July 13, 2018

Do You Reflect Jesus?

“They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.” – John 16:2-3

When someone slays their children and claims they were doing the will of God, we know they are mentally ill, evil or both. But how many times do we “slay” others through our words, actions, motives, and claim we are doing God’s will?

How often do we offer opinions that aren’t from a place of love? How often do we judge as though we somehow have authority from above?

Don’t be so quick to think this doesn’t apply to you. It does. It applies to all of us. We use God and His Word as an excuse to judge others, to look down on those who have stumbled, to condemn what we don’t understand. We want to be comfortable and because of that we pull away from anything or anyone that isn’t like us.

Have you ever sat next to a homeless person during a church program? It isn’t always a pleasant smell. But it’s exactly what Jesus would do.

Do you seek out the recovering drug addict, the scarlet woman, the man who stole from his company? Do you welcome them to a place of grace and mercy or do you continue to shun them long after they have repented of their sins? Be careful how you answer. God just might challenge you to your lofty ideals.

Do you know that one of the loneliest places you can ever be is at a church service or at a church event? While you’re merrily visiting with friends and family, while you’re sitting with your people at your table or pew, there are others searching for a place to fit in. Do you call them over? Do you welcome them? Or do you assign that task to a pastor or staff member? Jesus would seek them out, include them, ask them about themselves. Do you?

We are a diverse group, we Christians. We come in all colors, shapes and sizes. We come with a wide variety of income levels, from barely getting by to beyond affluent. We come with a diverse set of skills and education, some acquired more from life than school. Yet we still seek to put people in a box labeled “like me” and, when we can’t, we shun them as being less and unworthy.

We are the ones who are unworthy. Jesus said that those who wanted to be first, must be last. He said that those who truly sought to follow Him would be servants. But we don’t want to be servants. We want to be leaders and judges, comfortable in our little cliques. Jesus wasn’t in a clique. He welcomed everyone.

It takes so very little to offer a smile and words of kindness. It doesn’t cost anything to invite someone new to your table or pew. How blessed we might be if we quelled our judgmental attitudes and really loved someone as they are. We are not called to be judges. We are called to love others, whether they are “loveable” or not.

Do we truly know and love God or are we merely using Him as an excuse to do evil, to tout our own agendas, to bring power and glory to ourselves? Live your life as though Jesus truly is walking by your side. Would your words, actions and attitude make Him praise you for reflecting His light to a dark world? Or would He condemn you for slaying those who are desperate for a living Savior?

March 31, 2018

Hope Is Coming

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. – Hebrews 6:19a

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. – Isaiah 53:3-4

Today is the day in between. We have suffered through Good Friday but we haven’t yet seen the miracle of the Resurrection. We our lost, alone, abandoned. Where is hope in the midst of our circumstances?

If you’ve never experienced deep betrayal, harsh words thrown at you, sudden illness, even death, then count yourself fortunate. Jesus warned us that in this world we would have trouble. We see it all around us. We ache from the pain that rips our hearts apart.

We forget that He also said, “I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) We are not lost or alone or abandoned. Hope is coming. Jesus is coming. We just have to get through today.

In the deep valley, it’s sometimes hard to see the sun coming up on the horizon. We look around and see only darkness. The path is rocky, the way unclear. We have been abandoned, rejected by those closest to us. Lies surround us and we wonder if the truth will ever raise its head. It will. Hope is coming.

He was despised by those who didn’t understand. Jesus was mocked and ridiculed. He came to save us all from our sins but we wanted no part of it, of Him. We wanted to live and be a part of this world. We were greedy, arrogant even, in our demands. Until the moment it was all gone. Why did we fight so hard for something we were never meant to have?

This world is not our home. We hear that and nod in agreement. We know what we’re supposed to say, what we’re supposed to believe. Yet we live as though this is all there is. We puff up in self-importance, refusing to acknowledge that it was never about us.

Hope is coming. He hung from a cross. He died so you and I wouldn’t have to spend eternity separated from God. All we have to do is believe, to put our trust, our hope, in Him. Why is it so hard to let go of the things of the world in order to embrace the inheritance that awaits us in heaven?

Maybe we don’t really believe. We know the answers but our hearts tell a different story. Our actions push aside what really matters. We live with our eyes on the prize before us rather than the home that awaits us.

Hope is coming. Jesus was arrested, ridiculed, rejected and abandoned. And yet He loved us enough to conquer death and offer us a way to salvation. Hope in the midst of darkness. Hope in the midst of pain. Hope in the midst of rejection.

Reach out. Don’t you see? There is light just over the horizon. Hang on. Hope is coming.

April 2, 2016

Heartache and Illness Abound

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

-- John 16:33

What a day! Rain. Rain. Rain. Flooding. Street closures. Thunder and lightning. And people who drive like crazy folks out on a sunny day.

None of it matters. Really. It doesn’t. Yesterday a sweet friend said goodbye to her son as brain cancer sent him home earlier than they had planned. Her heart is beyond broken and she is standing only because Jesus is holding her up. She’ll see him again one day but oh how she hurts in this moment.

Another friend learned a couple of weeks ago that her cancer is back. She almost made it to five years in remission. She’s at peace this time, confident that God has this and that He’ll give her whatever strength she needs to face the days ahead. She’s even thankful. That last journey, as tough as it was, strengthened her faith beyond anything she could have imagined.

Her sister, also a friend, learned days ago that she may have cancer too. She’ll have a biopsy soon. We’re praying it’s not that dreaded disease. We’re trusting Jesus no matter what the results.

My neighbor is facing a medical crisis as well. She is in her 40s but just a child in manner and personality. Her Dad buried her mom a few years ago and this is just so hard. She doesn’t understand how serious this really could be. That is a blessing. When she realized her sister was worried, she told her just to pray. It’s what they taught her to do before her mom died. It seems so unfair but, then, life is unfair.

As I write this, a storm rages outside. More rain we do not need on a saturated ground. Sometimes it seems that same way with cancer and heartache. We’ve had enough.

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

-- Revelation 21:4

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Overcome Hurts With Jesus

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -- John 16:33

Some people just don’t like me. They don’t. It’s like I just rub them the wrong way, to use an old expression. It’s nothing specific that I’ve done. It’s just me.

You may have somebody like that in your life. The sad truth is that not everybody is going to like us, even if we like them. Even if they are part of your life, either as family, neighbor or co-worker. It’s just a fact of life.

Knowing that doesn’t make it hurt any less. It would be wonderful if we could just never come into contact with people who don’t like us. We’d never have to face their rejection again. We wouldn’t have to hear their criticism. We wouldn’t have to remember again that we have never been, nor will we ever be, somebody they want to have around.

We can’t make somebody like us. Oh, we can try. But sometimes trying just means that you’re pretending to be someone you’re not to try and please someone who can’t be pleased. At least not by you.

That said, it’s not about you. I know. It feels like it is. But it isn’t. Really. It’s about them. And the simple fact that sometimes people just don’t click.

I find comfort in knowing that Jesus understands. He was rejected again and again, by His own family, by church leaders, by people who just went along with the crowd. He has felt pain much worse than anything I’ve ever felt. And He did it for me.

So I ask for His peace to fill me, that I might be able to do good despite the hurt. I pray that I might curb my tongue and not fall into bitterness and spite. Because pain makes us want to lash out and that really isn’t what Jesus wants us to do.

It’s hard, isn’t it? I have real problems with my tongue. The more it hurts, the more I want to make others hurt. And not always the ones who deserve the hurt. I really have to watch out so that I don’t become like the people who hurt me.

So I spend time every day in the Word. I pray. I surround myself with Christian friends. I attend church. I do those things that keep me focused on who I am in Christ. I hold on to the possibilities of who I can be with His help.

No. I can’t make anyone like me. And certainly I can’t make anyone love me. I learned that lesson a long, long time ago. But I can find peace in the arms of Jesus and the promise of an eternity filled with love and acceptance. So can you.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Tragedy Brings Focus

"I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy." -- John 16:20

I headed to Jasper before the sun came up. Another day on the road. Not much traffic driving up. That changed dramatically by the time I headed up the entrance ramp to I-65 and turned toward home. I was surrounded by vehicles with mostly out-of-state tags. I noticed that Indiana was particularly well represented. The beach was beckoning.

I stopped at a service station for more gas and caffeine on the way back. I stood in line in the ladies room with several wonderful folks. A young woman, obviously newly suntanned, was from Indiana. We joked about the snow that awaited her as she headed home.

A few hours later traffic on the interstate I had just recently traveled was at a standstill. A young man from Troy was driving south. His car left its lane, crossed the median and hit another car. The man was only 21 when he died. The car he hit was from Indiana. It carried four 18-year-olds. They were headed home from the beach. And I pray they made it, even though it wasn't the home they'd planned for just yet.

Another car carrying a mother and her two children was hit. Reports said they sufferered physically non-life threatening injuries. They'll no doubt carry the emotional scars forever. A near miss. A second chance. A horrifying reminder that life on earth can end in an instant. Those who saw the accident happen likely learned the same.

How do you comfort grieving parents? How do you find words to explain a moment that changed so many lives forever? How do you show people God's love and mercy amid so much anguish? I am reminded of the time when Jesus returned to find his good friend Lazarus dead. Jesus didn't offer any profound words, though he would later return Lazarus to life. No. Jesus wept. That's what the Bible tells us. Jesus wept.

And so will all those who knew the five young men who died. They will grieve and question and plead for answers that won't come. Because some things are beyond anything we can understand. But what we do know, what tragedy reminds us, is that our time on this earth is limited. None of us know when our last moment will be. It is so important to know Jesus, to make sure all those around you know Him. Eternal life is waiting. We just don't know when.

So give people you love your time and attention. Do the things you always mean to do but never find the time. Enjoy the moment as well as the day. Show kindness and gratitude. Plant seeds of goodness wherever you go. Leave behind a garden of beauty that shows people Jesus' light when you make that last trip home.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Do Others See Jesus In You?

"Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." -- John 15:5-7

Would you live your life any differently if Jesus were walking beside you today? I'm not talking in the Spirit. As believers, we know that Jesus is with us always. I'm talking about if He were as present to you as your spouse, your best friend or the preacher on Sunday morning. If He were standing there beside you and you could reach out and grab His hand, would you be living your life any differently?

You're probably squirming a little bit right now. Maybe even getting all puffed up and defensive. You live a good life, you're thinking. And you probably do. We're all sinners. Jesus knows that. He paid the price for those sins. But would you do anything different if He were going through your day with you?

For example, would you honk your horn and yell at that driver who just cut you off in traffic? Would you have an attitude with the cashier because the line was so long? Remember Jesus is right next to you in that line. He's probably smiling at the cashier. He knows how difficult it is to be on your feet hour after hour. He knows it isn't her fault the line is so long. Jesus is patient and kind. His manner shines against your darkness. His compassion is a stark contrast to your impatience.

Would you rush past the elderly widow at church, refusing to take time you think you don't have to speak kindly with her? Jesus would stop. He would make time. He'd probably give you a look, grab your arm and tell you a parable that would make you squirm. He'd make His point so that maybe next time you'd remember to care for the widows around you.

Would you take a nap during the church service? Would you complain that the preacher talked too long? Would you spend the afternoon working if Jesus was walking beside you?

Would you behave differently is He went with you to your job on Monday morning. He'd be right there listening when you criticized your boss. He'd hear every word as you and a few co-workers gossiped about a fellow employee. He'd see you ignore a new worker who sat alone at lunch.

I think sometimes we try to fool ourselves into thinking that God doesn't really see the "little" bad things we do each day. We're so busy having our day that it probably doesn't even occur to us that what we're doing is wrong. We're focused on ourselves, not the people we encounter. See that's one big difference between us and Jesus. He notices people. He interacts with them. He is gracious and kind, loving and forgiving. Doesn't sound too much like us, does He?

As Christians, Jesus is supposed to live inside of us. He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us through life and make sure we would never be alone. Yet we live as though we are alone. We live as though Jesus doesn't see what we do. No wonder people are turning away from Christianity and seeking God somewhere else. They don't see Him in us, so they assume we don't know Him either.

We know we are Christians through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The world knows we are Christians when they "see" Him walking beside us and living within us.