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Grumbling as an Art-form.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!” ‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

James drops a serious message to the Church about the
“parousia,” the coming of the Lord in vs 7. Folks like to make a big deal about the word “rapture” not being in the Bible, and it’s not, but the word “parousia” is very real. FYI, Paul uses the Greek word, “harpazó” which means to seize or snatch when writing to the young Thessalonica church in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. James admonishes (encouraging truth) to be patient “makrothumós” in our waiting. This Greek word for patient is interesting because its two words combined, “makros,”- long and “thumos,” – anger. Here it is the exercise of delaying our anger in the midst of suffering! But James immediately follows it up with this other very strong emotion – GRUMBLING! James uses this word, “stenazó,” to groan, which is only used once in the New Testament. It’s a pressure being exerted forward (like the forward pressure of childbirth); to feel real pressure from what is coming on. But this kind of pressure, James says, causes us to turn outward on each other. And anyone that’s lived life for more than a minute knows, grumbling seems to feel better when we share it with those we love!

James warns us – DON’T DO IT! Each moment we unleash our stenazó because of overextended thumos, James says, right then Jesus the judge is ringing at our doorbell, causing the whole house to freeze and ask – “did Jesus hear me?” Do you remember the reference John made about Jesus standing at the door knocking? (Rev 3:20). Here Jesus isn’t knocking HE’S LISTENING and judging our unchecked, un-submitted, real, raw anger we spew on the family of God. We do it. God knows it and James calls us on it. We have got to stop taking grumbling to a dark art-form! Be patient, be long-suffering, give it to God because He is safe enough to receive our honest moments of struggle. But we’ve got to quit spreading our manure-mouth around to others. QUIT GRUMBLING towards and with one another.

Prayer

​Dad,
You know how much I wrestle with this! I feel like it is an appropriate release and response to complain out loud for all to hear about what someone has done to me. I feel JUSTIFIED in spouting my nonsense, because I am able to push it out of me and onto someone else that I believe needs to hear it and agree with me! Awful right? I hear James admonishing me in the Holy Spirit. And, I completely agree with him (and You). It’s just that HABITS DIE HARD. And, habits have a way of resurrecting after being put down. Help me Oh Lord, hear my confession and my repentance. Please give me strength to listen and obey before you catch me at the door. Thank you.

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ENGAGE UNTIL I COME

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’” — ‭‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭11‬-‭13‬‬

KJV Says “occupy” until I come.

The Greek word, “pragmateuomai” is where we get the idea of being pragmatic. Where we do business to make gain or what Jesus was spiritually talking about – “bearing much fruit”

This is seen in John 15:2 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. “

You’ll also find this in John 15:7 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

And again in John 15:8 “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” Not if, but when.

The Apostle Paul writes about this work ethic/pragmatism in Colossians 3:23 NIV “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,”

And in 1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

The expectation of every disciple of Jesus is that they engage, occupy, or produce. For one, because God has given us so much, but also because Jesus has specifically given us gifts with an expectation that they will be used to continue to produce fruit until he returns.

As a leader in the community of Jesus, the greatest return, the greatest yield of engagement is that we produce one of the most extraordinary increases – another disciple of Jesus.

Who are your five up, five down? Who is discipling you and who are you discipling?

Every single one of us has to work in an area that I call minutia. It is the necessary, sometimes expedient, even critical. But minutia does not often yield eternal results. Filling or filing a government form maybe 100% necessary, but my DOJ or HR compliance certificate will absolutely not show up in the pile worthy or works when I meet Jesus at the judgement (Bema seat of Christ). Calling and waiting on a contracted plumber to come and snake a drain is not exactly kingdom worthy. But poop happens and we gotta do what we do to clean it up.

What are the eternal things that show up in heaven? People! Investing, discipling, loving, praying and encouraging them – tending to the weak and invisible, the hurting and needy. These are the eternal gifts we bring before Jesus at the final reckoning of our righteous deeds.

Jesus told the parable because the crowds kept hearing about the Kingdom of God and began asking when it would arrive. Luke tells us, Jesus told them the story “to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.”

