Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

Jesus loves me this I know

For the Bible tells me so,

Little ones to him belong

They are weak but He is strong!

You didn’t just read those words, you sang them, right?  This is the first song you probable learned if your parents or grandparents took you to church.  This is the first song you learned as a baby being rocked in the nursery class.  As you moved on to the preschool class, you probably learned the hand motions that go with the song as you sang the song with other toddlers.

As a walking, talking toddler, you might of thought for a minute, who is Jesus?  It doesn’t matter, He apparently loves me.  If our parents continued their journey in their commitment to God to learn more about Him, we as children would move from class to class with our peers.  We would learn the stories of the Bible that taught us how to treat others with kindness. 

Later, we learned that this Jesus who “loves us this I know” was treated badly by those who did not like him.  As we grew to be young students, we eventually learned that this Jesus nailed to a cross!  We heard that Jesus didn’t have to do it but he did it so that our sins could be forgiven even though we might not understand just how that worked.  But we knew that “we are weak and He is strong. Yes, we are definitely impressed by Someone who would willingly do what He did!

But there is so much more…

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.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

There is so much more—

We need to grow up in Christ as not only Savior but Lord of our lives!  This occurs and solidifies our faith in God by seeking a personal, intimate, loving, all-consuming relationship with God—our “unbreakable spiritual lifeline for eternity”!

Jesus, God’s One and Only Son, made the Way to God possible.  We were caught up in sin and self that separated us from God.  God cannot be where sin resides. Someone had to pay the price for our sins and buy us back from evil who had a hold on us so we could be set free—forever!

Not only that, our risen Lord is now our advocate in Heaven who speaks on our behalf in the Presence of God.  Nothing in our lives goes unnoticed or undetected by God.  God created all, is over all, in all.  God is sovereign.  He is everywhere at once.  He sees our hearts.  God is with all who believe always. 

God looks over the earth seeking those whose hearts are completely devoted and committed to Him.  God loves us so much He not only sent His Son to save us, as promised, but His desire is to pour out His blessings over us in ways beyond our human understanding.  What are we waiting for?

God protects us before we know we need it. God provides for all our needs.  God knows what we will face tomorrow and equips us today. In our personal relationship with Him, God’s love never changes.  God is faithful and unshakeable—even when we are unfaithful to him! 

God wants our personal relationship with Him to grow in ways that reflect His character—for our good and His glory!  And He will help us!  Jesus taught us God’s Truth along with God’s desire to have a relationship with Him.  Jesus was the Light to a dark world who had all but forgotten God.  Jesus reminded all who would listen who God was, is and is to come.  Jesus represented God and came down from heaven, moved into the neighborhood of humanity, to love, heal, and forgive, while giving all glory to God.  Jesus is the same yesterday as He is today.  Jesus is Savior who is Lord.  His Holy Spirit lives in all who believe!

Are you merely impressed or firmly committed? 

Are you still back in the preschool of faith, coloring pictures of your own making of who Jesus is?  Is your thought of God being a far off being who merely sits in judgement when you do wrong and is deaf to your prayers for what you want to have or what you want to happen in your life? 

Then return to your first love— “Jesus loves me this I know, For the Bible tells me so,” and firmly believe in Jesus as a beginning to a wonderful, life-giving, love producing relationship.  Be committed to grow in a personal and intimate relationship with God through Jesus, His Son!  Believe in Jesus, Son of Man, who died to save us and rose again to set us free from the sin that keeps us from God.  Believe in Jesus, Son of God, who was risen from death, defeating the enemy of God, giving us hope to live forever with Him—just as He said He would!

God promised a Messiah.  God fulfilled His promise with His Son.  Done.  Completed. “God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.”  Believe, repent, and be saved. May God’s Holy Spirit teach us daily and mature our faith.

“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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

Lord,

Thank you for all you have done, are doing, and will do in my life to keep me focused on you and all the benefits of knowing you.  Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul, and restore the joy of your salvation at work within me daily.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Yes, I believe and I’m listening.

