Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

Kingdom of God training of His followers by Jesus looks nothing like how the world trains us for a new job in the company!  We are taught in this world to rise up and be heard no matter what.  We are told to “fake it ‘til you make it.”  Leaders considered successful by the world’s standards must be insanely rich, naturally aggressively who step on anyone who gets in their way of reaching their goals. Influential leaders can easily manipulate and dominate every conversation so that full attention is drawn to themselves.  They sell themselves as they sell their product while bullying people into submission to follow where they lead.  Mm…

Jesus’ Kingdom of God training seems quite a bit different.  Just preceding this chapter, Jesus called on everyone to “pray for workers for the harvest” of lost souls who were all around Him.  God answered His prayer and sent him twelve men to train for Kingdom work.  One becomes Twelve.  Twelve exponentially many.  (Do the math, that’s a lesson in and of itself!)

By the way, Jesus always prayed to God, His Father, before doing anything significant in God’s work.  That was His mantra, his habit and discipline.  Jesus—Master Teacher.  Later—Savior and Lord of believing lives committed to Him!

Let’s listen in to His training session…take notes!

Matthew 10:1-28, The Message

The Twelve Harvest Hands

^1-4 The prayer was no sooner prayed than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. He gave them power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives. This is the list of the twelve he sent:

Simon (they called him Peter, or “Rock”),

Andrew, his brother,

James, Zebedee’s son,

John, his brother,

Philip,

Bartholomew,

Thomas,

Matthew, the tax man,

James, son of Alphaeus,

Thaddaeus,

Simon, the Canaanite,

Judas Iscariot (who later turned on him).

^5-8 Jesus sent his twelve harvest hands out with this charge:

“Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously.

^9-10 “Don’t think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don’t need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.

¹¹ “When you enter a town or village, don’t insist on staying in a luxury inn. Get a modest place with some modest people, and be content there until you leave.

^12-15 “When you knock on a door, be courteous in your greeting. If they welcome you, be gentle in your conversation. If they don’t welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way. You can be sure that on Judgment Day they’ll be mighty sorry—but it’s no concern of yours now.

¹⁶ “Stay alert. This is hazardous work I’m assigning you. You’re going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don’t call attention to yourselves. Be as shrewd as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.

^17-20 “Don’t be naive. Some people will question your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don’t be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they’ve done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.

^21-23 “When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you’ve run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.

^24-25 “A student doesn’t get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn’t make more money than his boss. Be content—pleased, even—when you, my students, my harvest hands, get the same treatment I get. If they call me, the Master, ‘Dungface,’ what can the workers expect?

^26-27 “Don’t be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. So don’t hesitate to go public now.

²⁸ “Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. 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.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn plenty!  We learn that our power comes from His Holy Spirit living in us.  We cannot do life without being with God first.  We cannot do life alone.  We need Jesus and other believers for God’s Kingdom work of helping others find and follow Him with us.  Do the math!

Not everyone will agree and believe what we say about Jesus as the Holy Spirit speaks through us.  However, our souls will remain intake in God’s hands of protection when we are under attack from bullies of evil.  This is blessed assurance of God’s love for us as His love abides in us. 

Lead with the love of Jesus. Imitate how Jesus related to others who needed healing and wholeness, salvation, and freedom.  There was no condemnation, only compassion with a way forward to freedom from sin.  (See also Philippians 2 as a reference.) 

Read Matthew’s passage again for all the character traits we need to develop as we represent Jesus to others.  Make a list…I’ll get you started:  Live generously.  Travel light.  Be content.  Be courteous and gentle.  Stay alert.  Move on when they say no to Jesus.  Point people to Jesus not you….and the training continues. 

Did you notice that this Kingdom of God training is the opposite of today’s thinking for those who do not know or follow Jesus?  But, yet, we are prone to bring to play all the “principles of the highly successful” into our churches and treat Christ Body of Believers (church) as a business venture.  Oh, how this must break the heart of God.  Pride, arrogance, putting our interests ahead of others, are not traits of Jesus, who is the Cornerstone upon which we build our lives together as His people called “church.” 

Oh Lord,

Help us to live in the world but not play a part in it’s thinking and behaving.  Give us your wisdom that is the opposite of the conventional wisdom of the world.  Cleanse our hearts, renew and transform our minds, refresh and feed our souls, help us develop your character while restoring the blessed joy of your salvation at work within us.  Thank you for training us to be all you want us to be before doing anything. 

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had…” Philippians 2:5

“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

A few years ago I was involved in a Bible study group that challenged our thinking as we dove deep into God’s Word.  It was not about mere opinions of what was being said, but more of taking the Word as Truth that no one can change.  We were challenged to answer a very important question at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the study;

Do you really believe that what God says about Himself and His Son, Jesus, really real?

