Confidence and Service

John 13 tells the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.  Many of us have read that passage many times.  I know I have.  One of the verses caught my eye in a way it never has before the other day.  Verses 3 and 4 read “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.”  Something about verse 3 struck me this time.  Jesus knew all things were under his power yet he took on the dirty task of washing feet because he knew who he was, where he had come from, and where he was going.  Now that is confidence.  Yet, it was not a confidence in himself.  His confidence came straight from God, his Father.

I can imagine the disciples as they watched their master.  This man that they looked up to and believed to be God’s son and their Savior got down on his knees to take care of them.  Their feet would have been really dirty and maybe even stinky.  I know how dirty my daughter’s feet get when she wears sandals or goes barefoot.  They don’t tend to stink but they sure are dirty.  The master of the house never would wash feet.  That job was left for the servants.

Jesus showed us how to really care for others.  We put their needs above our position in life, our phobias (dirty feet, ugh!), or our own needs.  Yet Jesus knew how to place limits as well.  Peter did not need a full bath.  He only needed his feet washed.  Jesus set the limits to what was really needed.  Can we serve too much?  Maybe so, but we must never say no because we don’t want to serve.   We must only say no when the service is not really needed.  My daughter might as for ice cream right before sitting down at the supper table.  I am not serving her needs correctly if I give it to her right then.  I am serving her well when I feed her healthy food first. 

Let us follow our Master’s example and serve as we should regardless of who we are and how we feel.  Let us find our confidence in whose we are and where we are going when Jesus comes again.

Snow White

I just read a review of the new Snow White movie.  It is a sad commentary on our world today.  The Disney version of Snow White many years ago had an aura of innocence.  The new version appears to be much more dark and violent.  It is even rated PG-13.  It is certainly not fare for a 5 year old - or a 50 year old for that matter.  There is enough violence in this world without watching this stuff.  I want to escape from the violence every once in a while not watch more of it.  The Apostle Paul tells us to think on lovely things in the letter to the Philippians.  The Bible teaches us that what we think in our heart is how we will act.  If we fill our heart and mind with evil images even in the name of good winning over evil we will live the evil as well.  Sure there are some that will see the good and try to emulate that.  Many others see the evil and follow that instead.  I want to follow the goodness of my Lord.  Won't you join with me and see the lovely things and watch the lovely things instead of the evil that Hollywood is feeding us?  Have a blessed day today.

Jesus and the soldiers

Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.  They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head.  They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him.  "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said.  They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.  After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him.  Then they led him away to crucify him.  Matthew 27:27-31 (NIV)

As I read this the other day there were several things that stood out for me.  In my last post I noted how Jesus showed compassion even in his time of pain toward the servant whose ear was cut off.  First I want to focus on the soldiers in this story.  Most of these had probably heard of Jesus but because they were not of Jewish decent they did not have any emotional or spiritual ties to who he really was.  As far as they were concerned he was just a man who the Jews did not like and who they could make fun of.  They had no real morals as to how to treat people.  They must not have ever heard Jesus tell the story of the good Samaritan and who their neighbor really was.  Their king was Caesar.  Even the chief priests told Pilate that they had no king but Caesar as told in the gospel of John.  How could they be so cruel?  Are we ever that cruel to people?  Do we ever make fun of someone because we don't understand them or because other people don't like them?  Again, how could they be so mean?

At this time I want to focus on Jesus.  We have already noticed Jesus' compassion.  He had told his diciples that His Father could at once put at his disposal more then twelve legions of angels if He called out to Him.  He knew what he had to do.  Jesus loves us very much and wants all of us to come to know him.  I can imagine as he was led into the room and his clothes were changed how sad he must have been.  He knew the hearts of the soldiers.  He knew their understanding of how things were.  As they put the crown of thorns on his head and the robe on his shoulders I picture tears falling down his cheeks not only from the physical pain but because of his love and concern for the soldiers in front of him.  Have you ever been hurt by someone and cried not as much from the physical or emotional pain but because you wish they understood just how much you do love them?  I am sure there are parents who have cried many tears because their child turns away and just does not comprehend the love they have  for them.  Again I want to point out Jesus' self-control.  He could have said "Enough." but he dealt with the pain and humiliation because he knew that his death was the only way we would have hope of being with him forever.  He loves us that much.

I want to return to the soldiers a few days later.  Were any of the soldiers that had mocked Jesus also at the tomb on that glorious Sunday?  Did any of the company of soldiers that mocked Jesus stand at the cross and see the darkened sky and the bodies of the saints rise from the dead remember what they had just done and wonder if they had been wrong?  Did any of them listen to Peter on Pentecost and repent and follow Jesus?  We don't know but I pray that some did.  How could they see the events of the next few days and not be touched?  Did they instead believe the lie that was told and figure they were in the right?  How hard was their heart?

