Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

Definition:  A plot twist is a literary technique that introduces a radical change in the direction or expected outcome of the plot in a work of fiction.  Plot twists are designed to disrupt things in a story that the audience thinks they already know or have figured out. The author achieves this “twisting” of the plot by providing a huge shock or surprise, one that is either completely unexpected, or was perhaps foreshadowed through earlier details or events.

We humans are intrigued by stories with a surprise ending or a twist in the plot that our minds were predicting.  Stories make us think unless they are so predictive that we hardly listen, much less ponder.  Randy and I love to analyze what and why something happened in the dramas we watch.  We love a good story!  We wonder what the writer was thinking as he wrote the story.  As we watch a drama series, we study the characters and predict what they will do based on their past actions and reactions.  “See, I told you…” we say out loud as we follow the storyline with peaks, valleys, and twists in the plot.  A great story always has a “plot twist” and teaches us that things are not always as they appear.

Jesus uses plot twists with every story because the world has heard certain things about life that are not of God.  God’s people have twisted God’s storyline so Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, comes to help people get the Story right.  Many times, throughout the gospels, Jesus begins with, “you have heard it said, but I say unto you” … as His way to draw their attention back to God—the real, True Story of our lives.  (See Matthew 6-8)

Jesus tells more stories that pertain to real life but with plot twists that jolt their predictive thinking until people can see and hear God again for who He really is with how He wants us to think and behave. 

Listen and learn from Jesus who tells real life stories that teach us to live as Kingdom of God thinkers and doers.  Look for the plot twists and rejoice that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to save us from our sins so that we would have life forever with Him!  Believe the Story—Believe Jesus!

Matthew 13:24-35, The Message

^24-26 He told another story. “God’s kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.

²⁷ “The farmhands came to the farmer and said, ‘Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn’t it? Where did these thistles come from?’

²⁸ “He answered, ‘Some enemy did this.’

“The farmhands asked, ‘Should we weed out the thistles?’

^29-30 “He said, ‘No, if you weed the thistles, you’ll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I’ll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.’”

^31-32 Another story. “God’s kingdom is like an acorn that a farmer plants. It is quite small as seeds go, but in the course of years it grows into a huge oak tree, and eagles build nests in it.”

³³ Another story. “God’s kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into the dough for dozens of loaves of barley bread—and waits while the dough rises.”

^34-35 All Jesus did that day was tell stories—a long storytelling afternoon. His storytelling fulfilled the prophecy:

I will open my mouth and tell stories;
I will bring out into the open
    things hidden since the world’s first day.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus is the epitome of the plot twist!

Jesus was born unexpectedly while on a trip to Bethlehem with his humble parents.  Even though Mary was “great with child,” they obeyed the current government demanded everyone to register in a census.   Jesus, Messiah, was not born in a palace “fit for a King,” but born in a cave where farm animals were kept corralled.  With no rooms left in the local inns, because of other travelers registering for the census, these young adults find themselves alone in the cave, the only place left to lay their heads.  But they know that God is with them because God talks with them. 

As Mary laid down in the hay to begin the process of bringing new life into the world, suffering from the normal, excoriating pains of birth; Joseph kneels by Mary with words of loving encouragement for her.  This is probably all he knows to do.  Then, in the next moment, they worked together to deliver the Son of God who would later deliver them!  Wow, talk about a plot twist!  God’s people had waited for the promised Messiah for centuries, but never dreamed He would be born in a cave full of animals.  But this birth fulfilled what Scripture said.

Jesus grew in “stature and in wisdom” with devoted Jewish parents on earth in all the places foretold in scripture by God’s prophets.  Bethlehem, Egypt and Nazareth—all mentioned four hundred years earlier!  The prophets not only told where Jesus would be born but they also told how He would live on earth, teaching and healing, before offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world—yours and mine. 

Mm.  So, is it a really a twist in plot or is Jesus telling stories to bring the people back to the original plot of the story of God?

More tomorrow!  Stay tuned!

Lord,

You came to teach us with real talk about real life.  Thank you for all you said and did to teach us—to set the Story right.  Thank you for laying your life down for me, taking my place for the punishment I so deserved.  What kind of love is this?  Your deep love for us is the plot twist that many are not expecting.  Use us to spread the word of your unfailing love for us!  I’m yours.  I love to tell your Story!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen  

I love to tell the story
of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory,
of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story
because I know it’s true;
it satisfies my longings
as nothing else can do.

I love to tell the story;
’twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.

Nothing beats a good story that we can all relate to with understanding.  As we listen to others, we are usually thinking; “Yeah, I get that, I’ve had a similar experience in my life.”  This is one of many reasons we tell stories.  Stories are ways to connect to each other.  Stories reveal who we are as share what has or is happening in our lives along with our response to these situations.  To those who are learners, we also share what we gained in knowledge and wisdom from our experiences!

After Jesus’ first story about planters who produce harvests, His guys ask him, “Why stories?”  What does Jesus do?  He answers by telling them another story, followed by another…I love it!  Why?  Because I love to tell stories, too!  Most of all I love to tell the story of Jesus!

Matthew 13:10-23, The Message

¹⁰ The disciples came up and asked, “Why do you tell stories?”

