Holy Week Monday “Hope Over Hype”

 

Matthew 21:18-22

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree

¹⁸ Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Building upon 40 Days of Devotion we begin Holy Week. After 40 days of sacrifice, and repentance we are now faced with the prospect of an even more difficult task. Some might say we come out of the frying pan and jump right into the skillet. Yesterday we had a moment to exhale, to celebrate. Palm Sunday reminded us that every now and then people get it right. Jesus enters humbly into Jerusalem but he is welcomed like the King he is. The people greet him with shouts of save us and blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. For just a moment it seems like things are going to get better. Still Jesus did not get caught up in the hype. Instead of relying on the emotions of the people to dictate his future actions, Jesus continue his pursuit to the cross. Jesus chooses the Hope of eternity over the hype of humanity.

Our text begins the next morning. After the hoopla of yesterday Jesus is on his way back to the city and sees a fig tree. Upon seeing the tree there is the expectation there would be figs on the tree. Jesus is hungry and is anticipating a breakfast of figs and fellowship. What he finds is an empty tree. Looks good but producing nothing. How often are we like this fig tree. We look good on the outside, we have our bibles, and we have memorized some key verses. We know “church talk” and can be seen in some of the “right” places. But upon closer inspection, we are full of sound and fury signifying nothing. There is no substance to us. Far too often we focus on our shell and neglect our soul. Jesus expects fruit and finds fakery. He then utters what I sense to be a scary utterance. Jesus says “may you never bear fruit again”. Wow and owww. The first law GOD gave creation was be fruitful and multiple. For Jesus to say be no more fruitful is to take away its purpose. Immediately the tree withers. Life without purpose is death. When I read this I can imagine what it would be like if all hope were gone. Even further when I read this I sense Jesus challenging us on being true to fulfilling our purpose. We are called to do more than look good and talk the talk. When we are fig trees in a world that is hungry, we are intended to bear fruit. Not just leaves, but fruit.

Jesus challenges us on bearing fruit and also uses this experience as a teaching moment for the disciples. Jesus replied to the disciples amazement by saying, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” When we pray we are exposed to an unlimited supply of power. Jesus helps us to unlock a treasure of incalculable value. Faith without doubt. The power is not in the praise of people but in the presence of GOD.

Today I am encouraged to be intentional about bearing fruit. The hype of should should not dictate the life we live. Beyond the hype, the work for the kingdom must still be done. Do not grow weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap a harvest i we faint not. #livebig

POint to Ponder: How will You choose hope over hype? Who have you hyped up only to find they disappointed you? Would you rather be loved for people pleasing  or respected for telling it like it is?

Lent 2020 Day 32 “Homecoming”

Daily Scriptures: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20130;%20Ezekiel%2036:8-15;%20Luke%2024:44-53

Ezekiel 36:8-15  (NIV)

⁸ “‘But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home. ⁹ I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, ¹⁰ and I will cause many people to live on you—yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. ¹¹ I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹² I will cause people, my people Israel, to live on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children.

¹³ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because some say to you, “You devour people and deprive your nation of its children,” ¹⁴ therefore you will no longer devour people or make your nation childless, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁵ No longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations, and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Homecoming

Have you ever just wanted to go back home? Have YOU ever endured a struggle that seemed to never end and the only thing YOU had to look forward to was being back in your comfort zone?  Think back over your high school days of grueling studies, ok maybe not grueling but at least it may have felt that way and every day YOU looked forward to homecoming or the prom? We often look forward to the big day when troubles will be over and wondering and wandering will end. What we may not always recognize is YHWH is a step ahead of us and has been making preparations in the midst of our perspirations.

Our text from Ezekiel is set as the Israelite community is in exile. Their disobedience has led to a hedge of protection being lifted and the Babylonians taking the land and exiling the people. After years of yearning to go back home YHWH responds to their cry by getting the land ready. The text says,“‘But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.” YHWH is doing the homecoming preparations even while the people are still in exile. Just as Noah built the ark before there was ever any rain, YHWH is preparing the land even before the people return home. This dynamic is helpful for us today as we go through unknown situations will countless possible outcomes. Many are worried and stretched and stressed. It may seem like all there everything is in turmoil. This thought can be so overwhelming that we may not recognize our situation is not a condition and  YHWH may be preparing the land for us.

