Running With Jesus

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…

Romans 12:1

Rebecca had come to ‘The Awakening Conference’ to give the Lord everything, every burden, every care, every want and desire, and replace them with the joy life had slowly and methodically robbed her of. With that one goal in mind, she meditated.

She had no idea how long she’d been meditating when, in the blink of an eye, she was standing hand-in-hand with Jesus! She felt the need to ask, “What do You want me to do, Lord?”

With the tenderness of a father with his daughter, Jesus took Rebecca by the hand and began running at a lady-like pace. Smiling at her look of astonishment Jesus responded, “Have you not come to recapture My joy? That requires no work. Rather, My joy is founded in My love for you!” He laughed, “What could bring more joy than to run with me as you used to?” His love washed over her, and in that moment Rebecca realized her surroundings; so beautiful she could hardly take it in!

In the physical world the worship music changed to an upbeat tempo. Rebecca’s face flashed with mischief, and with one quick stride behind her, she hollered, “Let’s race!” Feeling the wind in her face, Rebecca raced with Jesus through fields of lush grass and beautiful wildflowers. As you would surmise, He let her win…showing her that His greatest joy was in seeing her shed every inhibition to achieve this goal.

†

Although of great benefit, this isn’t something reserved for weekend conferences. Rebecca experienced her run with Jesus because she was willing to throw off everything that stood between her and the joy she had experienced before life had stripped it away piece by piece. Seeking Jesus can be done in the privacy of your home, or anywhere you can get quiet before the Lord.

Today’s text urges us to be honest, to lay everything on the table when we approach the throne of grace. But the choice is ours. Jesus will not force us to share and shed our burdens.

But be honest with yourself, wouldn’t you like to see what it feels like to run with Jesus?

Prayer

“Help me lay it all down, Lord, everything that stands between You and me. Amen.”

Properly Motivated

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Psalm 139:23

Arriving at the airport, Don swiped his card at the kiosk, got his boarding pass, and headed for a seat, intending to wait peacefully until he boarded the plane.

“Excuse me?” the attendant summoned him. “I’m afraid you’ll have to check your bag,” she said, pointing at his carry-on. “The plane you’re flying on is too small for carry-ons.”

Frustrated, he placed the bag on the scales.

“That’ll be twenty-five dollars.”

“What?! Why should I have to pay for a carry-on because the plane’s too small?” he argued.

“I’m sorry, sir. Those are the rules.”

He wanted to say Your rules stink! but remembered he was wearing his organization’s tee shirt, their insignia embroidered on the pocket. Keep your cool he told himself, not wanting to give the well-known organization a bad name. Reaching in his wallet, he paid the fee and had a seat.

Fifteen minutes later his name was called over the intercom. When he got to the counter an apologetic attendant said, “I’m sorry, sir, but you’ve been bumped from the flight.” Before he could respond in frustration she continued, “But we have these two three hundred dollar vouchers to make up for the inconvenience.”

Returning to his seat, he thanked God for the off-handed blessing. However, his troubles weren’t over because when he arrived home, following an unexpected detour, including an extra plane-change in Philadelphia, his bag had not made the trip! Once again, he battled for composure. In that moment, he heard God say, “I am pleased you held your tongue each time. But…you should not need a logo on a shirt to remind you to act in a godly manner.” OUCH! Feeling fairly chastised he gave the clerk his address so his bag could be delivered to his home when it eventually arrived.

†

David, in today’s text, knew he wasn’t capable of an honest assessment of himself, so he asked God to do the searching. We too, need God’s assistance in rooting out improper motivation.

Many of us do the right thing for the wrong reason. Although it’s a start, we need to examine our motives for living a godly and obedient life, because why we do something is as important as doing it.

Prayer

“Lord, help me to be properly motivated in everything I do. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Unfailing Love Shares Everything

“Love never fails.”

1Corinthians 13:8

He’d been to many Contemporary Christian concerts, but this was one he would not soon forget. Not because these were two of his favorite artists, but because by the end of the evening he would view unfailing love in a different light.

Sitting behind two women, the man was curious when he saw them signing. Shortly, he established that only one was deaf, and wondered about the implications: Why would you come to a concert if you can’t hear the music?

Looking closer he smiled; they appeared to be a thirty-something “Mom” with her teenage daughter; one was sharing the other’s experience and joy. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t hear; just sharing the event was enough.

