1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NRSV)
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

You are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
-1 Corinthians 12:27 (NRSV)

Each of us is unique and created with unique abilities. Together we make up the body of Christ. Each is important to the health of the body. We should be encouraging each other and supporting each other. There is no room for factions, envy and strife. Yet in the world we see many different congregations of faith.

It makes sense that there would be many ways to worship together. People of like interests will naturally congregate together. As long as we all understand that there are many ways to worship and serve our Lord, I have no challenges with there being thousands of denominations. It's when any one group feels they are better or the "only" way to serve God that I cringe. The God who created millions of flowers, birds, insects, and beings of every type has room for all of us to be individuals.  Our God loves variety. One only has to look at creation to see the possibilities are limitless in God's world. Let's celebrate the beauty of our differences and realize that together we form a chorus of wonderful worship.

Rather than pointing a finger at someone else's seeming short comings, look up and raise all fingers to God in praise that he loves us all with total grace. 

Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
-Acts 3:19

I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

-Philippians 1:3-11 (NRSV)

The Hour has Come

Jesus prayed, "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want."
-Mark 14:36 (NRSV)

They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake." And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He said, "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want." He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. He came a third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand."
-Mark 14:32-42 (NRSV)

Being a christian is not always the easy road in life. Some people believe that if you have faith in God and believe in Jesus as your savior that no bad thing will come your way.

When hard times beset them, they are confused and at a loss at how to proceed. When it is a friend going through a hard time, they wonder what the friend has done to cause their hardship. There are times and places in each of our lives where we must pass through a narrow entry way; a place where friends and family may not follow. If we are to be in God's will at these times, we must keep looking forward and not turn back to long for what we are leaving behind.

Jesus was so stressed about facing his week of passion that he sweat great drops of blood while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew that he would endure brutal punishment and then have to leave his earthly life behind. It was a narrow path that only he could walk. He laid down his will to choose the Father's will. By doing so, he made a way for all of us to become God's children.

Footprints in the Sand

If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
-Psalm 27:10 (NRSV)

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
-Matthew 11:28-30 (NRSV)

It has become part of the American Christian lexicon - Footprints in the Sand by Mary Stevenson. Mary wrote the poem as a teenager in the depression era out of her own internal struggles. She shared the poem with others to encourage them in time of need and then at some point, she put the piece of paper on which she had written the poem away in a valise to be long forgotten.

The poem took on a life of it's own and traveled far and wide bringing encouragement to the down-hearted. Mary freely shared her poetry with others with never a thought of copyrights.

Others tried to claim authorship of the poem. It was in 1980 when after losing her husband to heart disease while going through family mementos that she again discovered the old valise of her teenage poems. There lay the original copy of "Footprints in the Sand" where it had long been waiting for her return. Forensic specialists examined it and determined that it was indeed original and she was able to obtain a copyright of authorship over fifty years after penning it.

She had lived a full life and had gone through many troubled and also many happy times. I imagine that when she finally had her poem authenticated it was a fulfillment of sorts of the poem itself. How happy it must have made her to be able to hold it to her heart from which it originally had sprung all those long years ago.

Footprints in the Sand has encouraged me through my own times of difficulty. It is a simple, yet powerful poem. It helps me to remember, even in my darkest hours, that the Lord Jesus is with me - either walking beside me, or carrying me in His strong arms when I am too weak to walk.

Pray about it: Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you for being by my side at every moment. You give me strength when I am weak and lighten my burdens when they are heavy. Help me to always remember that you will never leave me or forsake me. Let it be! Amen.

"Why are you afraid?"

Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. . . . Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid."
-John 14:27 (NRSV)

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
Mark 4:35-41 (NRSV)

There was a terrible time in my life when everything seemed to be falling apart. I felt as if I had lost myself. I made some desparate decisions that lead to calamity. I felt alone with no where to turn. Rejected by friends and facing divorce, I was soon to learn that my father had been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. My mother on hearing the news fell down with a massive heart attack. My husband left and I was unemployed with two small children and many bills to pay.

One day I could simply not face life and I pulled the covers of my bed over my head and curled up in a ball extremely depressed. I simply could not go on and had no strength of my own. I did not know what I would do. I called out to the Lord in my dispair. It was at that moment that I felt the peace of the Lord and almost heard his voice comforting me and telling me get up and walk with Him.