^11-15 He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward a welcome awakening. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it. I don’t want Isaiah’s forecast repeated all over again:

Your ears are open but you don’t hear a thing.
    Your eyes are awake but you don’t see a thing.
The people are stupid!
They stick their fingers in their ears
    so they won’t have to listen;
They screw their eyes shut
    so they won’t have to look,
    so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face
    and let me heal them.

^16-17 “But you have God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear! A lot of people, prophets and humble believers among them, would have given anything to see what you are seeing, to hear what you are hearing, but never had the chance.

The Meaning of the Harvest Story

^18-19 “Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.

^20-21 “The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

²² “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.

²³ “The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Great teachers and speakers have learned how to use and apply Jesus’ technique for storytelling “…to create readiness, to nudge the people toward a welcome awakening.  A good story gets the attention of our audience because it relates from  where they are and acts as a vehicle to drive them where you want them to be with what you want them to do.  Jesus is truly the Master Teacher who is the great example of opening ears to hear and eyes to see Kingdom of God thinking and behaving!

Because He is God in flesh, Jesus tills, stirring up the soil of our hearts and gets us ready for planting seeds of His love with understanding of the way to truth and eternal life.  His seeds go deep and take root in the good soil of our acceptance. Within His seeds are the DNA of His character traits that develop within us to eventually bear His beautiful Holy Fruit as evidence of His Spirit living in us.  See Galatian 5:22-23 for the list of the fruits we will produce!

How do we respond to Jesus’ stories of readiness?  We worship, believing in the One and Only who died for our sins in our place and gave us life!  We ready ourselves by coming to Him in gratitude and thanksgiving. We listen with understanding and the  willingness to trust and obey what He says.

How will we respond to His call to multiply the harvest “beyond our wildest dreams”?  The fruit He produces in us contains the seeds of salvation to plant in someone else!  This is how God works!  We tell His story for His Glory so others will know Him, too!  It’s the God-math of God’s work of His Kingdom working in and through us.  And the beauty of it all? —We are given the opportunity to join Him in the Kingdom of God harvest work. 

So, are we “soil ready” for planting and reproducing?  Are we ready to go and tell?  I pray that we are!  It’s in our DNA as a new creation in Christ!

I love to tell the story;
’twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.

Lord,

Plant your seeds.  I’m ready to grow in your love, mercy and grace.  I’m willing to be nurtured as a grow in trust and faith in you.  I’m your harvest hand who tells your story to others. Help me make the most of every opportunity. 

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

One More Thought—

I have learned over the many years of my life that the more I tell the story of Jesus, the more my own love, joy, and peace for Him multiplies in my own story. 

“Because He lives, all fear is gone,” I have sung with others so many times. So, I ask myself in those fearful times of the unknown, coupled with my anxious thoughts—Are the words of our songs truly reflecting the God of our stories of the blessed assurance of all that we do not see?  And do we trust and obey God even if we don’t understand it all? 

Seek Him first and with readiness to really hear what He has to say without deciding first what we want to hear and then we will find Him.

Believe Him, really believe Him, and watch the fear, worry, wondering, and anxious thoughts fall away.

Let’s worship the Savior Jesus and the Lord of our story!  And we’re singing…“Fear Is Not My Future” by Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music

Let Him turn it in your favor
Watch Him work it for your good
‘Cause He’s not done with what He started
He’s not done until it’s good

So let Him turn it in your favor
Watch Him work it for your good
He’s not done with what He started
He’s not done until it’s good

Hello, peace
Hello, joy
Hello, love
Hello, strength
Hello, hope, it’s a new horizon!

It’s just a new horizon
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new prayer

Fear is not my future
You are, You are (You are)
Sickness is not my story
You are, You are (You are)
Heartbreak’s not my home
You are, You are (You are)
Death is not the end
You are, You are (You are)

Hello, peace
Hello, joy
Hello, love
Hello, strength
Hello, hope, it’s a new horizon!

“Have I got a story for you!”  I used this exclamation as I greeted my first grade students each morning as they filed into class.  It put a smile on their faces because they knew I would follow through with a story that would make them giggle as they learned.  This teaching technique was given to those who love to teach by Jesus, the Master Teacher.  Jesus loved to tell stories or parables from real, relatable life that paralleled what his “students” needed to know about living a Kingdom of God life.

So, “what do you make of this?”  We begin a series of stories that will relate to us as we also learn to live Kingdom of God thinking and behaving!

Matthew 13, The Message

A Harvest Story

^1-3 At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories.

^3-8 “What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.

⁹ “Are you listening to this? Really listening?”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus left one place of ministry for another—the beach!  But He wasn’t there long before a crowd gathered.  Truth delivered with real love draws people.  “There’s just something about him…” we can almost hear them say.  Jesus, as Son of Man sits on the beach to collect Himself after a full day of preaching.  But Jesus, Son of God will not miss an opportunity to tell a listening crowd who God is with how to love God back.  So, Jesus tells a story (parable) about a farmer that explains the importance of planting seed—another relatable way to reach a world full of people who God loves and wants to save.

