Category: Luke

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How Much Do We Owe?

Many people are working on their taxes at this time of year. Most are hoping they will get a refund; some just hope they won’t owe too much. Not sure which category you are in but I want to talk to you this morning about how much we owe.

Most people have a goal of being debt free; we don’t want to owe anyone – not the bank, the mortgage company, the credit card issuers, the Department of Education or the auto industry. But try as we might there is always debt. We’re looking at the bottom line – got to have a good profit/loss statement.

“Now Kristi, I just paid off my house last year. My cars are free and clear. I have no student debt and I pay the full balance on my credit cards every month. I don’t owe anyone, anything.”

Aww, but you do. We all do!

“Give everyone what you owe them. If you owe them any kind of tax, then pay it. Show respect to those you should respect. And show honor to those you should honor.

8 You should owe nothing to anyone, except that you will always owe love to each other. The person who loves others has done all that the law commands. 9 The law says, “You must not commit adultery, you must not murder anyone, you must not steal, you must not want what belongs to someone else.” All these commands and all other commands are really only one rule: “Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.” 10 Love doesn’t hurt others. So loving is the same as obeying all the law.” Romans 13:7-10 ERV

We owe a debt of love!

First and foremost we owe that debt to our heavenly Father and to Jesus Christ, our Savior. Jesus told a lawyer who was trying to entrap Him that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord our God. (Lawyers haven’t changed much in the last 2000 years, have they?)

We owe this debt of love because He first loved us. That’s pretty basic. God loved us so much that He wanted to us be a part of His family. He wanted to adopt us and make us His own. But there was a price to be paid. It would cost Him the life of His Son, Jesus.

Imagine this – God was willing to pay the price, as high as it was, because He wanted to bring us into His family! Yes, I would say we owe Him a debt of love.

“We love because God loved us first. 20 But if we say we love God and don’t love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God, if we don’t love the people we can see? 21 The commandment that God has given us is: “Love God and love each other!” I John 4:19-21 CEV

“We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God’s likeness. 10 These praises and curses come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, this should not happen. 11 Do good water and bad water flow from the same spring? Of course not.” James 3:9-11 ERV

God has forgiven each one of us so very much. We all have multiple failings and shortcomings. We act ugly, we become self-righteous and critical. Because our Father and our God forgives us of these things He commands us to be forgiving of others! The price He paid for every individual was the same; no one is of greater or lesser value to the Father.

Let’s not be like the religious man in the story that Jesus told to some of his followers. They were dealing with the issues of self-importance and condemnation of others.

“There were some people who thought they were very good and looked down on everyone else. Jesus used this story to teach them: 10 “One time there was a Pharisee and a tax collector. One day they both went to the Temple to pray. 11 The Pharisee stood alone, away from the tax collector. When the Pharisee prayed, he said, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not as bad as other people. I am not like men who steal, cheat, or commit adultery. I thank you that I am better than this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of everything I get!’

13 “The tax collector stood alone too. But when he prayed, he would not even look up to heaven. He felt very humble before God. He said, ‘O God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, when this man finished his prayer and went home, he was right with God. But the Pharisee, who felt that he was better than others, was not right with God. People who make themselves important will be made humble. But those who make themselves humble will be made important.” Luke 18:9-14 ERV

So I will ask again what I asked at the beginning. How much do we owe?

Lord, let me always keep the “debt of love” forefront in my mind. Let me love others with an open heart that’s willing to forgive when wronged and not harbor any bitterness. Let me see and love others the way that You do! This is a debt that I will gladly pay.

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Keep Looking Up

Hope and excitement. Child like expectation!

There are days that we lose that hope because of what we see happening in the world around us. What should we do?

Keep looking up!

This is the instruction we receive from Jesus, King David and the Apostle Paul.

“You were raised from death with Christ. So live for what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Think only about what is up there, not what is here on earth. 3 Your old self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. 4 Yes, Christ is now your life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory.” Colossians 3:1-4 ERV

Do you see that? Keep thinking about heaven…so, let’s do just that. Think about heaven for just a minute or two. Close your eyes right now, see Jesus sitting at the right side of our heavenly Father. They have prepared this perfect place for us. The Holy Spirit is praying for us – constantly. It’s what He does.

