KEEPING IT SIMPLE

Posted on August 27, 2017 by randscallawayffm

Luke and The Lost

Do you ever wonder if the way we “do church” gets more and more complicated all the time? We say we want church to be based on the foundation of Jesus Christ. We say He is the head of the church. We are taught to promote bullet point purpose statements so we will know what we are doing and keep us focused to it. We are organized and structured with checks and balances so that no one individual can take control. We then further complicate the process with the unwritten rules and procedures that people who are new to church take a while to figure out. You know you are breaking one of the unwritten rules when you get “the look” or a sarcastic comment. We form committees to do stuff of importance but the meetings are longer than actually doing the mission. Mm. Just wondering.

The Pharasees of Jesus’ day were great at making up rules upon rules. The Law (God’s Word) was used only as a tool to create a plethora of man-made rules. These rules put the leaders in control (they thought) and oppressed a nation that was already oppressed by the local government. God’s people needed to find God and come back to Him. Complicated rules served only to block the people on their search for God. It is no wonder that Jesus, Son of God, became popular so quickly. Jesus came with simplicity. He taught his disciples to also keep it simple. Jesus knows what we need. Jesus taught the real, authentic intent of God’s Law. He taught who God is and how to love Him back. He taught how to love each other. Simple.

Luke 9 simple 2

Luke 9, The Message
1-5 Jesus now called the Twelve and gave them authority and power to deal with all the demons and cure diseases. He commissioned them to preach the news of God’s kingdom and heal the sick. He said, “Don’t load yourselves up with equipment. Keep it simple; you are the equipment. And no luxury inns—get a modest place and be content there until you leave. If you’re not welcomed, leave town. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and move on.”

6 Commissioned, they left. They traveled from town to town telling the latest news of God, the Message, and curing people everywhere they went.

Dear Heavenly Father, Help us to focus on the simplicity of You and what You desire of us. Help us to see and understand the simplicity of Your Word. Help us focus on You, love You and love others like You love us. Send us to help others find and follow You. Help us to keep it simple.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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TWELVE

Posted on August 26, 2017 by randscallawayffm
Luke and The Lost
 
As I read Luke’s rendition of Jesus’ touch of healing on a young girl and a woman who merely reached out in the crowd to touch Him, the number twelve comes to mind. Jairus’ daughter was twelve when she took ill and was dead to this world until Jesus came. The woman, healed by faith, had suffered a hemorrhage for twelve years. Mm. Twelve. What is the meaning of the number twelve. I looked it up for us.
 
Twelve can be found in 187 places in God’s word. Revelation alone has 22 occurrences of the number. The meaning of 12, which is considered a perfect number, is that it symbolizes God’s power and authority, as well as serving as a perfect governmental foundation. It can also symbolize completeness or the nation of Israel as a whole. For example, Jacob (Israel) had twelve sons, each of which represented a tribe begun by a prince, for 12 princes total. Ishmael, who was born to Abraham through Hagar, also had twelve princes.
 
God specified that twelve unleavened cakes of bread be placed every week in the temple with frankincense next to each of the two piles that were to be made. The priests were commanded to change the bread every Sabbath day (Leviticus 24).
 
Christ called and choose twelve men to bear witness to what he did and to spread the good news of the gospel to the entire world. After he was raised from the dead, Jesus told the eleven disciples (Judas had killed himself) that God had given him ALL power and authority in both earth and heaven (God’s divine authority – Matthew 28:18).
 
Twelve thousand from each tribe of Israel (144,000 total) will receive salvation during the end time’s Great Tribulation (Revelation 7). A set of 144,000 (12 x 12,000), possibly the same as those in chapter 7, will be taken from earth in order to serve and follow the Lamb of God (Revelation 14:1 – 5). Christ’s bride in Revelation 12, the church, wears a crown containing twelve stars.
 
New Jerusalem, which is made in heaven and brought to the earth by God himself, contains 12 gates made of pearl which are each manned by an angel. Over each gate will be one of the names of Israel’s twelve tribes. The walls are 144 cubits high (12 multiplied by itself – Revelation 21:16 – 17), with the city itself being 12,000 furlongs square.
 
