Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

A few months ago, I posted what I thought was a simple definition of who Jesus is with scripture references as evidence.  The simple handwritten message, with an unknown author, caught my attention.  I copied and passed the message on through social media because this simple explanation of Jesus versus self is extremely significant in this climate and season of self in our world today.  However, I never imagined how this would stir people so incredibly and profoundly.  This message was shared over 12,000 times at last count!  But the message also stirred fiery debates among those who despise Jesus and all He teaches.  They were adamantly opposed to who Jesus is, calling Him a liar and a narcissist with dark language and attitudes.  The believers stood up to reason with the darkness and the debate fired up. 

Should I delete the message? I thought about it briefly but then realized that the conversations needed to be expressed in open forum.  As I watched people reply from both sides, most of those who replied as believers responded with love for those who did not. Believers in Jesus expressed how God had helped them in their lives so miraculously that they just could not deny His existence.  Those in the dark would not give up self.  Those in the Light would not give up Jesus.  The fire was set.  The debate was on.

The message is here for you to consider.

Luke 12, The Message

Start a Fire

^49-53 “I’ve come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I’ve come to change everything, turn everything rightside up—how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I’ve come to disrupt and confront! From now on, when you find five in a house, it will be—

Three against two,
    and two against three;
Father against son,
    and son against father;
Mother against daughter,
    and daughter against mother;
Mother-in-law against bride,
    and bride against mother-in-law.”

^54-56 Then he turned to the crowd: “When you see clouds coming in from the west, you say, ‘Storm’s coming’—and you’re right. And when the wind comes out of the south, you say, ‘This’ll be a hot one’—and you’re right. Frauds! You know how to tell a change in the weather, so don’t tell me you can’t tell a change in the season, the God-season we’re in right now.

^57-59 “You don’t have to be a genius to understand these things. Just use your common sense, the kind you’d use if, while being taken to court, you decided to settle up with your accuser on the way, knowing that if the case went to the judge you’d probably go to jail and pay every last penny of the fine. That’s the kind of decision I’m asking you to make.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus started this debate while He was on earth.  He came to heal and forgive, to ease the pain of bondage of sin and oppression, yes, but He ultimately came to change lives forever!  “Turn back to God” was the song the Singer sang. 

Jesus set a fire in the souls of those who followed Him which served to confront, confound, and disrupted those who did not.  The religious leaders were so overcome by the darkness they could no longer see God and were self-motivated in all they thought, said, and did.  Jesus points out to them their knowledge of the weather changing with each season by watching the skies and seeing the signs.  Jesus tells them to watch for the signs of God for now it’s a new God-season where the winds of Truth are blowing in with new life for all who follow the Light.

Jesus presents two choices.  We can believe in Jesus, repent to the One who forgives all our sins, and trust in God’s teaching through Him as the best way to live life—or not.  What is paramount is that the fire had been started with Jesus coming to earth to seek and to save the lost. Jesus has come to confront and disrupt self-led people because it is God’s will and desire that no one perish in the fires of darkness but believe and be saved by the Light for eternity.  We are either with God or against God.  There is no neutral ground. 

Lord,

This is my prayer this morning:  Start a fire in my soul…even though…

This world can be cold and bitter
Feels like we’re in the dead of winter
Waiting on something better
But am I really gonna hide forever?
Over and over again
I hear Your voice in my head
Let Your light shine, let Your light shine for all to see

Start a fire in my soul
Fan the flame and make it grow
So there’s no doubt or denying
Let it burn so brightly
That everyone around can see
That it’s You, that it’s You that we need
Start a fire in me

In Jesus Name, Amen, I believe.

(Start a Fire, Songwriter, Michael David Rosenberg)

When we know an important, exciting event will happen in the coming days ahead, our joy and enthusiasm skyrockets as we plan for it.  We wake each day knowing there are “this many more days” until the event will happen that know will blow our minds with joy and happiness.  We are filled with anticipation as we prepare and plan for “that day.”  We dream about that day when we will finally move from our imagination about what it will be like to the reality of it.  What is “it”?

It might be a new promotion to a new work place in another town.  It might be a new baby coming in to our family.  It could be welcoming a family member coming back home from military service for months in a faraway country.  It might be a wedding of your child to a person you love, knowing this person will care for your child as much as you do.  It could be your wedding!

To a child, it is the celebration of their upcoming birthday, Christmas, the return of mom or dad from service, or a grand vacation to Disney.  Days are checked off on the calendar daily until that day finally arrives!  To a child (and grownups) it seems to take “for-evvvvver”.

No matter what lies ahead, what we most anticipate with joy occupies our minds.  Our first thoughts at the beginning of each new day are of what we long for with joy and gladness.  We literally count the days until that day when we can experience what we have been waiting for to happen. 

But, what if you don’t know when “that day” is going to happen?

Luke 12, The Message

When the Master Shows Up

^35-38 “Keep your shirts on; keep the lights on! Be like house servants waiting for their master to come back from his honeymoon, awake and ready to open the door when he arrives and knocks. Lucky the servants whom the master finds on watch! He’ll put on an apron, sit them at the table, and serve them a meal, sharing his wedding feast with them. It doesn’t matter what time of the night he arrives; they’re awake—and so blessed!

^39-40 “You know that if the house owner had known what night the burglar was coming, he wouldn’t have stayed out late and left the place unlocked. So don’t you be lazy and careless. Just when you don’t expect him, the Son of Man will show up.”

⁴¹ Peter said, “Master, are you telling this story just for us? Or is it for everybody?”

