First Thoughts For Him

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Friends

2008-09-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Choose your friends wisely. Many of us heard these words growing up. Perhaps from mom or dad, a teacher, grandparent of other influential adult in your life. The Bible has much to say about what makes a good friend. Consider these verses. Take a look at your friends. How are you doing at surrounding yourself with friends that have these qualities? And while you are at it, how are you measuring up as a friend to others? Are you to the type of friend the Bible commends?

Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 22:24
Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered,

Proverbs 27:6
Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

Proverbs 27:9
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel.

Proverbs 27:10
Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you- better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

The Many Voices of God

2008-09-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 4:7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?

Let's have some fun. How many ways has God used to communicate according to the Scriptures?

Appearing directly - Adam and Eve, Moses

Through angels - Jacob, Mary, Joseph, "some people have entertained angels without knowing it" Hebrews 13:2

Holy Spirit - "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26 "he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-" John 14:16 "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." John 14:23

Bible verses - "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." Romans 15:4

Burning bush - Moses in Exodus 3

Donkey - "Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam" Numbers 22:28 [An interesting side note is that God opened the donkey's mouth AFTER Balaam ignored the donkey's actions, which was yet another way God was trying to communicate with Balaam.]

Pillar of Cloud Pillar of Fire - God used as a guide and spoke from the cloud

Other People - Examples include prophets, other followers of God, and even non-believers

Remember the account of the crippled beggar in Acts 3?

The Holy Spirit - Gave instruction to Peter and John in some inaudible way

Peter and John - These two disciples were used by God to communicate to the crippled beggar.

Miracles - The crippled beggar's healing spoke to others

Answered prayer - The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter."

Tongues - Acts 2; I Corinthians 14

The Creation - Romans 1:18-21

And no doubt this list is just a start.

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27

I took you through this exercise, because it's been my observation that many of us put very strict limits on 'how' God speaks to us, and maybe we're missing out. For example, some of us found ourselves in a spiritual environment where God speaking to us through the Scriptures is all we ever heard about. If we see such creativity and variety of God speaking to us in Scripture, maybe we should be more open to hearing Him speak to us in a variety of ways.

So, as the rest of the day unfolds, I would ask that (now or later) you take a few moments and consider where and how you look for God to speak to you. May none of us ever miss a 'burning bush' experience God has for us.

Grace & Mercy (Part 2)

2008-09-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 4:16

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need

Last week we began to parse these two important words and spiritual concepts that both appear 124 times in the Bible (NIV). This is not an easy distinction, so we're taking a second look to make things clear.

When you think of mercy, it's helpful to think of God's justice. Mercy has to do with being delivered from what the Law demands. When it is said, 'he threw himself upon the mercy of the court', the point is to ask for leniency, not because you deserve it, but because you don't. That's what mercy is all about-being treated better than what you legally deserve.

Acts of grace can include acts of mercy, but are not limited to acts of mercy.

At my home church, over 1,000 children in third world countries are given the opportunity to go to school and receive a meal each day and other benefits due to the monthly gifts of individuals in our church. In most cases, the sponsor never has and never will meet the children they are sponsoring. These children receive these gifts not because they have done something to deserve them, nor to avoid some punishment they deserve-they were born into poverty. No, these are gifts of grace. They have nothing to do with the merits and character of the child. They have much more to do with the character of the giver, who does this because they want to do so.

So it is with God's gifts of grace. They reveal God's character. Grace is God's unmerited favor.

Grace & Mercy

2008-08-27T22:49:00.000-07:00

1 Timothy 1:2

To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

"Cynthia's a lemming" is a phrase I heard for the first time at a faculty prayer meeting in a Taiwan seminary. Throughout the year that followed, I detected the same phrase over and over again in the prayers of the seminary's president. That I could possibly hear such a thing can only be explained as the combination of his accent and my unaccustomed ear as I was struggling to learn Chinese. I was told that good language learners were to take note of peculiar phrases, and this one seemed to qualify. It was voiced so frequently and with so much feeling that I was convinced of its deep significance. In this at least I was correct. I eventually learned that what sounded like "Cynthia's a lemming" had nothing to do with anyone named Cynthia or that puzzling suicidal rodent. The phrase was an appeal to God, meaning "Give us grace and mercy." Its frequency in the president's prayers revealed his conviction that the foundation of Christian life and service is God's grace and mercy. [1]

"Grace" and "mercy" both appear 124 times in the NIV-many times together. Clearly another set of big ideas expressed by God with few words.