“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

Jesus also taught Kingdom of God perspectives through parables in order to clear up wrong ideas. Many explanations in the Gospels show that the kingdom of heaven (or kingdom of God) means we must recognize God’s authority and work to do his will.

The crowd knew the backbreaking task of planting seeds for harvest!  They knew that even though every seed would not produce, as Jesus pointed out, you still plant the seeds and pray for enough harvest to support your family, right?  You pray for rain and trust God for the harvest.  If you have ever got down and dirty in the soil to plant seed in the hot sun and then waited and watched over what you have planted while chasing the birds away from your crop of seeds, you get it! 

But, “are you listening, really listening?” says Jesus.  In other words, are you listening to what I am really saying to you right now?  Do you understand the meaning behind the story?  Do you realize what I’m saying about planting seeds of salvation in the lives of those who need to hear it? 

Some seeds of the knowledge of God sown will take root in the hearts, minds and souls of hungry souls and grow in Kingdom thinking.  But some seeds sown will be tossed aside, eaten up, or blown away by a people easily distracted and eventually destroyed by the enemy who does not want the world to be saved by God. 

Sow the seeds anyway.  Let God do the rest!

“Don’t we need a reminder today? We, at times, fear the smallness of Jesus’ story. Our fears might keep us from seed sowing. Can this Sunday school account of Jesus hold its own in the Ivy League of the world? Do terms like sin, salvation, and redemption stand a chance in this sophisticated day of humanism and relativism?

Apparently they do! Where are the Romans who crucified Christ? The Epicureans who demeaned and debated Paul? The Gnostics who mocked the early church? And the great temples of Corinth? They dwarfed the infant church. Do worshipers still sacrifice to Zeus?  No, but they still sing to Jesus.

God does uncommon works through common deeds.”  (Excerpt from Max Lucado’s Study Bible)

Lord,

Thank you for the reminder to keep sowing the gospel seeds to hungry and thirsty souls.  Thank you for your stories that explain simply what pleases God most as we live as Kingdom thinkers.  May our lives today reflect the beauty of living redeemed and free in the unforced rhythms of your grace. Thank you for saving my soul.  Thank you for all the people who planted your seeds of salvation in my life!  May we retell your stories for your glory so that many more souls would not perish but have eternal life, too!

In Jesus Name, Amen

But wait!  There’s more to this story…tomorrow!

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still
And with all who will trust and obey

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies
But His smile quickly drives it away
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear
Can abide while we trust and obey

Oh, Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go
Never fear, only trust and obey

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey…

By John H. Sammis

I can still hear Grandpa Lacuement’s voice leading us joyfully in this song of praise.  He always chose “Trust and Obey” to sing at baptisms to affirm the candidates’ decision and commitment to Christ.  My mom or aunt played piano.  I grew up in a church filled with relatives who loved God.  I admired their faith and commitment to serve. I served right beside them from a young age. 

After baptisms, the candidates stood in front of the church in dry clothes and wet hair as we all left our seats, still singing, to “offer the right hand of fellowship.”  We also gave hugs to these new believers with words of encouragement whispered in their ears.  The church was filled with smiling faces in these moments of celebration because these new believers now were part of the family of God.  Yes, there is a song for that as well.  Those of you at a certain age are probably now humming that song!

Members of the “family of God” were not only taught the Word but our elders lived the Word in front of us.  I look back at the rich heritage of good examples of discipleship and I praise God for them even now.  Many of these beloved people have gone to be with Jesus and now I am one of the “olders” who still believe and live for Jesus.  I’m not perfect, I have not arrived, but “I know whom I have believed” (another hymn of my past) and I know I am redeemed, perfectly loved and completely forgiven of my sins.

But as loving and tightly woven together as our family by blood was, we were tested and tried when God led us away from what was our university of faith building.  God called Randy and I to move from family to do His will and ministry in a place about a thousand miles away.  Do we stay to be with and take care of family or do we trust and obey? 

Even though this move broke our parents’ hearts, (the very people who ironically taught us to always follow God’s will and plan); we trusted and obeyed God’s Holy Spirit who said to go.  This was not an easy decision but in faith believing, trusting, and obeying with each step on the journey, God worked all things out for good.  God still clears the path of all obstacles as we trust and obey.  He always has and always will.  And our family?  God helped them come around to accepting His will for us.

Family.  Who are they really?  “The person who obeys my heavenly Father’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” –Jesus  

We discovered that our number of “family relationships” grew exponentially because obedience is indeed thicker than blood.  Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus…

Matthew 12, The Message

Obedience Is Thicker than Blood

^46-47 While he was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers showed up. They were outside trying to get a message to him. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are out here, wanting to speak with you.”

^48-50 Jesus didn’t respond directly, but said, “Who do you think my mother and brothers are?” He then stretched out his hand toward his disciples. “Look closely. These are my mother and brothers. Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys my heavenly Father’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Listen to what Jesus is saying, then do it.  Trust and obey.

• There’s no other way to God!
• There’s no other way to connect to God and grow in relationship with Him.
• There’s no other way to live joyfully expectant.
• There’s no other way to the Hope of eternal life.
• There’s no other way to truly enjoy His gift of abundant of living right now with freedom from sins!
• There’s no other way to fully know and experience God’s unconditional love, new mercies each day with His generous grace freely given unless we trust and obey.
• There’s no other way to peace, not as the world gives, but the peace of Christ.