^42-46 The Master said, “Let me ask you: Who is the dependable manager, full of common sense, that the master puts in charge of his staff to feed them well and on time? He is a blessed man if when the master shows up he’s doing his job. But if he says to himself, ‘The master is certainly taking his time,’ begins beating up on the servants and maids, throws parties for his friends, and gets drunk, the master will walk in when he least expects it, give him the thrashing of his life, and put him back in the kitchen peeling potatoes.

^47-48 “The servant who knows what his master wants and ignores it, or insolently does whatever he pleases, will be thoroughly thrashed. But if he does a poor job through ignorance, he’ll get off with a slap on the hand. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

There is a Day coming, when we least expect it, which will culminate the greatest and most important relationship we will ever have—our relationship with God, the Father, through Jesus Christ, His Son.  This relationship of relentless love, undeserved mercy, and limitless grace fills us with anticipation as we are told Jesus is coming back soon to bring us home, to our eternal home, a place He has specifically prepared for us, where He resides.

Jesus is preparing for that day.  “…I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:3

Are we preparing?  Are we anticipating “that day”?  Are getting ready and looking to the skies with joy for His return?  Are our shirts and shoes on—ready to leave at moment’s notice?  When we wake each day, are we counting the days until He comes? 

What occupies our minds most is what we most look forward to in this life!  Right?  No matter what God has called us to do, will He find us doing it when Jesus comes? Will He say, “Well done, now come with Me” on that day when we least expect Him?

Jesus gives his followers (and us) words to pause, ponder, and pray about it today.  Even as I write this, I’m reminded of the many hymns sung in my growing up years that didn’t mean as much to me as a child then.  But later when my grandparents, devoted believers and anticipators of His Coming, passed from this life to the next life with Jesus, I understood.  Now, I see and hear in my memory the look on their faces and longing in their voices to see Jesus face to face on “that day”.  I am grateful for their teaching about “that day” of joy and peace with no more pain or sorrow. 

What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see
And I look upon his face
The one who saved me by his grace
When he takes me by the hand
And leads me through the Promised Land
What a day, glorious day that will be…

There will be Day when Jesus will come before some of us have passed.  Are we ready?  Is the way we live here and now preparing us with anticipated excitement for His coming?  Are “counting the days” with joy or fear?  That depends on our relationship with God now.  Pause and reflect with a heart check:

Is our first thought of the day gratitude for what Jesus has done to save us? 

Is our first thought love for Him and for others?  What is uppermost in our minds leads our behaviors throughout the day.  Who we think about most is who we want to be with always with a desire to please them in all we do. 

How to stay ready:  Seek God first. Listen to His Son, Jesus.  Be led by His Holy Spirit.  Here is just some of the “treasures” of thought to store in our hearts, minds and souls in readiness for “that day”—

• “We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
• “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
• “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
• “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Acts 16:31
• “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
• “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Our identity as a child of God means that we rely fully on God and trust in His plan for our lives.” 1 John 3:2
• “…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” –Jesus, Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus IS coming back, you know.  What will we be thinking and doing, being and living on “that day”? 

Lord,

I believe and I will always tell of how you saved me and set me free by removing my sins as “far as the east is from the west.”  I rejoice in the legacy of teaching from grandparents and parents who look forward to “that day” when you will come back to claim your own who believe and call you Lord.  I haven’t fully arrived and still need you to work on me.  Cleanse our hearts in readiness for your coming.  Remove all that does not belong.  Renew our minds to think more like you so we can be more like you.  Refresh our souls today with your new mercies.  Restore the joy of your salvation at work within us as we continue to serve in your Name for your glory.  What a day that will be…

In Jesus Name, Amen

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day…

What many in our world fear most is the fear of missing out.  It is so relevant and predominant in our culture that we have relegated this condition with mere initials—FOMO—Fear Of Missing Out.  I am wondering this morning, what is it that I fear most?  What do we, as believers and not yet believers in God, fear we are missing?  Jesus tells his followers (and us) what we should be fearing most is missing out on God’s best because of our incessant desire to be seen, heard, and served.

We are stingy with our love for others because we want others to love us first.  We love only the people who will do good to us and make us feel important.  Anxiety sets in over not being seen and heard by those we admire.  We are worried to the point of over obsessing with how we look to others.  Our first thought is self so everything is measured by how fair the world is to us.  The health of our inner lives is of little to no concern as we fuss about what is on the outside to look good and call attention to ourselves to others.  It’s more work on our part to be who we think we ought to be!

This worldview condition plagues all of us still today.  Our fear of missing out is fully realized when God is not first in our lives.  Jesus knows this fear that leads to the sickness of heart, mind, and soul that is prevalent in all of us.  Jesus teaches believers that God, our Creator, knows all and is in all, knows our names and how many hairs are on our head.  Jesus teaches that God is all we need.  It is God’s desire to restore our inner being to full health.  When our inner being is healthy, we grow in His grace, generosity, and genuine love for God and for others.  With God leading, nothing of real value is missed!

Luke 12, The Message

Steep Yourself in God-Reality

^22-24 He continued this subject with his disciples. “Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.

^25-28 “Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

^29-32 “What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.

^33-34 “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We will never outgive the One who provides ALL we need.  We must remember where the creation of giving began—with our God who created and loved us first before we even knew Him.  While we were sinners, God gave his Son as a sacrifice for our sins so that we can reconnect with God, the Father who so loved us.  With sins gone, new life begins!  Life with God is lived in the rhythm of His grace in harmony with His Holy Spirit—what a gift!  No matter the circumstances of this life, we have an all-powerful God who loves to give and longs to help us through it all!