But what is 'grace'? What is 'mercy'? Is there a difference between the two?

You may have heard it said, 'grace is God's unmerited favor'. Grace encompasses all manner of gifts from God, and since in every respect we are unworthy, it follows that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."-James 1:17

Mercy can be illustrated by the following story.

A Christian "Power Team" was en route to an assembly at a California high school, where they were the featured speakers. Enjoying each other's company just a bit too much, the driver wasn't paying as much attention as he should to the speed limit. Of course, it wasn't long before they saw the blinking lights of a patrol car in their rear view mirror.

After taking license and registration the officer went back to his car to check them out. While he was gone two of the passengers began to discuss how unjust it would be for the driver Donny to get a ticket. They just hit the city limits so they were sure they hadn't been given enough time to reduce their speed. They weren't even sure there was a sign that could be clearly seen. Then of course there was the 'spiritual' side of this. They were on a mission from God! Then Donny spoke up.

"Guys God just dropped a thought into my heart. I should have been paying better attention. I screwed up, there is no excuse. I deserve the ticket."

With that the officer reappeared at the door of their car. Unnoticed by them, the officer had overheard most of the conversation and just kind of hung back at the rear of the car until that moment. He turned to Donny and said, "Young man I have one question for you. I'm going to give you a choice. Do you want 'justice' or 'mercy'?"

"I want mercy" replied Donny!

With that the officer tore up the ticket and walked back to his car.

There is as much difference between mercy and grace, as is between the effect and the cause: for grace is that free good will of God, by which he chose us in Christ, and mercy is that free justification which follows it. [2]

1. Intervarsity Press Commentary
2. Geneva Study Bible

Pray for...

2008-08-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

John 17:9

I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

So, what are we to pray for? As we can see from today's verse, we are to exercise some discretion. Some things we are to pray for; others we are not. Some people we are to pray for in specific ways; to the exclusion of others.

Without further comment, we're going to list many of those Bible verses that give us specific direction on what to pray for. As you go through them ask yourself: Which of these do I pray for? Which do I need to add to my prayer list? Which of these surprises you; and what can you learn from this?

Psalm 122:6

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you be secure."

Jeremiah 11:14

"Do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress."

Matthew 5:44

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

Matthew 19:13

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them.

Luke 6:28

bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

John 17:9

I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

Romans 8:26

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

Colossians 1:3

[ Thanksgiving and Prayer ] We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

Colossians 4:3

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ

1 Thessalonians 5:25

Brothers, pray for us.

2 Thessalonians 1:11

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.

2 Thessalonians 3:1

[ Request for Prayer ] Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.

Hebrews 13:18

Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.

James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Pray and...

2008-08-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

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

Recently a pastor friend of mine sought my input on how to counsel another pastor who came to him for help. The gist of it is this other pastor has become quite discouraged over a lack of progress with his small congregation. This pastor has given himself over to much prayer asking God for a breakthrough. In this pastor’s world, prayer is the answer to all concerns, and he figured if he simply prayed enough, things would change.

Now I want to be clear about this next statement: The Holy Spirit gave me the answer [I’m not that smart!]

I told my pastor friend, “Ask him, ‘What did God say to you when you prayed?’”

Three things were at work in this pastor’s spiritual upbringing that needed correction.

1. While this pastor spent much time in prayer, it was all spent TALKING to God. He left no time or space for God to speak to him. He didn’t expect God would speak to him. The fact is God has much he wants to say to him.
2. This pastor expected God to do everything. He didn’t expect to have any role in the answer other than to pray. It didn’t even occur to him that there might be a “pray and…”
3. The pastor too was stuck. All the while feeling frustrated over a lack of progress, the pastor hadn’t changed anything. Up to this point, he had not sought out any godly counsel, or tried anything new or different.

One of the great overarching messages of the Bible is this: The Bible is about God’s pursuit of a relationship with mankind. God doesn’t NEED us, but He has made it very clear He WANTS us. He’s designed our lives to be a collaborative effort. He is WITH us, IN us, and wants to work THROUGH us.

