A Better Hope, A Better Covenant!

This morning I felt like I should read from Hebrews, Chapter Seven, and was reading through that chapter and verse 19 caught my attention.  I have included a few other verses for context - Hebrews 7:18-19, 22, 24-25 NIV:

[18] "The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless [19] (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God."

[22] "Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant."

[24]..." but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. [25] Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."

In this chapter the author of the letter is getting into some deep and complicated theological arguments that were specific to Jesus becoming the High Priest, and it is necessary for the Jewish citizen to understand how the old covenant was replaced by the New Covenant, and how Jesus met the requirements of the old, and how the old covenant was itself a type and shadow of the future.  This is critical stuff for them, us who were not raised within that system, less so, but still important to understand.

Personally I am far less worried about what was set aside, instead choosing to focus on the new that was established by Jesus.   The author calls the New Covenant a better covenant, and that is good enough for me! :-)

The key components I draw from these verses are as follows:

1) The New Covenant offers a better hope.
2) The New Covenant is provided that we might draw near to God.
3) Jesus is the guarantor of the New Covenant, having laid down His life as His oath.
4) Jesus is able to completely save those that come to Him in faith.
5) Jesus is our eternal intercessor!

Without getting into the deep connections these statements have to the Old Covenant, I can still enjoy and relish these simple truths.  Our greatest hope is in the New Covenant established by Jesus, through the shedding of His own blood. We enter into the covenant with God, through faith in Jesus, there is no other way!  God sent Jesus to earth not to judge people but to save them, (John 3:16-17) and welcome them into relationship with Himself (John 14:23)!

Jesus is the guarantor, the one who put down the guarantee for this Covenant, the contract.  When my daughter bought her first car, I co-signed, and was effectively guaranteeing I would make payments (lay down the money) should she fail to do so.  In the New Covenant, Jesus laid down His life, His body and His blood to guarantee this contract, this New Covenant.  He took our place, took our punishment, took upon Himself ALL our sin, and paid for it all with His blood!  Because of this He is able to save completely those who come to Him through faith.  As He said, "It is Finished!" (John 19:30), and in addition to everything else those three words meant, it also meant to New Covenant had been signed and sealed!

Now Jesus lives in Glory (Eph 1:19-21), seated at the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:33), with all authority and power (Matt 28:18) , and in that place He always lives and intercedes for us! That is an amazing picture, and an even more amazing reality.  The Greek word here translated intercede is the word Entugchano and it is defined as follows:

1) to light upon a person or a thing, fall in with, hit upon, a person or a thing
2) to go to or meet a person, esp. for the purpose of conversation, consultation, or supplication
3) to pray, entreat
4) make intercession for any one

I am always amazed when the word is translated one of the lesser (in order listed) definitions.  If I think Jesus is just sitting in Heaven asking the Father to love me, forgive me and help me (my idea of intercession), I miss the fact that this also means that Jesus will come to me for the purpose of conversation, consultation, and direction.  Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit make their home in me (John 14:23, John 14:16-17)!  They come to me and help me!  That is much better, in my opinion, then prayers from afar! It is Their desire to be with me!  That is just crazy amazing!

Lord, thank You for Your love, for Your sacrifice, for Your guarantee of the New Covenant, and for Your Entugchano!  That is a better hope, and a better covenant!

Amen!

When We Miss What The Lord Says...

I was just reading my Bible, going back to Jesus giving us His new command, and saw something that is worth mentioning again.  These verses take place at the Last supper and are recorded by John.  These immediately follow Judas leaving to go and betray Jesus, which set into motion the events that would lead to Jesus' death.  Here are the verses - John 13:31-37 NIV:

[31] "When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. [32] If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

[33] “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come."

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

[36] Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

[37] Peter asked, “Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”


This is a great study in being distracted by something and totally missing the more important statement immediately following whatever caused the distraction.  Here we have Jesus really getting down to the final serious impartation and explanations to the Apostles, for He knew His time was short.  As soon as Judas leaves, He shifts gears, knowing that the events are now in motion that will lead to His death, and starts down that path in verses 31-33.

He starts by saying the Father is going to be glorified, and will glorify Him (Jesus) at once!  The last time the Father was Glorified was at the raising of Lazarus from the dead, so the Apostles should have recognized that something huge was about to happen and been listening intently!

Jesus then says He is only going to be with them a little longer - alluding to His death (verse 33) - and He tells them that they can't follow Him down that path.  We know from other scriptural references that the Apostles just didn't understand any time that Jesus spoke about his impending death, no matter how clear he was, and this is no different. Apparently this statement so confused them, especially Peter, that He just stopped listening and focused on what Jesus said about going somewhere they couldn't follow. We know this by Peter's response in verse 36.

What Peter apparently missed was verses 34 & 35, where Jesus gives them His new Commandment!  Wow talk about missing the forest for the tree in front of you, Peter apparently locked in on Jesus' previous statement, and was still thinking about that, and probably just heard "blah, blah, blah, love, blah, blah".

Here is a NEW Commandment being given, spoken to life by Jesus at the command of the Father, and Peter was wondering where Jesus was going!  This is like the issuing of the Ten Commandments - yet greater, for this is the new Commandment of the New Covenant, which Jesus had just established (see Luke 22:20).  This new Covenant was instituted by the breaking of the bread and drinking the cup, before Judas left.  John doesn't add that dialogue here, my guess is because by the time John wrote His Gospel the New Covenant was widely understood.  So Peter, even though he was in the same room with Jesus, and even though He physically heard the words spoken about the New Commandment, apparently just totally missed them (at least that is the way I read these verses)!

This gives me great hope for my own distractedness, in listening to the Lord!  It doesn't excuse my distractedness or my inability to understand the situation, but it gives me hope that Jesus has seen this before, and was patient with Peter, and still called Peter forward into his purpose and true calling.  Sometimes I read things that are very familiar in scriptures, but the words just go in one ear and out the other.  Sometimes I will go back to something the Lord said years ago, and all of a sudden I get what He was really saying!  I am so encouraged that Jesus continues to be patient with me, in spite of my ability to get distracted over just about anything!

Sometimes I think the Lord must be slapping His forehead and rolling his eyes constantly over our inability to listen and hear, and actually understand what He is saying.  At the very least his probably shaking his head in disbelief that we can be so slow to hear and understand.  We are an easily distracted people, and these days with all the demands for our time and focus, our ever present phones and social media apps, or constant barrage of news and opinion, it is super easy to lose our way, to lose our train of thought and to miss what Jesus is wanting to say!

I'm so glad Jesus then goes on to talk about the role of the Holy Spirit as the one who will help us remember all things, and He was probably looking at Peter when He said it!  :-)   John 14:25-27 NIV:  “All this I have spoken while still with you. [26] But the Advocate, 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. [27] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

Lord, thank You for Your patience and love!  Thank You for Your understanding of our limited human attention, and our inability to grasp Your perfect word!  Thank You for loving us and for reminding us of everything You said!  Help me to pay better attention to Your word in my life, that I might hear what You are saying the first time, especially those things that are significant!  Finally help me be patient with my brothers and sisters in the same way You are patient with them and me!