“What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving.” –Jesus

Don’t miss out on God’s best because of the fear of missing out on what this world wants to take from us!  Seek God first.  God’s Holy Spirit in us had the power to drive out all our fears with His love.  God renews our thinking minds and fills our inner being.  God, through Jesus, transforms us inwardly to think outwardly.  To others we become gracious, generous, and genuine—missing out on nothing but God’s best in exchange for our souls fully and completely committed to Him.

“In the beginning” …we were made in the image of God so giving is in our DNA!  Yes, we will never outgive God who gave us creation to enjoy along with a relationship of relentless love and life forever because of Jesus; but we can become like Him in our giving as He grows His character of graciousness, generosity, with a genuine desire to give from this love.

Lord,

You gave us Jesus.  We give you our hearts, minds, and souls. Cleanse our hearts, remove all that offends you and hinders our growth, renew our minds, transform our thinking, refresh our souls with your new mercies, and restore the joy of your salvation within us.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Jesus, make him treat me with the respect I deserve.

Jesus, give me as much as my brother and I will serve you well.

Jesus, heal my husband so I can be freer to live my life the way I want…

Jesus, fix my car today and I will be better at taking care of it.

Jesus, make the people at work be more encouraging to me when I do good.

Jesus, why can’t my home be as good as my sister’s home? 

Jesus, I work hard for less pay than the person in the next cubicle, can you make my boss give me the raise I deserve?

Jesus, life is not fair to me, are you even listening?  Nothing has changed yet for me… 

And Jesus wept.

Jesus said did say “pray for anything.”  However, I wonder if we are taking this scripture a bit out of context, though?  Do our prayers lean more toward self-promotion, self-indulgence, and self-fulfillment as we use the bargaining techniques used by the world of negotiating contracts to ask for anything we want and think we deserve?

Let’s see what Jesus says…

Luke 12, The Message

The Story of the Greedy Farmer

¹³ Someone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.”

¹⁴ He replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?”

¹⁵ Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”

^16-19 Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’

²⁰ “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’

²¹ “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” –Jesus, Matthew 6:33 

Believers shouldn’t worry about the basic necessities of life. If we keep God first in our lives, He will sustain us. He is in control.  Pray for God to change the desires of our hearts to match His desires for us and contentment will grow in our lives.  We begin to see life from a new perspective by the God who knows all and is in all.  We will see ourselves become less concerned with self and more concerned with what God wants.  We discover that our taking attitudes begin to transform into the joys of giving.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” –Jesus, Matthew 7:7-8

This passage is surrounded by commands by Jesus to stop judging and criticizing others, treat people as you would want to be treated, give more than you take.  Jesus invites us to ask God to grow His character in us.  When we seek to know how God loves, we love each other like He loves us.  When we knock on God’s door of righteousness, He opens His door quickly to all who want to follow in His ways.

Be honest. Are we glad he says no to what we want and yes to what we need? Not always. If we ask for a new marriage, and he says honor the one you’ve got, we aren’t happy. If we ask for healing, and he says learn through the pain, we aren’t happy. If we ask for more money, and he says treasure the unseen, we aren’t always happy.

When God doesn’t do what we want, it’s not easy. Never has been. Never will be. But faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and he will get us through it.  Disappointment is caused by unmet expectations. Disappointment is cured by revamped expectations.

We need to hear and understand that God is still in control. We need to hear that it’s not over until God says so. We need to hear that life’s mishaps and tragedies are not a reason to bail out. They are simply a reason to sit tight.  When we turn to self alone, we become edgy, negative, expecting the worst not God’s best.

Corrie ten Boom used to say, “When the train goes through a tunnel and the world gets dark, do you jump out? Of course not. You sit still and trust the engineer to get you through.”  So, the next time you’re disappointed, don’t panic. Don’t jump out. Don’t give up. Just be patient and let God remind you He’s still in control. It isn’t over until God says it’s over.  Trust Him. 

Ask for God to remove self from the equation.  Seek God first and limited self-desires begin to fade away from our thinking.  Knock on God’s door of all that His best for us…He’s waiting patiently for us to humble ourselves before Him.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

Lord,

Thank you for consistently helping us remove the barnfuls of self from our lives so that we may grow up with your character traits.  Cleanse our hearts.  Remove all that offends you in us.  Renew our minds and transform our thinking.  Refresh our souls with your new, loving mercies.  Restore the joy of your salvation at work within us.  For this work of you in us instills peace unlike the world gives, but your everlasting peace that breeds contentment in all things.  We ask, seek, and knock in Your Name for Your glory to be seen in us.

In Jesus Name, Amen

The expression, “you can run, but you can’t hide” is a taunt made famous in 1941 when the infamous Joe Louis, a champion boxer, fought Billy Conn, a natural light heavyweight boxer.  Billy Conn was a superb, fearless boxer, who entered the ring on the evening of the fight weighing at least 25 pounds less than the Champion.

Conn fought brilliantly, landing punches but using his skills to stay away from Louis’ devastating punching power. In the 12th round, Conn landed several heavy blows and had Louis in trouble. At the close of the 12th round, Joe Louis trailed on the score cards of two of the three officials. He was being outboxed and beaten by the quicker, lighter Billy Conn. However, heartened by the effect of his punches on the Champion in the 12th round, Conn wanted to prove that he could trade punches with the Champion. When he came out for the 13th round, he abandoned his stylish boxing and began exchanging punches with the Champion. The result: Conn was knocked out by Louis with seconds remaining in the 13th round.

After World War II, in June, 1946, Louis fought a rematch with the challenger Conn. Remembering how close Louis had come to losing his Championship to Conn in 1941, boxing writers asked Louis how he would contend with the fast and cunning Conn. The Champion is said to have replied: “He can run, but he can’t hide.” Joe Louis was correct.  The second fight ended in the 8th round when the Champion knocked out Billy Conn for the second time.

