Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

Truth. We all seek what is real, true, and dependable.  We know we won’t get all the truth from salespersons whose goal is selling to make a living for his family.  They tell us only what will make the sale most times.  But the time they are finished with their “pitch” we are mixed up and confused about the benefits of the product and forgot why we came in!  Yes, it is hard to find an honest person but not impossible.  Randy and I have learned to pray before we buy, asking God’s guidance to the right person to help us make the right decision.  Before going, we carefully look over products, reviews by others who are using them, study what it can and cannot do, before buying it.  It takes more work but so worth getting what you need while avoiding the deceit of showmanship.  When times are hard, truth gets even harder to recognize, so to avoid being confused, we research even more diligently. 

From past experiences, it is hard to get Truth from most politicians, lawyers and even some doctors.  They are taught by other professional spinners of truth, how to tell people only what they want to know to get elected or provide a service for kickbacks to their bank accounts.  Spinners can even change your mind about what you saw and heard that was truth by invent another scenario to believe for the advantage of their clients!  So, we must look more closely.  If it is possible, we wish to go behind the scenes to look for demonstrations of good character on any given day when no one is looking or posing for a photo op for promotion.  But that is not always possible.  We must be alert, do the research, and pray for wisdom and discernment as we seek Truth.

Peter warns us about those among believers who know enough Truth to be dangerous.  I have known some people who have displayed these characteristics and watched God deal with them. Most recently was a charismatic pastor who delivered thoughtful messages but his life reflected his real motives and desires for himself.  His deceitful actions produced many “mixed up and confused followers” that Peter describes in his warning to us.  What Peter writes seems harsh but still very relevant today.

2 Peter 2, The Message

Lying Religious Leaders

^1-2 But there were also lying prophets among the people then, just as there will be lying religious teachers among you. They’ll smuggle in destructive divisions, pitting you against each other—biting the hand of the One who gave them a chance to have their lives back! They’ve put themselves on a fast downhill slide to destruction, but not before they recruit a crowd of mixed-up followers who can’t tell right from wrong.

^2-3 They give the way of truth a bad name. They’re only out for themselves. They’ll say anything, anything, that sounds good to exploit you. They won’t, of course, get by with it. They’ll come to a bad end, for God has never just stood by and let that kind of thing go on.

^4-5 God didn’t let the rebel angels off the hook, but jailed them in hell till Judgment Day. Neither did he let the ancient ungodly world off. He wiped it out with a flood, rescuing only eight people—Noah, the sole voice of righteousness, was one of them.

^6-8 God decreed destruction for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. A mound of ashes was all that was left—grim warning to anyone bent on an ungodly life. But that good man Lot, driven nearly out of his mind by the sexual filth and perversity, was rescued. Surrounded by moral rot day after day after day, that righteous man was in constant torment.

⁹ So God knows how to rescue the godly from evil trials. And he knows how to hold the feet of the wicked to the fire until Judgment Day.

Predators on the Prowl

^10-11 God is especially incensed against these “teachers” who live by lust, addicted to a filthy existence. They despise interference from true authority, preferring to indulge in self-rule. Insolent egotists, they don’t hesitate to speak evil against the most splendid of creatures. Even angels, their superiors in every way, wouldn’t think of throwing their weight around like that, trying to slander others before God.

^12-14 These people are nothing but brute beasts, born in the wild, predators on the prowl. In the very act of bringing down others with their ignorant blasphemies, they themselves will be brought down, losers in the end. Their evil will boomerang on them. They’re so despicable and addicted to pleasure that they indulge in wild parties, carousing in broad daylight. They’re obsessed with adultery, compulsive in sin, seducing every vulnerable soul they come upon. Their specialty is greed, and they’re experts at it. Dead souls!

^15-16 They’ve left the main road and are directionless, having taken the way of Balaam, son of Beor, the prophet who turned profiteer, a connoisseur of evil. But Balaam was stopped in his wayward tracks: A dumb animal spoke in a human voice and prevented the prophet’s craziness.

^17-19 There’s nothing to these people—they’re dried-up fountains, storm-scattered clouds, headed for a black hole in hell. They are loudmouths, full of hot air, but still they’re dangerous. Men and women who have recently escaped from a deviant life are most susceptible to their brand of seduction. They promise these newcomers freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, for if they’re addicted to corruption—and they are—they’re enslaved.

^20-22 If they’ve escaped from the slum of sin by experiencing our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ, and then slid back into that same old life again, they’re worse than if they had never left. Better not to have started out on the straight road to God than to start out and then turn back, repudiating the experience and the holy command. They prove the point of the proverbs, “A dog goes back to its own vomit” and “A scrubbed-up pig heads for the mud.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God is Truth.  Jesus, His Son is Truth and demonstrated Truth in action. God cannot and does not lie.  God will tell us the whole Truth, nothing but the Truth—even if it hurts—so we can be restored to Truth and live abundantly.  Knowing and living the Truth truly sets us free!

Here are a few Truth statements from the Living and Active Word of Truth:

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

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

“We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood”. 1 John 4:6

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,” Ephesians 6:14

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16

“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” James 1:18

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth”. John 1:14

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16:13

“The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.” Proverbs 12:22

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:5

“Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” Psalm 86:11

“All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.” Psalm 119:160

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:18

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”  “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.” John 18:37-38

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-6

We must respond by knowing Truth and living Truth so others will see Truth in us.  When they ask, we point them, not to us, but to Jesus who is Truth!