Prayer is wonderful. Prayer is truly is one of the Big Ideas of Scripture. But prayer is not the answer itself. God moves mountains, not prayer. And sometimes God moves US. We need to be full participants in God’s Kingdom work. It’s not always “pray”, oftentimes it’s “pray and…”

“pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways” II Chronicles 7:14b “pray and not give up” Luke 18:1b “turn back to you with all their heart and soul…and pray” II Chronicles 6:38b “Love your enemies and pray” Matthew 5:44b “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Matthew 26:41a; Mark 14:38a “Repent of this wickedness and pray” Acts 8:22a “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray” Ephesians 6:17b-18a “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other” James 5:16a

Pray in...

2008-07-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

Jude 1:20
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.

When you saw the title for today's message how did you 'fill-in-the-blank'?
Perhaps.

.Pray in your secret place?

.Pray in a place not to be seen by others?

.Pray in silence?

What did you think?

Actually, I found but one "pray in." statement in the several Bible versions I searched, repeated in several verses, but just one thought: "pray in the Holy Spirit".

Ephesians 6:18 further amplifies these thoughts. "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

One of the implications of this verse is that every time we pray, we are to pray in the Spirit. So, what does it mean to "pray in the Spirit"?

Jesus said, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." - John 14:18-20

So, if the Holy Spirit is with us and in us, maybe the more pertinent question is 'how can we NOT pray in the Spirit?' The answer is pretty obvious.

We can ignore Him.

We can muzzle Him.

We can stop listening to Him.

We can forget He's there.

Instead the Scriptures are imploring us to recognize His presence. Listen to Him-He is our Councilor. Listen to what He says; He is the Spirit of truth (v. 16). Let Him speak through us both in prayer and in life; for He will give you words and wisdom (Luke 21:15). Follow Him, He is our God and Savior, He did not leave us as orphans!

Pray in the Holy Spirit.

Pray to...

2008-06-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 4:7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?

Today I'd like to remind us who we "pray to".

I've observed three dominent models Christians use for communicating with God. See if you recognize these.

1. Bible study. Through the Bible we learn about God, what He is like, what He thinks, and what He expects of us. Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

2. Prayers to God. 1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.

3. Communication from God. John 10:3b, 16a the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out...16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice.

May I suggest that all three models for communicating with God are valid? They all are supported by Scripture (and not just the ones I've listed). So why do we see so many who act as if God can only speak to them through the Bible? Or those who pray to God, but never give God the chance in prayer to speak to them?

Why do we put such limits on God?

Twenty-five times we are told to "pray to the LORD". Now as believers who else would we pray to? So why tell us to pray to the LORD? I think sometimes we need to be reminded.

We pray to the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing God--the God who is able.
We pray to the One and Only true God, not an idol.
We pray to the God who is near, not far off.
We pray to the God who cares, leads and guides our path.
We pray to the God who is neither deaf (unable to hear), nor dumb (unable or unwilling to speak).
We pray to the LORD.

Pray Regardless of Obstacles

2008-06-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

Luke 18:1

[ The Parable of the Persistent Widow ] Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Last week I asked you to read the entire parable, verses 1-8 (reprinted below) and ask yourself these four questions.

1. For whose benefit was this parable given?
2. What obstacles to prayer are mentioned? What does this suggest about our perceptions about God?
3. What do we learn about God through this parable?
4. What did Jesus want us to learn about prayer?

Today we pick up on these thoughts.

The first question should have been easy. Verse 1 clearly states that Jesus told this parable to the disciples, for their benefit, and with a specific objective in mind. I would simply add that WE are His disciples. So while we were not standing in front of Jesus when He originally spoke this parable, none-the-less He intended this parable for you and me as much as Peter and John.

The second question is harder, in fact you may have really struggled with this one, yet it is the key to really understand what Jesus was teaching. You see we all know we SHOULD pray and never give up-so why don't we? There are obstacles to prayer and Jesus in this parable is addressing them. They are found in the description of the judge.

"a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men" - How many times has God been described as one who doesn't care about us and does what He wants? How many times have some of us questioned whether God really cares about what is going on in our lives, and questioned whether God really is holy and just? Is this an obstacle to prayer? You bet-a huge obstacle.

"For some time he refused" and "Will he keep putting them off?" - How many times have we wondered if God has simply refused our request? There is also an old adage that says, 'Justice delayed is justice denied.' When the visible answer to our prayer is delayed, often our minds speculate, and this is often one of the thoughts that become an obstacle to continued prayer. After all, what is the point if God refused our request?