So, now we know why these words were coined and are now used as a taunt by the bullies in our lives who tamper with our souls.  The taunt of the enemy contaminates our core being emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.  The words are meant to produce fear in our hearts, paralyzing us with the inability to do anything against our foe. 

Jesus, our Champion, redefines Joe Louis’ words and counters with Truth (as always!):

You can run a scam of religiosity to others for your own benefit and promotion; but you can’t hide who you really are to the world.  Our hearts, sooner than later, will expose the core being of our existence and condition.  “Watch out,” says Jesus, by those with the “run and hide” disease who deliver blows to our being!  Don’t be contaminated by those who have this spiritual sickness!     

Luke 12, The Message

Can’t Hide Behind a Religious Mask

12 ^1-3 By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other’s toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus’ primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, “Watch yourselves carefully so you don’t get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can’t keep your true self hidden forever; before long you’ll be exposed. You can’t hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can’t whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day’s coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town.

^4-5 “I’m speaking to you as dear friends. Don’t be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.

^6-7 “What’s the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.

^8-9 “Stand up for me among the people you meet and the Son of Man will stand up for you before all God’s angels. But if you pretend you don’t know me, do you think I’ll defend you before God’s angels?

¹⁰ “If you bad-mouth the Son of Man out of misunderstanding or ignorance, that can be overlooked. But if you’re knowingly attacking God himself, taking aim at the Holy Spirit, that won’t be overlooked.

^11-12 “When they drag you into their meeting places, or into police courts and before judges, don’t worry about defending yourselves—what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there. The Holy Spirit will give you the right words when the time comes.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus demands that our hearts are checked often to stay healthy and uncontaminated by false impressions of Truth.  Jesus tells his closest friends who follow him how to do what He says:

• Watch out!  Look for what and who is true, gives glory to God and run from what or who is not of God.
• Don’t be contaminated by the sickness of phony portrayals of goodness and the playacting of compassion as your way of living.  Run from this sickness!  Hide in the cleft of the Rock who protects us—Jesus!
• Run from teaching that sounds good to the pubic but is followed by whispered sarcasms about followers in a private staff meeting afterwards. 
• Ask for discernment for Truth.  God has already given us the gift of His Holy Spirit to help us! 

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.” John 16:13-14, NLT 

• If we preach “God is love” then we should be living a life of love verified by our behaviors. 
• If we tell others, “God will help you;” be willing, unreservedly, to tell how God helped us in times of trial and suffering.
• Call the bluff of religious bullies who demand and taunt us be like them and think like them.  They don’t own our souls, God does.  They can’t save our souls; only Jesus saves us!  Do not fear the bullies, the masked enemies of Jesus!  They will all be exposed sooner than later now and again when Jesus comes!

“There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.” –Jesus

• Stand for Jesus as Jesus stands for us.  “The Holy Spirit will give you the right words when the time comes.”

Wonderful words, beautiful words…wonderful words of life!  (Chorus of an old hymn that just came to mind.  “Wonderful words of Life”)

Lord,

Thank you for listening to our cries for help and for the cleansing of our core being.  We know that all our behaviors find their beginnings in our hearts.  So, cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul with your new mercies for today, and restore the joy of your salvation consistently at work within me.  I run to you and hide in the shadows of your wings of protection and unfailing compassionate care.  Thank you for showing us Truth.  The Truth is, you love us far beyond our wildest imaginations and understandings.  I will fear no evil for you are with me. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

We are “not fancy like that” when our family comes together to celebrate a holiday over a meal of all kinds of food.  We decide on the meats and sides and everyone brings their contribution to the meal.  The main goal for us who come to our home is loving each other well and treating each other with kindness. As the grandkids would get into a squabble, it was soon crushed by parents and peace resumed.  We don’t always agree on the hot topics of the day, but we love each other even in disagreement.  I am grateful that love leads us. Not all follow Jesus yet, but prayer over our meals to the God who provides will always be said in our home.  Everyone who comes to the table knows that Truth lives in us as we work to live as redeemed people in Jesus.  We are certainly not perfect but perfectly forgiven.  Jesus is hard to argue with when He is the Way to Truth who gives Life.

A Pharisee, who is a religious scholar and teacher and a prominent man in the community, has asked Jesus to come to dinner.  Jesus is gaining popularity and this fact alone boggles the minds of the religious who not only define The Law of God daily in their own ways but so they can also find more ways to push common men and women around who are not privy to the content of The Law.  It is for this reason that Jesus said yes to the invitation to dinner. 

But why invite Truth to dinner?  Probably the biggest reason of all is because Jesus is turning the heads of those who used to bow down to the Pharisee with empty flattery just so they would not be scolded or punished.  Jesus is taking away their “game”.

Jesus does not clean up his words upon being attacked for not ceremonially washing his hands.  He is direct and purposeful.  “Okay, let’s go there,” Jesus seems to say. Pharisees are debaters but Jesus is Truth who trumps all debaters’ arguments and suppositions.  Even though the following conversation is harsh, we must remember that God’s desire is that no one perish.  Since the Pharisee invited Jesus into his home, Jesus is trying to gain entrance into his heart…even though it seems hopeless.

The meal is over, it’s time to do the dishes…

Luke 11, The Message

Frauds!

