Category: Matthew

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Absolutely True

Each morning when I wake up I say “Lord, speak to me. Father, speak through me.” No, I’m not vain enough to believe that every word I say or write is from the Lord – but that is my goal. The Lord has been dealing with me on absolutes.


You remember High School Math & Science – some things are absolutes.

The same holds true with God’s word and yet we often miss them because of their simplicity. The word “The” often links to an absolute; so for the next few days I want us to look at a few Scriptures that are absolutely true, whether we choose to believe them or not.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

THE way, THE truth, THE life – not a way, a truth or a life.

In coming to Jesus and having Him take us to THE Father we have his promise of being on the right way, having truth and life.

I read something a friend wrote the day about Jesus being THE WAY. It stuck with me. Imagine you are trying to call a friend. You put in the number and when it connects it’s the wrong person.  Embarrassed, you say, “I must have dial the wrong number. Is this xxx-xxxx?” To which the person on the other end says no, this is xxx-xxxy.

You’ve dialed incorrectly. 

There is one way, “the” way, to reach heaven.  It isn’t by our good intentions, living an honorable life, being well versed in world philosophy. No, there is only “the” way.

God’s Word is absolute. Everything else will eventually fail. I choose to stand with the Word as my firm foundation. 

“Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. 25 Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on solid rock.” Matthew 7:24-25 CEV

Focus on THE today.

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Do You Hear It?

One look at this photograph and you know what I’m going to talk about don’t you?

What do a beeping smoke alarm and the early morning hours have in common? Nothing good!!! Why is it that smoke detectors always seem to wait until the wee hours to chirp or in this case beep intermittently? Trying to tell us it’s time to change the battery but it’s unsettling to say the least…

You probably like me, at one point in time or another you have heard that little chirp coming from your smoke detector, warning you that the battery is low. Or worse yet, you have been frying bacon or burnt some toast only to have the whole thing screech its “something’s on fire” warning so loudly that the entire neighborhood can hear.

Isn’t that the way it is with “warning” devices? They interrupt the normal flow – they come with annoying sounds that set us on edge and that is their purpose. A warning has to be something loud or out of the ordinary so that we stop, look and listen!

Those in the Midwest know they have only minutes to react when they hear the tornado warning. The entire continent of Europe lived in fear of hearing the air raid signal. We hear police sirens, fire trucks and ambulances and move off the roadway when we hear their sirens.

Yes, we are programmed to respond when we hear those warnings!

The same is true in spiritual things. God gives warnings. He sent Moses to the pharaoh; Noah preached to the world during his time; Daniel’s dream told of the fall of the Medo-Persian empire; Jesus came preaching salvation, His second coming and the certainty of the last days.

“Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in private and asked, “When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?”

4 Jesus answered:

Don’t let anyone fool you. 5 Many will come and claim to be me. They will say that they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.

6 You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don’t be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn’t the end. 7 Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. 8 But this is just the beginning of troubles.

9 You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations. 10 Many will give up and will betray and hate each other. 11 Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. 12 Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others. 13 But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved. 14 When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.” Matthew 24:3-14 ERV

“The Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe. They will obey spirits that tell lies. And they will follow the teachings of demons. 2 Those teachings come through people who tell lies and trick others. These evil people cannot see what is right and what is wrong. It is like their conscience has been destroyed with a hot iron.” I Timothy 4:1-2 ERV

Things like this are happening all around the world and even in our own country and states. It can be alarming. However, we have no need to fear or be in distress.

“Then people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to happen, stand up tall and don’t be afraid. Know that it is almost time for God to free you!” Luke 21:27-28 ERV

Don’t be afraid. But also don’t become hard hearted. Some want to withdraw and hide almost paralyzed with fear while others take the attitude that it’s no big deal.

Here’s the good news. The warning signs are given so we won’t loose hope, so we won’t give up.  Life should continue on in a normal way; going to work, doing family things, getting married, raising kids. However, we need to be looking for the day that the Lord will return. Living with an expectancy, knowing that our salvation is secure in Christ and doing those things that honor Him.

