Where God is Honored

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 then 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.


This story exhibits in stark detail the problem of how religious observance can seem right and good, but be totally cut off from the heart of God. The Pharisees were great at looking good, but they had serious heart problems. They cared more for the minutiae of the law over everything else. In this encounter Jesus healed the man and the Pharisees sought to kill Him! They didn't really care that he was actually healed. They only cared about their interpretation of the rules. They missed the point.


Sometimes we do the same thing. We miss the point by focusing on what matters less. We get caught up in plans and programs and agendas. We fall prey to the wrong attitudes. We miss ministry opportunities. We see people through the lens of failure and not through the lens of potential. We lay down compassion for law. We lay down love for judgment. 


I think the irony of this story is in the Pharisee's approach in asking Jesus, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" Somehow I just don't think a lot of healing was going on when Jesus wasn't around. They had apparently seen Him heal (or they wouldn't have asked the question), but were too blind and jealous to grasp the fullness of the Messiah. So they chose to play petty games and attempt to trap Him. 


Compassion is not all that matters, but it does matter a great deal. Somewhere between legalism and spiritual anarchy there is a place where God is honored. It's a place where misdirected compassion that leads to humanistic narcissism can't exist, and yet it's also a place where the rules become subservient to the heart of God. That's where true ministry takes place. Ministry that changes lives. It's a place where love flourishes and fulfills its purpose. It's a place where we can really seek the best for others because we actually care for them as people. It's a place that reflects the heart of God.

Jesus in the Old Testament

Here's an interesting article by Jonathan Bernis. Enjoy.

Life Changing Words

"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:29-32)

These are life changing words if we could just grab hold of them. What if our mouths were used to build and not destroy? What if we could be encouragers instead of discouragers? How many marriages could be healed? How many broken relationships could be restored? What if we changed our conversation to line up with this admonition?

How would it change your work place? How would it change your conversation at lunch? How would it change your conversation at church? How would it change the words you speak to your children? How about the words you speak in front of them? Would it make you the person who leads the conversation instead of you becoming the follower that allows it to go places you don't like? Could you be the gossip squelcher? 

Since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, how would this effect your faith? You will never listen to anyone else as much as you listen to yourself.

Hallelujah by Brian Doerksen

"Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. "So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31)

Sometimes we read through passages like this a little too quickly. We know God loves us and cares for us ... or at least we think we do ... maybe we do ... or do we really? This is actually an incredibly faith building passage to meditate on. God sees the tiniest details of our lives. There is nothing that he misses. He's never caught by surprise. He sees even when a little bird falls to the ground.

Ephesians 3:20 says that God "is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us." That power is the Holy Spirit inside. God is never far. We may feel like He is sometimes, but He never is. Sometimes people say that God didn't move, I did. I get the thought that's being expressed in that sentiment, but that doesn't give a true picture. That saying still implies some distance. The reality is that it is more a spiritual blindness that sets in. He's right there, but we can't or won't see it. 

Praise the Lord though there's an easy fix for that! We're not trying to move or change God; we just need to makes some changes. That's a good place to be. We can't fix God (not that He's broken) but He can sure help us fix ourselves. How do we fix it? We simply begin to do the things we know to do. Time in the Word, time with Him, worship, and prayer will draw our hearts and open our eyes. Life is mostly not about knowing what to do, but doing what we know to do.

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.(Romans 8:37-39)

The Heart of Ministry

"But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd". (Matthew 9:36)

The compassion Jesus exhibits here is a primary characteristic of God. Jesus came to earth and died and rose again because of the Father's love. In fact 1st John 4:6 tells us that God is love!

The outworking of love ought to be love. As Jesus had compassion so should we. Sometimes, unfortunately, we draw the wrong conclusions. Love is not an acceptance of human narcissism and self involvement. Love is not the setting of humanity on the throne. The outworking of this kind of love ought to be  a heart that wants to love the Lord, even if the struggle to do that is imperfectly carried out. 

The sheep need a shepherd to lead and guide them. Left to their own devices sheep will not last very long. The shepherd cares for the sheep and the sheep follow after him. Jesus said, My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me" (John 10:27). There lies the troublesome part. Jesus calls us to follow Him by faith. We sometimes fall down and get up and press on. But what about those who resolutely refuse to follow?

God won't make them. Universalists try to deal with this issue by proclaiming that it doesn't matter. Unfortunately, from any honest reading of scripture it does. Judgment for the unbeliever is very real. I think it comes back to love. Love ought to produce love, but what happens if it doesn't? God doesn't force anyone into relationship. If you don't want a relationship with Him He want make you. People get offended when believers talk about judgment, which I find interesting. God loves people so much, and yet, we want to wallow in our own narcissism and rejection of Him until it becomes inconvenient for us. Then we want a free pass. 

My theory is this. If the love of God won't change us now it won't change us then. That kind of rebellion and hatred so permeates our being that even if the Lord were to give a free pass to those who rejected Him in this life that it would rear its ugly head again. He already had one rebellion in the heavens. He doesn't need another one.

As for us. That's why love matters. We need to love the lost and have compassion on them. Love motivated Jesus' earthly walk and ministry and ought to be the prime motivation for each of us every day. It will literally change how we live our lives. It will open doors to share the love of Jesus. As always, they won't always follow after Him, but some will. 

There are people out there who will absolutely fall in love with Jesus because of you. Go out with eyes of compassion and let the Lord use you!

Dare to Ask!

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"  (Matthew 7:11)

We serve an awesome God. One of the great blessings we have is relationship with the Lord. Out of that relationship we now receive the benefits of being His children. We can approach Him with boldness and confidence. Hebrews 4:16 tells us "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Sometimes we can get to the place that we think the Lord is tired of our asking, but He never is. We don't want our needs to be all we ever talk to the Lord about, but we need not hesitate to approach Him either.  

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matthew 7:7)

"Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him." (Mark 11:23)