“In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. 27 All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God’s people. 28 We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him.[a] They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose,” Romans 8:26-28 CEV

This is such an encouragement.

King David knew what it was like to live in perilous and godless times. He constantly faced physical battles and also emotional ones. He kept looking up – he found his hope and victory in turning his eyes upward.

“Gates, proudly lift your heads! Open, ancient doors, and the glorious King will come in. 8 Who is the glorious King? He is the Lord, the powerful soldier. He is the Lord, the war hero. 9 Gates, proudly lift your heads! Open, ancient doors, and the glorious King will come in. 10 Who is the glorious King? The Lord All-Powerful is the glorious King. Selah” Psalm 24:7-10 ERV

Lift up our heads – no, that doesn’t mean to turn our head up but it is an attitude of the heart. Turn our focus heavenward. Looking up is looking beyond ourselves and looking to someone higher, looking to God the Father. “ Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.” Psalm 24:8-10

Are you looking up today? Are you looking beyond yourself and finding God’s directive on how you should function today? It’s easy to get discouraged and even depressed with all the world’s happenings and Jesus knew that these days and times we are living in would be taxing to our mental peace and could make us heart sick. He gave us this command.

“There will be special things to look for in the sun and moon and stars. The nations of the earth will be troubled and will not know what to do. They will be troubled at the angry sea and waves. 26 The hearts of men will give up because of being afraid of what is coming on the earth. The powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with power and much greatness. 28 When these things begin to happen, lift up your heads because you have been bought by the blood of Christ and will soon be free.” Luke 21:25-28

Don’t let your heart fail or become fearful – keep looking up. Lift up your head for your Redeemer is near!

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Happy Dance

Not too many things bring a bigger smile and lots of spontaneous giggles than a group of children dancing. It’s just pure joy and delight!

That’s how I feel this morning. My heart is filled with joy. All night long I would hear myself singing the chorus from a song I remember hearing on the Bill Gaither Gospel Reunions. It was sung by Ivan Parker and then he’d be joined by the whole chorus. Here are the words to the chorus that filled my heart and my head, “When I Get Carried Away”.

“I’m gonna let the glory roll when the roll is called in glory
I’ll get beside of myself when I get beside the king that day
I’m gonna have the time of my life when the time of my life is over
I’m gonna get carried away when I get carried away”

I accepted Christ as my Saviour when I was very young. I remember realizing my need for forgiveness, walking the aisle Sunday night at church and the sweet Christian lady who talked with me to make sure I understood salvation and then prayed with me. At that tender age, I knew Christ had died for me and had forgiven me and I wanted to give Him my life.

Now that I’m older, I’m amazed by God’s goodness, mercy and grace. His unconditional love paid the price of sin for everyone through Jesus sacrifice. Every sin ever committed from the beginning of time until this earth passes away was forgiven in that one act of sacrifice! God had not only forgiven the sins I had committed up to the day I asked Jesus to be my Saviour but He had forgiven everyone of them since that day.

“My children, I am writing this so that you won’t sin. But if you do sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us. 2 Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.” I John 2:1-2 CEV

Whether my sins were great or small, it didnt matter – I still needed a Saviour. The Apostle James wrote that “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offends in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10

It’s a like a picture window; if you throw a rock through it, it’s broken; if you put a beebee through it, it’s still broken. The size of the hole doesn’t matter, the glass is broken. So whether you’re Hilter or a small girl in Yuma, Az, sin is sin and it requires a Saviour and the same sacrifice was necessary for both of us.

Please understand this, we won’t be judged for the right and wrong we do; we are given new life because we accept Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would come and convict us of sin. That sin was not believing in Jesus.