The season of Lent is can be very challenging for those who choose to sacrifice during the season. There may be some days where we don’t think we can take it and it would be easier to quit. I encourage YOU to stick with it. There is a blessing on the other side of what we are going through. YHWH is commanding the land to be ready to produce fruit for those who are returning home. This fruit will be able to sustain the growth and reestablishment of the nation. FRiends keep the faith through this season of Lent and pandemic of Covid-19. YHWH has not forgotten about us.

Points to Ponder: What are YOU most hopeful today? Are YOU able to keep the faith when all YOU feel is fear? How do YOU define home?

Lent 2020 Day 30 “Present in the Presence”

Daily Scriptures: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20130;%20Ezekiel%201:1-3,%202:8-3:3;%20Revelation%2010:1-11

                                                          Psalm 130

¹ Out of the depths, I cry to you, Lord; ² Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive
    to my cry for mercy. ³ If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?

⁴ But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word, I put my hope.
⁶ I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

⁷ Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. ⁸ He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Present In The Presence

Tick tock, tick tock, Waiting….Waiting….Waiting. Is there anybody who enjoys waiting? Most people I have met will describe waiting as one of their least favorite life situations. I recently observed myself and my phone have a closer relationship when I am waiting. The moment things slow down my phone comes up. Its almost a habit. Checking messages, looking at the gram, anything to pass the time. When we are waiting, our minds tend to fixate on the not yet and the things we would love to be doing. The growth opportunity exists in bringing our full attention to the present moment and identifying GOD in our midst. It is easy to grow agitated and disturbed when we are having an “out of being” experience. When I say “an “out of being experience”,  I am thinking on the lines of Being a Human being and not just a human doing. An “out of being” experience occurs when our bodies exist in one place but our minds are running all around town. Every moment of anxiety while waiting in a line, at a stoplight, at the doctor’s office can indicate an out of being experience.

In the writing of this Psalm, we connect with the writer in an intimate moment. The writer expresses the cry of the soul for help. He writes, “Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD…Be attentive to my cry for mercy. I can feel this. During the most challenging times of my life, I have found myself laying prostrate at the altar of the church I pastor with my face down and a full agonizing cry to GOD. (I do this when alone, so I don’t alarm anybody). In the moment of this cry, I am fully present. My mind is not wandering, I am totally focused on experiencing GOD and GOD experiencing me. At this moment like the Psalmist, I confront my role in my situation. Either through neglect or arrogance sin has crept into my life and I need forgiveness. My situation cannot totally change until I change. Carrying guilt locks me into living in the past. Knowing I am forgiven liberates me to live in the present PRESENCE. When we are forgiven the residue of sin can be washed away and we become new creations in Christ. Forgiveness allows us to breathe again and to begin the practice of being fully present in the moment. This is the challenge of waiting.

When we are able to say my whole being waits for the LORD, we are able to lose the illusion of time and see ourselves in the context of eternity. It is always now in the context of eternity. To wait with our while being takes practice. Imagine pausing the next time you find yourself waiting, and focus on your breathing. Drop your shoulders, exhale, de-stress and know you are blessed. Place your hope in the word of the LORD who plans to prosper you. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and put your hope in the unfailing love of GOD. Sometimes the wait is a Divine delay while GOD is preparing a great blessing for us. Instead of stressing through the stretching of waiting, Be Still and chill. GOD is with you and that’s all we need.

PRAYER: LORD we confess we want you to hurry up. We want to escape the waiting time and just get to the bottom line now. We want the joy of Easter without the pain of Calvary. Help us to wait with our whole being. AMEN

Point To Ponder: Where are you now? Are you fully present? Today when you find yourself waiting, don’t fiddle with your phone, or get distracted, but whisper a prayer for someone near you. Pray for your pastor or president. Breath and Be…

Palm Sunday 2019 “Needed By Jesus”

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29        John 12:12-16      Luke 19:28-40          Matthew 21:1-17
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21%3A1-17&version=NIV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+118%3A1-2%2C+19-29%2C+John+12%3A12-16%2C+Luke+19%3A28-40&version=NIV

Its Palm Sunday. We have arrived at the end of our 40 Days of Lenten Devotions. I am grateful for all who have followed or read these devotions over the last 40 days. I will continue to post up to Resurrection Sunday and then as the spirit leads.