Max Lucado helps us to understand how to tell the difference between Truth and a Liar who misrepresents Truth—

“Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many”, Jesus preached. (Matthew 24:4–5). Note the twofold appearance of the word many. Many deceived and many deceivers. Churches are petri dishes for self-serving egomaniacs who masquerade as ministers of God. They will do so “in his name,” claiming a special status, a superior spirituality. They boast of insider information and adorn their teaching with phrases like “God told me,” “God spoke to me,” “God led me,” They present themselves as religious gurus, code breakers, members of an inner circle, implying that they have access to knowledge unavailable to the common person. Some even position themselves as Jesus himself, “claiming, ‘I am the Messiah’” (Matthew 24:5).

Filter all messages and messengers through these verses: “Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (1John 2:22–23). False prophets always minimize the role of Christ and maximize the role of humanity. Be doctrinally diligent. Stick to one question—is this person directing listeners to Jesus? If the answer is yes, be grateful and pray for that individual. If the answer is no, get out while you still can.

Do you listen to preachers passively? Do you find yourself assuming the preacher is correct? Listen actively. No matter how good the message seems, compare it with the Bible. Find out what God says on the topic. –Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible

Seek Truth.  Believe Truth and be saved for eternity.

Lord,

What a God you are that we can trust to be Truth in every part of our lives!  Help us avoid the mix-up and confusion by meditating on your Word while praying for discernment.  I believe and trust you with my life because you are Life!  Thank you for setting us straight when we are perplexed by what others hold to be “their truth.”  Truth is fully you and only you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

“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 46:10-11

Randy and I grew up in the same church, sat in the same Sunday School class, attended and participated together in youth group, but we didn’t really KNOW each other. We only knew OF each other.  Later in high school, we both suddenly had a strong desire to know each other more.  We began dating and love blossomed and grew.

Throughout the dating days, this love led us to wanting to please each other in as many ways as we could think of because of that love factor.  It was fun to leave notes, give small gifts, or do something we knew the other one would like.  We watched and listened for clues of what was pleasing to each other as we got to know each other better.  It was a joy to do things that put smiles on our faces.  We began to know more about each other that even our families didn’t know because we shared our thoughts in long conversations—like best friends like to do. 

After we were married, we learned even more because of the intimate, personal relationship with each other that continued to build and grow stronger each day.  This “knowing” is personal and forms a strong bond.  Pleasing each other comes from knowing what each other desires most in life.  Helping each other achieve their goals comes from this truly supportive relationship.  As believers, we knew that how we treated each other would also be pleasing to God who created us to be still and know Him. 

To be still before God is to let go of world thinking and listen to what God thinks.  To know God is in this listening and is highly personal, intimately loving and absolutely essential to pleasing God and vital to our healthy, growing relationship with God!  

Peter reminds us that he was personally invited on the mountain by Jesus to see God’s glory at work!  “We saw it with our own eyes!”  Peter knows and believes Jesus!  Peter now passes on the “miraculous gift of pleasing God” by knowing and believing in His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Peter 1, The Message

^1-2 I, Simon Peter, am a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God’s straight dealing and the intervention of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master.

Don’t Put It Off

^3-4 Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.

^5-9 So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.

^10-11 So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The One Light in a Dark Time

^12-15 Because the stakes are so high, even though you’re up-to-date on all this truth and practice it inside and out, I’m not going to let up for a minute in calling you to attention before it. This is the post to which I’ve been assigned—keeping you alert with frequent reminders—and I’m sticking to it as long as I live. I know that I’m to die soon; the Master has made that quite clear to me. And so I am especially eager that you have all this down in black and white so that after I die, you’ll have it for ready reference.

^16-18 We weren’t, you know, just wishing on a star when we laid the facts out before you regarding the powerful return of our Master, Jesus Christ. We were there for the preview! We saw it with our own eyes: Jesus resplendent with light from God the Father as the voice of Majestic Glory spoke: “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of all my delight.” We were there on the holy mountain with him. We heard the voice out of heaven with our very own ears.

^19-21 We couldn’t be more sure of what we saw and heard—God’s glory, God’s voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You’ll do well to keep focusing on it. It’s the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts. The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion. And why? Because it’s not something concocted in the human heart. Prophecy resulted when the Holy Spirit prompted men and women to speak God’s Word.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  Hebrews 11:6, NIV

Peter, who walked and talked with Jesus for three years, learned what pleases God directly from His Son.  God’s promises are our tickets to participation in the Life of God!  “So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love,” Peter writes.

After Jesus’ resurrection, He made various appearances to his disciples.  I love the time Jesus surprised them with building a fire on the beach to make breakfast for them as they returned from catching nothing after fishing.  If this sounds familiar, it is!  This is how Peter met Jesus the first time!

Fishing, is what Peter did all his life. Fishing is what he felt comfortable doing when he didn’t know what else to do.  After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the disciples were told to wait for the Holy Spirit. Peter couldn’t just wait.  He was the first to suggest fishing…so other fishermen followed him. 

