Receiving What is Given

Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 2 Kings 12:2 (New King James Version)

I love this verse! It not only shows God’s redeeming work but also reveals valuable tools for living a godly life. Jehoash came from a line of kings who knew nothing of right living in the sight of ANY one. They lived and reigned in evil ways. Even his grandmother had her own grandchildren killed so that she could reign as queen. But Jehoash was hidden in the house of God from infancy until the age of seven. When he became king, he displayed the wisdom of having a tender and teachable spirit. As a result, the instruction he was given by the priest, Jehoiada, was received and applied to his life.

Jehoash, whose name meant “given by the Lord” was instructed and mentored by Jehoiada, whose name meant, “Jehovah knows.” Truly God had given Jehoash much! His life, his kingship, his instructor, and his heart to do right in the sight of the Lord. What Jehoiada taught him came from the One who knows all. What a combination! Jehoiada was used of God to guide this young king just as an archer would shoot an arrow straight at a target. What he said did not fall on deaf ears, but rather poured into one who was completely receptive. Jehoiada invested much into the life of Jehoash and the result was a godly king.

I want to be like Jehoash….receptive to the direction, teaching, and instruction of the Jehoiadas God brings into my life. He has done it many times and is still doing it. I appreciate each person who has lovingly invested their life into mine. It doesn’t take me long to see when God has crossed my path with one who is sent by Him and I marvel at what comes of the relationship. May I be willing to be a Jehoiada to others as well. What I have been taught by others is meant to be poured into the lives of those God sends to me as learners.

At the same time, I am realizing that my ultimate instructor and mentor is Jesus. Listening to and following His instructions will not only send me in the right direction but it will mold me into the person God created me to be. I want my attention to be on Him and my ears to be open to Him in ways that far surpass how I interact with the best of human instructors. This One who gave His life for me also intercedes for me and has His hands on every aspect of my life. May it be said of me that I did right in the sight of the LORD all my days in which Jesus my High Priest instructed me.

Father, Your instruction comes to me in many different ways and through many different individuals. Keep me tender and teachable to You. Amen.

The Crowd

Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. John 19:25 (New American Standard Bible)

The crowd that witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was quite diverse. There were the soldiers who had violently abused Him and proceeded to drive the nails in His hands and feet. There were the scorners who mocked Him as He hung on the cross. There were the religious leaders who fought against Him during His three year ministry and had Him crucified because of their jealousy and false accusations. There were the onlookers who hailed Him as King one week and then cried out, “Crucify Him” the following week. There were His followers, disciples, and mother. Some spewed out words of hate while others wept tears of sorrow. Some despised Him while others clung to Him. I wonder where I would have stood in that crowd on that day.

I see a lot of differences that are simply the backdrop to incredible similarities. Jesus died on the cross for EVERY person who was there whether they were His enemy or devoted follower. He didn’t look at some with love and others with hatred. He died for them all and desired that all would come to know Him as Savior. Each was born in sin and possessed a sin nature and Jesus shed His blood for the sin that resulted. No one needed less of His blood shed for them. No one, not even His own mother, stood in their own righteousness before God, because no person is without sin except the One who hung on the cross in sinlessness. Each person, no matter their opinion or relationship to Jesus, was in need of a Savior. They were in need of a substitute. And that aspect has not changed to this day.

I have often heard it said that the ground is level at the foot of the cross and I believe that to be true. As we approach the Easter season which culminates with Resurrection Sunday, we either approach it as ones who have put our faith and trust in Christ alone for salvation or ones who need to. But just as He did on the cross, Jesus looks at each of us with love and a desire to be known. He extends the offer of salvation to ALL. And then He offers intimate relationship from that point on.

It took but a few moments for me to receive Him as my Savior but I will spend my life developing that intimate relationship. Last night found me spending two hours reading the book of John straight through and that experience brought many things to light that I felt I was seeing for the first time. May each day be filled with “I know Him a little better now” moments.

Father, the cross made it possible for me to even call You Father. Thank you for helping me to see the truth about salvation and life! Amen.

The Meaning and Result of Following

And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." Mark 1:17 (New American Standard Bible)

I have often missed key phrases within a verse and in doing so I have missed precious promises given by God. Within today’s verse is one command and one promise. Jesus told two brothers to follow Him. That was the command. Then He gave the promise, “I will make you become fishers of men.” If I miss the fact that Jesus is the one making them what He is calling them to do and be, then I will in turn miss the fact that He is making me what He is calling me to do and be as I follow Him. It is the epitome of Isaiah’s words that He is the Potter and I am the clay.