I pray that we can respond to the love of Jesus.  I pray that we will open our heart to his message and the hope that he gave us.  Let's not let the tears that fell mean nothing to us.  Respond to him today and decide that you will do all you can to share his love with those who are hurting and do not understand.  Pray that all who mock Jesus will see the power of what his death and resurrection means for us that their heart will be softened and they will repent and join into Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection by obedience to his will for us to be baptized and follow him as a disciple.  We must make sure we never mock Jesus by the way we live.

Greed, love and compassion

I was reading in Matthew 26 the story of Jesus’ prayer, arrest and trial.  As I read about Judas and his approach to Jesus I could only imagine how greed must have hardened his heart.  He had spent three years following Jesus, watching the miracles, and seeing His love and compassion toward those who were hurting.  Through all that time Judas was focused on money.  The Bible tells us that he used to take from the money bag for himself.  What was he doing with the money?  Did he set it back thinking he would walk away from Jesus someday a rich man?  Did he take it thinking he would he could buy a high place in the new kingdom on earth they all thought Jesus would establish?  Maybe he finally realized that Jesus was not going to be the earthly king so he betrayed Jesus for money to gain favor with the Jewish leaders.  We don’t know why Judas took the money or all of the answers to the questions we could ask.  We do know he was full of greed.  His heart was blind to Jesus’ love and compassion.  He was not able to hear what Jesus taught because his heart was hard and cold.  Are we ever that way?  Are we at times so filled with greed or anger that we cannot hear or see the love shown to us either by Jesus or even someone very close to us?  Have we ever closed our heart so much that we cannot see the truth?

Let’s look at Jesus during this time now.  As the disciples tried to protect Jesus after Judas and the Jewish leaders arrived one of them cut off the ear of a servant.  Even with all the anger and hatred being aimed at Jesus, he took the time to pick up the piece of ear and place it back on the head of the servant and heal him.  I wonder what the officials were doing as Jesus did this.  Were they so busy yelling and threatening that they never noticed what he did?  It had to take a moment to take care of this servant.  The officials hearts were so hardened that even this moment of compassion from Jesus did not change their heart.  They were angry.  They wanted Jesus dead.  So what that he cared for this man enough to heal his pain right then.  Jesus was about to suffer a painful death yet he cared for another man’s pain in the midst of his own.  He loves us that much. 

Let’s return to Judas.  A while later Judas realized that Jesus was going to be put to death on the cross.  Judas was filled with remorse and returned the money.  The money no longer meant anything to him.  Did all those years of listening to Jesus and watching the miracles and seeing the compassion Jesus had for the hurting and lost finally break through the hard heart filled with greed?  Did it take Judas “hitting bottom” to finally make him understand the man he had followed for three years?  Again, we do not know the answers to these questions.  We do know he was filled with such remorse that he felt he could not live with what he had done.  He chose to end his life rather than repenting and accepting Jesus forgiveness. 

One more person to observe is Peter.  Peter denied ever knowing Jesus.  He was afraid and deserted his teacher when he needed him the most.  Granted, Peter did not turn Jesus over to the Jewish leaders.  He just denied ever knowing Jesus and when confronted with the seriousness of his sin went out and wept bitterly.  He repented and was forgiven and went on to be a great leader and teacher concerning the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Judas could have known the love Jesus had for him had he only opened his heart and soul to his Savior and repented.

What can we learn from these stories in this short reading from Matthew 26?  Jesus loves and cares for everyone.  He is a forgiving Savior when we repent and follow him.  Our heart must be open to him.  Anger, greed, and many other sins harden our heart to Jesus’ love and compassion for us.  Jesus will take the time to show compassion and healing if we will only listen to him.  Peter was sorrowful which led to his repentance.  Jesus loved Peter and allowed him to come back to him.  He will do the same for us.