We have used this verse to form an opinion based on the fact that we should be busy about the Kingdom of God work until Jesus returns, which is fine.

But Jesus was still talking about all of us, as his followers, continuing to produce good fruit and to do so in abundance. Bear good fruit. Produce the BEST fruit – making disciples of Jesus!

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Stop believing Frophets.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God speaks to Jeremiah and tells him nothing but truth. God will not lie – EVER. God tells Jeremiah what will happen. This is in contrast to all the other frophets telling the nation what they want to hear! Jeremiah hears God AND hears his frophet peers; maybe struggling with who to believe.

The frophets were hearing voices and seeing dreams about Israel dodging God’s discipline and coming out prosperous and stronger than ever. God tells Jeremiah they are FAKES and are telling lies in God’s name. Notice God says, “your” prophets and “I have not sent them!”

They are Fake Prophets…Frophets!

God declares the truth, “You will be in Babylon for seventy years…” He also brings hope… “BUT THEN I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭10‬).

This leads to one of the most famous, misapplied promises of God in the book of Jeremiah. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬). Why is it misapplied? Because the verses before and after do not say, “Do whatever you want and I will fix you.” The promise of God has context! The whole truth is that God put Israel in timeout to be lovingly disciplined for disobedience! And the powerfully quoted verse of comfort and hope is hinged on what God tells them in the following verses.

“In those days when you pray, I will listen.
If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” ‭‭(Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭12‬-‭13‬).

WHEN you pray. IF you look for me wholeheartedly. Humility and repentance is key to experiencing God’s mercy, forgiveness and blessings. Why would God want Israel or any of us to continue to whore after other lovers and still expect some kind of entitled promise?

These words IN context are absolutely true and are for us today. Quit listening to the lies of Frophets. We must yield to God’s discipline and turn our hearts towards Him! THEN, God will 💯% show us good plans with a hopefilled future. Because God does have good plans waiting for us, but it means we continually turn from our disordered desires to obey Him.

One of the worst things that can happen to us is discovering we’ve been LIED to. And what’s so humiliating is that we still fall for the lie! We want to believe the lie over the truth because it feels good, giving us a false sense of control; like we have “discovered” some kind of mystical lifehack that no one else knew about. It’s all the deceiver’s scam-sham-shakedown and we take the bait. God does not lie. The father of lies and our own sin makes the lie look so good, so real, that we rationalize it and make the trade – swapping out truth to believe the lie. Let Jesus’ words ring loud and clear to lead and guide our head and heart, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

Prayer

​Dad,
Where would I be without your grace and mercy? What lies would I have continued to believe if you had not rescued me and began transforming my heart? Help me Oh Lord, to believe and trust you above all others. Guard my heart and mind, helping me apply your Word as a shield and weapon to resist the deceiver’s lies and my own desires.

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Trippin over our gift.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭41‬-‭42‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus was super close to Martha, Mary and Lazarus. They were family to him, and their home became a safe, welcoming place to stay and rest. Their home was large enough to host all the disciples as well. It is well known that hospitality was the ultimate expression of love, care and provision in the Jewish culture. The story typifies the struggle between these clashing priorities – serving or sitting with Jesus. The story hits a nerve among those who feel it was unfair to call Martha out for working so hard while her sister seemingly sat around ducking her responsibilities.

We all understand this is Jesus giving the correction! But Jesus has a way of flipping all of our perspectives right-side-up, especially when he challenges our priorities concerning the urgent verses the eternal. We need to let the Holy Spirit sift out preferences so we can see the Kingdom of God.

Jesus says Martha was “perispaó” distracted. Distracted? Martha thought Mary was distracted! What was she distracted about? Luke uses this word Jesus often talked about. She was distracted about “diakonia” the powerful word meaning service. This word was the common Greek word for a waiter, a table servant. The word was constructed from two Greek words meaning “raising dust,” giving us the picture of the sharp attention and speed of a great waiter would look like – moving so fast that dust would fly off their sandals! But this word is also the word for our word – minister! Ministers are supposed to be this picture of ultimate serving. Martha was distracted by ministry, by serving? Ah, yes, our gifting can become so focused, so intense, so singular dimensional that we can’t see, can’t hear anything else happening in the room!

