This morning I began in Romans. I have no idea how many times I have read the book of Romans, but there is always something new in scripture...always. In Romans 1:9 Paul writes, "God, whom I serve in my spirit..." For some reason this phrase jumped out at me. So, I went to Strong's concordance to see how it was translated from the Greek. "Serve" is a verb and can literally be translated as being active in doing something. No surprise there. "In" is a preposition, and it literally links the aforementioned action to a specific moment in time. It links the action and the "spirit" to right now...this moment...today. The word "spirit", in this passage, is the word for breath, and it is also the word used for Holy Spirit. Both are essential to life, and neither can be seen (except when it's really cold outside : ).
I am fairly certain that I had not seen this nuance before. Paul knew that he was performing the exact action at the exact moment that was ordained by God and empowered by Holy Spirit through Paul's breath...or his words...his words that were being breathed by Holy Spirit and that are still speaking life to us today.
As I sit her pondering how this relates to me, I can't help but realize that Roman's 1:9 did not just mean Paul's breath. It meant my breath as well. It meant your breath. It meant our collective breath as the Body of Christ. There is a popular worship song that I love called, Great are You Lord, and part of the lyrics say, "It's Your breath, in our lungs, So, we pour praise, pour out our praise..." How awesome is it to know that our breath is that of Holy Spirit. Or, is it? Have you noticed that God always gives us choices in following Him? As Romans 1 continues we see that God has made Himself clearly seen by all. No one has an excuse to not know Him, but some make the choice to not follow Him. Paul says in verse 25 that, "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator..." The chapter ends with vivid descriptions of how this choice leads to judgement and separation from God.
The good news is that we can also make the choice to take Him at his Word. We can embrace the truth and serve Him in our spirits. However, we need to realize that to serve Him continuously it is a moment by moment event. Each breath is marked in time. Each word, each breath, and each act counts eternally. My prayer today is that my breath will honor Him; that my breath will reflect the truth of Who He is; and that I will pour out praise. Thank You, God, that You are not done with me yet. Thank You for Your mercy, Your kindness, and Your never failing love that forgives and forgets as I repent. Thank You for Your breath of life and Your empowerment to serve You. "It's Your breath in our lungs. So, we pour out our praise. We pour out our praise."
It is well!
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Love Peter...What does that mean?
A few days ago I shared a post on my Facebook page that compared Peter and Judas. It basically said that Peter had a bad day, but Judas had a bad heart. Love Peter and lose Judas. This morning I was worshiping and praying...just spending time with God, and so many people came to mind. As they came to mind I prayed for them and went back to singing and enjoying. After awhile I began to realize that the people and situations that were coming to mind had a theme, but it wasn't the theme that I would have assumed.
So, before I get into this, here is some background. I have been a Christian for approximately one half of a century. Now, I did not say that I have acted and thought like a Christ follower for all of 50 years, but I HAVE been in the process of God working on me for that long. How long does it take? All I know is that 50 years is not enough, but God is faithful to complete the work that He started. So, having been in church for that long I have been wounded and hurt. I have been misunderstood. I have been guilty by association and just straight up guilty. I have believed the truth and I have believed some lies. I have trusted in God and I have trusted in people (but since I am a person... I should have known better than to have done the later.)
This is where my mind went in this conversation with God this morning. Of course, Peter was the guy that Jesus called a rock upon which He would build the church. He was a strong willed, trustworthy, tough guy with a heart so turned toward Jesus that he was seen by Jesus as foundational to the entire body of Christ. Judas, on the other hand, was a slimy, money grubbing, yes-man who sold Jesus out for some pocket change. Yes, Peter was also the guy who denied Jesus, but it wasn't a matter of weak character or corruption (like Judas.) It was a matter of a weak moment and just plain being a human. Afterwards he owned the sin and it made him even more strongly committed to his Savior.
In my years in the church I have seen Peters expelled...ridden out on a rail...crucified and completely demolished. Heck, I have been Peter. And...I have seen Judas loved, exalted, and declared infallible. WHAT!!! So, I started asking God about this. How does this happen? What makes some Peters so easy to discard while some Judases get catapulted into greatness? How can good christian people be fooled? Aren't most of us Peters at some point. I mean...don't we all make mistakes or even choose the wrong path at times. (Hint: the answer is yes!)
