Time in the Morning

Something a bit different today - I was reflecting on how wonderful it is to have a time of prayer and reflection in the morning.  I am so grateful for the days I am able to start, waiting on the Lord, communicating with Him.  This morning there is a light rain falling, the grass is vibrant green, the trees are lush, and there are birds singing outside.  Our cats are resting near me, and I am enjoying my brief time in the Word, drinking a cup of coffee and being at peace before heading into the day.  Thank You Lord.

The verse for me today is Psalm 5:3 NIV:  "In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly."

My prayer is that I hear His voice today!  I am confident the Lord hears mine... my one request is that I hear and see Him clearly.

Help me to hear  and see You Lord, for You are my Lord.

Blessing for Sinners?

This morning I felt like reflecting on blessing, as the theme has been on my heart of late, partly due to something I have seen shared by fellow Christians about a pastor who wouldn't bless a young couple who was living together.  When I read it, there seemed to be something a bit off, and as I prayed about it I felt the Lord say, 'they don't understand what is meant by blessing'.

Without getting into the specifics of the posting or anything, my desire is to better understand the whole idea of a blessing, and specifically God's blessing, in light of the Gospel.  Right off the top a few verses jump into my mind - as follows:

Galatians 3:14 NIV:  "He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

- and -

1 Peter 3:9 NIV: "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

- and - 

Matthew 5:43-48 NIV:

[43] “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' [44] But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. [46] If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? [47] And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? [48] Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Before digging into the verses, it is important to distinguish that blessing is not the same as agreeing, or condoning someone's actions. Blessing is a gift from God.  It is clear that blessing does not require sinlessness, on the contrary, Peter writes that we should use blessing as a repayment for evil done to us.  Paul writes that the blessing of Abraham can be received through our redemption by Christ Jesus, and that redemption was accomplished while we were still sinners (See Romans 5:8). 

Going back to the original blessing of God upon Abraham, found in Genesis, chapter 12, there was no requirement of sinlessness and the blessing is given before obedience.  Abraham certainly did not live a sinless life, and yet God's promised blessing was never taken away.  Here is that actual first mention of blessing found in Genesis 12:1-4 NIV:

[1] "The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. [2] “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. [3] I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. ” 

[4] So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran."

This is the blessing that Paul writes about in Galatians, and one that we inherit in Christ's redemption.  Again, this is not related to anything we do, or anything Abraham did to that point, but something God chose to do.  As Jesus stated in the verses from Matthew, we are called to love and pray for those that are enemies.  I think its safe to say that Jesus was using a worst-case example, and that praying for and loving everyone who isn't an enemy, but who might be a sinner, would be included in His charge.

God clearly does not hold back blessing based on a list of sins that are being committed, in fact the clear understanding is the opposite, we are to bless even our enemies as a worst-case.  Does this include sinners?  Absolutely!  In fact, the simple question is whether any of us is without sin? I think the definitive answer is, "no".  Clearly God expects us to bless, and to be a blessing.  Maybe we should define blessing...

The first time in scripture we find God's blessing mentioned it is give to the creatures - Genesis 1:21-22 NIV:

[21] "So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [22] God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”

In this first mention of God blessing, it has to do with increase, and is the recognition of His seeing the creation as good, and has no mention of righteousness or sinlessness!  If we apply this as our simple definition of blessing we find it is, "asking God to provide increase, because He sees something or someone as part of His good creation." This definitely can be applied to us all, saint and sinner alike.

The Lord described it this way to me, "being for someone, praying for their blessing, for goodness to rain upon them, does not mean we have to agree with with their life choices, or behavior, or judge them sinless".  

We are called to be a blessing on earth, and God knows there are many lost, confused, harassed and down-trodden who NEED His blessing.  We are called, just as Abraham was called, to be a blessing on the earth.  

Is it right to ask God's blessing on a sinful person?  Absolutely!

Is it right to ask God's blessing for those that are sinful, and who act that way? Absolutely!

God's blessing, thankfully, is not withheld for only the righteous, or sinless, and neither should our blessing be withheld!  

