NO TAKE BACKS!

Posted on April 14, 2022 by randscallawayffm

Even though there is expensive playground equipment all over the school yard, children will resort to the age-old game called “Tag”.  Playing tag is played when you are bored, when you feel the urge to hit someone in the name of Tag, when you want to pull your group of buddies together in a group while excluding others, or for no reason at all.  Tag can also be played with no beginning or end.  It can be played anywhere at any time, even in the car.  Yes, I done that. 

Tag can be simple.  One person is “it” while the others run from “it” to avoid being tagged by “it”.  Tag can also be very complicated when the influencer of the group begins to make up rules as they go to avoid being tagged themselves.  The rules I have learned from complicated tag are:

  • You cannot tag the person who just tagged you.  This is subject to change if the leader of the game is tagged unnecessarily.
  • You must allow all to be tagged time to run before tagging.
  • You cannot tag the same person more than once, unless the leader says so.
  • The Teacher on the playground is not “base” which protects you from being tagged.
  • You can be tagged even though you are standing next to Teacher—unless he/she turns their back from seeing you.
  • “Base” can be any object or person the one about to be tagged, and is leader of the tag group, declares as base.
  • AND there are absolutely NO TAKE BACKS!  You cannot resign from being “it”. Once you are tagged you are “it” forever until you tag someone else.
  • Once “it” tags a person, that person cannot tag “it” immediately back. 
  • There are no take backs or change of mind unless, of course, the leader changes the rules which can happen at any time and is not explained until the “rules” are broken.

Whew, see what I mean?!  Tag can be simple and fun or complicated and labor intensive—it all depends on who is leading and playing with you.

Oh, the games we play on the playground of life!  We invent ways of doing this and that, making up the rules as we go along.  We change the rules when we are not winning and force others to adhere to the changes we make.  Most times, others don’t know when the rules change, because we don’t tell them.  Why?  Because not telling of the changes, somehow people feel more powerful in self-appointed leadership positions of the group.  They respond with, “Oh, didn’t you know that?  They changed the rules!”  Who is “they”, you ask?  Ah, “They” are the mysterious persons we invent and blame for the changed rules as we do life.  Aren’t we clever?  Mm.

God has a better plan.  Instead of following self while blaming “they”, how about keeping life simple by finding and following the ultimate perfect pronoun—Him?  Jesus is our Savior, our perfect example, who experienced life as a human and Son of God.  He is the One who did no wrong while living on earth so He could be the Only, ultimate sacrifice for all sin, once and for all, with no take backs on His promises.  Why not invite Jesus to not only be our Savior, but to be Lord, the leader, of our lives?

God’s rules don’t change in the middle of the game.  His Word is forever.  His ways are best for each one of His created.  His love never changes for us no matter what we have done in this life.  God’s Son, who reflects Him, is our Way to God who gives Life eternal to us.  Jesus is Messiah come to earth to save all who believe in Him.  Jesus is the SAME yesterday, today and forever in His love for us!  Yes, I want to follow Him.  How about you? 

“…we have a high priest who perfectly fits our needs: completely holy, uncompromised by sin, with authority extending as high as God’s presence in heaven itself.”

God’s Holy Spirit might be saying, “Tag, you’re it!”  He asks us to decide.  Aren’t we tired of complicated lives? Let’s keep it simple…Follow Jesus who declares No take backs, no turning back.

HEBREWS—OBVIOUS FAITH

Hebrews 7, The Message

Melchizedek, Priest of God

7 1-3 Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of the Highest God. He met Abraham, who was returning from “the royal massacre,” and gave him his blessing. Abraham in turn gave him a tenth of the spoils. “Melchizedek” means “King of Righteousness.” “Salem” means “Peace.” So, he is also “King of Peace.” Melchizedek towers out of the past—without record of family ties, no account of beginning or end. In this way he is like the Son of God, one huge priestly presence dominating the landscape always.

4-7 You realize just how great Melchizedek is when you see that Father Abraham gave him a tenth of the captured treasure. Priests descended from Levi are commanded by law to collect tithes from the people, even though they are all more or less equals, priests and people, having a common father in Abraham. But this man, a complete outsider, collected tithes from Abraham and blessed him, the one to whom the promises had been given. In acts of blessing, the lesser is blessed by the greater.

8-10 Or look at it this way: We pay our tithes to priests who die, but Abraham paid tithes to a priest who, the Scripture says, “lives.” Ultimately you could even say that since Levi descended from Abraham, who paid tithes to Melchizedek, when we pay tithes to the priestly tribe of Levi they end up with Melchizedek.

A Permanent Priesthood

11-14 If the priesthood of Levi and Aaron, which provided the framework for the giving of the law, could really make people perfect, there wouldn’t have been need for a new priesthood like that of Melchizedek. But since it didn’t get the job done, there was a change of priesthood, which brought with it a radical new kind of law. There is no way of understanding this in terms of the old Levitical priesthood, which is why there is nothing in Jesus’ family tree connecting him with that priestly line.

15-19 But the Melchizedek story provides a perfect analogy: Jesus, a priest like Melchizedek, not by genealogical descent but by the sheer force of resurrection life—he lives!—“priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek.” The former way of doing things, a system of commandments that never worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside; the law brought nothing to maturity. Another way—Jesus!—a way that does work, that brings us right into the presence of God, is put in its place.

20-22 The old priesthood of Aaron perpetuated itself automatically, father to son, without explicit confirmation by God. But then God intervened and called this new, permanent priesthood into being with an added promise:

God gave his word;
    he won’t take it back:
“You’re the permanent priest.”

This makes Jesus the guarantee of a far better way between us and God—one that really works! A new covenant.

