person’. There is no shortcut to an intimate relationship. If my husband and I spoke only one hour each week, our relationship will also be that shallow. My knowledge of my husband would be that limited. I can tell in our relationship when we haven’t spent time just – talking. No business. No TV. No other family. Just a focus on the two of us, reaps a deepening of our relationship that has an extraordinary ripple effect in our day-to-day life.

If my relationship with God is based only on my individual study and experience, then I am limiting my learning more about the many facets or perspectives that are God. I need others to share what they have learned about God to give me a more complete picture of Him.

It is in worship of God that I express myself. The love, the faith commitment, the dependence, and healing joy that I have found in Jesus just spills out. Worship is also a place that the enemy, satan, does not want to be. It could be the time and place of real truth with my LORD. It is right and good to give Him praise!

Take some time today and read the all of Psalm 147. Take time to worship our LORD. There may be some answers to be found where He lives…in my praises.

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Uncompromising, Loving God

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

As Moses got closer to the camp, he saw the idol, and he also saw the people dancing around. This made him so angry that he threw down the stones and broke them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. He melted the idol the people had made, and he ground it into powder. He scattered it in their water and made them drink it. Moses asked Aaron, ” What did these people do to harm you? Why did you make them sin in this terrible way?”

Aaron answered: Don’t be angry with me. You know as well as I do that they are determined to do evil. They even told me, ” That man Moses led us out of Egypt, but now we don’t know what has happened to him. Make us a god to lead us.” Then I asked them to bring me their gold earrings. They took them off and gave them to me. I threw the gold into a fire, and out came this bull.

Moses knew that the people were out of control and that it was Aaron’s fault. And now they had made fools of themselves in front of their enemies. So Moses stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, ” Everyone who is on the LORD’s side come over here!”

Then the men of the Levi tribe gathered around Moses, and he said to them, ” The LORD God of Israel commands you to strap on your swords and go through the camp, killing your relatives, your friends, and your neighbors.”

The men of the Levi tribe followed his orders, and that day they killed about three thousand men. Moses said to them, ” You obeyed the LORD and did what was right, and so you will serve as his priests for the people of Israel. It was hard for you to kill your own sons and brothers, but the LORD has blessed you and made you his priests today.”        Exodus 32:19-29 (CEV)

God blessed the Levites, His priests, for slaughtering 3,000 people. This is one of those passages of Scriptures that I wish I had just remained ignorant! As a young child I was told the story of Moses coming down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments and seeing the people worshiping the golden calf, and he had a temper tantrum, threw the stones and broke them. I do not remember my Bible teachers telling me how the Levites, God’s priests, were instructed to kill their brothers and friends for their sin of idolatry and after they had completed that mission, they were told they were blessed.

“Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven. Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.”      Matthew 10:32-36 (HCSB)

God takes the sin of idolatry very seriously. Jesus said that He did not come to do away with the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). His words here drive home to me that I cannot ‘gloss over’ God’s rage when His children erect idols and worship them. Any time and in any way that I replace God as Lord of my life…there are consequences. That includes choosing what others think of me over being obedient and faithful to God whether they be my parents or spouse or children.

As in the days of Moses, God does not compromise His judgment but He does desire my repentance and makes a way for my reconciliation to Him.

 

Posted in Exodus, Matthew | Comments Off on Uncompromising, Loving God

God’s Loving Discipline

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

“You must carefully follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase, and may enter and take possession of the land the LORD swore to your fathers. {Remember that the LORD your God led you on the entire journey these 40 years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then He gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.} Your clothing did not wear out, and your feet did not swell these 40 years. Keep in mind that the LORD your God has been disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. So keep the commands of the LORD your God by walking in His ways and fearing Him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams of water, springs, and deep water sources, flowing in both valleys and hills; a land of wheat, barley, vines, figs, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you will eat food without shortage, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you will mine copper. When you eat and are full, you will praise the LORD your God for the good land He has given you.

