Darkness is not a Friend

S - John 12:35-36a, 44-46 (TLJ): "The Jesus said, "The light will be with you for only a short time more. So walk while you have the light. Then the darkness will not catch you.  People who walk in the darkness don't know where they are going.  So put your trust in the light while you still have it. Then you will be children of light." … Then Jesus said loudly, "Everyone who believes in me is really believing in the one who sent me. Everyone who sees me is really seeing the one who sent me. I came into this world as a light. I came so that everyone who believes in me will not stay in darkness."

O - Darkness is not something we can "get out" or "move" on its own.  The only remedy for darkness is to bring light in, not to think we can "get darkness out."  The emphasis must be on the light and bringing it in rather than on the darkness to get it out.  This point of focus or emphasis is huge and polarizes people.  Those focused on getting darkness out are always judging, condemning and demanding.  Those focused on bringing the light in are always hopeful, life giving and able to find their way forward through any darkness or difficulty. Culture and religion focus on darkness; the kingdom and those who are following Jesus focus on the light. Light is a person and he came so that everyone who believes will not stay in darkness.

A - The focus or emphasis for my life, for this day and for every day is to be all about bringing light in rather than getting darkness out.  This is the point for me and for everyone.  Today the forever light and life of the world (Jesus) is completely available and willing to come into my entire existence (good and bad, healthy and sick, living and dying, strong and pathetic, light and dark)  … so that believing, seeing, walking, trusting all will find their fulfillment in him on earth just like they do in heaven. 

P - Lord who is light,

Thank you for this day and for the privileged place I have of direct connection with you and all that you are doing on planet earth.  I praise you for wanting in to all of our/my darkness and for calling everyone to welcome light regardless of standing, circumstance or history.  Lord, I praise you for living hope, irrepressible life, relentless love and a future overflowing with defiant mercy and powerful grace.  I love you back … I praise your greatness and the greatness of your name.

You are the Living God,

Steve

Better than Being Home for the Holidays

S - Hebrews 1:1-3, 2:10-11 (NLT): "Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. But now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he made the universe and everything in it. The Son reflects God's own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command. After he died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven. … And it was only right that God--who made everything and for whom everything was made--should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation. So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters."

O - Jesus makes us (any who will let him) holy.  We do not and cannot make ourselves holy.  We cannot sustain this holiness by our own "good deeds".  We can only come near and stay near so that Jesus will make, keep and perfect in us the holiness which is the strong family likeness all the children of God share.  Holy is not a list of things to not do.  It is not a goal for which we aim.  It is a state of being we can only receive from the One who alone is Holy. It provokes and inspires activities which are not like us and not like our world (cf. Matthew 5:43-48; 6:1-18).  Even these activities do not make us holy; they are the effects of being made holy by Jesus.  We can grow and deepen in this holiness because like everything in the Kingdom it is a living and dynamic reality. We cannot produce, replicate or sustain it on our own.  It is not from us and not from this world.  It is freely given, always available and life changing for those who will.

A - The voice of Jesus is always calling me/us near.  Regardless of the content of his message the desired result is always the same.  Come to me, follow me, be near me and I will make you … The making of us is not a making us mind or making us stop or making us do something we don't want to do.  It is a creating, an empowering, a partnership of being made into all that he died, dreamt and lives for us to be.  It exceeds our expectations and hopes for ourselves.  It is humble because he won't do so without our cooperation and because we must humble ourselves under his mighty and loving hand to receive. Out of this world and immensely practical in this world those who are being made holy live vibrant, confident and strangely refreshing lives.   My/our assignment each day, each circumstance and even moment by moment is come near so I/we can be made holy unto shameless and irrepressible life.

P - Holy Lord,
You are so magnificent!  You really have loved us first and most and refuse to change your mind.  Thank you insisting and wanting us to come near and stay.  Thank you for refusing to be ashamed of us and for enabling us to become more than we think or imagine.  Lord, today I will not be able to be holy without your direct touch.  Lord, I come near so that you will make me holy - not like this fallen world or even my fallen self but like you and the strong family likeness of our Father.  Thank you for coming near us (advent) so that we could come near you and stay.
Daily preparing room,
Steve

What's Your Priority-One?