“Let me assure you, it is better for you that I go away. I say this because when I go away I will send the Helper to you. But if I did not go, the Helper would not come. 8 “When the Helper comes, he will show the people of the world how wrong they are about sin, about being right with God, and about judgment. 9 He will prove that they are guilty of sin, because they don’t believe in me.” John 16: 7-9 ERV

God’s love is unconditional. If we are the most base sinner who ever lived or the most self-righteous His love is the same. Each day I realized where I could have been without Jesus and I am so grateful and thankful that I am not without Him and that He chose me, He adopted me and made me a new creation.

I will close this glorious Sunday morning with an example from Jesus himself.

“A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee’s home and got ready to eat. 37 When a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there, she bought an expensive bottle of perfume. 38 Then she came and stood behind Jesus. She cried and started washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. The woman kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them.
39 The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and said to himself, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him! He would know that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Teacher, what is it?” Simon replied.
41 Jesus told him, “Two people were in debt to a moneylender. One of them owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. 42 Since neither of them could pay him back, the moneylender said that they didn’t have to pay him anything. Which one of them will like him more?”
43 Simon answered, “I suppose it would be the one who had owed more and didn’t have to pay it back.”
“You are right,” Jesus said.
44 He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Have you noticed this woman? When I came into your home, you didn’t give me any water so I could wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You didn’t even pour olive oil on my head, but she has poured expensive perfume on my feet. 47 So I tell you that all her sins are forgiven, and that is why she has shown great love. But anyone who has been forgiven for only a little will show only a little love.”
48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 Some other guests started saying to one another, “Who is this who dares to forgive sins?”
50 But Jesus told the woman, “Because of your faith, you are now saved. May God give you peace!” Luke 7:36-50 ERV

I get carried away when I dwell on how much God loves me and the depth of His forgiveness. I invite you to join me in my happy dance this morning, let’s get carried away together!

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It’s A Glorious Day!

How do I know that today will be a glorious day? I have God’s promise on it! When His word gives us a promise we can believe it.

“I will tell of your greatness, my God and King. I will praise your name forever and ever.
2 I will praise you every day. I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 The Lord is great and deserves all our praise! No one can fully understand his greatness! 4 Each generation will praise you and tell the next generation about the great things you do.” Psalm 145:1-4 ERV

“I will praise you every day.” King David made it his goal to praise the Lord every day. We should too. I remember something that evangelist Oral Roberts used to say. He was known for his saying “something good is going to happen to you this very day”. He lived expecting to see God’s goodness displayed each and every day of his life.

How wonderful!

Obviously King David or Oral Roberts didn’t face the challenges that you and I face each day, right? They didn’t have to deal with aggravating people, physical illness and pain, wayward children, vicious co-workers or financial upset like we do. Really? Of course, they did. But they knew that God watched over them and provided His best for them on a daily basis. So they spent each day in praise.

This morning I was reading about Jesus trial and His crucifixion. The Jewish religious leaders were driven to destroy Jesus and His ministry. Their vendetta was real. They took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, to get him to pronounce a death sentence but Pilate said he found no fault in Jesus. Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who ruled the area of Galilee. Herod found no fault with Him either and sent Jesus back to Pilate.

A crowd had gathered by now, knowing that Jesus had been arrested and the religious leaders had incited the people into a frenzy. They were a lynch mob. Pilate tried to release Jesus but the crowd called for his crucifixion. There was nothing good about this day.

But wait…there was! This was the day that God, the Father, had planned. He sent His Son to be our substitute. He took our place and gave His life so that we could live forgiven, in relationship with the Father.

“Around noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until the middle of the afternoon. 45 The sun stopped shining, and the curtain in the temple split down the middle. 46 Jesus shouted, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” Then he died.” Luke 23:44-46 CEV

In only a few days the world would see a victorious Christ rise from the grave! Satan’s defeat would be complete and our lives have been redeemed. All we need to do is receive, as a gift, what Christ did for us on the cross!

A glorious day!

There’s a song that I learned in church many years ago. The lyrics came flooding back this morning as I read the story of the crucifixion in Luke 23.

“One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Chorus: Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

Chorus

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

Chorus

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One bringing
My Savior Jesus is mine

Chorus: Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day!”

