MAY 23, 2023

   “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” 

― Nelson Mandela

1 CHRONICLES 8-10

13So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord and did not obey the Lord’s instructions; he even tried to conjure up underworld spirits. 14He did not seek the Lord’s guidance, so the Lord killed him and transferred the kingdom to David son of Jesse.

JOHN 8:37-59

48The Judeans replied, “Aren’t we correct in saying that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?” 49Jesus answered, “I am not possessed by a demon, but I honor my Father – and yet you dishonor me. 50I am not trying to get praise for myself. There is one who demands it, and he also judges. 51I tell you the solemn truth, if anyone obeys my teaching, he will never see death.”

52Then the Judeans responded, “Now we know you’re possessed by a demon! Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet you say, ‘If anyone obeys my teaching, he will never experience death.’ 53You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?” 54Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless. The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people say, ‘He is our God.’ 55Yet you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey his teaching. 56Your father Abraham was overjoyed to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.”

57Then the Judeans replied, “You are not yet fifty years old! Have you seen Abraham?” 58Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I am!” 59Then they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out from the temple area.

JOURNAL 

This interaction with the religious leaders is fascinating. Some of the things Jesus says, taken on the surface, are confusing. Yet I believe Jesus is speaking in spiritual terms not physical human terms. He is possessed by God's spirit which existed before the creation of the world. He cannot taste death because the spirit goes beyond the physical. This is why the Pharisees were so confused and why they failed to understand Jesus. They were looking for a physical Messiah...one that would redeem them within the Roman empire. Yet Jesus was a spiritual Messiah, who came to redeem all mankind from the empire of sin. 

This is as true today as it was when Jesus proclaimed it. Too often my thoughts are on the physical rather than the spiritual. Jesus redemption and his kingdom surpasses anything in this world. It fuels me and compels me to look beyond the trials and the adversity of today. It gives me strength to persist and endure for his spirit has conquered it all. 

9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

 ROMANS 12:9-

MAY 22, 2023

  “I want to live my life in such a way that when I get out of bed in the morning, the devil says, "aw shit, he's up!” 

― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

1 CHRONICLES 6-7

31These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there. 32They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.

33Here are the men who served, together with their sons:(6:31-33)

JOHN 8:21-36

31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

34Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

JOURNAL 

This morning I had the thought of all the ways I fail to do my best. Mostly it is because circumstances or results or interactions negatively influence me. The reality is though that I always have a choice. I have a choice in how I respond to every situation that I encounter in life. In thinking through this further I read of the men who served as musicians in the house of David. Their names are listed but they don't have any effect on me and my life. Yet each of them had a story, each of them had a unique life and struggles and hopes and dreams. They had a job to do and they played a part in God's story. 

So often I get caught up in thinking of myself and my own story in ways that are not positive. I have regrets but I also have things that I am proud of and feel good about. Sometimes I think that I put too much stock in a situation, circumstance or result. The reality is 100 years from now, what happened today will probably have no significance on the world at large. Yet it does for me, and it does for those that are close to me and under my care...therefore it matters! By doing my best and giving the best of myself in service to God, I bring heaven to earth. I am able to be a conduit of God's love and power. 

This means that every breath, every moment, every sixty seconds of time, is precious. It is an opportunity to serve God, love people and have a purpose that is a triumphant part of God's story. Therefore it does matter, it does play a part. Every life, every story, every moment is part of the larger story. Thank you God for this reminder. Thank you for this life, this moment.

9“This, then, is how you should pray:

“ ‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us today our daily bread.

12And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation,^a

but deliver us from the evil one.^b ’

MATTHEW 6:9-13

MAY 21, 2023

  “The only cure for suffering is to face it head on, grasp it round the neck and use it.” 

― Brennan Manning

1 CHRONICLES 3-5

23The people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous; they settled in the land from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir (Mount Hermon).

24These were the heads of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel. They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families. 25But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. 26So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day. (5:23-26)

JOHN 8:1-20

2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,”Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

JOURNAL 

One of the things that I find difficult which never really has gotten much easier is reading the Bible daily. I get bored, I get annoyed of this obligation that at times seems pointless. Yet every single time I find that it settles my soul and restless spirit. It's not the actual reading but rather the anticipation of the reading. I do know that I desperately need it...I need it because without it I can easily wander off course, I can easily get distracted by the world and lose perspective. This is precisely what happened to many of the tribes of Israel. Size, strength, skill and power all became irrelevant when people took their mind and hearts off of God. This was the case for the half tribe of Manasseh.  It is the same for me and all of humanity. We need the reminder daily that what is best for us is found in the spirit and power of God. 