"Listen to what the unjust judge says" - Isn't this the crux of it. Sometimes, some of us question whether God is really just.

Now while it is true that these accusations of God's character are rampant among unbelievers, Jesus didn't address this parable to unbelievers, but to believers! If we are truthful with ourselves, we know that we have or are struggling with some of these things. Jesus also knew this to be true. That is why He laid this all out there for us.

For many of us reading through this parable, we didn't even make this connection. Our response to these characteristics of this 'judge' is to say, 'but God isn't like that!' But these obstacles can be insidious. They creep in through our emotions, in our times of struggle, at our weakest moments. We must be on our guard, recognize them for what they are: falsehoods that become obstacles to prayer, and remind ourselves, 'but God isn't like that!' The Psalms are great examples as time and time again we see David's faith and perspective about God change as he remembers his prior experiences with God. We need to do the same.

I think it says a lot about our God that He is willing to put this out there. In essence through this parable He is saying, 'I know at times you think these things about Me.' But rather than rebuking us for having these thoughts, He's trying to help us work through them. He's saying, 'Don't let these thoughts keep you from bringing your cares to Me. Keep coming. I do care, and I will answer. He gently reminds us who He is and who we are: "will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones"? His chosen ones-that's who we are and what He thinks of us!

One last thought.

"I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly." Most all of us struggle with this concept of getting justice quickly. We could devote a whole series of messages to this topic, but for now let me simply say this. Jesus promised quick justice to the one who prayed. This is different than promising quick judgment for our adversary. Is not this God's time of grace (unmerited favor) and mercy on ALL people? God has given us many wonderful promises. Promises to supply our needs, repay us for wrongs done to us because of our stand for Christ and many other things. Every good gift is from God. Has He kept them? Has He given us what we deserve (justice), or has He dealt with us according to His grace and mercy?

The Parable of the Persistent Widow - Luke 18:1-8

1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'

4 "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "

6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Pray

2008-06-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

Luke 18:1
[ The Parable of the Persistent Widow ] Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

When it comes to big ideas and few words, there are no fewer words than one, and the one word is: pray. This is similar to the first few words, bid ideas statement we started with: Follow me, in that 'pray' is an imperative. It demands action.

Pray - this imperative appears 117 times in the Bible (NIV).

Pray - it demands action. Never in Scripture will you see words like: 'When you feel like it, pray', or 'Pray, when it pleases you'. No, today's verse is the perfect backdrop for a theme that is played out over and over in God's Word: "to show them that they should always pray and not give up."

We all know we should pray. Most of us (at least to ourselves) will probably admit we should pray more than we do. However, the purpose of today's message (and the messages that follow) is not to beat you up about how much you should pray. No rather, I think you will find, as I have, a great deal in Scripture that you will find encouraging, that will lift you up, that will motivate you to pray, because you want to, and because you'll find in these verses ways to incorporate prayer that are irresistible.

But here is the first thing you need to know. This is a REALLY BIG IDEA. So big that we can't possibly tackle it all in one single devotional meditation. 117 verses with the imperative to 'pray'. Many of them are the centerpiece for entire sections of Scripture (like today's verse). So we'll tackle this like the old riddle.

Question: How do you eat an elephant?

Answer: One bite at a time.

And you know what? God even gives us the outline for how to do this.

For today, I simply want you to read this short parable, and ask yourself these questions.

1. For whose benefit was this parable given?
2. What obstacles to prayer are mentioned? What does this suggest about our perceptions about God?
3. What do we learn about God through this parable?
4. What did Jesus want us to learn about prayer?

The Parable of the Persistent Widow - Luke 18:1-8

1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'

4 "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "

6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Worship

2008-05-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Genesis 24:26
Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD

Worship is the recognition that God has been merciful to me.
Worship results when I realize I did not receive what I deserved (death), but rather what He desired (love, mercy, eternal life with Him).
Worship is what happens when I recognize God's grace (unmerited favor).
Worship is the uncontrollable response when we realize Jesus really did pay the price for MY sins.
Worship is what happens when I value God's mercy, more than my warped sense of justice.
Worship is what happens when I realize God loves me so much that at great cost He chose for me His grace, instead of punishment, His mercy, instead what I deserve.
Worship is what happens when I realize my Holy God, chose this sinful man, to be His holy bride, making what was broken and useless, holy and noble.
Worship is what happens when I recognize I did not choose Him, love Him, or deserve Him, yet He relentlessly pursued me.