Stopping in our study to seriously answer this soul-searching question caused us to examine the condition of our hearts.  You can grow up in the church, attend all the church functions, read the Bible daily, know all the rules and traditions and obey them to the best of your ability and yet remain in a state of mind that is only impressed with Jesus as a good teacher.  Impressions, sacrifices of our time for church, focusing on doing good things is not what God is looking for first from us.  He wants us. 

God wants to walk and talk with us in consistent communion with Him.  God wants all our attention.  2 Chronicles 16:9 tells us that God looks over the earth to seek hearts fully committed to Him no matter what is happening around them.  God wants to pour out blessings of His growing character into these believing hearts!  God wants to fill all of who we are, (heart, mind and soul) with all of who He is—into our whole being.  Being is primary.  Doing is secondary.  Both are important just as both arms are important for the balance of our physical bodies.  Being with God prompts doing what He says.

So, do you really believe that what God says is really real?

Jesus challenges the blind men who want to see with this very question with a follow up command—Become what you believe. 

Matthew 9, The Message

Become What You Believe

^27-28 As Jesus left the house, he was followed by two blind men crying out, “Mercy, Son of David! Mercy on us!” When Jesus got home, the blind men went in with him. Jesus said to them, “Do you really believe I can do this?” They said, “Why, yes, Master!”

^29-31 He touched their eyes and said, “Become what you believe.” It happened. They saw. Then Jesus became very stern. “Don’t let a soul know how this happened.” But they were hardly out the door before they started blabbing it to everyone they met.

^32-33 Right after that, as the blind men were leaving, a man who had been struck speechless by an evil spirit was brought to Jesus. As soon as Jesus threw the evil tormenting spirit out, the man talked away just as if he’d been talking all his life. The people were up on their feet applauding: “There’s never been anything like this in Israel!”

³⁴ The Pharisees were left sputtering, “Smoke and mirrors. It’s nothing but smoke and mirrors. He’s probably made a pact with the Devil.”

^35-38 Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

What does “become what you believe” look like?  Let’s begin Jesus.  Jesus personified the love God has for us.  Jesus taught Kingdom of God thinking and healed those broken by life on earth.  Jesus’ heart was broken as He looked over all the precious lives created by God who needed God desperately.  God’s love that sent Jesus into the world to save all who would believe, really believe, now prompted Jesus’ challenge to all who follow Him: “On your knees and pray for harvest hands!” 

Do you really believe who God is and what He says is really real?

Become what you believe!

If our answer to Jesus is the same as the blind men, “Why, yes, Master” then we, too must become what we say we believe.  God’s love in us, working through us to become fully formed from the inside out, is the beginning to really believing and becoming.  Jesus asked the blind men, “do you really believe I can do this”?  Hearing their affirmative response Jesus replied, “Become what you believe.”

God wants us love Him back with the same kind of love He has for us—without conditions or bargaining.  God wants a growing, intimate, loving relationship with us that is eternal.  Jesus tells his followers that loving God is the greatest command from God.  Second to that command is to love each other like God loves us!  Paul describes this unique love of God in a very familiar passage:

“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proudor rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13, NLT

Do you really believe?  It depends on your “love life” with God.

Become what you believe.  Our actions will automatically reflect the true belief of our hearts.  Under pressure, our level of love will also be evident. 

Lord,

Your challenge is to believe, really believe then become what we say we believe. Thank you for this reminder of your love for us and in us.  Thank you, Jesus for portraying the heart of God on earth while showing us God’s love for us, how to love Him back, along with how to love each other.  I do believe.  Help me to become more and more like you and less like my natural self.  You are first.  I am second to last.  I love you back with all my heart, mind and soul. 

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

When we finally exhaust all our human efforts to fix a persistent problem, we pause life to think of what to do next.  Do we accept it and just live with it?  Do we listen to what others say we ought to do?  Do we give up altogether, thinking we have done all we can do? These are the moments in time that humble us and bring us to our knees. 

However, these are also times when God does His best work in, around and through us. Our faith may be fragile, but still remains. In our desperation, our faith might be reduced to the size of a mustard seed.  But guess what!?  God can work with that, Jesus said so!  (Matthew 17)

When God’s Son, Jesus came down from heaven and moved into the neighborhood of humanity, He cleansed and changed hearts, transformed minds, and filled empty, hungry souls with Kingdom of God ways of thinking and behaving.  Mustard seed faith in God began to take root and grow as “God with us” reached out with compassion and love.  And with just one touch Jesus had the power to heal, forgive, teach, and restore broken and battered lives.  Then in one last obedient act of love—He saved us for eternity!  Pause to thank God!

We see why these two stories of “just one touch” are interwoven.  The desperate faith of a father who has lost his daughter along with the plagued woman with nothing left to lose seek the Master’s touch in a risk of faith that defies the gossips and naysayers all around them in the passing crowd.    

Matthew 9:18-26, The Message

Just a Touch

^18-19 As he finished saying this, a local official appeared, bowed politely, and said, “My daughter has just now died. If you come and touch her, she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, his disciples following along.