23-25 Earlier there were a lot of priests, for they died and had to be replaced. But Jesus’ priesthood is permanent. He’s there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through him, always on the job to speak up for them.

26-28 So now we have a high priest who perfectly fits our needs: completely holy, uncompromised by sin, with authority extending as high as God’s presence in heaven itself. Unlike the other high priests, he doesn’t have to offer sacrifices for his own sins every day before he can get around to us and our sins. He’s done it, once and for all: offered up himself as the sacrifice. The law appoints as high priests men who are never able to get the job done right. But this intervening command of God, which came later, appoints the Son, who is absolutely, eternally perfect.

Lord,

Thank you for saving my soul, making me whole and holy before you.  I love you with all my heart, mind and soul.  I choose You.  I choose to follow the sound of your voice of wisdom that speaks to my soul each morning.  I choose to obey quickly rather than overthink what you say.  Help me to keep life simple by always remembering your unconditional love for me while learning to love others in the same ways.  No turning back for me because there are no take backs of your promises to us.  I will trust in you, dear Jesus, all day long and into the night.  You are my peace.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

COME ON—GROW UP!

Posted on April 13, 2022 by randscallawayffm

You have to admit you have either heard it said to you or you said it to someone else yourself—”GROW UP!”  These two words come passionately from lips whose hearts and minds are frustrated at immature behaviors, right?  Guess what, the one who has not grown up, “to know better” is just as frustrated as the one telling them.  As a first grade teacher who taught the basics to six year olds for the first time, I figured this out.  If they didn’t know better, then it was up to me to teach them—over and over again in many different ways until they “got it”.  When their behavior changed, I knew the learning was taking hold. 

So, it seems to me, my dear friends, that to remain “elementary” in our belief in Jesus is to remain unchanged in our behaviors.  Growing up is hard.  It’s easier to be a “baby Believer” with everyone feeding us instead of learning to feed ourselves.  Like babies learning to eat with a spoon for the first time, it might be messy but it is necessary to learning so we can grow up indeed!  Listening to the Word preached is great but applying what is said in ways that change our lives is greater still.  God helps us.  He promised!

Consider this.  We don’t put an infant on the ground, wish them well with prayers, and say “Now, walk!”  We who are growing and have mastered walking teach them to walk.  We don’t hand the keys over to our teenager without teaching them the basics of driving.  (At least, I hope not!)  Mistakes will be made by Believers while teaching, learning, stretching and growing in faith but the fact remains—once we gain knowledge of the basic foundational truths—we must keep growing up in Christ!  We don’t stop at the basics!  We keep learning and growing until we see Jesus face to face! We don’t turn to self-help books that are consistently changing methodologies and theologies with each decade written by humans that need help themselves.  We turn to God’s Word because His Word never changes.  God Truth never changes.  No matter what we believe or not, Truth is Truth.

Get a grip on God’s Word, take God at His Word, believe without doubt, grow in faith in the One and Only Jesus, God’s Son who reconciled (brought us back into relationship with God) us to God!  How do we grow up in Christ?  With God’s help!  Doubts will come when circumstance overwhelm us.  God knew we couldn’t grow and evolve on our own, so God gave us His Holy Spirit to abide in us as we gain more knowledge of the ways of Jesus and learn how to apply the basics to our changing behaviors.  He is our resolve so we never give up but move forward even if mistakes or missteps are made.  God knows we are not perfect but we are perfectly forgiven because of Jesus—it’s all part of the growing process!  Dare to grow, knowing that God helps us!  

What might we accomplish if we really believed that failing is okay because of the lessons learned? 

What would we dare to do with God’s leading if we knew God was going to help us with every step of our walk with Him?

The baby who picks up the spoon for the first time is lovingly taught, cheered on, to take that first spoon-filled bite.  If the baby misses the mouth and makes a mess, we don’t throw the baby out with the mess.  We applaud his efforts in trying so he will keep trying until he masters the spoon.  So it is with baby believers.  Let’s cheer each other in our growing faith.  Let’s celebrate when we get it right!  God smiles when we help each other.  God loves to help us individually and in groups to get it right—to grow up in His ways, to be more and more in every way like Jesus.

“We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”  Ephesians 4:15, NLT

So come on, friends, let’s grow up together in Jesus!  Jesus is already running ahead of us to prepare the way!

HEBREWS—OBVIOUS FAITH

Hebrews 6, The Message

1-3 So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment. God helping us, we’ll stay true to all that. But there’s so much more. Let’s get on with it!

4-8 Once people have seen the light, gotten a taste of heaven and been part of the work of the Holy Spirit, once they’ve personally experienced the sheer goodness of God’s Word and the powers breaking in on us—if then they turn their backs on it, washing their hands of the whole thing, well, they can’t start over as if nothing happened. That’s impossible. Why, they’ve re-crucified Jesus! They’ve repudiated him in public! Parched ground that soaks up the rain and then produces an abundance of carrots and corn for its gardener gets God’s “Well done!” But if it produces weeds and thistles, it’s more likely to get cussed out. Fields like that are burned, not harvested.

9-12 I’m sure that won’t happen to you, friends. I have better things in mind for you—salvation things! God doesn’t miss anything. He knows perfectly well all the love you’ve shown him by helping needy Christians, and that you keep at it. And now I want each of you to extend that same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don’t drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them.

God Gave His Word

13-18 When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it all the way, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, “I promise that I’ll bless you with everything I have—bless and bless and bless!” Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they’ll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.

18-20 We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.