^37-41 When he finished that talk, a Pharisee asked him to dinner. He entered his house and sat right down at the table. The Pharisee was shocked and somewhat offended when he saw that Jesus didn’t wash up before the meal. But the Master said to him, “I know you Pharisees buff the surface of your cups and plates so they sparkle in the sun, but I also know your insides are maggoty with greed and secret evil. Stupid Pharisees! Didn’t the One who made the outside also make the inside? Turn both your pockets and your hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then your lives will be clean, not just your dishes and your hands.

⁴² “I’ve had it with you! You’re hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but manage to find loopholes for getting around basic matters of justice and God’s love. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required.

^43-44 “You’re hopeless, you Pharisees! Frauds! You love sitting at the head table at church dinners, love preening yourselves in the radiance of public flattery. Frauds! You’re just like unmarked graves: People walk over that nice, grassy surface, never suspecting the rot and corruption that is six feet under.”

⁴⁵ One of the religion scholars spoke up: “Teacher, do you realize that in saying these things you’re insulting us?”

⁴⁶ He said, “Yes, and I can be even more explicit. You’re hopeless, you religion scholars! You load people down with rules and regulations, nearly breaking their backs, but never lift even a finger to help.

^47-51 “You’re hopeless! You build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed. The tombs you build are monuments to your murdering ancestors more than to the murdered prophets. That accounts for God’s Wisdom saying, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, but they’ll kill them and run them off.’ What it means is that every drop of righteous blood ever spilled from the time earth began until now, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was struck down between altar and sanctuary, is on your heads. Yes, it’s on the bill of this generation and this generation will pay.

⁵² “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars! You took the key of knowledge, but instead of unlocking doors, you locked them. You won’t go in yourself, and won’t let anyone else in either.”

^53-54 As soon as Jesus left the table, the religion scholars and Pharisees went into a rage. They went over and over everything he said, plotting how they could trap him in something from his own mouth.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Ceremonial washing of hands did no make your hand physically cleaner than they were before.  At this stage in Jesus’ ministry, when the religious leaders were bent on destroying Him, why would a Pharisee invite Him to his home for a meal? If he had been sincerely seeking truth, he would have talked with our Lord privately. It seems obvious that he was looking for an opportunity to accuse Jesus, and he thought he had it when Jesus did not practice the ceremonial handwashing before eating.

Remember Mark’s gospel sharing these same accusations about ceremonial washing?  Let’s refresh our memories as to what Jesus said…

The Pharisees—Jews in general, in fact—would never eat a meal without going through the motions of a ritual hand-washing, with an especially vigorous scrubbing if they had just come from the market (to say nothing of the scourings they’d give jugs and pots and pans).

The Pharisees and religion scholars asked, “Why do your disciples brush off the rules, showing up at meals without washing their hands?”

Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull’s-eye in fact:

These people make a big show of saying the right thing,
    but their heart isn’t in it.
They act like they are worshiping me,
    but they don’t mean it.
They just use me as a cover
    for teaching whatever suits their fancy,
Ditching God’s command
    and taking up the latest fads.”  Mark 7:1-8, MSG

Back to the dinner at the Pharisee’s house…Knowing what the host was thinking, Jesus responded by giving a “spiritual analysis” of the Pharisees basically in two words:  “You’re hopeless.” 

Let’s do the dishes—inside and out.  The basic error of the Pharisees (and our error, too, for all have sinned and fall short) was thinking that righteousness was only a matter of external actions and behaviors, and they trivialized their internal attitudes. They were very careful to keep the outside clean and presentable, but they ignored the wickedness within. They seemed to forget that the same God who created the outside also created the inside, the “inward parts” that also needs cleansing.  The Psalm of David would have been a great place to start for true cleansing…

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    so that sinners will turn back to you.  Psalm 51:7-13, NIV

But instead, the Pharisees and other religious scholars plotted to disarm and destroy Truth (Jesus).  And that’s why Jesus called them “hopeless.”

Hypocrites do not want their sins exposed; it hurts their reputation. Instead of opposing Jesus, Messiah come as written by the prophets, these men should have been seeking His mercy. They deliberately began to attack Him with “catch questions” in hopes they could trap Him in some heresy and then arrest Him. What a disgraceful way to treat the Son of God.  “All show and no go” attitudes still happen today.  And Jesus called them “hopeless.”

Jesus is Hope.  Hope came to set us free from sins’ entanglements and deceptions.  Hope is the Truth of the matter at hand and at heart.  Hope rose again from the grave to defeat death forever!  Hope is with us always.  Hope is for all who believe Jesus as Truth.  We didn’t earn Hope nor do we deserve Hope but to all who believe we are given Hope.  Without Jesus, we are hopeless.

Lord,

Cleanse my heart, renew my mind by transforming my thinking, refresh my soul with your new mercies for today, and restore the joy of your salvation consistently at work within me where Truth must abide.  Thank you for your peace as a gift for obedience to seeking Hope…You.  I am so grateful for You.  I am no longer hopeless for Hope lives in me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Sometimes I am interviewed by college and seminary students in religion courses.  I pray before each interview that God would lead me in ways that glorify Him.  I love telling the story of God and His Son, Jesus, who reconciled us back to God.  I love telling how my relationship with God through Jesus as grown and is still growing.  I also tell of the crossroads I have had in my life where I had to choose life or the world. 

Over the years, I’m asked the same questions, “Do you think the world is changing in their view of God?” This question is followed up with, “Is the church changing with the world?”  These questions are loaded with answers as we reflect and compare what the world in general thinks now to what the world vew of God was decades ago.  The heart of this generation in my lifetime, as well as generations past and present, are discussed.  Behaviors are analyzed.  What we thought as unacceptable behaviors “back then” are now seemingly applauded.  Christianity seems to be more and more a belief to be mocked as it is considered backward thinking.  Many want proof that Jesus was more than a good teacher.  But is this mood new?