The Scripture’s first recording of Jesus’ words occurs when he is twelve years old (Luke 2:42).
 
The high priest’s breastplate, also called the breast-plate of decision, had twelve stones embedded in it. Each stone represented a tribe of Israel. The Urim and Thummim were part of the High Priest’s breastplate. They were primarily used to consult God regarding important matters (1Samuel 28: 3 – 6, Numbers 27:21 and so on). Both the first century historian Josephus and the Talmud identify the Urim and Thummim with the breastplate stones.
 
Of all the numerals found in scripture, twelve, along with three, four, seven and ten, are unmistakably used in a symbolic fashion in God’s word.
 
The number twelve signifies all things of faith and God’s church. Although no one can say with absolute certainty whether there is any deep, spiritual significance regarding the number 12 in the Bible, it does seem to represent God’s kingdom, perfect government and divine authority.
 
So, there you have it. Twelve is significant in our passage as representative of complete, unrelenting, tenacious faith in our God who nothing, absolutely nothing escapes His notice and care. Wow.
 
Luke 8 faith and healing
Luke 8, The Message
His Touch
40-42 On his return, Jesus was welcomed by a crowd. They were all there expecting him. A man came up, Jairus by name. He was president of the meeting place. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his home because his twelve-year-old daughter, his only child, was dying. Jesus went with him, making his way through the pushing, jostling crowd.
 
43-45 In the crowd that day there was a woman who for twelve years had been afflicted with hemorrhages. She had spent every penny she had on doctors but not one had been able to help her. She slipped in from behind and touched the edge of Jesus’ robe. At that very moment her hemorrhaging stopped. Jesus said, “Who touched me?”
 
When no one stepped forward, Peter said, “But Master, we’ve got crowds of people on our hands. Dozens have touched you.”
 
46 Jesus insisted, “Someone touched me. I felt power discharging from me.”
 
47 When the woman realized that she couldn’t remain hidden, she knelt trembling before him. In front of all the people, she blurted out her story—why she touched him and how at that same moment she was healed.
 
48 Jesus said, “Daughter, you took a risk trusting me, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed!”
 
49 While he was still talking, someone from the leader’s house came up and told him, “Your daughter died. No need now to bother the Teacher.”
 
50-51 Jesus overheard and said, “Don’t be upset. Just trust me and everything will be all right.” Going into the house, he wouldn’t let anyone enter with him except Peter, John, James, and the child’s parents.
 
52-53 Everyone was crying and carrying on over her. Jesus said, “Don’t cry. She didn’t die; she’s sleeping.” They laughed at him. They knew she was dead.
 
54-56 Then Jesus, gripping her hand, called, “My dear child, get up.” She was up in an instant, up and breathing again! He told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were ecstatic, but Jesus warned them to keep quiet. “Don’t tell a soul what happened in this room.”
 
What do we learn?
–Twelve is significant to faith.
–Don’t be upset, when our faith is tested, TRUST HIM.
 
Practice faith by thinking more deeply about faith…
–Can you name at least twelve actions of faith that you experienced this week? This isn’t hard if you stop to think about it.
–What are you trusting God with and leaving it all in His hands?
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
You sent our thoughts in an unusual direction this morning but it was enlightening and enjoyable. Your thoughts are higher, as declared by the Psalmist, is highly understated! You are God and we are not. Our simple minds cannot contain all that You are and all You are doing in front of us and behind the scenes of our lives. So, we trust You. Our faith is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness indeed! Continue to take us deeper….we trust you…but hold my hand, Abba Father.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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HOLY MOMENTS

Posted on August 25, 2017 by randscallawayffm

Luke and The Lost

There is that moment in time that is so holy you are speechless. You just sit there in awe of what God has just done. If it happens in God’s church, the gathering is thankful, grateful, loving and smiling. The individuals all agree it was God and recognize it as a holy moment. They are in awe of Him and what He has done. In that moment, they are one in Spirit with God. Oh, how that must please God to see His people, as one group, worshiping with awe, together in agreement at last.

But then the enemy, satan along with his demons, stir the pot of divisiveness by placing seeds of doubt that lead to fear in the minds of those whose faith is weak. This group almost shouts out loud, “Too much change too fast!” The enemy swoops in almost immediately after Holy Moments. Expect it.

