YOU DID FOR ME

Why do you worship Him? Do you really think He needs that?
No. I do.

How many times have I examined the heart of another when it's my own that needs examination? How many times have I assumed that God is trying to work in the life of another when He's been trying to work in my own life? How many times have I withheld something from a brother or sister believing it was not what they needed when it was not for me to determine but only for me to give freely?

If others had waited to help me feeling that, upon examination of my heart, I needed to learn some lesson because of my brokenness, because of my lack of relationship with God, or because it might "enable" me in some way, I know where I would be. And, it wouldn't be here. And, it wouldn't be with Him.

Our purpose here is not to be God. He's got it covered. Our purpose here is to love others as God loves us. He doesn't need it. We do.

*****

Below are some verses to ponder and some questions to answer ...

I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. ~ Psalm 140:12

If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. ~ Deuteronomy 15:7

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. ~ Proverbs 31:8

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. ~ Matthew 5:42

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ~ 1 Timothy 6:18

He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done. ~ Proverbs 19:17

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. ~ Matthew 19:21

He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. ~ Proverbs 14:31

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? ~ 1 John 3:17

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. ~ Matthew 6:24

Which verse stood out the most for you, and why?

Why should we serve those in need?

What is getting in the way of you serving those in need?

How have you served, could you serve, and will you serve those in need?

OMNIPRESENCE

I watched her move the food around on the plate as she sifted through her belongings resting next to her at the table. Expecting her to devour each morsel with ferocity, instead I kept glancing back at her repeatedly over a fairly long time. Her shirt was worn and thin. With dirty hands and nervous looks, she finally made her way through the meal. I wish I would have said something to her, even sat down next to her for a while. Instead, I filled up her water cup, cleaned up the table space she consumed, and wondered where she was headed.

The look in the eyes of someone who has survived an attempt on their own life is unmistakable. It's so empty, so hopeless, so blank, so desolate. Not too far removed is the look in the eyes of the visitor. Wondering why it's happened and desperately seeking some answers, blame settles in for an uncomfortable stay. What does one say when you enter the room? Do you allow silence to dominate the conversation, or do you talk through the thick mask of embarrassment and pain? Slowly but surely, an embrace finally happens, and through tears, hope forms once again.

Lives are taken. When least expected, and often in very tragic ways, death arrives and leaves a mark. Children aren't supposed to be pulled from us, especially before they're born. The congratulatory remarks become piercing barbs as preparing for birth becomes the awkward explanations around loss. Loved ones aren't meant to die in the crumpled remains of an accident, left to pass on alone in darkness. Vulnerability chosen is admired, but our greatest strength comes not from ourselves.

He has been with me through the confusing times, the painful times, the times of loss, and the times of gain. It's easy to remember His presence when we are swimming in joy - as easy as it is to forget His presence when we are drowning in sadness. He is with me every day in every way, just as He's with you as well. Open your heart, your soul, your arms, your life ... and breathe in the love of Christ.

FORTY DAYS

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
~ Luke 4:1-2

Forty is a fairly significant number in The Bible. Actually, forty is a fairly significant number in life. I recently turned forty and it's fairly significant to me, anyway.

Alece Ronzino promotes the idea of having one word to focus on during a year. It's inspiring, encouraging, challenging.

As I navigate my way through life, I'm continually seeking God's will in transforming me. Less me and more Him is the goal. More Him leads to more others and less me, and that's what I'm striving for. I know, though, it's not good enough to just sit back and wait without making any effort to listen and respond to His will. So, I set my sights on a yearly goal, knowing that I need to make concentrated efforts day to day.

Forty days. It's manageable and it's meaningful, and it's what I've chosen to focus on as I yield to God. There are very specific things getting in the way of my relationship with Him and others. With His strength, I am overcoming those things one step at a time. What's getting in the way of your relationship with Him and others? Are you willing to commit to forty days? And then, another forty days? And then?

With Him, you can do it, I can do it, we can do it.

OWNING JESUS

I shift in my chair uncomfortably as I wrestle with what's being shared. "Read The Bible literally," I am instructed. "Don't try to put things into context as it distorts His Word," I am told. "Either everything happened exactly as presented, or potentially none of it is true," I am reminded. And, yet, we listen as items are contextualized. So, I'm confused. Are we supposed to put things into context ... or not ... or both ... or neither ... or whatever happens to be convenient?

I roll my eyes and voice my displeasure as The Good News of Jesus Christ is ignored by those who claim to hold Him as Lord and Savior. The hypocrisy overwhelms me and stirs cynical thoughts, and comments, and actions. Back and forth we go, pulling Him back and forth, back and forth, determined to make clear that His message and actions clearly support our beliefs, not theirs.

It's silly. It's worse than that, but the word "silly" feels better, safer. How much time I waste, we waste, attempting to own Jesus. The lack of humility is astounding. With a wry smile, I'm saddened and encouraged as I turn to Him and give thanks: For loving me and you so much that disagreeing about words and fighting over possession ultimately leads us only to Him.