S - 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV): "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (MSG) "Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything." (AMP) "Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]."

O - This is not an exhortation toward denial or pretend.  It is an affirmation of the most important assignment humans have toward each other … love your neighbor as yourself.  This response/capacity has as its source the primary assignment given us toward God … love him with all your heart, soul, strength and mind.  In both cases the result is a multitude of sins being covered (kaluvptw: to hide or veil, to hinder the knowledge of a thing). Jesus said that all Scriptures hang on these two commands and that if we would do them we would live.  Peter says … above all else.  Religion says, only under certain conditions.  Jesus says this is the greatest.  Culture says only fools love this way.  It's not that sins aren't sins. Rather, it is that they become the opportunity to love rather than to condemn.  This is how God demonstrates his love for us, while we were still sinner Christ died for us.  This is the same demonstration we have been called to live out loud day by day with our brothers, sisters and neighbors.

A - Culture/religion wants me to be right; Jesus wants me to be near. Culture/religion is focused on information and the Kingdom is focused on a person.  Culture/religion is all about what is seen (how things look) and the Kingdom is all about what is unseen (how things actually are).  Culture/religion won't discourage all love it just doesn't want it to be "above all else."  It can be on my list just not first on my list. Jesus put love first on the list for all people and this beautifully forgives, disregards, and hinders the knowledge of the sins of others.  I've found that when Jesus addresses my sins he's not looking to publically expose and make of me an example.  Rather, he's looking to forgive completely and make of me an entirely new creation.  He insists I hold every life in the hope of transformation -- even my own.  Okay, Steve, so … above all else love your neighbor as yourself.

P - Lord God who is love,

Thank you for wanting us to receive and give love above all else.  Jesus, thank you for revealing the Father and for continuing to reveal him so that the love he has for you would be in us and that you yourself would be in us.  Lord, I need and want your love, to love you back and to make you glad by loving all others.  Today, with 9 shopping days left 'til Christmas and the press felt in our culture, I want to love.  Today, I welcome you and all you want to do … and the very first on your list is love.  Lord, I do love you back!

Steve

Complete Hope for the Completely Regrettable

S - Luke 23:41-43 (ISV): "We have been condemned justly, because we are getting what we deserve for what we have done, but this man has done nothing wrong. Then he went on to plead, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus told him, I tell you with certainty, today you will be with me in Paradise."

O - A completely regrettable and forgettable life is asking the One who is life to be remembered by him; the guilty is asking for help from the guiltless; the powerless from the powerful and the response is immediate and complete.  Jesus will not offer this tragic human being self-help but help; his granted request will not end in a better person but a completely transformed one.  Much has been made about the place (i.e. Paradise) but the real beauty is found in the company this condemned criminal will gain.  Frankly, from his current locale on a cross anywhere other than hell itself would be a "better place."  Jesus isn't giving the relief of a change in venue but the remedy of a complete transformation.  We should all forget "better" and "better place" and remember that we're remembered … living near him and holding every life, even our own, in the hope of transformation.

A - There are so many times that I just want relief when Jesus is offering me remedy.  Today, the point for me should be/must be all about presence, about who I am with and who is with me rather than about where I am or the circumstances which currently surround me.  I do not want to settle for self-help but the help of transformation.  I am very glad that Jesus doesn't want a "better" me. He already has it in his heart and mind for a completely transformed me.  Today hope is mine because hope is a person and he is with me, for me and won't change his mind.

P - Lord who is near and working everything for a good,

Thank you for today and for wanting us near.  Thank you for more than relief … thank you for remedy here and hereafter.  I'm asking that I would do the work of believing so that all that you've got in mind to me and through me would be unhindered.  Thank you for allowing my choices and my faith to matter.  I'm asking that your life would flow into me and out of me unto the transformation you already have in mind. I am believing unto new wineskins, mulberry trees in the ocean and that which is too wonderful for me.

Thanks for never forgetting,

Steve

Vandalism of the Worst Kind

S - 1 Corinthians 3:17-20 (NIV): “If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple. Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.""