As I asked God about this, the story of Abraham and Issac came to mind. Issac had as much favor with Abraham as anyone could ever have. He was the son of promise. Yet, Abraham held on to Issac very loosely. When God told him to sacrifice Issac, Abraham had no hesitation. The picture that I got was that Abraham sought God and obeyed unconditionally. So often we see people differently than Abraham saw Issac. We treasure their skills, their opinions, their longevity in our lives, and because we see them as treasure, we begin to value them above others...we even value them above our relationships with God. As people become treasure, we become blinded by their shine and sparkle. They sometimes become like jewelry because they make us look good. I am not saying that we should not love and nurture our relationships. On the contrary, God is love and love is expressed between people. What I am saying is that we need to find our treasure in God alone. God is never tarnished. He is never a Peter having a bad day. He is always wise counsel, and He is the ONLY one who can truly judge the heart of another. We can't even accurately judge our own hearts.
We need to be able to love God and one another so purely that we can easily give up the value that another person adds to our lives. We need to be able to speak about and receive the hard conversations that need to be discussed. We need to be able to join with and work with people who are not who we would pick, and we need to be able to leave situations that we adore if the leading of God moves us. In Matthew 8 Jesus talks about the price of following Him. When He calls us to follow Him we are not to question. He expects us to drop what we are doing and take off after Him.
We need to hold one another like Abraham held Issac...with open arms ready to give him up. We also need to guard against discarding the Peters in our lives...just give them a chance to say they love you three times and get on with life.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Who You Gonna Ask?
So, I was sitting in church yesterday just minding my own business and my Pastor began reading from the book of Mark. The scripture hit me like a ton of bricks:
Mark 8:27-29 (NIV) Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way He asked them, "Who do people say I am?" 28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, other say Elijah, and still others, one of the prophets." 29 "But what about you?" He asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Messiah."
Over the last couple of weeks I have heard and seen so many mentions on the subject of rejection, and when I heard this scripture it just seemed to make sense. (BTW - when you hear something mentioned over and over you probably need to think about it.) He wasn't preaching about rejection. So, I got two lessons in one.
I am absolutely positive that everyone reading this has had his or her share of rejection in life: as a child in school, in the workplace, in family relationships, in romantic relationships, and even in church. Can you relate? I can! Many times the people that matter most to us are the ones that hurt us the most deeply. We open ourselves up. We trust. We build up expectations. We rely upon them, and then the rejection hits us like a ton of bricks. So, why does this happen? Why does it hurt even more than a death? Why is it so often completely crippling?
I believe that the answers to those questions are in the questions themselves...and in the questions that Jesus asked His disciples. Please do not get me wrong. God created us to have emotions. He gave us tears that cause not only an emotional release, but a physical release as well. He even made sure that we would understand that Holy Spirit is on the job when we are mourning. (Matthew 5:4 NIV "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." He sees our suffering, and King David went so far as to say that God keeps track of every one of our tears. (Psalm 56:8 CEB "You yourself have kept track of my misery. Put my tears into your bottle—aren’t they on your scroll already?")
So, God expects us to be sad and mourn at the loss of someone or something important. However, He does not expect or want us to allow the loss to destroy us. There is a time for mourning, and then we must get on with life. As followers of Christ, we know that He literally died to pay our sin debt. He is the lover of our souls. He is to be the director of our lives and the definer of our beings. Right? He says that everything that we need for life and Godliness comes from Him. Right? He also says that we are going to experience troubles in life, but that we should not fear when troubles come because He has already overcome it all. Right?
I can hear all of you Christ followers out there saying Yes and shaking your heads up and down. So, why is it that we allow mere humans to crush our souls? Why do we left flawed people define us? Why do we take our cues about our worth and destiny from people who do not behave responsibly with their own lives? Why?
I believe that it is because we are asking Jesus' first question instead of His second. When Jesus asked His disciples who people thought He was, He got all kinds of answers. The bottom line was that nobody really seemed to know, but everyone had an opinion. Do you feel like that?...everyone has an opinion about you, but no one really seems to know you? Of course, that is human nature. We form opinions from what we have heard or seen whether or not it is factual. The problem comes when we allow those opinions to define us. We, as Christ followers, have got to stop asking, "who do people say I am, " and start asking God, "who do YOU say that I am?" We have got to stop giving people the power to shape us, and allow our Creator to finish His work in us.