But soon, Jesus came and began a fire so he could prepare breakfast for his friends.  He shouted from the beach; “Catch anything?  Cast your nets on the other side…” (Sound familiar?)  Peter recognized who it was and was the first into dive into the sea and swim to His Master.  After eating a breakfast of fresh fish, Jesus leaned in and personally asked Peter, “Do you love me?” Jesus asked this question, not once, but three times.  Peter began to squirm and seem irritated the second time.  On the third time, Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you”!  Peter who denied Jesus three times in a panic, was forgiven.  Jesus reminded Peter of their loving, personal relationship that had not changed. Jesus reinstated Peter with clarity for his mission. 

Jesus counter responses to Peter’s answers: “Feed my lambs,” “Take care of my sheep, and Feed my sheep.”  (See John 21) The conversation seems redundant to us but each commanding response solidified Jesus original plan for Simon Peter. “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18)

Our response is to believe, really believe that what God says is really real.  Believe by returning the love He has for us back to Him.  Tell Him you love him often—as you would a best friend or family member.  He is our Father, we are his children!  He delights in us, sings over us, protect us, provides all we need, and loves to hear from us.  His Word to us is full of promises that cannot fail!  Trust what He says and obey because of our reciprocal love. Talk to God and wait to listen.  Seek a relationship with the One who loves us most.  He does not disappoint! 

“So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Lord,

Thank you for your unfailing love. Thank you for being with us always.  Thank you for saving us and setting us free to develop your character traits by the help of Your Holy Spirit who guides us in all we think, say, and do.  I love you, Lord, with all my heart, mind, and soul.  To you be the glory!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Some people are “natural born” leaders.  We notice readily who the leader is of any group that gathers for any purpose.  This begins early in life.  Walk into the church nursery and you will observe toddlers vie for the leadership position as they declare to other toddlers the game that is to be played by their rules and direction.  “You stand here, you sit there, you hold this, you go get this…all these phrases come the lips of little ones who demand their way.  If the other “followers” do not comply they throw a fit, push, shove, or yell until an adult quickly comes over to teach them how to lead, follow, care and share in more loving, kind ways.  We can learn a lot by watching what happens in the nursery!

I grew up around church leaders all my life.  I even became one.  What I discovered is that an effective leader is a diligent learner.  They learn from other leaders’ experiences and wisdom.  They learn and listen to leaders and fellow followers as they point the Way to God through Jesus.  They read and study God’s Word daily, seeking wisdom. They look for other leaders among the followers and begin to pour their lives into those who God calls to be leaders, too.  But they do this without showing favoritism or neglecting the rest of the “flock.”   They pray consistently, without ceasing, as they seek God’s direction in His work even if it disappoints the followers for the moment until God’s leading is evident to them.  Church leaders called of God seek to please God first. 

True, humble, honest leaders, called of God, take their cue from Jesus, The Master Teacher who led his followers—with compassion, patience, kindness, and unconditional love. Peter was one of those “natural born” leaders who had to be nurtured, specifically guided, and carefully shaped to lead like Jesus led him.  Now he passes these leadership truths to us…

1 Peter 5, The Message

He’ll Promote You at the Right Time

^1-3 I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it’s like to be a leader, in on Christ’s sufferings as well as the coming glory. Here’s my concern: that you care for God’s flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way.

^4-5 When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he’ll see that you’ve done it right and commend you lavishly. And you who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for—

God has had it with the proud,
But takes delight in just plain people.

^6-7 So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.

He Gets the Last Word

^8-11 Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

¹² I’m sending this brief letter to you by Silas, a most dependable brother. I have the highest regard for him.

I’ve written as urgently and accurately as I know how. This is God’s generous truth; embrace it with both arms!

^13-14 The church in exile here with me—but not for a moment forgotten by God—wants to be remembered to you. Mark, who is like a son to me, says hello. Give holy hugs all around! Peace to you—to all who walk in Christ’s ways.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE REPOND?

I also learned from my failures and by the mistakes of others around me who led for all the wrong reasons guided by inner motives of self-importance.  “Pride comes before a fall” Proverbs 16:18 warns us and it is certainly true.  We easily fall for pride!  When our motives are shaded by pride, we forget who we belong to and soon ignore the King of our hearts.  We rely on those who look up to us to not only massage our egos, but to do what we want done.  Relying on human effort alone will surely lead to a fall that is hard to overcome unless we surrender completely to God in Jesus Name. 

Peter knew and grew from his own failures of rapid fire—shoot from the hip—responses to “fix” any given situation.  His “just do it” without thinking first attitude resulted in calamity instead of compassion.  Jesus forgave a repentant Peter.  He taught Simon Peter to think and act more like Him.  This is evident in Peter’s teaching to us.  Peter is “in the know” of what it takes to be a leader because he was trained and schooled by the Master Teacher!

Trust Peter’s words to us today given to him by Jesus;

Care for people as you show them the Way because of your desire to please God, not for pleasing your ego.

Be humble, not pride filled and “fancy like that” of the world!

Be content with who you are—child of God.

Keep a cool head and stay alert to what God wants.

Keep a firm grip on the faith—no matter what!

Jesus is the Leader of all!  He is the Cornerstone upon whom we as His church build our lives upon.  He is King of kings, Lord of lords, who gets the last word.

Lord,

Cleanse our hearts of all that does not please you.  Renew our minds to think more like you with your Holy Spirit helping us.  Refresh our souls with your tender mercies and unfailing love.  Restore the joy and peace of your salvation work within us.  Remind us who we are daily—brothers and sisters—joint heirs with you, dear Jesus.

