This Is Where Everything Changed
Thursday, June 21, 2012
A Spiritual Healing
Mark 2:7-12 "Why does this fellow talk like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone? Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that was what they were thinking in their hearts, anD he said to them,Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven; or to say 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to the man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all.
Have you ever had an injury that requires surgery to correct? In these instances the is a recovery phase that can involve physical therapy to regain strength and proper use of the injured area. It can be a time consuming and patience testing experience. Regaining full use of the injured area just does not happen immediately - unless there is divine intervention.
Regret is a difficult emotion to process through. There are many reasons for having regrets. They can be from not having taken a different paths with our lives, or decisions made, words spoken in anger, or words not spoken to a loved one. Regret can also come from having sinned. Sin is a reality for all of us. I spite of our best efforts, we sin. We are fall into the trap. Job was acutely aware of this as evidenced in Job 7:20. And the Apostle Paul reminds us of this condition in Romans 2:23. How we handle this regret from sin matters immensely. If we fall into the pit of despair we satisfy the desires of Satan. If we think we cannot be forgiven we miss the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Our sins are forgiven. Christ died on the cross, once for all. Your sins, my sins, are forgiven and when we grasp that we are freed from regret. We can climb out of the pit of despair because Jesus has extended his hand to pull us out of that pit. He gives us the healing, a spiritual healing, to gives us the hope to move on. The chance to be a better person is given to all of us in Jesus. In Jesus we have a model for behavior, a mentor, and a savior. Let us all embrace that gift of forgiveness and move forward in freedom through Christ Jesus. Follow the directions given by Christ himself. "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."
PRAYER: Almighty God, we are given the incredible Clift of forgiveness when forgiveness is not deserved. Your gift of grace is so incredible that we area easily deceived by the belief that we are unworthy of that forgiveness and fall into the pit of despair. Thank You O God for Your gift of grace in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Where is the line?
Mark 2:3-5 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
Pocatello experienced the grand opening of a new restaurant. The owners advertised free chicken wings of a year to the first 100 people through the door. This caused something of a stir in our little town. People camped out for days in advance of the opening to ensure they were in the lucky first 100. Naturally, this caused people to drive by to look at the "campers". It was an advertising gimmick, and an interesting phenomena to observe.
Life here has been a bit busy of late. I took on a project to finish the walls in the garage. Gypsum board, tape, primer, paint were in the mix for me. I should remember to never start vast projects with half vast ideas. But the result is it looks much better. One of two bays is just about done. Paint goes on pretty quick. Then I can work on the boat. The nice part about working on the garage is I have had time to listen to K-Love radio. I think I needed that time to focus, and reflect after the business trip to Seattle. So many bad memories from my previous trips there. It was nice to visit the city and not have a trial or legal proceeding for Andy to attend. All-in-all I give Seattle two thumbs up.
Reflecting on the restaurant opening and the "campers", we just do not see people camping out to enter Church. Honestly, have you ever seen that? People waiting in line for days to enter a church is just not something we see. Yet, the message we have in the bible that is delivered everyday is so much more substantial than what is served at any restaurant. Not many seem to grasp that concept. The temporal view is grasped and the eternal view is missed. But thankfully, the friends of the paralyzed man grasped the importance of Jesus Christ. Mark 2 tells us they made a hole in the roof and lowered the paralyzed man through it because of the crowd. All this so that the paralyzed man could see Jesus. And the greatest gift given by Christ was pronouncing forgiveness upon the paralyzed man. The rest of the story is the man was healed, but more on that in the next devotional. The take away for us is to consider how important Christ is to each of us, and our family, and our friends. Are we strong enough in our faith and commitment to dig a hole in the roof of our lives to see Jesus. Are we committed enough in our worship to take that bold step. And if not, why not? Friends, ponder this, pray over this and let God work on you.
PRAYER: Father, we have built sturdy roofs in our lives that separate us from You. We construct this roof with busy little lives and activities. We seek to fill a void only You can fill with other stuff. Forgives Lord, we know not what we do. Help us to see these roofs for what they really are, a barrier to You O God. This we ask in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.
Pocatello experienced the grand opening of a new restaurant. The owners advertised free chicken wings of a year to the first 100 people through the door. This caused something of a stir in our little town. People camped out for days in advance of the opening to ensure they were in the lucky first 100. Naturally, this caused people to drive by to look at the "campers". It was an advertising gimmick, and an interesting phenomena to observe.
Life here has been a bit busy of late. I took on a project to finish the walls in the garage. Gypsum board, tape, primer, paint were in the mix for me. I should remember to never start vast projects with half vast ideas. But the result is it looks much better. One of two bays is just about done. Paint goes on pretty quick. Then I can work on the boat. The nice part about working on the garage is I have had time to listen to K-Love radio. I think I needed that time to focus, and reflect after the business trip to Seattle. So many bad memories from my previous trips there. It was nice to visit the city and not have a trial or legal proceeding for Andy to attend. All-in-all I give Seattle two thumbs up.