Amen!!

Pruning Vines and Increased Fruitfulness

This morning as I sat down to pray I was reminded of my last couple of reflections, which had to do with gardening, and planting.  As I was thinking back over that I was reminded of Jesus' famous discourse on being the vine found in John 15.  I thought I would spend some time meditating on His words, and doing some research into the cleaning of vines.  First, here are the verses - John 15:1-8 NIV:

[1] “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. [3] You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. [4] Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

[5] “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. [6] If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. [7] If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. [8] This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

The foundation of understanding these verses is that we must remain connected relationally to Jesus, for He is the source of our life!  He goes deeper than just basic relationship, speaking of us being in Him, and He in us, and this is part of the spiritual mystery!   According to Jesus, the fact is that God is inside of us!  He comes and lives with us and in us, following our salvation.  At the same time we are now hidden in Christ, which Paul expounds upon in several of his letters. This relationship is deeper and more profound than the relationship of husband and wife, but for us that is a good place to start in understanding.  It is in this deep relational context that we must understand Jesus' words about vines and bearing fruit.

Back to the verses, Jesus says He is the vine, and the Father is the gardener.  The Father cuts off every branch that bears no fruit, and prunes the ones that do,  so that they will be even more fruitful.  This is such an accurate description of what gardeners, or vine dressers do to care for vines.  I spent some time reading up on pruning grape vines and I think it is very helpful to understand.

First, pruning only takes place in the winter, after a season of fruitfulness, once the leaves have fallen and the gardener can easily see the vine.  The gardener cuts back the majority of the vine each year, during the dry and cold season.  Boy, that sure seems similar to my life.  I can think of multiple times where it seemed like I was in a season of bearing good fruit, and that was followed by a season of quiet, and relative dryness.  It is during those times that I can see clearly how much I have grown and in what areas.  It is also then that I often have the opportunity for repentance and trimming back, based on the Lord's guidance and direction.  It is important to note that pruning back means God has bigger plans for us to bear more fruit.  It does not mean He is punishing us, or displeased with us!

Here is some description of the purpose of pruning - The Secret to Pruning Grapes from https://modernfarmer.com/2016/02/pruning-grapevines/

"Here’s the secret: grapevines produce fruit on one-year old wood. What the heck does that mean? When a bud sprouts in spring and grows into a new shoot within the larger grape plant, the shoot turns from green to brown by the end of the growing season, at which point it is considered one-year old wood. The following spring some of the buds on one-year-old wood will grow flowers (which develop into fruit), while the buds on older wood produce only leaves or shoots.

The primary goal of pruning is to maximize the amount of one-year old wood on each grapevine without encouraging the plant to produce so many grape clusters that it lacks the energy and nutrients to fully ripen them. Left to its own devices, a grapevine grows to a dense mass of mostly older wood with relatively little “fruiting wood” each year. The dense growth leads to poor air circulation, which encourages fungal diseases. Expect to remove 70 to 90 percent of the previous year’s growth each winter.

The second purpose for pruning grapes is to encourage the vines to grow a structure that is conducive to harvesting and which conforms to the shape of the trellis the vine is growing on. Aim to create an orderly system of evenly spaced vines that resembles the branches of a tree." 

That is such an interesting perspective, and put into a spiritual and natural context for growth, it should help us!  I was thinking earlier about how Jesus had so many followers but by the time of "upper-room" there were only 120 gathered there.  I would say that is a very good example of how the Father pruned Jesus' vine to make it ready for a season of immense fruitfulness.  I was wondering if churches might want to pay a bit more attention to these verses as they press for constant numerical growth.  It isn't how big we get, but how much fruit we bear that appears to be the focus here.

Secondly, this perspective is very helpful in looking back on one's life.  The cutting back is always for fruitfulness in the next season, and the Lord wants to maximise out fruitfulness.  He doesn't want us to grow huge in our areas of coverage, but lacking any real fruit.  He wants "one-year old wood" and that means we need to have grown through a season without much fruit, get pruned and then in the next season we will be able to produce abundant fruit.  I am so often all focused on trying to bear fruit immediately, not realizing that maybe my sole responsibility for this season is to grow, and that fruitfulness will follow in the next season of grace.  Wow, that is very helpful on one hand,  and on the other hand it is messing with my thinking about God's call to bear fruit immediately.  We must realize that God is our gardener and He totally has a long-term view of our lives and purposes.  He doesn't have a 1 year plan, He has a plan for eternity, and thus He is far more patient than we are!

Third, Jesus speaks about the fact that His disciples are clean because of the word He has spoken to them.  If you want to do a deep study, look up the "Clean Vine Programs" that are being developed specifically to maximise the productiveness of vines and quality of the fruit, and much of the focus is the recognition of diseases and other blights (fungus) that can affect vines. In the same way the Lord, cleans us, cleans up our thinking, adjusts our world-view, and purifies our lives so that we can bear good fruit.  He knows the difference between good branches, and those that don't bear fruit, those that are diseased, or have fungus or have ceased bearing fruit.  Those in the latter categories are removed from the vine.  In the natural, these are burned so as to kill of the fungus or pests and remove the threat from the good vines. In my life, the Lord is constantly helping me to see areas where my thinking is not inline with His word, with His heart and desires, and giving me opportunity to repent and change, and I believe this is His cleaning.  Again, this is not punishment, but instead to help me bear more good fruit!

Finally the word both cleans and nourishes us (see verses 3 & 7 above).  Jesus says His word must remain in us, just as we must remain in Him.  I guess You could almost call His Word the genetic code for the fruit we produce.  We must produce fruit that is in line with His Word, and to do that we must remain connected to Him and constantly reflecting on His Word.  A lapse in either area can cause us to become aberrant, and even heretical in our thinking.

So today, I am encouraged to remain in Jesus, and to make sure I am allowing His word to get into me and remain in me.  I am encouraged to look at my life with an understanding of growing seasons, pruning and how the Lord works in my life to maximize my fruitfulness.  I am grateful for such clear imagery and Jesus' desire to allow us to bear abundant fruit!  I am also encouraged by God's patience and long-term vision concerning my life!  Thank You Lord, help me remain in You!

Amen!

Sowing Goodness

Yesterday I was reflecting on bearing fruit and today it seems I will be reflecting on planting seeds, or sowing.  Here are a few verses from Paul's letter to the Galatians 6:7-10 NIV:

[7] "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. [8] Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. [9] Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. [10] Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

There are several themes one could expand upon in these verses,  but the one that jumped out right away was "doing good".  Paul starts the section speaking about reaping and sowing (planting and harvesting) and concludes with "doing good", which is the sowing according to verse nine.  What a simple and helpful attitude to have in our life, to make it our goal to "sow doing good"!  In other words to do good is planting seeds!