The Lord is loving and patient. He wants everyone to have the opportunity to respond to His message of salvation and new life in Christ.

“The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives.” II Peter 3:9 CEB

It’s time to look up, the day of HIs coming is soon!

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Jumping to Conclusions

Have you ever done that? Come to a conclusion without knowing the facts? Me neither!

I wish I could say that were true but it’s not. Too many times I have looked at a situation and drawn a wrong conclusion. And then I repent.

The Bible is filled with stories of people who drew the wrong conclusion. Young Joseph was a servant in Potiphar’s house. Potiphar’s wife wanted to make Joseph her newest conquest. I guess we would call her a Mrs. Robinson. When Joseph refused her advances, she framed him and he was thrown in prison.

“Joseph’s master listened to what his wife said, and he became very angry. 20 So Potiphar put Joseph into the prison where the king’s enemies were held, and that is where Joseph remained. 21 The Lord was with Joseph and continued to show his kindness to him, so the commander of the prison guards began to like Joseph.”             Genesis 39:19-21 ERV

But notice, even when he was judged wrongly the Lord continued to bless Joseph with His kindness.

A young David was also the object of wrong conclusions. His brothers thought he was being a braggadocious teenager when he said he would go out and face Goliath.

“ David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him talking with the soldiers. Eliab was angry at him and said, “What are you doing here, anyway? Who’s taking care of that little flock of sheep out in the desert? You spoiled brat! You came here just to watch the fighting, didn’t you?”      I Samuel 17:28 CEV

We all know how that turned out. The Lord used David to kill Goliath and defeat the Philistine army. Even Samuel the priest, a man of God, jumped to the wrong conclusion when he first met David.

The Lord had sent him to David’s father’s house to anoint a new king. Samuel looked over all of David’s older brothers thinking that one of them was God’s chosen. Jesse, David’s father, also came to the wrong conclusion. He didn’t even invite David to the dinner. But the Lord corrected Samuel.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Eliab is tall and handsome, but don’t judge by things like that. God doesn’t look at what people see. People judge by what is on the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart. Eliab is not the right man.” I Samuel 16:7 ERV

There will be times when people jump to the wrong conclusion and make assumptions about who we are or how they think we should act. Our lives won’t be any different than those of Joseph and David.

It is incumbent upon us to follow the leading that the Lord has put in our hearts. Jesus gave this message to his followers early in His ministry.

“Great blessings belong to those who suffer persecution for doing what is right.

    God’s kingdom belongs to them.

11 “People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do that, know that great blessings belong to you. 12 Be happy about it. Be very glad because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did these same bad things to the prophets who lived before you.” Matthew 5:10-12 ERV

It’s so hard not to try and explain our actions or motives when we are misjudged much less to be happy about it. Our ultimate goal needs to be one of pleasing God and not man.

“We didn’t have any hidden motives when we won you over, and we didn’t try to fool or trick anyone. 4 God was pleased to trust us with his message. We didn’t speak to please people, but to please God who knows our motives.”  I Thessalonians 2:3-4 CEV

I go to the Psalms time and again because I find so much instruction and comfort there, especially when I am misunderstood. King David’s life was filled with people who maligned him.  Remember just a few weeks back when we talked about David and his relationship with the Lord. God said that David was a man whose heart was toward God.

That may be the reason we see these words repeated over and over in David’s writings.

“Some people trust the power of chariots or horses,
    but we trust you, Lord God.
8 Others will stumble and fall, but we will be strong
    and stand firm.” Psalm 20:6-8 CEV

One closing thought – as much as we hate to have people jump to the wrong conclusions about us, we must be on guard that we don’t fall into the same trap where others are concerned.

Father, my prayer is this. Let my words and my thoughts bring honor and glory to You. I trust You to give me the strength to stand on Your word even when no one seems to understand. Thank you for being trustworthy. Amen!