To be set up by others or by our own doing is to lean almost exclusively on our own human understanding.  I have been “set up” to fail when I fall for those who compliment my natural abilities and good nature only as a manipulation so I will do the work they do not want to do.  I fall for it when my pride rears its ugly head and I react to their direction.  The book of Proverbs had it right when it was written, “Pride goes before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

A set up is also being caught in a situation that people have planned to deceive us or to make it look as if we have done something wrong to others.  Jesus, Himself was set up by the Pharisees to be mocked, beaten, and led to death by the Romans to sustain their religious position and limited power over God’s people.  But here is the difference; Jesus knew the plot of the Pharisees and other religious leaders.  He knew but He loved the world and had compassion on all people who lived in it.  Jesus knew what He must do to save us.  Through it all, God was in control. Jesus knew He must do the will of the Father.  It was the deep, profound love of God and His Son that led Jesus to fulfilled the mission to save us. 

Jesus, set apart, holy and sinless, had the power to stop the nonsense.  But He did not because of His relentless love for us.

To be set apart by God is a calling that begins with our complete surrender to the Holy One who knows that without Him we will not be able to fulfil His call.  God rarely calls the equipped but calls those whose hearts are completely His and who humbly respond first with; “Lord, I love you; but how can I do this?  I just can’t… But because you said it, I will.” 

Hebrews 4, 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.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

From the beginning, God wants us to be different and respond differently.  “You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.” Leviticus 20:26 tells us to be different. This verse says God chose His people to stand out from others.  Why?  So that others walking in darkness with dark thinking and behaving would notice our difference and be drawn to Him by His Light in us!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

We are all called and set apart as believers to point the way to Jesus who is the Way to God, who is the Truth, and who leads us to Eternal Life with God! 

Accept, believe, grow in faith!

Upon surrender to God, we are set apart to be still and know that He is God before doing anything for God.  In the stillness, we form a habit of listening to God who tells us what to do in Jesus Name, for His glory and the good of ourselves and others seeking Him—a promise of God!  I am reminded of David’s “songs” that are full of remorse when he didn’t listen to God—a lesson to all of us.  But we read the words of joy, right in the middle of a lament, when David’s heart, mind, and soul turns back to who God is and proclaims God’s deep love for us. David praises God with thanksgiving for God.  David, another human who fell, but was forgiven and set apart by God.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” Psalm 46:1-3

“Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.  He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:8-11

When we listen, truly listen to God we begin to know God more and grow in our intimately loving relationship with Him.  As we grow, the more we know, and are excited to go and tell others, teaching them all that Jesus has taught to us. This is the solid food of our existence!  This is the command of God through Jesus, His Son. (Matthew 28:20)

Lord,

Thank you for your Word lived out by your life.  You are the Word that came into the world and moved into the neighborhood of humanity to teach us how to love You and each other.  You taught us by your life how to surrender fully.  You surrendered, set apart to die for our sins so that we could be saved for eternity.  I believe.  I’m listening. I’m yours.

In Jesus Name, Amen

At the birth of our children, our first thought is love.  This love, that we never felt before, sees nothing but beauty in their tiny faces.  We glow when we present them to others to see and hold.  Our instinct, however, is to protect them. We vow that we will take care of all their needs and work hard each day to do just that—making sure they have food, clothes, and a roof over their heads.  We cherish them with a love so powerful we don’t fully understand it ourselves.  But we know, without prodding, that we will stand by them, hurt when they hurt, wishing we could take their pain on ourselves, while wiping their tears.  As they grow, our love only grows stronger.

This great love leads us to nurture them so that as they grow healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually from infant through those toddler years, from toddler through elementary school to young adults through high school with compassionate care.  This loving care includes the disciplines of life.  Discipline with wisdom from God teaches us the skills for living life to the full.  This wisdom was based on the Big Ten that God delivered to Moses so that God’s people could grow in their love for him as He provided for all their needs.  Number one was Love God.  The second is to love others.  The eight others are formed from the first two, says Jesus.

