"Alexander the coppersmith has done me much harm. The Lord will punish him, but be careful of him, for he fought against everything we said."
2 Timothy 4:14
Not everyone mentioned in the Bible is honorable. If I apply my own name and occupation in the above verse, it really sheds a new light on the importance of my beliefs and actions. What legacy am I leaving in my wake?
At church, I learned about Daniel of the Old Testament. Dealt a difficult hand at a young age, he was forced to erase his heritage, nationality, language and even his very name when exiled from his home, yet God saw his strong faith and used him as a light during a dark time.
Father, I'd rather be like Daniel than Alexander. Strengthen me to fight FOR you, never against you. If I can at least influence one person for Christ, then my life has not been in vain. Forgive my inadaquacies as I surrender to your will.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
A Hearse Pulls No U-Hauls
"Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him."
Psalm 49:16
Everything I see will not last, even as I view my own reflection. My spouse, children, pets, belongings...I take nothing with me from here. Then I think about wealthy people who have sprawling homes, many cars and jet planes - they leave it all behind, too. Just as the laws of gravity are absolute, so is this fact: you can't take it with you. What does meet my creator? My soul. This is the safe keeping vessel for my treasures. Like a satchel I can pack for a lengthy stay, this is one thing I can attend to. May I pack it with compassion, mercy, charity, grace and an unconditional love for Jesus who redeemed me.
Psalm 49:16
Everything I see will not last, even as I view my own reflection. My spouse, children, pets, belongings...I take nothing with me from here. Then I think about wealthy people who have sprawling homes, many cars and jet planes - they leave it all behind, too. Just as the laws of gravity are absolute, so is this fact: you can't take it with you. What does meet my creator? My soul. This is the safe keeping vessel for my treasures. Like a satchel I can pack for a lengthy stay, this is one thing I can attend to. May I pack it with compassion, mercy, charity, grace and an unconditional love for Jesus who redeemed me.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
The Luxuries of Royalty
"The city itself was pure, transparent gold like glass! The wall was made of jasper, and was built of twelve layers of foundation stones inlaid with gems...The twelve gates were made of pearls - each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure, transparent gold, like glass."
Revelation 21: 18-21
The foundation of an average home is made of cement block, functional, sturdy, yet unattractive. The foundation of the City of God, however, is built with the likes of these: sapphire, topaz, emerald and amethyst. This tells me that God is generous and unpretentious, as if he is saying, "An emerald basement? That's nothing! You should see your room!" He is the creator of such precious gems; he didn't have to buy them on a payment plan.
Revelation 21:7 says, "He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son." Lord, by the power of your Son's blood, may I have the strength to overcome and be your daughter.
Amen.
Revelation 21: 18-21
The foundation of an average home is made of cement block, functional, sturdy, yet unattractive. The foundation of the City of God, however, is built with the likes of these: sapphire, topaz, emerald and amethyst. This tells me that God is generous and unpretentious, as if he is saying, "An emerald basement? That's nothing! You should see your room!" He is the creator of such precious gems; he didn't have to buy them on a payment plan.
Revelation 21:7 says, "He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son." Lord, by the power of your Son's blood, may I have the strength to overcome and be your daughter.
Amen.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
The Crux of All Mankind
"There they crucified him."
Luke 23:35
Four words that take up a few inches on a page, yet contain the crux of mankind.
"There" - at Jerusalem, the City of David, so rich in history. Nehemiah rebuilt its walls, Daniel was exiled from there, the kings of Judah presided over the Israelites.
"They" - It may have been the Romans who drove the nails into his body, but figuratively, this pronoun includes all humankind, especially me. My sins were part of the burden which crushed him.
"Crucified" - What a gruesome thing! Naked, hung on a tree by nails, slowly suffocating as gravity pulls the body down, hours of excruciating misery. That anyone would invent such an inhumane means of execution makes me wince to be human.
"Him" - The babe in Bethlehem, whom shepherds adored and Mary cradled. The boy of twelve in the temple of his Father. The pillar of cloud and fire who led the Israelites to the Promised Land. The Lamb of Passover. The fourth man in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The Author of Life, who painted the butterfly's wings and fashioned the complex eyes of a housefly. The One who healed diseases, calmed storms, drove away demons, raised the dead and offered hope to down-trodden castaways. The Lover of Souls who prayed for their forgiveness even as he hung on the cross.
"There they crucified him."
Luke 23:35
Four words that take up a few inches on a page, yet contain the crux of mankind.
"There" - at Jerusalem, the City of David, so rich in history. Nehemiah rebuilt its walls, Daniel was exiled from there, the kings of Judah presided over the Israelites.
"They" - It may have been the Romans who drove the nails into his body, but figuratively, this pronoun includes all humankind, especially me. My sins were part of the burden which crushed him.
"Crucified" - What a gruesome thing! Naked, hung on a tree by nails, slowly suffocating as gravity pulls the body down, hours of excruciating misery. That anyone would invent such an inhumane means of execution makes me wince to be human.
