According Doug Pollock (Outreach, August, 2005 issue) as American forces moved through the city of Najah in April, 2003, rumors spread among the population that the soldiers were going to desecrate a mosque. An angry crowd of Iraqi civilians gathered and bloodshed seemed imminent until the officer, Lt. Col. Christopher Hughes, barked terse commands to his soldiers. "Kneel, take a knee. Aim your weapon at the ground. Wave and smile!" Within moments the tensions lifted and the defiant crowd allowed the soldiers to pass. No blood was spilled that day because one officer was willing to take a risk by appearing less powerful, which in turn invited people feeling threatened to reconsider their belligerent pose.
I find it real hard to open a dialogue with a person who is threatening me with destruction! It's not like I've been held-up by street thugs, but too many times in life to count, people have decided that the best way to get my attention is to make me afraid - whether by yelling, threatening, or attacking. It works, but not as they hope. Why? Because when threatened, I immediately shrink into a defensive position. Emotionally, I am unable to hear what they are saying. As I reflect on this, it causes me to wonder how many times I've approached a situation in a similar manner, causing a break in communication because the other person is unable to see past my posture which they determine is threatening to their well- being? What might happen if I lowered the weapon of words?
As Christians with a message of Truth for our world, we sometimes exacerbate the 'spiritual deafness' by our shrill rhetoric, with our talk of Hell and damnation, and our insistence on the 'absolute truth!' I do believe in the Truth. And I know we sometimes just think our preference is the Truth! Our words, may indeed be true enough, but the posture we adopt in delivering them, may be more of a problem than the message itself.
For example, can a young woman hear our offers to help her cope with her unplanned pregnancy as long as we're labeling her a sinner or a baby-killer for considering abortion?
Can a homosexual man living with confusion and shame hear that God loves him while we are talking about 'perverts' and making 'queer' jokes?
For that matter can any person who is truly on the road to destruction hear our warning if we speak in a manner that they perceive as hostile?
One old preacher said that if he could not preach about Hell with tears in his eyes, he would not speak of it at all. How wise! Paul challenges us to be people who are capable of "speaking the truth in love," and He says this will cause us to "grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Eph. 4.15 NIV Being truthful, which is requires disturbing people's comfort, yet to be seen as loving - is a real challenge. Some conclude that we can be either loving or we can be truthful, but that we cannot be both. Yet, the Scripture challenges us differently. Jesus was Truth, all about telling the truth to the world in which He lived, yet He found a way to do so that was compelling to most people. They wanted to hear the truth about God, themselves, and life from Him for they perceived that He spoke ultimately with love. To be sure, some would not hear Him having determined He was a threat to them from the first. Those religious leaders perished in their stubbornness.
Let me leave you with two questions today - one about your ability to hear what others are saying, the other about your method of delivering the Message:
Are you capable of hearing the Truth from another, willing to lower your defenses to help dialogue to happen?
Are you speaking, in love, in a way that considers the needs of the other person so that the message you bring is unhindered by a perceived threat?
The key that helps us to answer both of those questions affirmatively is to be completely secure ourselves in the Love of God. When we are aware of the embrace of Grace, our Truth message is no longer about us, our fears, or our agenda. It is about God, and that makes all the difference.
_____________________
Here's a word from the Word on which to meditate today -"...even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t be afraid and don’t worry. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!" (1 Peter 3:14-17, NLT)
(This TFTD is one from the archives.)
______________________
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Friday, November 17, 2006
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Better to be 'in touch.'
Dr. Henry Cloud, in his book, Integrity, makes this simple statement - "Reality is always your friend." He tells the story of the CEO of a dog food manufacturing company that was seeing sales fall month after month. New sales executives were brought in. Various extensive and expensive marketing programs were rolled out. Nothing was increasing sales. Finally, a newly hired individual told the CEO the truth - "Dogs don't like our product." The reality of the situation was that a new product needed to be developed, not a new sales program.
Being aware of what is going on in our lives and the reality of our situation is something that many of us are not adept at doing.
Being aware of what is going on in our lives and the reality of our situation is something that many of us are not adept at doing.
- Sometimes we are just ignorant of reality. We simply cannot 'see' what's is happening to us because we are too close to it, too enmeshed in events to sort them out and see them for what they are.
- Sometimes we deliberately block reality because it is painful, disappointing, or ugly. We simply refuse to see life for what it is. A parent, for example, who sees their child struggling in school, may be inclined to seek better teachers or a different school because he is unwilling to admit that his child has a learning disability.