When our growing children, who we love as much as ourselves or more, are disobedient and turn their backs on all that we tell them will help them to grow and mature in this love—it frustrates and exasperates us, right?  It’s because immature children do not see the larger picture—yet.  They only see what is in front of them, the shiny object that gets their momentary attention or the desire to be accepted by a group that also seeks to satisfy self, too.  So, they rebel against you and your great love for them.  They replace your no for their yes instead of loving you back with faith in your loving care of them.

Rebellion began with Adam and Eve.  The writer of Hebrews is explaining how this rebellion against God’s love, mercy, and grace with a promise to provide for all their needs continued through Moses’ generation and beyond!  But God’s love never fails or gives up on us.  He renews His promise because God is faithful—even when we are not.

When God’s children, who claim to believe but fail to have faith in Him, God is exasperated, too, like we are as parents!  How can we turn down God’s best for us?  Why turn down the discipline of growing in His love, accepting his mercy and generous grace.  Why do we stop seeking the wisdom of the One who created all, knows all and is in all for living our lives well by doing what HE says is good and right for us? 

But we do turn Him down in rebellion for our own desires.  Wow, we need a Savior! God knew what we would need from the beginning.  Jesus, His One and Only Son, provided. 

Take the mercy, accept the help.

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.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“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,

Thank you for your word of promise in Jesus who saved us and set us free for our sins and from our selfishness. Thank you for your mercy delivered by your rescue. Thank you for your generous grace and relentless, unchanging, great love for us.  I’m sorry for all the times I frustrate you and cause you to become exasperated with me until I realize you are right all along. 

Thank you for saving my soul.  Thank you for holding me close as I accept your help in all the details of Today. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

It’s ingrained in me.  My mom did it.  My grandma did it. Our dining table always has a seasonal centerpiece. In the spring and summer, it might include the beautiful, fresh flowers of the season.  In fall it will include apples and other fruits of harvest.  In winter, is always a something to draw our attention to the center of the table. 

I was also taught to declutter everything that can easily accumulate on our dinner table during the work week.  The table becomes a drop zone of papers and backpacks!  The clutter piles up quickly with bills that must be paid, ads telling us what we must buy, notices of things we must do, along with kids’ school papers to sign and the good intentioned coupons we might use. It can become so cluttered as a makeshift filing system that there is no more room to eat.  So, instead of sitting down together for a meal; we grab a snack and sit on the couch.  If the table becomes too cluttered, the centerpiece becomes less noticeable.  The people become more detached from each other.  The trash on the table blocks the beauty of the centerpiece and discourages us to eat there.

Clutter is depressing and makes me sad until I remove it.

Our lives can become so cluttered with activities, good and bad, that the busyness can block our view of the Center of Life itself, namely Jesus.  Get a grip!  Go for a cleansing of the clutter from The Center who will declutter our lives with His simplicity of love, mercy, and grace and set us free.  Come to The Table of Jesus who wants to be the Center of all we think, say, and do.  Our work is to believe and follow the Center of our lives with every fiber of our being.

Hebrews 3, The Message

The Centerpiece of All We Believe

^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.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

• Get a grip on our believing faith in Jesus as the Center of our lives.
• Listen to Him.  Please listen and obey from a deep love for the One who died and rose again for us.
• Remove all that can trip us up and block our view of God, asking in the Name of Jesus.
• Keep a grip on a sure thing—Jesus at the Center!
• Avoid all that distracts, deceives, and deconstructs our faith in God through Jesus.
• Help each other stay focused on The Center.
• “We’re in this with Christ for the long haul!”