It’s a glorious day – a day of hope, joy, forgiveness and peace! Christ has come to fill our lives to the full with a relationship of love that will last for all eternity.

O glorious day!

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Keeping Your Battery Charged

Every morning I pick up my laptop and share what the Lord has put on my heart for that day. After I post, I look at what others have posted overnight, read through emails and then do some research.

Inevitably, I will receive this message. “Power supply at 10%. Plug into power source.” And if I don’t heed the warning, I will get another one in a few minutes telling me I only have 7% of my power and if I ignore that warning the laptop just shuts down.

Yesterday I ignored those warnings with my phone and it shut down completely. I had to plug it in and wait until it was recharged before I could make a couple of calls and receive some texts that were important to me.

Do you ever feel that your battery is running low? Your power is in short supply and you’re about ready to shut down? I’ve been there many times and that weariness is my warning that I’m operating on stored power and need to reconnect to the power supply.

This morning I was reading in Luke. Jesus had just commemorated the Passover with his apostles. They had asked him about which one of them would have a greater position in His kingdom. They were looking to operate on their own power. Jesus warned them that they were going to face some of the biggest tests of their lives and then He led them out to pray.

“Jesus left the city and went to the Mount of Olives. His followers went with him. (He went there often.) He said to his followers, “Pray for strength against temptation.” Luke 22:39-40 ERV

Jesus knew what was coming. He would be arrested, falsely accused, beaten and crucified. He came to pray! He came to draw strength from the Father and He wanted the disciples to do the same.

“Then Jesus went about 50 steps away from them. He knelt down and prayed, 42 ‘Father, if you are willing, please don’t make me drink from this cup. But do what you want, not what I want.’ 43 Then an angel from heaven came to help him. 44 Jesus was full of pain; he struggled hard in prayer. Sweat dripped from his face like drops of blood falling to the ground. 45 When he finished praying, he went to his followers. He found them asleep, worn out from their grieving. 46 Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray for strength against temptation.’” Luke 22:41-46 ERV

Jesus knew they needed to be connected to the power supply, the Holy Spirit. It was essential. All through His ministry Jesus didn’t do any miracles or teaching until He had spent time in prayer and been empowered by the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t want us to attempt anything on our own either.

We need to be connected. After Jesus rose from the grave and before He went back to heaven He gave the disciples one final instruction that would provide them with all the strength they needed.

“You saw these things happen—you are witnesses. You must go and tell people that they must change and turn to God, which will bring them his forgiveness. You must start from Jerusalem and tell this message in my name to the people of all nations. 49 Remember that I will send you the one my Father promised. Stay in the city until you are given that power from heaven.” Luke 24:47-49 ERV

Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to give testimony of what God has done in our lives. Starting first with those closest to us and spreading out from there. Our family, our friends, neighbors, work mates…

Thank you Father for reminding me that my power is draining and that I have a power source with unlimited supply. I desire to stay plugged in to You today!

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Out of Balance

Do you remember those days in seventh grade Science class when your teacher brought in a set of scales and weights? I do!

Mr. Fox put the scales on the front lab table. There were a set of graduated weights and there were various other objects too; an apple, a brick, a coin, salt, and feathers. We then embarked on a series of trials. One of the objects was the exact same weight as one, or a combination of, the weights. It was up to us to determine which one.

Nine times out of ten we were out-of-balance!

Have you ever felt that way? That things in your life are out-of-balance. This morning I’m going to tell you why that’s a good thing.

When it comes to our walk with the Lord we need to be top heavy. Jesus disciples came to him and asked Him to increase their faith.

“The apostles said to the Lord, “Give us more faith!”6 The Lord said, “If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Dig yourself up and plant yourself in the ocean!’ And the tree will obey you.” Luke 17:5-6 ERV

Notice Jesus didn’t tell them that they needed BIG faith. No, He told them that if they had little faith, faith as little as a mustard seed, that they would be able to accomplish big things. The question was how to use the faith they had. Look at the example he gave them.

