Category Archives: Christianity

November 4 – Warm Fuzzies

Leave a reply

Matthew 22; Mark 14

I love reading the Bible. It can humble me, challenge me, encourage me, or tickle me. Today I was tickled.

Jesus has less than a week to live on planet Earth, as reported in the chapters we read today. He still has a large following, and the Jewish elite are still trying to trap Him: Should we pay taxes? Who is married to whom in the resurrection? What’s the greatest commandment?

They tried hard to get him to say something… anything… that would show Him up in front of his followers, and give them reason to get rid of Him once and for all. So Jesus gave them a bit of their own medicine. He asked them:

How can the Christ be David’s son, if David himself called Him, Lord?

Here’s what tickled me. The large crowd were listening to Jesus answer question after question. They heard Him ask the hard question, too. Their response?

And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him. (Mark 12:37b)

I’m not a preacher. But I think if, after preparing a sermon and preaching my heart out, someone shook my hand on Sunday morning and said, “Enjoyed your sermon today, Pastor,” I’d go home and throw something. If all you get out of hearing God’s Word proclaimed is a good time, then either your pastor isn’t doing his job, or you aren’t going in there prepared to hear what God has to say to you.

I said this verse tickled me. It did. I even laughed out loud. Until I remembered that these very people, these followers who “enjoyed” listening to the exchange between Jesus and the Jewish leaders, were the same ones who  cried, “Crucify Him,” only days later. I guess they’d stopped enjoying what they were hearing.

Your pastor is preparing a message he’ll give two days from now. Are you preparing, too? God has something to say to you through the words He has given your pastor. I can say with confidence that God isn’t interested in tickling your ears, or giving you warm fuzzies so you go away feeling good about yourself. I’m pretty sure He wants to challenge you to live for Him in a more effective way, He wants to put a finger on sin in your life so you’ll repent of it, He wants to humble you, drive you to your knees, so you’ll admit how much you need Him.

I dare you to prepare your heart to be changed Sunday morning. If your pastor is doing his job, and you are doing yours, you can expect something truly amazing to come out of it.

Father, I want to be ready to hear from you on Sunday. I pray that You will point out sin so that I can ask you to forgive me, and enter Your house with a pure heart. I want you to beat me up, if I need it. I want you to humble me, light a spark within me, draw me closer to you. I pray for my pastor. Thank you so much for this man who is truly a vessel you use to speak to me. God, encourage his heart. Give him clarity, discernment, power. May he continue to allow You to speak through him right to me. Defeat Satan’s attempt to block what You want to do in our church. May my pastor be an instrument in Your hands to help me love You more, and serve You better. Bless my pastor today, Lord. And make him a blessing to your people who are not looking for warm fuzzies on Sunday morning.

November 3 – You Are Not the Judge Of Me. And I Am Not The Judge Of You.

2 Replies

Mark 11; John 12

The speed limit is clearly marked 70 MPH. If you pass me going 90, do I judge you if I say you’ve broken the law? Do I judge you when I call you a thief, if you break into my home and take my TV? If you have sex with your neighbor’s wife, am I judging you if I tell you you are guilty of adultery?

Jesus says, in John 12:47, “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” Does that mean we are not to identify sin in ourselves and others? After all, if Jesus Himself didn’t come to judge them, who do we think we are?

Jesus didn’t stop with verse 47. Verse 48 says, “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”

The reason Jesus didn’t come to judge the world was that He had already laid down the Law, and clearly said Law-breakers are guilty. Their own actions demand a guilty verdict.

As Christians, we should not refrain from identifying sin in ourselves and others. Jesus said He knew that God’s commandment is eternal life. The opposite of that is true, too. Breaking God’s commandment, rejecting Jesus, is eternal hell.

It’s that serious. We who know the truth need to be telling it. When Jesus said people will be judged “at the last day,” He was giving us fair warning. Shouldn’t we be doing the same for our friends and loved ones who are living their lives as though there was no Judge?

God, Your children have buckled under the pressure of Satan’s lies. Your children have all too often adopted the “Don’t judge” mantra as meaning we should step back and let people do what they want. Forgive us. Humble us. Give us courage to stand up for the Truth of Your Word, to recognize sin, to speak up. Otherwise, how will people even know they need a Savior?