Holy Moments will continually be led and produced by God (not us) for He loves His people whose hearts are completely His. Don’t fear the moment, embrace it. Be ready for the enemy’s only weapon, fear and doubt, and pray in the Name of Jesus that He will help you defeat this foe.

Look what happened when Jesus met the demons head on who knew him well and defeated them in a magnificent Holy Moment in Gerasene.

Luke 8, The Message
26-29 They sailed on to the country of the Gerasenes, directly opposite Galilee. As he stepped out onto land, a madman from town met him; he was a victim of demons. He hadn’t worn clothes for a long time, nor lived at home; he lived in the cemetery. When he saw Jesus he screamed, fell before him, and bellowed, “What business do you have messing with me? You’re Jesus, Son of the High God, but don’t give me a hard time!” (The man said this because Jesus had started to order the unclean spirit out of him.) Time after time the demon threw the man into convulsions. He had been placed under constant guard and tied with chains and shackles, but crazed and driven wild by the demon, he would shatter the bonds.

30-31 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“Mob. My name is Mob,” he said, because many demons afflicted him. And they begged Jesus desperately not to order them to the bottomless pit.

32-33 A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged Jesus to order them into the pigs. He gave the order. It was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the lake and drowned.

34-36 Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had been sent, sitting there at Jesus’ feet, wearing decent clothes and making sense. It was a holy moment, and for a short time they were more reverent than curious. Then those who had seen it happen told how the demoniac had been saved.

37-39 Later, a great many people from the Gerasene countryside got together and asked Jesus to leave—too much change, too fast, and they were scared. So Jesus got back in the boat and set off. The man whom he had delivered from the demons asked to go with him, but he sent him back, saying, “Go home and tell everything God did in you.” So he went back and preached all over town everything Jesus had done in him.

Luke 8 demons defeated

Think about it…
We must build our faith on the Holy Moments in our lives, not ignore, deny or take credit for them. We must give God the glory for these moments, learn from them and grow deeper in love with the creator of these Holy Moments.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Hallowed and holy is Your very Name! Help us to recognize Holy Moments created by You to build our faith and bring us to our knees in awe before You. Defeat the foe within us who wants to bring us down with fear and doubt. Go with us this day.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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WHO IS THIS?

Posted on August 24, 2017 by randscallawayffm

Luke and The Lost

This past week the world looked up to see the moon pass in front of the sun at just the right time to block the sun from warming the earth for a couple of minutes. As we watched along with everyone else, my husband’s response was, “Who did the math on that one?” He was smiling at me to see if I caught what he was really saying. Yes, God has already “done the math” with creation, with his people, with all things under His sovereign care and keeping. Why does this surprise us?

One of the first times the disciples see God’s Power over the universe in action is the time they all went sailing on a relative calm sea. Then the storm…which ends with “Who is this?”

Luke 8, The Message
22-24 One day he and his disciples got in a boat. “Let’s cross the lake,” he said. And off they went. It was smooth sailing, and he fell asleep. A terrific storm came up suddenly on the lake. Water poured in, and they were about to capsize. They woke Jesus: “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

Getting to his feet, he told the wind, “Silence!” and the waves, “Quiet down!” They did it. The lake became smooth as glass.

25 Then he said to his disciples, “Why can’t you trust me?”

They were in absolute awe, staggered and stammering, “Who is this, anyway? He calls out to the winds and sea, and they do what he tells them!”

Luke 8 waves

 

Think about it...take all the time you need to answer this question honestly…about everything.
–Are we in absolute awe of God?
–WHY can’t we trust Him? What might be standing in the way? WHY don’t we trust Him with everything?
–Do we trust God with the big things while still trying to manage the “small stuff” ourselves?
–WHY can’t we trust Him with all of life. ALL.