“Suppose one of you has a servant who has been working in the field, plowing or caring for the sheep. When he comes in from work, what would you say to him? Would you say, ‘Come in, sit down and eat’? 8 Of course not! You would say to your servant, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Then get ready and serve me. When I finish eating and drinking, then you can eat.’ 9 The servant should not get any special thanks for doing his job. He is only doing what his master told him to do. 10 It is the same with you. When you finish doing all that you are told to do, you should say, ‘We are not worthy of any special thanks. We have only done the work we should do.’” Luke 17:7-10 ERV

Here, Jesus is referring to faith as a servant. He told the disciples to put it to work. Faith is doing what the master has told you to do. Jesus had told them to go out and teach, preach, heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out devils. They did as he told them and they came back amazed at the results they had. But then there were other times when they let the circumstances stop them from doing what the Lord had said. He told them to get in the boat and go to the other side; they let the waves and the storm overwhelm them with fear and they almost capsized. Then there was the night that Jesus was arrested. He told them to pray with Him so they wouldn’t fall into temptation, instead they fell asleep and scattered in fear when the soldiers took Jesus away.

There are no great accolades for doing what you are told to do but there are great results. Faith is a tool that God wants us to use. Using our faith is as simple as obeying what God says. Just like a servant obeys his master.

If little faith can make great things happen then where’s the problem? It’s fear. Do you realize that fear is also a form of faith? Fear is a belief that the negative will happen. Instead of trusting God and putting faith in His word fear believes that circumstances will overwhelm and shatter God’s promises.

“In Christ we come before God with freedom and without fear. We can do this because of our faith in Christ.” Ephesians 3:12 ERV

“The followers went to him and woke him. They said, “Lord, save us! We will drown!”26 Jesus answered, “Why are you afraid? You don’t have enough faith.” Then he stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. The wind stopped, and the lake became very calm.27 The men were amazed. They said, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the water obey him!” Matthew 8:25-27 ERV

If we have little faith and great fear we will be out-of-balance and the results will be disastrous. But if we have little faith and no fear or doubt we can move mountains.

“Jesus answered, “Have faith in God. 23 The truth is, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, mountain, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, then God will do it for you. 24 So I tell you to ask for what you want in prayer. And if you believe that you have received those things, then they will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24 ERV

Let me ask you this. What types of things cause fear in your life? It’s important to identify them. Is it cancer, bankruptcy, divorce, rebellious children, loss of employment, auto accidents? Find what God says about each and every one of these things and as you do you will begin to remove them from the fear side of the scale. The more items you remove, the greater the weight of your faith becomes. Soon, faith in what God says and will do will tip the scales and you will be out-of-balance in faith.

“We thank God for you always. And that’s what we should do, because you give us good reason to be thankful: Your faith is growing more and more. And the love that every one of you has for each other is also growing.” II Thessalonians 1:3 ERV

It’s time to tip the scales in the right direction!


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It’s Monday! Time To Sing

In a few moments the birds will begin to sing. Just before sunrise they join in chorus! What a great way to start the morning.

“I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free
His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me, He watches me
His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches
I know He watches, I know He watches me”

Those are the words to the chorus of an old gospel favorite, His Eye Is on The Sparrow. I love the lyrics of that song. I was reminded of them again this morning as I was reading in Luke 12.

“Jesus said to his followers, “So I tell you, don’t worry about the things you need to live—what you will eat or what you will wear. 23 Life is more important than food, and the body is more important than what you put on it. 24 Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or save food in houses or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than crows. 25 None of you can add any time to your life by worrying about it. 26 And if you can’t do the little things, why worry about the big things?” Luke 12:22-26 ERV

I don’t know why we have been conditioned to dread Mondays. We HAVE to go back to work – how about adopting the attitude we get to go back to work? Like I said yesterday, there were days when we had no job. That leaves you with a desperate feeling. Having a job is better. Be thankful!

Those birds that sing each morning don’t differentiate their song because of what day it is on the calendar. No, they just sing every morning.