- And sometimes we are out of touch because we have spun the story of our life to fit alternative scenario for so long that we now confuse reality and fantasy in our mind. Instead of just admitting that we are where we are, we tell ourselves where we could be, 'if only' we had made this choice or that, and then we pretend things are as we wish them to be instead of as they are!
"Reality is always your friend!" is the truth. Why? Because until we are dealing with life as it is, we are shadow boxing, engaging ourselves in useless efforts to maintain a deception. We cannot find solutions or create working strategies until we are living in the real world. The Bible calls this living confessionally. In dealing with our need of God's salvation, John says, "If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong." (1 John 1:8-9, NLT) I love the word of the Greek NT text that is translated confess. It is the word, 'homologeo' which literally means “to speak the same thing” (homos, “same,” lego, “to speak”), “to assent, accord, agree with,” and indicates a meaning “to confess, declare, admit.” (Vines Expository Dictionary) James calls on us to look at ourselves in a mirror and to remember what we see. Metaphorically, he's saying, "Face up to reality."
How do we get 'in touch?'
A counselor can be helpful. That does not necessarily mean we have to find a psychologist. For most of us, a good friend with a listening ear and the courage to tell us the truth about our life is sufficient. It the old accountability line. We need people in our circle of friends to whom we have given permission to tell the truth to us without facing recriminations. Often when we hear the truth about ourselves, it causes us to feel confused. Why? Because from our side of our eyeballs it just looks different! Robert Burns penned this line - "O would some power the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us." (O would some power the gift to give us to see ourselves as others see us.)
Regular times of contemplation and prayerful meditation are wonderfully clarifying. As we learn to quiet our mind and heart before God, He can speak to us revealing those places in our lives where we are blind to or even refusing the truth about ourselves. As we wean ourselves from constant external stimulation, noise, and diversions- we develop the ability to commune with our heart and with the Spirit of God. In that place we not only discover reality, we find His strength to deal with it and courage to engage in the process of change. This passage from Hebrews can be read either as terribly threatening or as greatly comforting - depending on our desire to know the truth. It says, "God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what." (Hebrews 4:12-13, The Message) The Spirit of God takes no joy from beating us over the head with the Truth. He wants to use it to bring us wholeness, much as a surgeon uses his scalpel!
Do you regard reality as a friend?
Are there places in your life where you are living a fantasy, making excuses, hiding from the Truth?
Embrace it! Be liberated by moving into the truth. It's the best place to be for that is where God lives.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Searching for perfection?
My sons are doing some remodeling work in our home this week. Watching them work makes me wish I was 28 again! Yesterday, I got home and when I saw a part of the unfinished project, I said, "Stop, that part needs to be re-done!" Jay then patiently showed me his plan and I realized that I was making a judgment too soon. But when I offered that criticism, I made him quite anxious because he wants to do a good job for his Dad. The fact is that the job is only half done. I was looking for 'perfection' before the process was complete. (It's going to look good, by the way!)
Thinking about that this morning, the Spirit whispered to me that we can easily become discouraged with ourselves and/or others if we search for perfection while the work is in progress! In my prayertime I sometimes ask the Lord, "How long will it take to overcome this habit?" Or I find myself criticizing another person saying, "Why are they still doing that? When will they change?" Jesus says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48, NIV) However, do not misunderstand the intent. In the context, that word 'perfect' does not speak to flawless performance, but rather to reaching full potential. The Lord is calling on us to become mature.
We know that maturity results from a process called growth! It would be foolish to demands a man's performance from a child. Imagine holding a 10 year old to the same standard as a 40 year old. Silly, right? We realize that maturity arrives slowly, over time, as we instruct and as the one maturing is able to experience both success and failure. Becoming 'perfect' - again, not flawless, but mature - in spiritual matters is a life-long process which only ends when we finally are 'perfected,' by our transition into eternal life. In 1 Corinthians 13 we read of the ongoing work which leads us to God's Presence - "Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear. It’s like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now." (1 Corinthians 13:9-12, NLT)
What peace we can know if we patiently let the process be worked out. That's tough to do sometimes. We want what we want and we want it now. We tire of working out the implications of God's salvation in our life, don't we? Mastering the lessons of the Spirit-filled life can be a tedious process involving instruction, experience, and discipline Paul found himself frustrated and said, "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" expressing exasperation with the sins that marked his daily experience. If we look at the work in progress too critically, too soon, we will give up. James encourages us "let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:4, NKJV) The meaning comes through more clearly in The Message where we read, "don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."