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

Friendships are valuable in our lives as we grow and mature as adults. As soon as we are sent to school, we become people watchers and observers of others’ behaviors.  We begin to learn what is good along with what is bad to think with how to behave from watching the consequences of the actions of others.  For example, we learn quickly that we will be reprimanded if we talk while the teacher is explaining the lesson.  We learn that pushing and shoving will result in being pushed and shoved back.  We learn that calling people bad names on the playground will lead to retribution or time out from play from the teacher.  But we also learn that there are those who seem to know how to stay out of trouble.  Who will we follow and imitate?  Will we be a bully or a bestie?

As we progress in our growth as individuals, we discover that we become like those we spend the most time with each day. We begin to talk the same language.  We call each other by nicknames known only to our gang.  We become so much alike that we dress alike, develop the same body language, and we even begin to finish each other’s sentences!  We think alike.  We know each other so well, that all it takes is a “look” to know what the other person is thinking in any given situation.  

Peter knows human interactions and how they affect our lives.  His advice to think like Jesus is valuable to Life with Jesus.  He not only tells us we should but he tells us how to think like the One who loves us most and wants the best for us.  We have a choice to believe, follow and learn to think like the One who through suffering willingly laid down His life for us so we could be saved for Life eternal—or not.  Who will we follow and imitate? 

1 Peter 4, The Message

Learn to Think Like Him

^1-2 Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.

^3-5 You’ve already put in your time in that God-ignorant way of life, partying night after night, a drunken and profligate life. Now it’s time to be done with it for good. Of course, your old friends don’t understand why you don’t join in with the old gang anymore. But you don’t have to give an account to them. They’re the ones who will be called on the carpet—and before God himself.

⁶ Listen to the Message. It was preached to those believers who are now dead, and yet even though they died (just as all people must), they will still get in on the life that God has given in Jesus.

^7-11 Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!

Glory Just Around the Corner

^12-13 Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

^14-16 If you’re abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It’s the Spirit of God and his glory in you that brought you to the notice of others. If they’re on you because you broke the law or disturbed the peace, that’s a different matter. But if it’s because you’re a Christian, don’t give it a second thought. Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name!

^17-19 It’s judgment time for God’s own family. We’re first in line. If it starts with us, think what it’s going to be like for those who refuse God’s Message!

If good people barely make it,
What’s in store for the bad?

So if you find life difficult because you’re doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he’s doing, and he’ll keep on doing it.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn to think and act like people we spend the most time with—who is that? 

So, who impresses us the most as one to imitate?

Who do we think about most?

Who or what do we spend most of our energy trying to please to satisfy our own desires? 

These are questions we must ask daily as a beginning to learning to think like Jesus the One who loves us best!  “This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner,” Peter tells us.  We cannot do by ourselves; we need Him every hour of every day in the process to become like Him.  To God be the glory!

We learn from God’s Word, as told by those who gave up everything to follow Him, that Jesus spent a great deal of time alone with God in conversation and communion.  Jesus did what the Father told him to do because of their relationship.  Jesus said what God wanted Him to say.  Jesus observed what God did and did the same.  Jesus put aside what He wanted for what God wanted—to save us from our sins so that we, too could be in a relationship with Him!  Jesus gave us the example of how to imitate His relationship with God!  Jesus saved us so we can have this relationship!  He did what we could not—remove our sins forever making the way clear to God’s throne!  (See Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)

Later, Paul, dramatically changed by Jesus from an arrogant religious law keeper who aggressively bullied new believers to a committed relationship with Jesus himself writes;

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”  (Read the whole story in Philippians 2!)

The point is, to think like Jesus we must spend time with Jesus in relationship to become more like Him.  We will then begin to walk and talk like Him.  How? 

• Call to God in Jesus Name and He will bend down to listen.  Tell Him everything and wait for God to speak to us.  Take all the time needed to be still, let go, and listen.  Commune with God in every day conversations.
• Go to the Word because Jesus is the Word, the walking around, talking Word made flesh who move into the neighborhood of humanity to teach us how to think with Kingdom of God thinking that leads to Kingdom of God behaving. 

Jesus is our supreme example of the characteristics of God.  Jesus demonstrates with the love of God with His life and portrays wisdom—skills for living—throughout His life.  God also gave us the gift of His Holy Spirit’s power to help us imitate Jesus!

Paul gives us a general list of these developing character traits in Galatians 5;

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23, NIV 

In other words, we don’t need a law to be kind and loving!  Think more like Jesus in every way!  In thinking and becoming more like Christ, we find these Godly traits begin to bear “fruit” in our behaviors!  It is these very traits that draw people to us so that we can then point to the Way to God so others can know Him, too!  To God be the glory!

As we yield and surrender ourselves to God, and have the same attitude toward sin that Jesus had, we can overcome the old life, by His power living in us, to now live the new life as fully committed believers and imitators of Jesus!

Kingdom of God thinking produces a different kind of lifestyle. Much of what goes on in the world depends on lies, pride, pleasure, and the desire to get more. Dedicated believers in Jesus with a desire to be like Him build their lives on truth, humility, holiness, and the desire to glorify God. 

“Trust him. He knows what he’s doing, and he’ll keep on doing it.”—Peter

Lord,

Thank you for saving our souls and cleansing our hearts daily.  Thank you for showing us how to be more like you as we seek to please You in all we think, say, and do.  I want to be like you when I grow up!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen!

“Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”  This idiom is used to express the fact that not all people have the same opinions about what is attractive.  What is beauty?  Well, that’s easy to answer.  Just turn on the TV or browse your computer ads.  Most opinions about what makes a person beautiful is found in all forms of media.

Fact:  People selling the latest and best products in the beauty industry overwhelm us by aggressively telling us how much more beautiful we would be if we bought and applied their products religiously.  “It doesn’t work if you don’t use it and keep using it,” which is genius marketing.  You must keep buying and using it for it to work!  If you do not, it’s not their fault but your’s if you do not become as beautiful as the models!   

The more beauty treatments we apply, the more flattering clothes we wear, the care in eating the right foods, the more exercise we do to move that fat around our bodies, while trying to manage all the hairs on our head is not the way to beauty in the eyes of the Beholder who created us and who loves us so much that He laid down his life for us. 

Lean in as Peter explains…

1 Peter 3, The Message

Cultivate Inner Beauty

^1-4 The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.

^4-6 Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as “my dear husband.” You’ll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.

⁷ The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God’s grace, you’re equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don’t run aground.

Suffering for Doing Good

^8-12 Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

Whoever wants to embrace life
    and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
    Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
    run after peace for all you’re worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
    listening and responding well to what he’s asked;
But he turns his back
    on those who do evil things.

^13-18 If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.

^19-22 He went and proclaimed God’s salvation to earlier generations who ended up in the prison of judgment because they wouldn’t listen. You know, even though God waited patiently all the days that Noah built his ship, only a few were saved then, eight to be exact—saved from the water by the water. The waters of baptism do that for you, not by washing away dirt from your skin but by presenting you through Jesus’ resurrection before God with a clear conscience. Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He’s standing right alongside God, and what he says goes.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn that holy beauty begins on the inside.  What’s on the inside is then reflected on the outside.  People are drawn to those who are at peace, love unconditionally, are kind and encouraging to others, without expecting anything in return.  These beauty traits become new ingrained habits for living the abundant Life with Jesus.  They love everyone, no exceptions.  In fact, they have learned to love more and judge less.  They listen with empathy and sympathy.  They take the time to pray with you not just for you.

Peter tells us how to cultivate this inner beauty! 

Be a blessing!  Live at peace with others even when you disagree on certain topics.  Being agreeable reflects God’s love that lives in us.  “Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble.”  These traits are developed as God’s Holy Spirit does his beauty work in our hearts.  To become more like Jesus, we must offer our lives wholly to His care as He does His special works of inner beauty in us!  (Romans 12 is helpful in our beauty treatment.) To do what Jesus did, we listen to our Beauty Maker!

Pause to pray and ask—

What’s on the inside of me that affects the outside of me? 

How is what’s on the inside affecting my relationships? 

Who am I allowing to work on the inside of me? Two choices.  Choose wisely.  It matters.

Make a beauty appointment with God, He is ready to help you!  Who’s next?

Lord,

Thank you for seeing me. Thank you for our appointment each morning to talk things over. Thank you for seeing me throughout the day.  My inner beauty begins and ends with you.  You are the first and last Word.  Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul, and restore the joy of you in me and me in you daily that leads to inner beauty in your eyes.  It is your eyes of beauty that I seek.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All his wonderful passion and purity,
O thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine,
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.

We just spent the last two days power washing our deck.  Because we live in the woods the deck was covered with a buildup of dark sap, juices of fallen half eaten hickory nuts by the squirrels, along with other residue from being under the shade of these giant trees.  It’s beautiful to be living under the trees’ canopy of green until the deck grows dingy and dangerously slick.  The only way to remove the gunk is to power wash it away.  It is a slow, tedious process to bring the deck back to life, but it is worth it to see the beautiful wood grain appear once more.  Power washing is the only way!  It now looks as if it were installed only yesterday! 

As I was power washing, hanging on tightly to the energy of water coming out of nozzle that cleaned the wood, I did some thinking.  How often do we let the gunk of ignored sins pile up in our hearts?  Only by God’s power flowing through the blood shed of His Son, Jesus Christ can the gunky buildup of our sins be removed.  There’s power in the blood of the Lamb!  There’s power in the very Name of Jesus. 

Jesus is the “Source of Life, the Living Cornerstone”, Peter writes.  Jesus is the One who power washes away the darkness of sin, heals our brokenness, forgives and forgets, and then reveals all that God created in us.  Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin by taking all sin to the cross in this removal process for those who believe. The power continues as His Holy Spirit continues washing away all that is not of God within us.  Wow! 

Our God, Our Father in Heaven, is the One who by His kindness, sent Jesus, His Son as the powerful sacrifice to save our souls because His Love is that unconditionally relentless!  There is no one like our God!

1 Peter 2, The Message

^1-3 So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.

The Stone

^4-8 Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent:

Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion,
    a cornerstone in the place of honor.
Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation
    will never have cause to regret it.

To you who trust him, he’s a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,

The stone the workmen threw out
    is now the chief foundation stone.

For the untrusting it’s

. . . a stone to trip over,
    a boulder blocking the way.

They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.

^9-10 But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

* * *

^11-12 Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life in your neighborhood so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.

^13-17 Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.