Just to be clear, the word translated "good" here is a rich word with quite a few possible meanings.  The Greek word is Kalos and it is defined as follows:

1) beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable
     a) beautiful to look at, shapely, magnificent
     b) good, excellent in its nature and characteristics, and therefore well adapted to its ends
         1. genuine, approved
         2. precious
         3. joined to names of men designated by their office, competent, able, such as one ought to be
         4. praiseworthy, noble
      c) beautiful by reason of purity of heart and life, and hence praiseworthy
          1. morally good, noble
       d) honourable, conferring honour
       e) affecting the mind agreeably, comforting and confirming

The Greek word translated doing is Poieo and it is defined as to make, or produce.

Thus, we could conclude "doing good" means to make beautiful, excellent, precious and useful things with your time; to be about creating  and producing things that worthy of praise, good to use, helpful to our minds, comforting, and encouraging! We want to sow a positive increase into the world around us!  We want our lives to have a positive impact!  We want to make things of beauty, encourage others in their beauty, honor others and be honorable ourselves.

I tend to be task oriented and this is pretty easy to define in my mind.  I want to be able to look back at my day and see that in some way I have made a positive impact through my actions and words.  I want to be lifting people up, encouraging others, speaking words of life, being kind, compassionate and loving.

Going back to the first verse quoted above, Paul says that a man reaps what he sows, and this is true in the spiritual as well as natural realms.  If we sow goodness, we will reap goodness.  If we sow to please the Holy Spirit, we will reap Eternal Life!

I was brought back to my reflection from yesterday, thinking about the different types of fruitfulness, different types of plants, vegetables, fruits and even trees that I was considering.  In the last verse quoted above, Paul encourages us to not grow weary in doing good!  I can see why he added that encouragement, because sowing seeds does not produce instant results.  This summer, we planted some grass seeds and watered that area religiously for a couple of weeks before we saw any tiny grass shoots.  It is the same way with pretty much any seeds, they take time to germinate, and grow.  I think that is one reason we like to plant seedlings, or already started plants, as we don't want to sit and wait for the seeds to sprout.  So as we look back at the different types of seed sown, some will take much longer to produce fruit, but all are worthy of being planted.

In the same way, when we are sowing goodness, we may not see any immediate fruit, and quite often no discernable response.  We must not be deterred in continuing to sow good!  We must not keep score, or start to sow judgement, after sowing goodness for a while and seeing no results.  We must have faith that this is truth!  That what we sow, we will reap!

I was just thinking about the story of Johnny Appleseed, and the positive impact his life would have produced.  He saw almost none of the impact, for apple trees take several years to grow to the point of bearing fruit!  However, he knew that if he planted apple seeds, ultimately apple trees would grow and produce apples.  He had faith in the natural process.  Paul is encouraging us to have the same faith in the spiritual reality.  Sow goodness, don't wait for fruitfulness to be evident but continue on sowing goodness daily!

What a beautiful encouragement, "as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers!"  Let us sow and sow and sow and sow!  Let us not worry about seeing fruit, but rather trust in the truth of sowing and reaping.  Apparently this doing good is sowing to please the Holy Spirit, and ultimately leads to Eternal Life.  That is enough of a harvest for me!

Amen!

On Bearing Fruit in Our Lives

I was just slumbering here while in my quiet time and I felt like the Lord was giving me some insight into fruitfulness.  There are different types of fruitfulness, if we think about plants and trees.  There are those plants that produce beauty (Flowers and such), there are those plants the produce food such as vegetable gardens (carrots, lettuce, onions, tomatoes), bushes that produce fruit  (strawberry, rasberries and other berry plants); there are those that produce grain (wheat,corn, barley), and there are trees that produce nuts (Almond, walnut, pecan) and fruit (Apples, peaches, oranges, etc.).  Some produce fruitfulness quickly, some produce it during a particular growing season and must be replanted, and some produce fruit year after year.  Each has purpose and value to us, and we want to understand that is true in the Lord's plan as well.  He gave us the fruits of the fields, vines and garden to feed us, and as such there is God inspired value and purpose.

In the same way, in each of our lives, we are called to produce fruit, to be fruitful.  He calls us and invites us to bear spiritual fruit.  He calls and invites us to bear fruit physically (Children) and relationally through encouragement and ministry to friends and family.  Here are just some of the verses on bearing fruit found in the new Testament - John 15:4-5,8,16-17 NIV:

[4] "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. [5] “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

[8] "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

[16] "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit---fruit that will last---and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. [17] This is my command: Love each other."

What I saw in my mind in particular was the seasons of growing it takes for a nut tree to produce abundant fruit. I was just doing some research on nut trees and they can take anywhere from 4-12 years before producing yield, and obviously the older and larger they grow the more abundant is their yield.  Compare this to the seasonal fruit bearing grains and vegetables, and even some fruits like melons, and it seems like a very long time.  They require space to grown and plenty of care and pruning in the early years to be abundant.  The point is that we need to learn to be patient with these trees, knowing that the harvest is coming in time, and if cared for correctly can produce abundance for years and years.

Bringing this back to our own spiritual journey, it is my belief that we are called to be fruitful, and we might be fruitful in several ways  - think of farm with some acreage dedicated to a vegetable garden, some to grain, some to pasture, and some to orchards.  We can be fruitful in many ways personally, and the Lord is the one who guides us and helps us to know how and when to produce fruit.  We want to be focused on the short-term during the right seasons, and not expect fruit and nut trees to bear fruit immediately.  I love that the Lord is multi-faceted in His approach to our lives, and that He is patient as well!  We want to learn to water what we need to water, feed what we need to feed, and be focused on the things the Lord is telling us to focus upon.

Another bit regarding the area of fruitfulness.  This theme got me thinking and researching the value of different types of crops, of different ways of selling crops and produce, and it was very interesting.  Some of the most valuable crops and produce are the ones that are rare.  Sometimes it is how it is prepared for sale!  A bag of onions is valued at X, but the same bag of onions, sliced, dried and smoked is valued at 10x.  Sometimes it is the rare or out of natural growing season that brings value, as in Strawberries in January.  In the natural we are blessed to have access to worldwide markets and as such, we can get strawberries in January, but they are much more expensive (valuable).

Putting this in spiritual context, sometimes we think we don't fit in, or are unique in our gifts or perspectives, and as such don't fit in.  However, God has a specific plan and purpose, and as such that unique gifting or talent has significant value to Him.  Also bearing good fruit out of particular season is also valuable.  We might seem out of synch with everyone around us, but that might be exactly God's provision for someone who needs "strawberries in January".  Sometimes we find that our lives are being cut apart, dried and even smoked a bit due to the closeness to the fire - and maybe that makes us more valuable to those around us!  We are all of infinite value to the Lord, and such situations don't increase our value to Him, but they certainly do increase our value to others.