Lord,

I have decided.  I will trust and obey.  I know the enemy will try to distract me from this decision and commitment but I also know that “greater are you in me than he that is in the world.”  That is a promise from you that I can trust.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Be our strength, wisdom, and song all day long and into the night. 

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

“I am the way and the truth and the life. 

No one comes to the Father except through me.” –Jesus (John 14:6)

What you seek is standing right in front of you. –Jesus

In today’s language, we want what the religious scholars were seeking in Jesus’ day— “proof of life.”  What does proof of life mean?  Today, when someone is taken, we want evidence indicating that the victim is alive and well. Typically, a ransom demand is made in exchange for the loved one taken from us.  But the ransom demand will not be paid until there is confirmation, “proof of life,” that the hostage is still alive; usually in the form of a photograph with the victim holding up a current copy of a newspaper. 

For example: “I will not pay the ransom until I have proof of life” meaning I will not do what you say until evidence is given that you do indeed have what I want back.

Also: “Taylor, I will not pay your rent until I have proof of life; call your mother.”

We are all hostages of sin.  God wants us back.  Jesus came to pay the ransom demand for our sins so that we will be set free.  The proof of Life is Jesus’ resurrection from death to life everlasting!  This new, set free life, involves relationship with the One who loves us most.

Listen in as Jesus explains the ultimate “proof of life” to those demanding an answer.  Little do they know that the real Proof of Life everlasting is standing right in front of them!

Matthew 12, The Message

Jonah-Evidence

³⁸ Later a few religion scholars and Pharisees cornered him. “Teacher, we want to see your credentials. Give us some hard evidence that God is in this. How about a miracle?”

^39-40 Jesus said, “You’re looking for proof, but you’re looking for the wrong kind. All you want is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles. The only proof you’re going to get is what looks like the absence of proof: Jonah-evidence. Like Jonah, three days and nights in the fish’s belly, the Son of Man will be gone three days and nights in a deep grave.

^41-42 “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 will condemn 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.’

^43-45 “When a defiling evil 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 spotlessly clean, but vacant. It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse off than if he’d never gotten cleaned up in the first place.

“That’s what this generation is like: You may think you have cleaned out the junk from your lives and gotten ready for God, but you weren’t hospitable to my kingdom message, and now all the devils are moving back in.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Here is more proof of eternal life given to us by God through Jesus His Son:

Jesus paid the ransom for our lives.  God has done this through Christ, His Son, who is our ransom. Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

^“Foryou know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake”.  1 Peter 1:18-20 NLT

Why?  “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

The ransom has been paid in full.  The transaction has been made.  We have been rescued and set free.  We have life forever with Jesus! 

So, why go back to being held hostage by our captors of evil that leads ultimately to our death?  Jesus explains that this act of running back to our old sin nature and habits bind us even tighter making us worse off than we were before coming to Him to be set free.  Yikes!

How can we avoid being recaptured? 

• Ask the Holy Spirit to fill and feed our souls.  He eagerly stands ready to teach us the ways of God.  We will not remain “vacant” but filled with God’s glory as we grow in His character.

• Do what our enemy hates most:  Our enemy hates believers on their knees before God crying out in Jesus Name!  So, keep a clean house by consistently being with God to know God more.  There is nothing better in this life than developing an intimate relationship with God, our Father in heaven by talking and listening for His response to us daily.  God loves to hear from us…just like our parents did when we became adults.  

• Pray like Jesus!  Jesus taught us how to pray…see Matthew 6.  The enemy hates Kingdom of God thinking and behaving!  “Your Kingdom come; your will be done…”

Our enemy hates God-focused people because we are harder to distract!  So, stay focused on what Jesus calls living abundantly.  Proof of eternal life has been generously giving to us by the ransom Jesus paid for our lives.  We who believe that Jesus is not only Savior, but also Lord of our lives, are “evidence” of Kingdom of God thinking and doing.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” –Jesus (John 10:10 NKJV)

Lord,

You are Life to me.  You are Hope for the world.  I pray that those held captive by the enemy right now will stop and realize that all they need to do is call out in Your Name, repent, believe, and be set free!  YOU are our proof of Life eternal!  Yes, and Amen!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Rarely do I like to jump in between arguing by two opposing sides who both want their own way, but as parents it is mandatory to be the referee before your children who are both precious to you hurt or maim each other with words followed by slaps.  In bringing peace, we listen to each side present their “case” of unfairness and injustice.  Then the parent must choose the best course of action.  Most times, both children are wrong because they have chosen disobedience and they argue as a way to cover it up.  From both children, parents receive this question— “Whose side are you on?”  Sigh.  Our kids don’t get it in the heat of battle—as a parent we don’t take sides—we correct them because we love them.  We are on the side of all that is good for them.

We make decisions every hour of every day.  We make choices that guide the course of our lives.  To do nothing is also a choice!  Avoidance is also a choice.  Decisions, choices, and preferences we make affect not only our lives but it affects all those we relate to every day of our lives. 