Even though I felt everyone had rejected me, the Lord Jesus did not. He picked me up and took my hand and walked with me. With His peace and kindness, I made it through that very difficult time in my life.

He has blessed me richly with a loving husband and a career that is very rewarding professionally and financially. I went from being alone and pennyless to being happily married, completing a college degree and obtaining a professional career where I earn twice annually what my mountain of debt once had been. The Lord gave me peace and strength during a terrible storm without which I would not have been able to go on in life. I did not deserve His love or His help, but He never rejected me.

Pray about it: Lord Jesus, help me to know your peace in every situation. Let it be! Amen.

Read about it: John Dear's book, Jesus the Rebel: Bearer of God's Peace and Justice, will challenge you to bring the gospel message into your everyday life.

Reverential Awe of God Leads to Understanding

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. -Psalm 111:10 (NRSV)

Now this is the commandment -- the statutes and the ordinances -- that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, so that you and your children and your children's children may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. -Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (NRSV)

We are to love the Lord with fear. Fear has several meanings, one being to have "reverential awe" as is shown in the definition found on Dictionary.com (1). "Reverential awe" of God is the beginning of wisdom."

If we truly see God for who he is we are just beginning to have wisdom. Looking deep into God brings us understanding. We must spend time communing with God to have wisdom and understanding. How do we "commune" with God?

Let’s look more closely at the words “fear” and “commune”. It helps while meditating on a passage of scripture to really think about the words in the scripture and words that come to mind while reading the scripture. Many times the words we use have deeper meanings than we first realize and we can glean understanding by looking at definitions, synonyms, and even by researching the original language of the Biblical text.

Going to Dictionary.com (2), we find the following definition for "commune":

1. To converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc.; interchange thoughts or feelings.
2. To be in intimate communication or rapport: to commune with nature. –noun
3. Interchange of ideas or sentiments.

American Heritage Dictionary (3) proposes the following for "commune":

1. To be in a state of intimate, heightened sensitivity and receptivity, as with one's surroundings: hikers communing with nature.
2. To receive the Eucharist.

American Heritage Dictionary (4) provides the following for "Eucharist":

1. A sacrament and the central act of worship in many Christian churches, which was instituted at the Last Supper and in which bread and wine are consecrated and consumed in remembrance of Jesus’ death; Communion.
2. The consecrated elements of this rite; Communion.

The Online Etymology Dictionary (5) provides the following for "Eucharist":
"sacrament of the Lord's Supper, the Communion," c.1350, from Gk. eukharistia "thanksgiving, gratitude," later "the Lord's Supper," from eukharistos "grateful," from eu- "well" + stem of kharizesthai "show favor," from kharis "favor, grace," from PIE base *gher- "to like, want". Eukharisteo is the usual verb for "thank" in the Septuagint and N.T.

We are to fear God, meaning we should have reverential awe of God. The Bible says that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” I propose that we must commune with God to gain wisdom. When we commune we converse or talk together with God, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc.; we have an interchange of thoughts or feelings. This could mean prayer or actual conversation, talking with God from the heart. Also, the word commune relates to the Eucharist or communion sacraments. Part of communing with God is partaking of Communion, a service in which we remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The etymology of Eucharist contains the ideas of thanksgiving and gratitude, grace and favor. We need to commune with God with an attitude of awe, thankfulness, and gratitude. We need to be in prayer and communication with the Lord. We need to be participating in the service of Communion. We need to be aligned with the sacrifice of Christ and to be thankful and grateful for his sacrifice for us. These acts are the beginning of wisdom and by spending time with the Lord in this way we gain understanding.

Citations
1. "fear." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 05 Mar. 2008.

2. "commune." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 05 Mar. 2008.

3. "commune." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 05 Mar. 2008.

4. "Eucharist." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 05 Mar. 2008.

5. "Eucharist." Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. 05 Mar. 2008.

We are adopted into God's family as his own children

Paul wrote, "I am convinced that neither death nor life . . . nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
-Romans 8:38-39

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ--if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
-Romans 8:12-17 (NRSV)

Once as a small child I went grocery shopping with my mother. Not wanting to sit still in the cart, I complained until my mother let me out to walk beside her. Being curious about all the things around me, I let go of my mother's hand and looked at all the pretty things. When I looked back, being just a small child, all I could see was a sea of legs. I could not find my mom and was afraid. A kind person saw my plight and took me to the front of the store where the manager announced me as a lost little girl over the loud speaker. Soon my mother was there to get me.