 

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A Father’s Day

Folks are thinking about Father’s Day. For over a  decade  I haven’t had my Dad to call but there are so many memories I hold dear in my heart.

And it makes my heart swell when I hear my kids and my husband say I wish Grandpa was here so he could do this or that. That honors his name and it brings a tear to my eye.

“Grandchildren are the pride and joy of old age, and children take great pride in their parents.” Proverbs 17:6 ERV

It also fills me with joy when our kids, adults now, want to spend time with us doing the things  they know really mean something and bring us joy. Just being with our kids is a joy-filled moment. I love when they call and want to talk to Dad, “I need to ask his advice or have him help me with something.”

“Good people live right, and God blesses the children who follow their example.” Proverbs 20:7 CEV

I think it’s every loving father’s desire to see his children grow up to act and look like him.

He teaches them things when they are young and spends time with them as they grow and develop. It’s great when his kids like the things he likes and mirror him in their life decisions. No, he doesn’t want puppets – he wants kids that make good quality decisions and that mature into respectable young people and adults.

You know, our heavenly Father wants the same. So many times we read in the Bible that we are to follow our Father’s example and be like him. This is what Jesus was saying at the Sermon on the Mount.

“You have heard people say, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.” 44 But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. 45 Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. 46 If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that? Even tax collectors love their friends. 47 If you greet only your friends, what’s so great about that? Don’t even unbelievers do that? 48 But you must always act like your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:43-48 CEV

God, the Father, brings good to all – rain and sunshine. He has offered freely to all new life and desires relationship with everyone.

Let’s model His character today and reach out to all, even those who aren’t as nice to us as we would like. In doing so we are letting the love of the Father shine through us.

“Do as God would do. Much-loved children want to do as their fathers do. 2 Live with love as Christ loved you. He gave Himself for us, a gift on the altar to God which was as a sweet smell to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 NLV

Make today and every day Father’s Day by honoring our heavenly Father.

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Worth Breaking the Budget

Have you ever taken time to evaluate your spending habits? We have lived on a budget all our married life.

Everything has a category and an amount and to the best of my ability I try to make it all line up each month. Need to be good stewards right?

This morning I was thinking about spending; spending for groceries, vehicles, clothing, furniture, entertainment, health and extravagances. The way we assign value differs from category to category. I want to get a “good deal” on my groceries so I clip some coupons and shop the ads.

We shop for the best buy when it comes to our furniture and vehicles and are always looking for a super sale. Then there are those things that we willing go into our savings to purchase; a child’s wedding or college education, medical expenses for a loved one. These require sacrifice but a sacrifice of love.

As I was reading in I Corinthians  I saw Paul repeat a phrase that he had used earlier in the book. And we all know that when the Bible repeats something we should be paying attention.

” God paid a high price for you,” I Corinthians 7:23 ERV

I want us to stop and think about our value this morning. Do we understand how priceless we are to the Father?

We’re not like a bunch of grapes or a bag of tomatoes that can be bought cheaply for $.99 per pound. We’re not like the new dress or new car that He waited for the big sale to purchase. We are invaluable to Him.

“God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure. He hid it again and was so happy that he went and sold everything he owned and bought the field. 45 “Also, God’s kingdom is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 One day he found a very fine pearl. He went and sold everything he had to buy it.” Matthew 13:44-26 ERV

The earth is the world, God the Father is the man, we are the treasure or the pearl and Jesus is the price that was paid!

What is it that would cause us to sell all we have – our home, our jewelry, our cars, our boat, our horses, our RV, cash in the CD’s and empty the savings account? What would be valuable enough to have us sell all to buy one treasure?

We are that treasure! God gave His only begotten Son to purchase us!

No words can convey what I am feeling in my heart this morning as I realize in a deeper way God’s love for me.

” And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. 19 Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.” Ephesians 3:18-19 ERV

Father, I will take my words from the Psalms: “Your faithful love is better than life, so my lips praise you. 4 By my life, I will praise you. In your name, I lift my hands in prayer”  Psalm 63:3-4 ERV

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Resting?