Lord,

There is no turning back once we know the depth of your love, mercy and grace for us! There is no one like you!  You promise and you don’t break your word—ever!  Why trust anyone else but you?  You are Truth, the truth and righteousness we all seek.  Thank you for your help daily as my faith grows and my behavior changes. Thank you for being patient with me with forgiveness and mercy for my messes. May others see You in me and be drawn to You in me.  Help me to teach others what you have taught me in your Spirit of Love and Truth.  Help me to always point people to You, dear Jesus, who is and forever will be The Way, Truth and Life!  Make me more and more in every way like You.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen!  I believe.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NOT SEEING BUT TRUSTING!

Posted on April 12, 2022 by randscallawayffm

“I’ll believe it when I see it!”  We have heard this proclamation said of others to us.  We have probably said it ourselves from time to time. We say this, (or at least think it), when we don’t trust government politicians or certain businesses to follow through with what they have promised.  We say this about friends or family members who have failed to follow through in life or have personally broken promises to us.  Once trust is broken it is hard to trust again.  Right?

Hebrews is assumed to be written by Paul or someone trained by Paul.  The Hebrew Christians who received this letter were sorely tempted to return to the religion of their fathers. After all, any Jew could travel to Jerusalem and see the temple and the priests ministering at the altar. Here was something real, visible, concrete. When a person is going through persecution, as these Hebrew Christians were, it is much easier to walk by sight than by faith. But we’re not like that, are we?

Some of us have doubted the Lord under much less provocation than these people were enduring. So, let’s go over the basics today.  The central theme of Hebrews is the priesthood of Jesus Christ, what He is now doing in heaven on behalf of His people. Is the high priestly ministry of Christ superior to that of Aaron (Old Testament days of Moses) and his successors? Yes, it is, and the writer proves his assertion by presenting four arguments.

Jesus Christ Has a Superior Title (Heb. 4:14–16)

The name “Jesus” means “Savior” and identifies His humanity and His ministry on earth. “Son of God” affirms His deity and the fact that He is God. In His unique person, Jesus Christ unites Deity and humanity, so that He can bring people to God and bring to people all that God has for them.  Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of God in the heavens as our Advocate the Father!  He is the One and Only High Priest who brings us freely to the throne room of God on our behalf.  That’s why Jesus is Savior and Lord, God’s Son, called to be perfect sacrifice for our sins and then…

“God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Philippians 2:9-11

Jesus Christ Has a Superior Ordination (5:1, 4–6) 

What is unique about Jesus is that He was, is and is to come, called of God to be our Advocate, Savior, High Priest, and Lord forever!  Old Testament high priest were called for a certain time period but Jesus is forever and forever will be our High Priest, Savior of all our sins.

FUN FACT:  Melchizedek is mentioned in only two places in the entire Old Testament—Genesis 14:17–24 and Psalm 110:4. His name means “King of Righteousness,” and he was also “King of Salem [peace].” But the fascinating thing about Melchizedek is that he was both a priest and a king! King Uzziah wanted to be both a priest and a king, and God judged him. Only in Jesus Christ and in pre-law Melchizedek were these two offices combined. Jesus Christ is a High Priest on a throne! The reason Jesus Christ can be “a priest forever” is that He belongs to the “order of Melchizedek.” Well, that’s cool!

Jesus Christ Reveals a Superior Sympathy (5:2, 7–8)

it is the spiritually minded person with a clean heart who sympathizes with a sinner and seeks to help him (see Gal. 6:1). Because we are so sinful, we have a hard time helping other sinners, but because Jesus is perfect, He is able to meet our needs after we sin. Our Lord was prepared for His high priestly ministry during His days of ministry on earth (Heb. 5:7–8). The phrase “while He lived on earth” means “when He was on earth in a human body.”

From birth to death, our Lord experienced the sinless infirmities of human nature. He knew what it was to grow and mature (Luke 2:52). He experienced hunger and thirst, as well as weariness (John 4:6–8, 31). He also faced temptations to sin (Matt. 4:1–11) and persecutions from the hands of sinful men.  “But there was no sin in Him” so that He could be the perfect sacrifice for our sin.

Jesus Christ Offered a Superior Sacrifice (5:3, 9–10)

This topic has already been touched on, and the writer of Hebrews discussed it in detail in Hebrews 9—10. Two important matters are involved.

The first is that Jesus Christ did not need to offer any sacrifices for Himself. On the annual day of Atonement, the high priest first had to sacrifice for himself; and then he could offer the sacrifices for his nation (Lev. 16). Since Jesus is the sinless Son of God, there was no need for Him to sacrifice for Himself. He was in perfect fellowship with the Father and needed no cleansing.

The second matter is that our Lord’s sacrifice was once and for all, whereas the Old Testament sacrifices had to be repeated. Furthermore, those sacrifices could only cover sins; they could never cleanse sins. It required the sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God for sin to be cleansed and removed—forever!

Jesus is the sinless, eternal Son of God, and because He offered a perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ is the “author of eternal salvation” (Heb. 5:9). No Old Testament priest could offer eternal salvation to anyone, but that is EXACTLY what we have in Jesus!

Now, we can read this passage with “solid food” knowledge of just who Jesus was, is and is to come with knowing what He has done and is doing for us now.  We do not have to see him physically to know, trust and believe in Him.

Jesus—Perfect Savior, Loving Lord of lords and Powerful King of kings!

Isn’t it obvious?

HEBREWS—OBVIOUS FAITH

Hebrews 5, The Message

1-3 Every high priest selected to represent men and women before God and offer sacrifices for their sins should be able to deal gently with their failings, since he knows what it’s like from his own experience. But that also means that he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as the peoples’.

4-6 No one elects himself to this honored position. He’s called to it by God, as Aaron was. Neither did Christ presume to set himself up as high priest, but was set apart by the One who said to him, “You’re my Son; today I celebrate you!” In another place God declares, “You’re a priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek.”