I am not saying that God does not use people to help us grow and mature. On the contrary, I believe that He uses all kinds of things to speak to us. I am, however, simply saying that the voice of God comes from the perspective of loving us and building us up. Sometimes that means pointing out something that needs to change in our lives, but He never...ever....ever brings condemnation. His voice is comforting even when it brings conviction. He is the very essence of love. So, that is how we can tell the difference. Rejection and condemnation go hand in hand. They are not from God, and their opinions should not be considered. The only opinion that we should consider is that of our Maker. He actually knows the truth and loves us anyway!
It is well.
Mark 8:27-29 (NIV) Jesus and His disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way He asked them, "Who do people say I am?" 28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, other say Elijah, and still others, one of the prophets." 29 "But what about you?" He asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Messiah."
Over the last couple of weeks I have heard and seen so many mentions on the subject of rejection, and when I heard this scripture it just seemed to make sense. (BTW - when you hear something mentioned over and over you probably need to think about it.) He wasn't preaching about rejection. So, I got two lessons in one.
I am absolutely positive that everyone reading this has had his or her share of rejection in life: as a child in school, in the workplace, in family relationships, in romantic relationships, and even in church. Can you relate? I can! Many times the people that matter most to us are the ones that hurt us the most deeply. We open ourselves up. We trust. We build up expectations. We rely upon them, and then the rejection hits us like a ton of bricks. So, why does this happen? Why does it hurt even more than a death? Why is it so often completely crippling?
I believe that the answers to those questions are in the questions themselves...and in the questions that Jesus asked His disciples. Please do not get me wrong. God created us to have emotions. He gave us tears that cause not only an emotional release, but a physical release as well. He even made sure that we would understand that Holy Spirit is on the job when we are mourning. (Matthew 5:4 NIV "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." He sees our suffering, and King David went so far as to say that God keeps track of every one of our tears. (Psalm 56:8 CEB "You yourself have kept track of my misery. Put my tears into your bottle—aren’t they on your scroll already?")
So, God expects us to be sad and mourn at the loss of someone or something important. However, He does not expect or want us to allow the loss to destroy us. There is a time for mourning, and then we must get on with life. As followers of Christ, we know that He literally died to pay our sin debt. He is the lover of our souls. He is to be the director of our lives and the definer of our beings. Right? He says that everything that we need for life and Godliness comes from Him. Right? He also says that we are going to experience troubles in life, but that we should not fear when troubles come because He has already overcome it all. Right?
I can hear all of you Christ followers out there saying Yes and shaking your heads up and down. So, why is it that we allow mere humans to crush our souls? Why do we left flawed people define us? Why do we take our cues about our worth and destiny from people who do not behave responsibly with their own lives? Why?
I believe that it is because we are asking Jesus' first question instead of His second. When Jesus asked His disciples who people thought He was, He got all kinds of answers. The bottom line was that nobody really seemed to know, but everyone had an opinion. Do you feel like that?...everyone has an opinion about you, but no one really seems to know you? Of course, that is human nature. We form opinions from what we have heard or seen whether or not it is factual. The problem comes when we allow those opinions to define us. We, as Christ followers, have got to stop asking, "who do people say I am, " and start asking God, "who do YOU say that I am?" We have got to stop giving people the power to shape us, and allow our Creator to finish His work in us.
I am not saying that God does not use people to help us grow and mature. On the contrary, I believe that He uses all kinds of things to speak to us. I am, however, simply saying that the voice of God comes from the perspective of loving us and building us up. Sometimes that means pointing out something that needs to change in our lives, but He never...ever....ever brings condemnation. His voice is comforting even when it brings conviction. He is the very essence of love. So, that is how we can tell the difference. Rejection and condemnation go hand in hand. They are not from God, and their opinions should not be considered. The only opinion that we should consider is that of our Maker. He actually knows the truth and loves us anyway!