Jesus pointed out Martha’s shadowed side of this beautiful gift of hospitality – she was trippin over her own gift by missing what was more important AND she wanted her sister Mary to join her in her disordered perspective. Martha wanted to pull Mary into her orbit, not Jesus’. Martha wanted Mary to experience what she was experiencing, feel the pressure of her dilemma. Jesus told Martha, she was “merimnaó,” anxious and “thorubeo” disturbed! In Martha’s mind, she WANTED Mary to be anxious and disturbed with her.

If you have ever seen someone excellent in their gift it is amazing. But when you are close enough to someone who excels in their abilities, you’ve also seen how they can be obsessively focused and become situationally blind to everything else. The acuteness of excellence can leave one unable to read the room. And, when this happens, there will be a lot of anger, hurt feelings and unnecessary accusations of others who just don’t “GET IT!” Martha saw Mary as lazy and irresponsible, Jesus saw Mary as dedicated and perceptive!

Jesus corrected Martha because he loved her – but in her “diakonia,” her service, it had brought out her overwhelming intensity, making her anxious, disturbed and critical of her sister. Every single gift can either be shared in a beautiful submission to Jesus OR it can be weaponized with these critical assessments of others! One brings peace and unity, the other brings anger, bitterness and disunity.

Prayer

​Dad,
First of all thank you for loving us enough to correct us in your mercy. I have seen this in my life and have absolutely experienced this in the body of Christ, the Church. And it’s not just our imperfection that causes us to shift or trip over our own gifts and abilities. It’s a tunnel-vision perspective when we are overwhelmed, and start believing it’s more about us and less about you and others. Help us Oh Lord, speak to us Holy Spirit, just as clear as you spoke to Martha. Tell us when we’ve stepped into something that is not helpful, not healthy for us or definitely not others. Help us see when our gift has caused us to produce more fruit of the flesh than fruit of the Spirit.

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God disciplines those he loves.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Others heard my groans, but no one turned to comfort me. When my enemies heard about my troubles, they were happy to see what you had done. Oh, bring the day you promised, when they will suffer as I have suffered. “Look at all their evil deeds, Lord. Punish them, as you have punished me for all my sins. My groans are many, and I am sick at heart.” ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Lamentations, written by Jeremiah, was reflecting his profound grief over the destruction of Jerusalem and the consequences of the people’s sins. In this first chapter, you see the depth of grief and subsequent loneliness in suffering the results of years of disobedience to God. These weren’t “one-off” sins. These were ongoing pursuits of other gods, other loves, other thrills that pull the human soul away from God, away from light to choose to walk in darkness.

When we read about the sins of self-seeking and affairs of the heart with other lovers, we also see the powerful justice and mercy of God in a whole new perspective. We see what we’ve done, where we have failed, and we stare into misery’s mirror wondering who we have become! That’s the lamenting Jeremiah writes about. It’s not just a history lesson for and of the Jewish people, it’s very much relevant for us today.

I have always held this theory that everything we’ve done to reach for the undisciplined desires, the shortcuts and sins, ALWAYS catches up to us. Whether it’s when our head hits the pillow seeking peace or that eventual end-of-life reckoning – the truth of what we’ve done and who we are mercilessly confronts our soul. We do not choose to be born, nor who we are born to, but everyone chooses how to live their own life, be it well or poorly.

We often seek to celebrate our freedoms, but rarely lament our choices. Solomon, the wisest human being to live, captures this concept in Ecclesiastes 7:2, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” How can funerals be better than birthday parties? It’s not a buzz-kill, joy sucking thought. It’s a reality check of reflection! It’s pausing from time to time to evaluate one thing – who am I committed to most… me or my God?

Jeremiah suffered in advance as God began to show him, at a young age, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5), the state of his own people and the human affairs of the world. Even as a spokesperson for God, Jeremiah recognized his own wanderings, his own selfishness and sin.