Have you ever recognized the gap between where you are and where you want to be? Have you examined yourself honestly and recognized your blemishes and flaws. IN short have you ever in the presence of GOD felt, awkward, unworthy, even ugly? After forty days of reflecting and drawing closer to GOD, repenting of my past wrongs, I now see how much further I have to go. Whenever we draw closer to the light, we are able to see more details. We have a tendency to only see the gaps but miss the glimpses of grace and glory. What I am driving at is even though we may not yet be all we can be, after forty days of discipline we are better than we would have been. The triumphal entry of Jesus on a donkey is an example of how GOD can use the ordinary to fulfill an extraordinary purpose.

In our text we have the Master preparing to enter Jerusalem for what would be the last time. He prepares by asking two disciples to run ahead and get a donkey and a colt to ride on. There is no indication that Jesus was anticipating the crowds gathering yet they did. As Jesus rides in on the donkey, a beast of burden, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan in THE LAST WEEK, indicate there was another procession on the other side of town. The sense is Pilate was also arriving around the same time. The contrast between these two arrivals is stark. Pilate would have arrived with military guards on Stallions with pomp and circumstance and the show of power and authority was intentional, for all to see. On the other side of town, arriving through an olive grove on what would have been a side street, Jesus arrives, with a crowd that seems to gather and they start a commotion, shouting Hosanna. Now Hosanna literally means save us. As we say Hosanna today we will be saying save us. The question is, save us from what? From the oppression of external pressures? From sexism, racism, ageism, or any other ism? Or save us from what we have learned about ourselves over the last 40 days. How we can be cranky or prone to acting out on our worst desires? What are we asking to be saved from and saved to?

As Jesus arrives a few things come to my mind. First he chooses a donkey. Donkeys are low to the ground, they are generally, beasts of burden, and rarely have you ever heard that’s a fine looking donkey you have there. They may resemble horses but they aren’t admired of adored like horses. I believe Jesus chooses to enter like this and even say the LORD has need of the donkey to remind us, no matter how scarred we may be, no matter how ignored we may be, no matter what our past may be, The LORD still has need of us. GOD can use us no matter what we look like. GOD can use us despite the gaps in our life or the gaps in our teeth. The LORD has need of you.

Today and as we continue into this Holy Week, be encouraged. GOD can use you to do a mighty work for the kingdom. The challenge is for us not to simply get caught up in crowd celebrations because as we follow the story throughout the week, crowds can be fickle. One moment they cheer and the next they jeer. One moment they can say Hosanna and the next they say hang him up and kill him. Beyond the crowd check the core of your heart. Save us from us and from others. Live In Victory Everyday, Believing In GOD. LIVEBIG.

PRAYER: LORD you have revealed yourself in so many ways. Unfortunately our vision has been obscured and we have not noticed you. Open our eyes that we may see your royalty on a donkey. Guide our footsteps on the pathways that our praises are sincere and we resist the pull of the crowd.  Grant us courage and compassion. AMEN

Point To Ponder: How many times have we missed the presence of GOD in our midst because he didn’t meet our expectations? How will you look in the unfamiliar places for the faces of Yeshua in our midst?

Lent 2019 Day 39 “Broken”

 

 

Sat Apr 13

Psalm 42, 43, 137, 144

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Romans 11:25-36

John 11:28-44

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2042%2C%20Psalm%2043%2C%20Psalm%20137%2C%20Psalm%20144%2C%20Jeremiah%2031%3A27-34%2C%20Romans%2011%3A25-36%2C%20John%2011%3A28-44%C2%A0&version=NIV

^{Psalm 42:1} As the deer pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, my God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
    When can I go and meet with God?

^{Psam 137:1} By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
    when we remembered Zion.
² There on the poplars
    we hung our harps,
³ for there our captors asked us for songs,
    our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
    they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

Where have we hung our harps? Trials and tribulations can take their collective toll on a people and soon they begin to forget who and whose they are. After enough pain it can appear that prayer is simply wishful thinking wrapped in an illusion of possibility somewhat like Santa Clause. When this begins to happen we may tend to forget or over-remember. When I say over-remember I am saying we can often glorify the past in such a way that it is altered. Today as we near the end of our 40 days of Lenten meditations, I challenge us to reclaim our songs of joy no matter what our situation.

Through these 40 days we have explored different facets of ourselves and of our GOD. We recognize the high level of commitment to consistency in service that GOD desires. We have challenged ourselves to be stronger and more resilient in the face of internal and external pressures. Today knowing that soon we will be eating whatever we want and freeing up some more time listen to your heart. Where is there a song of joy in your heart? A song that situations can’t take from you. A song that adds meaning to your misery. The senior saints of my childhood would sing, this joy that I have the world didn’t give it to me and the world can’t take it away.