My mother had not left me. I had turned my attention away from her and wandered off. When I cried, help was there and I was soon rejoined with my mother.

As a parent myself I was often fearful of losing my own child in a crowd. I was always attentive to her whereabouts and would never have left her to wander. Times are such these days that a parent fears not that a child will simply get lost, but that someone will take the child and do deadly harm. Because of this concern, I would simply not go places where it would be easy for my child to wander off.

As my child grew and went to day school, I soon realized that she would go many places without me. I could no longer be with her at all times to protect her. While she was in elementary school, I could be confident that teachers would always be watching. After school she was in a study hall and would be supervised until I picked her up to take her home.

When she grew into a teenager, she was soon able to go places where there was not an adult I trusted to watch out for her. This brought me many worrisome times. I had to realize that she was an individual who would make her own decisions and that I could not always protect her from herself or from others. I had to trust that my prayers would be heard by the Lord and that heavenly eyes would be watching out for her.

My daughter announced to me one day that she had found her mother. You see she is adopted and had sought out her birth mother without my knowledge. She decided she would move in with her. This was a difficult time for me as I wondered where we stood with each other. Her birth mother was very happy to be reunited with her and showered her with gifts and promises of gifts out of her joy to be able to be with her daughter at long last.

It felt as if I had simply been babysitting my daughter for 17 years until this day that she sought out her birth mother to be reunited. My daughter was treating me as if I were not her mother. I had to turn my fear of loss over to the Lord. I love my daughter with undieing love. No matter what she may do, I will always love her; even if she should walk away and never return.

After living with her birth mother for three months, I received a call from my daughter. She wanted to come home. She realized that I was her true mother, even though I was not the one that gave her birth, I had given her my heart and my home.

This experience helped me understand the love the Lord Jesus has for each of us and how His heart aches when we turn our backs on Him. He does not forsake us. His love is always there and He waits for us to return.

My prayer: Lord Jesus, I pray that I will never take your love for granted but will always realize that you love me more than anyone else could possibly love me. You have given everything so that I can be your child, adopted into your family. No matter where I go or what I do, I will always be in your family. Thank you Lord for loving me. Amen!

The most powerful words-Jesus' Mission Statement

Luke 4:14-21 (NRSV)
Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Jesus said, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

-John 10:10 (NRSV)

Jesus' first act in his public ministry was to proclaim his mission statement: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." In John 10:10 Jesus gives us his vision statement: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

He was purposeful and he was specific. He had a definite distribution plan: recruit 12 people to take the message to the world. For three years he taught the twelve recruits. He lead by example and he gave them responsibilities. He mentored them as they stepped out to follow his lead.

The message never changed. As we are called to follow Him and we too are his disciples and bearers of this mission: to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. We are to let the world know his purpose: Jesus came that (they) those that follow him, may have life, and have it abundantly.

First we must know him, really know him. Second we must live the abundant life. Thirdly, we are to share the abundant life with everyone. Jesus said we are to have life and to have it abundantly.

My prayer: Lord, open my blind eyes to see you fully and free my captive mind that I may understand your mission and how I may live it and share it with all those I meet. Let it be! Amen.

In this season of Christ's passion, think on his words and understand that he came to give us abundant life.

Read more:

This holy week study will give you more insight on the last words of Jesus. The author, Peter Storey, expounds on the meaning in the words of Jesus as he faces his week of passion.

Psalm 51:10-12 (NRSV)
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.
-Hebrews 4:13 (NIV)

I am the clay in the master potter's hands

Jeremiah 18:1-6 (NRSV)

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Come, go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words." So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the LORD. Just like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

[God] who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
-Philippians 1:6 (NRSV)

Cory Ten Boon was a diminutive little Dutch woman whose family hid Jews in their home during the second world war. Her family was arrested and taken away to German prison camps where all of them died. Cory would have died as well except for a clerical error which released her from prison on December 31, 1944. From that day until she suffered a debilitating stroke, she traveled the world, becoming a “tramp for the Lord,” preaching the message of God’s love and salvation to whomever would listen.