Monday is a day that always seems to be filled with so many challenges; spiritual, mental, physical and relational. So on Monday’s we need to be thinking like Jesus – we NEED the mind of Christ.

I know I’ve told you this before but I’ve heard it said they are 365 verses in the Bible that give us instruction on not worrying or becoming anxious or fearful. It seems we are a people prone to worry so God takes a lot of time to help us get past that.

“Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. 5 Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. 7 Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.
8 Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. 9 You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you.” Philippians 4:4-9 CEV

I remember the first time the Lord really flooded me with His peace. I had gone through a very difficult time physically and emotionally. I was hurting so deeply, I wondered if I could go on. I poured my pain out the Lord; I told Him I didn’t know how to get over the loss. I needed His help. Without it, I didn’t know what I would do.

I started focusing on the Lord and what He had done for me; what He endured for me, death; how much He loves me. I began to thank Him for His love that never ends, His ability to bring answers to my questions, His peace for turmoil and His comfort for my grief.

In my back yard that night I looked at the stars, thanking Him, praising Him, with tears still streaming down my cheeks, I was enveloped by the night and I felt God’s arms of comfort surround me and His peace pour over me. The peace that passes ALL understanding. But as long as I was going to think about me, my problems, my heart ache – I was unable to receive peace. As my thoughts focused on Jesus, the peace came.

Jesus knew we would need His peace. Some of his final words to his disciples were this:

“But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you. 27 I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid.” John 14:26-27

So as you start the week today, join with the birds in their chorus, keep your mind focused on Jesus and let Him bring you to a place of peace. God bless you all.

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The Father’s Always Here

This morning my reading took me to Luke chapter 11. Jesus’s disciples asked him to teach them to pray. They wanted to know how to talk to the Father. Jesus then gave them a brief example of prayer; it’s what we know as the Lord’s Prayer. However, Jesus teaching didn’t stop there. Jesus went on to give them an example of how a friend would respond to an urgent request, made in the middle of the night, by a neighbor.

He compared the friendship of the neighbor to the love of the Father in these verses:

“Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you went to your friend’s house very late at night and said to him, ‘A friend of mine has come into town to visit me. But I have nothing for him to eat. Please give me three loaves of bread.’ 7 Your friend inside the house answers, ‘Go away! Don’t bother me! The door is already locked. My children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you the bread now.’ 8 I tell you, maybe friendship is not enough to make him get up to give you the bread. But he will surely get up to give you what you need if you continue to ask. 9 So I tell you, continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. 10 Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them. 11 Do any of you have a son? What would you do if your son asked you for a fish? Would any father give him a snake? 12 Or, if he asked for an egg, would you give him a scorpion? Of course not! 13 Even you who are bad know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to the people who ask him.” Luke 11:6-13 ERV

Notice that Jesus says no loving father would give his children something that is bad for them; not a snake, a scorpion or a stone. Loving father’s provide for the needs of their children. How much more will our Heavenly Father provide for us? Jesus points out that the Father will give us the Holy Spirit.

“The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn’t speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen. 14 The Spirit will bring glory to me by taking my message and telling it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is mine. That is why I have said that the Spirit takes my message and tells it to you.” John 16:13-15 CEV

It is the Holy Spirit who reminds us of God’s word, brings us power for our daily lives and gives us wisdom in all situations. It is the Holy Spirit who indwells us and causes our lives to be fruitful. He is the one who brings the harvest of love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, meekness, faith and patience.

Jesus was emphatic in the instruction he gave to the disciples – ask and keep on asking, search and keep on searching, knock and keep on knocking, when we do we will receive, find and have the doors opened to us.

As parents we desire to be there for our kids – not just when they are little but as they grow. We desire to be a part of their lives and to help in any way possible. We get that from our heavenly Father. We want to be there to help drive away the fear; heal the hurts and celebrate the blessings.