Be careful that you don’t forget the LORD your God by failing to keep His command—the ordinances and statutes—I am giving you today. When you eat and are full, and build beautiful houses to live in, and your herds and flocks grow large, and your silver and gold multiply, and everything else you have increases, {[be careful] that your heart doesn’t become proud and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. He led you through the great and terrible wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty land where there was no water. He brought water out of the flintlike rock for you. He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper.} Deuteronomy 8:1-16 (HCSB, my emphasis)

I hope that you did read this passage and not just skim through. The Old Testament lectionary passage is often not clear when read as indicated. This week the passage from Chapter 8 was only verses 2-3 and 14-16. I indicated those verses with {}. Those five verses out of sixteen do not give me the context of the passage. It could be because I haven’t read the Old Testament as much as the New Testament but I need to get it. This is important stuff. It is not easy to read this because it speaks about the character of God and even the why of what He does in my life. It speaks to the discipline aspect of His love.

God is telling me that He set His commands, His rules, His regulations for my good. No child likes to hear that. As a child, we don’t like to hear, “If you do ____, then _____ will happen.” “If you do not do your homework and your grades fall, then you will not be allowed to play baseball.” Most children will push that and see if the parent will follow through on the consequence. I remember my son did. I did not want to pull him out of a sport. He was good at it and he really liked it. It was because it was so dear to him that it was a good teaching tool. He learned about consequences. He learned about making good choices. He didn’t like homework (let’s face it, sometimes it is dumb!) but he loved the sport more and was willing to submit to the discipline in order to get what he wanted.

Paul tells me that God does not let me be tempted beyond what I can handle and will show me how to stand up to that temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). God will bless me with what I need to be victorious in whatever battles I must face. However, when these victories come, I must never forget where and how the victories happened. P R I D E is my greatest downfall that will cause me to stumble. And the world is the loudspeaker, the transportation for this message of pride. The world in so many insidious ways tells me that my success is dependent on my work and only me. God wants me to understand that it is He who has a plan and a path for me that is perfectly connected to the gifts that He has blessed me and the call that He has put on my life.

Yes, God allows me to be tempted and tested. He does this to teach and strengthen me so that I will be led to the Promised Land that He has for me.

Posted in Deuteronomy | Comments Off on God’s Loving Discipline

Father

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD cares for me.    Psalm 27:10 (HCSB)

Our God, from your sacred home you take care of orphans and protect widows.    Psalm 68:5 (CEV)

“If you had known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him.”    John 14:7 (CEV)

For a commandment is a lamp, teaching is a light, and corrective instructions are the way to life.    Proverbs 6:23 (HCSB)

And fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.     Ephesians 6:4 (HCSB)

This week I have been meditating about “what is a father?”. It is a good thing for me to meditate about this because I have had some “father issues” in my life. God has taught me about what a father is and isn’t. I have grown in love for my own father as I have learned from God. I have also learned to forgive myself for my less than stellar parenting.

A father loves. His strength is in the integrity of his love. Whether life is in crisis or in sweet peace, a father’s love is an anchor, a haven for a child to count on. A father’s love is not suffocating but it is constant. A father’s love has the expectation of greatness but that because he is always supportive and encouraging.

A father is open to his children. He does not hide from them or avoid the difficult talks. No matter what his vocation in life, he is a teacher. He learns from Jesus and he teaches his children what he has learned. And he isn’t afraid to say, “I don’t know. Let’s go find the answer together.”

A father’s discipline is consistent. It is tempered with equal parts love and wisdom. He never forgets to look for the opportunity to teach but he also is strong enough to say to his child, “I said ‘No’ because I love you and I know this is best”. He allows his children to learn about consequences (like the prodigal son) but is joyful when his child learns the lesson and grows from it. A father is not a tyrant but his children know what is expected of them because their father has verbalized those expectations and lives them in his own life. A father teaches obedience by being obedient to God.

Many years ago when I became a parent, I had no clue what that meant. I wish I had known how much information was in the Bible about being a parent. Any subject that I am not clear or have questions about, I can pull out a concordance, study guide, or ask someone who has been studying themselves and find a beginning to learning what God says about the subject. Listening to my Creator and Lord is going to the Source and learning from the best.

Thank You, Father, for teaching me about who and what You are. Thank You for healing me and loving me without conditions. Thank You for being right here, always, and holding me close to Your heart. I love You. Amen.