It is interesting that Jeremiah points out that others, “my enemies,” he calls them, celebrated God’s discipline of his own people. They were seemingly, completely unaware, of their own national and personal sins against the holiness of God. Isn’t that how it goes with our perspective? We easily see the sins of others, obviously blinded to our own. We curse others, mock God and flirt with desires, rationalizing, even justifying our choices while wishing swift judgment on everyone else. This is why Lamentations is a necessary and worthy book to slowly read through. Would we rather God discipline us in love or destroy us in our arrogance?

Prayer

​Dad,
It is kinda wild how we can be so enamored with ourselves, getting carried away with our own intelligence, creativity and an unhealthy hubris of ourselves when the reality is – it ALL comes from you! Yes, in You, I am, we are, a beautiful reflection of your attributes. But outside of you, it seems so silly to think of how great we are on our own. Thank you for your discipline and correction in my life, knowing that it is within your mercy and long-suffering patience that you endure my failures because of Jesus and the price He paid for me! Yeah God for your grace.

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My sleepy routine.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“I reflect at night on who you are, O Lord; therefore, I obey your instructions.” Psalm‬ ‭119‬:‭55‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David’s nighttime routine has become my own sleepy-time moment at night. Time changes, aging, stressful days, racing mind and strange body aches all contributed to me being a little fearful of nite-nite time! This ancient Psalm was the best way to take back my brain while thanking God for what I have, whose I am and who is really in control!

My day ends with GRATITUDE and my sleep begins with THANKFULNESS. I remember Robin telling me our kids were far more willing to talk about things that were bothering them just before they went to sleep when they were younger. The veil between our thoughts and our conscience becomes thinner, revealing fears and worries as well as highlights about our day.

For me, each evening ends with a little review of what’s on my mind, which yields moments of confession. It concludes with thanking God for all he has done in my life. Thanking him for my family, friends and my calling to use the gifts he has given me. Each night specifically doing what David wrote in the Psalms – reflecting on who God is and how I can listen and obey him.

I have often wondered what people do when they have to carry their wrongs, guilt and sin into each evening with no relief from their own failures. No wonder so many struggle with sleep! Of course, our physical and emotional health are huge reasons for lacking a good nights sleep. But it’s as if our soul needs these final moments of release – not to speak to some universal entity, but to the living God and creator of all things!

Prayer

​Dad,
When I review my day, my week, my life, I see your hand of grace and guidance everywhere! Instead of my heart being filled with doubts, it is filled with gratitude. You are so, so good. Thank you for all you have done, and for each night that comes with peaceful rest.

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Celebrate Belonging.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus followers get back together after being sent out to do exactly what Jesus had been doing – heal the sick, kick out demons, and declare the Kingdom of God. In this debrief, the disciples were ecstatic to discover that demons obeyed them… when they used Jesus name. This idea of accessible power through Jesus to deal with spiritual powers that ensnared and terrified humans, seriously impressed them. And, why wouldn’t it! The crazy discovery that all those amazing supernatural moments Jesus displayed power over elements (water to wine), over sickness, over nature (wind & waves), as well as demons would be available to them simply through faith and declaration of Jesus’ true nature of being God. It had them buzzing with excitement. Look what we can do, Jesus. But Jesus doesn’t allow them to focus nor celebrate for long.

Jesus says something so profound, so chilling that we still have a hard time understanding and processing what he said. “Be excited because your names made the list!” Have you ever made a reservation at your favorite restaurant, the kind that needs a reservation to eat there? Oftentimes, I use OpenTable because it’s quick and easy – plus, it reminds me of the time and place, putting it all in my digital calendar. Okay, it makes me feel smart and efficient – neither of which are my best attributes 🤭. When we arrive, they ask you… do you have a reservation? I would feel uneasy in the moment, if I had not followed the social rules of understanding what their posh services offered. I say “yes,” and give them my name. They look over their list, find my name, and look up. Their face lights up with a smile that says – welcome, you belong here. I’ve seen shows or movies that take it even further. If someone’s Father is a regular, a patron of the place, it’s even more bougie! Each server on duty is trained to know who their son or daughter is upon walking in the door. The perks are all setup to welcome them with an automatic reservation at their favorite table.