7-10 While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God’s Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. Then, having arrived at the full stature of his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who believingly obey him.

Re-Crucifying Jesus

11-14 I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.

Hebrews 6:1-3, The Message

So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment. God helping us, we’ll stay true to all that. But there’s so much more. Let’s get on with it!

Lord,

Make me what you want me to be.  Continue to help me grow in knowledge of you, realizing the full extent of your love for me.  This knowledge and understanding helps me to point others to you.  Growing in your love helps me to love like you do.  Growing in obedience to you generates extreme trust and propels my growing faith in you.  I do not have to see you to know you are here with me.  Thank you for your Presence in my life.  Continue to mature me so I will bear the fruits of your Holy Spirit.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

FAITH AND REST

Posted on April 11, 2022 by randscallawayffm

When our kids run to us with excited chatter of what just occurred as an offense to them, we listen half-heartedly, sometimes with amusement with how they are telling it, because we have heard this over and over in the course of a day among siblings.  If the story is cluttered with all kinds of words of accusations and veers off the path, we stop them with, “Get to the bottom line.  What happened and what do I need to do about it?”  Children will draw that long sigh and then simply say, “It all started when he hit me back.”  Sigh.

We humans still argue and blame others for our own disobedience.  Our selfish natures lead to selfish ways of thinking and behaving.  God knows us well.  God knew from the beginning of time that we would need a Way to be saved from self and our sin that we succumb to when we are self-seeking.  When we self-seek, we lose all touch with our Creator, the One and Only, who has our best in His heart.  Do we realize how much God longs to be in a pure, holy, loving relationship with His creation?  (Read Genesis) But God cannot be where sin is so if we have not repented of our sin, a relationship cannot be had.  So, He designed a plan to reconcile our relationship to Him.  The Plan came with a Promise that is everlasting and eternal.  The Promise is Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

The writer of Hebrews gets right to the point, the bottom line, reminding us of the Promise.  God promised the wandering Jews in the desert, “I will be your God and you will be my people—if you obey.”  But they didn’t obey, so the promised rest in God was not available to them. They wandered around, constantly moving, camping from here to there, with no real destination, trying to solve their own problems, whining about God’s gracious provisions to them while consistently seeking self-gratification.  Ah, but we humans today aren’t like that?  Are we?

As a result of remembering the wanderings of God’s self-focused people, we find then, that a strong, growing faith in God, with gratitude for all He has done in our lives is the real motivator in obedience to God.  In other words, God’s promises are mixed with our faith and obedience to produce a growing, intimate relationship with Him!  Our obedience is a measure of our faith!

We also find that God’s ultimate Promise, that would solve our broken relationship with Him.  This Promise was a renewable, powerful, forever promise of salvation from self and our sin.  This Promise was Jesus.  Jesus is the bridge to God.  Jesus paid our debt of sin, so we could now freely come to God on our own, “coming boldly up to His throne” with requests for help.  Our part is to believe in Him, obey Him in faith that He will provide all we need for He is everything we need.  We are saved—all because of Jesus, the Promise.

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  Hebrews 4:16 NKJV

“Take the mercy, accept the help.”

HEBREWS—OBVIOUS FAITH

Hebrews 4, The Message

When the Promises Are Mixed with Faith

1-3 For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God’s goal for us, we need to be careful that we’re not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn’t do them a bit of good because they didn’t receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we’ll experience that state of resting. But not if we don’t have faith. Remember that God said,

Exasperated, I vowed,
    “They’ll never get where they’re going,
    never be able to sit down and rest.”

3-7 God made that vow, even though he’d finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it’s written, “God rested the seventh day, having completed his work,” but in this other text he says, “They’ll never be able to sit down and rest.” So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David’s psalm, centuries later than the original invitation:

Today, please listen,
    don’t turn a deaf ear . . .

8-11 And so this is still a live promise. It wasn’t canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn’t keep renewing the appointment for “today.” The promise of “arrival” and “rest” is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we’ll surely rest with God. So let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.

12-13 God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one can resist God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.

The High Priest Who Cried Out in Pain

14-16 Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

Lord,

I repent of my sin and the results of my disobedience.  I accept, believe and want you to be in control of my life for you are Life!  You are everything to me.  You are the reason for living.  I trust you, dear Jesus, to be my only high priest to you, God, the Father.  I love you.  I love our growing relationship.  I accept the mercy and grace.  I ask and accept your help for living this life to the full!  I want to be “at rest in You” always.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

THE CENTERPIECE

Posted on April 9, 2022 by randscallawayffm

In my past, I have organized and decorated for many dinners to honor and please guests who arrive and partake of food and drink along with stories and laughs together around the table.  As taught by the generations before me, it all begins with a beautiful centerpiece that attracts the eyes of guests without being too big or too small. The centerpiece of the table promotes friendly eating with enjoyable conversations.  A great centerpiece reflects who we are in a way and is the focal point for everyone who comes to sit at the table. 

For example, an elaborate, ornate centerpiece may reflect stuffiness and pride, trying to hard to show the appearance of being rich and powerful.  On the other hand, a simple, yet beautifully profound centerpiece that isn’t showy portrays an openness that leads people to the table with a sigh of relief knowing they do not have to be formal, have rank or power, or prove their worth to be accepted.  Simplicity can be a beginning point for discussion with people you don’t know well but would like to know and love.  

Yes, it’s all about The Centerpiece.

