Matthew 21:18-22 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” and the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what been done to this fig tree, but even if you say to the mountain, Be taken up and thrown into the sea, it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
As we at Grace continue to move forward in trying to acquire the Ballard Building I am constantly reminded of how big (even humongous) a role faith and prayer play in our efforts. We seem to be pushing against a rope trying to achieve that goal with stiff resistance from others. I see this passage and find the encouragement to continue forward.
How many times in your life have you faced a difficult situation? By difficult I mean the odds seemed to be insurmountable. We see stories of personal tragedy in the news, in books, and in movies. But when you personally face these situations it takes on a whole new meaning. It becomes personalized and hits home. Being discouraged is a natural feeling. Finding yourself in despair and buried in depression is an all-too-easy outcome to the situation. But then we are confronted by our faith. That darn condition we have been given by the Holy Spirit. It’s the gift from our baptism that keeps on giving. And we are compelled to blow out the candles on the cake of our pity party. We are reminded by Christ in the Matthew 21 passage above that we have faith on our side. We can literally move mountains by faith. To not have faith in all things being possible puts God in a box. We minimize the infinite in our thoughts and actions. This is all because of the doubt that relentlessly creeps into our mind. It’s the wedge of Satan which tries to split us off from the Lord. What are we to do? For starters, we can relentlessly pray. We can pray for God to gives us the peace that surpasses all understanding. We can pray for Him to calm our lives, our hearts, and our minds. We can pray for the wisdom to find the path God has set out for us to follow. We can pray for the wisdom to discern the lesson He has placed our there for us to embrace. We can pray for the strength to continue even when our own strength is exhausted. We can do all this because we have faith. And that faith, like the little seed that grows into a mustard tree, is enough because it comes from God. And friends, in God all things are possible so do not think of yourself as a withered fig tree. For we have been given the faith in our hearts to move mountains. Let’s resolve to stomp out doubt and unleash our faith every day in our lives. To God be the glory in all that we do.
PRAYER: Lord, in You alone do we place our trust today and every day. Amen.
This Is Where Everything Changed
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
“I Saw You Under The Fig Tree”
John 1:47-50 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, “I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
I love a good set of binoculars. They allow me to clearly see birds that are too far away. As the weather warms, and the migratory birds pass through there are many wonderful and beautiful birds that will pause for a rest in the trees of our neighborhood park. The binoculars allow me to look from a distance, marvel at the colors and plumage, and not disturb their rest. Theirs is a long journey and the park is a mere waypoint on that journey.
Binoculars are a very useful tool to enhance our vision. We can make distant objects seem near. They do have limitations. They cannot see beyond over the horizon and they cannot see inside of a building. God on the other hand is not limited in His abilities to see us. He can see us regardless of our location. From the highest mountain to the greatest depth of the ocean, we are always clearly within his sight. And thus it is when Jesus tells Nathanael he saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him. There is a great deal of comfort in what Jesus tells Nathanael. Our Lord and Savior sees us from the very beginning. He knows us even before we were formed in the womb of our mother. We have only to look at Jeremiah 1:5 to see with our own eyes how far back in our own lives the Lord has been in charge. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you… The Lord has always had a firm grip on us. He has been our shepherd, and we have been his sheep. Jesus reminds us of this wonderful and comforting principle in John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” We are sheep in a world filled with wolves constantly on the prowl looking to devour us. Sin is out there waiting, calling & enticing each and every one of us to momentary pleasures. It’s sin that tempts us to give up, to surrender and abandon the life which has been set aside for us. It’s sin that desperately tries to bring us down and place the thought in our mind that we are unworthy of forgiveness. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8:1 of our position. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set your free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. He sees us under the fig tree, in our cars, in our homes, and he sees into our hearts.
PRAYER: Thanks be to God, that we who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart of the standard of teaching to which we were committed. We offer praise to God the Father and Spirit giving thanks in the name of Jesus. Amen.
I love a good set of binoculars. They allow me to clearly see birds that are too far away. As the weather warms, and the migratory birds pass through there are many wonderful and beautiful birds that will pause for a rest in the trees of our neighborhood park. The binoculars allow me to look from a distance, marvel at the colors and plumage, and not disturb their rest. Theirs is a long journey and the park is a mere waypoint on that journey.
Binoculars are a very useful tool to enhance our vision. We can make distant objects seem near. They do have limitations. They cannot see beyond over the horizon and they cannot see inside of a building. God on the other hand is not limited in His abilities to see us. He can see us regardless of our location. From the highest mountain to the greatest depth of the ocean, we are always clearly within his sight. And thus it is when Jesus tells Nathanael he saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him. There is a great deal of comfort in what Jesus tells Nathanael. Our Lord and Savior sees us from the very beginning. He knows us even before we were formed in the womb of our mother. We have only to look at Jeremiah 1:5 to see with our own eyes how far back in our own lives the Lord has been in charge. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you… The Lord has always had a firm grip on us. He has been our shepherd, and we have been his sheep. Jesus reminds us of this wonderful and comforting principle in John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” We are sheep in a world filled with wolves constantly on the prowl looking to devour us. Sin is out there waiting, calling & enticing each and every one of us to momentary pleasures. It’s sin that tempts us to give up, to surrender and abandon the life which has been set aside for us. It’s sin that desperately tries to bring us down and place the thought in our mind that we are unworthy of forgiveness. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8:1 of our position. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set your free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. He sees us under the fig tree, in our cars, in our homes, and he sees into our hearts.