Given our druthers, I think most of us want to produce abundant harvests, great amounts of fruit, and while we sometimes think grand schemes and big platforms, it is amazing that our very back yards can become places of abundance.  Did you know that during World War 2, that 45% of all the vegetables grown in the US were grown in "Victory" gardens which people planted in their own back yards?  Are we so focused on the big that we forget about the little patches of fertile ground we already have responsibility over, or input into?  This reminds me of the verse concerning faithfulness in small matters - Matthew 25:21 NIV: “His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

He is growing us up and maturing us to produce fruit daily, weekly, monthly and annually, and sometimes we can get so caught up in the grand and glorious hopes and dreams that we forget about the daily fruit we can produce through kindness, gentleness, love and affection. Let us not forget the opportunities we have to bear fruit in our daily lives, in our work, in our family, in our interactions with those around us, our neighbors and friends!

Amen!

Faith, Forgiveness and Mulberry Trees

The last two mornings I have been reflecting on some interesting and potentially confusing verses from Luke.  These verses are often quoted separately, as if they don't relate thematically, and that is often how I read them.  However, as I sat and reflected on them yesterday, I started to see something new (to me).  Here are the verses - Luke 17:3-10 NIV:

[3] "So watch yourselves.

 “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. [4] Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them.”

[5] The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

[6] He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

[7] “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? [8] Won't he rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? [9] Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? [10] So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' ”

Often these verses are quoted or discussed separately, but at least in my reading today, I am looking at them all together, as they are grouped together.  I am not a student of Greek, so I can't tell if they are just a bunch of stories, or lines from Jesus  that Luke put together, or if they are the flow of one continuous thought and conversation of Jesus, as it appears in the text.

If they are one flow of thought, then the theme of all of these verses is set by verses 3 and 4 and the topic is faith as it relates to forgiveness.  The apostles realize they need more faith to forgive their brothers and sisters as often as Jesus describes (7 times).  Jesus responds that even little faith can cause a mulberry tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea - but He is speaking about faith for forgiveness.

If my conjecture is correct, then Jesus continues on speaking about servants out working in the field, doing the work assigned to them.  He describes this as something that is expected of us, something that is part of our duty.  He is saying in this example that forgiveness isn't something we should receive special recognition for, but that it is part of our work, part of our assignment, if you will.

So pulling this all together.  Think of the field as your life.  Think of the work in that field, pulling out things that shouldn't be growing, weeding, protecting the crop and ground for maximum fruitfulness in your life.  Think of sin against you (verse 3) as seed of things that shouldn't be growing in your life.  Think of the Mulberry tree as an offense (sin) against you that puts down roots and grows fast like a weed, but instead of impacting only a small area, it can grow quickly from bush into a tree and shade off a whole section of the field.  Normal weeds can be pulled out by hand, a mulberry tree, if allowed to grow for even a little while, becomes an enormous task to clear, compared to weeds.

As a real life example, my daughter just had to do this very thing, cut down a mulberry tree.  She had no idea it had started out as a fast growing bush on the fence-line of the house she is living in.  To her eyes it was a tree and it was causing her neighbor's garden to be too shaded and her crops were failing.  She had to cut down the tree and it was no small chore., especially on a hot summer day.

As an alternative, speaking of the analogy of the mulberry tree, Jesus says with just a little faith we can cause this fast growing tree to be uprooted and cast into the sea. It appears to me that He is talking about deep rooted offense in our lives that need to be cleared out, and with faith it is possible.

The issue for many of us, is that we think the clearing of mulberry trees (deep offenses) is either something we don't want to do, holding onto it like it has value to us, or too much work!!  An important question to us is why do we hold onto grudges and offenses??  I think that we think there is value in revenge or vengeance, or hatred and feel some sort of self-satisfaction in remembering all the things people have done to us.   Could it be that these grudges and offenses are actually choking out our ability to bear good fruit??   I think that light of the fruitfulness God desires in our lives, the mulberry (deep rooted offense) is worthless and even harmful.  Holding onto it, is like holding onto a worthless collection of old dirty newspapers, and allowing the collection to take over your whole house and garage.  Spiritually speaking, we should have cleared that mulberry tree (offense) out of our field (life) as soon as we noticed it growing, when it was not even a sapling.

The good news is that faith allows us to remove this thing from our lives, with relative ease, casting it into the sea (an allusion to casting it out of our life and out of our remembrance), like the Lord does with our sins.  Faith is required because it is from the Lord that we come to understand forgiveness, and understand  how He will take care of us.  We don't need to carry around these offenses so that we can enact revenge or vengeance !  We don't need to be burdened with these things, but can rather release them to the Lord, who forgives us, and asks us to forgive others as well.  I am reminded of two sets of verses first where Jesus calls us to forgive those that have sinned against us, and second where He tells us to release our burdens to Him.  Here are the verses

The first set of verses is from when Jesus teaches us to pray - Luke 11:2-4 NIV:

[2] He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“ 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
[3] Give us each day our daily bread.
[4] Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation. ' ”

And the second set of verses is a familiar set of verses from Matthew 11:28-30 NIV:

[28] “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
[29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
[30] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Going back to the original reflection verses this morning, forgiveness is apparently a normal part of our Christian walk, and something we need to be about every day. We must learn to forgive others, and doing so quickly keeps the offenses from growing large in our life.  Forgiving quickly reduces our burdens, ad allows us to take on Jesus' yoke.

Forgiveness, ultimately is about relationship care and restoration, and relationships are the foundation of the Kingdom!  We are called to love God (relationship) and love one another (relationship).  Jesus points us to the verses above to help us understand the need for forgiveness and the regularity of that need.  This isn't a once a year, clean your field (life) type invitation, but rather a daily part of our normal life.  We are sons and daughters of the Father and  forgiveness is one of the ways we reflect or represent Him to our world, and to each other.

Ultimately our forgiveness is for our own health and benefit.  The Lord forgives all our sins, and all the sins of those that have sinned against us.  Our forgiveness isn't required or necessary for the other person's salvation, and interestingly that is what the Greek word which was translated unworthy (verse 10 above, as in unworthy servants) means.  The Greek dictionary  I use gives this definition of achreios, as a negative of chre (which means necessary), or in other words not necessary.  Our forgiveness isn't necessary for the other persons forgiveness, but it is important, even critical for our own fruitfulness and freedom!

Wow, that is a whole bunch more than I expected when I first sat down to reflect on these verses!

So today, I am encouraged to look at my life and see if there are any areas of unforgiveness or deep rooted offense.  I am encouraged to put my faith in Jesus, to trust His words, to trust His love, to speak forgiveness to any and all.  My desire is to have a fruitful life, and I realize that this work of forgiveness allows me to walk unburdened and free, attaining the maximum fruitfulness as the Son's light shines on me!

Amen Lord, increase my faith!