O - The term "destroy" is  fqeivrw: properly to shrivel or wither, that is, to spoil (by any process), to ruin, corrupt (self), defile, destroy. What is the assault on God's temple being warned against?  What is this destructive activity which, according to Scripture, will garner an identical response from the Almighty? Answer: Division (e.g. 1 Corinthians 1:10-13)!  A boasting which separates believers one from another (e.g. 1 Corinthians 3:21-23); a choosing of sides which promotes a disconnect between the brothers (e.g. 1 Corinthians 3:3-4). Disunity is no small matter to the spiritual condition of God's people/temple and is not viewed as a misdemeanor by him. It withers, destroys, defiles and shrivels that which is sacred to God and which he desires, loves and wants all people to participate in.  In the Kingdom of God the temple is not a place, a building, a religious organization or observance … it is comprised of individual living stones (people) each one worth an incalculable amount; each one so desired that Jesus would literally rather die than be without them; and so cherished by him that he refers to the whole of them as his bride.   

A - The world, secular and religious, accepts disunity and division as often  necessary or at least unavoidable in a world with collateral damage. Jesus' response to betrayers wasn't to throw them out or denounce them but to love them and engage them (this was true for Judas, Peter and those who crucified him).  Jesus has called me/us to only one assignment which, according to him, will cause the world to know that the Father sent him and that I am/we are his followers. This will happen, he says, if we (his followers) will love each other, i.e. are without division (John 17:23).  21 centuries later we still don't think this will work and won't do it.  I bring this up , not to accuse others but to embrace getting and keeping the beam out of my own eye.  Today, and every day, my primary assignment remains the same: love God with my all and all others as myself.  Regardless of another's view of me (brother, neighbor or enemy) the assignment for me is the same, love. This will keep me/us from the destruction of that which God as identified as sacred. Love does not divide nor accuse, does not boast, is not rude … it always hopes, always  protects, always perseveres (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7).

P - Lord who is love,

I admit that this primary assignment, which is your primary response to all, is simple and clear but it is not how I was taught nor is it easy to my flawed thinking and living. Nevertheless, you have promised to never leave nor forsake me.  You not only show me the way you are the way and you are love. So, forgive me for all the times I've chosen or boasted thinking I was defending truth or faith while in reality I was shrinking that/those which you hold sacred.  You always start at love, lead with mercy and then face the facts.  I've been trained to start with facts which then appear to require a no mercy response which is then labeled love.  I do choose to repent and welcome the work of your irrepressible life and spirit to enable me to prove it by my deeds. Jesus, I'd like very much to be a reason someone else might believe.

All my love,

Steve

Spiritual Warfare that Actually Works

S - 2 Corinthians 9:15, 10:3-5 (NLT): "Thank God for his Son--a gift too wonderful for words! … We are human, but we don't wage war with human plans and methods. We use God's mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil's strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ."

O - Human plans and methods "for Jesus" often become the strongholds or ideas which keep others from knowing him.  They create divisions, condemnation, comparisons and pride. They inspire us to speak boldly (arrogantly) where the scriptures are silent and to turn a blind eye to where they speak plainly.  This tragedy is not only found in such endeavors as the Inquisition or Salem Witch Trials but in denominational distinctions and splits, in political wranglings and causes and in opinions, traditions and convictions which are treated like Scriptural commands.  These do not defeat the Devil, they actually work in league with him and his desire to accuse, condemn and divide. The wonderful gift of Jesus is enough, we don't need to add anything to him or to his words. We need to work with him.  We need to love, trust and obey him and love all others as we have been loved and love ourselves.  The only thing that counts [ejnergevw: to be active, efficient: - do, (be) effectual (fervent), be mighty in, show forth self, work (effectually in).] is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6). Now that's effective warfare.

A - I am wondering if resisting and defeating spiritual forces has less to do with praying (not no praying) and more to do with how I/we engage others.  Jesus disarmed the principalities and powers in open triumph by how he engaged the others who were betraying, denying, deserting, torturing and crucifying him.  Colossians 2:15: "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." His prayers focused on embracing the Father's will above his own. His weapon against all the forces of hell was loving his Father and loving all others no matter what.  While flesh and blood are not my enemies people  may well provide the only effective place for dispensing the "ordnance of heaven" which defeats the unseen spiritual forces of darkness.  Ephesians 6:12: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." What advance would the Lord call me to in this way of thinking, living and warring?  Who am I estranged from or at odds with which requires me to love?  Is there a group or a pocket of people currently isolated from my willingness to love?  Without love I am not even one thing - nothing [oujdeiv~].

