Opening Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I finally made it here to be with you in these moments. Speak to my heart and soul. Fill me where I am hungry. Be living water to my thirsty soul that my life might be changed, might be filled to overflowing with your love. Speak, I'm listening.
Titus 3: 1-11
Toward the end of his life, Jesus prays in the gospel of John that God will help all of his followers be unified in their life and mission so that the world may know that they are his followers. Unity of spirit, purpose, and action are important to Jesus since we Christians are to represent his Kingdom on the earth.
Titus encourages us to "avoid foolish controversies...and arguments." He doesn't say avoid all controversies and conflicts. In fact, he tells us to enter conflict by holding our fellow believers who are being divisive accountable, warning them twice before we stop relating to them. This may come as a shock to those of us who thought Christians were always supposed to be nice! But Jesus said that we are to love our neighbors, each other, and our enemies, not be nice to them. Love and accountability go together.
I often struggle between avoiding the conflict of holding others accountable and being too harsh when holding others accountable. The writer of Ephesians gets it right when he instructs us to "speak the truth in love." When we tell each other the truth because we want each other to be as close to Jesus as possible, we love. Cross-shaped love holds accountable and forgives. It holds us together in unity, our common goal being to deepen our lives and other's lives in Jesus Christ.
Life Questions:
Who do I need to lovingly hold accountable at home, at church, at work, in my neighborhood?
Closing Prayer:
Merciful Lord, give me the grace to love others as you love me. I want to see everyone reconciled and brought to unity through your cross! Give me courage and love in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Weekly Prayer: Being Bent
Opening Prayer:
"Quiet our minds of incessant chatter and the constant parade of images. Quiet our hearts of the swirling emotions we feel. Help us breath and become still...speak, Lord, your servants are listening."
Numbers 24: 1-13
Balaam was a hired gun, so to speak. Balak, King of Moab, hired him to curse God's people, believing this would doom the Israelites to failure in their quest to inhabit the land God promised to give them. A true curse, in those days, was understood to be guaranteed to happen. The problem for King Balak was that the curse had to be in the name (and thus in the power of) of God. Balak wanted to use God against God's own people! So Balak tried three separate times to get Balaam to curse Israel, offering more and more reward. Each time God made Balaam bless the people of Israel. Though Balaam deeply desired the reward, God would simply not be bought. Balaam didn't get what he wanted. King Moab didn't get what he wanted. It looks like God got what God wanted. Israel was blessed. God bent things into the shape God desired.
In some ways life as a Christian is like being a metal tool forged over the hair-burning coals of a furnace. The smith puts the metal into the fire to soften it, then bangs away with a hammer, sparks flying, metal giving in to heat and force. Jesus wants us to willingly present our hopes, dreams, and expectations of life to him, knowing full well that he may burn and bash a few into a different shape.
Life Questions: How willingly do we offer our lives back to God to be shaped in his direction? What are we fighting God about?
Closing Prayer: Lord of love, give us grace to freely offer our bent lives to you for straightening. Remind us that the heat and hammer are wielded with unmeasurable love, and that you have something beautiful and useful in mind for us.
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"Quiet our minds of incessant chatter and the constant parade of images. Quiet our hearts of the swirling emotions we feel. Help us breath and become still...speak, Lord, your servants are listening."
Numbers 24: 1-13
Balaam was a hired gun, so to speak. Balak, King of Moab, hired him to curse God's people, believing this would doom the Israelites to failure in their quest to inhabit the land God promised to give them. A true curse, in those days, was understood to be guaranteed to happen. The problem for King Balak was that the curse had to be in the name (and thus in the power of) of God. Balak wanted to use God against God's own people! So Balak tried three separate times to get Balaam to curse Israel, offering more and more reward. Each time God made Balaam bless the people of Israel. Though Balaam deeply desired the reward, God would simply not be bought. Balaam didn't get what he wanted. King Moab didn't get what he wanted. It looks like God got what God wanted. Israel was blessed. God bent things into the shape God desired.
In some ways life as a Christian is like being a metal tool forged over the hair-burning coals of a furnace. The smith puts the metal into the fire to soften it, then bangs away with a hammer, sparks flying, metal giving in to heat and force. Jesus wants us to willingly present our hopes, dreams, and expectations of life to him, knowing full well that he may burn and bash a few into a different shape.
Life Questions: How willingly do we offer our lives back to God to be shaped in his direction? What are we fighting God about?
Closing Prayer: Lord of love, give us grace to freely offer our bent lives to you for straightening. Remind us that the heat and hammer are wielded with unmeasurable love, and that you have something beautiful and useful in mind for us.
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Monday, May 16, 2011
Weekly Prayer: Grace Isn't Free
Opening Prayer: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening..."