At the heart of it all, the discussion seems to settle on the mood of this age with this question:  Is God’s church affected by the mood of our cultural society or are we affecting our culture with the Light of Jesus who shines in and through us in ways that draw people to Him?  What is the mood of this age?  Are our eyes open to see the shift in the mood of this age? 

Is society affecting who we are and say we believe more than we are affecting society with the Truth of Jesus?  What is the mood of this age?

Jesus, Son of God, who has the advantage to see and know the hearts of people while observing behaviors says, “The mood of this age is all wrong.”  The song, “looking for love in all the wrong places” comes to mind as we read what Jesus said to the crowd who were seeking yet another miraculous performance from Jesus.

Luke 11, The Message

Keep Your Eyes Open

^29-30 As the crowd swelled, he took a fresh tack: “The mood of this age is all wrong. Everybody’s looking for proof, but you’re looking for the wrong kind. All you’re looking for is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles. But the only proof you’re going to get is the Jonah-proof given to the Ninevites, which looks like no proof at all. What Jonah was to Nineveh, the Son of Man is to this age.

^31-32 “On Judgment Day the Ninevites will stand up and give evidence that will condemn this generation, because when Jonah preached to them they changed their lives. A far greater preacher than Jonah is here, and you squabble about ‘proofs.’ On Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will come forward and bring evidence that condemns this generation, because she traveled from a far corner of the earth to listen to wise Solomon. Wisdom far greater than Solomon’s is right in front of you, and you quibble over ‘evidence.’

^33-36 “No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It’s put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they’re going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a musty cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

First pause, pray, reflect. 

When asked, “what has changed in the world you live and how has it changed in you,” how would you respond?

What is the mood of this age?  How do we respond to this mood?  Do we hide what we know to be truth so that we may fit in without hassle or awkwardness? 

What is the mood of God’s church? Does the church think inwardly or outwardly?  Are we merely tantalizing people with smoke and mirrors of performance while avoiding the truth—all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and need a Savior?  Is the church open to change the mood of this age with different methods of delivery of the Truth with God’s wisdom to never change the Truth?

The mood of this age of our world is still wrong and highly unreliable. We cannot depend on our moods! That’s why God sent His Son to earth to saves us from our moody feelings that result in living the ways of selfishness, envy, pride, greed, sexual deviances, and hate—all that is not God.  When we rise above the darkness of our moods to see the light of Jesus dawn before us, we glow and bask in the light of His love with eyes wide open to see His glory at work!  Saying yes to Jesus changes everything about us—how we see, hear, feel, think, and act. 

We learn that we can trust in Someone who loved us first, died for our sins, rose again to life, and loves to be with us always!  He never changes in His love and compassion for us. 

The big secret to be shared is this: His Holy Spirit comes to live in us as a beacon of Light for the new path we walk. (Christ in us! Colossians 1:27) God’s Holy Spirit begins His work to transform our thinking from what the world thinks to His higher Kingdom thinking.  His Kingdom thinking begins to affect change in our behaviors.  His Kingdom thinking changes our mood.  We learn to no longer rely on our feeling but on His Holy Presence abiding in us.  His Kingdom of God thinking changes our relationships with not only God but with each other! The more we realize the love God has for us, the more we love each other! 

The Light of His love in us cannot be hidden.  Everyone will notice and be drawn to this light that daily changes our mood and sets us free to love without thinking of what we will get in return or how deservedly they are of our love.  We just love with the love of God in us.  New heart.  New life in Christ.  New mood!

Who or what is affecting our mood?  Is it God or this moody world?

Let’s keep our eyes open to see the Light!  “Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room.” –Jesus

Lord,

We are a moody bunch of people!  Our feelings and our hearts deceive us at times.  The enemy loves it when we are distracted from the Truth who loves and saves us. I repent of the times when I allowed my feelings to affect my mood even for a few hours in a day.  I’m not at your best when I fall for feelings that hinder your best work in me.  Cleanse our hearts, renew our thinking, refresh our souls with your new mercies, and restore the joy and peace of your salvation at work in us.  Remove all that is not you from us that is dimming Your light in us.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

No one I know likes to live in limbo while waiting on a contract to go through on a house, a phone call saying you got that job, getting a yes to a new relationship or any other life-changing event.  What is living in limbo? If you say that someone or something is in limbo, you mean that they are in a situation where they seem to be caught between two stages and it is unclear what will happen next.  Living in limbo is very frustrating, especially to people like me who want to know the goal with a plan to reach that goal. 

Living in limbo actually happens in life and relationships all because a decision as not been made.  Yes—or no? Decide!  

While casting out yet another demon who has occupied a man’s heart, mind, and soul, keeping the man from making decisions, Jesus comes and changes everything.  As he is criticized for this miraculous healing by limbo living people standing around, Jesus uses the opportunity to teach about the greatest decision we will ever make and how to guard it with our lives!  Yes—or no?  Decide!

There is no neutral ground. Decide! Our very lives depend on making the right decision to no longer live in limbo!

Luke 11, The Message

No Neutral Ground

^14-16 Jesus delivered a man from a demon that had kept him speechless. The demon gone, the man started talking a blue streak, taking the crowd by complete surprise. But some from the crowd were cynical. “Black magic,” they said. “Some devil trick he’s pulled from his sleeve.” Others were skeptical, waiting around for him to prove himself with a spectacular miracle.

