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Tag Archives: Faith

Mark 10:17-28

04 Mar

17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’[e]”

20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard[f] to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

26 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

28 Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.

Mark 10:17-28

Dear God, Peter reveals in verse 28 that they all had the same question this man had: What must I do to inherit eternal life? The same is true today. This can be a preoccupation for some. It can be what everything is all about. Why do I worship God? So I can have eternal life. Why do I do nice things for others? Go to church? Because I think there is a carrot for me at the end of it. There is eternal bliss. Power.

So why am I here this morning? Is that my goal? Am I trying to check a box and justify myself to you like Peter did in verse 28? Or am I just here to worship the God of the universe? Am I here because this is where I find peace, comfort, and direction for my life? Like most things in my life, the majority of the time I am here for the right reasons, but I know there are times when I’m here because I’m trying to justify myself before you.

Father, you are my God. I worship you. My life is worth nothing to me (mostly). At least, I want my life to be worth nothing to me. If the reality is that I lived this one life on earth and I used it to worship you and love others and there is no eternal reward at the end of it, then I’m okay with that. It’s not about me anyway. It’s about you. I don’t know what being with you one day will be like. “I can only imagine.” But I trust you that, if that is what you have for me, then it will be an existence that transcends everything I can know now. And I recognize that I will be the least in your new earth. But I welcome that if it means I get to keep worshipping you. So, for however many days I have left on earth, I offer then to you with no reservations or regrets. Prepare my heart today for Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season. Be glorified through me.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 4, 2025 in Mark

 

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Isaiah 55:8-9

03 Mar

8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
    “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so my ways are higher than your ways
    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

Dear God, this kind of goes back to what I was praying yesterday about comparing who you are to us by comparing who we are to dogs. And the distance between you and us is infinitely greater that the distance between me and a dog, but it’s at least a metaphor I can get my head around a bit.

The interesting thing is that, while your ways are far beyond anything I can imagine, I am on a journey of discovering just a little more of you each day. Learning how to love you. Learning how to love others. Learning how to choose to not be cruel or mean out of spite. Learning to forgive.

I thought this morning about something that I heard someone say back when I was in school. Maybe high school. They were talking about mathematics and how mathematicians had come up with different formulas for solving different problems. But what they said that stuck with me was, “It makes you wonder: Is mathematics something we create to solve problems, or is it something that already exists that we are discovering?” That’s you, God. You aren’t something I’ve created, but you are certainly something that I am discovering just a little more each day.

Father, I have some friends who are afraid and frustrated right now. Afraid for their children. Afraid for their parents. It might be health-related. It might be addiction. It might simply be bad choices. So I offer each situation up to you in prayer. Be a powerful healer. Be a powerful God. Draw them into yourself. Don’t let this pain be wasted. Make it count. Make it count for your glory. Help me to be the mean you need me to be in each situation I encounter. Help me to be an agent of your love, grace, and mercy. Help me to encourage others to draw closer to you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 3, 2025 in Isaiah

 

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Luke 6:37-42

02 Mar

37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

39 Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? 40 Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.

41 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 42 How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

Luke 6:37-42

Dear God, I’m not sure I’ve ever put the whole “blind leading the blind” part of this speech by Jesus with the part about not judging people, but it’s right in the middle of it.

What a weird God you are! Don’t you realize you have all of this power you could use to just zap any of us or anything? Everything. In my head, I’m going back to the illustration a local pastor did a couple of Christmases ago about the incarnation when he compared humans on earth to a planet of ravenous dogs who needed saving. As I sit and think about your love and mercy to us, I think about my wife’s and my dog. She is not the smartest we’ve ever owned, but she’s awfully sweet. And we are sweet to her even though we have all of the “power” in the relationship. We love on her. We greet her warmly in the morning. We take her out for walks. We take her to the park. We feed her regularly and even pick up her poop, whether she poops in public or in our yard. We lie on the floor with her and cuddle with her. We will bring her onto the sofa and cuddle with her there too. And for the first time with all of the pets we’ve owned, we will take her on trips with us. We want her with us. We love her. Yes, we have all of the power in our relationship. Yes, we could be cruel to her, and we have nothing compelling us to be extra good to her beyond it being illegal for us to be abusive to her, not feed her and not give her an opportunity to go to the bathroom. But we are comfortable with ourselves. We have nothing to prove. And we know that our home will be more harmonious–we will be more harmonious–if we show her the love she deserves as our pet.