Love One Another

2008-05-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

John 13:34 (New International Version)

34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Another big idea with few words: "love one another".

But wait! Didn't we already cover this one? Well, not really. We covered "love your neighbor". This is different. "Love one another" is about loving your brothers and sisters in Christ.

If I said to you, 'love your next door neighbor' and then said 'love your spouse' would there be a difference? I would hope so! The same is true here.

Today I had two prayer requests from those in our small group; another six from others in our local congregation. I got a call from one brother letting me know how he's doing after injuring his foot playing volleyball at last weekend's Men's Retreat. I talked to another brother who is recovering from shoulder surgery. He's a fellow golfer, so I recounted in detail the events around my hole-in-one this weekend, knowing he would appreciate it and wanted to be there. Our small group made plans to share a meal together this Friday. A typical day.

The point is as brothers and sisters in Christ we're a whole lot more involved in each others lives and in different ways than we are with our typical 'neighbor', and the way we express love should reflect that difference.

Then there is the fact that 'they' are watching. You know who I mean-the unbelievers.

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:35

This love identifies and links us to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." - 1 John 4:11

And this love has a quality that comes from God alone.

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." - John 13:34

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." - 1 John 4:7

"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." - 1 John 4:12

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart." - 1 Peter 1:22

And finally, this is a command not just to the apostles, or the first Christians, but for all Christ Followers.

"And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another." - 2 John 1:5

This is Right

2008-05-06T23:34:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 6:1
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Now parents this is for you. I'm going to give you the single most important key to successful parenting.

"Obey your parents" - Another big idea with few words.

This is the ONE command given to your children. Jesus knows how to keep it simple. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother,' which is the first commandment with a promise."

As a parent, this is your main objective-teach your child to obey. First your child needs to learn to obey YOU. Then they learn to obey Christ. Remember our verse from last week? "If you love me, keep my commandments."-John 14:15 and our first big idea "Follow me", which is expressed 77 times in the New Testament. Isn't that the ultimate objective then, to teach our children to follow Jesus?

It's a two-step process and as such it matters that they learn to obey and HOW they learn to obey us. Here's what I mean by the 'how'.

We discussed this topic in our small group and one of our mothers had a great story to tell on this point.

As a young mother outside of the church, she was looking for some good pointers to raise her first child. She observed a mother with three young boys, who really seemed to have them under control. They were so well behaved, they really listened to her. So our young mother inquired of this woman, 'what is your secret?' The woman referred her to some specific child rearing material. Some of the material made sense, but others made her cringe.

Like the exercise where she was to sit her 2-year old at the table with his favorite toy in front of him.and say 'no' and slap his hands every time he reached out for his toy. Do this for 30 minutes.

You probably cringed too just at the thought of doing this.

Would the child learn a form of obedience? Undoubtedly, one based on fear and cruelty. The child may learn to obey you, but is this the model that will lead to a transfer of allegiance to Christ?

It does matter HOW they learn to obey us. We are to model Christ. Step one: Learn to obey someone LIKE Jesus. Step two: Choose to obey/follow the real thing.

Does that make sense? Is that a big idea worth living?

Love and Obediance

2008-04-28T22:29:00.000-07:00

John 14:15
If you love me, keep my commandments.

“Keep my commandments” – Another big idea with few words.

I had a looooooong conversation with a Jehovah Witness about this verse. His read (which he learned from the Watchtower Society) is that this verse says that keeping the Commandments proves our love for Jesus. He was quite obstinate on this point, which he stated plainly: Keeping the commandments PROVED he loved Jesus. He had it backwards.

Keeping the Commandments does not prove love for God. I know of many people who keep God’s Commandments for reasons that have nothing to do with a love for God.

The atheist that does not steal, does not murder, does not bear false witness, because he fears the consequences of getting jailed.

The husband that does not commit adultery, because he fears the repercussions of his wife.

The “Rich Young Ruler” who approached Jesus stating he kept all the Commandments, yet did not love and would not follow Jesus.

We could go on, but I’m sure you can relate.

