"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23
The day has finally arrived! Today marks the last day of a two year time span, set apart by the Lord, to focus on family and writing. The time frame was impressed upon me by the Spirit during my prayer time in the early spring of 2008.
April 2008-March 2010
2 years
24 months
104 weeks
728 days
Deep inside my soul, I know that I've accomplished something of greater value than I am able to comprehend. It has to do with obedience, one day at a time. It has to do with trusting Him with a large season of my life. It has to do with my faith being tested in ways that continually exposed my insecurities. It has to do with allowing the old root systems of faulty thinking, that run deep, to be exposed and uprooted. It has to do with discovering the joy in the routine of picking up my cross because I know it means spending time with Jesus.
I think I'll celebrate by heading outside to enjoy His beautiful creation and lift up my praises to the King!
Thank you, Jesus, for daily leading the way. Thank You, God, for your daily faithfulness. Thank you, Spirit for your daily presence. Your goodness has been with me, one day at a time. I love you! Amen.
Showing posts with label Obedience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obedience. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Time In-Between
"Jesus looked at him and loved him. 'One thing you lack,' he said. 'Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'"
"At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth." Mark 10:21-22
In Mark 10:17-31, a man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.
The man's body language, his use of words, his ultimate response all seem to indicate someone who has no ill intention towards Jesus. Instead, I see:
Eagerness and humility - "ran up to him and fell on his knees before him." v. 17
Desire to please - "Good Teacher" v. 17
Seeking to secure his future - "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" v. 17
Willingness to live within the law - "all these I have kept" v. 20
Need for affirmation - "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." v. 20
What does Jesus see?
He looks beyond the surface of the question and sees that the man lacks the most important thing of all: an unhindered path to Jesus.
He sees great wealth. He sees an accumulation of possessions. He sees the power that comes from title and position. He sees the security that comes from money. He sees the pride that accompanies a checklist of laws kept since childhood. He sees how all of these things added together create a monumental roadblock between life as the man knows it and the radical life required to follow Jesus Christ.
Jesus sees the roadblock and names it. He offers the man a way to clear the path. He invites the man to make the needed change in his life and then to join Jesus in ministry. Jesus knows, even as he speaks, what the man's response will be.
"How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" v. 23
Jesus does not stop loving the wealthy man even though he is unable, unwilling, to do the hard thing Jesus has asked. There is no ridicule or condemnation in his voice. That is not the Savior's way.
Jesus speaks with understanding. He uses the encounter as a teaching moment for his disciples. He wants them to see as he sees. To understand as he understands. To have compassion as he has compassion. To love as he loves.
Following Jesus is not easy. Removing the things in my life which hinder my faith walk takes courage and great sacrifice. It also requires a radical change of heart. Quite often there is a lag in the time in-between the initial moment of understanding what I must do and the moment when I finally follow through in obedience. That lag time can be anywhere from a few minutes, to hours, days...sometimes, even, years.
Jesus taught his disciples understanding, compassion, and love. As his disciple, it is not my place to judge others as they struggle on their own journeys. Minutes, hours, days, years...if Jesus is willing to love me in the "time in-between" then I must be willing to do the same.
"Jesus looked at him and loved him." v. 21a
Please, Jesus, teach me how to love like you.
"At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth." Mark 10:21-22
In Mark 10:17-31, a man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.
The man's body language, his use of words, his ultimate response all seem to indicate someone who has no ill intention towards Jesus. Instead, I see:
Eagerness and humility - "ran up to him and fell on his knees before him." v. 17
Desire to please - "Good Teacher" v. 17
Seeking to secure his future - "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" v. 17
Willingness to live within the law - "all these I have kept" v. 20
Need for affirmation - "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." v. 20
What does Jesus see?
He looks beyond the surface of the question and sees that the man lacks the most important thing of all: an unhindered path to Jesus.
He sees great wealth. He sees an accumulation of possessions. He sees the power that comes from title and position. He sees the security that comes from money. He sees the pride that accompanies a checklist of laws kept since childhood. He sees how all of these things added together create a monumental roadblock between life as the man knows it and the radical life required to follow Jesus Christ.
Jesus sees the roadblock and names it. He offers the man a way to clear the path. He invites the man to make the needed change in his life and then to join Jesus in ministry. Jesus knows, even as he speaks, what the man's response will be.
"How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" v. 23
Jesus does not stop loving the wealthy man even though he is unable, unwilling, to do the hard thing Jesus has asked. There is no ridicule or condemnation in his voice. That is not the Savior's way.
Jesus speaks with understanding. He uses the encounter as a teaching moment for his disciples. He wants them to see as he sees. To understand as he understands. To have compassion as he has compassion. To love as he loves.
Following Jesus is not easy. Removing the things in my life which hinder my faith walk takes courage and great sacrifice. It also requires a radical change of heart. Quite often there is a lag in the time in-between the initial moment of understanding what I must do and the moment when I finally follow through in obedience. That lag time can be anywhere from a few minutes, to hours, days...sometimes, even, years.