So, in a weird way, that is you with us. Yes, you put this world in motion and we are living in it, but that’s not enough for you. You want to know us. You want to be kind to us. And as much as I get frustrated if other dogs are aggressive with her or mean to her at the dog park–or if she is the same way with them, which is almost never–you get frustrated with me when I am mean to someone, judgmental, or even blind and leading them astray out of my ignorance and am acting out of my judgment that they need my ignorant “wisdom” to improve their life.

Father, I get to talk about the nonprofit where I work this morning at a church. Ostensibly, I’m going there to inspire them to give money to us for our work, but I want it to be more. I want to help bring people out of their ignorance when it comes to the opportunity to love their neighbors. So give me your words for your people this morning. I am too ignorant to know what they need. I am just a little person who touches a little piece of our society that most of them don’t touch. Help me to share that piece of your creation with them, and use involvement with our work to bring them joy.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 2, 2025 in Luke

 

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2 Timothy 1:5-7

28 Feb

5 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:5-7

Dear God, “…fan into flames the spiritual gift God Gave you…” That is where my head is this morning. Frankly, it reminds me of what I was taking about yesterday with Amy Grant’s song “1974.” Ostensibly singing of the day of her conversion almost 15 years before, she was hoping the passion that night wouldn’t fade. I guess I’ll get to see at least a little of how she is doing tonight when we see her in concert. Of course, she will show the audience what she wants to show the audience, but I think even what she wants to show us will speak volumes about her and where she is now. Will she be vulnerable and share her weaknesses and struggles? Will she just put on a plastic “Jesus loves us” faith? Will it be somewhere in between. I’m expecting somewhere in between, which I think will be appropriate. We don’t deserve to know all of her struggles, but I do think there is strength for us if she shares with us the fact that it hasn’t all been rosy over the last 51 years, since 1974.

So going back into fanning the flames. And what are my spiritual gifts. I feel like these daily prayer journals are key to be keeping the embers of the fire going. The provide a foundation for the fire to ensure it doesn’t go out. At the same time, what do I do extra to fan the flame? Am I doing enough? Am I putting myself in a position to be inspired and challenged by fellow Christians, good teachers, and opportunities to serve others? I think those are the ways for me to fan this faith. It’s not enough for me to be here praying to you. And it’s not enough to do those other things and not pray regularly. I need it all.

Father, help me to know how to love you and love your creation, starting with the woman you created for me to share my life with. Help me to know how to love everyone around me. Show me what to do and what not to do. For those who are most precious to me, I pray that you will pour yourself into them. I pray that they will feel your love and your peace. I pray that they will be in a position in their lives where you Spirit will grow in them and produce the fruit you designed us to produce. Do it for their sakes and not mine. Be glorified in all our lives.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 28, 2025 in 2 Timothy

 

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“1974” by Amy Grant

27 Feb

“1974” by Amy Grant

We were young,
And none of us know quite what to say,
But the feeling moved
Among us in silence anyway.
Slowly we had made
Quite a change–
Somewhere we had crossed a big line.
Down upon our knees,
We had tasted holy wine,
And no one could sway us
In a life time.
Purer than the sky,
Behind the rain.
Falling down all around us,
Calling out from a boundless love.
Love had lit a fire;
We were the flame.
Burning into the darkness,
Shining out from inside us.
Not a word.
And no one had to say we were changed.
Nothing else we lived through
Would ever be same the same,
Knowing the truth
That we had gained.
Purer than the sky,
Behind the rain.
Falling down all around us,
Calling out from a boundless love.
Love had lit a fire;
We were the flame.
Burning into the darkness,
Shining out from inside us.
Stay with me.
Make it ever new,
So time will not undo,
As the years go by,
How I need to see
That’s still me.
Falling down all around us,
Calling out from a boundless love.
Yeah…
Burning into the darkness,
Shining out from inside us.
Purer than the sky,
Behind the rain.
Falling down all around us,
Calling out from a boundless love.
Love has lit a fire;
I am the flame.
Burning into the darkness,
Shining out from inside us.
Purer than the sky,
Behind the rain.
Falling down all around us,
Calling out from a boundless love. (Ohh…)
Love has lit a fire;
I am the flame.
Burning into the darkness,
Shining out from inside us.
Purer than the sky,
Behind the rain.
Falling down all around us,
Calling out from a boundless love.

