In Mark 3:20-21, 31-35, we see that Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him because they wanted to take him home. They had heard that the disciples didn't even have time to eat. The reason they came in the first place was to put a stop to what he was doing. They couldn't believe what he was doing was what God wanted. They were concerned about physical things more than about spiritual things. In the New Living Translation, they said, "He's out of his mind." They were more concerned about the outward appearance and how what he did effected them and their reputation. I also believe they were genuinely concerned about his physical well-being. They were on a mission to make sure Jesus was taking care of himself.
In verses 31-35 when someone told Jesus his mother and brothers were outside, he responded in a way that I always felt was a little harsh. He acted like they were nothing even though they were his family. He knew what was in their hearts. He knew they didn't support what he was about. He knew they had really come to put a stop to what he was doing. He knew he had to do what God has called him to. Jesus' response told them that they were not his family if they were trying to do something that was out of God's will. We are all his family if we do the will of the Father.
His family's concern was legitimate. I can especially relate as a mother. Jesus' mother must have been very concerned that Jesus wasn't taking care of himself and would wear himself out. But their concern was not what God wanted them to be concerned about. They saw their son/sibling and the physical part. God wanted them to see the Messiah--HIS son and be concerned about doing the will of the Father in Heaven. They couldn't see past the physical realm into the spiritual realm.
What realm to I see? Am I so focused on the physical life that I miss what God is doing spiritually? I don't want to stand in the way of what God is doing. I am an administrative person. I always see the physical stuff around me; what needs to be done to make things happen. God wants me to see past that. Sometimes he is doing something in the spiritual that looks a little messy physically. If I step in and try to stop it or help, I could mess up what he is doing in someone's life.
Lord, give us eyes to see both the physical and the spiritual. We don't want to stand in the way of what you are doing in our lives and in the lives of the people in our spheres of influence.
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Monday, October 12, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
A Psalm of Thanksgiving
Psalm 111
1 Praise the Lord!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart
as I meet with his godly people.
2 How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!
All who delight in him should ponder them.
3 Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty.
His righteousness never fails.
4 He causes us to remember his wonderful works.
How gracious and merciful is our Lord!
5 He gives food to those who fear him;
he always remembers his covenant.
6 He has shown his great power to his people
by giving them the lands of other nations.
7 All he does is just and good,
and all his commandments are trustworthy.
8 They are forever true,
to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.
9 He has paid a full ransom for his people.
He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever.
What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!
10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.
All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.
Praise him forever!
(NLT)
Have you ever sat down and wrote out all the amazing things God has done in your life? It is a wonderful exercise in thanksgiving to Him to think again of all He has done. Here is my Psalm of thanksgiving to God:
Praise the Lord! You are so good. You are faithful to me and my family. Everything you do is wonderful. Even when it feels like you are not there, you are working in the background where I don’t always see you. You brought me out of the pit and set my feet on solid ground. I am no longer shaken to the core with anxiety. I no longer feel like I’m only one step ahead of it. I am healed. I don’t struggle with it any longer. It is no longer my constant companion. I fear you instead of fearing what life will bring. The husband you brought into my life is my lover and friend. He is the exact person I needed to walk with through my life’s journey.
You have given me four wonderful children who you are pursuing and wooing and bringing into your kingdom. I know you will be faithful to them in whatever they need to walk through in the life you have for them to live. You have brought the best spouse for Amber. You knew exactly who she would need. You have brought her the perfect soul mate. A first grandchild awaits me in a few months. That makes me so excited. Thank you for bringing this miracle child into being. Thank you for protecting this child in her mother’s womb. I trust you to do this. You will and are bringing the best spouses to the other children as they seek you for their soul mates.
Thank you for friends who encourage me in my walk with you and for a church family who is loving and caring to me and to others. You knew exactly what church family would be the best to walk with me through my struggles with anxiety and depression and be able to help bring me to complete healing.
Even though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death you never left me. You were and are constantly with me. You work everything out for good in my life. I will praise your name forever and ever as long as I have breath within me. Praise your holy name!
1 Praise the Lord!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart
as I meet with his godly people.
2 How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!
All who delight in him should ponder them.
3 Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty.
His righteousness never fails.
4 He causes us to remember his wonderful works.
How gracious and merciful is our Lord!
5 He gives food to those who fear him;
he always remembers his covenant.
6 He has shown his great power to his people
by giving them the lands of other nations.
7 All he does is just and good,
and all his commandments are trustworthy.
8 They are forever true,
to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.
9 He has paid a full ransom for his people.
He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever.
What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!
10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.
All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.
Praise him forever!
(NLT)
Have you ever sat down and wrote out all the amazing things God has done in your life? It is a wonderful exercise in thanksgiving to Him to think again of all He has done. Here is my Psalm of thanksgiving to God:
Praise the Lord! You are so good. You are faithful to me and my family. Everything you do is wonderful. Even when it feels like you are not there, you are working in the background where I don’t always see you. You brought me out of the pit and set my feet on solid ground. I am no longer shaken to the core with anxiety. I no longer feel like I’m only one step ahead of it. I am healed. I don’t struggle with it any longer. It is no longer my constant companion. I fear you instead of fearing what life will bring. The husband you brought into my life is my lover and friend. He is the exact person I needed to walk with through my life’s journey.
You have given me four wonderful children who you are pursuing and wooing and bringing into your kingdom. I know you will be faithful to them in whatever they need to walk through in the life you have for them to live. You have brought the best spouse for Amber. You knew exactly who she would need. You have brought her the perfect soul mate. A first grandchild awaits me in a few months. That makes me so excited. Thank you for bringing this miracle child into being. Thank you for protecting this child in her mother’s womb. I trust you to do this. You will and are bringing the best spouses to the other children as they seek you for their soul mates.
Thank you for friends who encourage me in my walk with you and for a church family who is loving and caring to me and to others. You knew exactly what church family would be the best to walk with me through my struggles with anxiety and depression and be able to help bring me to complete healing.
Even though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death you never left me. You were and are constantly with me. You work everything out for good in my life. I will praise your name forever and ever as long as I have breath within me. Praise your holy name!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
In Secret or for all to See?
“In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven” Matthew 5:16.
This verse shows us that we are to let our light shines so people can see our good deeds and praise the Father. In another verse, Matthew 6:3-4 it says, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
These two verses seem to be conflicting verses. One is to let your light shine so people see your good deeds. In another, you give in secret so the Father rewards you in secret. Are the two in contradiction? They must mean two different kinds of things. What could it mean to “let your light shine so they may see your good deeds?” That must be different from giving to the needy.
The light we have is Jesus Christ. He is the one that shines in the darkness. He brings light where darkness has ruled. When he comes, darkness or evil has to flee. When the light is turned on in a dark room, the darkness doesn’t have to be chased out, it is completely gone. In light, darkness can’t even be present. Letting our light shine is to take the kingdom of heaven, Jesus, into the places where darkness, sin, and evil, reign. It means to share him with those who feel hopeless and rejected—the down and out in our society. These are the good deeds I think this verse is talking about. When we show love and kindness to the people that everyone else has given up on, we shine our light over them. Think about someone who the neighbors are complaining about. Maybe it’s a co-worker who everyone is whispering about. Maybe it is the gay or lesbian couple down the street that everyone keeps their children from being around them. Maybe it is the person who is addicted to drugs and keeps asking you for money to feed their addiction. Whoever it is, we are called to let our light shine. That means we treat them as Jesus did. He ate meals with the sinners and tax collectors of the day—the prostitutes, the thieves, the poor of his day. He wasn’t afraid of his reputation. He wanted them to find freedom. He had compassion on them.
The other verse is talking about giving to the needy. That would probably mean money. It would probably not be something you do for someone but something you give to them. This kind of thing is to be done in secret. We aren’t to flaunt the idea that we give lots of money to those in need. We can give without everyone knowing about it. Only then will we receive the reward our Heavenly Father wants to give us.
I don’t know about you but I have learned something by writing this. I began not sure how this was going to turn out. Now, I think I know the difference between the two. I don’t believe they are in conflict. They are two different kinds of giving; one is with our very lives and one is with our finances. Both are to be done but they are to be done in different ways. Let’s shine our light into the darkness for all to see (the kinds of things that might get the neighbors talking but may not be nice things they say about us) and let us give to the needy around us without letting anyone else know. I love giving without others knowing about it. We’ve been the recipient of this kind of giving and we’ve done this kind of giving. It’s kind of fun to give without someone knowing it was you.
Lord, bring us to the place where we take your kingdom into the darkness and shine our lights there for all to see what you are like and praise you for it. Help us to give financially to those in need, too. Show us when and where, Lord, you want us to spend our money and our lives. Bring about your light in the darkness around us so people can find hope where they have none. In Jesus name, amen.
This verse shows us that we are to let our light shines so people can see our good deeds and praise the Father. In another verse, Matthew 6:3-4 it says, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
These two verses seem to be conflicting verses. One is to let your light shine so people see your good deeds. In another, you give in secret so the Father rewards you in secret. Are the two in contradiction? They must mean two different kinds of things. What could it mean to “let your light shine so they may see your good deeds?” That must be different from giving to the needy.
The light we have is Jesus Christ. He is the one that shines in the darkness. He brings light where darkness has ruled. When he comes, darkness or evil has to flee. When the light is turned on in a dark room, the darkness doesn’t have to be chased out, it is completely gone. In light, darkness can’t even be present. Letting our light shine is to take the kingdom of heaven, Jesus, into the places where darkness, sin, and evil, reign. It means to share him with those who feel hopeless and rejected—the down and out in our society. These are the good deeds I think this verse is talking about. When we show love and kindness to the people that everyone else has given up on, we shine our light over them. Think about someone who the neighbors are complaining about. Maybe it’s a co-worker who everyone is whispering about. Maybe it is the gay or lesbian couple down the street that everyone keeps their children from being around them. Maybe it is the person who is addicted to drugs and keeps asking you for money to feed their addiction. Whoever it is, we are called to let our light shine. That means we treat them as Jesus did. He ate meals with the sinners and tax collectors of the day—the prostitutes, the thieves, the poor of his day. He wasn’t afraid of his reputation. He wanted them to find freedom. He had compassion on them.
The other verse is talking about giving to the needy. That would probably mean money. It would probably not be something you do for someone but something you give to them. This kind of thing is to be done in secret. We aren’t to flaunt the idea that we give lots of money to those in need. We can give without everyone knowing about it. Only then will we receive the reward our Heavenly Father wants to give us.
I don’t know about you but I have learned something by writing this. I began not sure how this was going to turn out. Now, I think I know the difference between the two. I don’t believe they are in conflict. They are two different kinds of giving; one is with our very lives and one is with our finances. Both are to be done but they are to be done in different ways. Let’s shine our light into the darkness for all to see (the kinds of things that might get the neighbors talking but may not be nice things they say about us) and let us give to the needy around us without letting anyone else know. I love giving without others knowing about it. We’ve been the recipient of this kind of giving and we’ve done this kind of giving. It’s kind of fun to give without someone knowing it was you.
Lord, bring us to the place where we take your kingdom into the darkness and shine our lights there for all to see what you are like and praise you for it. Help us to give financially to those in need, too. Show us when and where, Lord, you want us to spend our money and our lives. Bring about your light in the darkness around us so people can find hope where they have none. In Jesus name, amen.
Friday, July 31, 2009
God's amazing grace
Jesus said in Matthew 3:15 to John the Baptist, “It must be done because we must do everything that is right” (NLT). Do I do everything that is right in my life? Do I stand up for right? Do I always defend the fatherless and the widow? Do I always turn the other cheek? I wish I could say yes to all of these questions but I can’t. I blow it many times a day. The good news is that God’s is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” Exodus 34:6 NIV. He is “drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes. If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.” (from the song How He Loves by David Crowder Band) God’s grace is so vast, it covers up every bad thing we have ever done or are going to do. We drown in his grace, become a new person, and our old self falls away.
I’m so thankful for God’s grace. When we mess up, he’s there to clean up the mess. When we fall, he’s there to pick up the pieces. He turns things around and uses them for his glory in our lives when we repent and turn from our sins. Thank you, Lord, for your amazing grace. Drown us all, Lord! Your grace is amazing!
I’m so thankful for God’s grace. When we mess up, he’s there to clean up the mess. When we fall, he’s there to pick up the pieces. He turns things around and uses them for his glory in our lives when we repent and turn from our sins. Thank you, Lord, for your amazing grace. Drown us all, Lord! Your grace is amazing!
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