Following involves obedience and trust. It always sandwiches me between God’s command and His promise. It is not a matter of figuring things out for myself, determining my “game plan”, and then mustering up the strength and ability to carry it out. It is a matter of learning to listen to God’s voice throughout my day and doing what He tells me to do. Following Him is not a one time event but rather a moment by moment yielding. And what does that look like?

When someone offends me, my “following” is forgiveness. When I am going about my day at work, my “following” is doing my job faithfully and to the best of my ability. When an opportunity for witnessing opens up, my “following” is to share what I know to be true about God. When things do not go my way, my “following” is acceptance and submission to my Father’s will. When I am aware of sin in my life, my “following” is confession and repentance. No matter what the situation is, God’s Word and God’s Spirit in me will always let me know what the “following” is to be. And it is His grace, not my self effort, that will help me to follow.

As I walk in obedience, He is the one making me whatever He chooses to make me. I don’t have to worry that time will run out before He is finished. I don’t have to help Him out. I just simply need to follow. He created me and called me with a full picture of my life in view. He will use many tools, people, and situations to make me His masterpiece. Today is just one of many days whereby I do the following and He does the making.

Father, I trust You to finish the work You have started in me. Give me the wisdom, discernment, and desire to hear You clearly and follow You whole heartedly. Amen.

Believing What God Says

And such were some of you: but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. I Corinthians 6:11 (21st Century King James Version)

As a believer in Christ, I am sanctified by God. That means I am set apart and pronounced clean! For one who use to walk in shame, regret, and unworthiness that is a thought I treasure. No matter what I might think of myself and no matter what others may think of me, I can rest in the words my Father has spoken over my life. If He says it, it is true! Describing myself with the language of Scripture is imperative.

Too often, even as believers, we have a tendency to look at our actions, sins, mistakes, failures, and shortcomings as ways to define ourselves (and others). We wear labels of disgust when all the while God is wanting us to hear and believe the truth He is pronouncing. God says I am a new creature in Christ. Do I believe it? God says I am precious in His sight. Do I accept that statement? God says I am the apple of His eye. Do I own those words for myself? God says I am forgiven. Do I rejoice in that truth? God says I am chosen by Him. Do I revel in that?

Part of walking by faith is taking the things God says about me and accepting them above my own feelings and thoughts about myself. God wants me to think of myself as He thinks of me. He wants me to see myself as He sees me. For years I could only accept the fact that God knew every disgusting detail of my life….I was an open book to Him. He was fully aware of each sin and shortcoming. That was predominant in my thinking so I felt it was predominant in His thinking. The enemy of my soul found pleasure in my self loathing and self condemnation. As long as I was convinced God was as repulsed with me as I was with myself, I was unable to live in the freedom and knowledge of the truth.

That began to change the day I realized what God’s unconditional love meant. It was that truth that allowed me the freedom to see the positive verses in Scripture as being something I could accept for myself. That feeling of “God merely tolerates me” had to be replaced with “God cherishes me.” It is His words and His voice that are changing me!

Father, I hunger to hear Your words spoken over my life. Today, I open my hands, ears, and heart to everything You say about me. Thank you for each truth You help me to digest. Amen.

Knowing How to Pray

Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, I pray You, let this child's life return to him." The LORD heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived. 1 Kings 17:21-23 (New American Standard Bible)

I am struck by Elijah’s prayer of fourteen words, because of its simplicity and brevity. It wasn’t complicated and full of “formulas”. It was direct and to the point. Elijah was given a lifeless body and saw one need to bring before God….a resurrection. It is the first of two such scenarios found in Scripture and both times God does exactly what is asked of Him.

I have read books on prayer, been to seminars regarding prayer, talked with prayer warriors, listened to profound prayers, and desired a more effective prayer life. But when it was all said and done, I will admit to becoming intimidated by prayer. Why? Because it now seems so complicated and complex. There is a prayer language out there that I am not fully educated in as of yet. I don’t know all the “rules” of binding and loosing. I don’t know every tactic of the enemy to come against. All of a sudden, coming unto Him as a little child seems to require an indepth study that is equivalent to a college education.

So this morning I am asking myself and God some questions. How has something that was so simple in Bible times become so complicated and intimidating today? Why is it I can’t just talk to God, tell Him what I need or what I want Him to do, and see Him do it? Because quite frankly, the more complicated prayer becomes the less I tend to do it. What should be a joy and delight becomes over whelming leaving me with the feeling that my prayers are not good enough for God’s ears or worth His time or mine.