Dear Lord,

Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, declutter our souls of all that does not belong, and restore the joy and peace of your salvation at work within us.  Be the Center of our lives.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

Chicago Fire is a television show based on the everyday rescues that firemen and paramedics provide on any given shift.  These firemen run into fires while others run out.  Paramedics wait on the outside to help the injured stay alive until they can transport them to the hospital to be treated by medical professionals.  Firefighters are men and women who are typically first on the scene of traffic collisions, structure fires, or accidents on the workplace or in homes. 

Yesterday’s episode gripped my heart.  A little boy was trapped in a high-rise apartment where a fire was raging on his floor and three floors above him.  One fireman figured out where he was and went to him immediately, fully equipped, to rescue him.  The rescue was not what the boy expected.  After the fireman accessed the situation, he told him, “We are going to do something that you can tell your friends about later.”  The boy looked up at him with complete terror in his eyes.  “Just trust me, I know how to save us.”  The boy just looked at him with scared, wondering eyes.  The firefighter assured him;

“I want you to get a grip, hold on to me and don’t let go.  That’s your job.  My job will be to hold on to this rope that will get us both out of this fire.  Close your eyes if you must, but don’t let go of me.” 

The boy and the fireman were saved by a rope anchored to a unmovable object in the floor and extended out the window—of the twentieth floor.  The fireman lowered himself and the boy to the floor below them and crashed through the window of an apartment below them.  Other firefighters met him there to help complete the rescue. 

It was crucial for the boy to get a grip and hold on tight to his Resucer.

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.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We are caught up in fiery situations but challenge our faith daily.  And we’ve got questions!

Who are we holding onto as we walk through life stuff that is beyond our control? 

Who is our Rescuer that not only saves us from hell’s fires of death forever but provides a life full of meaning and significance and leads to eternal life? 

But the most important question to ask ourselves is—

Do we really believe what God says about Himself and His Son to be really real? This needs to be the first question we asked ourselves when faced with troubles and sorrow from circumstances that overwhelm us. 

Who do we trust completely to walk us through the trouble—even if the rescue is not what we expected?

God went to a lot of trouble to save us.  Jesus went to hell and back again to redeem us from our sins.  Our job is to get a grip, hold on to God through Jesus, our solid rock and foundation—and don’t let go!

Be assured of this—Jesus will not let go of you!  

Lord,

Thank you for saving us and teaching us not to let go when troubles come but to get a grip and hang onto our faith that attaches us to you forever.  Help us to point others to you, the Rescuer of our souls. Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole daily.  Thank you for peace that comes by trusting that you know what you are doing!

In Jesus Name, Amen   

“It seems odd to have to say so, but too much religion is a bad thing.  We can’t too much of God, can’t get too much faith and obedience, can’t get too much love and worship.  But religion—the well-intentioned 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, Introduction to Hebrews, The Message Bible

Hebrews 1, The Message

God’s Final Word: His Son

^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?

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus, crucified and resurrected, died to save us and set us free.  Jesus defeated death forever for all who would believe and trust that He did what God sent Him to be and do—Savior and now Lord of our lives!  It is God who gave Jesus the Name above all names as King of kings and Lord of lords!  Jesus sits next to God, who is God and is our advocate on the throne.  We take our sins and lay them at His feet.  Jesus forgives and forgets our sins.  We become children of God, joint heirs with Christ.  God’s final word.

“But the more 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.”

“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.” –Eugene Peterson

As we read through Hebrews over the next few days, may we respond in faith— believing in God’s final Word—Jesus!  For it is in His Name we pray believing that He did indeed save us and reconcile us to God!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen—Yes!

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.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

(Verse 3, O Holy Night, Translator: John S. Dwight; Author: Placide Cappeau 1847)

“O Holy Night” has become signature song of Christmas.  It is the soundtrack for shoppers.  It is the hymn of choice in church programs during the holy season of celebrating the birth of Christ. This song is also the favorite of contemporary singers in all genres and is the preferred choice to sing on their albums and portrayed as the last song to sing in their Christmas specials.   