The Psalmist shares the predicament the Israelite community faced. Being in exile and often on the run they hung up their harps. The left their music makers behind. In other words they cried and gave in to the full expression of their depression. It can happen to the best of us. We get to thinking and forget to remember the powerful presence of our loving Divine Daddy. We can get into the woe is me and I can’t sing because there’s nothing to sing about. If you are here let me suggest you sing on credit. Sing not because of your situation but in spite of it. Sing because you know trouble don’t last always. Sing because over your head you hear the songs of the birds who sing even when they are caged. Sing because you know there is a GOD somewhere. Sing on credit, for in due season you will reap a harvest if you faint not.

PRAYER: LORD return to us the joy of our salvation we have so carelessly lost. In the midst of our pain erase our shame, and help us find our way back to you. Fix us where we are broken and heal us where we are hurting. continue to change our mourning into dancing we pray, AMEN

Point to Ponder: Write a song of defiant praise that you will sing in your most trying time. Encourage someone without judging them for needing encouragement.

 

 

Lent 2019 Day 38 “Hold Fast To Dreams”

Friday Apr 12

Psalm 22, 141, 143

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-13

Romans 11:13-24

John 11:1-27

^{Psalm 143:3} The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead.
⁴ So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.
⁵ I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works
    and consider what your hands have done.
⁶ I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land.

^{Jeremiah 29:4} This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶ Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. ⁷ Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” ⁸ Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. ⁹ They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.¹⁰ This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Life has a way of knocking you off your feet. One moment things can be going well and the next thing you know, BOOM, you are knocked off your feet. The unexpected happens and now you feel like a motherless child a long way from home. Many people as time and technology progress feel less and less connected to the world in which they live. All the bells and beeps that surround us can become disconcerting. As we get older things that once happened through us begin to happen to us. We lose our sense of belonging. When this occurs we begin to long for the good old days. This mindset only exacerbates the disconnect. Langston Hughes writes, hold fast to dreams for when dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. It is to this life experience this text is directed.

In this text GOD inspires Jeremiah to prepare the people for being in exile. The Israelite community is exiled and being frustrated by living in a foreign land away from familiar surroundings, basically trying to figure out what to do. How can we find a home away from home. GOD instructs the Israelite community to settle down. Don’t spend all their energy trying to be where they are not. There is a tragedy and not being present. GOD is an ever present help in time of trouble. Knowing this we can know that GOD cannot be confined to any space or place. We know that the earth is the LORDS and all that dwell in it. So whether they are in Jerusalem or Babylon the Israelites can still be at home. And this is the message for us today.

Our situation may take a while to change in our favor. GOD doesn’t want us to be skittish even though we are scattered. It is the plan of GOD to prosper us, not just in the not yet, but right now. Knowing that GOD has a future for us adds meaning in the present moment. The plan of GOD to prosper us allows there to be a purpose in the midst of our pain. Hope has as much power in our present as it has for our future. Just think about what happens when a person is hopeless. When we give up hope it has implications right now. Hopeless people become dead people walking. No joy, no peace, no laughter, just a gnawing experience that steals all vitality. On the other hand people with hope can go through hell because they live in heaven. They know the kingdom of heaven is within and thus they learn to bloom where they are planted. Working for the best even in this foreign place means everybody can prosper.

As we near the end of this Lenten season, we may notice a desire to want to hang on to the sense of home we feel doing our devotions. I challenge us by saying it doesn’t have to end. Just because we change liturgical season doesn’t mean we have to change spiritual disciplines. And even if they have to change some, we must hold on to the hope that we can call on the LORD and be heard, when we call with our whole heart.

PRAYER: LORD help us to bloom where we are planted. As we experience exile let us also experience your presence and blessed assurance that we are not alone. Lead us Guide us, Direct us to export inner peace amid external chaos. Awaken the dead areas of our lives killed by despair. AMEN

Point to Ponder: In what ways have you experienced exile? How are you blooming where you are planted? Share what it means for you to prosper.

Lent 2019 Day 36 “Human Being or Human Doing?”