My encouragement this morning is to be a blessing to all those around me, regardless of their relationship with God, regardless of their sin, regardless of their actions.  I am encouraged to spread God's blessing to all, to be for them, to pray for their increase, to pray for their fruitfulness!  I am encouraged that God wants me to act like Him, as Jesus clearly stated.

Oh Lord, help us to embrace this simple and effective witness to Your wonderful nature and goodness.

Amen and amen!

Relationship on the Rock

This morning I am continuing my reflection based in Matthew, Chapter 7.  Jesus says many challenging things in this chapter, and many of them are focused on listening and taking action.  He closes the "Sermon on the Mount" with the following statements - Matthew 7:24-27 NIV:

[24] “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. [25] The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. [26] But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. [27] The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  

The focus here is clearly hearing and action.  We must not just agree, but we must change our actions, making His words our practice, our life work.  IN previous verses he talks about the narrow way, talks about true disciples, and both are categorized by their hearing, and obeying (taking action).  All of this is impossible without the first part which is hearing.  Hearing in this case is related to our relationship with the Lord, believing that He will speak into our lives.  

There is a great difference between knowing the written words of the Lord, and actually being engaged in a living relationship with Him.  As I quoted yesterday, Jesus, as recorded in John's Gospel, said that He and the Father would come and make their home with them (those that heard and obeyed) (John 14:23). Earlier He said if we loved Him, that person would be loved by the Father and by Him (John 14: 21).  This is the language of relationship, and most healthy relationships involve listening and doing, being engaged in conversation, and reacting to those conversations.

It is not unusual to expect both individuals in a relationship to share and communicate, but somehow many people have missed the relational context of this faith.  The invitation is constantly put forth by the Lord, but religion has managed to construct the trappings of a more formal relationship, but somehow left out the important inner and personal relationship.  

There seems to be fear that God cannot communicate effectively with His sons and daughters, and thus we must speak for God.  There was the real fear of heresy and the Church stepped in a provided a strong hand of guidance.  Now I will say there are definitely a healthy amount of people who are off in their ideas, but that doesn't mean we should reduce the idea of communication between God and the individual to rote prayers and formal statements by the Church.  It seems the church prefers this at time over teaching, mentoring, encouraging and pastoring, the real work of the Church.  One could call this all discipleship, and some people will take more effort than others for sure.  It seems to me that the church at times has become a guardian of its charges, much like the Law was, simplifying faith to the point that it is just a list of rules as guidelines that replace the raw and real relationships we are supposed to have with the Lord.

In my experience with the Lord, He deals with me directly, intimately, and gently.  It is a real conversation, a real relationship.  The Lord deals with me in a way, that while unique to me, is very similar to the way He interacts and guides many others that I have talked to and read about.  Its doesn't make me special, just a normal son.  In the same way that my earthly father, gave me guidance, direction and conversed with me, the Lord interacts with me.  My earthly dad has passed into Eternal life, but I still remember many of the things he said, many of the life lessons, and at times those memories give me guidance.  While at times that is the way it is with the Lord, me remembering scripture or previous interactions, most of the time, the conversation is fresh and real, something I can no longer have with my earthly dad.  

The thing about this all, is that this relationship with the Lord is supposed to be the bedrock of our life, as Jesus so perfectly described in the verses above!  His word, His direction, guidance, love and support are meant to be firm and unchanging, and enable us to withstand much that gets thrown at us in our earthly life.  This can't just be rules from church, or a distant sense of God, for neither will sustain us in times of difficulty in the moment of indecision, doubt or real struggle.  We can choose not to believe the words from John 14 that I shared above, or we can embrace them and press into the promised relationship with the Lord.

My prayer for all is that we might discover this relationship, and embrace our sonship, our daughtership, and begin to communicate with our Heavenly Father in our daily lives.  My prayer is that we learn to foster this in others, that we lean into the Lord, and in doing so, provide a pathway for others as well.  My prayer is that we encourage true discipleship, for this produces healthy, mature brothers and sisters who are rightly connected to the Lord, and the rest of the Body of Christ. We need a church who have relationships founded on the Rock.

Amen and Amen!