^17-20 Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Any country in civil war for very long is wasted. A constantly squabbling family falls to pieces. If Satan cancels Satan, is there any Satan left? You accuse me of ganging up with the Devil, the prince of demons, to cast out demons, but if you’re slinging devil mud at me, calling me a devil who kicks out devils, doesn’t the same mud stick to your own exorcists? But if it’s God’s finger I’m pointing that sends the demons on their way, then God’s kingdom is here for sure.

^21-22 “When a strong man, armed to the teeth, stands guard in his front yard, his property is safe and sound. But what if a stronger man comes along with superior weapons? Then he’s beaten at his own game, the arsenal that gave him such confidence hauled off, and his precious possessions plundered.

²³ “This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse.

^24-26 “When a corrupting spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn’t find anyone, it says, ‘I’ll go back to my old haunt.’ On return, it finds the person swept and dusted, but vacant. It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits dirtier than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse than if he’d never gotten cleaned up in the first place.”

²⁷ While he was saying these things, some woman lifted her voice above the murmur of the crowd: “Blessed the womb that carried you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”

²⁸ Jesus commented, “Even more blessed are those who hear God’s Word and guard it with their lives!”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The most important decision in our lives, a matter of life or death, stands in front of us.  Our decision will tear down or build up our lives and relationships with others.  Our committed decisiveness has two results:

We will continue to live in a limbo state of mind with wavering beliefs and spontaneous behaviors characteristic of changing winds and shifting sand on the surf—

OR we will solidify our beliefs and behaviors, securing us on the Solid Rock of Truth.

“Decide,” says Jesus. “This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse.” 

Jesus explains the danger of neutrality living (limbo living).  He illustrated this danger by telling the story of the man and the demon. The man’s body was the demon’s “house”. For some unknown reason, the demonic tenant decided to leave his “house” and go elsewhere. The man’s condition improved immediately, but the man did not invite God to come and dwell within. In other words, the man remained neutral. What happened? The demon returned with seven other demons worse than himself, and the man’s condition was abominable.

Indecisiveness makes life worse than it was before!  So, yes—or no?

• Say yes to Jesus!  Believe and be saved now and for eternity. 
• Leave limbo living.  Stay in communication with God in Jesus Name.  Ask for wisdom to live life to the full.  God loves and “delights” in the all the details of our daily living!  Ask for help!  He loves to give it.
• Know God.  Know Jesus.  Know the Helper—God’s Holy Spirit who lives in those who have decided to follow Him. 
• Know the real enemy—it’s not each other!  Our war is with the fallen angel, Satan who seeks to distract, deceive and destroy our faith, hope and love in our Father—the One who created us, knows us and fights for us.  (See Ephesians 6:12-20)

Decide now.  “…blessed are those who hear God’s Word and guard it with their lives!” –Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

No turning back, no turning back.

Lord,

I have indeed decided.  I am not perfect but I know I am perfectly forgiven.  You are still transforming my thinking as you solidify my belief and faith in you.  I see your work of salvation in me as you daily cleanse my heart, remove what does not belong, renew my mind, refresh my soul, and restore the joy and peace in my being no matter what is happening around me.  I love you because you loved me first.  I adore you because you loved me enough to save me from living in limbo that leads nowhere.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Can’t be what we can’t see
Can’t speak if we can’t breathe
Can’t dance if we don’t move our feet
It’s a blur tryin’ to keep pace
Days running like we’re in a race
Can’t move if we’re in our own way
I guess the crisis is
We’ve just one life to live
And no one knows what happens next…


So what are we waiting for? What are we waiting for?
Why are we wasting all the time like someone’s making morе?
What are we praying for? What are wе saving for?
What if we could be the light that no one could ignore?
What are we waiting for?
Waiting, oh, waiting for, waiting for…

[For King and Country, Chorus: Joel Smallbone]

“What are we waiting for, let’s just ask Him,” said one of his disciples.  Jesus, teach us to pray.  Are his followers beginning to understand where His power originates as He loves, heals, encourages, and forgives?  One thing is evident, they have learned enough about Him to know that His habit of stealing away by Himself to a quiet place to commune with His Father keeps Him determined and focused on why He came to earth.  But, they wonder what He and His Father in Heaven talk about.  What is Jesus asking?  What is God telling Him?

Luke 11, The Message

Ask for What You Need

11 One day he was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”

^2-4 So he said, “When you pray, say,

Father,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.”

^5-6 Then he said, “Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. An old friend traveling through just showed up, and I don’t have a thing on hand.’

⁷ “The friend answers from his bed, ‘Don’t bother me. The door’s locked; my children are all down for the night; I can’t get up to give you anything.’

⁸ “But let me tell you, even if he won’t get up because he’s a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he’ll finally get up and get you whatever you need.

⁹ “Here’s what I’m saying:

Ask and you’ll get;
Seek and you’ll find;
Knock and the door will open.

^10-13 “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The greatest argument for the priority of prayer is the fact that Jesus was a man of prayer. To be like Jesus, we pray.  Jesus prayed at His baptism (Luke 3:21), before He chose the Twelve (Luke 6:12), when the crowds increased (Luke 5:16), before He asked the Twelve for their confession of faith (Luke 9:18), and at His Transfiguration (Luke 9:29). Jesus was consistently in communion with the Father who sent Him, asking “what’s next, Father”, with a heart of obedience, trusting the outcomes to God.  Jesus is the perfect example of how to relate to our Father in Heaven in a prayer conversation of asking and listening for God response to us.

The disciples knew that He often prayed alone (Mark 1:35), and they wanted to learn from Him this secret of spiritual power and wisdom. If Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, had to depend on prayer while He was here on earth (Hebrews 5:7), then how much more do you and I need to pray! Effective prayer is the provision for every need and the solution for every problem.  Most importantly in the asking is trusting God for the outcomes.  We pray. He works.  God is always at work, always with us, always for us. Who better to ask than the One who created all and knows all?