PRAYER: Thanks be to God, that we who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart of the standard of teaching to which we were committed. We offer praise to God the Father and Spirit giving thanks in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
“Know That The Summer Is Already Near”
Luke 21:29-30 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.
The calendar tells us that Spring is here. Unfortunately the snow keeps returning to let us know that Winter weather is desperately grasping to hold on for just a few more days. I know the God gives us exactly what we need, when we need it, and where we need it. When the lakes and reservoirs are refilled this year we will be reminded of why we received all the snow. Until then the snow shovel will remain in an easily accessible location in the garage.
This week we will be looking at the fig tree in our walk through the Trees of Lent. This is quite a tree. It was known for its nutritional value as a food source, and the ability to build stamina and strength. A little know property was the medicinal properties in biblical times that appear to have died out in modern varieties. Today we are looking at the leaves of the tree in our devotional. Unlike many trees in Israel, the fig tree drops its leaves in the fall. And then in Spring new leaves sprout and grow. All things happen in God’s time. The changing of the seasons happens to a clock set by God, not man. We never quite know when the weather will turn from Fall to Winter and then to Spring and on to Summer. I can watch the Weather Channel ® every day and still not know when the weather is expected to turn warm. They are good at guessing, but only God can give us the definitive answer. If I had my way we would have shorter Winters, and longer Summers. But that would not work very well when I consider the need for Winters long enough to build up a snow pack sufficient to see us through the Summer. Truly only God could know what is enough of each season. And that is comforting to me. I look at how mortal man tries to manipulate climate, landscape, and terrain and see how miserably inadequate are our efforts. Only the creator can assemble all that is needed to take care of man, plant, and beast. For that I give thanks. He knew we needed a Savior, and He gave His only Son to die for all mankind (John 3:16). And that is why we give thanks in prayer. That is why we worship a God who is truly a God of love. He cares about us even when we do not deserve His love. Today and every day we need to remember to give thanks to our awesome God in prayer. Even when the winds of Winter are howling outside our door we need to remember we are receiving exactly what we need, when we need it, and where we need it.
PRAYER: Almighty God You give us the sun of Summer, the beauty of the changing colors of Fall, the snow that blankets the ground in the Winter, and the beauty of new growth in the Spring. You provide for our needs. You gave us Your Son that we would be reconciled. For all these things we remember, and those we do not remember, we give You thanks. Please accept our humble praise in the name of Jesus, who with the Father and the Spirit reigns as one God. Amen.
The calendar tells us that Spring is here. Unfortunately the snow keeps returning to let us know that Winter weather is desperately grasping to hold on for just a few more days. I know the God gives us exactly what we need, when we need it, and where we need it. When the lakes and reservoirs are refilled this year we will be reminded of why we received all the snow. Until then the snow shovel will remain in an easily accessible location in the garage.
This week we will be looking at the fig tree in our walk through the Trees of Lent. This is quite a tree. It was known for its nutritional value as a food source, and the ability to build stamina and strength. A little know property was the medicinal properties in biblical times that appear to have died out in modern varieties. Today we are looking at the leaves of the tree in our devotional. Unlike many trees in Israel, the fig tree drops its leaves in the fall. And then in Spring new leaves sprout and grow. All things happen in God’s time. The changing of the seasons happens to a clock set by God, not man. We never quite know when the weather will turn from Fall to Winter and then to Spring and on to Summer. I can watch the Weather Channel ® every day and still not know when the weather is expected to turn warm. They are good at guessing, but only God can give us the definitive answer. If I had my way we would have shorter Winters, and longer Summers. But that would not work very well when I consider the need for Winters long enough to build up a snow pack sufficient to see us through the Summer. Truly only God could know what is enough of each season. And that is comforting to me. I look at how mortal man tries to manipulate climate, landscape, and terrain and see how miserably inadequate are our efforts. Only the creator can assemble all that is needed to take care of man, plant, and beast. For that I give thanks. He knew we needed a Savior, and He gave His only Son to die for all mankind (John 3:16). And that is why we give thanks in prayer. That is why we worship a God who is truly a God of love. He cares about us even when we do not deserve His love. Today and every day we need to remember to give thanks to our awesome God in prayer. Even when the winds of Winter are howling outside our door we need to remember we are receiving exactly what we need, when we need it, and where we need it.
PRAYER: Almighty God You give us the sun of Summer, the beauty of the changing colors of Fall, the snow that blankets the ground in the Winter, and the beauty of new growth in the Spring. You provide for our needs. You gave us Your Son that we would be reconciled. For all these things we remember, and those we do not remember, we give You thanks. Please accept our humble praise in the name of Jesus, who with the Father and the Spirit reigns as one God. Amen.
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