Dear Heavenly Father, You are God and we are not. We say we trust…until the storm clouds threaten us with impending disaster…we think. Forgive us of doubts and lack of faith. May we boldly come to You with every detail of life….and trust You with all of it.
In Jesus Name, Amen

God’s Word tells Who He is…

“There is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and great is Your name in might.” Jeremiah 10:6

“O LORD, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” I Chron 17:20

“O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours?”
Deuteronomy 3:24

And I’m singing….
OUR GOD by Chris Tomlin

Water You turned into wine
Opened the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like you
None like you
Into the darkness You shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There`s No one like you
None like you

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God
Into the darkness you shining
Out of the ashes we Rise
No one like you
None like you

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God

And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us?
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if…

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DO TELL

Posted on August 23, 2017 by randscallawayffm

Luke and The Lost

How many times have opportunities presented themselves in conversations or circumstances to tell Who Jesus is and what He can do and we just kept this secret of salvation to ourselves? I have repented of those lost opportunities. But take courage, friends! God gives us many more times to tell His Story for there are still many lost people who are depressed, confused, and feel no one really loves them. So, don’t fret over who you haven’t told. Be ready for the next person to tell…even today. Pretend you have a juicy piece of gossip if that gets you going, then tell them about the Savior Who wants to be Lord of our lives!

Luke 8, The Message
16-18 “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way. We’re not keeping secrets; we’re telling them. We’re not hiding things; we’re bringing everything out into the open. So be careful that you don’t become misers of what you hear. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.”

19-20 His mother and brothers showed up but couldn’t get through to him because of the crowd. He was given the message, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside wanting to see you.”

21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are the ones who hear and do God’s Word. Obedience is thicker than blood.”

Luke 8 light

God wants the story told. Jesus knew His family already knew The Story. He knew he must continue to seek and to find lost people who need God. Obedience to God is more important than family who already know at this point in His mission.

Paul continues the example of Jesus by giving us great advice about telling the good news;

“Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.

Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out. (Colossians 4:2-4, The Message)

What do we learn?
–We have the light of life within us. Do tell!
–Once your family finds and follows Jesus, do tell others!
–Pray for opportunities. Then do tell!
–Pray for the words to say. God answers that prayer. Then do tell!
–Pray for gracious boldness. Then do tell.

I overheard a dear lady explain Christ while we were waiting in line at the post office just yesterday! I silently prayed for her as she told this young mom about Christ. She told the Truth in love with all the graciousness one could have. It was awesome to see and hear. It can happen anywhere! So, do tell!

So, do tell…anywhere God provides the opportunity!

Dear Heavenly Father, We pray with diligence this morning, like Paul, that doors to Your Story would open. We pray for open hearts and minds. Then we pray for gracious boldness and the right words, Your Words, at the right time. May our goal today be to bring out the best in others in every conversation. 
In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOOD HEARTS SEIZE THE WORD!

Posted on August 22, 2017 by randscallawayffm

Luke and The Lost

It is not easy to plant a garden. Randy and I have done that task for years. The seed catalogs excite you with the promise of a beautiful harvest. You can picture in your mind what it is supposed to be like when you do it. You learn quickly that the soil must be treated so it will have the nutrients your plants will need to grow. It must be watered if it is too dry. You have to get dirty from head to toe to make it happen. You learn that weeds will overtake the plants if you do not pull them up by the roots and get rid of them.

Then there is the wait. You watch and mentally measure every day to see if they are growing. You can’t wait for the first bloom. When you see it, you excitedly tell each other. Then you wait some more for the fruit of your labors to form. Finally that first green bean or tomato appears on the vine. By sticking to it and not giving up, more fruit appears, so much so that you have more than you need. The wait was long but it was worth it.

So it is with ministry. We begin the next chapter of Luke with this simple phrase, “He continued according to plan…” These simple words leap of the page for me this morning! What if Jesus had given up on us? What if the work was just too hard? What if He said, “These people will never get it” and went back to heaven without the work of the cross? But we know He didn’t. He could have, but he didn’t. He stuck to the plan…to save us from ourselves. He tilled the soil of our hearts. He pulled the weeds of evil that threatened to choke us…and He still does. With Him we are good seed planted in good soil. With Him we can bloom where we are planted, after dying to sin, and spread the seed of His love to others.

“But the seed in the good earth–these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there’s a harvest.” –Jesus

HOLD ON…and continue, according to His Plan.