I once read a poster which said “My life is like a duck. Calm on the surface but paddling like crazy where no one can see.”

Have you ever felt like that?  I’ve thought more than once, I’d rest if I didn’t have so much to do!

A few days ago we learned how to stand in battle, fight victoriously, and then praise God for the victory. Now it’s time to enter into the rest!

Jesus told his disciples that he would teach them about the Father. Knowing the Father means we are intimately acquainted with His power, love, mercy and grace. Knowing the Word, the basis for our weapons, brings us to a place where we know the Father. Jesus also told the disciples that if they would come to him they would find rest.

“My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.
28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest.” Matthew 11:27-29

The writer of Hebrews tells us to “labor to enter into the rest”. Work at resting? Yes! The work comes from knowing the Father and building our relationship with Him.

We have to fight unbelief and that my friend is work! The Israelites in the wilderness were too busy looking at their circumstances to believe God and so they died in the wilderness and didn’t enter the rest of the Promised Land. We are instructed not to be like them. We are instructed to listen to and obey God’s word. If we do this, we will enter the rest.

“We should do our best to enter that place of rest, so that none of us will disobey and miss going there, as they did. 12 What God has said isn’t only alive and active! It is sharper than any double-edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts. 13 Nothing is hidden from God! He sees through everything, and we will have to tell him the truth.” Hebrews 4:11-13

Do these verses sound familiar? They should. These are the same verses we quote over and again about the power of God’s word – sharper than a two edged sword. Put in there context, they tell us that these words will cause us to rest and receive the wonderful inheritance that God has provided for us.

So today – stop the worry, stop the anxiety, stop paddling.

Come to a place of rest!

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REALLY!?

What is the most annoying thing you’ve experienced?  Don’t mean to start your morning off on the wrong foot but just needed to ask.

So have you made a face like this recently? Maybe not openly but you could feel it on the inside. Possibly you became annoyed with a co-worker, a neighbor, a driver on the freeway, a commentator on television, a politician or maybe someone in your own home.

Well, I have a verse for you.

“Don’t be annoyed by anyone who does wrong, and don’t envy them. 2 They will soon disappear like grass without rain.3 Trust the Lord and live right! The land will be yours, and you will be safe. 4 Do what the Lord wants, and he will give you your heart’s desire. 5 Let the Lord lead you and trust him to help. 6 Then it will be as clear as the noonday sun that you were right.” Psalm 37:1-6 CEV

These were the first words I read this morning. I was stopped in my tracks – Don’t be annoyed by anyone who does wrong. That doesn’t seem possible, and it isn’t in and of itself. But when followed by “Trust the Lord”… all things are possible.

Jesus was surrounded by annoying people everyday. The religious rulers were always trying to trip him up in what He said and discredit Him publicly. His own family members thought that he had lost his mind at one point. Add that to the fact that His own disciples were constantly vying for the “top” positions in the ministry, not recognizing that He truly was God’s Son and then denying Him; He certainly had a right to be annoyed.

But He wasn’t. He dealt with every situation with love and compassion. He didn’t allow himself to be distracted from what God, the Father, had called him to do. Even when He corrected those who spoke wrongly against Him it came from a loving heart.

That’s where the “trust in the Lord” part comes in. We will have opportunities to be annoyed, irritated, frustrated and even angry. However, if we are established on a foundation of trust in the Lord, we can overlook the circumstances instead of being under them.

We’ve all heard that expression haven’t we, under the circumstances? It generally comes when someone wants to justify a less than admirable reaction to a situation.

“I think I held my temper pretty well, under the circumstances.”

Putting “Trust in the Lord” to provide, protect, lead, instruct will keep us victorious and above the circumstances.  Look at what Jesus told His disciples.