^20-22 Just then a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can just put a finger on his robe, I’ll get well.” Jesus turned—caught her at it. Then he reassured her: “Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you’re well.” The woman was well from then on.

^23-26 By now they had arrived at the house of the town official, and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and the neighbors bringing in casseroles. Jesus was abrupt: “Clear out! This girl isn’t dead. She’s sleeping.” They told him he didn’t know what he was talking about. But when Jesus had gotten rid of the crowd, he went in, took the girl’s hand, and pulled her to her feet—alive. The news was soon out, and traveled throughout the region.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

I love that Jesus got rid of the casserole carrying gossipers so He could do His best work for the little girl’s family.  Jesus brought life back to this family despite the jeers of people who knew death but didn’t know Jesus. 

On the way to bring life to a little girl, Jesus brought new life to the bleeding woman who was considered unclean, a person not to be touched by the community.  Both lives broken in need of Jesus. Both at Jesus’ feet. Both with enough faith in Jesus for God to notice and show up in their lives.  Jesus, God’s Son, changes everything when He comes into our lives as we listen and believe what He says.

Risk?  Jesus took a risk to heal the woman deemed untouchable by society, but instead, Jesus affirms her risky faith!  “Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you’re well.”  Just one touch…changes our thinking.  Jesus changes how we perceive life!  Wow.

No wonder the news of what “just one touch” from Jesus can do spread throughout the region—faster than the gossipers could tell it!

Lord,

I think my faith is strong on the good days but when troubles happen with no apparent human solution, my faith falters.  Thank you for your blessed assurance of always being with us as you provide ways through it all with courage to endure in the passage our problems that test our faith.  Thank you for the many ways you have touched my life and made we whole again…and again.

In Jesus Name, Amen

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. 

If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought.”  James 1:2-8, MSG

Jesus.  Jesus came to earth as Son of Man and fully Son of God.  He is not like other men.  He earns his keep, speaks of God intimately, mentors others who follow Him as he walks through the countryside.  He is in constant communication with His Father who sent Him.  Jesus often goes to a quiet place to speak with the Father and then listens to what He is to do next in His mission.  Jesus knows God will provide all He needs to fulfill the promises of God written centuries ago and passed down the ages in the lives of God’s people.  Jesus was with God when He created the world so He knows what God can do!

For generations, the prophets foretold of “something new” that will happen.  This something new is Jesus.  Jesus, the promised Messiah, has come and moved into the neighborhood of humanity.  He has come to teach with a higher authority unassigned by humans and speaks in ways that amaze all who listen.  He has power to heal and restore lives to wholeness quickly and completely.  Jesus is not popular for His good looks, success in business, or for political charisma.  Jesus exudes a love and compassion above all others in the world and goes to depths unlike the other prophets or priests.  Jesus draws crowds just by who He is—And He has come to save us.  All of us.

May the celebration begin and never end because this “something new,” spoken of by Isaiah and other prophets is a brand-new way of life that no longer fits into our old way of life.  The old is used as a backdrop to announce the new way, to prepare mankind for a new Kingdom of God thinking and behaving while fulfilling every detail that was told by God through His prophets.  The law helped mankind stay on the right path to God. Jesus now reconciles (connects) us to God in a relationship that will last forever. 

Matthew 9:14-17, The Message

Kingdom Come

¹⁴ A little later John’s followers approached, asking, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees rigorously discipline body and spirit by fasting, but your followers don’t?”

¹⁵ Jesus told them, “When you’re celebrating a wedding, you don’t skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to exercise moderation, but not now. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come!”

^16-17 He went on, “No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work clothes; you want fabrics that match. And you don’t put your wine in cracked bottles.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus speaks of this “something new” Kingdom thinking and behaving way of living that leads to eternal life with examples in people’s lives He knows that will understand.  To the winemakers, He says, “you wouldn’t put new wine in old, used up wine skins that are cracked and can’t take the pressure of the reaction that wine will have as it ages, would you?”  Of course not, the winemakers are thinking. 

To those who repair their clothing with patches of material, Jesus says, “you wouldn’t patch your garments with cloth that doesn’t match what you are trying to repair, would you”?  Of course not.  You want the new to match up with the old so that it will last!

Therefore, Jesus is not merely an “add-on” or a “patch of goodness” to our old way of living.  We are “reborn” with new life.  Jesus give us new ways of thinking, new ways of loving, new wisdom, new mercies, new compassion for others—everything is changed!  Every detail has a new perspective. Upon rebirth into the Kingdom of God—we no longer fit into that old way of life.  Our identity has changed.  Our new identity is in Christ, our Savior and now our Lord who guides us into all things new.  Wow! 

“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.”  Isaiah 43:18-19, NIV

“So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”  2 Corinthians 5:16-17

New lives have a new purpose!  We represent Jesus to others who are lost, confused, perplexed, who are wandering aimlessly through life.  We who have been reconciled (reconnected) to God in relationship with God by believing and following Jesus must tell others how to seek and find the One who loves us most.