“These children are people with physical bodies. So Jesus himself became like them and had the same experiences they have. Jesus did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death—the devil. 15 Jesus became like these people and died so that he could free them. They were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. 16 Clearly, it is not angels that Jesus helps. He helps the people who are from Abraham. 17 For this reason, Jesus had to be made like us, his brothers and sisters, in every way. He became like people so that he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then he could bring forgiveness for the people’s sins. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted. He is able to help because he himself suffered and was tempted.” Hebrews 2:14-18 ERV

Jesus went through life on this earth so that He could be merciful to us, offering us forgiveness. He knows what we experience. He found strength in the time He spent in prayer with the Father. And the Father sent the Holy Spirit to help Jesus in His times of greatest temptation.

“Now filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan River. And then the Spirit led him into the desert. 2 There the devil tempted Jesus for 40 days. Jesus ate nothing during this time, and when it was finished, he was very hungry…14 Jesus went back to Galilee with the power of the Spirit. Stories about him spread all over the area around Galilee.” Luke 4:1-14 ERV

What are you struggling with today? Ask the Father! Seek Him with all your heart and He will send the Holy Spirit to bring the answers, the aid and comfort that you need.

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A Wagon Full of Broccoli

A story from the Bible that most of you are familiar with is the boy with the lunch of five loaves and two small fish. This morning I’m going to share a personal experience that is very similar.

My story is about a truck bed filled with broccoli.

Years ago, when our children were little Dave had a connection with a vegetable grower. He had acres of all kinds of vegetables and would occasionally tell Dave to stop by a field and “take as much as you want”. This particular day Dave came home with the bed of his mini truck filled with freshly harvested broccoli.

What in the world would we do with all this broccoli?

Since Dave was on his lunch break from work, the first thing I did was steam up a large pot of it, cover it with melted butter and served it up on his plate. He loved it! We were going through a particularly rough time financially. Work had been hard to find and we felt blessed that Dave had the job he did but after we paid the rent and utilities there was very little left for groceries. That made this lunch particularly delicious – God had supplied!

Before he left to go back to work, Dave unloaded the broccoli in the kids little red wagon. It was overflowing and I took the rest into the house, washed it and put it in the near empty refrigerator. And then I sent the kids up and down the block offering broccoli to any and all who wanted some.

As they left, I remembered the story of the little boy’s lunch and how Jesus blessed it and it multiplied.

“Late in the afternoon, the twelve apostles came to Jesus and said, “No one lives in this place. Send the people away. They need to find food and places to sleep in the farms and towns around here.”

13 But Jesus said to the apostles, “You give them something to eat.”

They said, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish. Do you want us to go buy food for all these people?” There are too many! 14 (There were about 5000 men there.)

Jesus said to his followers, “Tell the people to sit in groups of about 50 people.”

15 So the followers did this and everyone sat down. 16 Then Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish. He looked up into the sky and thanked God for the food. Then he broke it into pieces, which he gave to the followers to give to the people. 17 They all ate until they were full. And there was a lot of food left. Twelve baskets were filled with the pieces of food that were not eaten.” Luke 9:12-17 ERV

This is the story I read as part of my morning devotions today and every time I read it, it reminds me of how the Lord provided for us with a wagon of broccoli. As the kids headed off with their wagon I remembered praying, “Lord, I’m sharing this broccoli like the boy shared his lunch. Thank you for providing for my family. Thank you for giving us something to go with the broccoli to make a proper meal”.

When the kids got home they were very excited because the neighbors were all so happy to take some of the treasure from their wagon. We certainly didn’t want to waste anything the Lord had provided. So, the proper thing to do was to share.

I put the kids to down for their naps and went about my afternoon chores. Shortly before Dave was to be home from work there was a knock at the door. It was a friend; he had just come from the meat packing plant where he had picked up a beef they had butchered. He gave me a dozen packages of ground beef. He had cheese, butter and milk too – he was a dairyman and he had brought some of his surplus to share with us.

I was overwhelmed by God’s goodness. We had given broccoli and had received all the makings for a full dinner! Like the little boy who had given his lunch and received back more than he had given up, we received so much more than we had given.

