Respond or React?

I've started thinking of something a little differently lately - the difference between responding and reacting.  There may seem to be a minor difference but I believe that there can be an enormously different outcome between the two.  I think this can be seen best in Jesus' response to his crucifixion in Luke 23:34, where Jesus says, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. 

It would have been easy for Jesus to react.  He could have gotten all upset and called down the angels and tore the people apart.  He could have made it rain down fire and hail and cause everyone to regret the actions they were taking against him.  But he didn't! 

Instead he responded.  A response is gentle and well thought out, while a reaction is hasty and doesn't have the other person's best interests at heart.  Jesus responded to the crowds calls for his death, to their mockery, to the pain, to the anguish, to the ridicule with a simple and well thought out response - prayer! 

How much different would our lives be if we responded instead of reacted!  If you're human, then you've probably let your temper get the best of you and you've reacted to a situation in a very unhealthy manner.  But rest assured - Jesus response to you is the same as it was to the men and women of his day - Forgive them for they don't know what they're doing!

It was his death that won our forgiveness.  It was the very event that he was suffering from in that moment that bought our forgiveness.  It was his resurrection that guaranteed us our place in heaven.  Jesus' death and resurrection then were meant to bring us back into a healthy relationship with God the Father.  Jesus loves strong relationships.  He strives to keep us in healthy and vibrant relationships.  When we react - we are not focusing on the relationship or the person but we're focus on the situation.  But when we respond, we are seeing the other person as a child of God - someone for whom Jesus pleaded while on the cross - Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.  

May you know the Father's love for you today.  May you hear Jesus' cry for you and know of his well thought out response your brokenness.  May you feel the embrace of their Holy Spirit welcoming you back into a healthy and life-giving relationship with them.  Lord today we need your help living in peace with those around us.  AMEN. 

Faith like a child.

Today I spent time reading from Luke 18, 1 Timothy 3-4, and 2 Chronicles 8-9.  There were many wonderful things to mine through in today's readings but I was able to choose one verse to meditate on today.  It's from Luke 18:17 - I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. 

Natalie at 9 months

I've often wondered what faith like a child meant.  When my twins were born, I never gave much thought to how much they depended on Carrie and I caring for them.  Now with Natalie, my eyes are much more open to the things that God wants me to learn.  With experience comes wisdom, I do believe!  Nevertheless, I'm reminded of the times when I'm holding Natalie and drinking a glass of water.  She loves to drink out of my glass whenever she can.  It's actually cute.  She simply trusts that what's in that glass will not harm her and that I have her best interests at heart.  But the other day I was sitting on the floor in the living room, having a beer, when she crawled up to me and grabbed for the glass!  She wanted a drink.  Now for all of you worry warts - no I didn't give her any!  It just reinforced in my mind that she would have received anything I gave her, at least for an instant, with complete trust that it was best for her. 

In our reading today from Luke 18, Jesus says that we need to be more like these little ones - who simply believe that he's not out to harm them but rather out to build them up and save them.  We need to exercise faith like a child!  When's the last time you asked yourself, What's God up to? or perhaps, Why is he allowing this to happen to me?  We all do this from time to time - expect that God will treat us better or assume that because the world sees it as bad, that it's really bad.  Jesus doesn't give as the world gives.  Jesus doesn't give what the world gives. 

He gives us grace, forgiveness, hope, mercy, love, and new life!  These are his promised blessings to us.  Nothing can make God love you any less than he does today!  He loved you enough to give up his own son to die for you.  What an amazing thing!  Now you don't do anything to earn it.  You'll never deserve it.  It's just yours.  Just receive it, like Natalie received the glass of water.  Receive it knowing that it is yours and that it's there for your good.  When rough times hit, and they will, remember the wonderful gifts of God and receive them all as teaching moments when God is forming you to be the person that he has called you to be. 

God is calling you to live like a child today!  Cut loose and trust in God above all else! He's right here with you every step of the way!  Thanks daddy! We love you!

Father God, we are clay in your hands - mold us and form us into the people that you've called us to be.  Give us hearts that trust what you say and lives that live what you teach.  AMEN. 

Too Big!

Today's readings are from: Luke 17, 1 Timothy 2, and 2 Chronicles 6-7.  And our focus today is from 2 Chronicles 6:18 - The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you.  How much less this temple I have built!

What a thing to realize!  Solomon just finished building this huge and very elaborate temple so that the presence of God might dwell there.  But then a strange turn happens.  Here Solomon acknowledges that this temple, no matter how big it might be could never contain all of God's glory.  Not only that - nothing in all of creation could contain him either!  If the heavens (also read as skies) can't contain God then surely nothing made by the hands of men and women will be able to contain him. 

I wish that we could learn and really remember this lesson on a regular basis.  Many of us know that God is big.  Most of us would acknowledge that we can't keep God in a box or anything like that, but we still try!  We do this when we strip parts of his teaching away, remove him from certain parts of our lives, and don't let him into the dark places of our day to day living.  It's way too easy for us to treat God's word like a buffet - only taking from it what we want and leaving the rest.  The things that give us indigestion we leave for someone else, but we need to take all of it in. 

That's how big God is!  You can't separate one part of his character from the rest of him.  It's an all or nothing kind of deal.  True enough, God promises to be wherever two or more are gathered in his name; but he's also wherever you are - at any time!  You can't go far enough or fast enough to get away from God!  He'll always be right where you are headed, waiting for you.  He'll always be right beside you - making the journey less lonely, if only we would open our eyes and see him right there!  He'll always be behind you - ready to catch you when you get caught up in sin.  He'll always be above you - raining down his blessings on you at every turn!  And he'll always be beneath you - supporting you and holding you up as you keep his word your foundation. 