Following the String

This morning I am reflecting on some verses from Paul's letter to the Church in Philippi.  Sometimes I feel a bit like a child following string that is tied to different little treasures around the house, and as I follow this string, I uncover little treasures of truth.  I say this because I was just reading back through my last few reflections, each from different books and verses, but each related to the other.  I love how the Lord in His gentle direction leads me along, helping me to discover new insight and understanding, each building on the last or related to the last.  I am so encouraged by His leading, knowing that He is taking a personal interest in my growth and maturation.

Here are the verses from the end of chapter 3 and beginning of chapter 4 - Philippians 3:12-16,20-21 & 4:1 (NIV)

[12] "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [13] Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

[15] "All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. [16] Only let us live up to what we have already attained."

[20] "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21] who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Philippians [4:1] "Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!"

I wanted to include the verse from the fourth chapter for that was actually his concluding thought from all he discussed in chapter three.  It is at that point the work my way backwards through his thoughts, starting with his exhortation to "stand firm in the Lord".  This is an exhortation to stand solidly in our relationship with Christ Jesus.  Quite simply, He is our goal, He is our finish-line, everything we pursue is found in Him.  Our identity is found in Him (Rom 8:28-30).  Our Relationship with the Father is through Him (Matt 11:27).  Our understanding of our purpose and calling is found in Him (Eph 1:11).  Our power and life is found in Him (John 4:13-14).  Our eternal life is in Him (John 17:3).  We are new creations in Him (2 Cor 5:17)!

Our citizenship, our nature, our calling, our final destiny is heaven, and yet we get to experience this heavenly life, here on earth (Matt 6:9-10), prior to our death and joining Him in eternity.  We have more to experience, more to birth through prayer, and obedience, and that is what we are encouraged by Paul to press forward into, in Christ Jesus.  We have a life of fullness planned by the Lord, and we don't want to think that now that we have received salvation that we can just coast into heaven!  Jesus called us to pray heaven down to earth (verses from Matthew listed earlier), and to demonstrate the reality of the Kingdom of God here (Matt 10:7-8).

We are all maturing, all in process of being transformed internally and ultimately externally so that we might be like Christ Jesus!  Our internal transformation is alluded to in Paul's brief mention of repentance in verse 15 above.  The heart of God for us is transformation into the likeness of Jesus, and to do that we must be convinced of our need to think differently, and then act differently.  Paul calls this maturation and I think he is completely correct (who am I to comment on Paul's correctness?).  I was just thinking how much I look like my earthly father, and how that became more and more apparent as I grew and matured.  As I age I become more and more like him in looks, and hopefully in heart, for he was a great man!  In this same way, as I grow and mature in relationship with Christ Jesus I hope to look more and more like Him in heart and actions!

So, like Paul, I am encouraged to press on, to press forward, not thinking I have attained everything the Lord set out for me, but recognizing that I have a life of fruitfulness ahead of me!  I want to see everything completed, and I can't get there if I am constantly looking backwards, and thinking about the things I have seen or accomplished.  Back to the idea of following the string that I started with this morning.  It is nice to look at the treasure one receives, to enjoy the treasure, to put the treasure in one's pocket, but there is always more string and more treasures to uncover.  I want to follow the Lord pursuing Him to the day I see Him face to face.  I want to press forward to win the prize, and that is Christ Jesus.

Amen!

Walking in Freedom - Intimacy and Relationship

For my reflection this morning I am working through some verses from Paul's letter to the churches in Galatia.  They were one of churches that were impacted by the "Circumcision Group" out of Jerusalem, and Paul is writing this letter to defend the Gospel of Grace through Faith.  Here are the verses - Galatians 5:1-6 NIV:

[1] It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

[2] "Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. [3] Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. [4] You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. [5] For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. [6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

I find as I read these verses, my mind is racing back to the genesis of the Gospel, found in the earliest stories of the Jews.  Recently I have been reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer and he was talking about the original fall from relationship that happened in the garden, and how that brought man out of relationship with God, into a place of trying to judge between good and evil.  He said that this was the basis for all judgment and that it is not what God desires for us, rather He desires us to be in loving relationship with Him, following Him and being directed by Him to our best possible lives as His sons and daughters.  This intimacy and relationship was what was lost in the Garden, and what Jesus came to restore, and in that He desires to release us from wrong ideas about God and open the way for true relationship with Him. (Hopefully I did Dietrich justice in summarizing his deep thinking on this subject)

As I read Paul's opening line of this chapter I was immediately reminded of Dietrich's perspective.  Paul is fighting for restoration of relationship, and the law, which was supposed to be a guardian for the people pointing them towards Christ (Gal 3:24-25), had become instead the basis of their judgment of good and evil, and the circumcision group thought that was a better way.  They didn't realize they were stepping back into the less than desired state of servitude to judgment (what the Law brings).  Rather than being a better way, this essentially usurped God's role, and fractured their relationship with the living God.

Instead of relationship this group wanted rules and judgment, and that was what Jesus came to set them free of.  They were like the Jews, who upon entering the wilderness cried out to God to take them back to Egypt, where they had meat in their pots  (Ex 16:3) and leeks to eat (Num 11:4-6), willing to exchange freedom and relationship for slavery and comfort.  What a terrible thing to lose relationship and again take on the yoke of slavery, yet that is exactly what was being preached as the better way!

Paul spends the next few sentences describing how allowing oneself to be circumcised is the same as trying to be justified by law, (a works based mentality).  His simple statement that "the only thing that counts (in Christ Jesus) is faith expressing itself through love" is one of the key mindsets we must hold onto.  We are so quick to take up judgment (rules and requirements), thinking we are embracing a better way of holiness or making ourselves pure, and instead we are stepping back into the very thing Jesus set us free from.  Christ calls us into Freedom, experienced through faith in Him, expressing itself through love.

Paul continues later on, picing up this theme, expanding it to make sure people are not misunderstanding this "freedom" in Christ.  He writes, "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. [14] For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14 NIV)  The call within this freedom is to loving one another as we were commanded by Jesus, expressed through service and love.  We are called to love ourselves (to embrace our identity as God's sons and daughters) and to love one another.  All of this is to be founded out of the Gospel of Grace through Faith!  We have freely received this salvation and been invited into relationship as sons and daughters, and from this place of intimacy and relationship, we reach outward to those around us, in love and service.

It is amazing to me that we so often are tempted to reject this simple and beautiful Gospel, replacing it with judgment, rules and regulations.  We are so desirous of being better, or embracing a lifestyle of following the Lord, that we mistakenly allow others to tell us what to do, or how to live our lives, when we should be looking to the Lord!  He wants to be our Lord and savior!  We must stand firm in this freedom, this invitation back to intimacy and relationship, and resist any set of rules and regulations that are being lauded as a way to be a better Christian!  Christ is satisfied with our hearts and lives embracing Him and expressing our faith in Him through love!  Why do we want to add to that.  He is satisfied!