"Him" - The babe in Bethlehem, whom shepherds adored and Mary cradled. The boy of twelve in the temple of his Father. The pillar of cloud and fire who led the Israelites to the Promised Land. The Lamb of Passover. The fourth man in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The Author of Life, who painted the butterfly's wings and fashioned the complex eyes of a housefly. The One who healed diseases, calmed storms, drove away demons, raised the dead and offered hope to down-trodden castaways. The Lover of Souls who prayed for their forgiveness even as he hung on the cross.
"There they crucified him."
Sunday, August 12, 2012
A Solemn Task
"Then a man named Joseph, a member of the Jewish Supreme Court, from the city of Arimathea in Judea, went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He was a godly man who had been expecting the Messiah's coming and had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other Jewish leaders. So he took down Jesus' body and wrapped it in a long linen cloth and laid it in a new, unused tomb hewn into the rock."
Luke 23: 50-53
He was a member of the Sanhedrin but did not collaborate in the condemnation of Jesus. The Bible describes Joseph of Arimathea as a good and upright man who was waiting for the kingdom of God. His name goes down in history for his loving kindness shown to Jesus after his death. I wonder how many bitter tears he wept as he worked over the body? Just the act of taking it down from the blood-stained cross would be heart wrenching, but knowing your Jewish Council had brought this about must've caused waves of shame and remorse. As a man who waited for the kingdom of God, perhaps he wondered at God's plan. How could it end this way, with a criminal's death? What was God thinking?
Imagine Joseph's joy on Resurrection Day when he was told, "The stone's been rolled away! The grave clothes are folded to the side; the body you cleansed and wrapped is not there!"
My Father, teach me to have the faith of Joseph; to be looking for your second coming every day, doing your work in the mean time, even if it is in conflict with those around me, so that I may share in your Easter joy.
Luke 23: 50-53
He was a member of the Sanhedrin but did not collaborate in the condemnation of Jesus. The Bible describes Joseph of Arimathea as a good and upright man who was waiting for the kingdom of God. His name goes down in history for his loving kindness shown to Jesus after his death. I wonder how many bitter tears he wept as he worked over the body? Just the act of taking it down from the blood-stained cross would be heart wrenching, but knowing your Jewish Council had brought this about must've caused waves of shame and remorse. As a man who waited for the kingdom of God, perhaps he wondered at God's plan. How could it end this way, with a criminal's death? What was God thinking?
Imagine Joseph's joy on Resurrection Day when he was told, "The stone's been rolled away! The grave clothes are folded to the side; the body you cleansed and wrapped is not there!"
My Father, teach me to have the faith of Joseph; to be looking for your second coming every day, doing your work in the mean time, even if it is in conflict with those around me, so that I may share in your Easter joy.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Pure Faith
"Finally, the other disciple who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. They still did not understand from scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. "
John 20: 8&9
The Empty Tomb! What an impact those three words have on a Christian for it means Christ has conquered Satan.
Mary Magdelene went to the tomb but saw the stone rolled away, the body gone! So, she ran to Peter and John exclaiming, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they have put him!" How scared they all must've been. Their Messiah has been crucified and buried, their sorrow is bottomless, their hope is gone, and now this startling news from Mary. I can picture John and Peter running to the tomb, out of breath from fear and exertion, eyes wild with wonder. Yet, when they peer into the tomb, they see the grave clothes. If someone stole the body, why would they leave the linens and shroud, and why fold them? This is the dawning of John's faith. Although he does not have all the answers, he sees and believes.
May it be likewise with me, Lord. Your grace is sufficient for all my needs.
John 20: 8&9
The Empty Tomb! What an impact those three words have on a Christian for it means Christ has conquered Satan.
Mary Magdelene went to the tomb but saw the stone rolled away, the body gone! So, she ran to Peter and John exclaiming, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they have put him!" How scared they all must've been. Their Messiah has been crucified and buried, their sorrow is bottomless, their hope is gone, and now this startling news from Mary. I can picture John and Peter running to the tomb, out of breath from fear and exertion, eyes wild with wonder. Yet, when they peer into the tomb, they see the grave clothes. If someone stole the body, why would they leave the linens and shroud, and why fold them? This is the dawning of John's faith. Although he does not have all the answers, he sees and believes.
May it be likewise with me, Lord. Your grace is sufficient for all my needs.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Leave Your Headlights On!
"Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light...See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it is dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you."
Luke 11: 33-36
Light requires fuel: electricity, oil, candlewax, coal, wood or batteries. The fuel supply must be maintained to keep the light burning brightly. If I am not plugged into God's energy sources, such as the Bible or prayer, my light wanes. If I am feeling angry, resentful, envious or malicious, it shows in my eyes, affecting my entire being. Jesus implores me to "see to it that the light within you is not darkness."
Jesus, may this little gospel light of mine shine exuberantly for you. Amen.
Luke 11: 33-36
Light requires fuel: electricity, oil, candlewax, coal, wood or batteries. The fuel supply must be maintained to keep the light burning brightly. If I am not plugged into God's energy sources, such as the Bible or prayer, my light wanes. If I am feeling angry, resentful, envious or malicious, it shows in my eyes, affecting my entire being. Jesus implores me to "see to it that the light within you is not darkness."
Jesus, may this little gospel light of mine shine exuberantly for you. Amen.
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