Jesus taught his disciples understanding, compassion, and love. As his disciple, it is not my place to judge others as they struggle on their own journeys. Minutes, hours, days, years...if Jesus is willing to love me in the "time in-between" then I must be willing to do the same.
"Jesus looked at him and loved him." v. 21a
Please, Jesus, teach me how to love like you.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Ignoring Directions
"Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 'See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.'" Mark 1:43-44
A man with leprosy approaches Jesus and falls to his knees.
"If you are willing, you can make me clean." Mark 1:40
Jesus is willing. He heals the leper and immediately sends him away with specific directions:
Don't talk to anyone.
Go directly to the priest and present yourself.
Offer a sacrifice in keeping with the law of Moses...
That your healing would serve as a witness for those who do not believe.
A small thing to ask considering the fact that the man has just received his life back.
"Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news." Mark 1:45a
Everytime I read this story, I identify with the leper. I am right there with him; dancing, celebrating and spreading the good news that Jesus heals. Who can blame him for forgetting, in his exuberance, what Jesus told him to do?
But because the leper ignores Jesus' directions there are consequences. And those consequences have a direct effect on the Healer, himself.
"As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere." Mark 1:45b
He could no longer enter a town without being mobbed. He could no longer take refuge in someone's home for a quiet meal or sleep in a bed without being disturbed. Instead, God With Us called the "lonely places" home...and even there the people found him.
I am the leper...condemned, unclean, begging, eyes on the Savior...
willing to do whatever Jesus tell me to in order to be healed.
And I am the leper...saved, clean, exuberant, eyes on myself...
forgetting Him in the joy of the healing moment.
Forgive me this I pray.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
A man with leprosy approaches Jesus and falls to his knees.
"If you are willing, you can make me clean." Mark 1:40
Jesus is willing. He heals the leper and immediately sends him away with specific directions:
Don't talk to anyone.
Go directly to the priest and present yourself.
Offer a sacrifice in keeping with the law of Moses...
That your healing would serve as a witness for those who do not believe.
A small thing to ask considering the fact that the man has just received his life back.
"Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news." Mark 1:45a
Everytime I read this story, I identify with the leper. I am right there with him; dancing, celebrating and spreading the good news that Jesus heals. Who can blame him for forgetting, in his exuberance, what Jesus told him to do?
But because the leper ignores Jesus' directions there are consequences. And those consequences have a direct effect on the Healer, himself.
"As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere." Mark 1:45b
He could no longer enter a town without being mobbed. He could no longer take refuge in someone's home for a quiet meal or sleep in a bed without being disturbed. Instead, God With Us called the "lonely places" home...and even there the people found him.
I am the leper...condemned, unclean, begging, eyes on the Savior...
willing to do whatever Jesus tell me to in order to be healed.
And I am the leper...saved, clean, exuberant, eyes on myself...
forgetting Him in the joy of the healing moment.
Forgive me this I pray.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Oaks of Righteousness
"They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor." --Isaiah 61:3b
I spent this past week at a Student Life Youth Camp in Waco, TX. It was a week of blessings mixed with surprises, heartbreak, and victories. I am still unravelling everything I saw, heard, felt, and learned but one experience stands out above all others.
It was the last evening of camp. Our group of 100 + youth and leaders had joined the other 1,200 campers for worship. The music was loud. The auditorium was cold. I began to feel very ill and wanted nothing more than to leave. There was just one problem. I was sitting on the far side of the aisle. Leaving meant I would have to climb over 10-15 people just as the speaker was reaching a pivotal point in his talk -- the invitation.
So, I sat in my seat; miserable and trying to convince myself I was ok. All around me were youth and adults with heads bowed in prayer. It was impossible for me to concentrate. My only concern was heading for the exit as soon as an opportunity presented itself.
Young people began to stand up in response to the invitation to give their lives to Christ. The speaker asked leaders to make their way towards those who had said, "yes" to Christ. I took advantage of the moment and bolted for the back of the auditorium.
Just as I reached the big double doors the Holy Spirit stopped me and said,
Turn around.
My mind and my body rebelled at the thought of staying. But I turned around, walked back toward the crowd, and stood behind the section of seats filled with our campers.
I had a perfect view of our group. My attention was captured by five young men (junior high age), near the back, who were standing without a leader. Just as I wondered if I should go stand with them, I saw a big, athletic, high school student making his way towards the group. It was hard not to notice him; he stood head and shoulders above everyone else.
I watched as he positioned himself in the middle of those boys. He stretched his broad arms across their shoulders and every one of them leaned into him. Five boys and they all fit underneath the umbrella of his embrace. They remained that way while the speaker prayed. It was a powerful image.
The speaker encouraged those who still needed more prayer time to lead their groups towards the back of the auditorium. The young man gathered his group and led them to a spot just a few feet away from me. They huddled in a circle of prayer.
I sensed the Holy Spirit again,
Place your hand on his back and pray for him as he prays for his group.