P - Lord who is love and who leads us in triumphal procession,

I thank you for all the connections you are helping me/us make with those who love you.  I thank you for your patient and zealous protection over us/me all these years.  I thank you for your provision and generosity in all aspects of life on earth and life forever - Lord you really are awesome.  As I think about my day, my life, my circumstance, my fears and my hopes I am struck with this thought about how your soldiers soldier.  Take these thoughts and these wonderings and lead me to both the conclusions and "missions" which will make you glad and hasten the defeat of those powers who yet live in opposition to you.  Lord, I want to work with you and in that place do the work of believing.  I want to follow no matter where you lead and in that following love all the way I've been loved.  Thank you for calling me/us to yourself.  Thank you for including me/us in the living out of your triumph not merely in the observation of it.  Children are not greater than their parents, students their teachers and servants their lords.  Jesus, show me how to live and work and war with you. 

Opened hearted and committed without reserve,

Steve

The Devil's Weapon of Choice

S - 2 Corinthians 11:3, 13-15 (NIV): "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.  … For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness."

O - Jesus and the Scriptures give us clear warning about the Devil and his malevolent existence.  These verses connected to and compared with the life of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13), the dynamics of the religious leaders of his day (John 7:52) and the history of the religious world also confirm his weapon of choice. It's a shocking recognition the first time it's clearly perceived. Satan's weapon of choice is always the Scriptures … the Scriptures with just a little change in wording or shift in emphasis (cf. Genesis 3:1-6).

A - Jesus gives us/me insight regarding this strange and commonly experienced phenomenon. Rightly handling the Scriptures does not happen by a vigilant desire to be right but by avidly staying near him who is the Gospel.  He (Jesus) cautions me to never forget their purpose or the power of God's person.

John 5:39-40: "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life."

Matthew 22:29: "Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God."

P - God who speaks,

Thank you for your written voice and for your speaking voice.  Thank you for giving us your Living Word, Jesus. He is life, light, truth, hope and he calls me/us to come near and stay.  I choose to, because of grace, to come near and stay near unto the unveiling of the masquerade, the dispersal of shadow and the beauty of love's pure light.  Today, you are vigilant as my shepherd and I get to be avidly near you as your dearly loved sheep. Once again I rejoice that the battle, the warfare, belongs to you. 

Staying near & listening,

Steve

DON'T be Careful What You Ask For!

S - Luke 11:9-13 (TLJ): "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. 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. Do any of you have a son? What would your do if your son asked you for a fish? Would any father give him a snake? Or, if he asked for an egg, would you give him a scorpion? Of course not! 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."

O - Jesus instruction on prayer is very straight forward.  In it he identifies our assignment and his Father's attitude and response toward us and our requests. The context of prayer is not a formalized appeal before a court but a desire voiced to one's Father.  The Father is neither whimsical nor capricious in his response and we are not to be easily discouraged or flighty in our asking. Not only does the Father "know how to give" he wants to give good things to his children (cf. Matthew 7:7-11) and he wants to give the Holy Spirit.  According to Jesus (and he really is the expert), DON'T be careful what you ask for! 

A - Little children are fairly incessant askers.  They are willing to voice both what they need and want in a constant and trusting way.  They do not worry about resources, timing, track-records or degree of difficulty.  They simply ask.  Jesus is asking me to ask; consistently, confidently and even recklessly.  Why? Because not only can God do anything and not only is he willing to give but he loves us deeply, relentlessly and completely.  Today, I can ask anything … and today I will be asking, seeking, knocking because I am loved by God and nothing is too difficult, impossible or too wonderful for him.  I will ask fearlessly because of love.

P - Father of Jesus and Father of me,

Thank you for this day and for your desire to be my/our Father in all aspects of life on earth.  Thank you for loving us, for wanting to demonstrate your love and for giving because you love.  I am seeking, knocking and asking according to your awesome brilliance, limitless power and extreme goodness … and I am welcoming your will on earth like they do in heaven.  Lord, from the dog at my feet to the far flung places you have sent me I am asking for your greatness and goodness to be seen in the land of the living.  I am asking for the Holy Spirit to be upon us and all who are with us, for the resurrection life of Jesus to be flowing into us and out of us.  I am asking for new wineskins, mulberry trees in the ocean and for that which is too wonderful for me.  I am asking recklessly in Jesus' name.