HEBREWS—OBVIOUS FAITH

Hebrews 3, The Message

The Centerpiece of All We Believe

3 1-6 So, my dear Christian friends, companions in following this call to the heights, take a good hard look at Jesus. He’s the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do. Moses was also faithful, but Jesus gets far more honor. A builder is more valuable than a building any day. Every house has a builder, but the Builder behind them all is God. Moses did a good job in God’s house, but it was all servant work, getting things ready for what was to come. Christ as Son is in charge of the house.

6-11 Now, if we can only keep a firm grip on this bold confidence, we’re the house! That’s why the Holy Spirit says,

Today, please listen;
    don’t turn a deaf ear as in “the bitter uprising,”
    that time of wilderness testing!
Even though they watched me at work for forty years,
    your ancestors refused to let me do it my way;
    over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked, oh, so provoked!
    I said, “They’ll never keep their minds on God;
    they refuse to walk down my road.”
Exasperated, I vowed,
    “They’ll never get where they’re going,
    never be able to sit down and rest.”

12-14 So watch your step, friends. Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as God’s still calling it Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul.

These words keep ringing in our ears:

Today, please listen;
    don’t turn a deaf ear as in the bitter uprising.

15-19 For who were the people who turned a deaf ear? Weren’t they the very ones Moses led out of Egypt? And who was God provoked with for forty years? Wasn’t it those who turned a deaf ear and ended up corpses in the wilderness? And when he swore that they’d never get where they were going, wasn’t he talking to the ones who turned a deaf ear? They never got there because they never listened, never believed.

THINK ABOUT IT—

What if Jesus truly is the Centerpiece of all we believe, think about, talk about and serve?

What if Jesus was our first thought in the morning and our last conversation before going to bed?

If Jesus is the Centerpiece, the simplicity of unconditional love, merciful forgiveness with undeserved grace; is He firmly placed at the center of our thinking and behaving? And wouldn’t more people want to come and sit at His Table if HE were the Centerpiece of our lives? 

People are attracted to perfect and simple love.  People are attracted to Jesus.  May Jesus be at the Center of all we are. 

Lord,

You have caused me to evaluate my thoughts and behaviors again today.  You are at the Center of all that is Life forever.  You are the Center of our salvation, the One and Only who offered freedom from our own sins.  You are Jesus, in charge of our being, the Temple in which you now reside.  You are at the Center of my thinking today.  I want what you want for your will is best for me. 

May Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, in every detail called Today, as it is in heaven.  Give us this day all you know we need for that will be quite enough.  Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  Lead us not into temptations, but instead, deliver us from evil and evil’s tireless schemes to draw us away from our Center.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

OBVIOUSLY, JESUS KNOWS!

Posted on April 8, 2022 by randscallawayffm

Sometimes we wonder if anyone really knows what we feel?  This feeling is followed quickly with does anybody really care?  Some people will listen for a nano second but always with their minds turning quickly with how they will answer in ways that will turn the attention back to them. We humans are like that.  Why does God bother with us at all?  But He does.  He sent Jesus, His Son, to earth to experience all of life as a human who would than die for our sins as the perfect, unblemished sacrifice for our sins.  Yes, before defeating death, he experienced life as we know it. 

Jesus cried with others who grieved.  His heart broke for those who turned their backs on a pure, loving relationship with God.  He felt righteous anger for those who made a mockery and circus of God’s Law by adding religious rights that promoted self with power plays—instead of seeking God in relationship.  Jesus’ mission was to come to earth, move into the neighborhood of humans, as a human born to a virgin.  Led by God, His Father, Jesus served humanity with healing, balance of grace and mercy, setting things right, changing human thinking, while teaching others to pass on the real Way to Truth and Life forever through believing and following Him. 

Jesus was the Word of God come down, walking among God’s created.  He knew what it was like to be poor.  He knew the struggles of a people oppressed.  But Jesus’ greater work was to defeat what we fear most—death because of our sins.  He completed this mission from God by taking our place as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, taking on all the pain from that act, as Son of Man.  He felt every slap, spit on his face, the jerk of the ropes that bound him.  He felt ever push and shove along with every fist to his face and sharp metal claws on whips that ripped open his flesh.  He felt ever nail that pierced his body strategically placed so he would hang on a cross for all passersby to see.  He felt it all—as a human. 

God cannot be where sin resides. God had to turn his face from Jesus, His Son, while the act of grace for all humanity took place, for at this moment all the sin of the world was placed on the body of our Savior. When it was finished—the punishment for our sin paid in full, death came—but not for long!  After three days, God unleased His resurrection power, raising Jesus back to life, forever defeating death and all sin that leads to death! 

The final act on earth of His love, grace and mercy was to appear physically to His disciples who were hiding out in fear.  Jesus showed them He was very much alive—in human form!

“… Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.”  Luke 24:36-49

Fear replaced with Hope!

Now, we come to this passage that reiterates the obvious faith we should have and hold tightly to, “keeping a firm grip”, knowing and believing that “by God’s grace, he fully experienced death in every person’s place.”  “It makes good sense”, the writer of Hebrews relates. “Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death.”

“It’s obvious, of course, that he didn’t go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham. That’s why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people’s sins, he would have already experienced it all himself—all the pain, all the testing—and would be able to help where help was needed.”

Do we obviously have the faith to believe in the One and Only who saved us?

With this reading, along with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, it is obvious that Jesus really does know us by name along with knowing our pain.  He knows the trials we are currently going through along with all the “feels” of human doubts and fears that creep into our thinking.  He knows and He cares.  He is our Advocate to God.  And He is already at work before we even thought to ask for His help.  “Ask and it shall be given”—Jesus

Isn’t it obvious now that you and I were the very reasons that held Him to the cross that redeemed us from all our sin?  “It’s crucial that we keep a firm grip”…

HEBREWS—OBVIOUS FAITH

Hebrews 2, The Message

1-4 It’s crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we’ve heard so that we don’t drift off. If the old message delivered by the angels was valid and nobody got away with anything, do you think we can risk neglecting this latest message, this magnificent salvation? First of all, it was delivered in person by the Master, then accurately passed on to us by those who heard it from him. All the while God was validating it with gifts through the Holy Spirit, all sorts of signs and miracles, as he saw fit.