Action and Love

This morning I felt led to read from Matthew 7:7-12 NIV:

[7] “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. [8] For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. [9] “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? [11] If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! [12] So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

The first thing I noticed in reading this, was that I read almost the same thing yesterday, but Luke's version, so apparently for me this is the theme for this week, and good one at that.  Again, its hard not to be encouraged when reading Jesus' encouragement to pray, to seek, knock and ask.  

The second thing I noticed was that the last sentence didn't seem to fit thematically with the rest of the paragraph.  It seems that Jesus just tags on that thought about caring for others like we want to be cared for, and He uses the word "do", to indicate this is action.  The Greek word used by Matthew is poieó:

Definition: to make, do

Usage: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause

In other words, this is not thinking nice thoughts, but actively engaging, being productive, and doing so towards others.  

The thing I think is interesting is that Jesus tied these two themes together, as one is related to the other.  Is it possible our answered prayers are related to our care of others?  If the Father is caring, giving, responding, and asking us to do the same, is that how it works?  Earlier in the chapter Jesus was talking about judging others, and how if we judge, we will be judged using the exact same measure (See Matt 7:1-5).  It is clear that our actions can impact our own treatment, at least that is how I read these verses.  

This definitely makes me think.  Am I expecting something from God, that I am unwilling to extend to others?  Am I more concerned about the answers to my prayers, than I am about those in need around me?  

Jesus then makes a very interesting statement, saying this "do unto others as you would have them do to you" sums up the Law and Prophets.  As New covenant people we don't need to concern ourselves so much about that, but the new command that Jesus gave in John 13 is very similar, except He uses His example, rather than our own desired treatment as the measure.

John 13:34-35 NIV:

[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.”

Add to this the following statement by Jesus - John 14:21 NIV:  "Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

It is such an interesting equation of love and action, and directly related to what Jesus was saying in these verses from Matthew's Gospel.  Our care for others, our love for them, in active and expressive ways, is directly related to our experience of God's love in our own lives.  

The danger here is keeping score, as in religion, for Jesus is speaking about relationships. If we keep score in our relationships, we are actually just judging the other.  Jesus in using His own example of love as our measure, is saying that we must love sacrificially, giving everything!  We don't give to get, we give because we love! 

Oh Lord, help me to embrace these encouragements today.  Help me to look beyond my own need to see the needs of others around me, and help me to love in real and active ways.  Help me to look to You, knowing that as I love others, You will love me!

Amen and Amen!

Teach Us To Pray

This morning I felt led to read from Luke 11:2-13 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. ' ” 

[5] Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; [6] a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.' [7] And suppose the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' [8] I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 

[9] “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. [10] For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 

[11] “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? [12] Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? [13] If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

I always found these verses so encouraging.  This morning I have been reflecting on my daily life to see if I am praying as Jesus taught?  I think most days I am honoring of the Lord, praising Him for His blessing in my life, His direction and guidance, which seems to fulfill verse two.  However, I am aware that I am not conscious enough of His Kingdom, as it is something that we must pursue and promote.  Lord, help me to be more Kingdom focused!

As for provision, it always seems a bit self-serving to me to pray for the Lord to release provision into my life, but that is exactly what the Lord encourages.  For me this helps me remember who my provider is!  I am not my provider, my company isn't my provider, the Lord is my provider.  He has faithfully and consistently led me down paths that are better than I would have imagined, and I am grateful.

Forgiveness is one of those words that should be in our daily expressions, and prayers for sure.  I like the fact that Jesus says forgiveness is a sort of two way street.  We must have an awareness of our own sinfulness, and our own offended nature.  We cannot seek forgiveness if we are not willing to forgive.  This is the flip side of taking responsibility for our actions and for our offenses.  We have somehow elevated being offended to a type of right.  Being offended is essentially being unwilling to extend forgiveness... yikes.  In my opinion, this is one of the more important lines in the prayer.

Finally, in this version we are told to pray that we are not led into temptation.  This specific translation version doesn't add "but deliver us from the evil one" at the end of verse 4.  It should be clear that God doesn't lead us into temptation.  The Greek word used here can also be translated as "test" and from Strong's we find the following word helps - "3986 peirasmós (from 3985 /peirázō) – temptation or test – both senses can apply simultaneously (depending on the context). The positive sense ("test") and negative sense ("temptation") are functions of the context (not merely the words themselves).  