It is well.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Scrubs Blessing
As most of you know, Amanda and I have recently passed our Nursing
Boards and received our licenses as RN's. We are so excited to begin
this new season in life Next week I will start my residency, and Amanda
is looking for a nursing position in Nashville.
The last few years have been full of trials, but as the title of this blog proclaims, they have also been full of blessings and the sovereign provision of God. Let me tell you about just one of those blessings:
A few weeks ago I received an email asking if I would be willing to try some nurse scrubs and write a review. I agreed and received a white Dickies Scrubs top. I honestly did not know what to expect, but it is great. The style that I received is a mock wrap with a band below the bust line that gives it some feminine shape. I'm not a fan of loose, boxy scrubs. The pockets are well positioned and big enough to be useful, but not so big that things get lost in them. (I have some other scrubs with kangaroo pockets, and they are just way too big.) The fabric is a poly/cotton blend. It is soft, but still looks crisp and professional. The cut is comfortable, and the top is true to size. I have washed it 3 times so far, and the top comes out of the dryer without needing ironing. That is a huge plus for me! As I told the company representative, I'll be ordering some more of the same style.
Check out www.uniformedscrubs.com, and use the coupon code "trueblue" for a 15% discount until August 31st, 2013
Uniformed Scrubs on Facebook
Uniformed Scrubs Blog
Uniformed Scrubs Google plus
Uniformed Scrubs on Pinterest
Follow Uniformed scrubs on Twitter @UniformedScrubs
It is well!
The last few years have been full of trials, but as the title of this blog proclaims, they have also been full of blessings and the sovereign provision of God. Let me tell you about just one of those blessings:
A few weeks ago I received an email asking if I would be willing to try some nurse scrubs and write a review. I agreed and received a white Dickies Scrubs top. I honestly did not know what to expect, but it is great. The style that I received is a mock wrap with a band below the bust line that gives it some feminine shape. I'm not a fan of loose, boxy scrubs. The pockets are well positioned and big enough to be useful, but not so big that things get lost in them. (I have some other scrubs with kangaroo pockets, and they are just way too big.) The fabric is a poly/cotton blend. It is soft, but still looks crisp and professional. The cut is comfortable, and the top is true to size. I have washed it 3 times so far, and the top comes out of the dryer without needing ironing. That is a huge plus for me! As I told the company representative, I'll be ordering some more of the same style.
Check out www.uniformedscrubs.com, and use the coupon code "trueblue" for a 15% discount until August 31st, 2013
Uniformed Scrubs on Facebook
Uniformed Scrubs Blog
Uniformed Scrubs Google plus
Uniformed Scrubs on Pinterest
Follow Uniformed scrubs on Twitter @UniformedScrubs
It is well!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Through God's Eyes
For at least a couple of decades, among many other things, I have prayed for God to teach me to love through His eyes. What I mean by this is that I desire to see people the way He sees them. Not that I want know their secrets, but that I want to see the good that may not be obvious on the surface. I simply want to have God's mindset instead of my own, and His mindset is so very different than the way our minds naturally think and reason. I'm a work in progress.
This morning, again in John, I was reading the account of Jesus having gone to the temple and overturned the money changers table. (John 2:12-25) When I read the last couple of verses I had my ah ha moment for today:
John 2:23-25 (Amp) "23 But when He was in Jerusalem during the Passover Feast, many
believed in His name [identified themselves with His party] after seeing His signs (wonders,
miracles) which He was doing. 24 But Jesus [for His part] did not trust Himself to them,
because He knew all [men]; 25 And He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning
man [needed no evidence from anyone about men], for He Himself knew what was in
human nature. [He could read men's hearts.]"
So, if I understand this correctly, during this trip to Jerusalem there were numerous people who saw the things that Jesus did and believed that He was truly the Messiah. We know from earlier in John 2 that He had turned the water into wine, and He must have done some others things as well that were just not recorded. Nevertheless, these people saw and believed, but Jesus knew what was in their hearts and it is recorded that He did not trust them. So, He did not stay around to invest time in them.