As the night progressed, one would tap the other on the arm and a series of signs and gestures would rapidly occur, followed by nods and smiles. Several times he thought of interrupting their conversation to tell them how it blessed him that one of them would endure the frustration of not being able to hear the music in order to build memories with the other, but he refrained.

What he would never forget was the look of joy on their faces, one saying “Thanks for sharing this with me!” The other assuring, “What brings you joy matters to me!”

Watching this display, he realized; unfailing love shares everything.

†

One woman’s deafness didn’t mean she couldn’t feel the music, but would that have been enough to entice her to attend the event alone? Sensual experience aside, she probably could have found something more meaningful to her to do with her time. But because of her love for the other, she was at that concert.

Unfailing love transcends all boundaries. It is selfless in origin and nature, looking past and moving beyond perceived barriers. It places others ahead of itself without limitation.

We have a Savior Who taught us to love in such a way. His Name is Jesus, and everything we do matters to Him.

Prayer

“Thank you, Lord Jesus, for setting the example of what unfailing love looks like. Teach us to love others in such a way that they might experience the depth of that kind of love. Amen.”

In All Things

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…

Romans 8:28

Angel had already been frustrated before she’d locked the keys in her car last night. The fact that it had been raining only served to exacerbate the situation. Her day had begun in what could have been seen as a foreboding way when seemingly random accidents occurred at the poultry plant she managed. It had ended with the spilling of a tub of waste-material creating a large mess on the service floor.

And now, while getting ready to go out for the evening, she’d unconsciously hit the door lock while exiting the vehicle. Why was everything going wrong? By the time John had gotten the car unlocked it was too late to go. And in the mean time, the car had used a quarter tank of gas. She’d gone to bed totally discouraged.

This morning, however, shed a different light on last night’s misfortune. John decided to check the fluid levels on the car before Angel left for work this morning. What he found made them both grateful for last night’s adversity. For when John checked the brake system’s master-cylinder he found it empty of fluid. Had Angel driven the car the night before her brakes would have failed. On rain-soaked roads brake failure could have led to a horrific crash.

†

World and Christian views usually differ in light of such a frustrating day. To the World this series of events appears as a string of unfortunate mishaps that ended in a coincidence, but is that accurate? Not if you believe God is in control of our lives. Christians believe that God orchestrates many circumstances that lead to us being spared something terrible or harder to deal with. Sometimes though, it’s hard to remember God may be looking out for us when the whole day seems like a disaster. Not all inconveniences are interventions on God’s part; sometimes we just have a bad day.

With today’s text in mind, we might just want to step back and say, “Thank You Jesus, for caring enough to save me from something worse.”

Prayer

“Give me faith to believe You would set events in motion that would avert danger in my life, Lord Jesus. Amen.”

Rise Up!

Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’

Acts 22:21

There was passion in Pastor Joab’s voice as he spoke, “America is a godly Nation, founded on Christian principles.”

I was struck by the fact that this small-statured man had come, or more accurately had been sent by God from Uganda to act as our encourager to, “Rise up against the work the enemy is doing to turn things upside down in this great nation!”

Leafing through the Bible, Joab said, “I return to the opening scripture from 2Peter 1:3, “His divine power has given us everything we need…’ In other words…God is anxious to provide power to every follower of Jesus who will stand in faith, those who believe He will empower you, to use you to fight against the darkness that invades your country.”

I was struck by the truth that this Ugandan pastor was working on the mission field. We were those in desperate need of the truth! The U.S.! That realization had a profound impact.

Twenty minutes later, Pastor Joab concluded his message, “Jeremiah 2, verses nine through twelve speak of a nation trading the Glory of God for worthless idols. America must rise up against the blind allegiance of those who worship idols, and bring back the Glory of God!”

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We, you and I, followers of Jesus Christ, have this Glory within. We have the privilege and responsibility, regardless of current or future persecution, to release that Glory among the people of this great Nation.

One man can turn the hearts of an entire generation back to God if their heart is turned toward God and His purposes and direction. God is calling His people, those who are called by His Name!

Paul, in today’s text, was sent among the Gentiles to carry the ‘Good News’ of Jesus Christ. The Hebrew translation of Gentile is Pagan. Don’t you find it ironic that God would send Paul, a new believer from a pagan country, to encourage a nation founded on Christian principles to rise up?