 

Posted in Ephesians, John, Proverbs, Psalms | Comments Off on Father

Father: Man of Faith

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

The 11 disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted. Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”        Matthew 28:16-20 (HCSB)

The disciples went to the mountain in Galilee as they were told. There is no indication that they knew what was going to happen, that this would be the last time they would see Jesus. They just knew that the risen Messiah had told them to “go” to this place. And so they did. As His disciple, do I do the same?

The disciples worshiped Him but some of them doubted. What did they doubt? Were they still uncertain that this really was Jesus? Were they in doubt that there was a “next”? Did they think that there wasn’t anything else to do? If Rome wasn’t to be defeated (their dream), then what was the point of anything?

Jesus tells them what is next. It was time for them to step up and reproduce what Jesus had done with them. They were to go and make disciples. And not just to the Jews. That alone was out of their comfort zone. Jesus made disciples and look what that got Him? They were being sent on this dangerous mission. Like any other soldier, they were receiving their commission.

We have that same commission. Some of us are directed into truly dangerous areas. I have friends who are in places I cannot mention here because it might in some way put them in more danger. Most of us think we are persecuted when people reject us or insult us or pass some law we think limits our rights as a Christian. We haven’t come close to spilling blood or giving our lives for Jesus.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.      Romans 1:16 (HCSB)

I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOOD NEWS and I believe that this is a key characteristic of a Christian father. A father who shows by his life and his witness that he is not ashamed to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. It is not an “either-or” characteristic. I believe you must share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others and walk that out in your every day life. If you have not share Jesus with someone, your children (at least!) family, friends, co-workers, strangers, then how can you look Jesus in the eye when you meet and say, “Yes, I did what You asked”.

A man of faith is an ambassador of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), following in the footsteps of Moses, David, John the Baptist, Paul, Peter, Thomas, and John. Not perfect but willing to go and speak as directed by the Holy Spirit. A man of faith is an example to his family and community of how to live his life with Jesus Christ and his relationship with Him is his #1 priority. He is not ashamed.

Posted in Matthew, Romans | Comments Off on Father: Man of Faith

Father Humility

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

And that’s about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. Greet one another with a holy embrace. All the brothers and sisters here say hello.

The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.          2 Corinthians 13:11-14 (The Message)

The end of Paul’s letters always seem to be so much more clear in their statements. No convoluted talk. Just straight out ‘orders’.

Here Paul is listing the instructions of what I need to do to be the child who wants to be close to my Heavenly Father. It would be easy to get out of balance and focus only on serving and building God’s Kingdom. But here Paul reminds me that I must first pay attention to my own relationship with Jesus and then I can serve. I must keep my own life-bucket filled with the Living Water in order to leak all lover everyone else. When Paul wrote the Philippian church, he said clearly that

you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Philippians 4:8 (The Message)

So I know what to do, the question is: Will I listen and obey? And that has to with whether I will admit that “I don’t know” and humble myself in obedience to God.

Too often, we as parents feel that we can not admit that we do not know the answers to our children’s questions. I don’t mean just school questions like calculus or quantum physics. But we are uncomfortable when our child comes to us with ethical or life questions and instead of knowing the answer immediately, we are hesitant because maybe we haven’t had that experience or thought the question through. Our children need to know that we don’t know everything and that we rely on God for the answers.

He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him in our dealing with you.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?         2 Corinthians 13:3-5 (NIV)

Jesus said that He makes the decision to lay down His life (John 10:17-18). Jesus shows me the paradox in His own life. When I ‘let go’ and allow God to be the all to me – Savior, Father, Teacher, Friend, Lover, Director of my life – the world may think I am weak, but it is then that I am strong in the power of God.

This week I thought of many young men who are dads. I have spent time praying for them. And as I prayed and read this passage of Scripture my prayer was that they would “test” themselves. Be willing to let the Holy Spirit shine His light inside to see who really rules their hearts – God or something or someone else. And then I was pulled in my spirit to do the same.

“Come Holy Spirit. Shine Your light into my heart. Test me and see if there is anything that separates me from You. Cleanse me, fill me and guide me all the days of my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

 

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