All my love,

Steve

Since We All have a Reputation, How about this One?

S - Esther 10:3 (NIV): "Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews."

O - This is a great description of a leader working for the good of the people and speaking up for their welfare. Since all of us lead in one way and sphere or another it should be able to be said of us all.  A great leader will not only speak for his "own people" but for all people.  The Scripture says (2 Samuel 23:3b-4):"When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise -on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth."

A - God's will on earth is me loving him back and my neighbor as myself.  My neighbor is not limited to ethnic or geographic identifiers.  My neighbor is anyone who's not me.  Since I do have a sphere of influence … how about if I work for the good of all and speak up for the welfare of all people?  Yes, my answer is yes.

P - Lord who helps us,

Today your will not merely includes but is focused on my loving; not only you but my neighbor.  Please help me lead according to your will as you intend.  Working with you will always be paired with loving as you instruct.  Thank you for always starting at love, leading with mercy and then (and only then) facing and dealing with the facts. I accept your assignment for me in the greatest commands and the beauty that all you want is all. My answer is yes.

Unto kingdom come today,

Steve

Bragging Rights

S - Galatians 6:14-16 (NIV): "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God."

O - Jesus does not call us to a reconstituted version of ourselves … he calls us to accept a complete transformation to a new creation.  So complete is this transformation, so new is the being which we become in him, the only way to describe our former condition and this miraculous change is in terms of death and crucifixion.  The new creation is based on, formed in and sustained by the resurrection life and power of Jesus.  This is what "counts" [Galatians 5:6 - ἰσχύω: to have (or exercise) force, to have strength to overcome, to have power as shown by extraordinary deeds, to be robust, to be in sound health]." This is only rule which bestows peace and mercy. All others are weak, limited and lacking power. Crucifixion is not a quick process though it begins in a moment.  It is, however a complete process.  Jesus plus anything extends this process.  Jesus plus nothing brings his irrepressible and vibrant life to bear in the transforming reality which is his life.  Our entire lives are to be subject to and overtaken by this exchange.  John the Baptist got it right … he must increase and I must decrease.

A - I am in this dynamic process based upon the amazing grace, relentless love, defiant mercy and resurrection life of Jesus.  Growing in grace, decreasing in myself, being transformed are all ways of describing this relational exchange.  Jesus is not to be added to anything I already have.  He wants to transform everything into what it never was nor could be on its own.  He's not looking to make me something improved … he's insisting that I be transformed.  Amazing grace makes this amazing choice possible and the Lord of all allows my choice to carry the day.  I choose transformation.  I choose for him to do everything he wants to do.  I choose Jesus plus nothing … this is the only thing that counts.

P - Lord,

Today the only choice that counts is you plus nothing. Jesus, I don't want to add you to anything or receive just "a little bit of heaven" to slightly improve my fallen and warped condition.  I need and want all of you to transform all of me into the child, friend and servant you've dreamt, died and rose from the dead for me to be.  This is the only thing that counts because you are the only one who counts. My answer is yes. Do everything you want and let your life come into and flow out of me.  I choose the rule of Jesus plus nothing. You really are something to brag about!

All my love,

Steve

May is not Maybe

S - Psalm 68:1-2, 5, 19, (NIV): "May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;may his foes flee before him.  As smoke is blown away by the wind, may you blow them away; as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God.  … A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. … Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah"

O - This psalm of David begins with the subjunctive "may".  Why use this grammatical expression of that which will ultimately be unavoidable?  Perhaps it is because while the conclusion is not in question the timing of it is.  Each day comes with the possibility of battle or blessing and we really never know what each day will bring.  What we do know is that God is over it all and is working it all for the good of those who love him back and stay called according to his purpose.  It may not be today that it all tumbles into place and hence the "may".  But there will be a day when it does happen exactly as these verses describe.  This psalm is also very precise in the realities which are declared as continuously in effect regardless of circumstances.  God Almighty, right now, this day and every day:

1.       Is a father to the fatherless (isolated, bereft or rejected).

2.       Defends widows (the helpless and marginalized).

3.       Daily bears our burdens (though they do not affect him directly).

The only appropriate follow-up is Selah - pause, weigh, consider and value this!