I am reminded of the old gospel song my parents used to sing, 

I don’t know about tomorrow
I just live from day to day
I don’t borrow from the sunshine
For its skies may turn to gray

I don’t worry o’er the future
For I know what Jesus said
And today I’ll walk beside Him
For He knows what lies ahead

Many things about tomorrow
I don’t seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand

When we pray “may your Kingdom come” asking for “His will be done” we receive God’s greatest gift—a relationship of love, mercy, and grace that does not quit and never gives up on us! 

When we ask for forgiveness and He not only forgives, He forgets the sins we regretfully remember.  God will free us from the bondage of remembering so we can move forward as we pray, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”

When we ask for His help when tempted by the evil one; God responds with the power of His Holy Spirit working within us to help us grow in His character in ways beyond our human abilities. 

When we ask, in Jesus Name, and trust the outcomes to God; God is standing by ready to provide all we need to grow in His love.  Ask, seek, knock.  Jesus, our advocate before God, hears and opens the door to the greatest relationship we will ever have with our Father in Heaven! 

So, what are we waiting for?  What are we praying for?  To be light in the darkness!

Heavenly Father,

Hallowed is Your Name. Great are you, Lord!  May Your Kingdom come, Your will be done in every detail of our lives on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day all you know we will need to live our lives for you in ways that make you smile.  And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil and evil’s schemes to distract and deceive us with intentions of destroying our relationship with you.  For you have all power.  May your power flow through us.  To you be the glory, honor, and praise forever and ever! 

In Jesus Name, Amen!  Yes!

Next week is Thanksgiving!  Today is Saturday and we have a plan.  As the mom of three adult children who are married with children, our grandchildren, I have already mapped out a plan for preparation.  I have learned over the years that a plan (with a backup plan) outlining all the details for preparation allows Randy and I to “pace” ourselves in preparing for the arrival of seventeen loved ones.  Experience teaches that we cannot do it all at once or it becomes too overwhelming.  We must allow for margin, making corrections as we go, when a detail is forgotten and something goes wrong at the last minute.  Am I a Martha?

This plan includes cleaning our home, a few tasks each day, while rearranging furniture to accommodate more than the two people who normally live here.  We do this to make people feel comfortable so we can talk and listen as we catch up on each other’s lives of dreams and achievements.  Randy and I do as much work as we possible can ahead of time so we can enjoy each other’s company.  Am I a Martha?

The roasted turkey might be the star of the meal around which side dishes are prepared by others who contribute to the meal, but the main course consists of hearts, minds, and souls who gather to offer thanksgiving to God for each person who pulls up the table as a family.  When our hearts aren’t focused, chaos ensues, and we become merely Marthas who are tense and unyielding.  So, who is Martha?

Martha wanted Jesus to come to her home.  Bear in mind, she welcomed the thought of being able to serve the Master Teacher who was becoming quite popular in the community.  Martha believed in who Jesus was and wanted Him to feel “at home.”  Putting a spontaneous meal together for Jesus and his followers took a lot of effort on her part, especially in those days!  It was an “all hands-on deck” moment to pull this together in Martha’s mind. The physical meal and the determination to be the hostess with the mostest drove Martha a bit crazy. 

Mary, who just sat there listening to Jesus, was on Martha’s last nerve … admit it, we’ve all been there.

Luke 10, The Message

Mary and Martha

^38-40 As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.”

^41-42 The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

I admit, the organizational Martha gene is in my DNA.  Ask anyone who knows me.  But what I have learned over the years is this; Jesus loved Martha and Mary. Jesus loves me with these God-given gifts and abilities.  I am not ashamed of who God made me to be but I am ashamed when doing overrides being.

Martha’s “make it happen” gene leaped into action as she served her Friend and His Followers; but her heart lagged.  Therein lies the trouble. Her heart-lagging caused her hurried mind to be overly consumed with “must-do” details of her making.  This led to blaming Mary who whose heart was on target, forgetting what it took to serve a meal.  Martha was probably a bit jealous of Mary who chose to sit at the feet of Jesus.  Martha is torn between what is good and what is best.  Jesus gently leads her heart back to Him. 

Martha, Martha, chips and dip will do, come sit with Me.  In my thoughts just now, I can see her shoulders drop and feel her tender heart as she realizes Jesus is right.  Jesus would rather be with her for Jesus “did not come to be serve, but to serve.”  Wow, what a thought!  Pause for a minute and take that in. I am.

I have not arrived, as Paul writes to the Philippians, but I am learning that it is good to have and to hold the traits of both Martha and Mary.  I have a heart to serve.  I have a heart for Jesus.  I’m learning, and still perfecting the art of being a Martha with Mary’s heart by God’s grace. I pray consistently for God to keep me focused on the “main course” of sharing His love and compassion with graciousness. 

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:13-14

Mary and Martha loved Jesus greatly.  We learn, then, that our response to Jesus is a correlation to what or who drives our hearts.  If our grateful hearts are focused on the “main course” —Jesus; His peace rules in our hearts in all we do.  Be then do.  Be with Jesus then do what He says.  Being is more important than doing.  Whoever is in our hearts generally guides our behaviors.  When the human details or people-pleasing traits take priority, the focus fades. 

Lord,

May your love in us guide our every thought and action.  May we serve others and You by your love in us.  Faith, hope and love but the greatest of these is love.  You first, then others.  May all that motivates us is our longing for others to know you, too.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Tell me the story of Jesus…write on my heart every word…