Are you searching for perfection? Good! It is right that each of us should desire to honor God as mature Believers, who are developing the spiritual gifts He has placed in us, who are overcoming the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the Devil! It is good that we want to be productive and fully effective as mature followers of Christ. Remember, however - it is a process; in you and in others. While we are working it out, here's good advice, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (times when we miss the bull's eye on the target)." (1 Peter 4:8, NIV)
Here's a word from the Word for your meditation:
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, (growing and maturing!) which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." (Psalm 1, NIV)
Thinking about that this morning, the Spirit whispered to me that we can easily become discouraged with ourselves and/or others if we search for perfection while the work is in progress! In my prayertime I sometimes ask the Lord, "How long will it take to overcome this habit?" Or I find myself criticizing another person saying, "Why are they still doing that? When will they change?" Jesus says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48, NIV) However, do not misunderstand the intent. In the context, that word 'perfect' does not speak to flawless performance, but rather to reaching full potential. The Lord is calling on us to become mature.
We know that maturity results from a process called growth! It would be foolish to demands a man's performance from a child. Imagine holding a 10 year old to the same standard as a 40 year old. Silly, right? We realize that maturity arrives slowly, over time, as we instruct and as the one maturing is able to experience both success and failure. Becoming 'perfect' - again, not flawless, but mature - in spiritual matters is a life-long process which only ends when we finally are 'perfected,' by our transition into eternal life. In 1 Corinthians 13 we read of the ongoing work which leads us to God's Presence - "Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear. It’s like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now." (1 Corinthians 13:9-12, NLT)
What peace we can know if we patiently let the process be worked out. That's tough to do sometimes. We want what we want and we want it now. We tire of working out the implications of God's salvation in our life, don't we? Mastering the lessons of the Spirit-filled life can be a tedious process involving instruction, experience, and discipline Paul found himself frustrated and said, "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" expressing exasperation with the sins that marked his daily experience. If we look at the work in progress too critically, too soon, we will give up. James encourages us "let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:4, NKJV) The meaning comes through more clearly in The Message where we read, "don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."
Are you searching for perfection? Good! It is right that each of us should desire to honor God as mature Believers, who are developing the spiritual gifts He has placed in us, who are overcoming the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the Devil! It is good that we want to be productive and fully effective as mature followers of Christ. Remember, however - it is a process; in you and in others. While we are working it out, here's good advice, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (times when we miss the bull's eye on the target)." (1 Peter 4:8, NIV)
Here's a word from the Word for your meditation:
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, (growing and maturing!) which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." (Psalm 1, NIV)
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Passing the faith along
God has no grandchildren! In reading the books of 1 and 2 Kings, I note a phrase that shows up again and again as a new generation is introduced, "he did what evil in the sight of the Lord." The nations of Israel and Judah were led by a succession of kings, one good and righteous; the next forsaking the Lord. Some of the most godly kings were succeeded by terrible ones. What I noted was that these were members of the same family. Son following father, which might cause us to assume that the faith would remain intact from generation to generation. It didn't! Why? Because each generation must have their own experience of the Spirit for God has no grandchildren.
That is not to say that we cannot pass the faith along. It is a sacred obligation to make certain that our children understand the ways of God! Judaism, ancient and modern, included the "Shema Y'Israel," which is literally translated, "Hear, O Israel," and is taken from the declaration of the existence of One True God and the importance making Him known to our children. The prayer is taken from Deuteronomy "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." The passage goes on to direct us with this solemn commandment. "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." (Deuteronomy 6:4-8, NIV)
Believers are fond of quoting a proverb which emphasizes the parental responsibility of passing the faith along - "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6, NIV) - but often do so with a kind of desperation about the spiritual well-being of their children. I don't believe that verse should be read like a covenant statement in the sense of "if you do this, then this is the inevitable result." Rather, in keeping with the pithy wisdom of the Proverbs, it should be read as common sense kind of knowledge. The Message catches the spirit of the passage - "Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost." (Proverbs 22:6, The Message)
It is the God-given task of every generation to lay the foundation of the knowledge of God for the next, but we cannot save our children from their sins. Only God can transform a human heart! We present the Truth and, if we are wise, live it well so that they have powerful examples of the desirability of serving the Lord. But, then we must pray for the Spirit to take hold of the heart and mind of our child, drawing that sinful one to the Cross and to a soul-transforming experience of the Spirit. There is a folly in the land of the churched that believes that a good youth group or a solid Sunday School can replace parental example! Of course having a good community of faith is an important part of the spiritual development of any person - young or old. However, when it comes to passing the faith to the next generation there is nothing as powerful on earth as the consistent commitment of Mom and Dad to a life that is lived in the fear of the Lord.