Along her travels she happened to visit the college where I was attending my freshman year and spoke at at chapel service there. She told us a story about a tapestry that represented our lives. This tapestry we only see from the underside as God is adding the stitches. We see the loose threads and all the cross-over stitches and find it hard to see any sense in the design. However when the tapestry is completed and God shows us the upper side from His view, we can see the beautiful picture that He has created. We could never see it from our perspective, only when God reveals His work to us can we see the beautiful picture He is creating of our lives.

Cory knew this very well. She had suffered greatly for the kingdom of God and for doing good to others. Her world was full of choas, but God had a plan for her. She knew first hand, that God directed her life because she allowed Him to stitch the tapestry even when she could not understand the circumstances, she trusted that He had a purpose and a design.

My prayer: Lord, I trust you with the tapestry of my life. Help me to yield to your design and to understand that even when I do not see the full picture that you have a beautiful plan in mind. Let it be! Amen.

Genesis 45:4-11 (NRSV)
Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me." And they came closer. He said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there -- since there are five more years of famine to come -- so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'

Blessed be . . . the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.

-2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NRSV)

It is kindness that gives us sympathy to those who are in need or suffering in some way. But it is experience that gives us empathy to fully understand the suffering of others. Joseph could have become bitter from all that he wrongly suffered. Instead he kept a humble heart and continued to look toward God for his salvation. Instead of holding on to grudges, he thanked God and acknowledged him for all the good that came he way. He realized that he would never had been in his position of rank if he had not first walked the path of slavery and imprisonment. He worked hard with dignity no matter where circumstance landed him. If he had chosen instead to be bitter and angry, he might very well have spent his entire life in prison. Because he honored God in all his work, his life's destiny was fulfilled.

My husband works for a large corporation. I work for a much smaller company. We each started our jobs the day after we returned from our honeymoon. He started with twice the pay that I did and since he has an MBA degree and I a BS degree that was expected. Over the past 6 years his company has had huge layoffs of 3 to 5 thousand people at a time where my company has been growing. His company has given annual raises below the rate of inflation where mine has been very generous with raises with the end result being that after 6 years I have passed him in income. His experience has not been fulfilling and has left him pretty unhappy at times. I have been very sympathetic of each layoff and understanding about the raises his company gives.

Recently my company had a layoff of a much smaller scale than my husband's company, however it was done in such a way that it affected every department to some degree. Living through this experience of seeing co-workers losing jobs and feeling the company-wide fear that resulted has moved me from sympathy to empathy. Now I understand the feeling of instability that my husband has lived with over the past few years. I was understanding before, but now I feel the same pain and I really understand.

In the current ecomonic times we live in, no company is immune from layoffs it seems. No matter how stable you may feel your position is, there is no job that has a lifetime guarantee unless you are self-employed and even then you are subject to the market you serve. Getting too comfortable is not an option. You have to remain dilligent in your current role and be ready for opportunity when it comes your way. If set backs come, your attitude will determine the outcome. If you honor God in all you do, then like Joseph, you may be able to look back over your journey and see that it was God that took you to where you are so that you could be a way of hope to others.

My prayer: Lord, help me to see the greater path you have for my life. Help me to be thankful for each day and to see your purpose no matter what the circumstances may be. I want to be like Joseph believing in your vision for my life to such an extent that even when my current reality seems far from the vision, I have the faith to know that each and everything I do is leading me to the end goal and that with You Lord, I will find the fulfillment of my life's destiny. Help me to see and focus on Your vision for my life, Lord. Let it be! Amen.

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

Matthew 6:19-24, 31-33 (NRSV)
[Jesus said,] "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
-Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV)

In the USA, we are wealthy compared to most countries especially those in the third world. Even those who don't consider themselves wealthy hold an abundance of things in their home.

I recently found this pearl of wisdom from a fortune cookie: "The greatest ownership is embracement of emptiness." To me this means that if I am not busy trying to maintain a mountain of possessions then I have time to see all the resources available to me in the greater community. I have more time to spend with other people and interacting with my community. A life of simplicity gives one the wealth of freedom from the possessions that require our time to maintain them. We will also find that a simple life frees one's mind from the burdens of so much clutter.

Once you have obtained the possessions you collect along the way, presents you receive, all the gadgets you buy, the things you gave your children that they left behind as they matured, those things filled with so much sentiment, it is hard to divest yourself of them. You have to maintain them, clean them, store them. Some people even rent storage lockers in which to keep these things. You spend your time and energy dealing with all these many things that you are not even using often if at all. The clutter becomes a distraction.