Luke 8, The Message

1-3 He continued according to plan, traveled to town after town, village after village, preaching God’s kingdom, spreading the Message. The Twelve were with him. There were also some women in their company who had been healed of various evil afflictions and illnesses: Mary, the one called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod’s manager; and Susanna—along with many others who used their considerable means to provide for the company.

The Story of the Seeds
4-8 As they went from town to town, a lot of people joined in and traveled along. He addressed them, using this story: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. Some of it fell on the road; it was tramped down and the birds ate it. Other seed fell in the gravel; it sprouted, but withered because it didn’t have good roots. Other seed fell in the weeds; the weeds grew with it and strangled it. Other seed fell in rich earth and produced a bumper crop.

“Are you listening to this? Really listening?”

9 His disciples asked, “Why did you tell this story?”

10 He said, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. There are others who need stories. But even with stories some of them aren’t going to get it:

Their eyes are open but don’t see a thing,
Their ears are open but don’t hear a thing.
11-12 “This story is about some of those people. The seed is the Word of God. The seeds on the road are those who hear the Word, but no sooner do they hear it than the Devil snatches it from them so they won’t believe and be saved.

13 “The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn’t go very deep. It’s only another fad, and the moment there’s trouble it’s gone.

14 “And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun.

15 “But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there’s a harvest.

Luke 8 based on the Word

 

Are you listening? Really listening? I can hear Jesus saying that to me this morning. Seize The Word! Hold on! Continue the plan. In Jesus Name, Amen

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

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GRATEFUL…OR MISSING IT?

Posted on August 21, 2017 by randscallawayffm

Luke and The Lost

I am a boring sinner. I have never done illegal drugs. (Even to this day, I only take vitamins.) I don’t drink alcohol and never have, not even as a young adult. I didn’t go through my teen years insisting on doing things to my body to get attention as “one who is different”…like all the others around me. I didn’t join a gang of any kind. I just wanted to be friends with all people. That made me different. I didn’t regret not doing any of these things. I just didn’t need it in my life. I wasn’t noble. I just didn’t have a desire to do these things so I didn’t.

I loved being with my family and friends at church. I loved being with my boyfriend who became my husband. I loved church. Weird, I know for a teen and young adult. But I still had sins to repent of and run from the temptation. The church was where my sins of the past festered. We do a lot of dumb things as Christians who are lifers at church. As I look over my past life, I have repented of dumb things I have done.

As a church goer, I had to repent of thinking I had it all together because I went to church. Because I didn’t. I had to repent of thinking God didn’t know about my hidden feelings of self degradation and insecurities. He did. I had to repent of thinking more of the institution called church instead of being eternally grateful for the saving of my soul and the relationship with my Savior. I had to repent of going my own way many times as a church leader, instead of letting Christ be the leader. I had to repent of jumping ahead of God when I should have had the wisdom to wait. I had to repent of pride. I had to repent for leading only because no one else was there to do it. Wrong motivation.

I had to repent of snubbing others because of my own first impressions of who I thought they were. I had to repent of gossiping about others in the church who didn’t show up to help with an event. I had to repent of holding grudges against people who had hurt me deeply. I had to repent of doing it all myself, because I thought I had to, because I thought I was the only one who thought it needed to be done, because I didn’t think anyone else could handle it. Ouch. I had to repent of robbing others of the blessings they could have had if had turned over my self given responsibilities to them. I had to repent of not training others to do what I do better than the way I did it. I had to repent of not helping others who really needed my time because I was too busy “doing church”. I had to repent of missing the point. Often.

In our next passage another very lost person comes to Jesus in humility. The Pharisees who were caught up in “doing church”, boring sinners like myself, totally miss the point of the new relationship she is forming with Jesus. Jesus explains…grateful forgiveness.

LUke 7 gratitude

 

Luke 7, The Message
Anointing His Feet
36-39 One of the Pharisees asked him over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down at the dinner table. Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him.”

40 Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Oh? Tell me.”

41-42 “Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?”

43-47 Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.”

“That’s right,” said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.”