A - God will arise and banish the enemy, turn the circumstance, change the situation, alter the events and those within them … when he is ready.  For Jesus, it will be some very tough hours and a three day wait.  In the meantime and all the time … he is near me/us in loving relationship, acting with compassion, protecting and assisting us/me with the burdens each day brings. His character, his word and my history with him all confirm … he is purposeful in everything he causes and in everything he allows.  I don't know when or how but I do know and believe that he will arise.   

P - Almighty and All Merciful God,

Thank you for today and for everything it holds … even that which I don't like, understand and/or seems so bad. I admit that you hold everything and that you love me/us.  I am relying on you and your love.  I am listening for your voice and for your direction.  I am welcoming you and your will the way you want to accomplish it.  I am yielding to your awesome brilliance, limitless power and extreme goodness.  Lord, today while it is called today I love you back and embrace you to be my father, defender and burden bearer.  Thank you for be willing to humbly serve me as I seek to serve and follow you.

Steve

Compassion or Sacrifice?

S - Matthew 12:7-14 (NAS): ""But if you had known what this means, `I DESIRE COMPASSION , AND NOT A SACRIFICE,' you would not have condemned the innocent. "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Departing from there, He went into their synagogue.  And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? "How much more valuable than is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him."

O - Why, in the mind of the religious leaders, was healing considered "work" and lifting a sheep out of a pit "not work" and therefore  acceptable on the Sabbath?  The Scriptures do not forbid either.  As for healing as work, how would they know?  As far as the record shows, healing was not a part of their world or their activities.  Yet, this is the universal conclusion of the First Century's religious leadership. Why, after the healing takes place, would they be inspired to plot the murder of Jesus rather than rejoice in the healing of the man?  Considering such dynamics can help us understand the tragic nature of and oft repeated warning about the yeast of the Pharisees.  Consider the following:

1.       The question they asked was not for clarity but preconceived conclusions and desired condemnation.

2.       Rather than focus on the value of the human being they focused on their definition of a principle of religious culture.

3.       While working a list of what not to do, they completely overlooked the more important what to do.  It is always lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

4.       The Lord's desire is for mercy not sacrifice.  Religion's desire is for sacrifice not mercy. 

A - The religious leaders think they are "in".  Jesus keeps warning them that they are missing it all.  This dynamic is so critical because I think I'm in (as do most folks who lay some claim to Jesus).  Am I using the Scriptures to justify my conclusions or to rectify my life?  Is my life about mercy or sacrifice?  Am I willing to accept the collateral damage of people to protect a principle?  Is my religious life centered on what not to do or on what I am called to do?  Is my primary motive to not do something wrong OR to fully engage that which is right, life-giving and an imitation of Jesus? 

P - Lord over all,

Thank you for this day and for calling me to yourself according to mercy.  I need, want and promise to give the way I've received, the mercy which saves, heals, brings hope, lifts up and sets free.  I praise you for considering us so valuable and for calling us to think and live this way about ourselves and ALL others.  Lord, today let your life come into me and flow out of me.  Lord, let me make you glad and bring you glory.

Steve

Zealous Deception

S - Romans 10:2-4 (NIV): " For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes."

O - True righteousness is not something we strive for; it is something, someone we submit to.  Righteousness is not primarily a code of conduct, it is a person (1 Corinthians 1:30). Zeal without the knowledge of Jesus becomes a trap and bondage in its pursuit of perceived righteousness .  It wants to establish its own standard which will NEVER be sufficient to God or the zealot.  The zealot will never be able to fulfill the demands of such  self-imposed rigor and so begins to compartmentalize its own failings (self-deception) while  pretending with others and judging others according to a measure they are not living up to.  The end is a focus on self and self-deception.  Jesus makes an end to this sad and futile cycle.  He calls all people to himself to receive wisdom, redemption, righteousness and holiness.  With Jesus it is not try harder but come nearer.  Real life is not found in more sacrifice but in ongoing submission. 