The Salvation Pioneer

5-9 God didn’t put angels in charge of this business of salvation that we’re dealing with here. It says in Scripture,

What is man and woman that you bother with them;
    why take a second look their way?
You made them not quite as high as angels,
    bright with Eden’s dawn light;
Then you put them in charge
    of your entire handcrafted world.

When God put them in charge of everything, nothing was excluded. But we don’t see it yet, don’t see everything under human jurisdiction. What we do see is Jesus, made “not quite as high as angels,” and then, through the experience of death, crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory “bright with Eden’s dawn light.” In that death, by God’s grace, he fully experienced death in every person’s place.

10-13 It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory. Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn’t hesitate to treat them as family, saying,

I’ll tell my good friends, my brothers and sisters, all I know
    about you;
I’ll join them in worship and praise to you.

Again, he puts himself in the same family circle when he says,

Even I live by placing my trust in God.

And yet again,

I’m here with the children God gave me.

14-15 Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.

16-18 It’s obvious, of course, that he didn’t go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham. That’s why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people’s sins, he would have already experienced it all himself—all the pain, all the testing—and would be able to help where help was needed.

Praying at sunrise

Lord,

You have made it more than obvious that you love us beyond our understanding and wildest dreams.  Jesus, You made it obvious that you died and rose again so that we would have full access to God, the Father.  It is also obvious that what you want most is an intimate, growing, holy relationship with me.  I want that more than anything else in this life.  Obviously, life forever with you is the final destination after our journey here.  Thank you, Lord, for plain teaching that leads to a growing, obvious faith in You!  I lay my life before you as worship to you again this day.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

OBVIOUS FAITH

Posted on April 7, 2022 by randscallawayffm

“It seems odd to have to say so, but too much religion is a bad thing.  We can’t get too much of God, can’t get too much faith and obedience, can’t get too much love and worship.  But religion—the well-intentional efforts we make to “get it all together” for God—can very well get in the way of what God is doing for us.  The main and central action is everywhere and always what God has done, is doing and will do for us.  Jesus is the revelation of that action.  Our main and central task is to live in responsive obedience to God’s action revealed in Jesus.  Our part in the action is the act of faith.”  (Eugene Peterson, the Message, Introduction to Hebrews)

“But more often than not we become impatiently self-important along the way and decide to improve matters with our two cents’ worth.  We add on, we supplement, we embellish.  But instead of improving on the purity and simplicity of Jesus, we dilute the purity, clutter the simplicity.  We become fussily religious, or anxiously religious.  We get in the way!”  (Peterson)

“That’s when it’s time to read and pray our way through the letter to the Hebrews again, written for “too religious” Christians for “Jesus-and” Christians.  In the letter, it is Jesus-and-angels, or Jesus-and-Moses, or Jesus-and-priesthood.  In our time it is more likely to be Jesus-and-politics, or Jesus-and-education, or even Jesus-and-Buddha.  This letter deletes the hyphens, the add-ons.  The focus becomes clear and sharp again.  God’s action in Jesus.  And we are free once more for the act of faith, the one human action in which we don’t get in the way but on the Way.”  (Peterson)

It’s time we evaluate our hearts, minds and souls to see if faith in Christ alone is obviously expressed in our behaviors each day. 

  • Do we really believe in God? 
  • Do we believe in His Son? 
  • Do we really believe what God has done, is doing and will do in our lives or not? 
  • Do we really believe what we say we believe about God really real?  What is the measure of our faith? 
  • Is our faith growing or is it stagnate, only used when we come to the end our ourselves? 
  • Is our faith obvious to us and to others? 

This evaluative questioning is the path to getting out of the way but ON the way to Truth living.  God’s Holy Spirit will help us greatly in our evaluation of obvious faith in God, the Father, Jesus, Son of God, with obedience to His Holy Spirit.

HEBREWS—OBVIOUS FAITH

Hebrews 1, The Message

1-3 Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words! 

The Son Is Higher than Angels

3-6 After he finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took his honored place high in the heavens right alongside God, far higher than any angel in rank and rule. Did God ever say to an angel, “You’re my Son; today I celebrate you” or “I’m his Father, he’s my Son”? When he presents his honored Son to the world, he says, “All angels must worship him.”

7 Regarding angels he says,

The messengers are winds,
    the servants are tongues of fire.

8-9 But he says to the Son,

You’re God, and on the throne for good;
    your rule makes everything right.
You love it when things are right;
    you hate it when things are wrong.
That is why God, your God,
    poured fragrant oil on your head,
Marking you out as king,
    far above your dear companions.

10-12 And again to the Son,

You, Master, started it all, laid earth’s foundations,
    then crafted the stars in the sky.
Earth and sky will wear out, but not you;
    they become threadbare like an old coat;
You’ll fold them up like a worn-out cloak,
    and lay them away on the shelf.
But you’ll stay the same, year after year;
    you’ll never fade, you’ll never wear out.

13 And did he ever say anything like this to an angel?

Sit alongside me here on my throne
Until I make your enemies a stool for your feet.