My goal this year is to go through my "treasures" and find new homes for them where they can be taken out of storage and put to good use. I don't really need so many things and life has a greater sense of peace when there are fewer things to clutter it.

My prayer: Lord, help me to be dilligent to donate everything in my possession that is not needed for my daily life so that others can find use in them and so that my mind and my heart will be freed to focus on what is truly important. Help me learn that "the greatest ownership is embracement of emptiness." Let it be! Amen.

Be perfected in the act of love.

Romans 5:1-11 (NRSV)
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person -- though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
-1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

-Matthew 5:43 - 48 (NIV)

Matthew chapter five is one of the most significant speeches of our Lord Jesus. If you learn nothing at all about how to live a good Christian life other than what is written in this chapter you will be exceedingly successful by striving to live by these words. In verse 48 Jesus implores us to "be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect." How can we be perfect as God is?

I believe that is spelled out in the whole of chapter five with the overall theme of God's love. I believe if we strive to love as God loves then we will be perfected through that act. I have known so many people working to be "good Christians" by improving themselves yet all the time dispising their neighbors. That is a hopeless state to be in for you can never make yourself good enough and dispising your neighbor is like having a "log in your eye". You cannot see clearly.

The only path that leads to true Christianity is a path of love.

In the book of Mark verses 28 - 31, a teacher of the law asks Jesus which of all the commandments is the most important. Jesus replies as follows: "The most important one is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." When the man replied with hearty agreement Jesus said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."

My prayer: Dear Lord, my heart is yours! Help me this day to love as you love, not only when I am pleased with others but even when they treat me spitefully. Teach me to forgive as you forgive and help me to be gracious to all those I encounter. Let it be! Amen!

My greatest success is having you as my Lord and my friend

Psalm 1 (NRSV) - Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
--Isaiah 61:3 (NRSV)

Lord, thank you for watching over me. When I have gone through hard times and no one else was there to help, I have felt your presence. You have lifted me up and encouraged me. When everyone around me had deserted me and said that I was lost, you were there to take my hand and show me the way to walk. Though all those I counted as friends believed the worst about me you did not abandon me. You, Lord were gracious to me and showed me lovingingkindness.

Now I am more successful than those that rejected me, yet the only success I hold dear is in knowing you as my Lord. You are my stream of living water and you bring life to my inner being and cause me to be green and fruitful. Without you Lord, I would be a dry root.

I love you lord with all my heart. Holy is your name.

As I start my day I turn to you and take your hand. I hold your word in my mind and my heart. To me there is no better success than knowing you as my Lord and my friend. Let it be, Amen.

Open your eyes to see the day the Lord has made.

Psalm 118:21-29 (NRSV)

I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech you, give us success! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

How many days are started by complaint because we see the "problems" we expect the day to bring and never open our eyes to see the day the Lord has made? It takes practice and some concerted effort to daily open your eyes to see the day the Lord has made and to rejoice and be glad in it. It seems that it is easier to wake up grumpy and complaining.

Do you ever wake up and the first thing out of your mouth is, "I don't want to get up. I don't want to go to work today"? You pull the covers over your head as if to shield yourself. How does that make your morning feel? For me it starts it off in a gray fog and doesn't get better as the day goes along. It's like putting a filter on my eyes which hides any goodness of the day and only lets me see problems. After several days, weeks, months of living like this it is hard to have a joyful heart.

My remedy is to change the way I start my day. I now set aside the first part of my day thinking and focusing on God and scripture. When I wake up, this is my first task so I get up with that thought on my mind and with anticipation of meeting with my Lord. It is a different starting point for my day and helps align me with a higher purpose; it prevents the fog from settling in.

My morning devotional times are like a lens for viewing the day through God's eyes. I first focus on God and scripture, spending time in prayer and meditation. During this time if worries of the day well up, I keep a pad of paper handy to jot the concerns down in a short simple statement. This offloads the concerns from my mind and allows me to quickly return my thoughts to the Lord. At the end of my devotional time I offer these concerns in prayer.

I now have a list of concerns for the day. I call this my watch list rather than my check list since I have offered each concern up in prayer and asked God to help me find success. I am watching for opportunities that God will bring to light for success for each concern. My mind is empowered with the faith that God will help me with every one.