I got my Jesus. How about you?

DENYING GRACE

We're so sure of ourselves that we can't be convinced.
We're so broken that we can't be fixed.

We want to be saved, but on our own terms.
We want others to be saved, but only if we get to decide.

Love others, conditionally.
Give to others, conditionally.

Hold up the gospel as perfection, but limit the possibilities.
Spread truth, but keep it within the boundaries of what makes sense to us.

So unbelievable.
Unbelievably so.

When we talk about the amazing gift of God's grace, and then attempt to shape the message of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, according to our limitations as fallen people, we look like the idiots that we are. It's pathetic, and we can do better. Enough is enough with using Him as an excuse to deny others. Not a single one of us deserve a single thing, and that's what's so amazing about grace. Stop trying to define Him with words that only apply to us. He's bigger than that. He's bigger than me. He's bigger than you. He never put a single limit on loving and helping others. Not a single one. We did that. We do that. Knock it off.

Denying grace is deliciously futile.

EXITING WILDERNESS

"He is a voice, shouting in the wilderness."
~ Matthew 3:3

We get lost as to the purpose of reading The Bible, worshiping The Lord, and praying to God. We get lost because we frame it in such a way as to determine the worth through our own eyes. We get lost because, after all, we are lost.

Reading The Bible is meant to challenge us. We can take a passive interest in the words He shares with us, and the messages He attempts to convey to us. We can become flip about what's there since we're consistently challenged by the world about its contents. We know, of course, by way of the number of authors across the span of geography over the duration of time through historical and scientific analysis, it has withstood all the tests like nothing else has. We can become confused or bored about what's there since its complexity exists because of its simplicity. We know, of course, by way of years of study, that we have been given a living and lasting gift, complete in its message. So, there it waits for us to be filled with its truth. Challenging us.

Worshiping The Lord is meant to position us. So often we get caught up in this argument about how worshiping Him is not necessary to Him. He doesn't need us to worship Him, we think. He needs us to live out His message to us rather than waste time worshiping Him, we think. The fact of the matter is, we don't like to worship Him, because it reminds us of our place. Lavishing another in such a way is beyond our comfort zone. And, this would make some sense, if He was just another person, any person. For that matter, it would make some sense, if we didn't already worship other people, even though no person deserves this. Finally, it would make some sense, if we didn't worship things, even though there are no things that deserve this. We all worship something. The questions are, what do we worship that deserves that kind of attention, and what do we worship that puts us in our place? He is above all people and all things, and if we don't understand this, we don't have a proper understanding of who we are and what we need. It's true, He doesn't need our worship. We do. Positioning us.

Praying to God is meant to change us. We think a lot about what we want and what we think we need, but we don't spend much time thinking about what He wants and what He knows we need. Never has prayer impacted me more than when I've let go of my desires, and simply asked God to reveal to me His will and His purpose for what He has in store for me. Never has prayer been so clearly answered than when I've asked God to alter my selfishness, transform myself instead of others, and remind me of the blessings He has provided. Answered prayers to us translates to getting what we want, when we want, the way we want it. God is always answering our prayers, and we'd know that if we just took the time to listen, instead of just taking the time to ask. Believing that prayer is about manipulating God's emotions in order to receive what we want is not only futile, it's silly. Prayer is about remaining faithful to God, allowing hope in Him to transform us, and giving ourselves a makeover of epic proportions. Changing us.

MEASUREMENT

How does one keep track of death, determine the impact of loss, portray the outcome of tragedy?

My sister died not long ago. A single life snuffed out in perverse circumstances. Her children left to make sense of it. Her family left to wish for a different outcome. Her killer left to hopefully make something of his life. And yet, the loss of one young woman so deeply loved is nothing compared to ...

Columbine - 15 lives lost. Nothing compared to ...
Norway - 77 lives lost. Nothing compared to ...
9/11 - Nearly 3,000 lives lost. Nothing compared to ...
Haiti Earthquake - 46,000 to 316,000 lives lost. Nothing compared to ...
Rwanda Genocide - 500,000 to 1 million lives lost. Nothing compared to ...
The Holocaust - Nearly 6 million Jewish lives lost. Nothing compared to ...
World War I - 15 to 65 million lives lost. Nothing compared to ...
World War II - 40 to 72 million lives lost. Nothing compared to ...

When does it become impossible to keep track of death, determine the impact of loss, portray the outcome of tragedy? The truth is, it never becomes impossible. Not to the single person lost. Not to the circle of people impacted by that loss. Not by the lasting effects of tragedy.

The number of people who died on The Cross to save your life is directly proportionate to the number of people He died on The Cross to save. It's that personal. It's that kind of impact. It's that everlasting. It's that immeasurable.

My prayer is for the lives lost. May each and every one find the way home again.