Jesus teaches that there is one decision that is the most important one of our lives to make and decide we must!  There is no neutral ground upon which to stand.

“Choose this day whom you will serve…”  Joshua 24:15

“If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse.” –Jesus

So, whose side are you on?

Matthew 12, The Message

No Neutral Ground

^22-23 Next a poor demon-afflicted wretch, both blind and deaf, was set down before him. Jesus healed him, gave him his sight and hearing. The people who saw it were impressed—“This has to be the Son of David!”

²⁴ But the Pharisees, when they heard the report, were cynical. “Black magic,” they said. “Some devil trick he’s pulled from his sleeve.”

^25-27 Jesus confronted their slander. “A judge who gives opposite verdicts on the same person cancels himself out; a family that’s in a constant squabble disintegrates; if Satan banishes Satan, is there any Satan left? If you’re slinging devil mud at me, calling me a devil kicking out devils, doesn’t the same mud stick to your own exorcists?

^28-29 “But if it’s by God’s power that I am sending the evil spirits packing, then God’s kingdom is here for sure. How in the world do you think it’s possible in broad daylight to enter the house of an awake, able-bodied man and walk off with his possessions unless you tie him up first? Tie him up, though, and you can clean him out.

³⁰ “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.

^31-32 “There’s nothing done or said that can’t be forgiven. But if you deliberately persist in your slanders against God’s Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives. If you reject the Son of Man out of some misunderstanding, the Holy Spirit can forgive you, but when you reject the Holy Spirit, you’re sawing off the branch on which you’re sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives.

³³ “If you grow a healthy tree, you’ll pick healthy fruit. If you grow a diseased tree, you’ll pick worm-eaten fruit. The fruit tells you about the tree.

^34-37 “You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus is Lord.  Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.  Jesus is alpha and omega, from beginning to the end.  Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath (yesterday’s lesson). Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins by taking the punishment we deserve for our sins.  He chose us because He loves us.  Jesus was, is and always will be driven by the love of God.  God offers eternal life by believing in His Son and choosing to walk with Him.  In walking with God, we receive the blessing of growing in his character with protection from the enemy.  God’s love for us never changes and never ends.  Jesus at this moment is preparing a place for us to live with him in paradise, a place unimaginable in beauty.  Jesus is Life.  Jesus defeated the sting of death forever.

Satan is a former angel who was kicked out of heaven.  He was so full of pride and arrogance that he thought he could not only be like God but BE God.  Satan is a liar.  He is a joy robber who plays with our emotions.  Satan manipulates truth to get what he wants—us!  Satan hates us with a strong desire to lead us all to a forever fiery death.  His ultimate goal is defeating Jesus—but he did not.  But he still wants us to think he can—but he cannot.

We have a choice to make between two opposing sides.  So, whose side are we on? 

We decide daily.  Our words and behaviors will automatically reflect the choice our hearts have made—and world looking on will know who we love most. 

Lord,

The choice is clear.  Life or death?  I choose life.  I choose you.  You have loved me before I knew what love was!  I trust you, dear Jesus.  I have decided to follow you, no turning back, no turning back.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen!

When there is trouble in a location that might lead to more trouble for others involved, the police are typically called. Upon police investigation, one of the first questions they will ask is, “Who’s in charge here?”  In other words, who started this and who is keeping it going?  Police investigators know that if they find the one in charge they can resolve the issue much quicker.  Hold that thought.

By this time in the story of Jesus, His popularity is gaining followers of all kinds.  People are impressed and intrigued with his ability to heal with compassion and teach without condemnation.  Jesus embodies a love they have never seen before and they are drawn to this love.  Those attracted to Him cannot explain why they want to be where He is, they just do.  Some people are intrigued by his words of Truth, gently spoken.  Those who have been taught scriptures from childhood and believe what God says are beginning to wonder if this is the Messiah who they have all been longing for, the One who will set them free from their lives of oppression.  All kinds of people with all kinds of wondering.

And then there are others who follow Jesus as religious spies who critique and judge every word and action Jesus makes in order to destroy his reputation, mission, and ministry.  Fear of losing their power drives their actions.  Yes, the Pharisee Police are out to bait him, write him up, with the goal of getting rid of Jesus once and for all. 

However, Jesus is in charge. His death for our sins and resurrection with victory over death proves that God is in charge!  Jesus, God’s Son has been in charge from beginning to end that’s why He is called “alpha and omega”.  We discover that the “end” is actually the beginning of life forever for all who believe He is in charge and readily accept Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords—the position God gave His Son upon completion of His mission to save us from our sins and reconcile us to God! 

May God’s Holy Spirit guide and lead us always back to God through Jesus Christ, His Son, who is the Way to Truth and Life eternal.  Yes!  And Amen!

Matthew 12:1-21, The Message

In Charge of the Sabbath

^1-2 One Sabbath, Jesus was strolling with his disciples through a field of ripe grain. Hungry, the disciples were pulling off the heads of grain and munching on them. Some Pharisees reported them to Jesus: “Your disciples are breaking the Sabbath rules!”