The validity of this story in John is questionable. The earliest manuscripts don't contain it but because it is so powerful and so true to the heart and character of God...it definitely speaks truth. I love this story because there is so much contained within it. I love that Jesus used the core of peoples own sin and humility to bring freedom to the woman in question. He reached into her heart and the heart of her accusers with one simple question and command. How brilliant and how powerful. It is the same for me as I think on times when I feel I have been wronged and desire justice. Because Jesus is ultimately after redemption not blame. 

44Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. - 

JOHN 12:44-46

MAY 20, 2023

  “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” 

― Plato

1 CHRONICLES 1-2

The lineage begins...

To Noah’s Sons

1Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, 3Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah.

4The sons of Noah:^a

Shem, Ham and Japheth.

JOHN 7:32-53

Jesus causes dissension within the Pharisees...

45Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

46“No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.

47“You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. 48“Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

50Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51“Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

52They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

JOURNAL 

To begin going through the list of all the names at first is a bit like counting sheep. Yet when I really begin to think that each of those names represents a full life. I life of drama and suffering, laughter, tears, joy, hope, disappointment. Then the impact of seeing them on paper becomes overwhelming. To think that all of these people worship the same God. That each of their lives played into the story and that my life is also grafted into that story. God's story of redemption. They laid the foundation of the Kingdom that I am now a part.

The chief priests are beside themselves with dealing with Jesus and what they see as a threat to their way of life and the influence they have over the people. The Pharisees failed to see that what they longed for most in their life was actually standing right in front of them. It is understandable and reminds me that anytime fear begins to have its way in my life then I can look back and realize it's often that I fear losing something. Many times whatever I fear losing has become more important even than God and his love.

I love watching and reading about people who have been successful in an area of their lives. It really cannot be argued that Michael Jordan is one of the greatest to play the game of basketball. One statement made about him from the documentary "The Last Dance" was  "his true gift is that he is able to be fully present in the moment, no matter what that moment is. He doesn't let fear of the past project into the future." Wow...that's a pretty powerful statement and entirely biblical. 

Today is a gift, it is not guaranteed. And because it's not guaranteed, to waste it in worry and fear is to cheapen it. To cheapen a day, even a moment of life is sinful and is giving in to the evil that wants to stamp out love in this world. Jesus died so that I might have life and live that life in gratitude, joy and service to him and others. 


18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 

1 JOHN 4:16-18

MAY 19, 2023

 “When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve.”

 ― Ernest Hemingway

2 KINGS 23-25

Although Josiah's heart is completely committed to God, it does not protect him from death and defeat...

24Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the Lord. 25Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses...

29While Josiah was king, Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went up to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah marched out to meet him in battle, but Necho faced him and killed him at Megiddo. 30Josiah’s servants brought his body in a chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.

JOHN 7:1-31

The drama heats up as Jesus becomes a polarizing figure...

1After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want^a to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. 2But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, 3Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 4No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

6Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. 7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. 8You go to the festival. I am not^b going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” 9After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

10However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?”

12Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” 13But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.

JOURNAL 

Obedience to God does not guarantee protection from the world and evil. Here Josiah, as a worldly king, has no peer in his dedication and love for God. Yet he is still defeated and killed by Pharaoh. Here Jesus the son of God is being rejected, questioned and conspired against to be killed. Eventually the Jewish leaders would get their way.

Here is a line that must be drawn in the sand of my own faith and spiritual journey. The question is..."why follow?" If the answer is anything that hints of self-protection or wealth or immunity from sickness or suffering then I believe the point and message is entirely missed. My motive reveals my heart and a heart that's sold out to self promotion is a heart that is not sold out to God. 

Now I believe every person on this planet struggles with fully surrendering to God. I think it's at the heart of our sin. Yet I also believe that God permits and allows us to dream and hope and find joy in this world as well. I believe it's why the cross and the message of Jesus is vital to our salvation. We struggle and blow it every day. Yet that's the beauty and the joy of God...he knows and loves us in spite of our failure to love and our failure to obey. Coming to terms with my own failure I must accept that obedience and loving God must be it's own reward. I cannot think of it in terms of what it will get me, but rather what God will do through me. 

Occasionally I go back and watch the clip of Randy Pausch's Final Lecture. It is so inspiring to see a man who is facing his own death and a death that happened way to early, He was a brilliant, kind, amazing man that had so much life to live and give, and yet he wasn't bitter or somber...he was still having fun, still making the most of each day. That's an inpiration that's the way life is to be lived. 

36Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37They were put to death by stoning;^e they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. 

- HEBREWS 11:36-40