The point is this; which is better, bossing around a low-life, rebellious demon, heading to Gehenna, who cares nothing for you? Or Jesus greeting you at the gates of heaven with a hug and a huge smile, saying “welcome, we’ve been waiting for you!” Would I swap out my position of belonging to Jesus, belonging in heaven, for a few lousy moments of power over some pathetic creature whose only passion is torturing defenseless human souls? The evil spirits are forced to come under the authority of Jesus. We, as adopted sons and daughters, are given rights, position and even power because we are Gods – we belong to Him. Jesus is right, it is so much better to celebrate that belonging in comparison to making demons scurry back to their defeated master.

Prayer

​Dad,
Belonging to you as a son is far better than bossing demons around! I’ve seen the arrogance that comes with those who become good at casting out demons. It did something to them, when they became comfortable exercising that authority given by you. I would not want to get used to that kind of power. I’ll take the power of belonging over excising demons every time! Thank you for my name being written in Your book. Thank you for knowing who has rescued me, redeemed me and adopted me into the Kingdom.

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Slave to all.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How committed does one have to be to write something like this? In one moment, one episode of loving confrontation, Jesus asked Paul – WHY?

In his arrogance, in his religious fervor, in his laser-focused ideology, Paul was persecuting Jesus! In Paul’s infamous timeout, Jesus blinds him so that he might see! At 30 years old Paul had a midlife crisis of faith, figuring out that he had been on the wrong team. Then at 50, Paul writes this most humbling statement, focusing on who he had become and the most powerful, effective way to share the gospel of Christ – becoming less not more. To place himself under others, not over them.

To the Jews, he came under the Law. To the Gentiles, he came under grace. To those broken and weak, he also became weak. Paul was imprisoned three times, officially, but likely even more that were not noted in scripture. Paul lived the second half of his life totally opposite of the first half.

He concludes with why he would live this way. Paul writes, “I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.” (vs 22-23). Isn’t that how we should be living our life as well? Paul isn’t saying to live like a religious snob to reach those enslaved to legalism. And he doesn’t promote living like a degenerate to reach those with no morality. He finds what we share in common as a human – we are all flawed! It was exactly that posture that allowed him to speak into the lives of the religious, the common, and the Roman rulers.

For us, who still read these words inspired by the Holy Spirit and given to the churches in Corinth, we can learn a major lesson that Jesus himself taught, “But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.” (Matthew 20:26-27). Paul didn’t just learn Jesus’ words… he lived them!

Prayer

​Dad,
The more time I spend in your Word, the more I am convinced that I know far more scriptures than I am willing to put into practice. Like this one, where Paul demonstrated humility to the most image conscious church at that time! Help me, help us O Lord be doers of your Word, not just hearers. Help us live low lives so that your gospel would be powerful in its presentation.

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Negotiating with God

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. I saw him preparing to punish his people with a great fire. The fire had burned up the depths of the sea and was devouring the entire land. Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, please stop or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.” Then the Lord relented from this plan, too. “I will not do that either,” said the Sovereign Lord.” ‭‭Amos‬ ‭7‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I know God loves and listens to me, but I don’t know what it would take to bargain with the Holy, Righteous Creator of all things! The Jewish people had a knack for negotiating and it came from their bargaining ethics that advocate for integrity and fairness in all business interactions. These principles guide individuals to conduct negotiations in a manner that respects both the letter and spirit of the law. They call it “Kiddush Hashem,” the sanctification of the Name. The act of glorifying God’s name through one’s actions. For example, we think of God’s Laws as the big 10 commandments, but for orthodox Jews, there are actually 613 commandments which continued to expand into the New Testament to over 1,500 commands. The deep level of specificity boggles my mind.

My point; Amos sees has no fear, confidently telling God he has a problem with His punishment. And, Amos had already had this discussion with God over the swarm of locust devouring all the crops, saying, we are too small to survive that! Similarly here, except this time it would be devouring FIRE 🔥. Amos said, Lord, we won’t survive that either.

God relented (nacham: To comfort, to repent, to relent). The root word of nacham is to sigh deeply. What is going on here? God knows Israel’s size. God even knows that Amos would plead on the people’s behalf. More critically, God knows Israel will continue to sin. These passages deal with a difficult, but necessary understanding of God’s character. God is fully, completely just, right and true – full stop. But, God is also merciful and long suffering, fully capable, yet compassionate! That seems impossible for us as humans to comprehend let alone emulate. Yet it is 💯 true.