The Kind of Life He Lived

^18-20 You who are servants, be good servants to your masters—not just to good masters, but also to bad ones. What counts is that you put up with it for God’s sake when you’re treated badly for no good reason. There’s no particular virtue in accepting punishment that you well deserve. But if you’re treated badly for good behavior and continue in spite of it to be a good servant, that is what counts with God.

^21-25 This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.

He never did one thing wrong,
Not once said anything amiss.

They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Peter was a “front row” witness to how Jesus responded to people, to dire circumstances, and to accusations against the innocent.  He saw how Jesus responded to the pious religious who follow rules but for centuries knew less and less about God.  Peter saw how Jesus responded to these same religious law keepers when they accused Jesus and manipulated the Roman government to have him beaten, mocked, spit on, stripped of all dignity, and then nailed to a cross for criminals for all to see. 

Peter watched as Jesus suffered in silence as accusations poured over him with sarcasm, beatings, and mockery.  Peter had his own sins to deal with as he denied he even knew Jesus, as predicted, just so he could stay close to what would happen next to his Master and Friend.  In anguish as he watched, Peter must have recalled what Jesus said with warnings of what had to happen so that the world could be saved from sins.  Peter observed The Cornerstone become the very stone of salvation the religious tripped over in their fall from the grace of God. 

Peter also was a witness to the empty tomb where they laid Jesus three days earlier!  What is happening?  Could it be as He said?  What about my sins?  All forms of thought came crashing upon his confused mind like harsh waves on the shore—until he saw Jesus, scars from the wounds, and talked with Him.  Jesus forgave, brought Peter back to Life, removing his sins of darkness, and set him free to do what Jesus assigned him to be and do—”The Rock, upon whom I will build my church.”

As we read Peter’s passionate words; we need to realize the heart from which these words are written.  Peter is a soul set free all because of the power of Jesus who cleansed him of all unrighteousness and set him right with God!

Jesus still does this powerful cleansing in all of us!  Are you washed in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb? 

Lord,

I’m praying now… for me and for all who are reading this right now.  I cry out, Be reconciled to God!  Be instruments of His Grace!  These words of Peter restore life to my soul.  Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul, and restore the joy of your salvation at work within my daily.  Lead me by your Holy Spirit…

In Jesus Name, Amen 

Peter, the aggressive one who cut off the ear of one of Jesus’ accusers in the garden until Jesus stopped him and restored the ear. Peter, the one who said he would never deny Jesus but a few hours later denied him three times!  Peter, the one who walked on water until he didn’t.  Peter, the one who didn’t believe until he did after fishing all night and catching nothing until Jesus said cast your net one more time.  Peter, the one who gave all he had and all he was to Jesus.  Jesus forgave him, transformed him, and sent him to build his church in His Name.  Peter’s first time to preach netted over 3000 who came to know and believe in Jesus! 

Simon, renamed by Jesus to be Peter, the Rock, “upon whom Jesus would build his church” did exactly what Jesus told him to be and do.

“Peter’s concise confession— ‘You are the Messiah, the Christ’—focused the faith of the disciples on Jesus as God among us, in person, carrying out the eternal work of salvation.  Peter seems to have been a natural leader, commanding the respect of his peers by sheer force of personality.  In every listing of Jesus’ disciples, Peter’s name is invariably first.”

“In the early church, his influence was enormous and acknowledged by all.  By virtue of his position, he was easily the most powerful figure in the Christian community.  And his energetic preaching, ardent prayer, bold healing, and wise direction confirmed the trust placed in him.”

“The way Peter handled himself in that position of power is even more impressive than the power itself.  He stayed out of the center, didn’t ‘wield’ power, maintained a scrupulous subordination to Jesus.  Given his charismatic personality and well-deserved position at the head, he could easily have taken over, using the prominence of his association with Jesus to promote himself.  That he didn’t do it, given the frequency with which spiritual leaders do exactly that, is impressive.  Peter is a breath of fresh air.”  —Eugene Peterson, Introduction to Peter, The Message Bible

1 Peter 1, The Message

^1-2 I, Peter, am an apostle on assignment by Jesus, the Messiah, writing to exiles scattered to the four winds. Not one is missing, not one forgotten. God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice of Jesus. May everything good from God be yours!

A New Life

^3-5 What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.

^6-7 I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

^8-9 You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.

^10-12 The prophets who told us this was coming asked a lot of questions about this gift of life God was preparing. The Messiah’s Spirit let them in on some of it—that the Messiah would experience suffering, followed by glory. They clamored to know who and when. All they were told was that they were serving you, you who by orders from heaven have now heard for yourselves—through the Holy Spirit—the Message of those prophecies fulfilled. Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this!

A Future in God

^13-16 So roll up your sleeves, get your head in the game, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”

¹⁷ You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living.

^18-21 Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.

^22-25 Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said,

The old life is a grass life,
    its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers;
Grass dries up, flowers wilt,
    God’s Word goes on and on forever.

This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Know the Living Word is Jesus who saved us and set us free.  Live the Word as if our lives depended on it because they do!  God’s Word goes on forever.  God Word lives in us!

