Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

Colossians – Watch out!

Let’s be honest. I woke up this morning a bit overwhelmed with many details of what I think needs to be accomplished over the next couple of weeks, months and years. My prayer, while making coffee and getting a cup of cheerios this morning were desperate sentence prayers…
“Lord, I don’t know how it will get done.”
“But, I know You are here.”
“And in my mind, I know with You nothing is impossible.”
“So, Lord, now tell the rest of me…heart, body and soul.”
“Help me to just be still, to fall into harmony with Your timing, your ebb and flow, along with the perfect rhythms of Your grace and Your power.”
“Help me to see You clearly.”
“Help me to watch out for people who bring me down, especially those who assume I cannot do something WHILE I’m doing it with You!” “Help me to not be distracted by world thinking.”

Colossians – All Because of Christ

We are teaching a very challenging series of technology lessons using engineering computer software and a 3D printer to middle schoolers in an after school club. It comes with a story line, as most of our lessons do. They created robots and we printed them using a software program at the base. But, oh no, disaster struck and the robots and all the information inside them is lost and must be rescued. The students were then challenged to engineer parts that will attach to a pole that will rescue their robots from a bucket of sand and rocks…a meter away…without stepping into the circle. With this challenge are pep talks along the way. “You can do it!” “We know you can do it!” “Failure IS an option, we will learn how to do it better in the next design.”

After many designs were created, it was my job yesterday afternoon to make them print on a very challenging, persnickety 3D printer and program that we acquired from others who didn’t want it. As I filled the tray on the computer screen with their projects, it took me awhile to make it download to the printer who kept rejecting it. Ugh.

I just kept trying different ways, while over my shoulders are groups of middle schoolers, rotating in and out of where I was working feverishly with, “You can do it Bomber!” “We believe in you!” Well, if that doesn’t challenge you to try even harder, I don’t know what will! We finally had success! Created parts are printing with more to come. We have created young engineers that probably do not realize the speed of their growth and the talents that lie within them. (BTW, Bomber is my “call sign” on the base.) We have also created cheerleaders who believe in each other. Score!

I think of this recent episode in my life journey as I read Paul’s pep talk to believers. This is timely. Take joy in reading this and be filled with hope and gladness for God believes in you, too! HE made us. Jesus, His Son lives in us. The Holy Spirit guides us and encourages us. After reading and letting this passage sink in…be grateful.

Colossians 2, The Message

6-7 My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.

What do we learn?
–Move forward with what you have been given. Salvation…debts all paid with the bonus of Jesus living in us!
–Now LIVE Him. Do what you’ve been taught!
–HE believes in us as we believe in Him.
–Be grateful. Live gratefully.
–Just do it!

Dear Heavenly Father, You are speaking to this weary heart with words that revitalize my heart and stirs my bones to get up and try again. To really live is to live in Christ, because of Christ! Thank you, Lord. Continue to transform us, teaching us to go deeper still in your love and grace. Help us to be gracious as we live for You. Do what You must in us so we will be all You intended for us to be.
In Jesus Name, and by His power, Amen. I believe.

Colossians – Because of Christ

Paul is sitting in jail, suffering for Christ, in Christ and because of the message of Christ. He is okay with this, for this suffering does not compare with what Jesus Christ did for him.

Pastors who are passionate about preaching Christ today suffer in different ways, and it is distracting to The Message of Christ and His salvation. We are approaching Easter and all that goes with that. Many churches are putting the final touches on the music, perfecting every note, going over all the details of an egg hunt, or other children’s activities, and are making sure the ushers and greeters know what to do with the extra people who may come because…it is Easter. Where is the suffering, you ask?

The pastor, because of Easter week, has extra sermons to prepare, orchestrates all the above activities, making sure the people in his care get along…and many won’t, for this is the devil’s playground…given more opportunities to hinder and distract everyone from…preaching Christ, living transformed by Him and helping others to do the same. Traditions become more important than the goal of preaching Christ. Everyone suffers when distracted…mostly the pastor.

Pray for your pastor and other church leaders to stay focused and rested, pacing themselves in the ultimate goal to preach Christ in ways that help others know Him more, believe and be saved from this world’s darkness by being transformed by Christ.

Colossians 1, The Message
24-25 I want you to know how glad I am that it’s me sitting here in this jail and not you. There’s a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world—the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church’s part of that suffering. When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God’s way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth.

26-29 This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That’s what I’m working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.

What do we learn?
–Preach Christ
–Don’t add traditions or anything else to the message.
–Keep it simple.
–Preach Christ!

Dear Heavenly Father, We pray for our pastors everywhere who are gearing up to preach Your Message of salvation and transformation. Help us to come alongside and be helpful to them and not be a hinderance. Help us to love each other even more and look beyond ourselves and our traditions, to those in need of a Savior. Give us the generosity of Your Holy Spirit to share what is flowing and bubbling from inside us because of YOU living in us. Christ in us! Wow, help us preach You with all we’ve got!
In Jesus Name, because of Him, Amen! I believe!

Colossians – Fitting Together because of Christ

You have probably heard the word “case” used in a variety of ways. “Well, he’s a basket case today” or “She’s a real case to be dealt with in this problem.” Lawyers take on cases, who are people who need defending. Scientists and psychologists have “case studies” that involve looking at groups of people, animals. and other beings in depth to see what they do and why they do it. So when Paul, through the eyes of Eugene Peterson, in his paraphrase of The Message to the Colossian people group says we are a case study, he isn’t wrong. We are a case! You can decide if that’s good or bad.

Now, let’s look in depth at this sentence…”You yourselves are a case study of what he does.” What? It’s not about me? Nope. It’s what GOD DOES in us and through us to transform us. The Bible has and always will be about God and what HE does. HE is our Creator. HE is always there, even when we turn our backs on Him. HE made a undeniable way for us to come back to HIM. Jesus Christ died for you! He died for me!

There is NO OTHER message but this one…Christ died for us and still presents our “case” to God, the Father who declares us free from our sins to those who repent and believe. Let’s go deeper still…Jesus took on our “case”, went to court for us, got beaten to a pulp, carried our sins on His bloody shoulders, chose the nails that had our names on them and laid down his life for ours. Yes, it’s ALL about HIM! Our “case” has been dismissed for lack of evidence of guilt. Jesus took our guilt and shame, put us back together again from the ravages of sin and is transforming us, day by day, to be more, to think more, to act more…like HIM. Yes, it’s what God does in each case.

Colossians 1, The Message
21-23 You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message.

What do we learn?
–God loves us so much He sent His Son to die for our sins so that we can live with Him with no walls between us.
–Jesus brought us over to God’s side.
–Jesus puts us back together again, whole and holy.
–Don’t walk away from a gift like this!

Dear Heavenly Father, We are on our knees in grateful praise but at the same time we are crying out for those close to us who are still lost, who have turned their backs to You, going their own selfish ways. Please continue to speak to their souls and rescue them from darkness. Every “case” is personal and I know You are working as we pray. Thank you, Lord. Continue Your work in us. We are listening. Transform us to be all You intended for us to be. Make us whole and holy before You Thank you, Lord. You are God and we are not.
In Jesus Name, Amen