To my confused JW friend Hector, someone was a Christian based on obedience, not God’s mercy and love. He had no relationship with Jesus or God, nor did he expect one. God was to be obeyed. That’s it.

In contrast, the message of this short verse is pretty clear. Love for Jesus is the great motivator. “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Our love finds its expression in keeping the Commandments. Love is the cause, keeping the Commandments is the effect.

Love Your Neighbor

2008-04-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

Galatians 5:14
The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Most of the time I've heard a message on "Love your neighbor as yourself" what quickly follows is: "love your enemies" - Matt. 5:44, and "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:14. No doubt this is the ultimate goal and best exemplified by our Great God and Savior Jesus. But can I suggest for a moment that we mere mortals not start by putting the bar 'way up there'.

How about we start by being nice to each other, considerate, even kind? How about we start with being consistent at doing the little things, the things that, while they do not cost us much, nevertheless speak volumes?

I have found that in today's culture these little things speak volumes.

A door held open almost always results in a smile and a reminder to the person served that they are valued.

A plate of food gotten for a wife and guest elicits a smile and the comment by the guest "and I thought chivalry was dead."

The five-year old son of our bank representative came with 'mom' to our groundbreaking celebration Sunday. I gave him a little toy truck that we had used as a table decoration at our staff retreat. It cost me nothing but a thought. Not only did mom appreciate this little act of kindness, but the son later asked mom why this man who didn't know him gave him a present.

All these are God sightings. They are glimpses of He who lives with us. And 'they' are watching. How many times have I heard someone tell their story of how they found Christ, and it started with simple acts like these?

Few words, big ideas.

Love the Lord Your God

2008-04-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

Matthew 22:37
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'"

Jesus was asked, "which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Once again, Jesus responds with few words, but big ideas.

What great act would God require? Perhaps to live a holy life? Some great act of lifelong service? Build or create something of great importance? Possibly solve world hunger? Perhaps a lifetime of service to God? What would God require?

Of course we know the answer. This is a most famous passage. But to understand God I think it helps to consider the other possibilities. You see as wonderful and reasonable as any of these other things are, none of them were worthy of being elevated to "the greatest commandment". The greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God" with everything you have within you. It says a lot about God and who He is, that THIS is the greatest commandment. He wants your love, more than obedience, more than any accomplishment, more than any act of sacrifice.

Today, our Director of English as a Second Language brought to me a well thought out question from one of her students. This student wanted to know if God ever regrets an action He has taken. The student cited Genesis 6:7 "So the LORD said, 'I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them.'" And 1 Samuel 15:11 "I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions."

There is a direct answer to this question, but this student needed more. The answer they needed went like this.

We have the capacity to bring great sadness to God, and these are two great examples of this. We also need to understand that we have the capacity to please God and bring Him great joy. This is one of the most amazing truths-that we have the capacity to please God.

Why does God value our love more than all these other things? That's a question worthy of meditating upon. Here are a few things I've discovered so far.

1. "With all our soul" Our love is a free will offering-freely offered, freely given. God can and apparently has created those who love Him and adore Him, because they were created to be that way. With us, we have a choice. We choose to love Him.

2. "With all your mind" Our love is not empty. Being honest with myself, I can say that my love for God has a whole lot more to do with who HE IS than WHO I AM. The more I know Him the more I love Him.

3. "With all your heart" In large part my love is motivated, that is finds its heart, in the love and mercy God has shown to me. My love for God comes alive when I consider it in the light of who I know that I am.a sinner who falls way short of a holy God, and yet is still loved, considered a friend, and more His bride-to-be.

I'm glad God chose this as "the greatest commandment". I fail at so many of the other things. But this thing He asks I can do, and I want to do, and I find easy to do, because of who He is.

Jesus Wept

2008-04-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

John 11:35 (New International Version)
35 Jesus wept.

This is the shortest verse in the Bible, but hardly of little importance.

How many of us have had times where we wonder if Jesus' notices when we are hurting. Does He know? Does He care?

The first thing we should notice from this verse is that Jesus can be moved. He has the capacity to be deeply moved by our suffering. In this case, the occasion was the death of Lazarus. But what really brought Jesus to a river of tears was the suffering of those he left behind. Jesus identified with their suffering.

But does He identify with OUR suffering?