Reflecting on the restaurant opening and the "campers", we just do not see people camping out to enter Church. Honestly, have you ever seen that? People waiting in line for days to enter a church is just not something we see. Yet, the message we have in the bible that is delivered everyday is so much more substantial than what is served at any restaurant. Not many seem to grasp that concept. The temporal view is grasped and the eternal view is missed. But thankfully, the friends of the paralyzed man grasped the importance of Jesus Christ. Mark 2 tells us they made a hole in the roof and lowered the paralyzed man through it because of the crowd. All this so that the paralyzed man could see Jesus. And the greatest gift given by Christ was pronouncing forgiveness upon the paralyzed man. The rest of the story is the man was healed, but more on that in the next devotional. The take away for us is to consider how important Christ is to each of us, and our family, and our friends. Are we strong enough in our faith and commitment to dig a hole in the roof of our lives to see Jesus. Are we committed enough in our worship to take that bold step. And if not, why not? Friends, ponder this, pray over this and let God work on you.
PRAYER: Father, we have built sturdy roofs in our lives that separate us from You. We construct this roof with busy little lives and activities. We seek to fill a void only You can fill with other stuff. Forgives Lord, we know not what we do. Help us to see these roofs for what they really are, a barrier to You O God. This we ask in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Those who rejoice and those who mourn.
Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
After three straight days of rain, the sun is making an appearance today. And while it is still in the forties this morning, the day holds the promise of time for yard work, grilling, and remembering those who have gone on before us.
The birds are visiting the feeder, and squirrels are chasing each other around the yard. My cat is checking out her favorite sun beam location and Tropical Storm Beryl has come ashore to drop heavy rain in parts of the southeast that are in the midst of a severe drought. The works keeps on spinning even as we pause to remember those who died in service to their country. We also set today aside to visit the graves of family members who have passed on. It is a day to rejoice, and a day to mourn. We are humbled by the sacrifice of the men and women who died serving their country to ensure the freedom we enjoy stands. It is also one of those days where conflicted feelings can leave a person uneasy and more than a little emotional.
Those who have died either placed their faith in the principles of John 3:16 or in something else. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For those who have passed on who believed in Christ, we rejoice because they stand in the presence of their Savior. Their struggles have ended. They are home. For those who did not grasp onto the promise of salvation in Christ, we mourn their loss. For whatever reason they made a choice to reject the gift of grace offered freely by God in His Son. They chose to let go of the hand of reconciliation and grasp onto something more unsure, fleeting, and thus condemning. It is never too late to reach out to Christ. We need only to look at the example of the thief on the cross from Luke 23:40-43. But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
On this day of remembrance take time to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the lives of those who gave their all in service of our country. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the lives of our family members and friends who have gone on before us. And offer a prayer asking for the words to share with our family and friends who do not embrace the promise of eternal life in Christ Jesus. Personally, I would rather rejoice over someone's arrival in heaven than mourn someone who did not. How about you?
PRAYER: Lord and Giver of Life, this is a day where we take time to remember those in the faith who have gone on before us. Their lives we shared, and we miss their presence in our lives today and still we rejoice in their victory. Our thanks to You O God seems so inadequate. Yet for those who rejected Your grace we mourn. We ask for Your words today and everyday. We ask for the faith to step out boldly to share Your promise of grace and salvation with those who do not know or have walked away from that gift. Gives us words to speak. This we ask in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ, Amen.
After three straight days of rain, the sun is making an appearance today. And while it is still in the forties this morning, the day holds the promise of time for yard work, grilling, and remembering those who have gone on before us.
The birds are visiting the feeder, and squirrels are chasing each other around the yard. My cat is checking out her favorite sun beam location and Tropical Storm Beryl has come ashore to drop heavy rain in parts of the southeast that are in the midst of a severe drought. The works keeps on spinning even as we pause to remember those who died in service to their country. We also set today aside to visit the graves of family members who have passed on. It is a day to rejoice, and a day to mourn. We are humbled by the sacrifice of the men and women who died serving their country to ensure the freedom we enjoy stands. It is also one of those days where conflicted feelings can leave a person uneasy and more than a little emotional.
Those who have died either placed their faith in the principles of John 3:16 or in something else. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For those who have passed on who believed in Christ, we rejoice because they stand in the presence of their Savior. Their struggles have ended. They are home. For those who did not grasp onto the promise of salvation in Christ, we mourn their loss. For whatever reason they made a choice to reject the gift of grace offered freely by God in His Son. They chose to let go of the hand of reconciliation and grasp onto something more unsure, fleeting, and thus condemning. It is never too late to reach out to Christ. We need only to look at the example of the thief on the cross from Luke 23:40-43. But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
On this day of remembrance take time to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the lives of those who gave their all in service of our country. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the lives of our family members and friends who have gone on before us. And offer a prayer asking for the words to share with our family and friends who do not embrace the promise of eternal life in Christ Jesus. Personally, I would rather rejoice over someone's arrival in heaven than mourn someone who did not. How about you?
PRAYER: Lord and Giver of Life, this is a day where we take time to remember those in the faith who have gone on before us. Their lives we shared, and we miss their presence in our lives today and still we rejoice in their victory. Our thanks to You O God seems so inadequate. Yet for those who rejected Your grace we mourn. We ask for Your words today and everyday. We ask for the faith to step out boldly to share Your promise of grace and salvation with those who do not know or have walked away from that gift. Gives us words to speak. This we ask in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ, Amen.
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