New lives have a new message to tell!  “And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:18-21 NLT

Made right.  Made new.  All because of Jesus.  As we “age” like a fine wine, may we grow in our loving relationship with God as God expands His love in us to others. 

Lord,

Thank you for forgiving us of all our sins, setting us free to enjoy a new life with you!  Lead us not into the temptations of looking back to our old life that no longer fits into our new life forever with you!  The old is gone, the new is here.  May we rejoice in You!

In Jesus Name, By Your Power working in us, For Your Glory, Amen!

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

No turning back, no turning back.

–THE PHARISEES ARE HAVING A FIT!

How do you calm someone down when they are having a fit of rage and anger?  What I have learned from being a child, parent, teacher, and servant of God’s church is this: Telling them to calm down is not the answer!  It is hard to calm down a person who is raging because what they are seeing and experiencing is throwing off their thinking and disrupting their normal lives of getting their own way.  It is difficult to almost impossible to calm down a raging person who is irrational in their moment of craziness.  There is no reasoning with them that will take place, only more rage.  A mental and emotional shift is taking place and we need to be the ones who stand by ready to love and care for them.  Be the one who prays and loves, for we have all had these emotional fits that shift our thinking and change our perspective in life. Realize that someone prayed for you.

Is there a doctor in the house, we need help!  Why, yes there is…Jesus!  Jesus points the fit-throwing Pharisees back to the Scripture—the Scripture they have read pompously and religiously in the synagogue.  However, these leaders have added laws with ways to make money off the poor among them while building more power over the people who are simply trying to survive a life in a world where the Romans are the top oppressors.  The religious teachers, priests and scribes play games of manipulation with the Romans while holding on to their power over the people of God.  When their way of life is threatened, their former belief system challenged, what do they do?  They throw a fit!  They are very human.  They refuse to see who Jesus is and why He came.

Matthew 9:1-13, The Message

Who Needs a Doctor?

^1-3 Back in the boat, Jesus and the disciples recrossed the sea to Jesus’ hometown. They were hardly out of the boat when some men carried a paraplegic on a stretcher and set him down in front of them. Jesus, impressed by their bold belief, said to the paraplegic, “Cheer up, son. I forgive your sins.” Some religion scholars whispered, “Why, that’s blasphemy!”

^4-8 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why this gossipy whispering? Which do you think is simpler: to say, ‘I forgive your sins,’ or, ‘Get up and walk’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both. . . .” At this he turned to the paraplegic and said, “Get up. Take your bed and go home.” And the man did it. The crowd was awestruck, amazed and pleased that God had authorized Jesus to work among them this way.

⁹ Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes. His name was Matthew. Jesus said, “Come along with me.” Matthew stood up and followed him.

^10-11 Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and misfits?”

^12-13 Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.” –Jesus, the Doctor of complete healing

Jesus came to bring order to the chaos of confusion about who God is and what He wants for His people.  But to get their attention, it will disrupt current thinking.  The Doctor has come into the neighborhood of humanity to listen to people while examining their hearts.  He investigates their minds and then fills their empty souls with His love and compassion.  The Doctor heals, restores, and eventually does the ultimate—Jesus will fulfill all Scripture by “carrying our sins” to the cross of punishment that should have been ours to endure. 

Jesus is the compassionate Healing Doctor who brings healing of all kinds to people of all walks of life.  If that wasn’t enough, Jesus, who did no wrong, will pay for our sins.  Camp on that thought for a moment.  Then consider this:  In that moment of time, with all the sins of the world, then and now, placed on His shoulders, God must look away from His Son.  God cannot be where sin is so He turns His face from His Son until “It is finished” and the debt paid in full.  Wow.

But the mission wasn’t complete with what man did to Jesus.  God restored Jesus with full resurrection power causing life to flow through His veins once more!  This resurrection power sent Jesus to hell and back again to defeat our real enemy, The Tempter, as well as death.  Yes, Jesus rose from death to full life to walk around in His scarred body for all His followers to see, touch and feel.  Further proof that God does what He says He will do.

Yes, Jesus is the “Doctor in the house” who came for the sick, not the healthy with healing in ways no one else could offer.  Jesus also restored our relationship with God, the ultimate goal.  He came to restore us from the sickness of sin in humanity, the sick and broken, to full health and life eternal—All because of God’s amazing love for us!  “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 Doctor is in and waiting to see you! Don’t reject Him, run to Him and be healed and set free to live, really live!

Lord,

Thank you for this lesson that caused gratitude to well up in my heart to overflowing with praises on my lips for all you have done for me, in me and through me.  Thank you for healing and restoration! Thank you for saving my soul.  Daily I come for your cleansing, renewing, refreshing, and feeding of my heart, mind and soul and you deliver!  Thank you for restoring the joy of your salvation at work by you in me.  Thank you for deliverance from the enemy.  You are Life.  You are Hope.  You are Savior and Lord to me.  You are all I need!  I pray for those who need you to run to you now…

In Jesus Name, Amen

When Jesus shows up, everything we thought we knew about life changes.  When Jesus becomes not only our Savior but the Lord, the Master Teacher, the One and Only we trust as our Guide—life is not the same as it was before.  We have a new attitude!