Kids have a wonderful hypocrisy detector that can sense the old 'do what I say, not what I do' nonsense at a very early age! Where they see that kind of gap between profession and possession, they will much more likely to conclude that faith in God is unnecessary baggage to be tossed away as soon as practically possible.
That said, let me circle 'round to underscore once again, even the best and godliest of parents, cannot save their children. God deals with each generation and each one must respond to Him, to receive the regenerative life of the Spirit for themselves. This grandpa watched his two little grandsons play yesterday and my heart was full of love for them, my strongest yearning being that they will know the Lord and find the joy of life in the Spirit early in their lives. And, in my reverie, I re-committed myself to passing the faith along, praying that their parents will provide quality spiritual nurture, and, most importantly, that the Holy Spirit will draw them to the Living Lord and find in them a response of obedient faith.
Are you passing the faith along, laying the foundation of the knowledge of God, living a life that invites the next generation to join the community of the people of God?
"Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline. Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you. Don’t neglect your mother’s teaching. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor." (Proverbs 1:7-9, NLT)
___________________________________
A Parenting Newsletter suggests that there are key things we can do that help the legacy of faith to be handed off to the next generation.
Do you:
Acknowledge and reinforce spiritual realities? Do your children know, for example, that Jesus loves everyone? That God is personal, loving and will forgive us?
View God as a personal, caring being who is to be loved and respected?
Make spiritual activities a routine part of life?
Clarify timeless truth — what’s right and wrong?
Incorporate spiritual principles into everyday living
—From Your Heritage, by J. Otis Ledbetter and Kurt Bruner
That is not to say that we cannot pass the faith along. It is a sacred obligation to make certain that our children understand the ways of God! Judaism, ancient and modern, included the "Shema Y'Israel," which is literally translated, "Hear, O Israel," and is taken from the declaration of the existence of One True God and the importance making Him known to our children. The prayer is taken from Deuteronomy "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." The passage goes on to direct us with this solemn commandment. "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." (Deuteronomy 6:4-8, NIV)
Believers are fond of quoting a proverb which emphasizes the parental responsibility of passing the faith along - "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6, NIV) - but often do so with a kind of desperation about the spiritual well-being of their children. I don't believe that verse should be read like a covenant statement in the sense of "if you do this, then this is the inevitable result." Rather, in keeping with the pithy wisdom of the Proverbs, it should be read as common sense kind of knowledge. The Message catches the spirit of the passage - "Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost." (Proverbs 22:6, The Message)
It is the God-given task of every generation to lay the foundation of the knowledge of God for the next, but we cannot save our children from their sins. Only God can transform a human heart! We present the Truth and, if we are wise, live it well so that they have powerful examples of the desirability of serving the Lord. But, then we must pray for the Spirit to take hold of the heart and mind of our child, drawing that sinful one to the Cross and to a soul-transforming experience of the Spirit. There is a folly in the land of the churched that believes that a good youth group or a solid Sunday School can replace parental example! Of course having a good community of faith is an important part of the spiritual development of any person - young or old. However, when it comes to passing the faith to the next generation there is nothing as powerful on earth as the consistent commitment of Mom and Dad to a life that is lived in the fear of the Lord.
Kids have a wonderful hypocrisy detector that can sense the old 'do what I say, not what I do' nonsense at a very early age! Where they see that kind of gap between profession and possession, they will much more likely to conclude that faith in God is unnecessary baggage to be tossed away as soon as practically possible.
That said, let me circle 'round to underscore once again, even the best and godliest of parents, cannot save their children. God deals with each generation and each one must respond to Him, to receive the regenerative life of the Spirit for themselves. This grandpa watched his two little grandsons play yesterday and my heart was full of love for them, my strongest yearning being that they will know the Lord and find the joy of life in the Spirit early in their lives. And, in my reverie, I re-committed myself to passing the faith along, praying that their parents will provide quality spiritual nurture, and, most importantly, that the Holy Spirit will draw them to the Living Lord and find in them a response of obedient faith.
