Miracles

Do you believe in miracles? I mean, Bible times "I was blind, but now I see" miracles. Matthew 9 is full of instances where Jesus is healing people from all kinds of different ailments. It seems like performing miracles was as common as eating a meal or going to work. Yesterday I was being told a story about a pastor who started a shelter, but before he started the shelter he was in prison. As a child he never learned how to read, but while in prison Jesus came to him and softened his heart and a Bible showed up one day with his food and after a few days with the Bible he opened it up and he could read. God proceeded to lead him to start the shelter. I want to believe this story. I want to believe in miracles, but I have a hard time doing so. It's much easier to believe that there was some confusion when my friend was being told the story or when he told the story to me. Or that the entire miracle was made up. Here's the ironic thing, I believe that Jesus healed all those people in Matthew 9 because he was there, but honestly isn't he here too, now in our everyday situations. Is he really any less present?

My cynicism gets in the way of my faith on a daily basis. It's one of the areas I struggle with most.

Lord forgive me for my doubt. Help me to appreciate your miralces. Big and small. Because a bigger picture of you brings me closer to you.

Matthew 6: Treasure

The sermon on the mount continues in Matthew 6 and I think one of the most important points of the sermon are contained in this chapter. In verses 19-24 the Bible says that our hearts should be focused on heaven and not on the things of this earth. So where our heart focuses so will our actions. This verse is specifically speaking about possessions and this is simple to understand, but hard to practice. I remember when I was a kid and I was waiting for something to come in the mail. I was so intent on checking the mailbox everyday. I would lay in bed and think about my new special toy all the time. I was consumed by it. When our minds are focused on a possession it consumes us. Would the same be true if our minds were focused on heaven? Maybe my focus should be on the things that have a more eternal purpose. Things that won't fade away.

Lord, help me to see where the eternal focuses are in my life. Help me to be consumed by your heaven...

Waveline

I've been meaning to post on a new product, the waveline, that we're offering at Displayit for a while. It is a really great product for churchs and other small organizations because of it's ease to setup and it's affordable price. My mom has her own ministry and she was thinking of biting the bullet to get one. So if you have a trade show or just need a little more impact check out the Waveline.

Matthew 5: Love your enemies

Matthew 5 starts Jesus' sermon on the mount and of all the content here in this chapter the section on loving your enemies struck me this morning. It seems in almost everything we come across these days there is a good side and a bad side. In sports we're told that there are good teams and there are bad teams. In politics we are told that one side is better than the other. We see it in movies where the good guys always win. Of course, we see it in our every day lives when that person cuts us off or when someone hurts us. How do we respond when we feel wronged? Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies; love them (ver: 43-48). I think when we pray for our enemies the Holy Spirit begins to work in us. Our hearts begin to soften and we begin to have a passion for that person's soul. We begin to see the person and not just the ways that they've wronged us.

Lord, give me the strength and courage to pray for my enemies. Soften my heart for their soul and help me to see them as you do...

Matthew 4: The Temptation of Jesus

I have to admit, I've always been a little intrigued with how Satan works.  Sort of like a coach planning to go against an opposing team.  I think The Screwtape Letters are simply brilliant at illustrating Satan's cunning and should be required reading for any new christian.  It's inevitable that we're going to face Satan and when we do it's going to be difficult.  I've always wondered why Jesus went into the wilderness to deliberately be tempted by the devil.  It just doesn't make any sense to me, as my common tendency is to run.  In the end he may have gone to ensure he was ready to start his ministry, regardless of the reason it paints a pretty clear picture of how Satan works and what our appropriate response should be.

The first thing that Satan tempts is a natural need, food.  Jesus has been in the desert fasting when Satan comes to him and tells him to turn stones to bread.  The next two temptations are also focused on needs, but more primal or universal needs: the need to be loved and the need for power.  Jesus' rebuttal to all Satan's temptations is to point to scripture, but satan being the crafty being that he is tries to use this against Jesus quoting Psalm 91 in his second temptation.  Satan's final temptation crosses a line, he asks Jesus to worship him in return for all the kingdom's of the world.  Satan goes against one of the ten commandments and the foundation of the Jewish faith.  Jesus shows us how to get rid of satan, at least for the time being.  Jesus tells him to leave and he puts him in his place.  

I've heard several different methods for dealing with temptation most of which fall under the banner of getting yourself distracted.  Eventually, that's going to fail.  Do you think Jesus was going to not be hungry just because he was distracted.  Do you fell less of a need to be loved when you're distracted.  Probably not.  We're going to get tired. Running away from something is exhausting.  It seems that Jesus teaches us that when we're tempted we turn to the Word.  We look for answers.  We should also study the bible especially in the areas that we're tempted because the time will come when your're being tempted and your Bible is not around.

Lord, thanks for your Word.  We're a fallen and broken people and because of that we're going to be tempted to move away from you.  Provide me with the wisdom to seek your word when that happens and when I fail Lord, thanks for forgiving me.  In Jesus' name...

Bible Thoughts: Matthew 3

Matthew 3 tells the story of John the Baptist and Jesus' baptism. After reading the chapter a few times this morning I've become more interested in John the Baptist. With his fashion sense and diet (camel hair clothing; locusts & honey), he seems like a holier Bear Grylls from Man vs. Wild. Aferall, John was a voice in the wilderness. The thing that really strikes me about John is how committed he was to his mission, which was to tell people: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Everything he did was centered around that statement. I think in our society when someone is so passionate to a cause, mission or a movement we become interested. We start to gravitate towards the message because passion is contagious and that's exactly what happend to John. The people of Jersualem and Judea flocked to him to hear his message. It was a hard message to swallow, but one they knew they needed. John's commitment to his message didn't falter when faced with a tough situation. He confronted the Pharisees and Saducees with the truth that their ways were leading to a way of fire even though I'm sure he was aware that this was going to be the road to his demise. John also knew his place. He was never the boss and he knew it. When Jesus came and asked John to baptise him, John said no way. In John's mind it was probably akin to Michael Jordan wanting John Stockton to dunk his ally-oop pass, instead of the other way around. Perhaps John was hoping that Jesus would baptise him in a way that would fulfill his mission and ministry. I love Jesus' response in the NASB translation: "Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Jesus is putting the power in John's hands.

What can I take away from this? Passion can be contagious, but I already know that sustaining that kind of passion is difficult. Keep the message simple, John's message was simple to understand, but difficult to do. In the end Jesus gives us the power to fulfill His mission in us.

Lord, help me to sustain the passion for your calling in my life. When times are difficult or I'm confronted about it, please take my hand and guide me through. Give me a simple message and remind me that the power to deliver this message comes from you...

The comfort zone

There will come a time and place when you're asked to do something that puts you in a place of discomfort. Maybe the tension is because it's something you disagree with or perhaps it's something that extends you beyond your comfort zone. There are only two repsonses to this kind of questions, yes and no. If the proposition is something you don't agree with, say no. If it is something that you are doing out of duty, say no. If it is something that you have a passion for, but are unsure of the outcome, say yes. If it is something that you want to learn more about, say yes.

The temporary discomfort that comes from the journey outside your confort zone is a fair trade off for the rewards of doing something new or different. Passion for something is a much a better gift than talent. People respond to passion, but they watch talent. Talent can be developed, but passion comes from within. Passion is a catalyst for movement. Doing something out of duty gets the job done, but there is no satisfaction. When I have a checklist of things that need to be done it feels good to check an item off, but when I do something I love it's hard to stop. The bottom line: if someone asks you to do something that you are passionate about, odds are they have faith in you and that should give you strength.