It is time to take a stand, and turn the tide of what the enemy is trying to force on America?

Prayer

“Give me the courage to rise up and battle the darkness, Lord Jesus. Use me to turn the tide in the battle for America. Amen.”

At Their Point Of Need

Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.

Luke 19:5

As the pastor pulled into the church parking lot he glanced across the street and quickly did a double take. He couldn’t help but grin and shake his head as he looked at the young man sitting in his yard, surrounded by what appeared to be more than one hundred empty beer cans, scattered indiscriminately. What made it amusing was that the man was sitting there in his underwear with a beer in his hand.

Chuckling, the pastor shut his car door and walked toward the young man, “Morning,” he said, initiating what he hoped would be an enlightening conversation. “I’m the pastor at the church across the street. Name’s Dennis. You okay?”

“Yep.”

“You cold?”

“Nope,” the man responded. “A little drunk maybe, but not cold.”

The pastor dropped to the ground beside him, “Is there anything I can do for you, …?” he asked, fishing for a name.

“Eric. Name’s Eric.”

“So what’s goin’ on, Eric?”

“Marriage problems…” he offered.

“Feel like talking about it?”

And thus began a dialogue that has seen Eric rededicate his life to the Lord, and begin attending Dennis’ church.

†

We are to meet people at their point of need, not expect them to deliver themselves from the conditions that have them bound. Unfortunately, many of us would have taken one look at Eric and called the sheriff, missing any opportunity to discover the reason for his public intoxication, and forfeiting any chance to offer him hope. Eric needed Jesus that morning, not judgment. Fortunately, Jesus showed up in the person of Pastor Dennis.

Jesus, as in today’s text, never shunned the sordid, unpleasant, or unseemly. He invited Himself into their lives in the hope they would listen to His message, and make changes. Matthew 7:1 says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

We need to show people the love of Jesus Christ, not judgment. There may be circumstances that are too dangerous to approach someone, but within reason, using wisdom and discernment, we can help the Erics of the world overcome their bondage by meeting them at their point of need and offering them hope in the form of God's healing hand.

Prayer

“Show me what to do if and when I find myself with this type of opportunity, Lord Jesus. Help me help those who need You instead of judgment. Amen.”

Embracing Our Ignorance

Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.

Proverbs 19:20

It had been a week since George’s near-fatal heart attack when Jean announced, “It’s really nice outside Honey. I think I’ll go mow.”

“Awww, that’s really nice of you.” George replied, genuinely appreciative of his wife’s offer. He was also keenly aware that she’d never driven the riding mower. So, deciding to offer some advice, he began, “Let me give you some advice about the mower…”

“I can handle it,” Jean insisted.

“But you need to…”

“But nothing!” she quipped, effectively cutting him off. “Don’t worry about me. If I can’t handle a simple task like mowing the lawn there’s something terribly wrong,” she declared, and headed for the garage. A few minutes later Jean appeared riding the mower, wearing a triumphant smile. Shaking his head, George watched her go.

Two laps into her ‘simple task’, she noticed their next-door neighbor watching her from the edge of the yard. Let him watch she thought. He’s probably amazed that I know what I’m doing! But as she drew closer, the look on his face caused Jean an inexplicable doubt.

As she approached the spot where he was standing, he calmly waved to her to stop.

Jean pulled up, and shut the mower off.

“I don’t want to overstep my bounds or burst your bubble,” he began, “but the mower works better if you put the mower deck down, and engage the blades.”

†

Jean’s actions illustrate how our hearts can be in the right place and we can still be wide of the mark. Good intentions are not enough to ensure success.

God, through Solomon, urges us to listen when wisdom speaks. Our general response to His instruction is that we don’t readily admit to ignorance; it grates on our pride to admit we are not omniscient.

Regardless of the reason for our refusal to admit we don't know it all, the consequences of rejecting wise advice or instruction can, at the very least, leave us embarrassed and facing unnecessary challenges. At worst, our arrogance will find us paying a high price for our attitude of pride.

God leaves us this choice: Listen and learn, or suffer the consequences.

Prayer

“Lord, I want a heart that doesn’t shun advice and instruction. Help me listen with the intent to learn and become wiser. Amen.”