November 2 – Not The Same

Leave a reply

Luke 18:15-19:48

Isn’t it amazing how much Zaccheus changed after his encounter with the Savior? Tax collectors weren’t really known for their honesty. And Zaccheus was the chief tax collector. After meeting Jesus, Zaccheus realized his sin and told Jesus he was going straight. He was going to reimburse with interest, the people he had cheated.

Zaccheus was saved that day. Here’s what I love about this account. 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost.”

Do you know God is actively seeking for you, to save you? If you have yet to accept his salvation, don’t think He’s not paying attention, or that He’s not interested in you. He’s very interested. He’s paying close attention to every thought, every word, every action. He loves you, He calls out to you, He sends signs, performs miracles, nudges you, and pursues you with the intense purpose of breaking you down until you come to Him. He wants to forgive you and lavish you with love, joy, peace… Himself, forever!

To those of you who have gone to Him and received His grace, has that encounter changed you? It ought to. Once you’ve answered His call, like Zaccheus, nothing is the same as before.

November 1 – I Love A Parade

Leave a reply

Matthew 20-21

Last summer, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Championship. To honor them, the city gave them a parade. I don’t know if you watched it on TV, but it was pretty impressive. Over a million people lined the streets of downtown to get a glimpse at their heroes. The cars carrying the players couldn’t even move because the fans, swarming the streets, were trying to get close to the players.

At the time, the Cleveland Indians baseball team had a winning record, and someone jokingly (or hopefully) posted an invitation to the World Series championship parade to be held November 3 in Cleveland. It was June. The season was just under way. The Indians hadn’t won a World Series since 1948, or appeared in the series since the 1990’s. Even though November 3 seemed so far away, I thought, why not? I laughed, then hit “accept invitation.” I was thinking this could be the year, like I’d thought every year since I was a little girl. What can I say? I’m a fan.

I read about another parade this morning in Matthew. Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. People threw their coats in the road for Him to ride over. Others cut branches from trees and made a carpet for Him. The crowd shouted, “Hallelujah!” I think I can almost feel their excitement.

 

We know that that crowd ended up turning on Jesus only a few days later. They were celebrating Him for the wrong reasons. They wanted a King who would free them from Roman rule. They wanted Someone who would finally return them to their glory. When they heard that wasn’t happening, they rejected Him. In fact, they ended up killing Him.

Makes me realize how important it is that we follow Christ for Who He really is. I think too many people desert Him when things aren’t going their way. Like sports fans who only support a team when they win, they want God to make them feel good, secure their happiness and success, zap all their enemies. But when they realize God demands we humble ourselves and serve Him instead of being served, they bolt.

Fickle.

I know that many people are fans of the Indians (or any team) when they are playing well. Everyone wants to be on the winning side. But it’s those lean years when a team can’t buy a win, that a true fan is identified. I guess the same can be said for a true Christian. It’s that person who loves and obeys and demonstrates God’s love to others even when life isn’t fair. It’s the person who stands for the Truth of Scripture, even when it’s not politically correct. It’s the one who can say “Hallelujah” even through the tears.

I want to follow Jesus for the right reasons. He is my hero. He is my champion. He is the winner of every battle He and I face together. He alone deserves my awe, my devotion, my praise and honor. He is my Savior.

And the next time we throw a parade for Him, it will be the day He returns to take us home. We’ll meet Him in the air and follow Him to glory. Sign me up. That’s one parade I don’t want to miss.

 

October 31 – A Ticket To Heaven

Matthew 19, Mark 10

The rich young man wanted to be sure he was going to heaven. So he asked Jesus to tell him how. Jesus answered:

Don’t murder anyone. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal or lie. Don’t defraud anyone, and honor your parents.

Check. Check. And check.

“Got that covered,” the young man said. “Anything else?”

I love how Mark 10:21 puts it. Jesus felt a love for this guy. He didn’t condemn him or correct his view of himself, even though Jesus could see right into this young man’s heart and see his sin. Jesus threw out the ultimate test for him: sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and follow Me.

Some might look at Jesus’ response as being in support of a works-based salvation. Please don’t base your faith on one passage of Scripture.

The other day, as I read Luke 14 about the cost of being a disciple of Jesus, it became plain to me that following Jesus costs everything. And, being that Jesus Himself said He is the only way to the Father, going to heaven involves going through Him, which means surrounding everything to Him.