A - Being not doing is the priority for sons and daughters.  The doing flows from the being NOT the other way around.  Any zeal I have is to be engaged for the pursuit of ongoing relationship with Jesus (and his Father and the Holy Spirit) and loving my neighbor as myself.  Jesus ends all performance and calls all to the beauty of adoption.  Today I get come near and stay near … unto the wisdom, redemption, righteousness and holiness that is Jesus.

P - Father of Jesus and Father of me,

Thank you for wanting us/me unto adoption.  Thank you for giving us our identity and for growing us up to join you in the work you are already doing.  Lord, please let me work with you.  Lord, please protect me from working for you.  Lord, I submit to you, welcoming you, your will and your way as you wish.  Let today be a day that your life is flowing into me and out of me.  I ask for open doors, open heavens and an open purse.  Let me love you back and my neighbor and brothers as myself.  Thank you, Jesus for becoming for all wisdom, redemption, righteousness and holiness.  Let me/us life up and carry your name today.

Submitted to you,

Steve

Heaven's Work Ethic

S - Daniel 4:29-32 (NIV): "Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?"  The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.""

O - So much for the American-Puritan Work Ethic as the means to great success.  While I can only guess, I'm thinking that being the despot of the known world is a fairly high pressure and high energy gig.  I'm thinking this great historic figure has worked pretty hard to build and maintain Babylon.  Nevertheless, his hard work is NOT the reason for his "successful reign".  It is not the reason he gained and it is not the reason he will maintain it.  There is a higher power and more deeply ingrained principle in the created order.  Jesus confirms that God really does have a will on earth and his will carries the day everyday. The point is not an absence of work but a recognition of purpose.  Jesus' cousin understood this dynamic and offers to us a clear and helpful worldview.  He said(John 3:27): "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven." 

A - Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers is a great book confirming this dynamic in a most engaging way.  Today, I even want to work hard, but the issue is at what?  Will I run off in a flurry of frantic activity aiming for my own success or will I work with the Lord in his brilliant purpose and the success he's designed me for?  The first can get a lot done and inspire heart numbing hell serving pride.  The latter will bring the greatest blessing here and hereafter.  I think I'll believe John and Jesus. 

P - Lord who works,

Thank you for setting the example in all of this.  You work, the Father works, the Spirit works and you've called me/us to work with you in your will on earth like they do in heaven.  Your will affirms NO competition for limited resources and refuses a worldview which accepts and causes collateral damage.  Lord Jesus, I want to work hard and working hard with you … you who are life and in whose kingdom everything lives … vibrant, irrepressible.  My answer is yes!

Steve

When it Comes to Faith What's Your Bottom Line?

S - Acts 1:21-22, 2:21-24,32 (NIV): "Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection."  … And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. … God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact."

O - The bottom line for replacing Judas and the bottom line for the focus of apostolic ministry is the same … the resurrection of Jesus not his crucifixion.  The crucifixion is not minimal but it is not the proof of anything.  What sets Jesus apart is the resurrection.  Paul would affirm this awesome reality and says (1 Corinthians 15:17) "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." What is the bottom line in our faith and focus on/of Jesus?  Resurrection or crucifixion?  Do we view his purpose in coming as establishing amnesty with God OR adoption by him?  Salvation and adoption, according to Scripture, begins with (Romans 10:9) "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

A - The cross is absolutely essential and absolutely not the point. Resurrection is the point because life is the point … eternal, irrepressible, vibrant, now.  Jesus has called me/us to himself today and in this day his resurrection is THE point of witness, of assessment, of confession, of faith, of death defying life.  It is the proof of his person, Lordship, word, relationship to the Father and his relationship to us.  "Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:   He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. [1 Timothy 3:16]"

P - Living God,

I praise you for your defiant mercy, relentless love, awesome brilliance, limitless power and extreme goodness.  I praise for the resurrection of Jesus from dead.  Death could not hold him but it would hold me without his willingness to come and be the friend, savior and life of sinners.  I am overjoyed to be among your adopted children because of Jesus.  I gladly confess that he is Lord and I do believe that you raised him from the dead.  Today, cause your life to come into and out of me that I might be a reason someone else would believe.