25 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' John 14:25-28

These are not the words of someone desiring a long distance relationship-quite the contrary.

Most all of us have heard of The Great Commission. But have we taken notice of the last few words?

"and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20b

Follow Me

2008-03-26T23:32:00.000-07:00

Matthew 6:24
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

Last week we started our series on Big Ideas, Few Words and introduced the two words that are the very essence of the Gospel message: "Follow me". Heed those two words and the Gospel message unfolds, as does the Great Commission, the answer to big questions like: why am I here? What does God expect of me? And many other perplexing questions of life.

But I didn't get to tie together those two words with the verse above. This is another side of the Big Ideas contained in the words, "Follow me."

"No one can serve two masters...You cannot serve both God and Money."

The Scriptures are consistent on this point. There are only two camps: Wheat and tares [Matthew 13:24-30], sheep and wolves [Matthew 10:16], good fruit and bad fruit [Matthew 7:15-23], wise and foolish builders [Matthew 10:24-27], the righteous and the wicked [Matthew 13:48-50], sheep and goats [Matthew 25:32].

One has eternal life, the other will be thrown into the Lake of Fire [Revelation 20:13-15].

Many in our culture bristle at the exclusive claims of Jesus, but wanting more options doesn't make it so. Each of us receives the same invitation "Follow me" and there are only two choices-either you do or you don't.

Big Ideas, Few Words

2008-03-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

Matthew 6:24
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

[This is the first of a new series "Big Ideas, Few Words". Our God and Lord is the master of language. He has a real knack for answering some of life's most important issues distilled in a few simple words. Here we go.]

Today I had lunch with our general contractor's project manager and superintendent. Our church is expanding facilities and I'm the point person. But there is more than creating a new building going on.

Steve and John are great guys, but they don't know Jesus-yet. They are two of the Holy Spirit's 'projects'. Occasionally, I get to help, like today.

We had a great talk about spiritual things at lunch. Steve and John come from different religious backgrounds, but shared more common ground than you could possibly imagine. Both have a lot of 'interference learning' in their backgrounds. They talked a lot about denominations, religions, beliefs, and motivations. To them, spiritual things involves a complex web of organized religions and their complicated and often contradictory beliefs, customs, and cultures. Today we began to strip away these layers of distraction.

It's a common story. It's why Nicodemus had such a hard time with Jesus' words in John 3. It kept most of his fellow religious rulers from accepting Jesus at all. And it is a common problem today, both inside and outside the Church.

But Jesus didn't come with a long list of religious requirements to become a 'Christian'. His message was simple, direct and contained in just two words, which He spoke over and over.

"Follow me."

To Simon and Andrew He said, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." - Matthew 4:19

To Matthew He simply said those two words, "Follow me," - Matthew 9:9

But it wasn't just the twelve that Jesus said these words.

To an ordinary man who had just lost his father, Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." - Matthew 8:22

Even to the rich, young man "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." - Matthew 19:21

But we try to make it complicated. Even when we read the account of the Rich, Young Man many get confused and think we have to do some great act like give to the poor or be perfect, when Jesus' point to this man was to get rid of all the things that were getting in the way of the main thing, the big idea: "Follow me."

Have you gotten distracted? Are you focused on the big idea, the main thing? Are you focused on following Jesus?

From His Mouth

2008-03-06T21:59:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 18:17 (New International Version)
17 The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him.

I've been confronted with the reality of this verse all week.

First was with a client with a long past due bill. They tried to scare us off from collecting by having their lawyer write a letter full of lies. Of course, the lawyer was just repeating what the client told them and took it all in at face value.

The second was a Wikipedia article describing a belief that some people agree with and others do not. There were several comments from those opposed to the described belief. But instead of dealing with the issue most of the comments did little more than slander the authors without even knowing who they are!

The third was an article on a court case of some importance being heard before the California Supreme Court. The article demonstrated a rather overt bias in favor of one side of the case to the point where what really happened in the court chambers remained a mystery.

Examples like these are becoming quite pervasive in our culture. "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." Matthew 10:16

Let's face it, we need discernment and the more crooked our world gets the more we need this quality. Proverbs 2:9 tells us, "Then you will discern righteousness and justice. And equity and every good course." That's a very cool promise. There is a way we can "discern". Great, how do I get it? Here is the answer.

