FEBRURARY 10, 2018

“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” 
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

LEVITICUS 10-12

“ ‘Among those who approach me

I will be proved holy;

in the sight of all the people

I will be honored.’ ”(10:3)

MATTHEW 26:1-19

6While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

8When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9“This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11The poor you will always have with you,^a but you will not always have me. 12When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

JOURNAL 

Jesus continually has a way of getting to the heart of people.  While from a practical standpoint the disciples were correct, the jar of perfume was worth a year's wages, so there is good reason to question such "wasteful" extravagant use.  Jesus cuts to the heart.  He understands the gesture and the reason for it.  Therefore it is never about the money or practicality.

I think about this in regard to God's love for us. When I look at earth, nature, the universe...it all seems so wasteful.  Scientists believe that there exist between 2 and 50 million types of living creatures.  How is this practical?  What is the purpose? There are stars that we have never seen, animals that serve no purpose other than to exist in the wild.  Amazing sunsets, deserts, valleys, mountains, lakes, oceans...on and on and on...glorious extravagance!  This is God's love.  It is never practical, it is perfect.

20And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

GENESIS 1:20-23

FEBRUARY 9, 2018

“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” 

― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

LEVITICUS 7-9

5They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the entire assembly came near and stood before the Lord. 6Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.”(9:5-6)

MATTHEW 25:31-46

31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

JOURNAL 

Not only are we to multiply our talents we are to give and share with those that need them. This verse cannot be interpreted any other way. When there is a need we are to fill it. Just as if we were doing it for God himself. If not...and we reject those that need us and our possessions then we are rejecting God himself. 

It is tempting to believe that this is intended for those who have material wealth. Jesus makes it very clear it is for all of us no matter how much or how little!

6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-8

FEBRUARY 8, 2018

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” 

― William G.T. Shedd

LEVITICUS 4-6

1The Lord said to Moses: 2“If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbor about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor, 3or if they find lost property and lie about it, or if they swear falsely about any such sin that people may commit— 4when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, 5or whatever it was they swore falsely about. They must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering.(6:1-5)

MATTHEW 25:1-30

24“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28“ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

JOURNAL 

If there was ever a question about what God wants us to do with our lives...then Jesus answers it in this parable. We are to live and take risks and multiply our gifts and the talents God has given us. We are not to take from others but rather are to multiply what we have. This is through effort and risk and not shrinking back. 

Yesterday I was reading the "caring bridge" journal entry for a friend from High School's son. He was injured before Christmas and is paralyzed from the chest down. The report yesterday was rejoicing over the progress he is making...thumb movement, finger twitches etc. I was overcome with the realization that I have full hand movement, leg movement, full control of my entire body. So do all 3 of my boys and yet I don't rejoice over that fact. I am not appreciative of the miracle of a functioning body, the gift of life, the blessings of being in a country that gives me freedom to pursue a life directed by God. I live in a sort of paradise...especially if compared with life 100 years ago or really in comparison to 95% of the world. The gifts, privileges and luxuries of my life are too many to even count. 

Gratitude is a necessity if I am to live life to the full. Going back to the journal from yesterday. If I live with the reality that this may be all I get in this life...then I am sure to not take it for granted. I am more compelled to maximize each and every moment, to not waste time absorbed in worries or fears. If I focus on the worries and fears then I will inevitably become the servant who buried his talent. He did so because he focused on the outcome rather than just giving and doing his best.

I must have faith that if I give my best and do it in obedience to God...then he will bless it as it should be blessed. God will harvest the results of my obedience. I need not really concern myself over what that should be. This is where I have really gotten all messed up in the past. Too often I have already written the script in my mind as to what the future should look like, or what results I should get. This again is becoming the disobedient servant...simply give my best, turn it loose and let God handle the results. 