Some of my family members and friends often scoff at the faith I have in Jesus.  Their sarcasm can be hurtful at times, but not surprising.  Lost people trying to do life completely on their own, who think they can handle all that comes their way all by themselves, have an attitude of pride and arrogance that will bring them down eventually.  We all suffer from this sin nature, meaning that self can run the show until self fails and falls.  Until they face extreme hard times that are completely out of their control; most will reject the One who can lead them to what is real—the Way to Truth and Life forever. 

“Only when pigs fly, will I consider accepting Jesus” say lost people.

Well, guess what?!  In our next passage, pigs fly!  I’d say it’s time to reconsider the power of Jesus who loves us relentlessly, like no other human on earth, as He extends all the mercy and grace we need to do life at His best! 

Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life.  Jesus is the answer to all your questions.  Jesus causes the pigs to fly—off a cliff.

Matthew 8, The Message

The Madmen and the Pigs

^28-31 They landed in the country of the Gadarenes and were met by two madmen, victims of demons, coming out of the cemetery. The men had terrorized the region for so long that no one considered it safe to walk down that stretch of road anymore. Seeing Jesus, the madmen screamed out, “What business do you have giving us a hard time? You’re the Son of God! You weren’t supposed to show up here yet!” Off in the distance a herd of pigs was grazing and rooting. The evil spirits begged Jesus, “If you kick us out of these men, let us live in the pigs.”

^32-34 Jesus said, “Go ahead, but get out of here!” Crazed, the pigs stampeded over a cliff into the sea and drowned. Scared to death, the swineherds bolted. They told everyone back in town what had happened to the madmen and the pigs. Those who heard about it were angry about the drowned pigs. A mob formed and demanded that Jesus get out and not come back.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Not everyone will respond to the changes Jesus makes in our lives.  That’s okay, go with Jesus who never fails us.

This dramatic incident is most revealing. It shows what Satan does for people: robs them of sanity and self-control; fills them with fears; robs them of the joys of home and friends; and, if possible, condemns them to an eternity of judgment. It also reveals what society does for those in need: restrains them, isolates them, and threatens them, but is unable to change them. In contrast, see what Jesus Christ can do for a person whose whole life—within and without—is plagued by bondage and battle.

Public Enemy Number One:  Notice that the “demons” knew Jesus well as they were from Satan, God’s angel who was kicked out of heaven because Satan’s pride overtook him.  Satan wanted to be God.  This same arrogant attitude is pressed upon us in our fallen, sin state of mind before humbly coming to Jesus.  Every character trait Satan wants us to possess in order to destroy us, or at least distract us from God is the extreme opposite of God’s character.  (Read Galatians 5 for the difference between Godly character traits and the traits Satan.)

Know God.  Know, accept, and believe His Son, Jesus.  Know the real enemy of our existence in this world.  Choose this day whom you will serve, worship, trust and obey—it’s a matter of life or death.  Don’t wait for pigs to fly!

Lord,

Thank you for bringing my attention and focus to all that is You. Thank you for changing my life by saving my soul.  Thank you for daily cleansing my heart, renewing my mind, refreshing and feeding my soul while restoring the joy of your salvation at work within me. You are Life to me.  I am yours.  Lead me…

In Jesus Name, Amen

When you go through deep waters,
    I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
    you will not drown.                                                                                                   Isaiah 43:2

I remember taking swimming lessons at the public pool in my hometown as a child.  I listened intently to my instructor as he demonstrated while telling me how to use my body to push the water in one direction so I could glide on top in the opposite direction to get to the other side.  We eventually learned and practiced all the strokes of swimming—in the shallow end. 

Then he took us to the deep end of the pool.  “Jump in,” he said, “use what you have learned to dive in and swim in the deep end of the pool.”  What now, you want me to do what?  Suddenly I felt as if all the learning of previous days of practice in the shallow end completely went out the window of my mind.  Panic set it.

I looked over the deep water where I knew my feet would not securely touch the bottom while my head remained above the water and panic grew.  All the trust I had in my teacher was forgotten.  My knees were weak.  “I can’t do this” the voice in my head kept shouting.  But the teacher shouted louder, “You can do this.  I’ve taught you what to do.  Use what you have learned. It doesn’t matter how deep the water is, it’s still water and you can swim in it and on top of it.”  “AND, I’ll be there to help you if you need it.”

Matthew 8:23-27, The Message

^23-25 Then he got in the boat, his disciples with him. The next thing they knew, they were in a severe storm. Waves were crashing into the boat—and he was sound asleep! They roused him, pleading, “Master, save us! We’re going down!”