I did so, all the while rejoicing at the opportunity to witness such an incredible moment.
The speaker issued a new invitation. Anyone who wished to rededicate their lives to Christ, who wished to recommit to study and prayer and relationship with the Lord...would they please raise their hands. He asked the remaining leaders to pray for those standing.
The young man who had just prayed for the five new believers raised his hand. I was the only adult, from our group, nearby.
Now I understand why You told me to stay, Lord.
Just minutes earlier, this young man had provided spiritual covering for those who had declared their faith for the first time. Now I was the one being called to provide a covering for him. I placed my hand on his shoulder and prayed words supplied by the Holy Spirit. It was a holy, holy moment.
When I was finished, he gave me a hug of thanks and headed back to his seat. Surprisingly, I no longer felt the need to leave the auditorium. I stayed in the back and celebrated what had just taken place.
The picture of the boys huddled under their leader's outstretched arms remained vivid in my mind.
Isaiah 61:3b speaks of oaks of righteousness, planted by the Lord, for His splendor. That is what I witnessed this past week and it was a glorious sight to see.
As believers, we have been planted for the purpose of displaying His splendor not our own. And, each and every time we stretch out our faith and extend ourselves on behalf of another, we bring Him glory.
Father,
You are an amazing God! You are mighty in strength. Your glory is beyond compare. Forgive me for all the times I have gone my own way; missing the opportunity to serve You and display Your glory. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a spirit that is willing to obey. In Jesus' powerful name, Amen.
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor." --Isaiah 61:3b
I spent this past week at a Student Life Youth Camp in Waco, TX. It was a week of blessings mixed with surprises, heartbreak, and victories. I am still unravelling everything I saw, heard, felt, and learned but one experience stands out above all others.
It was the last evening of camp. Our group of 100 + youth and leaders had joined the other 1,200 campers for worship. The music was loud. The auditorium was cold. I began to feel very ill and wanted nothing more than to leave. There was just one problem. I was sitting on the far side of the aisle. Leaving meant I would have to climb over 10-15 people just as the speaker was reaching a pivotal point in his talk -- the invitation.
So, I sat in my seat; miserable and trying to convince myself I was ok. All around me were youth and adults with heads bowed in prayer. It was impossible for me to concentrate. My only concern was heading for the exit as soon as an opportunity presented itself.
Young people began to stand up in response to the invitation to give their lives to Christ. The speaker asked leaders to make their way towards those who had said, "yes" to Christ. I took advantage of the moment and bolted for the back of the auditorium.
Just as I reached the big double doors the Holy Spirit stopped me and said,
Turn around.
My mind and my body rebelled at the thought of staying. But I turned around, walked back toward the crowd, and stood behind the section of seats filled with our campers.
I had a perfect view of our group. My attention was captured by five young men (junior high age), near the back, who were standing without a leader. Just as I wondered if I should go stand with them, I saw a big, athletic, high school student making his way towards the group. It was hard not to notice him; he stood head and shoulders above everyone else.
I watched as he positioned himself in the middle of those boys. He stretched his broad arms across their shoulders and every one of them leaned into him. Five boys and they all fit underneath the umbrella of his embrace. They remained that way while the speaker prayed. It was a powerful image.
The speaker encouraged those who still needed more prayer time to lead their groups towards the back of the auditorium. The young man gathered his group and led them to a spot just a few feet away from me. They huddled in a circle of prayer.
I sensed the Holy Spirit again,
Place your hand on his back and pray for him as he prays for his group.
I did so, all the while rejoicing at the opportunity to witness such an incredible moment.
The speaker issued a new invitation. Anyone who wished to rededicate their lives to Christ, who wished to recommit to study and prayer and relationship with the Lord...would they please raise their hands. He asked the remaining leaders to pray for those standing.
The young man who had just prayed for the five new believers raised his hand. I was the only adult, from our group, nearby.
Now I understand why You told me to stay, Lord.
Just minutes earlier, this young man had provided spiritual covering for those who had declared their faith for the first time. Now I was the one being called to provide a covering for him. I placed my hand on his shoulder and prayed words supplied by the Holy Spirit. It was a holy, holy moment.
When I was finished, he gave me a hug of thanks and headed back to his seat. Surprisingly, I no longer felt the need to leave the auditorium. I stayed in the back and celebrated what had just taken place.
The picture of the boys huddled under their leader's outstretched arms remained vivid in my mind.
Isaiah 61:3b speaks of oaks of righteousness, planted by the Lord, for His splendor. That is what I witnessed this past week and it was a glorious sight to see.
As believers, we have been planted for the purpose of displaying His splendor not our own. And, each and every time we stretch out our faith and extend ourselves on behalf of another, we bring Him glory.
Father,
You are an amazing God! You are mighty in strength. Your glory is beyond compare. Forgive me for all the times I have gone my own way; missing the opportunity to serve You and display Your glory. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a spirit that is willing to obey. In Jesus' powerful name, Amen.
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