JUNE 2, 2023

   “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done.We will be judged by "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.” 

― Mother Teresa

2 CHRONICLES 7-9

 17“As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, 18I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’19“But if you^a turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you^b and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 21This temple will become a heap of rubble. All^c who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’ ”

JOHN 13:1-17

 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him... 12When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

JOURNAL 

Servant...being a servant is what we are commanded as believers to be. We are to serve others. However the only way we can TRULY serve is if we have received the Spirit of God. Otherwise our service will be done out of emptiness and desperation. Our service will ultimately be an attempt to serve ourselves. We receive the spirit when we acknowledge our own emptiness and commit to full obedience. That spirit then gives us the power, love and discipline to face any problem and any challenge. It is the foundation of living a life of love.

So where the rubber meets the road so to speak is how does this play out today? Today is God's gift to me...what I do with this opportunity and this gift is my offering back to God. If I seek him and obey him in my actions towards others and in my dedication to being a better version of me...then I get the joy of his blessing. I experience the peace of his love and approval.

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 1:7

JUNE 1, 2023

  “Find a purpose to serve, not a lifestyle to live.” 

― Criss Jami

2 CHRONICLES 4-6

36“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near; 37and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’; 38and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; 39then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you.(6:36-39)

JOHN 12:20-50

42Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved human praise more than praise from God.

JOURNAL 

Oh man..."for they loved human praise more than praise from God". How I have fallen into that trap. It's subtle but it happens every day. It's part of our DNA, which is why it's so easy. We want and in many ways need to be accepted. It goes all the way back to our need to survive. If we go back to tribal days...getting kicked out of a community ensured a quick death. Our mind and body don't easily rewire or forget this and therefore our emotions center around preserving and ensuring our survival. 

God still though calls us to a higher calling. To follow him may mean rejection...he actually warns us of this reality. For many people throughout history, rejection meant death, it did for Jesus, his disciples and thousands of early Christians. There are reports in other countries of it happening still today. Yet the reality is that for me here in this country, I will most likely not face rejection that physically harms me. More than likely, following God could lead to worldly success in some ways.

Yet I must never follow because of what I get, but simply because God is my God. I must seek to find joy in the following rather than the perceived outcome. This is hard and does take a rewiring of my brain, but it's God's calling and in the end I believe it's worth it. 

22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

COLOSSIANS 3:22-24

MAY 31, 2023

 “The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated. And the only thing people regret is that they didn't live boldly enough, that they didn't invest enough heart, didn't love enough. Nothing else really counts at all.” 

― Ted Hughes

2 CHRONICLES 1-3

7That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

8Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. 9Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

11God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”(1:7-12)

JOHN 12:1-19

4But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.^b ” 6He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you,^c but you will not always have me.”

JOURNAL 

The heart is what matters.  Throughout scripture this is the one constant  in both the New and Old Testament. God is after the heart, not actions, money, duties...but the heart. The reason is that actions can be performed and faked for a while. The heart cannot. If the heart is there then the actions will follow. 

Judas did not understand this...neither did many of the Kings that followed Solomon. Money itself became the solution to their problem. I believe it is often not the actual money but what the money allows people to do that becomes the obsession. Money becomes the quickest way to alleviate some form of suffering. That suffering could be poverty itself, or hunger but it also could be a way to elevate themselves above others. It could be for the purpose of protection from enemies. We will never know what Judas' issue was, but he saw money as the quickest solution. 

This is again a reminder that using anything to alleviate suffering other than trust and obedience to God will cause that thing to take the place of God. That could be in the form of health, position, power, job or a person. The point is that nothing can take the place of God, God must always come first. 

 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

JEREMIAH 29:13

MAY 30, 2023

 "I wanted you to see what real courage is, it's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what." - Harper Lee 

1 CHRONICLES 28-29

9“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”(29:9-10)

JOHN 11:47-57

 47Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

49Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

51He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

JOURNAL 

"Be strong and do the work." I love these words of David to Solomon. The words of a father to a son are precious. They can be life-giving or life-taking. David has called him as I believe God calls all believers in the same personal way. "Be strong and do the work" that he has blessed us to do. 

No reason to whine about what I don't have or wish situations were different or put parameters on what God can do...God is God and he has given life and commands me to do my best in completing the work that is before me. The reality is that there is work to do every single day. It's also a reality that we are not getting out of here alive, all of us are destined to a body that will one day fail and yet we have work to do. That work may be digging a ditch, washing a car, teaching a lesson, coaching a player, hitting a ball, writing a blog, exercising my body, fighting cancer, loving an enemy or saving a life. No matter who I am or where I am, if there is life in my body then there is work to be done. Doing the work glorifies God...period. None is more important in God's eyes than another, it is the willingness to work and the heart and joy put into that work that matters. 

8Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

MATTHEW 28:8-20

MAY 29, 2023

 “Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens..."

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

1 CHRONICLES 26-27

25Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses.

Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the outlying districts, in the towns, the villages and the watchtowers.

26Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the workers who farmed the land.

27Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards.

Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine vats.

28Baal-Hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore-fig trees in the western foothills.

Joash was in charge of the supplies of olive oil.

29Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds grazing in Sharon.

Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.

30Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels.

Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.

31Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks.

All these were the officials in charge of King David’s property.

(27:25-31)

JOHN 11:18-46

38Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39“Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

40Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

41So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

43When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

JOURNAL 

To serve God does not mean that life will be full of sunshine and rainbows. It may mean doing a monotonous job. It will mean experiencing death and tears and heartache. However it will also mean having a job, having a purpose and getting to be a part of the miraculous. In one way or another when I fully surrender my life to God, I will experience his glory, I will see miracles and I will know pure joy. 

This is the promise of the gospel, this is why we are asked to lay our agendas and lives at the foot of the cross. For God knows far better what I need and what is best for my life. I must though be willing to trust him and not get consumed with the wind and the waves. Keep my eyes on Jesus and my life is guaranteed to be full of power and glory...no matter what the world says.

27But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 

MATTHEW 14:27-29