Who wrote “O Holy Night” and why?  This is interesting…

Placide Cappeau France 1808-1877. Born at 8 p.m. On 10/25/1808, the son of a cooper (maker and restorer of barrels). He may have followed in his father’s business, but when eight years old, a playmate accidentally shot him in the hand with a gun he was playing with, and the hand had to be amputated. He followed an academic career instead. The shooter’s father paid for half his education, and he was able to attend town school and the College Royal d’Avignon.

Despite his handicap, he was awarded a first prize in drawing there. He studied literature in Nimes, and law in Paris, and was licensed to practice law in 1831. Instead, he became a merchant of wines and spirits, but his focus was really on literature. A parish priest, Father Petitjean, in Cappeau’s community, asked him to write a Christmas poem to celebrate the renovation of their organ, and he agreed to do it, despite being an avowed atheist and vocal anti-cleric.

He researched the book of Luke and wrote the lyrics to “O Holy night”. An opera singer, Emily Laurie, saw the text and asked a Jewish friend of hers to compose music for it, which he, remarkably, did. (Adolph Adam)  She sung it at a midnight mass three weeks later, and parishioners raved, but when Catholic church leaders found out it was written by an atheist, they banned it. However, its popularity only grew.

A side story: In 1906 Reginald Fessenden, a 33 year-old university professor and former chief chemist for Thomas Edison, did something thought impossible. Using a new type of generator, he spoke into a microphone and for the first time in history a voice was broadcast over the airwaves. And he read, from the book of Luke, “And it came to pass in those days, that a decree went out from Ceasar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.” He began, in a clear strong voice. Shocked radio operators on ships and wireless owners at newspapers, used to Morse code heard over tiny speakers, were interrupted by a speaking voice reading Luke and had no idea where it came from.

When the professor finished his reading, he picked up his violin and played “O Holy Night”.. the first song ever played over the air waves in the whole world. Imagine the surprise of listeners everywhere, never suspecting such a thing was possible.

When God is in it, the impossible becomes possible!  His Son, Jesus the Messiah, was sent to earth to seek and to save the lost.  We are all lost without Him.  But all who believe Him are found and redeemed and given the miraculous gift of eternal life.

“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,

Paul is led by God’s Holy Spirit writes a letter of recommendation for Onesimus, a former slave to Philemon.  Paul is supporting Onesimus as a friend, companion, and now a brother—saved by the grace of Jesus Christ.  Everything has changed for Onesimus because of Jesus!

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—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

It is we humans who rank and evaluate each other. God does not play favorites.  We are all equal to Jesus.  All have sinned and all are forgiven in Jesus Name! But we humans still insist on labeling for life, putting each other in boxes where we will reside unless a miracle happens.  These human labels judged categorically, critically based only on human criteria.  The labels stick until we come into the holy presence of Jesus who changes everything about us and gives us Hope, meaning, and value.  However, all our labels given to us by our community because of what we do suddenly melt away when we meet Jesus who calls us by name and receives us for who we are and will become in Him.    

O holy night! the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope- the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Jesus came down from the throne of heaven and moved into the neighborhood of humanity.  Jesus’ mission was to call us by name while bringing us out of oppression caused by our sins and the sins of others.  He forgives all sins and removes all human labels and give us a new identity: “Child of God, brothers and sisters and joint hears with Jesus”—for eternity!

Paul’s message to Philemon about his former slave, Onesimus, is meant to explain this miracle Jesus provided of redeeming grace.  May we all treat each other with grace.

Lord,

Transform our thinking until we no longer judge and label each other but lean on your understanding and wisdom as we learn to love each other like you love us—without human categories and ranking.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the Wise Men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend.
He knows our need— to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Chorus

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

This familiar hymn of my youth plays in the background of my mind this morning as I read the wisdom of Paul to his apprentice of the faith with how to fine tune his skills for living in God’s ways—all because of what Jesus did for us!