“The two letters Peter wrote exhibit the qualities of Jesus that the Holy Spirit shaped in him:  a readiness to embrace suffering rather than prestige, a wisdom developed from experience and not imposed from a book, a humility that lacked nothing in vigor or imagination.  From what we know of the early stories of Peter, he had in him all the makings of a bully.  That he didn’t be come a bully (and religious bullies are the worst kind) but rather the boldly confident and humbly self-effacing servant of Jesus Christ that we discern in these letters, is a compelling witness to what he himself describes as ‘a brand new life, with everything to live for.’” –Eugene Peterson, The Message Bible

Lord,

Help me to know You more and more as the Word of Life.  Help me to live daily in readiness, learning your wisdom, with humility as I trust and obey.  You are God.  We are not.  You gave us life at the cost of Your Son.  Oh, dear Jesus, thank you! May your Holy Spirit lead us, mold and shape us, all day long, every day, until we see you face to face. You are my everything to live for and love.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

“Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” –Jesus, Matthew 16:18, NLT

Are you hearing me?  Are you really listening?

James final message to us about our prayer life is rich in wisdom as we would expect.  The words are few but the lesson is great and must be internalized so that we will not fall for the voices of our noisy world but fall on our knees.  “Old Camel Knees” teaches us to pray, confess, listen, and respond to the God who saves us with gratitude, praise, and humility while praying for ourselves and praying on the behalf of others! 

James reminds us that God listens.  Our prayers are not just a spiritual, pious exercise of faith but it a direct communication to God on the throne who turns His head to listen!  Sincere prayer, in Jesus Name, brings us in close communion with the God, the Father who loves us more deeply than any human could on earth.  He knows our hearts.  He knows our needs.  He calls us by name!  I reminded of the Psalmist who writes of God’s tender call to us to talk with Him;

“My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” Psalm 27:8

Pray, confess, listen, respond to God as we talks with us. 

James 5, The Message

Destroying Your Life from Within

5 ^1-3 And a final word to you arrogant rich: Take some lessons in lament. You’ll need buckets for the tears when the crash comes upon you. Your money is corrupt and your fine clothes stink. Your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut, destroying your life from within. You thought you were piling up wealth. What you’ve piled up is judgment.

^4-6 All the workers you’ve exploited and cheated cry out for judgment. The groans of the workers you used and abused are a roar in the ears of the Master Avenger. You’ve looted the earth and lived it up. But all you’ll have to show for it is a fatter than usual corpse. In fact, what you’ve done is condemn and murder perfectly good persons, who stand there and take it.

* * *

^7-8 Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.

⁹ Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner.

^10-11 Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.

¹² And since you know that he cares, let your language show it. Don’t add words like “I swear to God” to your own words. Don’t show your impatience by concocting oaths to hurry up God. Just say yes or no. Just say what is true. That way, your language can’t be used against you.

Prayer to Be Reckoned With

^13-15 Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out.

^16-18 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.

^19-20 My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Prayer fills us with the knowledge of God’s rich, relentless, love and compassionate care for us.  Prayer is communicating where we are, what we are feeling at the time, with questions for the One who wants to take us farther in our faith.  When we pray, God is already at work in our hearts to transform our feelings of weakness into His strength. 

Paul confesses and teaches;

“I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, NLT

James reminds us to heed the advice of the prophets of God.  I’m reminded of the words of Jeremiah to the exiles who were God’s own;

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 29)

ANYONE can pray to God!  Max Lucado writes;

“Your voice matters in heaven. He takes you very seriously. When you enter his presence, the attendants turn to you to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored. Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one, it impresses God, and he listens. He listens to the painful plea of the elderly in the rest home. He listens to the gruff confession of the death-row inmate. When the alcoholic begs for mercy, when the spouse seeks guidance, when the businessman steps off the street into the chapel, God listens.

Intently. Carefully. The prayers are honored as precious jewels. Your words do not stop until they reach the very throne of God.”—Max Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible

Respond to God by listening to each other like God listens to us!  Listening is an art form in our noisy, quick fix world.  Someone who truly leans in to hear what we are saying, without judgement, is a rare gift.  Someone who listens without mentally preparing their quick fix response back to us is wise.  Someone who listens without thinking of who they will tell next what you have shared is trustworthy.  Seek advice from trustworthy people know and commune with God.  

“Love each other as I have loved you,” said Jesus.  Listening is loving.  Confess to those who love you, care enough to listen to you and then pray with you in Jesus Name.

James closes with concern for those who have wandered off God.  We all have family and friends who we love dearly who wander and wonder if God still exists, if Jesus really died and rose again to save them from their sins.  Some have just walked away.  James says to go after them!  This begins with passionate prayer in Jesus Name with a listening heart who has given ourselves completely to Him.  Our renewed minds must think more like Jesus than the world as we “go after them” with His words of compassion.  We remember, Jesus saves.  We do not.  We know that Jesus calls, convicts, with deep love for His own who are wandering sheep without a shepherd.  So we listen to Jesus first who gives us the right words to say at the right time.  Sometimes, we just listen as the lost express themselves out loud to a trusting ear while God works on their heart.

Pray to our God who is ready to listen. 

Confess with a heart’s desire to be made right with God.

Listen to what He says.

Respond to His leading believing Jesus is coming back soon.

Lord,

Thank you for your word that teaches us how to respond to you and others with a love that surpasses human understanding.  Thank you for listening. Thank you for making us strong even we are weak.  Help us to love, listen, care, and respond to each other like you respond to us.