^3-5 Jesus said, “Really? Didn’t you ever read what David and his companions did when they were hungry, how they entered the sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the altar, bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat? And didn’t you ever read in God’s Law that priests carrying out their Temple duties break Sabbath rules all the time and it’s not held against them?

^6-8 “There is far more at stake here than religion. If you had any idea what this Scripture meant—‘I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual’—you wouldn’t be nitpicking like this. The Son of Man is no yes-man to the Sabbath; he’s in charge.”

^9-10 When Jesus left the field, he entered their meeting place. There was a man there with a crippled hand. They said to Jesus, “Is it legal to heal on the Sabbath?” They were baiting him.

^11-14 He replied, “Is there a person here who, finding one of your lambs fallen into a ravine, wouldn’t, even though it was a Sabbath, pull it out? Surely kindness to people is as legal as kindness to animals!” Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” He held it out and it was healed. The Pharisees walked out furious, sputtering about how they were going to ruin Jesus.

In Charge of Everything

^15-21 Jesus, knowing they were out to get him, moved on. A lot of people followed him, and he healed them all. He also cautioned them to keep it quiet, following guidelines set down by Isaiah:

Look well at my handpicked servant;
    I love him so much, take such delight in him.
I’ve placed my Spirit on him;
    he’ll decree justice to the nations.
But he won’t yell, won’t raise his voice;
    there’ll be no commotion in the streets.
He won’t walk over anyone’s feelings,
    won’t push you into a corner.
Before you know it, his justice will triumph;
    the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even
        among far-off unbelievers.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus is in charge of our final destination—whether we believe it or not. 

Jesus wants to be in charge of our lives now.  To all who believe, seeking forgiveness and freedom from sin, submitting to His authority to be in charge; Jesus is Savior and He is Lord of our lives.

God so loved the world, all of us, He sent His Son to save us.   “While we were yet sinners, Jesus came to save us.”  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  (See Romans 5-8)

God so loves us still and wants the best for us.  He uses good times and bad times to teach us and strengthen our resolved faith.

God gives us purpose and significance in this life as we prepare for life forever with Him.  We become contributors to His Kingdom as opposed to merely consumers.

Jesus left earth physically but sent His Holy Spirit, the third part of God, to come and live in us until He comes back again.  When we really believe that Jesus stood in our place to accept our punishment for our sins—all of them—His Helper comes to take up residence in our hearts.  The Helper transforms our minds and daily feeds and fills our souls with the mind of Christ!

We can’t be “good” on our own.  I’ve tried, it doesn’t work.  Instead we seek to become better, to think and behave more like Jesus, as we yield to His Spirit.  Only God is good. So, it is not perfection we seek, but perfect forgiveness from Jesus. We then realize we are not left alone to do life on our own—His Holy Spirit helps and counsels us with every step we take on our journey of walking with God.  The Helper gives the wisdom we need to live skillfully in the unforced rhythm of God’s grace.  Our hearts begin to beat with God’s heart.

“I will always be with you even unto the end of the age,” promises Jesus.  And He always keeps His promises.  (Matthew 28)

The One in charge wants to oversee yielded hearts completely committed to Him.  When Jesus takes control—miracles happen!  Hope reigns.  He give us blessed assurance that fills us with confidence in the unseen, hope for the future, with a faith that we never knew before knowing Him.  

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow with the power to change everything about us!  He changes our thinking, perspectives, behaviors, and actions as we learn and grow in His character!    

Our response?  Let Him have His way…

Lord and Savior,

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  All my hope is in you for you are Life!

In Jesus Name, Amen

It is difficult to impossible to teach someone who think they already know it all.  Know-it-alls do not contain all the knowledge of the world but have a human pride and arrogance that makes people, including themselves, think they do know everything.  They are the great imposters who “fake it ‘til they make it” in the world of business and human relationships.  Their arrogance belittles others into thinking maybe they do know it all.  People with these attitudes are probably the most frustrating people to build a relationship with in business or among friends and relatives.

I remember a little boy around 8 years old who’s mom wanted me to teach him how to play the piano.  I wondered, knowing his know-it-all personality, if he really wanted to learn but I consented to the task.  I prepared for the first lesson with the books I normally used with other students.  We sat at the piano together.  The first words from his mouth were, “I already know how to play the piano my way so I don’t need those books.”

My observation of his previous efforts of playing my piano verified he did not.  As we preceded with the first lesson, I became frustrated by his arrogance, pride, and know-it-all attitude.  I turned to my grandson, my beloved, and told him, “Until you are ready to listen with a heart to learn from me, our lessons will cease.  You come back to me when you are hungry to learn.”  I didn’t want to hurt our grandma/grandson relationship with attempting to force teaching on an unwilling student.  I told him I loved him.  Then I prayed for him.

Dear Jesus, I get it!  I understand your frustration in teaching people about the Kingdom of God to know-it-alls who think they have it all together and need nothing from you!  Piano lessons are a very small thing compared to your teaching that explains who God is, what He expects, with how to please God by loving Him with all our hearts, minds, and souls with the reward of eternal life by repenting of our sins!  The message is clear but know-it-alls cannot see it.  Thank you for teaching ordinary people the Way to Truth which leads to eternal Life!  Thank you for not giving up on us!