6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2 TIMOTHY 1:6-7

FEBRUARY 7, 2018

“Believe in Your Heart
Believe in your heart that you're meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic and miracles.” 
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

LEVITICUS 1-3

1The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.(1:1-2)

MATTHEW 24:23-51

45“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

JOURNAL 

Recently I have truly been focused on the brevity and uncertainty of life. Part of that is a result of reading a biography on Theodore Roosevelt. Doing so is an exercise in shaming all sense of my own masculinity. To say Teddy was a man is like saying mount Everest is a hill. The man was a relentless, courageous, heroic human dynamo. It boggles my mind to read all that he accomplished, all that he pursued and often his actions were done amidst daunting adversity. One of the many things that impresses me is how his whole life seems to be lived without taking one day or one moment for granted. 

One of his struggles, especially in his younger years, was his asthma which at any moment, any day, could render him almost completely incapacitated. I wonder if this adversity is what caused him to relentlessly live life with a sense of urgency. It would make sense that an ever present sickness could prompt someone to make the most of those times when they weren't sick. In his case...his attacks became fewer and fewer as he got older. Yet it probably still motivated him to make the most of life while he had it. 

It is an indisputable fact that tomorrow is an unknown, our life is an unknown. No man can truly predict the future. Yet often our actions would suggest otherwise. I don't live as if today might be my last, really I don't know if that is actually possible. But I also don't really consider that it might. When I really look at it...I most often live with an arrogance that I know how tomorrow is going to turn out...or at least how it "should" turn out. I then take that arrogance and live life based on false confidence. Then when things don't turn out like I think they "should" I tend to become bitter, angry and fearful.  

I think though what is warranted and commanded here is a healthy appreciation for life with the realization that this may be all we get. God does command that we are to live humbly, grateful for today...knowing that tomorrow is in his hands and we are at his mercy. I think this is the only logical way to live. Anything else is actually foolish...It also I think sets us up with a sense of urgency while balancing that urgency with gratefulness. If I were to really only focus on today with gratitude then my dependence on God is going to truly be optimal. I'm not going to dread or fear tomorrow...but rather am going to make the most of today. Then if I wake up tomorrow...I will awake with a sense of purpose, mission and joy. 

4Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^a 5Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7Impress 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.

DEUTERONOMY 6:4-7

FEBRUARY 6, 2018

Another round of bullets hits my skin

Well, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink in

We are bursting through the barricades

And reach above the sun (we are warriors)

Yeah, that's what we'll become

Won't let them break me down to dust

I know that there's a place for us

For we are glorious

― THIS IS ME, The Greatest Showman

EXODUS 39-40

42The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 43Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.(39:42-43)

MATTHEW 24:1-22

9“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

JOURNAL 

Jesus does not mix words when speaking to his disciples.  He warns them of the dire circumstances ahead...but he promises them it will be worth it in the end. Regardless of our circumstances here on earth. Our end is coming in one way or another...either we will wither away or tragically die. It is what it is...so the point of living is what we do while we are able and blessed with life. 

The other night after the super bowl I watched "This Is Us". It is finally revealed how the Father dies. Pretty heartbreaking but also very inspirational. The message I took was the same as what is found here. Give your best...every moment...every day, no matter the outcome...Why?...because it matters! Love others and make a difference in helping them to be their best, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. 

I can't help but get angry about how often I have wasted time and days and weeks and years. So often I shrank back, turned a blind eye, closed my ears and heart to opportunities to act in love and grace. Too often I was consumed in fear or selfishness. Yet to waste time or current opportunities in shame and regret is to repeat patterns. It is to allow the thief of time and love to have his way. 

I think that's what bothers me so much about the current environment of social media, whether it be politics, sports, religion or really anything. People seem to care more about being right and proving others wrong than they actually do about following God and loving others. The end result is that everyone takes their focus off what really matters and as a result...fear, bitterness and hate run rampant. Yet we are told that this will happen. The challenge is to persist despite the actions of others, persist despite negativity. 

Father thank you for waking up my mind and heart to the waywardness of my past. Never again do I want to waste and surrender opportunities to serve and obey you. Every breath is a gift...give me the strength to live it well!

12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

JOHN 8:12