Don't mistake this temptation to add rules and regulations for His desire for us to have better lives in context of relationship!  In the same way that any father desires a better life for their children, seeing them step fully into their abilities and talents, achieving more and being fulfilled, the Lord desires this for us!  He longs to see us set fully free and maturing so that we might produce abundant fruit!  In our immaturity and unknowing, we have often embraced things in our lives, behaviors and ways of thinking that are harmful and limiting, and in the context of relationship the Lord will draw us out of those into betterment.  This is not the same thing as the rules and regulations of the law, or allowing others to judge us and our relationship with Him.  God is a loving Father and only desires the best for us, and He will show us the way.  We need to stand firm in our faith in Him, in our relationship with Him, and allow Him to lovingly guide us into the fullness of life He has planned for us.  This is the life of Freedom He desires for us!  Walking in intimacy and relationship with Him!

In our connection and relationship to Him, as His sons and daughters, we are called to help our fellow brothers and sisters, serving them humbly in love.  We should be conscious of the fact that they are in the same family, and while we might be older siblings, we have no right to parent them, but should rather help them and encourage them!  I am reminded of the last scene from "The Sound of Music" where the family is hiking over the mountains  to freedom and the dad has the youngest daughter Gretl on his back and the other children are helping each other.

This morning I am encouraged to look to my life and make sure I am standing firmly in the freedom Christ purchased for me!  I am encouraged to look to my relationship with Him for all my direction and guidance, rather than allowing myself to come under the judgment of someone else.  Finally, I am encouraged to love those around me, and to encourage them forward in their relationship with Christ through loving service!

The Motivation of Our Life - - - Should Be Love

This morning I am reflecting on the first few verses from Matthew's sixth chapter.  Jesus makes an interesting observation about motivation and how that is received by the Father.  Here are the verses - Matthew 6:1-4 NIV:

[1] “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."

[2] “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. [3] But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Jesus is commenting on the motivation behind acts of good will and righteousness, and calling out those that are doing these things for the judgment of others, or as He says, "to be seen by them."  One would think that God would be happy with any good works we do, regardless of the motivation, but that isn't so.  In fact later in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is recorded as again saying something very similar.  Here we have His words spoken during the sermon on the mount - Matthew 7:21-23 NIV:

[21] “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' [23] Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

And again concerning the final judgement -

Matthew 25:37-40 NIV:

[37] “Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? [38] When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? [39] When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' [40] “The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"

It is important to note the perspective of the two groups of people in these verses, in the first set, the people were very conscious of what they had done in His name, as in they were keeping a tally, focusing on the acts rather than on the Lord.  In the second set of verses, the people, who were called righteous by God, were completely unaware of their righteousness, for they weren't focused on the tasks or others view of them, and they certainly weren't keeping a tally.

Jesus is talking about our heart motivation.  The purpose of our following Him, isn't so that others will see our righteousness, it is to please Him!  In the same way as I live out my loving relationship with my wife, I am only concerned about her perspective, no one else really matters.  I do things that no one else would ever see to please her, to show her that I love her, and it isn't something I need to think about or keep a tally of, I do these out of love and affection.

This motivation of love is what the Lord is after in our lives!  He wants us engaged in relationship with Him, living our lives to please him, never worrying about what others might say or think. In this place of intimate love and affection, we are motivated by our Love for God, for His Son and for the Holy Spirit, and our actions are in-line with His will, because we know Him and love Him.

Back to my relationship with my honey, there are many things I do that are solely because of my love for her!  I buy certain things for her, not because I enjoy them, but because I know she enjoys them, or needs them.  I do chores, not out of obligation, but so that she won't need to do them.  It isn't about what I will gain, but about pouring out love in many little ways.  I pay attention to her desires and "will" and endeavor to fulfill her desires, all out of love and affection.  I don't care if anyone sees what I do, and I certainly don't announce it to my friends, neighbors or even my family.  I am concerned about her eyes alone. In fact I find that when I am not even around her, I want to act in such a way that she would be proud of me, and pleased with my actions and speech. I don't ever want to act one way when I am with her, and in another completely different way when I am out and about.

This leads me back to the final verse in my reflection verses this morning, Jesus tells us to be concerned about the eyes of the Father.  He should be our focus and the object of our affection!  He should be the one whose will and desires we are working to fulfill.  Like all relationships, this love and affection for God is a two way street, and that is Jesus' encouragement to us!  The Father will see what we do and why we do it and will return our love and affection accordingly.  We don't shower Him love and affection to GET things in return, rather we do so because our motivation is love.  In the same way, He doesn't reward us to motivate us, but does so because He loves us!  We want to be motivated by our love for Him, even when we are out and about, doing things that we know would please Him.  We want to be conscious of our love and affection for God all day, every day!  In doing so, we will have the opportunity to bless Him in countless ways, through those we meet.

Jesus' whole point is that our attention and focus should be on our relationship with Him and Him alone.  We should be so focused on Him that we don't think about what others think or say.   We should be motivated out of love, affection and desire to please Him, for His sake and knowledge alone.  It is supposed to be like in the movies where two lovers see each other and all the rest of the world becomes out-of-focus, for they only have eyes for one another.

This morning I am greatly encouraged to reflect on my life, on my motivation and actions!  I want to be wholly congruent in my love, affection and actions!  I want to act exactly the same whether in front of other's eyes, or alone, concerned only about the eyes of my love!  I want to dive deeper into relationship with my Lord, so that my motivation is His heart's desire!  I am also encouraged that one of His heart's desires is for me to continue to love and serve my honey, pouring my love out daily in countless ways!  He loves that I love her, for she is His daughter!  I am also encouraged to love and pour out love on all those around me for they are also His sons and daughters!

Amen!

Submission and Judo...

This morning I felt like reflecting on some verses from James letter.  He covers so many good topics, but these verses are pretty foundational as they  have to do with submitting ourselves to God.  Here are the verses - James 4:7-8 NIV:

[7] "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

As I read these verses this morning, I was aware of the fact that I remembered the second half of the verse 7, the part about resisting the devil, but not the first part as much.  It is funny how certain words or phrases can become our focus, and cause us to overlook other words and ideas that are even more important.  In this case, James starts with the primary foundation of faith, submitting our lives to the Lordship of Jesus.  There can be no more important thing for me to reflect on, but my mind just raced past those words onto the resisting the devil.  As I noticed this in my thoughts, I realized that there must be a reason for my internal behavior.

First, I think there is something in me that would rather fight than submit, so my natural inclination is to focus on that which I prefer.  I think also there is some sort of competitive nature that feels battling against the enemy is more noble than submitting to one's Lord.  We are generally unfamiliar with Lordship, and similar themes here in America, and actually in much of the world, but we are all familiar with fighting.

As I was thinking more about this theme, I was reminded of some basics concerning Judo.  In Judo, the master is trained to use to attackers strength against them, using subtle shifts of momentum, and balance to throw their opponent with minimal effort.  Why do I bring up Judo, because I felt like that is what happens to us when we try to resist the devil without the strength and authority of the Lord supporting us, for that is what we receive when we submit our lives unto the Lord.