²⁶ Jesus reprimanded them. “Why are you such cowards, such faint-hearts?” Then he stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet down: “Silence!” The sea became smooth as glass.

²⁷The men rubbed their eyes, astonished. “What’s going on here? Wind and sea stand up and take notice at his command!”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

I totally get you, disciples!  Even though most of you were experienced fishermen on the sea, you still panicked at the waves sweeping over the sides of the boat in the deep waters! 

We read this familiar bible story of Jesus silencing the waves and calming the seas by his word alone and we sometimes wonder why the disciples were “astonished”, amazed that He could do what they asked Him to do— “Save us!”  But then we realize we have the same response to God’s glory at work in our lives when we pass through the deep waters of overwhelming worry and anxieties over troubles we cannot control or fix.

We don’t look for trouble.  We don’t plan for trouble.  But troubles find us and unexpectedly rise up behind us, before us and all around us while we stand helpless right in the middle of these deep waters of trouble. All we feel is panic.  All we can think  to do is exactly what the disciples did instinctively—cry out in panic, “Jesus, save us,” right?!  None of us have a faith that is yet totally perfected.  Faith in God grows with each challenge we as we go through the deep waters with His promise, “I will be with you, you will not drown.”

Troubles in life are like playing the game Wackamole.  When you wack one mole of a problem down, another one pops up.  We can spend a lot of energy trying to wack at these problems or trust in Jesus to take us through the problems.

Later, after many more faith lessons, Jesus will be taken soon to complete his mission on earth to save us completely from all our sins by being nailed to a cross.  Imagine Jesus looking into the eyes of His devoted disciples to verify and reassure what they have learned as they jump into the deep end of the pool of life without His physical presence!

“Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”  John 16:33 MSG

As we go through deep waters may we be deeply at peace with the One and Only who can calm the sea with one word. 

And is it really so surprising that Jesus, God’s Son, who was with God as He created the world we live in, with merely word commands, can indeed calm the sea He Himself created?  I don’t think so.

“Let there be light, and there was light…” Genesis 1:3

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Lord,

You are life.  You are Hope.  You are indeed Light in this dark world.  You created us and know us inside and out.  You love us unconditionally.  You teach us real faith that lasts by taking us through our trials and troubles on earth.  And You are always with us as we go through it all. Thank you for saving us, growing, and maturing us as we place all our trust in you.  I believe.  You are amazing and I am yours!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

To work my way through college and at other times of my life for extra funds, I worked in the retail business.  Some days were alive with people willing to stand in long lines to purchase what we were selling.  Those very busy days that made my time at work pass quickly, sometimes missing lunch breaks without realizing that I did.  I was too busy to be hungry! That’s not like me! I loved busy days!  I felt accomplished.  I learned much more on a busy day, full of surprises and challenges, that on a “dead” day did not teach.  It is interesting that in the business world at the end of day, in our reporting, we describe business as “alive or dead.” 

Dead days are times of merely passing the time with nonessential activity that doesn’t really matter to the people we served.  As employees, we look for things to do to justify our pay or we might be sent home.  Hourly people don’t get a wage for going home!  We would clean and reorganize our work spaces for no apparent reason other than to look busy on a dead day of business.  (Kind of like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic!)

Jesus stops on a very busy, alive day of serving people to make a strong point about how we go about the business of living.  Listen in as He gives a new perspective to those who think they want to follow Him…

Matthew 8:18-22, The Message

Your Business Is Life, Not Death

^18-19 When Jesus saw that a curious crowd was growing by the minute, he told his disciples to get him out of there to the other side of the lake. As they left, a religion scholar asked if he could go along. “I’ll go with you, wherever,” he said.

²⁰ Jesus was curt: “Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.”

²¹ Another follower said, “Master, excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have my father’s funeral to take care of.”

²² Jesus refused. “First things first. Your business is life, not death. Follow me. Pursue life.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

FIRST GOD.  God created us in our mother’s womb.  He knew us before we were formed.  He gave us life.  (Psalm 139)  Jesus provided the Way to spiritual Life eternal through rebirth in Kingdom of God thinking and behaving.  God sent Jesus to secure our life eternal with all who believe.  (John 3:16)

So then, who we are and what we do in between rebirth and eternal life matters to God! What does our “business of living” look like?  Is it alive or dead? 

Jesus says life depends on who you seek first, listen to and then decide to follow at all costs—before doing anything of significance each day. God brings life.  Jesus IS Life.  Anything else brings dead living, just marking time, merely keeping busy to look busy to others, until you physically die.  Well, that’s no way to live, says Jesus!

GO TELL.  Jesus will share with us the “end game” of the business of living at the end of Matthew’s reporting.  Here is a glimpse:

“The angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

“Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ That’s the message.”  Matthew 28:5-7, MSG

No matter what is occupying your mind, no matter what activity you are involved in at the moment, no matter what your feelings are that distract you—When God shows us; Do what God says.

