Re: Verse reading–Luke 18:9-17 (Day Three)
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled.” Why is this so? Does God do this in order to teach self-exalters a lesson? Yes, but not if by “teach them a lesson” we mean “give them their comeuppance”. The essence of these words is more about how God rules this universe and less about anticipating the fate of the proud. When we look forward to the haughty getting theirs, aren’t we exalting ourselves over them? Let us proceed with great care.
Undiminished
Re: Verse reading – Luke 18:9-17 (day two)
What a blessing it is to watch and help cultivate the formation of my two daughters. One of the things that struck me when I became a father was the absolute devotion my girls show to us. As children, especially my toddler, they know nothing of fear, hate, pain, disappointment. They know trust, love, and joy. When I look into the eyes of my baby, you can clearly see what Jesus was talking about in Luke 18. Her eyes are clear, bright, and undiminished. They carry none of the pain that colors all who try to live apart from His perfect will. Those eyes are to me a reminder of how far my faith still has to grow, but what an excellent reminder.
Prayer and preschoolers
Re: Verse reading – Luke 18:9-17 (day one)
Our scripture this week is about prayer and preschoolers. Luke puts these two stories together. Same lesson. God’s help moves toward humility. Ego= problem. To be a sinner and know it (and be humbled by the failure) is actually a better position than to be a respectable person trapped in pride. The story of the children illustrates the same truth. No one in ancient society had less standing than a child. No disqualification, this native, intuitive humility gave a child special advantage in the eyes of Christ. Maybe coincidence. Maybe not. This weekend our search team will recommend a candidate to become FBC’s Minister to Preschool and Children. Welcome Jimmy Gunn! (and Ashley and Ezekiel) A huge step forward in the “Next Gen” strategy approved last spring. My prayer? As we think seriously about what/how we will teach children, we also think about what they can teach us. If my people will humble themselves. . .
NOT a “means to an end”
Re: Verse reading – Luke 14:25-35 (day seven)
The confusion is deep. Inside me. A twisted motive to love God in pursuit of self. To make Him a “means to an end”. Better family, life, eternity. The end game, however, is still ME. Jesus didn’t think this way. He warned against it. “Which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the COST?” (v 28) Early on the true follower of Christ must have an honest conversation with himself. Is this about God or me? Is God worthy of my love even when His path costs me the things I hoped for? Must I truly hate (comparative word) all other things in order to give him the exclusive love He deserves? “Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” (Philippians 3:7) NOT a means to an end, God is a brand new reason for living!
An Exclusive Love
Re: Verse reading – Luke 14:25-35 (day six)
I did not have to persuade her. She understood. 29 years ago, when I proposed marriage to Holly Holm and she accepted (cue LOUD, HAPPY music!) she agreed that I would be her only love. I agreed the same for her. Since that day, she and I have faithfully hated, denied, rejected and broken the heart of every other suitor for our affections (personal, professional, circumstantial). Essential! Beautiful! Necessary part of the marriage equation. No room for anyone else. Exclusive. I think this what Jesus meant in Luke 18. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes even his own life–he cannot be my disciple.” (v 26) Those who follow Christ into the life of the Spirit must be prepared to reject all other lovers. Nothing and no one can come close to the loyalty we have for Him. He desires/deserves an exclusive love.
Cost of Discipleship
Re: Verse reading–Luke 14:25-35 (Day four)
Thank you for participating in our ‘40 Days of Prayer’. Yesterday concluded our emphasis, but we invite you to continue to pray for the needs before us as a church. We want to be found faithful. As our Re: Verse study resumes, it is appropriate that this week’s passage deals with the cost of following Christ. Does Christ expect us to pray and seek guidance as an individual…as a church? Let me answer for you…YES. Jesus is teaching in some very strong terms of what is required of the believer. If we could sum it up in one word, it is everything! Some preachers these days would have you to believe that all you have to do is ask Christ into your heart and the circumstances of your life will be great and nothing else is required of you. Wrong. To follow Christ costs us everything. Yes, our life is eternally changed, but the circumstances of our life may include persecution and suffering. Whatever the cost, obedience must be absolute.
40 Days of Prayer – Sight
You’re not weary of all that holiday music playing in every store you’ve set foot in for the past six weeks, are you? Didn’t that begin sometime around Halloween? It gets earlier every year. For 2014, it will start right after Arbor Day. Mark my words. At any rate, one of those tired old songs asks this: Do you see what I see? That’s not a bad question. Especially if the Lord asks it of you.
Day 40 – What are you not seeing?
The Lord can teach us the discipline of paying attention—attention to the way suffering works for the good in our lives, attention to our need to ask forgiveness from someone, attention to how we can serve somebody. We will not see if we do not look. Here’s a prayer: What have I missed, Lord?
Re: Verse reading – Luke 14:25-35 (day three)
40 Days of Prayer – New
What is it about cycles that fascinate us? Our need to calculate linear time in a fashion that helps us track, catalogue, and monitor our existence is wired in us. Think about the creation story; six days create, one day rest and then renewal. But perhaps it was John the Revelator that heard first and began to understand this need for renewal.
“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” Rev. 21:5
Day 39 – Will you pray and seek God’s renewal?
The only true sense of newness that any of us ever need is that which comes from the Lord. Goals, ambitions, and dare I say resolutions must all be weighed against what Jesus has for us. Our sense of identity and purpose must be married to the eternal tapestry the Father is weaving. Our desire for a fresh perspective is part of how God designed us. Our job then, is to wed that desire to activities and actions that are Kingdom building.
Re: Verse reading–Luke 14:25-35 (day two)
40 Days of Prayer – FBC Ministers
I got the news this past week. The FBC Preschool/Children’s Minister Search Team is ready for us to meet a candidate! We will have an opportunity to do so on the weekend of January 12. There will be scheduled moments for parents and workers and for the church as a whole. Exciting answer to prayer. Made me remember all the times (over the years) that God has blessed by sending leaders to us.
Day 38 – Will you pray for the Ministers of FBCSA?
They serve so well. Without complaint. Odd hours. Will you thank God for their gifts and their energy? Will you ask Him to fill them with His Spirit and to protect and prosper their families? Will you ask for wisdom and vision? Will you hold them (by name) before God’s throne? If we are glad when new ministers come, we should also be faithful to pray for the ones who are already here. Will you? “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would not be profitable for you. Pray for us.” (Hebrews 13: 17-18)
Re: Verse reading – Luke 14:25-35 (day one)
40 Days of Prayer – New Year
In 2 Samuel 5:19, the Bible says that David “inquired of the Lord” re a military decision. It was his pattern to seek and to follow the Lord’s guidance. Perhaps the best explanation for his unique success. In order to say,”The Lord is my shepherd” one must have a seeking and surrendered heart.
Day 37 – Will you ask the Lord for His guidance re. 2014?
On January 18 leaders and members of FBC will gather for our annual Strategic Planning Saturday. We will ask the Lord to guide us. What new ministries and innovations are we to embrace? What familiar ideas/patterns is He ready for us to retire? What is His path of blessing for us? But what of our individual lives? Don’t we all need to ask the same questions privately? “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10) As the new year approaches, will you hold your life before the Lord in quiet surrender? Take time with this assignment. Be still! A new year begins with a renewed heart and a clear grasp of God’s assignment. “Then Jesus was lead by the Spirit.” (Luke 4:1) Will you ask God to guide you in the same powerful way?
RE Verse reading – Luke 13:10-17 (day seven)