1 My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,
2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding;
3 For if you cry for discernment,
Lift your voice for understanding;
4 If you seek her as silver
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD
And discover the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 Guarding the paths of justice,
And He preserves the way of His godly ones.
9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice
And equity and every good course.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart
And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 Discretion will guard you,
Understanding will watch over you,
12 To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things;
13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ways of darkness;

Proverbs 2:1-13

Attitude

2008-02-26T21:50:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 17:22 (New King James Version)

22 A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.

What do you call a small bug that only comes out at night?

.

.

.

A lunatic.

What did the electrician say to the electric company?

.

.

.

Let's get current.

Okay, maybe my humor isn't your cup of tea. But what does make your heart merry?

If you think this isn't important, think again.

Ecclesiastes 3:12
I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

Psalm 68:3
But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

Do you like to be around a sourpuss? I didn't think so. I don't know anybody who does. Neither does God and He is with us ALWAYS [Matthew 28:20; John 14:18].

So what kind of companion are you to God? "[W]alk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects" [Colossians 1:10b]

Guard Your Heart

2008-02-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 4:23

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Guard your heart. This verse tells us that doing so is of first importance. "Above all else, guard your heart". Nothing trumps this: "guard your heart". Okay, okay, I'm supposed to guard my heart. But why? What is the big deal?

"[F]or it is the wellspring of life." Everything springs from the heart. Our intentions, our thoughts, our actions, our words.everything originates in the heart. "[I]t is the wellspring of life."

Alright, it's fine to say I should guard my heart, but how?

Philippians 4:6-8 (New International Version)

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.

So how do we guard our hearts?

Prayer-close communion with Jesus the Son, and God the Father through the Holy Spirit.
Thoughts-Thinking about God's character. Seeking to be like Him. Focus on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

Every Member

2008-02-24T01:17:00.000-08:00

Acts 2:42-47

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they
continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.

The church I used to attend was the host church for two Teen Challenge Centers. Teen Challenge is the most successful drug rehabilitation program in the world. It's a Christ-centered program started by David Wilkerson in the 60's. Even if you aren't familiar with Teen Challenge, you've probably read or heard of the book "The Cross & The Switchblade". That's how it all started.

A common characteristic I found among the Teen Challenge members is their feeling that they had nothing to offer the Church. They considered themselves totally blessed and in awe of all Jesus and His Christ Followers had done for them. They daily experienced the delivering power of Jesus in their lives.

Some were immediately and miraculously delivered from drug abuse, others substance abuse, sexual addiction, and many other destructive lifestyles. By that I mean they went off drugs cold turkey without any physiological withdrawal symptoms, without any desire to do the things that they had lived for, that had consumed every moment of every day up until then. Others went through a more 'traditional' path. They had to go through the physical withdrawal pains and struggles; monumental emotional and mental warfare in order to rid themselves of these destructive addictions and lifestyles. But regardless of the path, they came through. Now they were clean and they were so grateful, so in love with Jesus.

We got to see the miracle of changed lives over and over again. Many of them, when they first came to our church, wanted to be anywhere else but HERE. Accepting Christ is not one of the perquisites for entering the program. It is however, the greatest result. We got to see the transforming power of Jesus from A to Z.

And they thought they had nothing to offer the Church. Little did they know.

Which brings us back to today's verse. This passage of Scripture is often looked upon as the pinnacle of Christian fellowship and charity-the quintessential model for what the Church should be.

Did you notice that the 'church' spoken of here was made up almost entirely of new believers? Babes in Christ?

If you look at the preceding verses, you'll see that there were about 120 that made up the 'church' prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost-that day about 3,000 were added, and then "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (verse 47b). So the Church was made up almost entirely of new believers, and yet they had this fantastic, incredible witness. The Church was operating in a way that many of us would describe as the model for a mature church.

I think, in fact I know, that new believers have much to offer the Church. Yet I wonder how often do we sell them short? And I wonder how often we sell the transforming power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit short? Thinking certain things are possible and others are not? Certain things take time to develop, when Scripture tells us otherwise? I wonder?

Getting Started

2008-02-24T00:38:00.000-08:00

Welcome. My hope is to be an encouragement to those who come by. I'm a Christ Follower, husband, father, professional, church staff member and an author on the longest running daily devotional on the Internet. My musings will come from those perspectives and several other that will all be revealed in time.