In Jesus Name, Amen

We want peace at all costs—but we want it our way in our time—as quickly as possible.  We don’t like to wait for what we want.  Once we have a desire of getting, selfish pride takes over and we will do everything within our power to get it. 

But once we get it, we are still not fully satisfied because we have built our faith on ourselves.  Feeling empty inside, we wearily worry, “is that all there is?” as we seek more.  We want more food, more clothes, more cars, more homes, more vacations, more days off work, more friends, more money to get what we want…and the more is never enough.

When we can’t have what we want, we throw childish tantrums while warring with others to demand what we think we deserve. After all, we have been told repeatedly by the world: “have it your way,” “you deserve a break today,” “be all you can be.”

In a world of warring competitions of power, comparing ourselves with each other, fueled by envy, greed, jealousy, arrogance and pride, we will never be satisfied.  All these traits are characteristics of our enemy whose goal is to distract, deceive, deconstruct, and eventually destroy our relationship with the One who loves us most and the Only one who satisfies our every need. Ahh, we get it now—but do we?

It’s time to get serious, says James.

James 4, The Message

Get Serious

4 ^1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.

^2-3 You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.

^4-6 You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”

^7-10 So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.

^11-12 Don’t bad-mouth each other, friends. It’s God’s Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You’re supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?

Nothing but a Wisp of Fog

^13-15 And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”

^16-17 As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

If we rely solely on ourselves, who are only “wisps of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing, we need to get serious with God who is forever faithful, always loving, and has a unique plan for our lives that gives us His extreme best for our good and His glory.  That plan begins with Jesus who satisfies all that we have been seeking in a relationship of acceptance that promises and delivers unfailing faithfulness.  This union is intimately personal and relentless loving, merciful and full of grace—MORE than we ever hoped or dreamed!

It bears repeating…

“So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.”

Lord,

Help us to know you more because you are more than enough and you are all we need.  Relieve the worry from wanting want the world wants and thinking we must have our “fair share.” How utterly hopeless and ridiculous the thought! Guide our hearts to seek you first.  We know you will provide all we really need when we really get serious about our precious, faithful, loving relationship with you. 

You are the Bread of heaven and the Living Water that satisfies my soul forever.  You are all I need.  Forgive me when I fall for the enemy instead of falling on my knees before you, the King of kings and Lord of lords!  Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul and restore the peace and joy of your salvation work within me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

“You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar” my grandmas used to say when the cousins would gather and disagree over the rules of playing a game.  As the disagreements grew, nasty, hurtful words were said as weapons to get their own way.  It is that action that truly hurts the hearts of grandmas who love us unconditionally.  So, this phrase was used to help us see that sweeter words might be more convincing. It is more effective to be polite and encouraging than to be hostile or demanding.  I also overheard my grandparents say this to our parents when disagreements in church would arise.

“Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Says the writer of Proverbs 16:24, known as the book of wisdom.  Wisdom is defined as “skills for living.” We all need skills of wisdom to get along with each other!

James takes time to write to us about the most offensive part of our body—the tongue.  All in one day of living we can use our tongues to encourage and later curse those who bother, oppose us, or get in our way!  Yep, it’s time for a checkup with close inspection of our tongues for a defining diagnosis for better health. 

Our tongues can make us or break us while taking others down with us.  So, open wide!  It’s time to take a long hard look—at the tongue!

James 3, The Message

When You Open Your Mouth

3 ^1-2 Don’t be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards. And none of us is perfectly qualified. We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths. If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you’d have a perfect person, in perfect control of life.

^3-5 A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!

^5-6 It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.

^7-10 This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

^10-12 My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don’t bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don’t bear apples, do they? You’re not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?

Live Well, Live Wisely

^13-16 Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish plotting. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.

^17-18 Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Within the Body of Christ, there will always be someone with an agenda of arrogance, wanting their own way, seeking a higher position of importance within the Body. Sometimes that person is us! I am reminded of what Paul had to say about striving instead to be a heathy Body while growing and maturing in the love of God.  Here are some sweet honey wisdom statements from Ephesians 4:

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

“Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

“…speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

 We strive to be more and more like Jesus, by God’s Holy Spirit power helping us in transforming our thinking, saying, and doing in our new life which leads to greater spiritual health and to life eternal!  May the Holy Spirit control our tongues!

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”

^“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” 

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”  (Or your grandmas!)

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

HOW?  THINK before we speak!  This is a great filter, prayed in Jesus Name, to help us use our tongues wisely;

• T- Is what I am about to say the Truth?
• H- Is what I am about to say going to be Helpful?
• I- Is what I am about to say going to be Inspiring?
• N- Is what I am about to say Necessary and Holy Spirit led at this time?
• K- Is what I am about to say going to be Kind and compassionate?

If what we are about to say tics all the boxes of THINK then use those words to build each other up, dripped in honey, “wonderful words of Life” delivered over our lips by our Holy Spirit-controlled tongue!

Avoid sarcasm, arrogance, boasting, deceitfulness and truth twisting and spinning with political maneuvering–at all costs!  For it may cost us our lives!

And Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

Lord,

We need your help!  Cleanse our hearts, for what flows from our hearts comes over our tongues.  Renew our minds to THINK before we speak.  Refresh our souls with your tender mercies.  Restore the joy and peace of your salvation at work within us.  May your Holy Spirit lead us and may we respond in ways that help each other and please you!

In Jesus Name, Amen