I’ve never forgotten the lessons of trusting and giving that the Lord taught me in those early days of our marriage. God has always been faithful to His word and He has never abandon or deserted us.

“My God will use his glorious riches to give you everything you need. He will do this through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 ERV

I don’t know the needs that you may have today but I know my God can and does bring the supply. Trust Him, give Him what you have – it may be a small lunch or a wagon full of broccoli – and watch what He will do.

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How Clean Is Clean

When we moved into our home almost five years ago I was thrilled to see the dishwasher that came with the house. It was more upscale than other dishwashers I had owned. It even had a “crystal/china” cycle. This was great!

It didn’t take long for me to lose some of the excited anticipation I had felt. You see, the area we live in has very hard water and the dishwasher had not been properly maintained. Periodically, I would have to take it all apart; wash everything off, de-scale the washing arms (their nozzles would get plugged with hard water deposits) and then run vinegar through it before using it again. This was a common place activity.

Frustration would mount and I would decide to wash all the dishes by hand. In fact, I mentioned to Dave once that we just take it out and he build shelves in the space. I could always use more shelves.

Once we added a water softener I didn’t have to do the ritual cleaning quite as often but still it never really cleaned the way I thought it should. It was embarrassing when company would come and I would find dirty silverware, plates or glasses. It was a cleaned and sanitized dirt but it was still dirt.

Isn’t that the way it is with our lives sometimes? We make the attempt to clean things up, we look good on the outside but still there is a coating of grit or grime that can be felt and seen when inspected further. We have our hair combed, our clothes are clean and we smell pretty but when the stress and pressure come, all-to-often what comes out of our mouths reveals the dirt that has been left behind.

“But the Pharisee was surprised when he saw that Jesus did not wash his hands[a first before the meal. 39 The Lord said to him, “The washing you Pharisees do is like cleaning only the outside of a cup or a dish. But what is inside you? You want only to cheat and hurt people. 40 You are foolish! The same one who made what is outside also made what is inside. 41 So pay attention to what is inside. Give to the people who need help. Then you will be fully clean.

42 “But it will be bad for you Pharisees! You give God a tenth of the food you get, even your mint, your rue, and every other little plant in your garden. But you forget to be fair to others and to love God. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things.” Luke 11:38-42 ERV

The Pharisees were big on “looking good” and having the right appearance. They acted religious but had no true relationship with God, the Father. They were more concerned about keeping the Law, which said to do no work on the Sabbath, than they were with the people who had come to worship the Lord. They constantly criticized Jesus for healing people or extending forgiveness to them on the Sabbath days.

They looked good by bringing their tithes to the Temple and would pray publicly where they could be seen but they neglected to live a life inspired by love and compassion.

“But I say to you people who are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28 Ask God to bless the people who ask for bad things to happen to you. Pray for the people who are mean to you. 29 If someone hits you on the side of your face, let them hit the other side too. If someone takes your coat, don’t stop them from taking your shirt too. 30 Give to everyone who asks you for something. When someone takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back. 31 Do for others what you want them to do for you…

35 “I’m telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do this, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God. Yes, because God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful. 36 Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy…

“A good tree does not produce bad fruit. And a bad tree does not produce good fruit. 44 Every tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. You won’t find figs on thorny weeds. And you can’t pick grapes from thornbushes! 45 Good people have good things saved in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil. What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts.” Luke 6:27-48 ERV (emphasis is mine)

What’s saved in our hearts will be the force that guides our lives. The words we say are directly related to the way we have allowed the Lord to change our hearts. When we come face to face with the love and forgiveness the Lord has shown us it will do a life-changing work in our hearts and we will take on the loving nature of our Savior. Good fruit will be produced; our cups will be clean.

I no longer struggle with clean dishes. Last week we got a new dishwasher! There’s no more hard water scale built up inside and no grime and dirt hiding on the internal parts. It’s new!

Thank you Lord for showing me that You have given me a new heart and I can love my neighbors and my enemies the way You love me!

Take the love of Jesus to your world today. It may be the only Valentine some of them will receive.

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