We obey the laws of the land but worship the One and Only God who sits on the throne of heaven forever!  We seek forgiveness of our sins by bringing all to Jesus with complete surrender.  We believe and are committed to the One who washed us clean from the inside out and put our lives together by His love, mercy, and grace.  God gave his Son so that whoever believes would be saved for a life of eternity in paradise—a life that is hard to imagine while living here on earth—but it will happen.  God promised and God does not and cannot lie.

When God steps in, everything changes for all who believe—really believe! “Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives,” Paul proclaims to Titus—and to all who seek Him now!

Are you walking daily by the Savior’s side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

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.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

When the Bridegroom comes will your robes be white?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Once we’ve been washed in the blood of the Lamb, we are made spotless before Him—without even a trace of sins’ stains.  Only Jesus can do this for us.  We cannot remove our own sins or the sins of others no matter how hard we scrub or try to “act nice” with deeds of goodness.  We must be washed by the blood of the Lamb to begin a new life with Him.  So, why put back on the old dirty clothes that you wore before the great Bath? Instead, let us put on God’s holy garments.  Paul told everyone “how to dress! 

“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:11-14

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”  Colossians 3:12-15

PAUSE TO REFLECT…

Jesus IS coming back.  When that Day comes, how will you and I be dressed?

Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;
There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,
O be washed in the blood of the Lamb!

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

And now a few words from Jesus through John and Matthew—

“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:6-7

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’  Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” –Jesus, Matthew 26:26-28 

And on that great Day—

“And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,

“they are before the throne of God
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
    will shelter them with his presence.
‘Never again will they hunger;
    never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’^[a]
    nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne
    will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
    ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” Revelation 7:14-17

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

It’s my prayer that you choose to put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Son of God, who died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead on the 3rd day!  In Jesus Name, Amen, Yes!

I confess, I don’t always follow a recipe as written. I like to experiment.  Sometimes I mix in what I think will make a recipe better. Sometimes I leave out what I don’t have on hand or substitute with another ingredient and hope for the best.  Most times this works for the experienced cook, but there are times when it doesn’t and the final results are inedible.  I have learned over the years that some ingredients work well together while others do not.  Trial and error cooking is not for all people.  My mom, for example, would follow a recipe as written or it would not be made!  Dad, on the other hand, loved mixing it up.

Over the years, I have learned there is one recipe that nonnegotiable—The recipe for a God-filled life that satisfies the hunger of our hearts, minds, and soul.  This recipe cannot be altered or other ingredients mixed in.  Following this recipe prepares us now for life eternal with God.  The main and only ingredient in this recipe is Jesus. 

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –Jesus, John 14:6

Jesus is the one and only way to God.  Believing who He is, what He has done for us, then following what He says is the recipe for a forever relationship with God and opens the door to very throne of God!  Repenting of our sins in Jesus Name is the process that begins this intimate, loving relationship.  God then feeds us daily, allowing His Holy Spirit to live within us so He can continually fill our souls with Truth. Our lives transform as we learn to rely on God, the Father, who can be trusted to do what He says He will do!  Through Jesus, we are served a meal of love, mercy, and grace, poured out as a sacrifice for our sins, that is perfectly good, saves our souls, and satisfies our hunger. 

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8, NIV

Titus 2, The Message

A God-Filled Life

^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.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus sacrificed his life for ours so that our sins would not be held against us.  He came to seek and to save the lost.  At the Lord’s Tables, Jesus said, “Take and eat, this is my Body broken for you” as he served the Bread of Life, blessed by God.  He also took the Cup and said, “This is my blood shed for you, drink all of it.”  How beautiful is our Lord who gave us the recipe for life eternal!

Jesus gave us the recipe for living a God-filled life on earth.  He became a friend of the sinner and brother of the poor. He touched their sores, brought sight to the blind, and hearing to the deaf.  Jesus felt their tears and paid for their mistakes. He welcomed children and blessed them. Then Jesus who had power to stop the insanity of dying on a cross of excruciating pain, stayed there because of His love for each one of us.  He died for our sins—all of them.  Jesus was put into a tomb but came out three days later, scars and all, to declare the glory of God while defeating death.  He promised we’d do the same if we believe in Him.