A couple of days ago, I was reflecting on the yoke of Jesus (Matt 11:38-40) as a stepping under His teaching and training.  We could replace the first half of verse 7 (quoted above) with these verses from Matthew, for they mean essentially the same thing, submitting ourselves to the Lord.  We are invited into relationship, which will include training and teaching!  We will learn from our Lord and Master and then be able to apply what we learn into our lives.  That is essentially what repentance is, learning to think differently (new ways) and then changing our actions to line up with what we have learned.

Stepping back to the theme of Judo, when I was in college we had a professor who had only one leg, and was not really a physically imposing individual.  He was, however, an expert at Judo, and had been one of the highest ranked in that sport prior to losing his leg.  We had a student who was studying judo from him, who was a monster, huge and strong.  The story (for I never saw this with my own eyes) is that the professor used to throw this huge student around like he was a rag-doll.  My point?  Strength and power alone is not sufficient to gain victory, one must be trained to battle!  When we have been trained by a master, then taking on bigger and stronger opponents is very possible.

Back to the biblical theme, I want to make sure that I am first submitting to the Lordship, teaching and training of the Lord!  In the context of that relationship, for that is really the invitation, the Lord will provide me exactly what I need to know to effectively resist the devil. I don't want to get outside myself and my abilities, thinking that I can defeat the devil on my own strength, or I will get tossed around like a rag-doll.  I want to draw-near to the Lord, and allow Him to overshadow me, and provide protection for me!  It is when I submit to His Lordship that I am able to walk in His authority and strength, to which the enemy must bow.

 So today, I am first and foremost encouraged to submit myself to the Lord, to His Lordship, to His training, to His teaching!  It is in the place of this relationship that I will have the strength, power, insight and will to resist the devil.  Lord, thank You for such a simple model for life.  Help me to see those areas where I am not submitting to You or even resisting You, rather than the enemy!  Help me to change my life to come fully under Your authority and training!

Reconciliation Into Right Relationship

This morning I am reflecting on Paul's opening verses from his letter to the Colossians.  Talk about deep thoughts, you could spend months unpacking all that he has written.  Here are the verses - Colossians 1:9-20 NIV:

[9] "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, [10] so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, [11] being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, [12] and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. [13] For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

[15] "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. [16] For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. [17] He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. [19] For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

Starting at the end, verses 19 & 20, (and in verse 15) we see here the statement of truth also shared in the letter to the Hebrews, that Jesus is the image of the Father, having all of the Father's  fullness swelling within Him, or as Hebrews says the exact representation of His being.  This is incomprehensible truth, yet we find that it must be so, for the Trinity to be true.  As I have written recently, this is also communicated by Jesus as well, for He said that everything He said and did was at the Father's direction.  Thus, in Jesus we find the perfect reflection, the perfect portrayal, the perfect representation, the actual fullness of the Father taking on Human form, and acting and speaking!!  

The purpose for all of this was reconciliation!  Reconciliation between God and all things!  What was being reconciled? Correct relationship with the Father, that which was lost in the Garden of Eden.  This might not seem related, but Paul clearly understood that Jesus coming to earth was about more than just us humans, it was eternally and universally significant.

That being said, the motivating impetus for all was love, according to Jesus (who was speaking for the Father).  He proclaimed this truth in the familiar verses from early in John's Gospel - John 3:16-17 NIV: "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. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Jesus came because of God's Love for us!  He came not to release judgment, but rather to save and reconcile us to Him, through His sacrifice.  The purpose of reconciliation is that we might live in right relationship with God, no longer fearing judgment, but instead embracing our identity as His sons and daughters, enjoying unity and intimacy with Him, even as Adam and Eve did in the garden, pre-apple.  In the earlier verses quoted above, Paul writes about the effort of unlearning the lies and deception we lived under while in the kingdom of darkness, and the imparting of true knowledge and understanding through the Holy Spirit. The truth is that we are invited to share in the inheritance in His Kingdom of Light!  The same inheritance that Jesus demonstrated, for we are co-heirs (Rom 8:17)!

Thinking about this all a bit differently, using the story of the Prodigal Son as an example (Luke 15:11-32)  The younger son thought he had forfeited his inheritance through his wild living and sinful life, but the whole time he was in self-imposed exile, the Father was waiting for his return, so that he might be reconciled through the father's love, back to right relationship.   In the same way, prior to our experience of God's salvation, we think that we have no future, no eternal inheritance.  We hear of God, but only as a judge.  It is in relationship with Him though that the truth of His love and desire for reconciliation becomes evident.  Going back to the story of the prodigal, when the son returns to his father, he is expecting judgment and penance, and instead is welcomed back into his right relationship and his inheritance is restored.  In the same way, we are forgiven and embraced when we come to the Father through Jesus.  He establishes us as His sons and daughters and makes us His co-heirs with Jesus.  We are meant to spend the remainder of our lives living in this reality, as His sons and daughters, operating in right relationship, which includes representing Him in authority and love to the rest of the world that still is living in darkness.  It is living in the light of this truth that Paul is praying into the Colossians, and we should be praying into each other!  We ARE sons and daughters and we need to learn to embrace this truth and live lives worthy of this truth.

A moment to reflect on living "lives worthy of the Lord" (verse 10 above).  The Greek word translated worthy is the word Axios, and at its root it means having weight, specifically being equal to the weight of some other thing of known value.  We measure diamonds in carats, precious metals in ounces or grams, and this is same basic understanding.  Our lives should have worth or weightiness that relates to the value of God!  Wow, that word is so easy to read, but has such depth!  In other words, we are called to represent the value of God to those around us, to be shining examples of God's infinite worth, authority and power!  It is for this very reason we need to be fully immersed in relationship with The Father and Jesus, with the Holy spirit empowering us to truly represent Them.  If this is His desire, we can know that He will make us able to do this, for He is a Good Father, and that is His plan and purpose for us.

So my encouragement today is to fully embrace these truths, to embrace intimate and right relationship with the Lord, to follow His lead, speaking and acting as His son!  I am encouraged to share this truth with my brothers and sisters, to pray for my brothers and sisters that we all might learn to live our lives as Jesus' co-heirs!

Amen!!!

The School of Rest and Relationship

This morning I am reflecting on an interesting set of verses, and the subject is the revelation of the Father by Jesus.  Here are the verses - Matthew 11:25-30 NIV:

[25] "At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. [26] Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do."

[27] “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

[28] “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Most of this chapter is centered around Jesus' comments about John the Baptist and his response to John's disciples.  Jesus was speaking of John as the one who prepared the way (a reference to the coming Messiah) and then a comparison of His ministry to John's.  The people it seems were struggling to understand what was happening, and Jesus was laying a groundwork for understanding.