With my concerns offered up in prayer and written down, my mind is now quieted. I can meditate on God and open my eyes to see the day the Lord has made and I can rejoice in it. My heart is lighter. I experience joy in my day.

Try this for one week:

1. Set a regular early morning devotional appointment with God. In prayer thank God for the day, rejoice in the day and be glad for the day the Lord has given you. Keep a pad of paper and pen next to you so that as you purposefully rejoice and find gladness in the day, you can write down and offload any nagging concerns. Spend a set amount of time simply rejoicing and offloading your concerns, maybe 5 or 10 minutes.
2. Next read a passage of scripture or a daily devotional and in your note book jot down any impressions or thoughts that come to mind from your reading.
3. Next move to prayer over the concerns you have written down. Ask God to save you from worry and any pitfalls each concern my cause you and to give you success for each one. Ask him to give you the vision to see opportunities. Thank him for being with you and give your concerns to God.
4. After you have lifted up your concerns and put them in God's hands, thank God again for the day and ask him to open your eyes to see this day as the day he has created for you.
5. On Saturday morning, review your week's journal and add any successes next to your concerns. Then give thanks for a week of seeing each day the as the day the Lord has made and rejoice in your week.

Offer praise to God and sing songs of praise. Recognize the goodness of the Lord. Thank him for his loving kindness towards you. Ask God to be your light and to show you opportunities for success in all your daily concerns. Return thanks to God as you remember all the good things he has done for you. Your eyes will be opened to see the day the Lord has made and you will rejoice when you see it for it is a wondrous vision.

Take a risk, be bold, see what God can do through you.

Judges 6:11-16, 33-34 (NRSV)
Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty warrior." Gideon answered him, "But sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has cast us off, and given us into the hand of Midian." Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you." He responded, "But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." The LORD said to him, "But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them."Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east came together, and crossing the Jordan they encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. But the spirit of the Lord took possession of Gideon; and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.

The Lord answered, "I will be with you."
-Judges 6:16 (NIV)

Take a risk and see what God can do through you.

It is easier not to take risks, but life is empty if you always play it safe. It seems that Gideon had a very distinct conversation with God and that it should have been easy for him to be bold, but even in this instance Gideon questioned his own abilities and the strength of his clan.

How often do we have "inspired" ideas that are not acted upon? We think of every reason why not to be bold. Why not seek to find the faith to ask "why shouldn't I do this, what is there to really stop me?"

Pray it: Lord, help me to act on the inspired ideas that you bring to me. Help me to be bold and to listen to the small still voice that you use to guide me. Amen.

Do it: I will seek the Lord, walk in his presence and start practicing being bold.

Meditate on it: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, seek not your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will direct your path. Proverbs 3: 5-6

Embracing the essence of Family

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NRSV)
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

1 Corinthians 12:26 (NRSV)
If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is
honored, all rejoice together with it.

What is the essence of true family? Is it simply genetic relatedness, or does it transcend the biological into the spiritual realm?

Most of my life I have felt like a loner. I am the youngest of three siblings born eight years behind my brother and sister who were a mere 18 months apart. When I was old enough to be cognitive of those around me, it seemed that they were a team and I was "third-man-out". I was the tag-along that was too much trouble. I was teased by them but whenever I squawked my mother scolded my brother whether he had done anything or not simply assuming he was the cause. This did nothing to endear me to my sibs although my sister often found it amusing.

They were rock-stars always doing things that were praised by my parents while I was too immature to achieve any such great accomplishments. My early years are filled with memories of being carted along with my parents to attend events to watch my older siblings perform in sports or musicals, science fairs and art fairs.

As I grew older and my sister hit the difficult young adult years, whenever I did anything worthy of praise, Mom would give me a compliment wrapped in a comment about how she wished my sister would also do whatever I was doing so well so that my accomplishments could not shine without being diminished by the shadow of my sister. My sister now tells me that she felt my brother was the favorite and that she was always in his shadow. My brother thinks I was the favorite...maybe from always being accused of causing me to squawk. Both of my siblings think that my mother let me "get away with everything" while they got a way with nothing. I merely felt ignored. This may have been the reason I caused so much trouble as a teen...or maybe I was simply a typical teen with the sense of also not being cared for enough to be pulled into correction. Did I swing wider and wider out of bounds hoping that some centrifugal force would pull me closer to the heart of my family?