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Amy Grant / Jerry Mcpherson / Gary Chapman

Dear God, my wife and I are going to see Amy Grant in concert tomorrow night. I saw a lot of Christian concerts in the 1990s, but I never saw Amy Grant in concert for some reason. And I worked for Word at the time so I sold a ton of her stuff through Christian bookstores. I met her once at a sales conference for the House of Love album, but I’ve never heard her sing.

Regardless, here I am, about to see her in concert for the first time so I have been listening to some of her old songs to just reminisce a little. It was this song that kind of struck me this week when it came on. I remember it being on the Lead Me On album. I think it was the first track. No, “Lead Me On” might have been the first track. Anyway, it really captured the emotions 18-year-old me felt at the time. I had grown up Baptist and had “accepted Jesus” possibly as many as 30 times up to that point. Effective church sermons. Revivals. Fellowship of Christian Athletes conferences. But somehow I never felt like I got it right the previous time. I wasn’t getting the formula correct. I needed to do it again.

So I remember the emotions Grant reflects in this song that she apparently wrote with her husband at the time, Gary Chapman, and Jerry McPherson. I wonder what their conversations were like as they wrote this song. Now, 38 years and a lot of life and heartache later, if they could rewrite any of it, would they? Would they change the lyrics? I think it’s prescient to have the part that says:

Stay with me.
Make it ever new,
So time will not undo,
As the years go by,
How I need to see
That’s still me.

I remember the feelings of just sinking into you and that moment of feeling a complete connection with you, but I never seemed to carry it beyond a few days. There was no discipleship. Or there was not self-discipline in my discipleship or even a real knowledge of what discipleship between you and me should look like.

So now, 38 years later since I had my experience of learning what discipleship looks like for me–or beginning to learn what discipleship looks like for me–how do I think of myself in relation to this song? Where are the friends I had then? How are they doing? I can tell you that the ones I’ve kept up with have had sorrows and struggles, but they seem to still have an active faith in you. For that, I’m grateful. My faith and discipleship are certainly imperfect, but I guess I’m at least faithfully imperfect. Maybe getting a little closer to you on more days than I’m getting farther from you on others?

Father, I do love you. I do worship you. Even now, even in this mode of worship, I know that my worship is so inadequate for who you are compared with who I am, but this is what I can offer you in my limited mind and body. Help me to learn a little more today how to love you and how to love others. I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you. Oh, my soul, rejoice! Take joy my King in what you hear. May it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ears. (“I Love You Lord” by Laurie Klein)

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 27, 2025 in Hymns and Songs

 

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Mark 9:38-49

26 Feb

38 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.”

39 “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. 40 Anyone who is not against us is for us. 41 If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.

42 “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’

49 “For everyone will be tested with fire. 50 Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.”

Mark 9:38-49

Dear God, I was listening to the beginning of the Voxology Podcast this morning, and I heard them reference a new book called The Sin of Empathy by Joe Rigney. I’ve heard about interviews with Mr. Rigney on this topic before, and I didn’t agree with a lot of what he said, but when I read the Gospel reading for today from Mark 9, which actually stopped at 40, it made me think of this disagreement I have with Mr. Rigney and should I be giving him more of the benefit of the doubt since he does what he does in your name. So I went to the entire passage, read it, and thought I would spend some time with it here to see if I have perhaps been wrong about this.

First, let me say that I don’t want to spend this entire time comparing Mr. Rigney to this passage, but this is a good reminder to be gentle about him and not judge him too prematurely. Ironically, to maybe even have a little empathy and try to see the world through his lens. While he is afraid of “woke” culture, I think he and I probably define “woke” differently, and, therefore, we look at being “woke” differently. We often start off looking for the worst in people, but I can assume that as he wakes up this morning, he is a man who wants to make the world a better place today. It’s just that he comes at it through a different lens that I do. So I can love him even though we disagree and then try to use the art of persuasion to argue for the perspective of my worldview and the lens through which I see the world.