48 Then he spoke to her: “I forgive your sins.”

49 That set the dinner guests talking behind his back: “Who does he think he is, forgiving sins!”

50 He ignored them and said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Think deeper…
–How grateful are we for the redemption of our own sins?
–Sin is sin. There is no ranking, in order of importance or severity. Gossip, stealing, snubbing, pride…all have sinned and fall short.
–Do we live in grateful forgiveness? What does that look life in real life?
–Do we forgive others like Jesus forgives us?
–Be still. Think it over. Take as much time as you need. This is transformation. This is real life.
–We have a lot of transforming to do still…

Dear Heavenly Father, You amaze me still and always! You are God and we are not. I fall to your feet with my own tears. You take a simple, familiar story to all of us who read Your Word and you pierce our hearts, minds and souls with going deeper still, to root out all evil. I do not want to miss the point of your loving forgiveness. Thank you for forgiving me. I am redeemed. Because I am loved by you, I can love. Thank you! Now, help me live humbly, gratefully redeemed.  Don’t let me miss the point!
In Jesus Name, Amen

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[a] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:12-14

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EXPECTING

Posted on August 20, 2017 by randscallawayffm

Luke and The Lost

We live in a state of expecting if we are breathing and living life well. We expect to wake up the next day. We expect to go to our jobs, get family members up and ready for school, or expect any given day to be full of activity. We expect to be paid from our employers. We expect for the grocer not to cheat us on the bill. We expect others to love us back. We expect the bills will be paid by the end of the month. We expect, and maybe take for granted, all the things of this world. But do we expect Jesus to come back again? Do we live in expectation for this glorious day? We sing about Him being with us, but do we live in expectation of THE ONE who will come back to claim His own. Do we live as His own?…In the wait?

Luke tells the story of John’s disciples, sent by John, to ask for confirmation, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting?, or are we still waiting?” GREAT question! Jesus answers, not with words, at first, but by His actions. Then He asks John’s watchful disciples, “Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves fortunate!” In others words, if you “get” what I am doing, then you will get Who I AM. They apparently “got it” because they went back to John with a full report.

Luke 7, The Message
Is This What You Were Expecting?

18-19 John’s disciples reported back to him the news of all these events taking place. He sent two of them to the Master to ask the question, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?”

20 The men showed up before Jesus and said, “John the Baptizer sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?’”

21-23 In the next two or three hours Jesus healed many from diseases, distress, and evil spirits. To many of the blind he gave the gift of sight. Then he gave his answer: “Go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard:

The blind see,
The lame walk,
Lepers are cleansed,
The deaf hear,
The dead are raised,
The wretched of the earth
have God’s salvation hospitality extended to them.

“Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves fortunate!”

24-27 After John’s messengers left to make their report, Jesus said more about John to the crowd of people. “What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A messenger from God? That’s right, a messenger! Probably the greatest messenger you’ll ever hear. He is the messenger Malachi announced when he wrote,

I’m sending my messenger on ahead
To make the road smooth for you.

28-30 “Let me lay it out for you as plainly as I can: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer, but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him. The ordinary and disreputable people who heard John, by being baptized by him into the kingdom, are the clearest evidence; the Pharisees and religious officials would have nothing to do with such a baptism, wouldn’t think of giving up their place in line to their inferiors.

31-35 “How can I account for the people of this generation? They’re like spoiled children complaining to their parents, ‘We wanted to skip rope and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk but you were always too busy.’ John the Baptizer came fasting and you called him crazy. The Son of Man came feasting and you called him a lush. Opinion polls don’t count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

Luke 7 expectation

We are also taught that our actions prove who we are in Jesus. What are expecting? Do we live and behave in expectation of the One? Do we live to please Him? “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

Dear Heavenly Father,
You are God and we are not. Help us to follow you expectantly for you are The One and Only. We expect you to always be with us as You promised. We expect you to love us unconditionally and You do. We expect you to forgive us and You have. We expect you to come back again. And you will.
In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe.

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GOD IS BACK!

Posted on August 19, 2017 by randscallawayffm

Luke and The Lost

In any given musical worship set at a church you will notice that the music begins upbeat, calling the people to stand and worship the Living God. Then the music slows a bit, is more thought provoking, with a message of Truth and meaning. The carefully prepared sermon is next which drives home Who God is, what He has done, is doing and will do for those who believe.