 

Wed Apr 10

Psalm 119:145-176 Psalm 128-130

Jeremiah 25:30-38

Romans 10:14-21

John 10:1-18

^{Psalm 130:5} I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
⁶ I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

 

Waiting….Waiting….Waiting. Is there anybody who enjoys waiting? Most people I have met will describe waiting as one of their least favorite life situations. When we are waiting our minds tend to fixate on the not yet and the things we would love to be doing. The growth opportunity exists in bringing our full attention into the present moment and identifying GOD in our midst. It is easy to grow agitated and disturbed when we are having an “out of being” experience. When I say out of being experience I am thinking on the lines of Being a Human being and not just a human doing. An “out of being” experience occurs when our bodies exist one place but our minds are running all around town. Every moment of anxiety while waiting in a line, at a stop light, at the doctors office can indicate an out of being experience.

In the writing of this Psalm as in many others we connect with the writer in an intimate moment. The writer expresses the cry of the soul for help. He writes, “Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD…Be attentive to my cry for mercy. I can feel this. In the most challenging of my life experiences, I have found myself laying prostrate at the altar of the church I pastor with my face down and a full agonizing cry to GOD. (I do this when alone, so I don’t alarm anybody). In the moment of this cry I am fully present. My mind is not wandering, I am totally focused on experiencing GOD and GOD experiencing me. In this moment like the Psalmist I must confront my role in my situation. Either through neglect or arrogance sin has crept into my life and I need forgiveness. My situation cannot totally change until I change. Carrying guilt locks me into living in the past. Forgiveness liberates us to live in the present. When we are forgiven the residue of sin can be washed away and we become new creations in Christ. Forgiveness allows us to breath again and begin practicing being fully present in the moment. This is the challenge of waiting.

When we are able to say my whole being waits for the LORD, we are able to lose the illusion of time and see ourselves in the context of eternity. It is always now in the context of eternity. To wait with our while being takes practice. Imagine pausing the next time you find yourself waiting, and focus on your breathing. Drop your shoulders, exhale, de-stress and know you are blessed. Place your hope in the word of the LORD who plans to prosper you. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and put your hope in the unfailing love of GOD. Sometimes the wait is a Divine delay while GOD is preparing a great blessing for us. Instead of stressing through the stretching of waiting, Be Still and chill. GOD is with you and that’s all we need.

PRAYER: LORD we confess we want you to hurry up. We want to escape the waiting time and just get to the bottom line now. We want the joy of Easter without the pain of Calvary. Help us to wait with our whole being. AMEN

Point To Ponder: Where are you now? Are you fully present? Today when you find yourself waiting, don’t fiddle with your phone, or get distracted, but whisper a prayer for someone near you. Pray for your pastor or president. Breath and Be…

Lent 2019 Day 36 “Human Being or Human Doing?”

Wed Apr 10

Psalm 119:145-176 Psalm 128-130

Jeremiah 25:30-38

Romans 10:14-21

John 10:1-18

^{Psalm 130:5} I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
⁶ I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

 

Waiting….Waiting….Waiting. Is there anybody who enjoys waiting? Most people I have met will describe waiting as one of their least favorite life situations. When we are waiting our minds tend to fixate on the not yet and the things we would love to be doing. The growth opportunity exists in bringing our full attention into the present moment and identifying GOD in our midst. It is easy to grow agitated and disturbed when we are having an “out of being” experience. When I say out of being experience I am thinking on the lines of Being a Human being and not just a human doing. An “out of being” experience occurs when our bodies exist one place but our minds are running all around town. Every moment of anxiety while waiting in a line, at a stop light, at the doctors office can indicate an out of being experience.

In the writing of this Psalm as in many others we connect with the writer in an intimate moment. The writer expresses the cry of the soul for help. He writes, “Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD…Be attentive to my cry for mercy. I can feel this. In the most challenging of my life experiences, I have found myself laying prostrate at the altar of the church I pastor with my face down and a full agonizing cry to GOD. (I do this when alone, so I don’t alarm anybody). In the moment of this cry I am fully present. My mind is not wandering, I am totally focused on experiencing GOD and GOD experiencing me. In this moment like the Psalmist I must confront my role in my situation. Either through neglect or arrogance sin has crept into my life and I need forgiveness. My situation cannot totally change until I change. Carrying guilt locks me into living in the past. Forgiveness liberates us to live in the present. When we are forgiven the residue of sin can be washed away and we become new creations in Christ. Forgiveness allows us to breath again and begin practicing being fully present in the moment. This is the challenge of waiting.

When we are able to say my whole being waits for the LORD, we are able to lose the illusion of time and see ourselves in the context of eternity. It is always now in the context of eternity. To wait with our while being takes practice. Imagine pausing the next time you find yourself waiting, and focus on your breathing. Drop your shoulders, exhale, de-stress and know you are blessed. Place your hope in the word of the LORD who plans to prosper you. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and put your hope in the unfailing love of GOD. Sometimes the wait is a Divine delay while GOD is preparing a great blessing for us. Instead of stressing through the stretching of waiting, Be Still and chill. GOD is with you and that’s all we need.