Matthew 11:20-30, The Message

The Unforced Rhythms of Grace

²⁰ Next Jesus unleashed on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way.

^21-24 “Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you. And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you.”

^25-26 Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.”

²⁷ Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

^28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

PRAYER TEACHES US THE UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GOD’S GRACE

Jesus teaches us three very important principles of being and doing when we minister:

WHEN FRUSTRATED—ABRUTLY STOP AND PRAY.  Stop everything, drop to our knees, and pray to God the Father who does indeed know it all!  He knows our hearts and He knows the hearts of the people we teaching.  He knows the outcomes of our efforts.  He knows exactly what we need as well as what the listeners need.  God knows and works in ways we might not understand in the moment. So, we pray for the people in front of us as we pray for ourselves.  Our temper cannot and will not make people suddenly realize that they need Jesus. 

PRAYER CALMS OUR FRUSTRATIONS.  Jesus, our perfect example, abruptly stopped in his frustration to pray.  This act of prayer brought calm to his warranted frustration.  Look at how He prayed.  He did not ask for God to smite the know-it-alls but rather He first thanked God.  It is in thanking God that Jesus (Son of Man and Son of God) realized again how His compassionate and loving Father works among His people.  He also realized that He would not be able to convince all the people of their need to turn back to God.  Yes, even Jesus could not save those who refused His teaching.  Man has free will—created in Him by God.

PRAYER CHANGES OUR ATTITUDE.  “Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly.”  Jesus returns to ministering with the unforced rhythm of grace and speaks with the compassion of the Father.  To those who are ready to listen, the ordinary people, Jesus encourages, “I’ll go over this line by line….”  This portrays the longsuffering patience God has for each one of us.  Oh, how we must frustrate our Father God from time to time when we think we know it all!

What is our first thought in frustration?  This is growing process as we learn the unforced rhythms of His grace at work in our lives and in the lives around us.  Go with the Rhythm!  Going against the Rhythm makes us tired and weary.  But guess what, God has a plan for that as well:

“Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walkwith me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” –Jesus

Lord,

Wow, what an encouraging passage!  When we come to the height of human frustration, you teach us how to handle it!  Help us to not sin in our anger.  That leads to nowhere but pain.  Help us to avoid letting our tempers take the lead from frustration.  Instead, may we learn the unforced, freely pronounced rhythm of your grace so well that we do it without thinking about it. My desire is to live to the beat of your heart!  Transform me so I can be more like you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

To live with expecting God to be with us always, as promised, is a blessing.  To wait with expectation for God to act because you know He will, is a blessing from God to us.  To expect salvation through Jesus with complete forgiveness for sins is a blessing!  Expectations about God come with blessings from God.  Here are just a few verses from God’s Word about “expecting” …

• “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” Romans 8:25
• “The hope of the righteous is gladness, But the expectation of the wicked perishes.”  Proverbs 10:28
• “My soul, waits in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him.” Psalm 62:5
• “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.” Psalm 5:3
• “For the needy will not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.” Psalm 9:18

There is so much more that God says about our expectations about Him and what He will do to save us and deliver us.  As Jesus answers John’s question, “Are you the One, He takes our expectation thoughts deeper.

What are you expecting? What are you expecting God to do in and through you? 

Matthew 11, The Message

John the Baptizer

When Jesus finished placing this charge before his twelve disciples, he went on to teach and preach in their villages.

^2-3 John, meanwhile, had been locked up in prison. When he got wind of what Jesus was doing, he sent his own disciples to ask, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?”

^4-6 Jesus told them, “Go back and tell John what’s going on:

The blind see,
The lame walk,
Lepers are cleansed,
The deaf hear,
The dead are raised,
The wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side.

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

^7-10 When John’s disciples left to report, Jesus started talking to the crowd about John. “What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A prophet? That’s right, a prophet! Probably the best prophet you’ll ever hear. He is the prophet that Malachi announced when he wrote, ‘I’m sending my prophet ahead of you, to make the road smooth for you.’

^11-14 “Let me tell you what’s going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him. For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God’s kingdom. But if you read the books of the Prophets and God’s Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom. Looked at in this way, John is the ‘Elijah’ you’ve all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah.

¹⁵ “Are you listening to me? Really listening?

^16-19 “How can I account for this generation? The people have been like spoiled children whining to their parents, ‘We wanted to skip rope, and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk, but you were always too busy.’ John came fasting and they called him crazy. I came feasting and they called me a boozer, a friend of the misfits. Opinion polls don’t count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus is the One we are expecting to come back to claim His own and take us home.  The “proof” is in the fulfillment of what God said, accomplished once and for all in Jesus.

Paul writes to the Romans (and us) about who we are and what to expect from our Savior and Lord:

Believe.  “Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2

Expect. “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!” Romans 8:15-19, MSG

Live with expectant, anticipated joy:  “That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.  Romans 8:18-21, MSG

Lose to Gain.  “So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!”  Romans 8:12-14

Lord,

We cannot help but see your glory at work in our lives and in the lives of those around us.  We know you love us and want the best for us.  We know and believe that you are always with us.  We know and believe you are for us, not against us.  We know that you have saved us from all our sins.  Thank you for allowing us to trade up from our old way of life to a new life with joyful expectancy in You.  Thank you for a place in your Kingdom. So, what’s next, Papa?