“People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do that, know that great blessings belong to you. 12 Be happy about it. Be very glad because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did these same bad things to the prophets who lived before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 ERV

This is so hard to do. I won’t lie to you. We need to be ready to act in love in every situation so that we don’t react the wrong way.

I knew when I read this as my first instruction this morning that I will probably have opportunities to be annoyed today. I took time to thank the Lord that He was giving me advance warning through His word and that He was showing me how to handle the situation, whatever it is, in the right way!

I hope this is helpful to you as well.

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You Are My Friends

I woke up this morning, once again, knowing that Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, my Father, the I AM, wants to be my friend.

For the last week we have been looking at people in the Bible who talked with God.

There were many more people who heard God speak to them in the Old Testament times but I just wanted to give you an overview of some of the circumstances.

When we come to the New Testament we are immediately greeted with God sending an angel to speak with both Mary and Joseph.

“Then the angel told Mary, “Don’t be afraid! God is pleased with you, 31 and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. 33 He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:30-33 CEV

“While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. 21 Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21-22 CEV

Later God told John the Baptist that Jesus would soon begin to minister in public. He was the Messiah that the Jews had been waiting for, for so long.

Jesus spent a great deal of time in prayer, talking to and hearing from his heavenly Father.  When the religious rulers of the day would ask Jesus where he got His teachings and His authority He would answer them like this.

“Jesus went on to say, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, you will know who I am. You will also know that I don’t do anything on my own. I say only what my Father taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me. I always do what pleases him, and he will never leave me.” John 8:28-29 CEV

Jesus came to show the world the love His Father had for them. He wanted them to know that God was desiring a relationship with them.

“ My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.

28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 CEV

Jesus taught  multitudes and He also ministered to hurting people one on one.  He broke the conventional laws of religion. Jewish people were forbidden to do any kind of work on the Sabbath so when Jesus healed the crippled man on that day the Temple rulers were furious.

“ They started making a lot of trouble for Jesus because he did things like this on the Sabbath.

17 But Jesus said, “My Father has never stopped working, and that is why I keep on working.” 18 Now the leaders wanted to kill Jesus for two reasons. First, he had broken the law of the Sabbath. But even worse, he had said that God was his Father, which made him equal with God.

19 Jesus told the people: I tell you for certain that the Son cannot do anything on his own. He can do only what he sees the Father doing, and he does exactly what he sees the Father do. 20 The Father loves the Son and has shown him everything he does. The Father will show him even greater things, and you will be amazed. ” John 5:16-20 CEV

Jesus was walking, living proof that God the Father desired to have relationship with these men. In fact, Jesus commanded his disciples to go out and do the same kind of miracles that they had seen him do.

“Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions:

Stay away from the Gentiles and don’t go to any Samaritan town. 6 Go only to the people of Israel, because they are like a flock of lost sheep. 7 As you go, announce that the kingdom of heaven will soon be here. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy, and force out demons.” Matthew 10:5-8 CEV

Remember how God called Abraham His friend. Jesus called these men His friends. He was seeing the same desire in them that the Father had seen in Abraham. They weren’t perfect, far from it but they had a desire to know and obey God.

“ Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. 13 The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. 14 And you are my friends, if you obey me. 15 Servants don’t know what their master is doing, and so I don’t speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me.

16 You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. 17 So I command you to love each other.” John 15:12-17 CEV

I could go on with one example after another on the teaching that Jesus gave his disciples. In fact, that’s really what the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are. They are the eye witness accounts of God’s will being done on earth through Jesus and the disciples.

But God didn’t want it to die there. He wanted to continue to reach out to all mankind. He wanted everyone to know His voice and to follow Him. That’s why one of Jesus’ final instructions was this:

“ Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! 19  Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” Matthew 28:18-20 CEV

Because of the authority Jesus received from the Father and gave to His followers, we can become His disciples as well. We can hear His voice and follow.

“Jesus said to him, “You (Thomas) believe because you see me. Great blessings belong to the people who believe without seeing me!”