I am asking myself, what would happen if I just decided to do what I see patterned in Scripture time and time again? Just ask! Just talk! Just pray! If my walk with God is suppose to be authentic then can’t I talk to God using my own voice, my own words, and my own requests? His prophets did it that way. Jesus did it that way. Countless men and women of faith have done it that way. Prayer is not meant to be an exclusive club whereby only the knowledgeable are welcome. It is meant to be a time of interaction between God and His children. It is meant to be intimate and personal. It is meant to be full of childlike trust and simplicity. May someday I will have the more grown up version of prayer down pat, but for now I need a fresh start with my Father.

Father, You know the questions that abound in my mind this morning. Teach me how to pray! Amen.

Oh, To Be Like Him

And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. "They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again." Mark 10:32-34 (New American Standard Bible)

Jesus is telling His disciples in very explicit terms what is going to transpire in His life. He leaves no details out. Betrayal, the condemnation of a death sentence, mocking, being spit on, scourging, death, and a subsequent resurrection. If I were telling someone such future difficulties I would want them to enter into my suffering with me. I would want some sympathy and a sense that they would stand by me through it all. But Jesus received none of that and quite frankly He was not looking for it. He knew the hearts of His followers, His enemies, and the whole of mankind. His sharing of His impending death and resurrection was for their sake not His. I marvel that He did not need the very things I so often crave.

My mind is being drawn to the many ways Jesus acted and reacted differently than I do. When He performed miracles He didn’t poise Himself waiting for applause and recognition. When He went against popular opinion, He didn’t fret over the loss of acceptance. When He became the recipient of people’s criticism, rejection, unbelief, and scorn, He didn’t let it bring Him down emotionally. He didn’t begrudge the fact that many followed Him merely for what He could do for them. And why?

Because every bit of His identity, direction, ministry, and life came from Who He was and Who His Father was. Although He experienced grief, heartache, disappointment, pain, and sorrow, He let none of those things change that which He stood for, on and in. He was the epitome of being in this world but not of it.

He invites each of us to learn to do the same. He calls us to identify with Him, depend upon Him, seek Him, follow Him, and place our expectations upon Him. That which I think I need and those who I think I cannot live without must give way to Him. Only then can I begin to see hints of His reflection in and through me. May He increase my ability and desire to receive all that He is offering me.

Father, loosen the grip I have on the world and the world has on me. May I dare to open my hands and my heart to You. Amen.

Admitting the Truth

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Psalm 51:6 (King James Version)

Do you want to know one of the things God wishes for, longs for, craves, and yearns after? It is acknowledgement of the very things we try desperately to hide or bury. David’s backdrop for this verse was the confession of sin. 2 Samuel 11 details the great extent to which David went in order to cover up his sin with Bathsheba. But in the end, the truth was acknowledged because that is a prerequisite for relationship with God.

This morning God is not only bringing that point to mind, but He is also letting me know acknowledgement of truth is a prerequisite for many things. Healing comes when I admit to being sick. Filling comes when I admit to being empty. Freedom comes when I admit to having idols. Restoration comes when I admit my brokenness. Comfort comes when I admit to sorrow. Supply comes when I admit my need. Wisdom comes when I admit I do not know what to do. Friendship comes when I admit my loneliness. Strength comes when I admit my weakness. And the admitting is done to God!

For some reason it has taken me decades to learn growth in my Christian life is a daily process and acknowledging the truth about myself and God is a big part of that process. I use to think weaknesses on my part were a disappointment to God. I imagined Him looking over my life, sighing, and urging me to do better. When all the while He was wanting me to have honest, open communication with Him. He has been waiting for me to tell Him about my struggles, my pain, my wanderings, my thoughts, my feelings, and my searching. It is not unwanted news to Him and it comes as no surprise to Him.

He knows that acknowledging truth to Him forces me to admit it to myself. Also, acknowledging truth to Him acknowledges Him as my Source. Every day becomes an opportunity to see and say how much I need Him. There is no restoration, redemption, reform, or renewal without Him. For those of us who expect perfection from ourselves and cringe at the thought of failure, this is a process we must take one step at a time and look to God for the grace to do so. Getting out in the light what has stayed in the dark for so long is the beginning of change. When I am tempted to view my Christian life as always taking one step forward and two steps backwards, God is not seeing it that way. He wants me to know that honesty with Him is NEVER a step backwards. Seeing that for myself is what He wants for me. May I align myself with His view.

Father, I can finally look at You when I speak the truth. With You there is no need to hide, live with shame, or back away. May I freely admit what You already know about me. Amen.