My father was a quiet man who left the children to my mother's rule. My mother dove into a career when I was old enough to start attending school. I believe she felt very rewarded by having a successful career and it took the rock-star place now abandoned by my siblings as they moved into the difficult teen years and into college. My teen years were dangerous but whenever I did something outrageous enough to be noticed by my parents, was the scolding what I was seeking just to have some attention at all? I felt more like an interuption than a family member.

My teen years grew wilder and wilder. At 18 I moved out of the house to live on my own. Even though the people I ran with were raucous and lively, I often felt alone. Within a few months I moved into a commune in the country with a group of long-haired people who seemed to have a mission to change the world. No one was past the age of 25 and all were breaking out of their childhood into a brave new world of their own creation. It was exciting at first, but it was not long before I saw nothing truly revolutionary about it but simple rebellion to the bounds of decent society; the stuff of any dissident youth in any time in history. I wanted something more in my life. I was seeking a true answer to the chaos of my life.

I came across a New Testament and started reading the Book of John. The love of God expressed there began to fan a spark in my heart and mind. Maybe it was the interwoven sense of family expressed in the word of God that drew me in. Within a few months of reading I began to form my own opinions of God and Jesus apart from what I had taken for granted in Sunday School as a child. I was developing a relationship that was not handed down to me from my parents but one uniquely my own.

The spark grew into a flame and I finally felt that centrifugal force drawing me into the heart of my true family, the family of God. When I speak of this, I mean the spiritual, transcendental family of God and not a single sect or denomination. I felt a kinship with all who love God. This newness in my heart did draw me back into a relationship with my own family unit. I had a repentent heart as it was exposed by the light of God and I returned to my parents to ask them to forgive me for all the grief and worry I had caused them.

The love of God shining within gave me a belongingness and a true sense of family. I longed for not just the limited familiness of the family I was born into, but to be a part of God's family which extended in all directions and broke through all boundaries.

We have a paparazzi

From Ephesians 5:6-20: Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. --1 Peter 2:9 (NRSV)

One of the most famous people of our time is Mother Teresa. She did not seek glory or fame, only to help the poor and down-trodden that no one else cared to help. She carried the weak and the sick into shelter where she fed and clothed them and nursed them back to health or if that was not possible she loved them with the love of God and eased them with tender care into his eternal loving arms. She did this quietly, but it became known around the world. She lived her life not for her own glory, but to do great things for people who had nothing to give back to her. She lived her life in the light of God's lantern and she brought his light to shine into the world around her whereever she went.

Many people seek fame for the glory of fame. As they say, it is lonely at the top and such fame is fleeting. Seek to live in the light and to live for God's glory. If you become famous, let it be for doing great works that bring good to your neighbors and bring glory to God's name.

The famous live fully exposed. With fame comes admiration and also increased interest in the every move of the famous. If you are famous, everyone wants to know what you are doing, thinking, saying, your every move. They want to talk about you, especially if it is something tawdry or a juicy bit of gossip. A paparazzi follows with camaras to capture and record you. And it seems they hope you will do something interesting and shocking and their best hope is that you fall into some scandolous situation. They may even entrap you into one so that they can report it or they may simply fabricate it to appear as if you have fallen astray because that makes you so much more interesting at least for today. And besides, they can always get more milage out of your descent into ruin. Maybe they will get even more benefit out of your ruin than they did from your ascent into fame and they will make you infamous.

We are children of the most famous family, the family of God. We have a paparazzi...the enemy of our souls.

Remember the story of Job? Job was famous and high ranking person in his community. God seemed to bait Satan to test Job. Satan took on the task with a goal to shame Job and publically expose him as a fraud. When that wasn't working he attempted to crush his spirit and break him in pieces. God had a higher goal. Satan was exposing the inner heart of Job and unwittingly, bringing Job into a reality relationship with God. Job proclaimed to God at the end of the story, "I thought that I knew you, Lord, but now I see you face-to-face.

This may have been the pilot episode of "survivor". It certainly was a reality check. What Satan meant for shame and dishonor, God turned to glory and honor. Job is known as the most righteous man of his time. Satan got kicked off the island. But of course you know, he keeps turning up in every season. He is the enemy of your soul, but God "works all things for good for those who love him and are called according to his purposes." Live your life for God's purpose, live for his glory and not your own and you will know the satisfaction of a life well lived. On that day, it will be better than any head-line news to hear God say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."