14 Isn’t it obvious that all angels are sent to help out with those lined up to receive salvation?

Lord,

May my own faith grow to be obvious to you, to others and to me.  You are the Way, Truth and Life.  You created all and you are in all.  Your plan to save us was also created from the beginning and completed in you, dear Jesus.  Thank you for saving my soul, transforming my behavior, helping me through troubles, while growing my faith—the only obvious way to walk with You.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen.  I believe.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

NO MORE A SLAVE, BUT A BROTHER

Posted on April 6, 2022 by randscallawayffm

Did you know that there is a line in the beloved Christmas song, “O Holy Night”, expressing social change as a result of believing and following Jesus?

“Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name”

This makes me wonder if the words penned in this beloved hymn were a result of reading the story of Philemon and Onesimus who became brothers in Christ, no longer slave owner and slave, changing their relationship forever!

Eugene Peterson writes, “Every movement we make in response to God has a ripple effect, touching family, neighbors, friends, community.  Belief in God alters our language.  Love of God affects daily relationships.  Hope in God enters into our work.  Also, their opposites—unbelief, indifference, and despair.  None of these movements and responses, beliefs and prayers, gestures and searches, can be confined to the soul.  They spill out and make history.  If they don’t, they are under suspicion of being fantasies at best, hypocrisies at worst.”

“Christians have always insisted on the historicity of Jesus—an actual birth, a datable death, a witnessed resurrection, locatable towns.  There is a parallel historicity in the followers of Jesus.  As they take in everything Jesus said and did—all of it a personal revelation of God in time and place—it all gets worked into local history, eventually into world history.”

“Philemon and Onesimus, the slave owner and the slave who figure prominently in this letter from Paul, had no idea that believing in Jesus would involve them in radical social change.  But as the two of them were brought together by this letter, it did.  And it still does.”

PHILEMON—JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING!

Philemon, The Message

1-3 I, Paul, am a prisoner for the sake of Christ, here with my brother Timothy. I write this letter to you, Philemon, my good friend and companion in this work—also to our sister Apphia, to Archippus, a real trooper, and to the church that meets in your house. God’s best to you! Christ’s blessings on you!

4-7 Every time your name comes up in my prayers, I say, “Oh, thank you, God!” I keep hearing of the love and faith you have for the Master Jesus, which brims over to other believers. And I keep praying that this faith we hold in common keeps showing up in the good things we do, and that people recognize Christ in all of it. Friend, you have no idea how good your love makes me feel, doubly so when I see your hospitality to fellow believers.

To Call the Slave Your Friend

8-9 In line with all this I have a favor to ask of you. As Christ’s ambassador and now a prisoner for him, I wouldn’t hesitate to command this if I thought it necessary, but I’d rather make it a personal request.

10-14 While here in jail, I’ve fathered a child, so to speak. And here he is, hand-carrying this letter—Onesimus! He was useless to you before; now he’s useful to both of us. I’m sending him back to you, but it feels like I’m cutting off my right arm in doing so. I wanted in the worst way to keep him here as your stand-in to help out while I’m in jail for the Message. But I didn’t want to do anything behind your back, make you do a good deed that you hadn’t willingly agreed to.

15-16 Maybe it’s all for the best that you lost him for a while. You’re getting him back now for good—and no mere slave this time, but a true Christian brother! That’s what he was to me—he’ll be even more than that to you.

17-20 So if you still consider me a comrade-in-arms, welcome him back as you would me. If he damaged anything or owes you anything, chalk it up to my account. This is my personal signature—Paul—and I stand behind it. (I don’t need to remind you, do I, that you owe your very life to me?) Do me this big favor, friend. You’ll be doing it for Christ, but it will also do my heart good.

21-22 I know you well enough to know you will. You’ll probably go far beyond what I’ve written. And by the way, get a room ready for me. Because of your prayers, I fully expect to be your guest again.

23-25 Epaphras, my cellmate in the cause of Christ, says hello. Also my coworkers Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke. All the best to you from the Master, Jesus Christ!

WHAT DO WE LEARN?

We can imprison and enslave each other by our attitudes and behaviors.  We consistently rank and rate others in our world according to our selfish assumptions and presumptions about them.  We put people down, exclude them from our circles, or ignore them altogether.  But, when we believe in Jesus, our social being and outlook changes.  Jesus changes everything in every way, heart, mind and soul!  We discover and love that we are ALL brothers and sisters who believe and follow Him in His ways.  We are no longer slaves to this world, to sin, or to each other!  We are all set free by the blood shed for our sins—all sin! 

If we feel there is someone unacceptable, unworthy or insignificant in our community, then we have missed the message of Jesus Christ.  Paul is articulate to point that out to his dear brother in Christ, Philemon with such a positive spirit of God’s love!  Since Philemon is now a devoted follower, Paul trusts that Philemon’s once slave will be welcomed back now as a brother, equal to him in every way, in God’s Kingdom.  What a lesson of changed hearts toward Christ!  Jesus, indeed, rocks our world and changes everything about us along with our perspectives in all our relationships.  We are not of this world, only temporarily living in it!  Live for Christ!

Be reconciled to God!  Then to each other!  Forgive and forever be saved by Jesus who forgave us!

Lord,

Social change begins with our hearts transformed by you.  Manmade laws do not seem to change hearts, only you can do that.  I pray that the world would fall on their knees in repentance to you so that one day all oppression will cease!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen, I believe!

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace…

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

WHEN GOD STEPS IN

Posted on April 5, 2022 by randscallawayffm

What is different about him? He’s not as grouchy.  What has changed in her?  She smiles more! 

When God finally got total control of my life, life took on new meaning and became a different place to live and grow.  My thinking changed so my behavior began to transform and is still transforming by the grace of God in me.  I look back at the troubles I brought on myself by my own behaviors and revel in God’s work in me.  He’s still got a lot of work left to do in me but I’m closer to Him than yesterday. 