Books about Jesus

I have been wishing for a book about Jesus that just talks about getting to know him as much as learning his teachings.  I have seen a title by Beth Moore that sounds interesting though I am really wishing for a book written by an author from the churches of Christ.  In Beth Moore's book the description indicates that she "follows" Jesus as he reacts with the people all around him in each story.  I believe very strongly in the need to be baptized for the remission of sins and to be added to Christ's church.  I believe very strongly that you are not added to his church until the point of baptism.  Most authors writing will include a section about just pray this prayer and ask Jesus into your heart and to forgive your sins.  While all else they say is wonderful and powerful I am saddened when I read this part of their book because I feel they are not really paying attention to all of scripture like they say they do.  Yet, I often feel that if their writing is indicative of their believe and walk with Jesus they are closer to him than I am.  I would just like to receive encouragement from women who believe in baptism as I do even if it is never mentioned in the book.  I know I must leave the judgement of their soul up to God yet I cannot ever teach the believer's prayer leaving out baptism regardless of how sincere a person is.  That said, I am asking if anyone knows of a book that is written by a woman from the churches of Christ that fits the style I have tried to describe.  Meantime, I think I might just get the book by Beth Moore and others I can find.  They will no doubt open up some thoughts and meaning to me and then maybe someday I will write that devotional book that I am searching for. 

Mysteries of God

I have been reading So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore.  This morning I read a powerful sentence on page 196 of her book.  It reads, "One of the most fascinating things about God is that He reserves the right to retain His mystery."  This sentence was strangely comforting to me.  As I continued in her book she went on into the next chapter to discuss the tree of knowledge of good and evil mentioned in Genesis 2 and 3.  She discussed our temptation to still want to be like God as "omniscience: the ability to know it all and see it all" so we can control the knowledge.  As I read these pages I realized that instead of controlling the information we seek we end up with information overload and then become controlled by the information itself.  I found comfort in the words that God can continue to be mysterious to us.  I don't have to know all there is about God and I don't have to know all that God knows.  He releases information to me on a need to know basis.  When I go looking for information that he has not chosen to disclose to me, I can be guilty of sin like Eve.  While that was the point of part of the chapter.  I want to go a little farther with the thought of the mystery of God.  I went looking for verses that talk about the mystery of God.  I found that the book of Colossians is rich with discussions of the mystery of God.  The interesting point in Colossians is that God has chosen to reveal his mysteries to us.  Colossians 1:25-27 reads "...God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness - the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.  To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."  Again Colossians 2:2,3 reads "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."  God has revealed his mysteries to us through Christ.  We can know God through his Word yet there are still some things too wonderful for us to understand.  In the book of Job, Zophar asked Job, "Can you fathom the mysteries of God?  Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?  They are higher than the heavens - what can you do?  They are deeper than the depths of the grave - what can you know?"   Job responds to God later in the book.  "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know."  When the seventy-two returned to Jesus after sending them ahead of him, they were full of joy.  Jesus then prayed, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."  God has chosen to reveal some of his mysteries to us through His Son, Jesus.  What joy!  Our Lord loves us so much that he wants to share his mysteries with us.  He withholds those things that are too much for us.  Even Moses did not get to see the full glory of God.  God knows what we can handle and gives us what we need to know.  Trust him and relish in the fact that he is more powerful than we are and that he is always in control if we will only allow him to be.  Take comfort that he has chosen to hold some of his mystery so that we can honor and respect him and have something to look forward to when Christ comes again.  Allowing God to retain his mysteries releases us to bask in his control.  Will you not allow the mystery of God to envelope you today and bask in the knowledge of his control of your life?  Let him wrap His arms around you and hold you tight and just let go.  What joy and what peace!

Women and the home

My husband has been writing a series of articles concerning the role of women in the church and the spiritual leadership of men.  To read his blog please follow this link - http://instrument-rated-theology.com/.  I would like to write to the women for a little bit.  In Titus 2:3-5 it reads "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.  Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." (NIV)  A few years ago I read several books written by Elizabeth George and she really opened up the depth of these verses for me.  I really picked up on the busy at home and all that can mean.  So many women are in the outside workplace and they have lost the joy and fulfillment of what it means to be busy at home.  We have been sold a lie that if we stay home we are wasting our talents and gifts and that we will not be fulfilled.  Nothing is farther from the truth.  We have been sold a lie that our children need and deserve all the latest toys and electronics so we need to work outside the home to provide all of this.  We are even being sold the lie that we no longer need men because we can do it all ourselves.  I have heard many women say they can do the job better than men.  There are positions that are uniquely suited to women.  Women in nursing and teaching jobs are a blessing because of the natural nurturing instincts of a woman.  We are blessed with an extra measure of tenderness.  We do need study and look at Titus 2:3-5 more and learn what it means for us as women individually and for women at large.  So many women point to the Proverbs 31 woman and say that she worked outside the home.  Did she?  Or - did she use her time wisely and sell from her home or in such a way that it did not interfere with her training of her children and caring for her household?  Let's encourage those who have chosen to be busy at home.  Let's encourage our men to work and lead us both spiritually and in every other way that encourages them to follow God's plan for families.