In whom did He invest time? Who did he trust? Let's see...we'll there was Matthew. He was a tax collector, a liar, a cheat, a consorter with all manor of what we would call low life. Peter was a hothead who cut off a guy's ear and completely denied Christ 3 times. Andrew was Peter's baby brother. He was sort of a shy, thinker type with apparently no leadership skills, but he was a good guy. Then there were the Sons of Thunder, James and John, aptly given this name because they were a bit over the top. They were ready to torch a village by calling down fire from heaven when some people in the village rejected Jesus. They also had a "stage Mom" who kept lobbying Jesus for her babies to have the best seats in Heaven when all was said and done. Additionally, John obviously had a problem with pride. He openly called himself, "the disciple whom Jesus loved," and only referred to the other disciples by their given names. Phillip was an all around good guy. He jumped right into following Jesus by telling his friend Nathaniel about the Messiah. Nathaniel, who later became Bartholomew, needed a minute to get rid of his skepticism. He was also a good guy, but was a bit prejudiced about Jesus' hometown. Thomas doubted everything. (Maybe he was from Missouri?) Even though he eventually did believe, Jesus had to go out of his way to prove who He was to Thomas. Then there were three guys who did not really distinguish themselves: The other James, Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot. We do not know much about them, but in order to fit into this group they probably had some sort of quirks. Last but not least is Judas Iscariot. We all know that he betrayed Jesus with a kiss for the price of 30 pieces of silver. He was the group's treasurer and stole from the treasury. This was a deceitful, completely untrustworthy scoundrel, and Jesus knew his heart from the beginning.
This group seems like an overall mess, yet these were the guys in whom He invested His time. Guys with which He trusted the keys to the Kingdom. Except for a couple of the innocuous personalities we would never peg these guys as the ones that Jesus would choose and deem trustworthy. However, with all of their flaws and foibles, both past and present, He recognized 11 hearts that were ready to be sold out for Jesus. Jesus saw past their appearance, circumstance, personality, and habits. He saw the core of their hearts and knew that these were mighty men who, with some training, would set the world on fire for Christ.
I don't know why the people in Jerusalem were not trustworthy, and I don't know why, except for fulfillment of prophecy, that Jesus chose Judas. I do, however, know that I want to be able to see beyond people's quirks and flaws. I want to be able to look past a person's ways and see his/her heart. I want to be able to love like Jesus loves you and me. I want to be able to love, and to be loved by others, through God's eyes.
It is well!
This morning, again in John, I was reading the account of Jesus having gone to the temple and overturned the money changers table. (John 2:12-25) When I read the last couple of verses I had my ah ha moment for today:
John 2:23-25 (Amp) "23 But when He was in Jerusalem during the Passover Feast, many
believed in His name [identified themselves with His party] after seeing His signs (wonders,
miracles) which He was doing. 24 But Jesus [for His part] did not trust Himself to them,
because He knew all [men]; 25 And He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning
man [needed no evidence from anyone about men], for He Himself knew what was in
human nature. [He could read men's hearts.]"
So, if I understand this correctly, during this trip to Jerusalem there were numerous people who saw the things that Jesus did and believed that He was truly the Messiah. We know from earlier in John 2 that He had turned the water into wine, and He must have done some others things as well that were just not recorded. Nevertheless, these people saw and believed, but Jesus knew what was in their hearts and it is recorded that He did not trust them. So, He did not stay around to invest time in them.
In whom did He invest time? Who did he trust? Let's see...we'll there was Matthew. He was a tax collector, a liar, a cheat, a consorter with all manor of what we would call low life. Peter was a hothead who cut off a guy's ear and completely denied Christ 3 times. Andrew was Peter's baby brother. He was sort of a shy, thinker type with apparently no leadership skills, but he was a good guy. Then there were the Sons of Thunder, James and John, aptly given this name because they were a bit over the top. They were ready to torch a village by calling down fire from heaven when some people in the village rejected Jesus. They also had a "stage Mom" who kept lobbying Jesus for her babies to have the best seats in Heaven when all was said and done. Additionally, John obviously had a problem with pride. He openly called himself, "the disciple whom Jesus loved," and only referred to the other disciples by their given names. Phillip was an all around good guy. He jumped right into following Jesus by telling his friend Nathaniel about the Messiah. Nathaniel, who later became Bartholomew, needed a minute to get rid of his skepticism. He was also a good guy, but was a bit prejudiced about Jesus' hometown. Thomas doubted everything. (Maybe he was from Missouri?) Even though he eventually did believe, Jesus had to go out of his way to prove who He was to Thomas. Then there were three guys who did not really distinguish themselves: The other James, Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot. We do not know much about them, but in order to fit into this group they probably had some sort of quirks. Last but not least is Judas Iscariot. We all know that he betrayed Jesus with a kiss for the price of 30 pieces of silver. He was the group's treasurer and stole from the treasury. This was a deceitful, completely untrustworthy scoundrel, and Jesus knew his heart from the beginning.