The other part is easier for us to understand – God hears the humble pleas of a prayer of the prophet – “please stop.” And in these moments we see that God not only hears, but responds to this idea of intercession from the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man. God relents, He pauses to recognize the voice of an advocate! We know by reading the rest of the story, that God eventually delivered the full justice as He had promised. But it’s in this delay, we see God waiting for someone to stand in the way of the path of justice to make a case for mercy. How beautiful is that?

These mini-episodes are all throughout the Old Testament pointing forward for a final enactment of justice, where God’s true and righteous punishment is poured out on the one and only advocate that will take all the sins of humanity upon himself as the perfect sacrifice for all who come under his own blood payment for us. The final outpouring of justice is still forthcoming. The only way to access God’s mercy this time will not be a righteous and humble prophet like Amos, or any of the other prophets. The mercy of forgiveness will only be for those who chose to follow the one worthy – full of perfection and fulfillment of justice – that is Jesus. Paul, wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:2, quoting Isaiah, “Today is the day of salvation.” My interpretation…now’s the time to negotiate with God for His mercy. When all things come to an end, it will be too late.

Prayer

​Dad,
My past, present and future were all settled when I said YES to following you all the days of my life. Jesus as my advocate is all I need to find the mercy I needed. And now is the time for me to pray, asking you for mercy for my friends, family and even our nation. We desperately need you in these days of lawlessness.

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Reaching for position and power.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Then his disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest. But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side. Then he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭46‬-‭48‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus’ closest friends, his disciples, his future Apostles had not only seen all the miracles, they had personally experienced supernatural miracles. Yet, something happened that took them back to a familiar battle of disordered desires of comparison. Like some childish playground rules as old as the first two brothers (Cain & Abel)… they asked – who is better? Who is greater? Jesus, who not only possessed all power and authority over all things, but actively displayed this power over demons, sickness, wind, wave and even death itself, had to deal with this head on.

When the disciples started arguing about position and greatness, they mistakenly believed their affiliation and proximity to Jesus to be an entitled promotion to power. But Jesus doesn’t see position or power the way they saw it. In a very Jesus-style moment, he reaches for someone to make the point.

He brings a little child close to him, inviting the child to help him create an object lesson for the grownup adults. Jesus says, “Anyone who welcomes (receives) a little one like this, on my behalf welcomes me.” And further, it makes sense that when you receive a little one, you receive me, thus you receive God himself! Jesus isn’t talking about salvation, he’s talking about our status, our social standing, our positions of authority and power!

When the disciples were arguing about greatness and comparing themselves to each other, Jesus was getting them to reframe the picture. Don’t reach for others of whom you consider to be equal to or better than for comparison. No, reach for innocence, openness, curiosity, wonder and humility. Like a little child!

When the Pharisees reached for position or power they reached for status, strict rules, and even a rock to throw at someone clearly worthless to them. When the disciples started arguing, they reached for position as well! Peter, reaching for power in the garden, grabbed a sword and whacked off a temple guard’s ear. Notice the things Jesus reached for. Having every right to high position and authority, Jesus reached for a little child. Having all power over all things, Jesus reached for a towel to serve, washing his own disciples feet, possibly even his own betrayer, Judas! Jesus did not reach up for position or power, he reached down to serve and love. Ultimately, Jesus reached for the cross that became power over his own death. And rising from the dead, he gave us the power of his resurrection. We will never be more prominent than the moment we anonymously step into serving someone seemingly invisible. We will never be more powerful than the moment we leverage our strength to lift or shield the weak. In the opposite, right side up, Kingdom of God, being least is being the greatest.

Prayer

​Dad,
The power and position dynamics of this world is VERY different than your Kingdom! Comparing ourselves to anything other than you and maybe the innocence of a child will always lead to grief or grudges. Help me to always reach down or over to properly remove any disordered desire of arrogance or pride. I am only what I am because of your grace and mercy.