30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs that his followers saw, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you can believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Then, by believing, you can have life through his name.” John 20:29-31 ERV

We are the ones who believe on Jesus without seeing Him. We are blessed and have life, eternal life, because of Jesus.

Amen and Amen!

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Shameless

Some years back Billy Joel wrote a great song that Garth Brooks recorded, Shameless.

When I read the lyrics I make it the prayer of my heart, an expression of love to the Father and believe it or not, I can hear the Father singing those lyrics back to me. His love for me is Shameless.

“ Well I’m shameless When it comes to loving you, I’ll do anything you want me to, I’ll do anything at all…You see in all my life I’ve never found What I couldn’t resist, what I couldn’t turn down. I could walk away from anyone I ever knew, But I can’t walk away from you.    And I’m shameless…”

God is always there; when we succeed and when we fail. He doesn’t abandon or desert us in the rough times! He is always there to hold us close, pick us up when we fall and lift our burdens.  His love for us is Shameless.

When we’re embarrassed or have lost our way the Lord is the “lifter of my head”. Someone who is embarrassed finds themselves looking down, not making eye contact but God takes His loving hand, cups it under our chin and lifts our head.

“3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Psalm 3:3

With head lifted  up, the first thing we do is look into the loving eyes of our Father. He, more than likely, has a smile on His face;  accepting, inviting, understanding and forgiving. He is there to be a shield for us.

“I come to you, Lord, for protection. Don’t let me be ashamed. Do as you have promised and rescue me. 2 Listen to my prayer and hurry to save me. Be my mighty rock  and the fortress where I am safe. 3 You, Lord God, are my mighty rock and my fortress. Lead me and guide me, so that your name will be honored.” Psalm 31:1-3

When we put our hope and trust in the Lord, depending upon Him for His direction and His protection we will have no need to be ashamed. We are secure in His love and it really won’t matter what anyone else says about us or thinks about us. We are the apple of His eye.

“I went to the Lord for help, and he listened. He saved me from all that I fear. 5 If you look to him for help, he will put a smile on your face. You will have no need to be ashamed. 6 As a poor, helpless man I prayed to the Lord, and he heard me. He saved me from all my troubles.” Psalm 34:4-6 ERV

Take a look at the times that Jesus showed “shameless” love to folks in the Bible. The first one that comes to mind is the woman who was caught committing adultery. She was dragged by her accusers through the streets to Jesus. She was shamed publicly.

“The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses brought in a woman who had been caught in bed with a man who wasn’t her husband. They made her stand in the middle of the crowd. 4 Then they said, “Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with a man who isn’t her husband. 5 The Law of Moses teaches that a woman like this should be stoned to death! What do you say?…

Jesus stood up and asked her, “Where is everyone? Isn’t there anyone left to accuse you?” 11 “No sir,” the woman answered. Then Jesus told her, “I am not going to accuse you either. You may go now, but don’t sin anymore.” John 8:3-5, 10-11 CEV

Then there was the time when an  leper encountered Jesus and asked to be healed. This man’s life was void of human touch because the laws of the day prohibited him from having contact with anyone. He was unclean. It was shameful!

“As Jesus came down the mountain, he was followed by large crowds. 2 Suddenly a man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus. He said, “Lord, you have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to.” 3 Jesus put his hand on the man and said, “I want to! Now you are well.” At once the man’s leprosy disappeared.” Matthew 8:1-3 CEV

Jesus was not ashamed to associate with this man, to touch him, to heal him. Jesus was shameless!

Just one more example – there are so many. But this is the story of a man who was a crooked “IRS” agent, a tax collector. He wanted to see Jesus but he was too short to see over the crowd so he climbed a tree to get a better look. He was hated by society. His action of climbing the tree opened him to even greater ridicule. It was shameful.

“Jesus was going through Jericho, 2 where a man named Zacchaeus lived. He was in charge of collecting taxes and was very rich. 3-4 Jesus was heading his way, and Zacchaeus wanted to see what he was like. But Zacchaeus was a short man and could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree. When Jesus got there, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down! I want to stay with you today.” 6 Zacchaeus hurried down and gladly welcomed Jesus.