Are you passing the faith along, laying the foundation of the knowledge of God, living a life that invites the next generation to join the community of the people of God?
"Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline. Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you. Don’t neglect your mother’s teaching. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor." (Proverbs 1:7-9, NLT)
___________________________________
A Parenting Newsletter suggests that there are key things we can do that help the legacy of faith to be handed off to the next generation.
Do you:
Acknowledge and reinforce spiritual realities? Do your children know, for example, that Jesus loves everyone? That God is personal, loving and will forgive us?
View God as a personal, caring being who is to be loved and respected?
Make spiritual activities a routine part of life?
Clarify timeless truth — what’s right and wrong?
Incorporate spiritual principles into everyday living
—From Your Heritage, by J. Otis Ledbetter and Kurt Bruner
Monday, November 13, 2006
Missing the Miracles
Ask my family and friends, it's tough to get me to relax. I'm a focused person who likes things done right and efficiently. I do not say that as a matter of pride. Sometimes my driven nature leads me to sin against God and others, something I am praying that the Lord will help me to come to grips with before I get any older. Some of my deepest regrets are the result of putting my work first and failing to create gaps in time to savor a conversation - to just be 'in the moment' - especially when my children were younger. My obsession with checking off the tasks on my 'to do' list has caused me to miss out on some of life's miracles. My face has been so close to the task, I've often be oblivious to the wonder happening around me.
With this dawning realization, I have recently, in the times that I minister at the county jail and in a home for the aged, adopted a new goal for the hour. Instead of seeing myself as going to those places just to teach, or to preach - a dispenser of 'holy truth' - I have prayed that God would let me be a participant in the lives of those with whom I will spend those moments. Yes, I still prepare a message, but I am willing to leave it unfinished or even to adapt my agenda to the conversation that occurs when I am quiet and listen to those to whom God has sent me. Some of you are probably smiling, and thinking to yourself, "And he thinks this is a new idea?" To me, it is! As a result of setting aside my desire to 'finish a job' and instead to enter into the lives of people, I am discovering that there are stories waiting to be discovered, people who bring as much to my life as I bring to theirs. In learning to be a little more flexible, I am finding more wonder, greater joy.
I read a story in the gospel of John about some people who were so committed to their pre-conceptions, so gripped by their ideas about what God wanted, that they missed a miracle that was right in front of their eyes. Take a look -
"Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get there, someone else always gets in ahead of me.”
Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up the mat and began walking!
What an amazing development, a cause for celebration and rejoicing, right? After 38 years a man is walking, whole, on his feet! You would think that everybody who saw him would be infected with his joy, overcome with his excitement. And, you would be wrong! Read on -
But this miracle happened on the Sabbath day. So the Jewish leaders objected.
They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! It’s illegal to carry that sleeping mat!” He replied, “The man who healed me said to me, ‘Pick up your sleeping mat and walk.’ ”
“Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.”" (John 5:2-14, NLT)
I am just blown away by their myopia, their fixation with the rules, that robbed them of the wonder. They didn't see a man just healed after 38 years of being crippled. They only saw a man carrying his bedroll in violation of their religious traditions! That was not the only time in Jesus' life when He ran into people who missed the miracle. In the 12th chapter of Matthew, we are told that he healed a man with a deformed hand. There, too, the Pharisees only saw that He did it on the Sabbath, in violation of their prohibition against doing 'work,' so instead of rejoicing that a man was healed, they "discussed plan to kill Jesus."
Those stories remind me about a conversation I had with a woman who struggled to find the peace of Christ through some very difficult circumstances in life. She was growing in faith but another Believer didn't see her heart and the work that God was doing there. The other person only saw that she was still smoking cigarettes and called her faith in question because of it! If it hadn't been so painful for the woman whose sincerity of faith in Christ was called into question, I would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the issue. The amazing things that God was working out in the life of the woman was missed by a person who only saw a cigarette in her hand, not the whole of her life! Yes, that is how easy it is to miss the miracle when we're consumed by our own pre-conceived ideas.
I've missed my share of miracles, too, because I was focused on my plans, my ideas, my needs and unwilling to enter into the experience of another person in a way that let me feel their wonder, share their joy (or sorrow), or see what God was really doing in and/or through them.
Today, the God of wonder is at work! And He will be working in your neighborhood, and mine, too. The question is, will we perceive His work? Will we rejoice with those in whom He is working?