I believe when Jesus gave the young man that checklist of requirements for gaining heaven, He wanted the young man to see that he had already forfeited his ticket. He may have not murdered anyone. But can anyone honestly say they have NEVER lied, or that they ALWAYS honor their parents? (Come on. I was a teenager once, and so were you). I believe Jesus wanted the young man to see his need of the Savior.

But he didn’t. Instead, he felt pretty self-righteous. Jesus said it’s hard for people like that, those who are rich in the things of this world, those who are self-sufficient, to enter heaven, because either they don’t see the need to ask forgiveness, or they hold out on God. They don’t surrender themselves completely to Him.

And that’s what He requires. Don’t mistake this passage for a honey-do list. There is no way to earn your salvation which will result in eternal life with the Father in heaven. You are a sinner. You need the Savior.

Jesus has already paid the price of admission for you. He went to the cross so that He could forgive you when you ask Him to. He is ready and eager to hand you the ticket to heaven that He bought for you. Because, as He said:

All things are possible with God.

Even saving the likes of you and me.

October 30 – The Mission

Leave a reply

Luke 17:11-18:14

Jesus hadn’t completed His earthly mission yet, and He was talking about His second one. His focus went beyond the cross right into eternity. He would die on that cross, but what would follow was going to be incredible.

Some day Jesus is going to come back, and life on this earth will be over. We who know Him will leave these broken bodies behind, our cares and worries, our hardships and sorrows will all be forgotten when we hear that shout and see our Savior coming down from heaven.

We won’t even wait for Him to land. We’ll be caught up and meet Him in the sky. Can you even imagine?

I believe that was the day Jesus spoke about here in Luke. The cross, as determined as He was to get there to pay sin’s debt once and for all, was the means to attain the ultimate goal – eternity with me in His Presence. Forever with all of us who loved Him and accepted His grace while in this life.

Jesus is coming again. He’ll gather up those of us who repented of our sin, who allowed Him to cover us with His precious blood. We’ll see Him face to face!

Oh, glorious day.

October 29 – Not My Messiah

2 Replies

Luke 11

The Man just raised someone who had been dead four days. In the last three years He had made blind people see, lame people walk, cast out demons, healed leprosy, fed thousands, and controlled the weather. He even said He was the One the prophets had told them about, and He taught them with more authority than they had ever heard before.

But the Pharisees rejected Him anyway. All the evidence pointed to the fact that Jesus was the Messiah, but Jesus was not who they pictured in that role. Jesus wasn’t rallying an army to defeat the Romans, He wasn’t taking steps to make Himself king. Not only that, He never once patted the Pharisees on the back for their knowledge of the Law, or their leadership skills.

Their response to Jesus’ raising Lazarus was to say: We’ve got to shut Him down. If He keeps doing those things people are going to follow Him and we might lose our place in society. The people will like Him better than they like us, and where will that leave us?

The Pharisees had a picture in mind of what their messiah would look like. He’d be a commanding leader who would appoint them to positions of power in a kingdom without Roman rule. He’d be one of them. He’d at least be from a good home.

Let’s not make the same mistake the Pharisees made. Let’s not reject Jesus because we are going through a battle with cancer, and we think our messiah ought to heal us. Let’s not reject Him because we are struggling with a dead-end job, and we think our messiah ought to make us successful. Let’s not reject Him because people who have wronged us are living the high-life, and we think our messiah would just burn down their houses because they were mean to us. Let’s not reject Him because we’ve decided our messiah would be tolerant of multiple ways to heaven, would not object to homosexuality, would pat us on our backs for being good people.

I don’t know what you’ve pictured your messiah to be. But I can say with confidence that the person of Jesus is so much better than you can dream up. The truth is, Jesus IS the Messiah. He IS God’s Son. He IS God in the flesh. And He died because you are a sinner.

Jesus’ goal was not to make you happy or healthy or wealthy. Get that picture out of your mind once and for all. Jesus’ goal was to save your soul so that you could live with him forever. Jesus’ goal was to forgive you so He could walk with you in this life, in every circumstance.

Jesus is my Messiah. Jesus is THE Messiah.

 

 

October 27 – Counting The Cost

Leave a reply

Luke 14&15

Have you ever agreed to do something before your really checked it out? Or bought something before you read the fine print? Started a project you weren’t sure what to expect? Or even accepted an invitation without knowing the details? How did that work out? Yeah, bummer.

Luke shared that Jesus wanted His disciples to know what they were getting into, because it’s not easy being a disciple of Jesus. It wasn’t when Jesus was walking this earth in bodily form, and it’s not easy today. Jesus wanted all of us to know this. So He spelled it out so we’d know exactly what following Him costs.