Now, back to the passage. It is interesting that the church stopped with verse 40 because there is so much more here. Why didn’t they go to the end of the chapter? Nine more verses give you a lot of information.

First, the disciples were fussed because the man was not part of the “Jesus traveling party.” They had developed quite a clique, and I think they were feeling like the cool kids with Jesus. The special ones. Where did this guy come off doing this. In fact, this story is even out of context. Mark tells it as part of the story where they disciples are arguing about who is the greatest in the kingdom, and Jesus tells them “whoever welcomes these little children in my name welcomes me…” So the very next sentence someone speaks to him after that is John saying, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.” Tone of voice is almost always lost when we read. Perhaps there was a shamed tone in John’s voice when he said this.

Then Jesus answers him, and goes on to talk about the importance of not being the cause of others sinning. Oh, how this is a scary teaching. I’m not a pastor and I only to a little teaching, but the idea that I could be part of causing someone else to sin is scary to me. And then just in my personal life, I could be a bad influence on someone, and if they justify their own sin because they see me, a Christian, doing it I could be responsible for that. It’s a pretty heavy teaching from Jesus. And I know there is mercy. I know there is grace and redemption. I just don’t want to be part of that in someone else’s life.

Father, give me your eyes. We talk about seeing the world through the lens of other people, and I think that can be a very good thing, but all of us are limited. We need to see the world through your lens–to the extent we are able. Obviously, I have limitations on how close I can get to your worldview, but I humbly submit to you that, at the very least, I know that I don’t know. Help me to be loving. Help me to be humble. Help me to be discerning when I hear bad teaching or heresy. Help me to see what is really behind it. Is it fear? Is it idolatry? Are they hungering for you and they don’t realize it? Are they simply in pain and searching for your peace? Help me to be a minister of your peace today. And give me your peace, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 26, 2025 in Mark

 

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Matthew 22:34-40

25 Feb

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:34-40

Dear God, I heard Skye Jethani on a podcast last week talk about Jesus highlighting these two commandments when only one commandment was requested. He made an interesting point. He basically said, as I interpret it, that you made people in your image so when we honor each other we honor you. There was a lot of explanation as to how he got there that I won’t go into now, but I thought it was an interesting conclusion.

Verse 40 is interesting in that I’ve always seen the “entire law” part of it, but the part that says, “…all the demands of the prophets…” is important too. The prophets called for a return to you. Faithfulness to you. But they also called for benevolence and mercy for others. There is a reason that the closer I get to you the more the fruit of your Spirit grows out of me (love, joy, peace…). You encourage love in me. You are love. You are a mature, secure being. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone. So what I see coming out of you is a God at peace with his role as omnipotent creator and nothing to prove to little old me. You just want me to love.

Father, help me to love well today. We have a staff meeting this morning. Help me to love well. We have a finance committee meeting this morning. Help me to be the man you need me to be in that meeting. We have another committee meeting this evening, a board meeting tomorrow morning, and still another committee meeting after that. Help me to be everything you need me to be in all of these cases. Thank you for the prayers you answered yesterday for my relative who had a medical procedure. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for loving us and caring. Help me to love others and care about them today. Help me to be part of your presence coming into this earth. And forgive me for my failures.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 25, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Luke 2:1-14

23 Feb
The above image is called “The Glorious Form” and was created by Chris Stoffel Overvoorde. It is from Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups by Ned Bustard.

2 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Luke 2:1-14

Dear God, this image created by Overvoorde has so much going on. And I don’t understand all of the imagery. I probably should, and I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t get it all, but he certainly put a lot in here. From the outside of the image and going in.

There are 24 people watching. Hold it, wait. I’m remembering something about 24 people in Revelation. I think I prayed about that a few weeks ago. Let me read the description Bustard has for this image. In this case, I think I probably need it to get where the artist wants me to go… Okay, I’m back. Yes, there were 24 elders in Revelation 19, as well as four beasts. So, for Overvoorde, I think all past, present, and future are present to you. You are “I am.” Sow we have the beasts and elders of Revelation. We have doves that I’m going to assume are the Holy Spirit. We have Jesus–you–in-utero. Being nurtured and developed through an umbilical cord. Fully divine (Holy Spirit impregnation). Fully human (grown by a woman’s body).

Bustard quotes Bono of U2 as part of his description. I’ll put the Bono quote here: “The Christmas story has a crazy good plot with an even crazier premise–the idea goes, if there is a force of love and logic behind the universe, then how amazing would it be if that incomprehensible power chose to express itself as a child born in shit and straw poverty?”

Father, this is an amazing story. And it has amazing people. I come to you this morning to lean into just how incomprehensible it is. You are God. You have everything. You love us. You came to us. You keep coming to us. You are the father of the Prodigal Son. You are the Prodigal Father. It is amazing that you care. That you came. That you taught. That you are so loving. And now as I go to teach the Sunday school class this morning on Joseph, create a clean heart in me. And renew my spirit. Fill me with your Spirit. Help me to inspire others to learn more about you. Inspire me to learn more about you. To hunger for you. To need you. I need you, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. I need you.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 23, 2025 in Luke, Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups

 

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1 John 4:7-12

19 Feb

7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

1 John 4:7-12

Dear God, is your love really brought to full expression through me? I know it should be, but is it? When people see me, do they see you? Am I that tuned into you?

What does loving others look like? Well, what does it look like when you love me? For that, I guess it goes to the story of the Prodigal Son. When the younger son wants to leave, you let him walk away. When he returns you celebrate with no questions asked. When the older son experiences jealousy you console and comfort. In all of these cases, it’s not about you. It’s not about them hitting your standard for the standard’s sake. It is about you wanting what you know is best for them. You know that the younger son is better off when he is at home and not pursuing empty selfish desires. You know that the older son will be better off when he decides to love his brother and accept him.

So when I look to loving others, what I am doing is wanting the best for them regardless of what it might cost me. If it is my wife, I want to love and support her in the things I perceive you are putting into her life. Now, if it is something that I perceive will take her away from you I will say so, but if it seems to bless her then I want that for her no matter what it costs me. Father, help me be willing to pay that price. If my children decide to pursue a path that costs me everything then I want to love them and bless them to pursue that path. If I think it is unhealthy for them and I am asked I will share my thoughts, but if they don’t then I don’t want to get in the way of anything you have to teach them (or me) through the process. Frankly, I don’t know what is your best for them. All I have to offer them is my unconditional love. The same is true for my coworkers, friends, and even just acquaintances or those you put in my path and sphere of influence. Father, help me to see all of this with your eyes. Help me to love each soul I encounter as much as I care about the existence of my own soul.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 19, 2025 in 1 John

 

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Luke 6:20-26

18 Feb

20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,

“God blesses you who are poor,
    for the Kingdom of God is yours.
21 God blesses you who are hungry now,
    for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
    for in due time you will laugh.

22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.

24 “What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
    for you have your only happiness now.
25 What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,
    for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,
    for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
26 What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,
    for their ancestors also praised false prophets.

Luke 6:20-26

Dear God, by almost any measure, I am not to be pitied. I have a relationship with you and a life that makes it fairly easy to carve out discipleship time with you. Just spending time with you and getting to know you. I have a good marriage to a really good woman who is kind and patient with me. I have a job that not only pays our bills, but is good work. Important work for loving others. Speaking of bills, my bills are paid. I have money in the bank. I have friends. I have men and women who are positive influences on me and who speak your wisdom into my life. My children are seemingly healthy and living successful, independent lives in committed relationships with significant others. We are all healthy. Yes, there are things within what I just mentioned that bring me sorrow or concern, but compared with 99% of the world, I am absolutely not to be pitied.

So that makes me wonder about this passage. Should I be concerned? Is it a problem that I’m not poor, hungry, or weeping (although there are times when I do weep)? Can diamonds be made with no pressure? Can strong steel be made with low heat? And when the heat comes, do I delight and rejoice in it? If I take a stand for you among those who mock you (I’m thinking about one friend in particular who is disdainful of Christian faith) and they ridicule me, do I welcome that and delight in it or do I soft pedal my faith around them so as to not inflame their anger towards me?

Father, I am going to spend some time over the next few days with this mini sermon from Jesus. It is largely similar to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, but not completely. Help me to glean some nuances from it that I might have missed from Matthew. Perhaps the way Luke put it will shed a new light on something you need me to understand. Speak to me. Inspire me. Love through me.

I give you all of me, in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 18, 2025 in Luke

 

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