There’s much more in Matthew but this is enough for now.  

STAY ALIVE.  Seek God first, the rest of life will follow.  Come alive in Christ, Paul writes—

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4, NIV

^“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Ephesians 2:10, NIV

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8, NIV

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ—“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” Romans 5:17 Life is a gift from God given while we were still in sin!  What amazing love this is!

“…so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:21, NIV

GLORIOUS DAYS ARE ALIVE IN JESUS DAYS!

Sing with me, “Glorious Day” written by Jason Ingram, Jonathan Smith, Kristian Stanfill, Sean Curran—

I was buried beneath my shame

Who could carry that kind of weight

It was my tomb

Till I met You

I was breathing, but not alive

All my failures I tried to hide

It was my tomb

Till I met You

You called my name

And I ran out of that grave

Out of the darkness

Into Your glorious day

Now Your mercy has saved my soul

Now Your freedom is all I know

The old made new

Jesus, when I met You

You called my name

And I ran out of that grave

Out of the darkness

Into Your glorious day

I needed rescue

My sin was heavy

But chains break at the weight of Your glory

I needed shelter

I was an orphan

But You call me a citizen of heaven

When I was broken

You were my healing

Your love is the air that I’m breathing

I have a future

My eyes are open

You called my name

And I ran out of that grave

Out of the darkness

Into Your glorious day!

Lord,

Thank you for saving my soul, bringing real Life from dead living!

In Jesus Name, Amen

I have gone to all kinds of pastor/youth-worker conferences where the best-known speakers, effective in their own ministries, are called in to give people on the “front lines” of ministry encouragement and help with more ways of doing ministry to consider. Those that helped me the most were the humbled men and women who told of how God turned things around for them because of their faith and trust in Him, not necessarily by their methods. These people filled my hungry soul again with who God is and what HE can do in and through us—more than those who boasted of their best, “highly effective habits”, as leaders of their organization called church.  However, one can glean from all of them when you ask God to teach you through whoever the speaker is in front of you.  God is amazing like that.

Add outstanding leaders of worship of God to this mix along with relating to those between sessions who do what you do and understand the highs and lows of ministry, we are highly encouraged and challenged on this mountain top where no one is calling upon us to address issues of “great importance” for a few days. We are free to learn, grow in faith, regain complete trust in God we love.  We confess all our past mistakes in judgement and missteps in ministry—all sins at the altar of forgiveness by Jesus.  We are renewed and refreshed, ready to go back to the world we serve.  We are overflowing with excitement and new energy as we realize once more that with God in the lead, nothing is impossible with Him.

What we learn from the mountain top:  God must lead, we must follow.

What we apply from the learning will be evident in the doing.  BE then DO. 

Jesus is our Perfect example who showed us how to love people on and off the mountain.  Jesus comes down the mountain smiling, “with the cheers of the crowd still ringing in his ears;” then, without hesitation it seems, He is caring for those who need Him most.  Jesus heals, restores, and “carries our diseases”—doing everything exactly the way the prophets said He would.  He follows the leading of His Father, God.

Matthew 8:1-17, The Message

^1-2 Jesus came down the mountain with the cheers of the crowd still ringing in his ears. Then a leper appeared and dropped to his knees before Jesus, praying, “Master, if you want to, you can heal my body.”

^3-4 Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there, all signs of the leprosy were gone. Jesus said, “Don’t talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed body to the priest, along with the appropriate expressions of thanks to God. Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done.”

^5-6 As Jesus entered the village of Capernaum, a Roman captain came up in a panic and said, “Master, my servant is sick. He can’t walk. He’s in terrible pain.”

⁷ Jesus said, “I’ll come and heal him.”

^8-9 “Oh, no,” said the captain. “I don’t want to put you to all that trouble. Just give the order and my servant will be fine. I’m a man who takes orders and gives orders. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes; to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

^10-12 Taken aback, Jesus said, “I’ve yet to come across this kind of simple trust in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know all about God and how he works. This man is the vanguard of many outsiders who will soon be coming from all directions—streaming in from the east, pouring in from the west, sitting down at God’s kingdom banquet alongside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then those who grew up ‘in the faith’ but had no faith will find themselves out in the cold, outsiders to grace and wondering what happened.”

¹³ Then Jesus turned to the captain and said, “Go. What you believed could happen has happened.” At that moment his servant became well.

^14-15 By this time they were in front of Peter’s house. On entering, Jesus found Peter’s mother-in-law sick in bed, burning up with fever. He touched her hand and the fever was gone. No sooner was she up on her feet than she was fixing dinner for him.

^16-17 That evening a lot of demon-afflicted people were brought to him. He relieved the inwardly tormented. He cured the bodily ill. He fulfilled Isaiah’s well-known revelation:

He took our illnesses,
He carried our diseases.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Faith leads people to Jesus. 

Jesus is impressed by real faith in Him. 