In 14:26 He said the first requirement of being a disciple is to love Him more than anything or anyone. He went as far as to say that, in comparison, our feelings for our family should look like hate. Now, Jesus wasn’t advocating we turn on our loved ones. We need to remember to read every verse in light of all of Scripture, and Scripture talks an awfully lot about how we should love one another. But Jesus wants me to ask myself if my love for Him is so complete, so intense, so exclusive, that all other relationships pale in comparison? That if I put it on a scale of 1-10, other relationships would be at zero, while my love for Him is at an 11.

In verse 28, Jesus asks us to consider the cost of discipleship. Can following Jesus strain our pocketbooks? He might call you to pastor a tiny church instead of being CEO of some big company. He might ask you to give sacrificially to His work to the point where you are unable to drive a new and fancy car. You might be overlooked for a promotion at work because of your stand for the Savior. So, yes. Being a disciple of Jesus might effect your finances.

And it might cost you in other ways, too. Relationships, certain parties or social events, not being able to join in the conversation in the break room when people are talking about the latest episode of Modern Family or Dating Naked. Being a disciple of Jesus might cost you your social standing.

Jesus also asks us to consider the fact that His disciples have battles to face (verse 31). This is war. There will be times when He asks us to stand and fight, others when seeking peace is the answer. Are we ready to follow His lead in both cases?

Then, in verse 33 Jesus says this:

So then none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

That’s the fine print we need to read. Being a disciple is not a part time job. It’s not Sunday thing. It’s everything.

Are you a disciple of Jesus? It’s not easy. It’s not even politically correct these days. But if you are His disciple, I imagine we both can agree it’s worth it. I know for myself, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but right there with the One who loves me more than even I can understand. I count everything else a loss except for knowing Him.

October 26 – I Never Knew You

Leave a reply

Luke 12-13

Will God really send good people to hell? Certainly there won’t be preachers and Sunday School teachers there, right? Won’t people who volunteer at the homeless shelters, those who never lie or cheat, people who are kind and thoughtful, get a free pass?

I can promise you, according to Scripture, that God will not send one holy person to hell. There will not be one sinless person in that fire. Zero.

But Jesus said that some of the people who were following Him, who heard His teachings, will knock on the door of heaven only to hear God say, “You can’t come in. I never knew you.”

The World Series started last night. My brother-in-law and nephew were there, amid thousands of people wearing their Indians’ shirts and hats, and waving their red towels to cheer on the home team. Thousands of people stood at the same exciting moments, chanted the same words, praised the same players, complained about the same umps, and most of them had 100% of their attention on that field.

But I only know two of the thousands of people who were at that game. Many people dressed like my loved ones. Many acted like them, even said the same things my loved ones said. But if all of those baseball fans knocked on my door, I’d only let two of them in.

Now some of the opposition were easily detected. They were the ones in the light blue shirts. They were not Indian fans. Their clothes were different and they cheered at different times in the game. They neither looked nor acted like my loved ones. So if they came to my door, I could weed them out easily.

But it’s the rest of them, the ones who looked and acted like my loved ones that aren’t so easily detected. But not knowing them, I wouldn’t let them in, either, even if they looked the part.

Looking like a Christian, learning to talk like a Christian, doing Christian things, doesn’t mean God knows you. Jesus tells us the only way the Father can know any of us is if we go through Him. His blood. His forgiveness. His Way.

And only those whom God knows will be welcomed into eternity with Him.

Does He know You?

October 24 – Jesus And Me

Leave a reply

John 9-10:21

Jesus told the healed blind man that He was the Son of Man. Jesus called Himself the door through which a person is saved. He said He was the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. And He said He has the authority to take it up again.

I hope you are reading about Jesus’ last days on earth with me. Hear Him tell you that He is the Savior, the Son of God who died for you. Get to know this One who loves you so. I can’t help but make it personal as I read through His Word. Jesus is my door to salvation, He is my Good Shepherd who cares for me in this life, who died to save me, and who lives today.

If you haven’t accepted what Jesus did for you, I pray you’ll do that today. If Jesus is already your Savior, I pray by reading His Word you’ll love Him more, and serve Him better.

When I read these verses I see my relationship with Jesus, my Door, my Shepherd, my Savior. He’s everything to me.