I love you back,

Steve

Relationship not Real Estate

S - Matthew 28:1-10 (NIV): "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

O - Why didn't the early disciples try to "recover" the cross?  Why didn’t they try to protect and lay claim to possessing the empty tomb for proof, history and as a place of worship?  Religious folks tried all that hundreds of  years later but the thought apparently never crossed the minds of those who were eye witnesses to all this.  Why?  In fact, this  oversight was true for the generations of believers which followed for quite some time.  I don't think it was a short range view based on some perception of Jesus returning so quickly it wouldn't matter.  A week, a year, a decade, a century and the significance of the cross and the empty tomb doesn't increase … it's incalculable from the very beginning. So why this glaring inactivity or even failure?  The reason lies in the very nature of God's will on earth. His will is for ongoing relationship with the humans he created.  Jesus is the point, the life, the way, the truth.  His significance in NOT found in the cross or the tomb … it is in who he is.  These are symptoms of his love, greatness, life, power, mercy, tenderness, brilliance and goodness.  The reason to leave the cross and tomb unclaimed is because Jesus has claimed all who will come to him … not to his cross or tomb or even words … but to him.  He saves us not the cross, the tomb or the words.  They are his … he does not belong to them; and they are only reflections of his awesome person. 

A - I would like the cross and the empty and even the words to console me when I can't seem to get Jesus to act or move in my desperate moments the way I want him to and think he should.  I think on better days I would just settle for them and go on my way … but they aren't life and can't give me life.   Jesus wants all the world and all of me … not a crowd of admirers but of brothers and sisters … not my religious self but my whole self in ongoing relationship/connection.  I am very grateful for the words, the cross and the empty tomb … but they testify of him and I must come to him for life.  Thank God they didn't capture the cross and possess the empty tomb! I must be on my guard against the yeast of the Pharisees … who used the words of Scripture but changed and refused the meaning.

P - Lord whom death could hold,

Thank you for your love, your will, your purpose and your methods … brilliant, varied and at times heart stopping and even heart crushing.  I am grateful that you want me … even at my worst.  Lord, I am relying on you and your awesome brilliance, limitless power and extreme goodness.  Thank you for letting me belong to you by choice, though I am already yours by right.  Thank for including everyone in your death without asking for their agreement.  Thank you for dignifying us in giving us the choice to join you in your irrepressible life.  Lord, according to grace and because of love, I choose you back!

Steve

Go Climb a Tree!

S - Luke 19:1-10 (NIV): "Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' “But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.""

O - What if Zacchaeus hadn't climbed that sycamore-fig tree?  What if his desire to see Jesus was overcome by his lifelong "shortness"?  What if he had simply accepted the sad circumstance and went back home alone?  What was it that inspired him to not settle for just trying and instead to climb the tree?  Scripture doesn't tell us but I wonder if this great differential can be described by the term desperate as distinguished from willing?  Willing would have carried him to the crowd not to the tree.  Willing would have ended in a nice try and then accompanied him back to business as usual.  Desperate is more than willing.  We normally think of it as reserved for frantic and threatening circumstances beyond our control and capacities.  None of this appears to us in the life of Zacchaeus.  He is rich, successful and healthy.  He's not looking for a miracle for himself or another--he just wants to catch a glimpse of Jesus.  Desperate is defined as overwhelmed with urgency, drastic, reckless or extreme as the only suitable response. What if we lived toward Jesus like Zacchaeus did? What if we were more than willing for this or that but we were desperate for him?  Jesus said (Matthew 7:7-11): ""Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

A - This subject of countless flannel graph stories told in Sunday School room for the last 150+ years is recorded for me/us to see more than an event in the life of Jesus but an event to be welcomed into each day.  What if I live desperate rather than willing?  What if my lifelong liabilities are not used as a definition of my limits but as an inspiration for the desperation (risk, urgency, extreme) Jesus deserves and the joy it will bring to me/us/earth?  Today, I need to desperate enough to climb a tree!  Today I am looking to climb a tree.

P - Lord who loves sinners,

Thank you for wanting us to be near you and to stay near. Lord, help me to engage the love inspired desperation which you deserve and I want to give.  Thank you for being desperate in your love for me/us.  You are extreme, urgent, in your love for us and call to us.  Lord, I yield to you and all you are doing on planet earth.  Please let me know my assignment with you in the work you are doing. I want to live out loud a desperate response to you.

All my all,

Steve