This group seems like an overall mess, yet these were the guys in whom He invested His time. Guys with which He trusted the keys to the Kingdom. Except for a couple of the innocuous personalities we would never peg these guys as the ones that Jesus would choose and deem trustworthy. However, with all of their flaws and foibles, both past and present, He recognized 11 hearts that were ready to be sold out for Jesus. Jesus saw past their appearance, circumstance, personality, and habits. He saw the core of their hearts and knew that these were mighty men who, with some training, would set the world on fire for Christ.
I don't know why the people in Jerusalem were not trustworthy, and I don't know why, except for fulfillment of prophecy, that Jesus chose Judas. I do, however, know that I want to be able to see beyond people's quirks and flaws. I want to be able to look past a person's ways and see his/her heart. I want to be able to love like Jesus loves you and me. I want to be able to love, and to be loved by others, through God's eyes.
It is well!
Friday, May 17, 2013
Can Anything Good Come From Nazareth?
This is the first of what I hope to be a regular inspiration sharing session. For the past two years I have shared mostly about God's provision in the healing process of our son. However, being fed daily from God's Word is just as important as any other aspect of our lives. So, now that that season has ended, it's time to begin a new one.
I started reading again this morning in the book of John. The first chapter sets the stage for who Jesus really is. So, if you are wondering who He is...that would be a great place to start. (You can Google "John 1" and read it in any number of versions. I suggest the New Living Translation, especially if this is new to you.)
Background: Jesus had just begun being known by His true identity: "...the unique One, who is Himself God..." (John 1, 17) John the Baptist had been announcing His impending arrival, and there He was. God had instructed John the Baptist that when he saw the Holy Spirit descending upon someone he would know that that was Jesus. So, when John baptized Jesus and saw the sign, he knew for sure that Jesus was the One that he had been announcing for so long. Jesus then began gathering his disciples. One of His disciples, Philip, went to look for a friend of his named Nathaniel. When he told Nathaniel about Jesus being the Messiah prophesied by Moses, Philip said, "..His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth." (John 1:45)
""Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael. "Can anything good come from Nazareth?..."" (John 1:46) This is the thing that jumped out at me today. Nazareth was known as a small, very unimportant place. Nathanael was basically saying that he knew about Nazareth, and no one who is anyone comes from Nazareth. No, that couldn't be right. The Messiah was to be the biggest deal ever. There was no way that this could be right.
Later on in the text Jesus, Himself, calls Nathanael "...a man of complete integrity." (John 1:47) So, if Nathanael was a man of complete integrity, how could he jump to such a conclusion? How could this man of character get it so wrong? How could this completely trustworthy, wise council of a man be so wrong about something so important? The answer is that he was a man, and he jumped to a conclusion just like you and I do. He had probably heard comments about Nazareth all of his life. Evidently Nazareth had a reputation that had not been proven wrong. So, as far as everyone knew, the reputation was fact.
I started to write that I didn't know about you, but I do know. We have all been the Nathanael who jumps to a conclusion, and we have all been the one about which the conclusion was drawn. It seems to be our nature as humans to gather tidbits, often unwittingly, about a person or situation. We take on others opinions, prejudices, and offenses without even realizing that we have done it. Then we act on the gathered tidbits as though they were fact, when in reality, they may be completely erroneous. Very often the cases that we have built in our minds seem ironclad. We can't even imagine than we could be wrong. "Nazareth!...Can anything good come from Nazareth?..." Oh my, yes!