7 Everyone who saw this started grumbling, “This man Zacchaeus is a sinner! And Jesus is going home to eat with him.”

8 Later that day Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “I will give half of my property to the poor. And I will now pay back four times as much to everyone I have ever cheated.” 9 Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today you and your family have been saved, because you are a true son of Abraham. 10 The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost.” Luke 19:1-10 CEV

The shameful actions of a tax collector were changed that day because of the SHAMELESS love of God’s Son!

Let’s take a close look at our lives. What things have we done that are shameful? What is it that has us looking down? Jesus came to lift our head – to provide forgiveness and restoration.

I’m going to close with one more verse.

“Everything belongs to God, and all things were created by his power. So God did the right thing when he made Jesus perfect by suffering, as Jesus led many of God’s children to be saved and to share in his glory. 11 Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. That is why he isn’t ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.” Hebrews 2:10-11 CEV

God’s love for us is absolutely SHAMELESS!

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Two Sides to the Coin

Do you ever struggle with the size of your faith? The disciples of Jesus struggled with theirs.

I often hear folks say, “I wish I had more faith or I wish my faith was bigger or stronger”. This morning I would like to share a couple of thoughts on faith and unbelief.

Imagine we are holding a coin in our hand right now. One side of the coin is faith and one side is unbelief. The outcome in the situations of our life are directly affected by the side of the coin that we are looking at.

There are many Scriptures when Jesus addressed unbelief in the hearts and minds of those that he was ministering too. In Matthew 13 it says that Jesus couldn’t do any mighty works in his own hometown because of their unbelief. In Mark 9 the man who had a demon possessed son brought him to Jesus for healing. Jesus answered if you can believe all things are possible to him to you. The father responded Lord, I believe – I need you to help me with my unbelief. After Jesus set the boy free his disciples came and ask:

“Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:19-21 NKJV

Jesus didn’t say that it was because of their “little” faith or even lack of faith but because of unbelief. He then goes on to say that if their faith was the size of a mustard seed, nothing would be impossible to them. And as a side note when Jesus said “this kind” goes not out but by prayer and fasting, He was talking about the unbelief.

Faith, simply put, is our belief that God not only can do but will do those things that He has promised. Abraham is our walking example of this. He had a lifetime of evidence to support his unbelief in being able to have a child. Barrenness for both he and Sarah. If they had gone to the fertility clinic, everyone would have laughed at them and sent them home. But thank God, Abraham didn’t listen to all the unbelief (his own or that of others) he was strong in faith.

“Abraham’s faith never became weak, not even when he was nearly a hundred years old. He knew that he was almost dead and that his wife Sarah could not have children. 20 But Abraham never doubted or questioned God’s promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God. 21 Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised.” Romans 4:19-21 CEV

When we give our life to Christ and are born again, we are given faith as a part of our new nature. Romans 12 says that God has given all of us “the” measure of faith and then in Galatians 5, Paul tells us again that faith is a fruit of the Spirit.

We can all agree it takes faith to get saved. “For by grace are you saved through faith”.

Faith, believing that God will do what He says He will do, and grace, God giving us what we don’t deserve and can’t earn on our own. This was the time in our life that our faith in God was the smallest and yet it was enough to create the greatest miracle – salvation.

If we focus on the situation or problem in our lives that is causing us to worry, unbelief with win over faith. But if we go to God’s word, find His answer, feed our faith (Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God) and it will cause our unbelief to shrink.

We must keep looking at Jesus, he is the one who shows us what faith in God can do. He is our example.

“We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:2 ERV

As we look at Him and all that He did our unbelief with decrease and our faith with grow. It’s like putting weights on a scale – we simply decrease the unbelief.

We have God’s word that “mustard seed” faith is more than enough to move mountains. So go move some mountains.

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