Another slower song is sung to induce contemplation about doing something in your own heart, changing your mind about what you have just heard. What follows is time to celebrate with a joyful song that makes you want to dance as you leave the security of the gathering to go out into the world to help others find and follow Whom you have found…Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Yes, God is back!

I think these thoughts with our next story in Luke who, with his writing proclaims, God is back…with us! as he tells each action of our Savior. He also shares in this particular story a glimpse of what breaks our Savior’s heart. Read along and see if worship of our God, in you, rises to the top and overwhelms you as it does me! This story is worship in it’s purest form. This story is about God come back!

Luke 7, The Message
11-15 Not long after that, Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with him, along with quite a large crowd. As they approached the village gate, they met a funeral procession—a woman’s only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to her, “Don’t cry.” Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, “Young man, I tell you: Get up.” The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother.

16-17 They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful—and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, “God is back, looking to the needs of his people!” The news of Jesus spread all through the country.

Luke 7 14

What do we learn?
–God’s back and living among men.
–God looks to the needs of His people.
–God is to be praised and worshiped.
–The “holy mystery” of worship: Quietly worshipful then noisily grateful.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I love you with all my heart, mind and soul. I am, indeed quietly worshipful this morning to be followed by noisily grateful. Go with us, still. My heart sings your praises! My feet want to dance to the rhythm of your grace!
In Jesus Name, Amen

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SIMPLE TRUST

Posted on August 18, 2017 by randscallawayffm

Luke and The Lost

About a million years ago, (exaggerating) as a young married couple with two little ones, Randy and I were met with a test of one simple act of trust. We were barely making it financially as Randy worked a full time job while working his way through college. We had a worn out Corvair, (yes, some of you will have to look it up, it’s a car), that sat in front of our home. It was broken but we couldn’t afford to fix it.

Sunday came, the funds were tight, but we still placed our tithes in the offering plate trusting that God would bless the slim remains of our bank account and get us through until the next paycheck. What God did was nothing short of a small miracle to some but gigantic to us.

Dad called me Monday morning and asked what the license plate number was on our Corvair. “Why?”, I had to ask. He said a neighbor who works at the Tag Agency called. They were running a contest with a promotion to remind people of the importance to keep their tags current. The neighbor looked up the number as being registered to Dad and myself. (My dad had helped me buy the car before I was married.) Our tag number was pulled as a winner of $50! Back in the mid 70’s that was enough to buy groceries for a week for a family of four!

God used this unbelieving neighbor to guide us to the gift He had for us! The tag numbers were posted in the local newspaper. It was up to the owners to read the paper and identify their tag if it was a winner. We couldn’t afford to subscribe to the paper, so we would not have seen it posted. Dad missed it. So, God’s glory was shown to us, dad and dad’s neighbor. We, including the neighbor, will never forget this simple act of trust.

God continually blesses simple trust in Him. He always has and always will. Read of the simple trust of a Roman military man…

Luke 7, The Message
A Place of Holy Mystery
7 1-5 When he finished speaking to the people, he entered Capernaum. A Roman captain there had a servant who was on his deathbed. He prized him highly and didn’t want to lose him. When he heard Jesus was back, he sent leaders from the Jewish community asking him to come and heal his servant. They came to Jesus and urged him to do it, saying, “He deserves this. He loves our people. He even built our meeting place.”

6-8 Jesus went with them. When he was still quite far from the house, the captain sent friends to tell him, “Master, you don’t have to go to all this trouble. I’m not that good a person, you know. I’d be embarrassed for you to come to my house, even embarrassed to come to you in person. Just give the order and my servant will get well. I’m a man under orders; I also give orders. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes; another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

9-10 Taken aback, Jesus addressed the accompanying crowd: “I’ve yet to come across this kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know about God and how he works.” When the messengers got back home, they found the servant up and well.

Luke 7 trust

What do we learn?
–Simple trust pleases God.
–Trust and obey, for there’s no other way,
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
–“My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) Do you believe and trust this verse…or not?
–“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
–“The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

Trust. Simply trust Him.
in Jesus Name, Amen

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