Here's a word from the Word. It is Jesus' own words of frustration with those who could not, would not, see what He was doing. Let these words challenge you to celebrate the wonder, to open your eyes to the miracles of the hand of God who is here, now!
To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ”‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day." (Matthew 11:16-23, NIV)
_____________________
Lord of all creation-
Of water, earth, and sky;
Heavens are your tabernacle,
Glory to the Lord on high!
Early in the morning,
I will celebrate the Light.
When I stumble in the darkness,
I will call Your name by night.
God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy!
The universe declares your majesty,
You are holy, holy!
Lord of heaven and earth!
Lord of heaven and earth!
God Of Wonders
Steve Hindalong
New Spring Publishing© 2000
CCLI License No. 810055
With this dawning realization, I have recently, in the times that I minister at the county jail and in a home for the aged, adopted a new goal for the hour. Instead of seeing myself as going to those places just to teach, or to preach - a dispenser of 'holy truth' - I have prayed that God would let me be a participant in the lives of those with whom I will spend those moments. Yes, I still prepare a message, but I am willing to leave it unfinished or even to adapt my agenda to the conversation that occurs when I am quiet and listen to those to whom God has sent me. Some of you are probably smiling, and thinking to yourself, "And he thinks this is a new idea?" To me, it is! As a result of setting aside my desire to 'finish a job' and instead to enter into the lives of people, I am discovering that there are stories waiting to be discovered, people who bring as much to my life as I bring to theirs. In learning to be a little more flexible, I am finding more wonder, greater joy.
I read a story in the gospel of John about some people who were so committed to their pre-conceptions, so gripped by their ideas about what God wanted, that they missed a miracle that was right in front of their eyes. Take a look -
"Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I am trying to get there, someone else always gets in ahead of me.”
Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up the mat and began walking!
What an amazing development, a cause for celebration and rejoicing, right? After 38 years a man is walking, whole, on his feet! You would think that everybody who saw him would be infected with his joy, overcome with his excitement. And, you would be wrong! Read on -
But this miracle happened on the Sabbath day. So the Jewish leaders objected.
They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! It’s illegal to carry that sleeping mat!” He replied, “The man who healed me said to me, ‘Pick up your sleeping mat and walk.’ ”
“Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.”" (John 5:2-14, NLT)
I am just blown away by their myopia, their fixation with the rules, that robbed them of the wonder. They didn't see a man just healed after 38 years of being crippled. They only saw a man carrying his bedroll in violation of their religious traditions! That was not the only time in Jesus' life when He ran into people who missed the miracle. In the 12th chapter of Matthew, we are told that he healed a man with a deformed hand. There, too, the Pharisees only saw that He did it on the Sabbath, in violation of their prohibition against doing 'work,' so instead of rejoicing that a man was healed, they "discussed plan to kill Jesus."
Those stories remind me about a conversation I had with a woman who struggled to find the peace of Christ through some very difficult circumstances in life. She was growing in faith but another Believer didn't see her heart and the work that God was doing there. The other person only saw that she was still smoking cigarettes and called her faith in question because of it! If it hadn't been so painful for the woman whose sincerity of faith in Christ was called into question, I would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the issue. The amazing things that God was working out in the life of the woman was missed by a person who only saw a cigarette in her hand, not the whole of her life! Yes, that is how easy it is to miss the miracle when we're consumed by our own pre-conceived ideas.
I've missed my share of miracles, too, because I was focused on my plans, my ideas, my needs and unwilling to enter into the experience of another person in a way that let me feel their wonder, share their joy (or sorrow), or see what God was really doing in and/or through them.
Today, the God of wonder is at work! And He will be working in your neighborhood, and mine, too. The question is, will we perceive His work? Will we rejoice with those in whom He is working?
Here's a word from the Word. It is Jesus' own words of frustration with those who could not, would not, see what He was doing. Let these words challenge you to celebrate the wonder, to open your eyes to the miracles of the hand of God who is here, now!
To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ”‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day." (Matthew 11:16-23, NIV)
_____________________
Lord of all creation-
Of water, earth, and sky;
Heavens are your tabernacle,
Glory to the Lord on high!
Early in the morning,
I will celebrate the Light.
When I stumble in the darkness,
I will call Your name by night.
God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy!
The universe declares your majesty,
You are holy, holy!
Lord of heaven and earth!
Lord of heaven and earth!
God Of Wonders
Steve Hindalong
New Spring Publishing© 2000
CCLI License No. 810055
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