Wednesday, September 04, 2013
Conversation
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” - Luke 11:9-13
I was just thinking about this passage the other day. Crazy how the spirit works like that. This verse comes after Jesus tells the story of a man going to his friends house at night asking for bread and although his friend is already in bed, he gets up and gives him some bread. Not because he's a friend, but because he had the audacity to wake him up to ask.
Yet God is not like our friends, God is not like our parents. He is, well, he's God. He longs to be deeply involved in every aspect of our lives. He's like a teenage girl's bestest girlfriend in the world who wants to sit on the bed and talk about boys all night long. Well, kind of. We sometimes forget that he has that kind of enthusiasm for us.
He wants to know what we need, what we want, how we're doing, what our struggles are, what our successes are, etc. He wants to pour out blessings on us, but we have to have a conversation with him to experience all that he has for us.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” - Luke 11:9-13
I was just thinking about this passage the other day. Crazy how the spirit works like that. This verse comes after Jesus tells the story of a man going to his friends house at night asking for bread and although his friend is already in bed, he gets up and gives him some bread. Not because he's a friend, but because he had the audacity to wake him up to ask.
Yet God is not like our friends, God is not like our parents. He is, well, he's God. He longs to be deeply involved in every aspect of our lives. He's like a teenage girl's bestest girlfriend in the world who wants to sit on the bed and talk about boys all night long. Well, kind of. We sometimes forget that he has that kind of enthusiasm for us.
He wants to know what we need, what we want, how we're doing, what our struggles are, what our successes are, etc. He wants to pour out blessings on us, but we have to have a conversation with him to experience all that he has for us.
Tuesday, September 03, 2013
Jesus' Concern
I spent some time reading and searching for something to write this morning. I am in John 5.
"13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well." - John 5: 13-14
I've read this passage before and thought immediately, without question that the sin this gentleman was doing was denying Christ, and the worse things would be consequences of his sin - as though God would punish him. But verse 13 clearly says that he didn't know it was Jesus because he had slipped away into the crowd. But today, I also read Matthew 23...
"Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach." - Matt 23: 1-3
I may be putting together two different passages, but it's what God brought to me this morning... Jesus did not just heal this guy and let him go... he knew what was coming for him if he didn't tell the Pharisees what they wanted. So he sought him out. His sin was trying to hide from authority, to run from them. Jesus knew that if he didn't tell them what had happened, in their "wisdom" they would carry out punishment on him that could be re-criplling him or even death.
Jesus sought out the man he healed not to remind him that he was a sinner, but to warn him and help him avoid punishment from the Pharisees. He could have healed and been on his way, but he cared enough to follow up.
The same is true for us. We are not alone, we are not abandoned. But we have to be open and willing to listen not only for God's glory, but for our own good.
I spent some time reading and searching for something to write this morning. I am in John 5.
"13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well." - John 5: 13-14
I've read this passage before and thought immediately, without question that the sin this gentleman was doing was denying Christ, and the worse things would be consequences of his sin - as though God would punish him. But verse 13 clearly says that he didn't know it was Jesus because he had slipped away into the crowd. But today, I also read Matthew 23...
"Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach." - Matt 23: 1-3
I may be putting together two different passages, but it's what God brought to me this morning... Jesus did not just heal this guy and let him go... he knew what was coming for him if he didn't tell the Pharisees what they wanted. So he sought him out. His sin was trying to hide from authority, to run from them. Jesus knew that if he didn't tell them what had happened, in their "wisdom" they would carry out punishment on him that could be re-criplling him or even death.
Jesus sought out the man he healed not to remind him that he was a sinner, but to warn him and help him avoid punishment from the Pharisees. He could have healed and been on his way, but he cared enough to follow up.
The same is true for us. We are not alone, we are not abandoned. But we have to be open and willing to listen not only for God's glory, but for our own good.
Monday, September 02, 2013
We are worthy
"For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 14:11
This verse comes after Jesus has told his followers that when invited to a party, take a seat of less importance so that if the host of the party wishes you to be seated in a better position, he will come and move you and you will be exalted among the guests. This is as opposed to sitting in a higher position and having to move lower.
For years, I felt that this verse and verses like it meant that as Christians we should always consider ourselves the lowest... to be exceptionally humble - as Paul said he was the worst of the worst. This mentality became rooted in my very being and while it seems honorable, it's not at all what God intends, even in this verse which seems to imply that we should wait for others to acknowledge us.
If Christ had intended for us to wait to be acknowledged this parable wouldn't begin with the subject taking a higher seat than his rank, which is important. The guest came to the table and chose a spot out of arrogance and in that arrogance is put into his place. But choosing a spot out of humility, he is raised up by the host. But remember ... the guest came to the table.
Even Paul, who acknowledged his past sin and said that he was the worst of all sinners, reminded his readers, his churches that he was their founder and deserved to be paid. There are countless verses throughout the Bible that command us to do our work for the glory of God. We must know our worth, each of us is worth Christ's very life to God. And while we must remain humble and not consider ourselves "better" than anyone else, we must also consider ourselves worthy, worthy of recognition for our work, worthy of recognition for who we are in Christ, and worthy of coming to the table.
On this Labor Day, it's important that we remember the value of our work and the value of our worth. This applies both as a laborer and an employer of labor. The host in the Luke story came and raised up the one who was worthy of a higher seat. He did not see him sitting below his rank and say, well he chose that for himself, I'm going to save some money and leave him at the kids table... No, he moved him up. Employers have obligation to take care of their labor as labor has obligation to work for the Glory of God in their task.
It all comes down to loving and respecting each other as Christ has loved us. And we have to always remember that also means loving and respecting yourself as Christ has loved you.
"For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 14:11
This verse comes after Jesus has told his followers that when invited to a party, take a seat of less importance so that if the host of the party wishes you to be seated in a better position, he will come and move you and you will be exalted among the guests. This is as opposed to sitting in a higher position and having to move lower.
For years, I felt that this verse and verses like it meant that as Christians we should always consider ourselves the lowest... to be exceptionally humble - as Paul said he was the worst of the worst. This mentality became rooted in my very being and while it seems honorable, it's not at all what God intends, even in this verse which seems to imply that we should wait for others to acknowledge us.
If Christ had intended for us to wait to be acknowledged this parable wouldn't begin with the subject taking a higher seat than his rank, which is important. The guest came to the table and chose a spot out of arrogance and in that arrogance is put into his place. But choosing a spot out of humility, he is raised up by the host. But remember ... the guest came to the table.
Even Paul, who acknowledged his past sin and said that he was the worst of all sinners, reminded his readers, his churches that he was their founder and deserved to be paid. There are countless verses throughout the Bible that command us to do our work for the glory of God. We must know our worth, each of us is worth Christ's very life to God. And while we must remain humble and not consider ourselves "better" than anyone else, we must also consider ourselves worthy, worthy of recognition for our work, worthy of recognition for who we are in Christ, and worthy of coming to the table.
On this Labor Day, it's important that we remember the value of our work and the value of our worth. This applies both as a laborer and an employer of labor. The host in the Luke story came and raised up the one who was worthy of a higher seat. He did not see him sitting below his rank and say, well he chose that for himself, I'm going to save some money and leave him at the kids table... No, he moved him up. Employers have obligation to take care of their labor as labor has obligation to work for the Glory of God in their task.
It all comes down to loving and respecting each other as Christ has loved us. And we have to always remember that also means loving and respecting yourself as Christ has loved you.