When fear overcomes us, Jesus shared the message. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me . . . I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am,” John 14:1,3.

“Tell them all this,” says Paul to Titus.

How do we respond?

Some pretend Jesus didn’t and doesn’t exist. Some occupy themselves with a study of Him but ask nothing from Him.  Others hear him, and are impressed by Him, but don’t really believe in him. It’s not easy for some to believe that God would go this far to sacrifice His Son to save us and take us home.

But then, a few decide to give this recipe for life a try. They venture out to “taste and see—and be filled.” Each day they look toward the sky. They look for and are waiting for the day Christ comes.  Paul teaches Titus this recipe for a God-filled 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.”  Paul tells Titus to tell others to be ready for that Day. 

Don’t mess with the recipe!  Follow Jesus who knows how it will all turn out in the end!  Don’t substitute or mix in other ingredients.  Don’t leave out anything that is absolutely necessary to live a God-filled life in Jesus.

“The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.” Psalm 34:22

“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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

Lord,

Thank you for the recipe for life eternal! Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  Lead us not into the temptations to altar the recipe for life but instead deliver us from evil.  For you have all power, to you be all glory!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Real, authentic behaving, helpful people who influence others are learners.  As a young adult believer who was learning and striving to grow in the ways Jesus taught us, I watched as those I once admired as a leader stopped learning and growing. I was saddened when their lives fell apart spiritually while making excuses.  It broke my heart when people worshiped being the busiest as a measure of their “good work” while promoted themselves as working the hardest in the Kingdom.

Looking back over the years of service to God and His church, I learned and experienced the destructive, distasteful, heartbreaking outcomes of ceasing to learn.  I confess I fell for it myself as a leader and as a follower.  It’s easy to fall for this attitude when you grow weary in the demanding work placed on your shoulders—by others.  Fortunately, God stepped in and gave me mentors to pull me back to my spiritual senses; reminding me that the “yoke” of Jesus is lighter and that pleasing God is who centers us in HIS work!  I praise God for these loving, caring people who put me back on the learner’s track of being with God before doing anything for God!  Just like Jesus did! 

Falling to our knees before Jesus daily helps to avoid falling for evil’s schemes that distract us.  Listen to Him!

God-led leaders are humble learners for life.  They know they don’t know it all.  They know their weaknesses and their God-given strengths.  They know their only confidence is in Christ, not in themselves or their own meager abilities, but in God’s power and might.  People are drawn to people who know truth. But when arrogance and pride seeps in, because of popularity—look out! Evil uses these human weaknesses to get a foothold into our being and doing.

Paul’s letters to Timothy boldly and passionately warned him to “watch out, keep the faith, guard your heart, avoid mindless chatter.”  These and other directives were passed on from a caring, compassionate mentor who learned about Jesus from his mentors as well as from Jesus, Himself!  This style of passing it on comes from the way Jesus taught His disciples!  This mentor to apprentice form of teaching other upcoming leaders is at very heart of one who hopes to teach others to believe and follow Jesus, God helping us, by the power of His Holy Spirit, while avoiding the enemy.

Paul’s letter to Titus, his “son in the faith”, is delivered to him in Crete.  The same Kingdom of God thinking and behaving traits are given to Titus so he also can pass these leadership traits to others who seek to grow in their faith in Jesus.

Titus 1, The Message

^1-4 I, Paul, am God’s slave and Christ’s agent for promoting the faith among God’s chosen people, getting out the accurate word on God and how to respond rightly to it. My aim is to raise hopes by pointing the way to life without end. This is the life God promised long ago—and he doesn’t break promises! And then when the time was ripe, he went public with his truth. I’ve been entrusted to proclaim this Message by order of our Savior, God himself. Dear Titus, legitimate son in the faith: Receive everything God our Father and Jesus our Savior give you!