PRAYER: LORD we confess we want you to hurry up. We want to escape the waiting time and just get to the bottom line now. We want the joy of Easter without the pain of Calvary. Help us to wait with our whole being. AMEN

Point To Ponder: Where are you now? Are you fully present? Today when you find yourself waiting, don’t fiddle with your phone, or get distracted, but whisper a prayer for someone near you. Pray for your pastor or president. Breath and Be…

Lent 2019 Day 34 “Cracked Pots”

Mon Apr 8

Psalm 31, 35

Jeremiah 24:1-10

Romans 9:19-33

John 9:1-17

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+31%2C+Psalm+35%2C+Jeremiah+24%3A1-10%2C+Romans+9%3A19-33%2C+John+9%3A1-17&version=NIV

^{Psalm 31:11} Because of all my enemies,
    I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
    those who see me on the street flee from me.
¹² I am forgotten as though I were dead;
    I have become like broken pottery.
¹³ For I hear many whispering,
    “Terror on every side!”
They conspire against me
    and plot to take my life.

¹⁴ But I trust in you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵ My times are in your hands;
    deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
    from those who pursue me.
¹⁶ Let your face shine on your servant;
    save me in your unfailing love.

^{Romans 9:20} But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”^[a] 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

Cracked Pots

An Indian proverb tells the following story. A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you”.  The bearer asked, “Why? What are you ashamed of?”  The Pot replied, “For these past two years I am able to deliver only half of my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you don’t get full value for your efforts”.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion, he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” At the end of the journey the bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

The Psalmist and the writer of Romans speak of broken pottery. The Psalmist says “I have become like broken pottery”. Someone reading this may agree. You look in the mirror and only see your flaws. You try being positive, but at your root there is a sense of unworthiness or even worthlessness. Like the reference in Romans you may be wondering why GOD has allowed you to be this way. What we miss when we choose to judge ourselves is the fact that we belong to GOD. We are the clay and GOD knows us and chooses to love us and use us as we are. Our life and light are only to be compared to OUR purpose. Every one is unique. Like the water bearer in our story, GOD can use cracked pots for GOD’S glory. Embrace who you are, cracks, worts, wrinkles and all.

Point to Ponder: How have you judged yourself too harshly? How have you overlooked opportunities to be a blessing due to not feeling worthy? Think on the possibilities that loving who you are as you are can turn cracks into carnations.

Lent 2019 Day 30 “Going or Growing Through”?

Thur Apr 4

Psalm 69, Psalm 73

Jeremiah 22:13-23

Rom 8:12-27

John 6:41-51

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+69%2C+Psalm%C2%A073%2C+Jeremiah+22%3A13-23%2C+Romans+8%3A12-27%2C+John+6%3A41-51&version=NIV

Psalm 69: 1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
² I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. ³ I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

^{Romans 8:16} The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. ¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.                                                                                                                                  ²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Going or Growing Through

Everybody has had “one of those days”. The kind of day that produces anger, anxiety, and even animosity. The kind of day that makes you want to lose your mind, up in here, up in here. The kind of day where you know you are close to the edge and all you want is not to lose your head. And then the unthinkable happens. The day becomes days and the days become weeks and the weeks… Now not only have you experienced pain, you are now experiencing suffering. Suffering is a pit with slippery walls that can’t be climbed. To you and all who know you it appears as if you are going through.

The writer of both the Psalm and the writer of Romans both tackle this life experience. How does one deal with life in the suffering zone? The Psalmist describes crying out till the throat is parched and still no answer. Sinking and drowning with no way out. Paul writes to believers in Rome experiencing similar conditions and says, ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. ¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. In other words suffering is real but it is not final. Whatever we are going through can also become what we are growing through. The suffering and pain can be the source of our strength and eternal gain. The sufferings of this present time cannot compare to the glory that shall be revealed in us. The sufferings serve like a buffer to a tarnished treasure. The rubbing hurts but it also brings out the shine. Without the rub there can be no shine. Not only do we go through, Jesus shows us that we grow through. In the end, we win.

Point to Ponder: Think about suffering. Who in your world would you describe as suffering? What challenges are you presently facing? Could lack of purpose and motivation be a form of suffering? What are you growing to?