Nathanael very quickly found out that he was wrong, and proclaimed that Jesus was who He said He was. However, it usually doesn't happen so quickly with us. People's lives, livelihoods, relationships, ministries, families, and much more can be destroyed so very easily. All of us know that we are not perfect, but we expect grace and mercy for ourselves. However, we tend to be very stingy when giving the same. We want the benefit of the doubt for ourselves, but find it hard to give.
As Christians, Jesus is our example. He never threw away anyone. Yes, He rebuked the religious leaders who were behaving badly, but He didn't reject them. If they had repented there would surely have been full forgiveness. This is what we all want for ourselves. We want to know that when, not if, but when we mess up we will be able to find forgiveness and restoration. We want to know that we will not be defined by someone else's opinion of us, and that we will not be defined by any real or imagined mistakes of the past. Is this what you want for yourself? I do.
So, if this is what we want, then this is what we must give. I am not saying that we must trust someone who has proven himself untrustworthy. There are people who are unrepentant and delight in evil. I am simply saying that to comport our lives as true Christians we must strive to follow the words of Jesus in Luke 6:31. "Do to others as you would like them to do to you." (...even if they do not act that way in return.)
It is well.
I started reading again this morning in the book of John. The first chapter sets the stage for who Jesus really is. So, if you are wondering who He is...that would be a great place to start. (You can Google "John 1" and read it in any number of versions. I suggest the New Living Translation, especially if this is new to you.)
Background: Jesus had just begun being known by His true identity: "...the unique One, who is Himself God..." (John 1, 17) John the Baptist had been announcing His impending arrival, and there He was. God had instructed John the Baptist that when he saw the Holy Spirit descending upon someone he would know that that was Jesus. So, when John baptized Jesus and saw the sign, he knew for sure that Jesus was the One that he had been announcing for so long. Jesus then began gathering his disciples. One of His disciples, Philip, went to look for a friend of his named Nathaniel. When he told Nathaniel about Jesus being the Messiah prophesied by Moses, Philip said, "..His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth." (John 1:45)
""Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael. "Can anything good come from Nazareth?..."" (John 1:46) This is the thing that jumped out at me today. Nazareth was known as a small, very unimportant place. Nathanael was basically saying that he knew about Nazareth, and no one who is anyone comes from Nazareth. No, that couldn't be right. The Messiah was to be the biggest deal ever. There was no way that this could be right.
Later on in the text Jesus, Himself, calls Nathanael "...a man of complete integrity." (John 1:47) So, if Nathanael was a man of complete integrity, how could he jump to such a conclusion? How could this man of character get it so wrong? How could this completely trustworthy, wise council of a man be so wrong about something so important? The answer is that he was a man, and he jumped to a conclusion just like you and I do. He had probably heard comments about Nazareth all of his life. Evidently Nazareth had a reputation that had not been proven wrong. So, as far as everyone knew, the reputation was fact.
I started to write that I didn't know about you, but I do know. We have all been the Nathanael who jumps to a conclusion, and we have all been the one about which the conclusion was drawn. It seems to be our nature as humans to gather tidbits, often unwittingly, about a person or situation. We take on others opinions, prejudices, and offenses without even realizing that we have done it. Then we act on the gathered tidbits as though they were fact, when in reality, they may be completely erroneous. Very often the cases that we have built in our minds seem ironclad. We can't even imagine than we could be wrong. "Nazareth!...Can anything good come from Nazareth?..." Oh my, yes!
Nathanael very quickly found out that he was wrong, and proclaimed that Jesus was who He said He was. However, it usually doesn't happen so quickly with us. People's lives, livelihoods, relationships, ministries, families, and much more can be destroyed so very easily. All of us know that we are not perfect, but we expect grace and mercy for ourselves. However, we tend to be very stingy when giving the same. We want the benefit of the doubt for ourselves, but find it hard to give.
As Christians, Jesus is our example. He never threw away anyone. Yes, He rebuked the religious leaders who were behaving badly, but He didn't reject them. If they had repented there would surely have been full forgiveness. This is what we all want for ourselves. We want to know that when, not if, but when we mess up we will be able to find forgiveness and restoration. We want to know that we will not be defined by someone else's opinion of us, and that we will not be defined by any real or imagined mistakes of the past. Is this what you want for yourself? I do.