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

Jesus came to earth to turn the tables of thinking upside down!  No, I’m not talking about the time He physically overturned the merchant tables at the Temple, I’m talking about how He came to cleanse hearts, renew minds, refresh souls and restore the joy of His salvation at work in the lives of God’s created humans.  This task was beyond doing by Temple leadership.  The current priests, scribes and other teachers of the Law set aside the true intent of The Law to the point of using The Law as just a way to gain power for themselves over the people they were supposed to be guiding, serving, and helping.

These leaders stepped into power by other men based on tradition and generational position in the community.  God no longer looked on these manipulators of His Law as people of authority.  God sent His Son as THE authority to change minds and teach truth because Jesus was Truth.  Jesus proclaimed upside down thinking to these leaders of self-promotion and to His followers listening, “If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.” 

In other words, real life is not about you, it’s about God.  Life is about what God wants to do in us.  Life is being with God, learning and growing in an intimate loving relationship.  Life is losing and leaving our own agendas in the dust of the world and looking solely to what God wants.  True, real life is a forever life with God and His Son.  This is what it means when Jesus teaches a new thinking, “lose to gain” to his followers.

Jesus began with God’s people but extended this work to all people.  Why?  “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) 

God thinks we are all worth His love, mercy and grace!  Listen in as Jesus explains…

Matthew 10, The Message

Forget About Yourself

^29-31 “What’s the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. 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.

^32-33 “Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you?

^34-37 “Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy. I’ve come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don’t deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don’t deserve me.

^38-39 “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.

^40-42 “We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We worth more than a million canaries that God looks after each day!

God pays attention to all the details of our lives!  He even delights in our details.  Nothing we deal with daily goes unnoticed in our lives.  God care for us goes to infinity and beyond!

“We are intimately linked”, says Jesus.  We are together with Him in our lives with God.  “Stand up for me and I’ll stand up for you.”  How many times have we said that to each other but couldn’t hold up our promise to them because of unforeseen circumstances.  We cannot always count on people, even those in our family, but we can ALWAYS count on Jesus. 

Jesus is our advocate to the Father, God.  Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life.  No one goes the Father without believing, repenting of sins, trusting and obeying Jesus.  The bonus is that Jesus’ power works in us helping us to do what He says!  Wow! Again, life is not about us and what we want but what God wants and what He wants is always the best for us.  If we “go all the way” with Jesus in the lead, undeterred or distracted by the world around us, we will have nothing to lose—but self.  Self gets us into trouble.  Self-desires distract us from God.  Self will be a continual battle, but with Jesus, we can have victory over self!

While on earth Jesus got alone often to communicate with God, asking Him what His will is with direction about what to do next.  The gospel writers witnessed this act of obedience to God and ask Jesus to teach them how to communion with God through prayer.  Jesus readily taught them (and us) how to pray and listen to God.  (See Matthew 6) 

Communion with God, In Jesus Name, never ceasing in praying and listening to God, is “being” while recognizing God in us—the “secret” to real life, as Paul writes when he discovered being before doing.  (Colossians 1:27)  If Jesus went to God first before doing anything significant in His life, who are we not to do the same?  This act of “being” before God help us to know God. The more we know God, them the more we know what God wants.

Being with God in prayer, worship, and listening removes self as we lean into what God wants.  He even removes self-doubt!

Overwhelmed by God and what He asks us to be and do?  Not to worry, Jesus explains the simplicity of losing to gain by beginning small.  Offer a glass of water to a thirsty soul. We can’t lose anything but self and have everything to gain by trusting and obeying what Jesus says is the way to God, the Truth of His love with eternal Life with God. 

Proof that beginning small can work in our world today reminds me of the young man who was bullied in school.  He decided to start small in relating to others in a better, more positive way.  Josh Yandt explains that after his father died, he became depressed and felt alone. To make matters worse he was bullied at school for missing his father. At first he didn’t know what to do, but one day he decided to stand up to his bullies by opening doors.

“I was sick and tired of being a no one. I wanted to be someone. And I wanted to reach out to people and show who I was,” Josh says in the video. He began holding the doors open for his classmates and greeting them. The simple act not only changed his whole life, it also had a positive effect on the entire school.

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. “Glory to God!” Angels and saints alike have uttered these words. They encapsulate much of why we exist. We exist to glorify God in and through our lives.”  Colossians 3:17 in another translation – “Let every detail in your lives – words, actions, whatever – be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.”  Yes!

Jesus’ message is clear.  THIS is what it means to lose ourselves, forgetting what we think we want, to gain knowledge of what God wants to do in and through us.  So, open a door, offer a cup of water, pick up trash, look into the eyes of people with compassion, setting aside our own interests for theirs…all with a loving smile because of Jesus in us.  Be different.  Be a Kingdom thinker and doer.

Lord,

Your words are easy to understand and essential for growing in your character as I strive to become more like you.  Now we must act on what you have taught us.  May all the details of my life be done in your Name for your glory.  May your Kingdom come and monopolize my thinking.  May your will be done in my behaviors. 

In Jesus Name, Amen