When John's disciples asked if He was the one John was sent to announce (the Messiah) Jesus replied by listing the miraculous works they had all seen (Matt 11:4-6). He then goes on to describe John's ministry as being the one who was to prepare the way for the Messiah (Matt 11: 7-10).  He describes him as greater than all the old testament prophets (Matt 11:10),  and this was all to help the people listening understand Jesus' role and purpose.

There was a spirit of unbelief in the land, as Jesus commented on a few particularly unbelieving towns, Chorazim, Bethsaida and Capernaum.   His particular comments were concerning the miracles that were performed in those cities and their unwillingness to believe. The whole point of His conversations leading up to the few verses I quoted above is that He is the Messiah!  He is revealing miracles from the Father, and some of the people are still unbelieving.

In that light, Jesus describes how He is revealing the Father!  He says that these facts are hidden from the wise and learned, yet revealed them to little children!  Sometimes I think we tend to over think, rather than to understand and embrace.  There are many verses that describe the confusion the Jews were in because, they couldn't tell for sure that Jesus was the Messiah!  As an example, as far as they knew nobody was supposed to know where the Messiah came from, but they knew Jesus grew up in Galilee, in Nazareth.  Thus they were getting stuck on details, and ministry styles and their own expectations. They were so worried about the specifics they were totally missing everything Jesus did to help them understand who He was, and it was the "wise and learned" who were the most conflicted.  Those that had the simple faith of a child were sure He was the Messiah!  Jesus even says that it pleased the Father to operate this way!  That ought to give us pause to examine our own spiritual pride in our knowledge and need to understand everything.

Anyway, Jesus goes on to say that He was revealing the Father to those He chooses!  All things had been committed to Him, and He was about the Father's work of revealing those things.  He alone truly understands the Father (with the obvious exception of the Holy Spirit), and He was revealing Him to His followers!

Knowing God, knowing about God and being His people was core to the identity of the Jews (and us of course) and Jesus was releasing significant revelation.  He knew that people were struggling and trying to understand all that He was saying and doing, and that is the context in which He invites them to 'come to Him, all who are weary and burdened'.  He wanted to calm their hearts, speak peace to their minds and allow them to learn from Him!  He was trying to make it easy for them (Matt 11:28-30)!  I heard pastor Rob Bell speak about the yoke as actually being indicative of a school of study, such as the school of the Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) and was almost like a school uniform.  I had never heard that before and it helped me to understand what Jesus was saying here.  Basically He was inviting the people to come to Him to learn of the Father, and He would make Him clear to them, for only He knew the Father!  It was a school based on resting in relationship, not study!

Later in John's Gospel, we see Jesus providing exactly the same perspective, this time to His Apostles, for even they didn't fully grasp what Jesus was saying and showing!  Here is what John recorded - John 14:8-11 NIV:

[8] Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

[9] Jesus answered: “Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? [10] Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. [11] Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves."

This pretty much sums up Jesus' ministry!  He was revealing the Father through His words and actions!  The author of Hebrews calls Jesus "the exact representation of the Father" (Heb 1:3).  We don't need to struggle to understand the Father, we can look to Jesus and learn from His words and actions!  When we see Him, we see the Father. Knowing the Father, in this light, is meant to bring us peace and rest, for in Jesus' example and words, we can understand His love for us, His mercy, His compassion, His faithfulness, His kindness, His love for sinners, for the weak, for the lost for the rejected, for the weary, and for the confused.  He loves us as we are, and has invited us all into relationship with Him!  He wants us to know that we are His sons and daughters, and to rest in that knowledge!

If you want to know who you are, study the Gospels and meet the Father through Jesus, and in His words and actions you will receive light and understanding!  Rather than working hard and trying to understand everything, allow Him to show you who He is, and learn from Him, like children who believe what they see.

This morning I am encouraged to allow the truth of Jesus' words and actions wash over me! I am encouraged to embrace relationship as the primary point of revelation of the Father! I am ecnouraged to enter the school of rest and relationship!  I am encouraged to embrace my identity as His son, knowing that He wants me to know Him!

Amen!

When We Don't Understand The Lord...

This morning I was skimming through some verses and a verse just grabbed my attention, the last one (Verse 34) in the following verses from Luke 18:31-34 NIV:

[31] "Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. [32] He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; [33] they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”

[34] "The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about."

I always smile when I read this verse and other similar verses because, to me, Jesus just couldn't be any clearer.  However, I know I am reading this with well informed hind-sight, and a couple thousand years of historical perspective.  Luke was trying to capture the reality of the Apostles understanding as it was happening, and it is quite clear that they really didn't understand what Jesus was talking about.

The reason these verses caught my eye, is that I feel that this is the way most of us live our lives, not in a bad way, but without fully understanding what Jesus is about in our lives!  When I look back at my life, things are much clearer, but when I look forward and try to see where I am going, or what is going to happen today, tomorrow or next week, I find that I am woefully uninformed, and generally very inaccurate in my expectations!

The Lord is about amazing things, and while He often speaks our futures, we don't usually have the right context and perspective to fully understand what He is saying.  I will hear Him say things and think I know what He means, and then find out that I was way off, and usually considerably short in understanding the full blessing He is pouring out.  He speaks of purpose and callings in my life and most of the time I have no real idea what He is actually talking about.

For example, over 30 years ago, I had someone speak prophetically over my life, and the life of my wife, saying how we were going to be a father and mother to many children (there was more but that was the basic theme).  We were young and zealous for the Lord, and assumed that meant that we were going to be working with orphans and we immediately started pursuing that path, as we had friends who had friends that did that very work.  I was a trained teacher, and my sweetheart had worked in an orphanage in Peru, so it made perfect sense, we thought!  Except that wasn't what the Lord had planned, instead through our kids, as they were growing up, we become one of the houses where kids (friends of our kiddos) who were largely un-parented stayed and ate and slept and were loved on.  Now almost 30 years later we are actively involved in a great ministry to foster children, and our hearts are full of love for them!  I am sure this isn't the complete fulfillment, as it seems in every season of our lives, the fulfillment of the word takes on a different nuance!

So my encouragement this morning is to not worry about my lack of understanding what the Lord is doing, or how He is going to fulfill His promises!  I find that resting in His arms and watching Him unfold it is better than worrying and fretting and trying to make something happen.  I am reminded of Abraham, and his efforts to fulfill the promise of the Lord that He would have a son. He convinced himself that the fulfillment of that word would  come through Sarah's servant Hagar, and ended up with a son named Ishmael.  The true fulfillment was Isaac, yet Abraham couldn't see that happening in the natural, so he tried to figure out how to make it happen on his own, and it was not a good thing.

Today I am laying down my need to understand everything, and trusting myself to the one who does understand everything!  He has all authority, all power and all knowledge, so why not let Him direct my life and follow as He leads?!  He is faithful and true, His promises are Yes and Amen!  He loves me and will always Love me!  I hear Him offering me the following invitation - Matthew 11:28-30 NIV:  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Amen!