Personally I find that the Lord regularly tests me, but it is always with a positive motive.  He is desiring to see if I have understood and applied what He has been teaching me, that I might move on to the next subject.  His motivation is to help me mature and become more like Him, and He knows I am far from like Him, and will require plenty of education, training, tweaking and encouragement.  I don't ever feel like the tests have a punishment component, as He is for me and bringing correction without punishment. 

The evil one, n the other hand is constantly at work in our lives to lead us away from the Lord, away from others, and separated from the Body.  His goal is to get us to focus on ourselves, not the Lord or others.  It is almost impossible to love others when we are only focused on ourselves.  

The rest of the verses, where Jesus encourages us to ask, seek, and knock are wonderful reminders of God's gracious nature.  He delights in releasing blessing into our lives, and is not a frugal giver!

Lord, thank You for reminding me today of Your encouragement to pray, to ask, to seek, to knock, to forgive, and to repent!  

Amen and Amen!

Jesus Alive, The Man in White

It has been a while since I read the following in Paul's letter to the 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 NIV:

[1] "Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. [2] By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 

[3] For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, [4] that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, [5] and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. [6] After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. [7] Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, [8] and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 

[9] For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. [10] But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them---yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. [11] Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed."

Paul, is laying the foundation for a discussion about the resurrection from the dead, following these verses.  What caught my attention was his recounting of the appearances/visitations of Jesus following His resurrection from the dead.  Paul is reporting what he had heard here, for at the time He was not an apostle, but was rather "abnormally born" and later at that. 

Having just come through the celebration of Easter, revisiting Jesus resurrection, I am familiar with the  different accounts of Jesus' interactions with his disciples immediately following His rising from the dead.  The accounts are similar but all include unique components, and here we find some additional information.  The one that interests me is the appearing to "more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time" as this does not seem to be reflected in any of the other accounts.  Paul, in referencing this event, also notes that many of the 500+ were still alive.   He must have had some level of knowledge of these people to have written that statement.  Paul wrote this about 20 years after Jesus resurrection, and thus his statement is certainly possibly true, and would have been wonderful to experience.

Paul also writes that the Lord appeared to himself. It is not clear if this was when confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus, or if this another more intimate appearance that resulted in Paul understanding and presenting the Gospel so clearly, even without personal eye-witness experience and knowledge of Jesus ministry, death and resurrection.  Paul wrote that he received the gospel directly from Jesus in Galatians 1:11-12 NIV:  "I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. [12] I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ."

The point of all of this is that Jesus is alive and capable of appearing as He wills.  Clearly the appearance to Paul was after Jesus ascended to heaven, and as such, is a different sort of appearance, in my opinion, but one that sets the stage for possible continued appearances and visitations.  We don't hear much about Him appearing today, but apparently in the Muslim world today, there are many experiences of the "Man in white" appearing to complete unbelievers, and those that experience this appearance are converted to follow Christ Jesus, for He is the "man in white".  Here are just a few links describing these appearances:

https://lausanneworldpulse.com/perspectives-php/595/01-2007

https://www.godreports.com/2022/05/man-in-white-appears-to-muslims-brings-salvation/

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/jesus-christ-himself-the-man-in-white-leading-muslims-to-embrace-christianity-through-dreams-and-visions/88556.htm

https://everyhome.org/blog/the-man-in-white/

This morning I find myself both reminded of the foundation of the Gospel, and that this Gospel is as alive, as is our Savior Jesus Christ.  There are times that all of this can feel like a bit of a historical study, but the reality is that Jesus is alive and well, and we can and do experience Him.  Our faith is not based on some character that only lived 2000 years ago, but is meant to be connected to and directed by Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, alive and active in our daily lives in intimate and individual ways.  

Oh Lord, I pray that my faith might become more alive and well, as You are alive and well.  Help us to engage with You in the present, and not just worship You as a revelation from the past! 

Amen!