Jesus heals and restores.

Do we really believe in who God is and what He says about Himself and His Son, Jesus really real?  Our behaviors will reflect the depth of our faith in Him.

For me, the most startling words by Jesus in middle of His ministry to a leper, a servant of a Roman soldier, Peter’s mom, and the demon possessed are; “those who grew up ‘in the faith’ but had no faith will find themselves out in the cold, outsiders to grace and wondering what happened.”

We need to consistently check our hearts, minds, and souls.  Do a faith check today.  I don’t want to be caught out in the cold, do you? I want the faith of the Centurion that Jesus saw as real faith: “What you believed could happen has happened.” 

Lord,

I’m listening and learning from you in the quiet of this first hour of the day.  You never disappoint.  Our daily “manna” time together is of mountain top proportions and fills my hungry and thirsty soul.  But now the day must begin and tasks accomplished.  I know that you will lead me through the shallow to deep waters, through good times and the not so good times. 

Thank you, Lord.  I believe.  I know that nothing is impossible when you are leading and guiding me.  You are my life.  I believe what you say.  I am eternally grateful for all you have done, what you are doing now and what you will do in my life.  Thank you for allowing me to be an “insider to grace” while knowing what lies ahead for me—a home with You forever.  You are my blessed assurance, my hope of things to come but not yet seen now.  Help me live by faith.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Nothing is more irritating in my little world as forgetting a password to an account so I can simply pay a bill or research information!  I could be a loyal customer for years but if I don’t know (forgot) the password—I’m out of luck and no longer exist.  I am “dead” to them unless I know the way in.  Why make it so hard?  I know you are going to tell me, “it’s a security protection for me”, but if I just want to pay my bill, let me.  And, by the way, who’s going to want in to pay it for me?  Seriously, if someone wants to pay my bills—let them in!

The tech world is now run by passwords and with double security checks!  They ask questions that force me to remember my childhood playmate from first grade or who made me mad in the church nursery as an infant.  Life gets even harder when what I thought was my password is no longer is the way to get in! Sometimes our bank will tighten up their security by no longer accepting my password, requiring me to come up with an entirely new password that is original, unique only to me, never been used, unforgettable, and must contain about a thousand characters!  Ugh.

This and other irritations of life come from being too busy, too much in a hurry, seeking all that is crazy and mostly insignificant.  We don’t allow ourselves any margin for error in our lives.  This song, “Breathe,” convicts me this morning:

Alarm clock screaming bare feet hit the floor
It’s off to the races everybody out the door
I’m feeling like I’m falling behind, it’s a crazy life

Ninety miles an hour going fast as I can
Trying to push a little harder trying to get the upper hand
So much to do in so little time, it’s a crazy life
It’s ready, set, go it’s another wild day
When the stress is on the rise in my heart I feel you say just

Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe

Third cup of joe just to get me through the day
Want to make the most of time but I feel it slip away
I wonder if there’s something more to this crazy life
I’m busy, busy, busy, and it’s no surprise to see
That I only have time for me, me, me
There’s gotta be something more to this crazy life
I’m hanging on tight to another wild day
When it starts to fall apart in my heart I hear you say just

Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need

Is to take it in, fill your lungs
The peace of God that overcomes
Just breathe (just breathe)
let your weary spirit rest
Lay down what’s good and find what’s best
Just breathe (just breathe)

Just breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe
Just breathe

Source: LyricFind, Songwriters: Jonathan Smith / Jonny Diaz / Tony Wood

No passwords with God, knowing Jesus is seriously to Way to God!  Then do what God says!

Matthew 7:13-29, The Message

Being and Doing

^13-14 “Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.

^15-20 “Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned.

^21-23 “Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doingwhat my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our super-spiritual projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’

^24-25 “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

^26-27 “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

^28-29 When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying—quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Be before Doing.  Be still before God, let go of our will, so we can hear the will of God.  Then do it! 

To be before doing means talking with God first.  Jesus taught us how to talk to God in pray in this same powerful sermon on the mountainside. 

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”                          (Matthew 6:9-13, NIV, emphasis mine)

Breathe in God’s Holy Spirit with each breath we take.  Listen to our Helper who leads us to take a beat in our efforts to manage our lives to get to know God better so we can do life His way for our best! 

Read Psalm 46:10-11, slowly, and take all the time needed to just breathe.

“He (God) says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.’

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Let’s break down what God is saying to us—

• Be still and know that I am God.
• Be still and know.
• Be still.
• Be.

The password is BE then DO.  You’re welcome.

Lord,

I’m taking deep breaths physically right now in order to let go and be still before you.  I am emptying my mind of today’s agenda so I can hear your plan.  I am being before doing anything which I am learning actually saves time and effort on my part.  Doing what you say after being with you brings peace and joy in the doing.  Thank you, Lord, for lessons in what we really need—to be at your feet with eyes fixed on you.  Help me to breathe.

In Jesus Name, Amen