A Good Grip on the Message

^5-9 I left you in charge in Crete so you could complete what I left half-done. Appoint leaders in every town according to my instructions. As you select them, ask, “Is this man well-thought-of? Is he committed to his wife? Are his children believers? Do they respect him and stay out of trouble?” It’s important that a church leader, responsible for the affairs in God’s house, be looked up to—not pushy, not short-tempered, not a drunk, not a bully, not money-hungry. He must welcome people, be helpful, wise, fair, reverent, have a good grip on himself, and have a good grip on the Message, knowing how to use the truth to either spur people on in knowledge or stop them in their tracks if they oppose it.

^10-16 For there are a lot of rebels out there, full of loose, confusing, and deceiving talk. Those who were brought up religious and ought to know better are the worst. They’ve got to be shut up. They’re disrupting entire families with their teaching, and all for the sake of a fast buck. One of their own prophets said it best:

The Cretans are liars from the womb,
    barking dogs, lazy bellies.

He certainly spoke the truth. Get on them right away. Stop that diseased talk of Jewish make-believe and made-up rules so they can recover a robust faith. Everything is clean to the clean-minded; nothing is clean to dirty-minded unbelievers. They leave their dirty fingerprints on every thought and act. They say they know God, but their actions speak louder than their words. They’re real creeps, disobedient good-for-nothings.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“Those who were brought up religious and ought to know better are the worst.”

Sometimes we who were brought up into the “culture” of churchgoing can be the worst judges of those who did not.  We all sin with all kinds of sins that must be repented to God.  Believers, who are leaders and followers, who tell new believers in Jesus that they must dress, talk, and act like exactly like them to please God actually impedes, discourages and confuses the spiritual growth of a new believer who hears from the platform we must become like Jesus.

Remember only Jesus saves and reconciles us to God. God’s Holy Spirit comes to live in us and begins His work to transform our thinking and behaving.  Our work is to pray for His Kingdom come, His Will be done in each of us.  We are all at various stages and phases of growing in our love and lifestyle in Jesus. Even when the flock of sheep are openly attacked by the Deceiver, God will call His leaders to protect and lead the flock with His wisdom and give direction.  Seek God first.

“Christians are quite serious in believing that when they gather together for worship and work, God is present and sovereign, really present and absolutely sovereigns.  God creates and guides, God saves and heals. God corrects and blesses, God calls and judges. With such comprehensive and personal leadership from God, what is the place of HUMAN leadership?”

“Quite obviously, it has to be second place.  It must not elbow its way to the front, it must not bossily take over.  Ego-centered, ego-prominent leadership betrays the Master.  The best leadership in spiritual communities formed in the name of Jesus, the Messiah, is inconspicuous, not calling attention to itself but not sacrificing anything in the way of conviction and firmness either.”

“What he learned so thoroughly himself, he was now passing on, and showing them, in turn, how to develop a similar leadership in local congregations. This is essential reading because ill-directed and badly formed spiritual leadership causes much damage in souls.   Paul in both his life and his letters show us how to do it right.”—Eugene Peterson, Introduction to Timothy and Titus, The Message Bible

Paul is showing and developing servant leadership, the kind of leadership that mirrors our Master, Jesus.  (Philippians 2)

Lord,

We are all called to seek Your first in all we think, say, and do.  We know enough to know to call on your Name for help in all circumstances.  May your Kingdom of God thinking come to dwell in our hearts as followers and leaders.  May your Will be done in every detail of our lives on earth as it is in heaven.  YOU are first. We are second.  Give us this day eyes to see you at work and give you praise consistently as you reveal Yourself to us.  Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  Lead us not into the temptations to please self and others. Deliver us from this evil.  Help us, by your power flowing through us, to seek You first with a desire to please you alone.  To YOU be all the glory, honor, and praise forever!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen