HIS AUTHORITY

Today's reading: Luke 23-24

"With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me." Luke 24:47 NLT

It's not a pastor's note written on church letterhead.

It's not the signed by a state legislature petition.

It's not a dictum signed by someone residing over the Oval Office.

It's not a matter of obtaining an international passport, admission onto foreign soil or approval by dignitaries who have been asked through translators.

God has granted us permission to spread His Good News to all the world.

And we start in our homes.

In our neighborhoods.

In our workplaces.

But it's all done with His authority.

THIS

Today's reading: Luke 21-22

"This will be your opportunity to tell them about me." Luke 21:13 NLT

Maybe, just maybe...

This isn't the time to be declaring your opinion on red or blue, Republican or Democrat, liberal or not.

Maybe it's your opportunity to tell them about God.

Maybe it isn't the time to voice your concerns about the pro's and con's of mandates in regards to wearing face masks and other suggested health issues in regards to this pandemic. Even if you feel your rights are being infringed upon.

Maybe it's your opportunity to tell them about God.

Maybe it isn't the time to tell them what you really think about COVID-19.

Maybe it's your opportunity to tell them about God.

This may be the time He has set aside for you to share more about Him than about your opinion on anything going on around you, in your community, in the world or on the media's radar.

WHY AM I GOING

Today's reading: Luke 19-20

"After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of the religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said." Luke 19:47-48 NLT

Of the two types of people in the crowded Temple, which would you have been?

A) One which had arrived with a plan in mind? A set goal which you were going to reach before the final 'amen'? What you had determined to get out of the day's service?

B) One which hung on the very words of Jesus? Who at the end of service couldn't believe the time had flown as it had? Wasn't ready for the service to end? Someone who had worshipped in the presence of God?

News flash: If you attend a Bible believing church, God will be in your midst this Sunday.

Addendum to the news flash: You determine, not your music minister or your pastor or the crying baby in the pew behind you, what you are going to get out of the service.

SMALL MATTERS

Today's reading: Luke 16-18

"Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones..." Luke 16:10 NLT

Ouch!

What if Jesus had said...

'If you aren't faithful in the waiting, you won't be faithful in the having.'?

Are you so busy expecting, praying for and planning around the 'next big thing' in your life that you are stepping over all God is doing for you right now?

Too many of us are.

We barely tolerate today in anticipation for tomorrow. A better tomorrow. A brighter tomorrow. A shinier tomorrow. An easier tomorrow.

I don't think that's being faithful.

Faith is believing every moment of today has been hand delivered to us by God for us to see God in and for us to use for the world to see God reflected in us.

Is that what you're doing with today?

Every moment of today?

Even the smallest moments?

Because, you see, the smallest moments of time (seconds and minutes) eventually add up and make up the largest moments (months and years) of our lives spent serving God.

"Unless you are faithful in the small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones..."

FILL-IN-THE-BLANKS

Today's reading: Luke 13-15

"Great crowds were following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, If you want to be my followers you must love me more than*your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:25-26 NLT

*you must hate

My Life Application Bible has a small asterisk after the phrase more than that refers me to a footnote that refers to a more literal Greek translation.

That footnote gave me pause this morning.

Not because I am a student of the Greek language.

Or a deep theologian of translations of the Bible.

But because for a brief moment, I thought about what I might place in the space after the asterisk...how I might fill-in-the-blank.

If you want to be my followers you must love me more than _____.

Oh, friends, I came up with a grocery list of things I could insert.

Loved ones like my child, my husband, my parents, my sisters?

Friends, especially the praying ones I depend upon and the ones I hope to have lean upon me? 

Emotions like happiness, pride, perfection?

Creature comforts, like comfort, do I love comfort more than I love Jesus? 

Personal victories. Would I prefer to be right over being holy? Would I choose to be well known over being known as His? Do I crave applause from people or from Him?

I filled in some blanks this morning in my prayer time with God and discovered I had a few things to put aside if I were truly to be one of His disciples.

LOOK AT THE LILIES

Today's reading: Luke 11-12

"Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God care so wonderfully for flower that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? You have so little faith!" Luke 12:27-28 NLT

If it were spring or summer I'd glance out the window of our little farmhouse and catch a glimpse of the daylilies growing around our trees or the peonies budding out in their crooked rows.

I'd notice how beautifully they are dressed. Each petal created and placed by God. Carefully color matched for the specific flower.

But it's mid-autumn. My flowers are done. Most of them have been mowed down, mulched or their foliage marched off to the compost pile for the year.

It's hard to admire the underground roots of my perennials that are awaiting spring's arrival.

But that's what I'm doing this morning as I ponder this verse.

You see, God's as much in the preservation of roots as He is in the grand display of showy flowers!

His care carries us through seasons of dormancy as well as seasons of fruitfulness.

His love allows us to take in nutrients in order that we might, at the proper time and for His glory, spend our energies serving Him well.

I needed the reminder this morning that the lilies are far more than the showy display of petals at the end of a long willowy green stem!

Maybe, just maybe, you did, too.

ENABLED

Today's reading: Luke 9-10

"But Jesus said, You feed them..." Luke 9:13 NLT

If God has asked us to do it, He has given us the ability to do it.

To go out and tell the Good News.

To love our neighbors.

To obey His commandments.

To have joy.

To move mountains

To believe without doubting.

Impossible, you say?

Kind of like feeding 5000 with a little boy's lunch?

ALWAYS AWAKE

Today's reading: Luke 7-8

"The disciples woke him up, shouting, Master, Master, we're going to drown!.." Luke 7:24 NLT

I'm always thinking how exciting it would be to have walked on earth with Jesus.

To have sandaled up to stroll along with Him along the Sea of Galilee.

To have nibbled on some of the bread and fish He miraculously produced from a little boy's lunch.

To have sat at His feet and heard His parables first hand.

I've always assumed my faith would have been stronger. Would have been deeper. Would have been more sincere.

But this morning, when I read this verse, I realized something...

The Master that walks with me each day...

The Lord that speaks to me each morning through His Word...

The Creator that touches the morning sky with His paintbrush...

The Sustainer that provides me with joy and peace and grace every daybreak...

The Savior that washed clean my sins...

The Great Shepherd who leads me beside still waters and guides me through dark valleys...

Doesn't need to be awakened. For He never sleeps. Ever.

AMAZING THINGS

Today's reading: Luke 5-6

"And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped to his feet, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. Everyone was gripped with wonder and awe. And they praise God, saying over and over again, We have seen amazing things today." Luke 5:25-26 NLT

If I have seen the night's darkness turn to dawn, I have seen an amazing thing and should praise God.

If I have watched the wisps of steam rise from a farm pond on a crisp October morning, I have seen an amazing thing and should praise God.

If I have found a rosebud still blooming after a killing frost, I have seen an amazing thing and should praise God.

If I have seen the parent/neighbors across the field stirring in the early morning hours, I have seen an amazing thing and should praise God.

If I have honked at a friend in a passing car and they give me a wave and a smile, I have seen an amazing thing and should praise God.

If I have waited on a curmudgeon codger and kept my cool because I chose to look for God's image in his eyes, I have seen an amazing thing and should praise God.

If I have witnessed a wisp of a cloud on a robin's egg blue sky, I have seen an amazing thing and should praise God.

If I have look into His Word and been reminded of all of Him that is around me--I have seen an amazing thing and should praise God.

I am choosing to praise God!

WILDERNESS EXPERIENCES

Today's reading: Luke 3-4

"Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit to go out into the wilderness, where the Devil temped him for forty days. He ate nothing all that time and was very hungry." Luke 4:1-2 NLT

Friend, our enemy would like us to think that as God's children, we're going to skip merrily from one mountaintop experience to the next.

That every morning we're going to wake up to a well lit path lined with rosebushes removed of thorns.

That there will never be rainy days or stormy nights.

But as we see in today's text--that's just not life. That's not how we will best discover how deep our relationship with God is. Those kinds of days are not where our faith will grow deep roots.

We will sometimes be led by God into circumstances that seem to require more than we have to offer.

We will sometimes be taken into valleys so dark we cannot see our own hands in front of our faces.

We will at times be in boats surrounded by whitecaps and gale-force winds.

We will find ourselves, full of the Holy Spirit and serving wholeheartedly where He has asked us to serve, smack dab in the middle of a wilderness situation--without food.

But we will have God.

We will always have God.

I believe that's the point of those kinds of lessons. 

SCARED OF BLESSINGS

Today's reading: Luke 1-2

"Don't be frightened, Mary, the angel told her, for God has decided to bless you!" Luke 1:30 NLT

Have you ever been frightened by one of God's blessings?

Something happened into your life at what you considered a wrong time or in a wrong way, but ended up being perfectly within God's timing--a true blessing?

Someone woven into the fabric of your life at a very low point, a valley you wish you had never visited, but ended up becoming a lifelong friend from God--a true blessing?

Decided to literally make yourself attend services one Sunday, not feeling it, not in the right frame of mind, but going anyway and receiving a word from the Lord that was specifically for your heart--a true blessing?

God's blessings can be wrapped up in circumstances that can scare the liver out of us if it weren't for His graces and mercies tenderly and gently delivering them into our lives.

I challenge you to be on the look out for them today--in all things, good and bad.

MY REASON FOR SILENCE

Today's reading: Mark 15-16

"The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, saying nothing to anyone because they were too frightened to talk." Mark 16:8 NLT

The women leaving the tomb didn't say a word because they were too afraid to speak.

Fear paralyzed their tongues.

Fright captured their words.

So what about us?

Why aren't we talking about the empty tomb? The Risen Savior? The work of the Cross?

There are no soldiers pointing swords at us.

No armies of anti-religious zealots telling us to be quiet.

No laws or rules on the books demanding that we be silent.

And yet, Christians, we are keeping the Good News to ourselves.

Even after all we have experienced at the foot of the Cross...

With the blood of Jesus having washed away all of our sins...

All while knowing our eternity is secure in heaven...

Having the blessed assurance of God's love for us...

And still we are quiet?

Isn't there someone you could tell today?

A CRYING DISCIPLE

Today's reading: Mark 14

"And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly, Jesus' words flashed trough Peter's mind: Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. And he broke down and cried." Mark 14:72 NLT

I understand Peter's tears.

I know the depths of sadness from which they came.

I know what it's like to let down my Lord and Savior--in what I've said, in what I've done, in what promises I've broken and in what intentions I had set and didn't follow through on.

Tears well up in my eyes when I consider the immeasurable blessings He has poured out on my life and how little I have been able to 'repay' Him with my efforts.

My very best day pales.

My grandest efforts fall short.

My most well laid plans come up shy of honoring Him as they should.

And then there are the time when my disobedience, sheer disobedience, embarrasses me to the point of tears.

But friends, He knew all this about me before He went to the cross on my behalf!

That keeps me going. 

MOST IMPORTANT

Mark 12-13

"...Of all the commandments, which is the most important? Jesus replied, The most important commandment is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord!" Mark 12:28-29 NLT

The most important commandment is also the commandment that makes it possible for us to keep the other commandments. Ever thought about that?

If we accept that the Lord is God, we will not take His name lightly, in vain or use it flippantly as some do in vulgar speech.

If we know, in our hearts, that the Lord is God, it will cause us to honor and worship Him alone, no other gods will hold that place in our hearts.

If we accept that the Lord is God, we will believe He is the Creator and by His example and command we are to keep a day of rest set apart for Him.

If we honor God as Lord, it will show in the honor and respect we show others, like towards our parents.

If we live the command that the Lord is God it will reach out and touch the people we live around by how we interact with them--and He knew that!

GOOD

Today's reading: Mark 10-11

"Why do you call me good? Jesus asked..." Mark 10:18 NLT

So? Why do we? Call Him 'good', that is?

Is it because He is? This is praise. This is what's due Him because of His character traits and qualities.

Or is it because of all the good He can do for us? This is centered around us, our needs and wants and desires.

There is a difference.

HELP ME NOT TO DOUBT

Today's reading: Mark 8-9

"The father instantly replied, I do believe, but help me not to doubt!" Mark 9:24 NLT

(As a side note, this is the second time this week God has brought this particular account before me. I don't take that lightly.)

I have stood in this father's shoes.

Not in that I have had a child with convulsive symptoms but that I have stood face to face with my faith and had to admit that my doubt sometimes got the best of me.

There are days I can say the same things...but in my own words:

I do believe...You would do it for someone else.

I do believe...for a more faithful Christian You would answer this request in a minute's prayer.

I do believe...that if I had more faith I wouldn't even be having to ask You to do this at all.

I do believe...if it weren't for all the times I had to have used up Your graces previously, there would be plenty for right here and right now.

I do believe...help me not to doubt!

Ever had those conversations of faith?

You have no doubt He can. You have no question as to whether or not He would--for some. You have proof in your well-worn Bible that He has before.

But our doubt jumps in and makes us question a thousand times over that any or all of who He is is for us.

Well friend, He is for us. 

As much as He is for anyone.

As much as He was for the father of that boy that day at the foot of the mountain.

As much as He was for that boy.

He is for us.

All for us.

No need to doubt!

ONE THING

Today's reading: Mark 6-7

"Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped..." Mark 6:51 NLT

Put on your most elaborately imaginative thinking cap and look into this account with me this morning.

Do you see the shaking in their sea-soggy sandals disciples?

Do you see the hanging by torn shreds sails?

Can you see the gallon after gallon of water resting in the hull of the boat these boys are huddled in?

Do you see the torn open sick-sick bags these life-long sailors had to break out of the hold for this long night's 'bull-ride of a boat ride'?

Do you see these men standing, sitting, bending over the side of the boat as they notice Jesus climbing aboard--and suddenly the waters completely calm?

Sure their clothes are still cold and wet. Their boat is still filled with excess water. Their shades of green are still wearing off their faces and tummies. But Jesus is on board and for the moment, the wind has stopped and the water has calmed.

Maybe, like the disciples, we need to be noticing more of the moments. 

When Jesus shows up and calms us.

When He steps in and allows us to breathe.

When, if only for a brief period, peace passes over us and the suns shines.

When the rainbow comes out.

When a warm memory floods our grieving soul.

When a ray of hope breaks through the long night.

When a note arrives in the mail.

When a verse comes to mind.

When the wind stops...

TIME ALONE WITH JESUS

Today's reading: Mark 4-5

"He used many such stores and illustrations to teach the people as much as they were able to understand. in fact, in his public teaching he taught only with parables, but afterward when he was alone with his disciples, he explained the meaning to them." Mark 4:33-34 NLT

Jesus spoke to crowds.

Jesus preached to multitudes.

Jesus proclaimed His message to throngs.

But it was when He was alone with His closest friends, His most intimate twelve, that He ministered and explained the deepest meanings of His words.

He made sure they understood what He was preaching and teach about.

He wanted them to 'get it'.

That's why He wants time alone with you.

Sure He desires you be at church for worship service and in Bible study with fellow believers, but are you setting aside time for Him to speak to you personally?

Are you making sure there are moments when the world is tuned out and your ears are tuned in to nothing else but Him?

ONE OUT OF SIX

Today's reading: Mark 1-3

"Four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat." Mark 2:3 NLT

There are six people involved in this, one of my favorite accounts in the Bible.

I believe each of us will find ourselves in one of the roles at one point in time or another...

Participant 1: Mat carrier. Quite possibly the one led to head up this mission. We will call him the Instigator or, Planner. The one led by the Holy Spirit to do a work where God would receive glory.

Participant 2: Mat carrier. I'm going to guess this was the Planner's best friend. Best friends get dragged in projects like this. We all need folks like good friends who will help us carry out the ideas that come rushing into our heads.

Participant 3: Mat carrier. This fellow probably at one time or another told the Planner that he was looking for a way to serve the Lord--and the Planner took him seriously. So he called him up and told him where to meet the rest of the team.

Participant 4: Mat carrier. I don't doubt that this participant wasn't a part of the ill man's family. Sickness and disease touches everyone--but praise be to God, so do healings! I think this guy went along, like he probably went along to every doctor visit, and got much more than he bargained for.

Participant 5: Paralyzed man. You know, God wasn't specific in saying what paralyzed this man. It might have been a disease. It might have been a childhood deformity. It might have been a fear that kept him from living the life God intended for him to live. Whatever had kept him from being up and about, it was no match for the power it was about to come in contact with. 

Participant 6: Jesus. As I stated, you are currently playing the same role as one of the 'actors in this scene'. I will let you off the hook, you aren't Jesus. You are not in control. You are not all-knowing. You are not the one who is in charge of holding everything together. So you can quit trying if you have been wearying yourself and everyone around you out by trying.

Do you see yourself in this account? 

One being led to do something? One being asked to help? One being touched by the goings-on around you because you chose to look for God-sightings? Someone completely blown away by God showing up where you least expected Him? Someone needing a touch?

REMAINING SILENT

Today's reading: Matthew 27-28

"But when the leading priests and other leaders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. Don't you hear their many charges against you? Pilate demanded. But Jesus said nothing, much to the governor's surprise." Matthew 27:12-14 NLT

(Since my computer wasn't cooperating this morning, I've had all day to chew on these verses and their implications.)

You know, Pilate isn't the only one stunned by Jesus' silence.

Maybe even, put off.

Upset.

Disturbed.

I get that.

You see, not every prayer I pray is answered by the time I say a hearty 'amen'.

I'm still waiting on Him to answer a few big ones, truth be told.

And yet, He remains silent.

Dead silent.

If I didn't know better, like He is just ignoring me, silent.

But as I've thought about it today, I've come to realize that just as He chose not to speak to Pilate and sometimes He chooses not to answer my prayers, does not mean He isn't still at work on a grand plan.

Bigger things were at work in that courtroom than answering Pilate's questions. Salvation was being set in motion. Redemption was being played out in the course of history. My eternal life was being set into play by the events of that day, and it had nothing to do with answering a governor's inquisitive mind or playing into his rules.

Ouch.

God is at work in the silence. I have to remember that at all times!

PRAYER

Today's reading: Matthew 25-26

"Then Jesus brought them to an olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, Sit here while I go on ahead to pray." Matthew 26:36 NLT

Sometimes you just need folks to sit with you while you pray.

You know they can't fix the problem.

You are full aware they aren't able to undo what's been done.

You know their prayers aren't magic chants.

Maybe, just maybe, they don't even need to know all that's going on.

You just need them to pray. With you. For you. Over you. When you can't. 

That isn't a weakness, friend.

That is a point in your faith walk when you are more like Jesus than you will ever know!

INSIDE AND OUT

Today's reading: Matthew 23-24

"Blind Pharisees! First wash the inside of the cup, and then the outside will become clean, too." Matthew 23:25 NLT

Showered.

Dressed.

Make-up applied.

Hair blown dry, straightened where cowlicks need tamed and sprayed into place.

A once over in the full-length mirror reveals that the outside is ready for public viewing...

Now to the inside.

Time to open my head and heart to the Lord.

For Him to look over, re-make and to re-model.

For Him to add His finishing touches before I step out into the world.

To fill my heart and mind with His words.

To re-work any wrong thinking I have latched onto.

To remove any bitterness or anger I have harbored in my heart.

To let go of anything that's going to keep me from representing Him well when I step outside--no matter what the 'outside of my cup' looks like.

Time with Him cleans the inside of me.

It will do the same for you.

YOUR CHURCH

Today's reading: Matthew 21-22

"Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the stalls of those selling doves. He said, The Scriptures declare, My Temple will be called a place of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves!" Matthew 21:12-13 NLT

Does Jesus need to do some 'cleaning house' in your church?

Are there some things He needs to set right?

Could it be your place of prayer has become more a palace of popularity?

We are to hear His Word preached--and sometimes that Word hurts. Pricks. Causes us pain. Makes us uncomfortable. Leads us to make huge changes. Brings about confession from sin.

Has your house of God become a visitation rather than a commitment?

We are to make a commitment to attending. To supporting it. To working in it. To building it up. And friend, that isn't dependent upon the season of the year, the busy season at work or the holiday we are currently in.

Has your church become a social gathering?

Fellowship is so important in a church. SO important! But when we forget that church is about God, His worship, learning about Him, hearing from Him, spending time with Him, praising Him, we turn His house into something He never intended it to be.

Maybe it's time we invited Jesus in to set things right?

ONE SHEEP

Today's reading: Matthew 18-20

"If a shepherd has one hundred sheep, and one wanders away and is lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others and go out into the hills to search for the lost one? And if he finds it, he will surely rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn't wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish." Matthew 18:12-14 NLT

If you're praying for a lost sheep--keep praying.

If you're praying for a sheep that's wandered off--keep praying.

If you're praying for a sheep that constantly breaks out of the fence and strikes off on their own--keep praying.

If you're praying for a sheep that thinks they don't need a Shepherd--keep praying.

You see, praying they come back, puts you in good company. It places your prayers in accordance with the Lord's!

He doesn't want them lost. He doesn't want them wandering. He doesn't want them off on their own. He  knows they need Him.

It isn't His will they be any where but safe in His pasture, well within His care, surrounded by His blessings and secure in His salvation.

Keep praying His will be done.

I'D SETTLE FOR SCRAPS

Today's reading: Matthew 14-17

"Woman, Jesus said to her, your faith is great. Your request is granted. And her daughter was instantly healed." Matthew 15:28 NLT

I urge you to read the account of the interaction between Jesus and this Gentile woman in Matthew 15. It's a little raw. It's a little harsh. It's a little bit of an expose of the times they lived in--the tension between the races and the distinction between the genders.

It shows a woman who is in need. A woman who was desperate. A women who knew what she wanted for her daughter. A woman who had probably tried everything else.

It also shows us the side of a Savior who allowed someone to seek Him. To allow the circumstance to influence those around them--and us today. To bless the one who earnestly wanted all of Him and nothing else.

I want to be that woman. Even if it means being called a 'dog'. Even if it means lowering myself in the eyes of the world. Even if it means waiting for what everyone else believes to be the equivalent of waiting for the 'scraps to fall off the table'.

I want to be told my faith is great in regards to what I keep coming back to Him for, with and in!

HOPE

Today's reading: Matthew 12-13

"This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him:

'Look at my Servant, who I have chosen.

He is my Beloved, and I am very pleased with him.

I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

He will not fight or shout; he will not raise his voice in public.

He will not crush those who are weak, or quench the smallest hope, until he brings full justice with his final victory.

And his name will be the hope of all the world.'" Matthew 12:17-21 NLT

Just like in Isaiah' time, and in the time of Jesus, people expect the Messiah to swoop in and loudly claim victory. A political take-over of front page news proportion. Monumental headlines. CNN worthy reporting.

But Servant Jesus seldom works like that.

In a still, small voice He calms.

In a quiet whisper He soothes.

In a behind the scenes occurrence He settles matters.

And He fertilizes the smallest seeds of hope.

He waters them ever slow slightly as not to disturb any roots that are taking hold.

He provides enough Sonshine to promote growth at a rate that is healthy.

He knows that He is doing--and we can trust Him.

WHAT A COMMAND!

Today's reading: Matthew 10-11

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!" Matthew 10:8 NLT

Jesus sent His disciples out to do great and mighty things to the degree with which they themselves had been touched--which, in fact, made them powerhouses!

It's the same for us.

If you have been saved from the pits of hell--you have the power to tell another how to know your Savior!

If you have been rescued from a jail cell of addiction--you have the power to introduce another to the One who had freed you!

If you have been released from the bondages of sin--you have the power to share with another how to pray and ask forgiveness from Christ who died on the cross for you--and for them!

If you have found a Friend like no other--you have the power to help another make His acquaintance for their lifetime!

You have been redeemed, forgiven, saved, sanctified, washed, purified and empowered for the purpose of bringing others to the foot of the Cross.

Are you doing your job?

PIG FARMERS

Today's reading: Matthew 7-9

"Don't give what is holy to unholy people. Don't give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls , then turn and attack you." Matthew 7:6 NLT

Ever given your heart, soul, time and energies to an unlikely other for safe-keeping only to have it returned to you bruised, damaged, ragged and dirty?

Ever placed in another's care something valuable, whether it's been your trust or an item of great worth, only to find out their care wasn't a safe bank in which to store that precious commodity?

Ever invested your life into the love of someone who wouldn't, couldn't or didn't reciprocate?

I think that's what Jesus was talking about when He was speaking to the crowd that day.

I don't know if in the crowd there were pig farmers, jewelry store owners--or both, but He had an audience who could understand what He was saying.

I think we can, too.

Some people are not worthy of what we are giving them. Not capable. Not built to provide what we believe they can give us.

We are expecting them to be God--and they are not.

Don't expect from mortals what ONLY God can give.

It's like storing your jewelry box full of precious gems in the pig sty!

IF

Today's reading: Matthew 1-4

In reading through the fourth chapter of Matthew where Jesus is tempted by Satan, I catch a glimpse of just what I needed for today.

I see the truth.

I see Satan's trap for what it is.

The 'if' he likes to set out as bait for me to sniff at, take a bite of--and WHAM, then I am caught in his snare!

'If you are the Son of God, change these stones...'

'If you are the Son of God, jump...'

'I will give it all to you, if you will only kneel down and worship me...'

And to think he offers these baits to Jesus!

Jesus!

Oh, he doesn't tempt me with miracle-sized things. Or magical things. Or things that are monumental in nature.

He whispers small 'if-s' in my ear.

'I wonder if they meant that how it sounded...'

'If you were any good that would have went better...'

'If they thought much of you...'

'If this God of yours loved you as much as you say He does, would this really be happening...'

Oh, friends, he baits traps with 'if-s' all day long.

He knows just what catches my attention, gets me off course and diverts my affections.

But this morning, I'm fore-warned. I'm going to be watching out. I'm privy to his tactics!

And now, so are you!

WORN HIM OUT

Today's reading: Malachi

"You have wearied the Lord with your words..." Malachi 2:17 NLT

There's nothing like a verse that stops you dead in your tracks.

One that grabs your attention.

One that grinds your morning routine to a screeching halt.

These are harsh words. Biting words. Hurtful words.

True words.

Let's be honest, Christian friends, even the best of us on our most godly of days have worn God out with our words--when what He wants to see is a little action on our part.

We pray the most King James-iest of prayers for light for the next step, when He wants us to step out in faith.

We plead in our prayer closets for things to change in our situations, but never ask for Him to make the necessary changes in our hearts.

We cry out for help quoting all the verses we have set to memory, but seldom for holiness.

We are well-versed at praying fire and brimstone over the heads of our enemies, but not so fluent in prayers of confession for our own personal sins.

We are all about asking, requesting, begging and providing Him with our wish lists, but praising?

Don't you imagine that just wears Him out?