What is your testimony of what God, through Jesus our Advocate, is doing in you?

When God steps in and guides our thinking to higher places where HE resides in His thinking, life is different.  We have a new perspective about life that helps us see others through the eyes of Jesus instead of only our own eyes.  Our hearts become more tender to others’ stories about their journey which leads us to pray for them more lovingly and compassionately.  Speaking of love, knowing Jesus loves us so much and so deeply, he went to hell and back again for our sin, our love for others runs deeper still. 

We live this life together.  The Only Way to live life together well, in the most excellent way, is knowing, believing, realizing Jesus’ deep, out of this world love for each of us.  Living well means following Jesus who is Life, Love, Truth, the Redeemer of all Sin, the One sent to show us the Love of God, the Father!  Jesus is The Only Way to real Life.  Quarrels cease and become unimportant when we focus on Jesus!

Paul is relating to Titus how we come together as brothers and sisters all because of Jesus the One and Only who reconciled our relationship to God first and then to each other.  All because of Jesus.  We can count on Jesus!!  Jesus is our Hope forever!

These words bring new life and excitement with expectation this morning.  I will meditate on this passage in Paul’s letter all day long;

“…when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.

TITUS—CONTINUED MENTORSHIP

Titus 3, The Message

He Put Our Lives Together

1-2 Remind the people to respect the government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand. No insults, no fights. God’s people should be bighearted and courteous.

3-8 It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, easy marks for sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.

8-11 I want you to put your foot down. Take a firm stand on these matters so that those who have put their trust in God will concentrate on the essentials that are good for everyone. Stay away from mindless, pointless quarreling over genealogies and fine print in the law code. That gets you nowhere. Warn a quarrelsome person once or twice, but then be done with him. It’s obvious that such a person is out of line, rebellious against God. By persisting in divisiveness he cuts himself off.

12-13 As soon as I send either Artemas or Tychicus to you, come immediately and meet me in Nicopolis. I’ve decided to spend the winter there. Give Zenas the lawyer and Apollos a hearty send-off. Take good care of them.

14 Our people have to learn to be diligent in their work so that all necessities are met (especially among the needy) and they don’t end up with nothing to show for their lives.

15 All here want to be remembered to you. Say hello to our friends in the faith. Grace to all of you.

Lord,

May all our attention, focus and gaze be on You today.  When you step in, peace comes.  Right in the middle of troubles, you step in and change our perspective and thinking.  When you step in, love in us becomes greater still!  When you step in, new life begins!  For all of who you are in me, I give you praise.  I am grateful to know you and follow you in a humbled, intimate relationship with You.  Thank you, Lord.

In Jesus Name, For Your glory, Amen!  Yes, I believe!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

YOUR ONE JOB

Posted on April 4, 2022 by randscallawayffm

There are many memes that portray the failure of one who had one job and failed to do that one job.  You probably know what I am talking about.  How can one miss doing specifically what they were given to do?  It seems so simple.  Do this and what you are assigned to do will get done.  Ah, but we get so easily distracted as workers and fail to do that one job we are told to do.  The results can be disastrous, depending on the significance and importance of the outcome of the work given to us.

In Paul’s letter to Titus, it seems Paul is running out of parchment and ink while writing from his jail cell to his proteges!  He gets right to point quickly about the job given to Titus.  He was more detailed to Timothy who was been assigned to go to Ephesus.  But to Titus, assigned to the island of Crete, he passionately writes, “Your job is…”.  He writes specifically and clearly understandably, with the details of God’s work through Titus.  I can also hear Paul say, “You’ve got one job, do it well!” 

As a leader assigned to many tasks in God’s Kingdom over the years, I am driven by the words of Paul and the other Apostles and Disciples in a summed up prayer for living, “Lord, may we do your assigned work in your ways, in your timing, leaving nothing undone but done well in the most excellent way—by your love in us—done in your Name for your glory, Amen”  This prayer helps me to stay focused on the One for whom I work, knowing who’s work it really is, with the right motivation for the work given to me.   Even with this motivation of heart, mind and soul, I don’t always get it right.  I am easily distracted and miss a detail or selfishly overwhelm myself with extra work that was not assigned for me to do.  I think we all do this from time to time, don’t we?  “All have sinned and fall short…”  So, it is important to stay focused on the work God has assigned to us.

Paul mentors Titus the details of how to stay focused on the “one job” he has been given to do while mentoring others to do it, too!  What wonderfully simple, great advice that is full of God’s wisdom!  Teach the older ones how to live the Jesus life, modeling it for the younger ones!  You have one job—live a God-honoring life!  Shine in God’s character traits to others who are growing in His love, too!

And, by the way, writes Paul, Jesus IS coming back, you know.  So, in the meantime, we live for Him who “…offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.”

We who believe have this one job—let’s do it prayerfully, lovingly, graciously and energetically—in Jesus Name, for His Glory!  Can I get an Amen?!

TITUS—CONTINUED MENTORSHIP

Titus 2, The Message

A God-Filled Life

2 1-6 Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives.

7-8 But mostly, show them all this by doing it yourself, trustworthy in your teaching, your words solid and sane. Then anyone who is dead set against us, when he finds nothing weird or misguided, might eventually come around.

9-10 Guide slaves into being loyal workers, a bonus to their masters—no back talk, no petty thievery. Then their good character will shine through their actions, adding luster to the teaching of our Savior God.

11-14 God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.

15 Tell them all this. Build up their courage, and discipline them if they get out of line. You’re in charge. Don’t let anyone put you down.

Lord,

Thank you for assigning me your specific work to do.  Help me to tell it, show it and live it courageously, and energetically!  Grow me still…

In Jesus Name, for YOUR glory, Amen!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment