Luke 10:41-42

And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Personal Challenge…

Jesus wants us to serve Him, to do good works for Him, but more importantly He wants us to love Him. It is so easy to get wrapped up in our acts of service that we forget the reason we are serving…to spread the Good News about Jesus and His love and sacrifice for mankind. All acts of service should be leading to this. All acts of service also need periods of rest and rejuvenation in Christ.

James 4:10

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Command with a Promise…

What an interesting God we serve. If I am weak He makes me strong. If I am poor He makes me rich. If I lower myself before Him, humble myself before His grandeur then He will lift me up. The important thing for me to remember here is that His economy is different than mankind’s. The strength, the richness, the lifting up, will be in His realm, in those areas He deems of value and not in the realm of mankind. My eyes must be looking toward His kingdom to see this.

2 Corinthians 4:16

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

Encouraging Words…

What a great promise this is. As I grow older I am watching this come to fruition. And as a child of God it is encouraging to know that He is at work renewing my inner man even as my physical body is deteriorating.

2 Corinthians 4:1

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.

Personal Challenge…

It is so easy to forget that if we are attempting to live our lives to glorify Christ, our ministry, then there will be difficulties along the way. It is also easy to forget that often these difficulties will actually be spiritual warfare. All the more reason to be constantly aware that we have received God’s mercy and to not lose heart, for He is with us in the midst of these difficulties and warfare.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Personal Challenge…

How do I do this except in the power of Christ? As I prepared this morning to put Laura on an airplane back to home, I hurt for her as she continues to heal from her accident. Then I headed back up to Red Bluff to pick up my motorcycle and said goodbye to my parents. Tomorrow I say goodbye to two of my children, one of their spouses, and our newborn granddaughter, and head back to Ohio. And in the midst of all of this I am to rejoice and give thanks? How can I do this? In prayer! In Christ! For I can rejoice that all of these my loved ones are well and that God willing I will see them again soon. I can rejoice that I live in an age where I can talk to them on the phone or see them on Skype. I can live over 2,000 miles from my loved ones and interact with them on a regular basis. I can rejoice and be thankful that I have been able to spend this time with them and exchange our love for each other. Saying goodbye is hard and yet it is part of life and I am so blessed that I have so many in my life that I can love and that love me. Glory be to God!

Matthew 18:1-6

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Personal Challenge…

I take a short hiatus away from these blogs so that I can welcome our new granddaughter into the world and look at the passage that is scheduled for today.

As I read through this all I can do is picture, feel, experience, this little 9 lb. bundle of joy and ultimate humility in my arms, know that God wants me to behave this way in His arms…fully dependent upon Him, fully at peace in His love and protection. I am also very aware of my responsibility to teach her about her heavenly Father and about how much she is loved by Him. I am reminded to pour myself into the life of my wife, into the lives of my children and their spouses into the lives of my grand children, and into the life of every person that God brings into my life. This is the example that He set Himself as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Glory be to God!

James 3:17-18

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Encouraging Words…

“The wisdom that is from above…”, as the early church fathers read in the Old Testament was Jesus Christ. So with Jesus as our Lord He will pour into His children that pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality or hypocrisy, form of Wisdom. Oh how much different life, all aspects of life, will be as we receive this Wisdom and let it wash over us and control us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner, and guide me in the ways of your peace.

Matthew 21:21-22

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Command with a Promise…

Have faith, do not doubt, ask in prayer (believing prayer), and mountains will be moved, seas will be calmed, and requests will be answered. The reality of miracles in a Christian’s life comes from both the power and glory of God and the Christian’s level of belief and prayer. Oh God, I believe, help me in my unbelief.

Matthew 14:27

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

Encouraging Words…

Jesus once again demonstrates to His disciples, both literally and figuratively, that He is there with them in the midst of their trials and tribulations. The first storm occurrence was with Him in the boat with the disciples and this one is when He is out of the boat away from them. The imagery here is that whether I am in the midst of God’s work, being close to Him, or just going through life not even thinking about Him (which should be happening less and less on my journey to theosis), I will encounter trials and tribulations. And in the midst of these I am not alone. Not only can Jesus calm these storms, but He can also help me to do miraculous things through Him as long as I keep my eyes upon Him. Glory be to God!

Matthew 25:34-40

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. ’

Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? ’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Personal Challenge…

So many people wonder throughout their lives what must be done to make it into heaven. And there are many different answers. The answer is not alway as simple as we often hear. Yes, it is only possible through the work of Jesus Christ and the grace of God. But as this passage reminds us, the King expects us to serve in our salvation. Being a Christian is a verb and not a noun. In order to honor my Lord in this life I must be doing His work on His behalf, being His hands and feet, His mouth and ears. There is no such thing as passive salvation.