Today we move forward expectant of God's peace.  We go into our day or night ready to be touched by the presence of God! 

Lord - we need to see you today!  We long to know of your presence.  Show us how big you are today!  Show us how truly all encompassing your love and mercy are in our lives today.  We need to see you today!  AMEN. 

A Sinner Forgiven!

There have been some questions about the randomness of the Bible verses used for these updates, so starting today I'll be adding the references to my daily devotional time.  Feel free to check-out the entire reading on your own.  This morning I was able to read Luke 16, 1 Timothy 1, and 2 Chronicles 3-5.  I'm making every effort possible to read through the bible in a year and this is the plan that I've chosen to help me accomplish this task. 

As I was reading from Timothy this morning, I was really drawn to verse 15 and 16 of chapter one: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the worst.  This is where I always used to stop but there's so much richness in the verse that follows: But for that very reason, I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 

There are two really key elements in this passage that we all need to live by: confession and forgiveness.  Since we don't walk down the street using these churchy words, I'll unpack them a bit. Confession is the act of admitting that we've gone in the wrong direction.  This is fessing up to the crime/fault that rightfully is ours and then turning to move in the opposite direction. Forgiveness is what you'd expect - a complete wiping away of all record of that incident that was just confessed.  I mean completely gone!  The bible says that our failures are removed from us as far as the East is from the West - and let me tell you that's far!  Jesus death and resurrection guaranteed our victory over the sins we would commit.

So we live in a constant state of paradox: sinner - saint.  For the time being we are both.  While we are here on earth in an unholy world filled with faults and brokenness - we will be sinners, people who miss the mark.  But let us not dwell there alone!  Let us be like Paul who reminds us that even though we fail there is forgiveness.  God loves to forgive!  He promises that when a sinner repents, when a person admits their brokenness, he is all over lifting and restoring and bringing that person right back into the family.  He loves to forgive.  He even says that heaven throws a party every time a person admits their brokenness! 

How cool is that!  Heaven throws a party when we admit who we really are - sinners forgiven!  Today live as a sinner forgiven!  Live as one who doesn't have it all together.  Remember that you've got issues, you've got problems, you've got failures.  But remember that God loves you just the way you are.  While we were still sinners Christ died for us!  While we were still far away from him, he sought us out and freely forgave us all of those things we've done wrong!  You are a sinner forgiven!  I am a sinner forgiven!  Thanks be to God for this wonderful gift of Grace!

Lord - today we want to rest in your forgiveness.  Help us to let go of our sins and cling to your forgiveness!  AMEN.  

Where is your joy?

There's a great story in the New Testament that talks about our joy being in the Lord, and the great part about it is that it never once references those exact words.  If you've got a bible handy go to Luke 15:11-32, or check-out this link to Bible Gateway.  I want to focus primarily on these word in verse 31 - "My son," the father said, "you are always with me and everything I have is yours." 

Many of us know this parable as the Lost Son story, but my question is which son was really lost?  Most of us say that the younger son was lost because he went out and squandered his family inheritance and his family name and you'd be right in saying that.  But that lost son was found.  He was found through the process of repentance, or admitting his faults to one he offended and seeking reconciliation.  But the older son is also lost. As a matter of fact, he is probably more lost than his younger brother! 

The older son was so filled with anger and jealousy that he couldn't be joyful that his brother was back.  He wanted the recognition for himself.  He wanted the party.  He wanted the showy robe and all the cool stuff.  He wanted more.  But the problem is he already had it all!  There was no more that could be given him because, as the father states - you're always with me and everything I have is yours.  The older brother didn't recognize the many blessings he already had right in front of him everyday!

This parable is so amazing because it applies to you and me today in a very powerful way.  I see it all the time - people in the church being blind to the many blessings of God that are already theirs!  We go through life looking for God in the big events.  We look for him when things are going wrong.  We look for him to clean things up after a natural disaster.  We look for him in the words of an eloquent preacher.  But we fail to see him in the still small voices that are constantly surrounding us.  We fail to see the wonderful power of God in the simple elements of bread and wine.  It becomes hard to see God in the bowl of water used for baptism.  It's become nearly impossible for us to recognize God in the words we speak on a Sunday in worship and in the conversations we hold with our friends and neighbors.  Yet God reminds us through this faithful father - you're always with me and everything I have is yours. 

We need not look to the showy things and the powerhouse ministries to find the presence of our mighty God because he's right here!  He's right beside you in your car.  He's with you in the board meeting when everything is going wrong (or right). He's holding you up when you are just too weak to walk, and he walks beside you when you find your strength in him.  He's in the air you breathe, and he's there when it's hard to breathe too.  He's everywhere you go - and you'll never be out of his reach because he's God! 

I pray today that you would find joy in knowing that you serve and are served by an amazing God!  He's amazing because he has blessed you in so many wonderful ways, here are a few to ponder on today's journey:

• God has promised that your sins are already forgiven in Christ's death - REJOICE!
• God has promised that heaven is ours today because of Jesus' resurrection - REJOICE!
• God provides the air you breathe, water you drink, food you eat - REJOICE!
• God provides fellow believers to walk with you on this faith journey - REJOICE! 
• God has allowed someone else to go through exactly what you're going through that you might have someone to lean on - REJOICE!
• God has promised to always be with you no matter what - REJOICE!
• God has never broken a promise yet and my guess - he's not gonna start today! - REJOICE!

Gracious God - thank you for your promises!  Today we ask that we see you in our lives today in a powerful and meaningful way.  We want to see your hand moving mightily in all we do.  In Jesus' name.  AMEN