So, if this is what we want, then this is what we must give. I am not saying that we must trust someone who has proven himself untrustworthy. There are people who are unrepentant and delight in evil. I am simply saying that to comport our lives as true Christians we must strive to follow the words of Jesus in Luke 6:31. "Do to others as you would like them to do to you." (...even if they do not act that way in return.)
It is well.
The Answer: Just One More!
How many life changing events can one cram into one weekend? The answer: Just one more! You might as well get a cup of coffee and sit down because it might take a few minutes to catch you up. So much has happened since my last post. Nick is doing so well! He finished the photo pheresis in January and his exit bone marrow biopsy was 100% clean. Tests also show that he is 110% converted to Amanda's immune system. (I know that that is an impossible figure, but that is what we were told. I'm sure that it was just for effect and should be taken as such.)
Later this Spring Nick started back to work. He still can not go back to the E.R. (too many germs) yet, but he is loving his job. If you ever have the occasion to visit Jackson Madison County General Hospital and hear a man's voice over the P.A., that will be Nick.
O.K....now for the big news: Last weekend Nick married Kate. We could not be happier! She is a wonderful young woman, and they appear to be deliriously happy. They wanted a small, intimate wedding. So, it was just for immediate family. It was beautiful and peaceful and just what they wanted. (Please do not feel obligated by this statement, but I know that many of you will ask. They are registered at Target & Bed, Bath and Beyond.) I can not express to you how elated I am that Nick has the opportunity to start his life as an adult. Just the fact that he has a life to begin continually puts me in awe. God is good, and it is well!
Also, last weekend, Amanda, Megan, and I graduated from Nursing School. Megan earned her BSN. She has been an RN for many years, but is in the process of furthering her education. Amanda & I earned our ADN's and will be taking our Boards to become RN's in about a month. It was an action packed weekend, to say the least. I will begin a Residency program in either July or August, depending upon when I get scheduled to take Boards. Then, Megan and I will both be beginning our Masters in Nursing programs in the Fall. We will be busy bees, but we are sort of used to that.
I will leave you with this tidbit from my morning's reading:
John 1:4 (NLT) "So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness...."
This is the God that we serve. Even as a man on this earth corrupted by sin, He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. He was not almost full, or half full, or running on empty. He was full to the sloshing brim. He had no lack of love and faithfulness. Even when betrayed and condemned to the cross His tank remained full. Love and Faithfulness...two character qualities that are never conditional with Jesus, and should never be conditional with us.
It is well.
Later this Spring Nick started back to work. He still can not go back to the E.R. (too many germs) yet, but he is loving his job. If you ever have the occasion to visit Jackson Madison County General Hospital and hear a man's voice over the P.A., that will be Nick.
O.K....now for the big news: Last weekend Nick married Kate. We could not be happier! She is a wonderful young woman, and they appear to be deliriously happy. They wanted a small, intimate wedding. So, it was just for immediate family. It was beautiful and peaceful and just what they wanted. (Please do not feel obligated by this statement, but I know that many of you will ask. They are registered at Target & Bed, Bath and Beyond.) I can not express to you how elated I am that Nick has the opportunity to start his life as an adult. Just the fact that he has a life to begin continually puts me in awe. God is good, and it is well!
Also, last weekend, Amanda, Megan, and I graduated from Nursing School. Megan earned her BSN. She has been an RN for many years, but is in the process of furthering her education. Amanda & I earned our ADN's and will be taking our Boards to become RN's in about a month. It was an action packed weekend, to say the least. I will begin a Residency program in either July or August, depending upon when I get scheduled to take Boards. Then, Megan and I will both be beginning our Masters in Nursing programs in the Fall. We will be busy bees, but we are sort of used to that.
I will leave you with this tidbit from my morning's reading:
 |
| On my kitchen chalkboard this morning |
John 1:4 (NLT) "So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness...."
This is the God that we serve. Even as a man on this earth corrupted by sin, He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. He was not almost full, or half full, or running on empty. He was full to the sloshing brim. He had no lack of love and faithfulness. Even when betrayed and condemned to the cross His tank remained full. Love and Faithfulness...two character qualities that are never conditional with Jesus, and should never be conditional with us.
It is well.
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