Reading: Luke 7: 36-50
What a contrast! Jesus compares a holy man, who tries with all his might to do right by God but does so out of a desire to be better than everyone, with a woman who is a notorious sinner. We are not told what or how she sins. Doesn't everybody sin some in their lives? Why is she singled out by the holy man as "a sinner?" One is trying hard to be perfect "for God," the other is only overwhelmed with faith and gratitude for grace she knows she has received!
This passage takes the cost of grace seriously. There is no such thing as "free grace." Yes, forgiveness is free to us, a gift generously given, but it was certainly costly to God. This woman who dropped her tears on Jesus' feet and poured expensive perfume on them understood the cost of God's grace and couldn't help but pour out her gratitude and love on Jesus.
One of the most moving worship experiences of the year for me is "Good Friday," when we force ourselves to face the cross, touch the splintery wood, feel the weight, envision the bloody pains, and remember our cruelty to God. We don't do this because of a morbid fascination. We do this so we don't forget how enormously expensive and precious Jesus' gift of salvation to us is! What can we do, then, to love and honor the Lord with all of our hearts, like "the sinner" in the story?
Life Question: How can I love Jesus more lavishly this week?
Closing Prayer: When I am weak, tempted, tired, and stressed, remind me how deep and wide your love is and that nothing can separate me from it. Show me who else needs to hear about this generous love, and give me courage to share. Amen.
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Reading: Luke 7: 36-50
What a contrast! Jesus compares a holy man, who tries with all his might to do right by God but does so out of a desire to be better than everyone, with a woman who is a notorious sinner. We are not told what or how she sins. Doesn't everybody sin some in their lives? Why is she singled out by the holy man as "a sinner?" One is trying hard to be perfect "for God," the other is only overwhelmed with faith and gratitude for grace she knows she has received!
This passage takes the cost of grace seriously. There is no such thing as "free grace." Yes, forgiveness is free to us, a gift generously given, but it was certainly costly to God. This woman who dropped her tears on Jesus' feet and poured expensive perfume on them understood the cost of God's grace and couldn't help but pour out her gratitude and love on Jesus.
One of the most moving worship experiences of the year for me is "Good Friday," when we force ourselves to face the cross, touch the splintery wood, feel the weight, envision the bloody pains, and remember our cruelty to God. We don't do this because of a morbid fascination. We do this so we don't forget how enormously expensive and precious Jesus' gift of salvation to us is! What can we do, then, to love and honor the Lord with all of our hearts, like "the sinner" in the story?
Life Question: How can I love Jesus more lavishly this week?
Closing Prayer: When I am weak, tempted, tired, and stressed, remind me how deep and wide your love is and that nothing can separate me from it. Show me who else needs to hear about this generous love, and give me courage to share. Amen.
For More Prayer
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For More About Following Jesus To Life
Monday, May 9, 2011
Weekly Prayer
Hey, I want to invite you to join me weekly for a brief time of prayer and Scripture reading. God willing, I will be able to keep up with this weekly. Here's a site that gives us a daily prayer resource from a great new prayer book called Common Prayer. You can connect, follow the daily prayer guide along with me and thousands of others, then see some of my reflections below. In order for this to become an online prayer group, I expect you to participate by sending your comments as well. What has the Holy Spirit spoken to you about in the reading of the Scriptures and the prayers? Start here at http://www.commonprayer.net/.
Luke 5: 27-39 struck me on two counts. One, for the most part, the Pharisees are people seeking to be deeply faithful to their understanding of God, but they believe God wants them to be separated from sinners to keep themselves pure and, therefore, able to worship God in the Temple. There's nothing wrong with being concerned about one's purity before the Holy God of the universe! However, according to Jesus, they seem to be missing the point on how their holiness translates into their relationships with others, particularly sinners. Jesus demonstrates by reaching out to Matthew, a tax collector and, apparently, a well known sinner. Jesus invites Matthew to be with him, and even goes to his house to eat with him! They might actually touch each other's food, shake hands, or welcome each other with an embrace (sarcasm should seep between the lines here)! Jesus shows that true holiness is concerned with healing people and calling people drowning in sin to repentance and salvation.
Life Question: What sick people (mentally, emotionally, or physically) or sinful people might Jesus call me to invite into my life and into life with Jesus?
Your thoughts and prayers are welcome on this blog as they may encourage others in faithfulness!
More information:
For sermons click here.
For Christian life click here.
Luke 5: 27-39 struck me on two counts. One, for the most part, the Pharisees are people seeking to be deeply faithful to their understanding of God, but they believe God wants them to be separated from sinners to keep themselves pure and, therefore, able to worship God in the Temple. There's nothing wrong with being concerned about one's purity before the Holy God of the universe! However, according to Jesus, they seem to be missing the point on how their holiness translates into their relationships with others, particularly sinners. Jesus demonstrates by reaching out to Matthew, a tax collector and, apparently, a well known sinner. Jesus invites Matthew to be with him, and even goes to his house to eat with him! They might actually touch each other's food, shake hands, or welcome each other with an embrace (sarcasm should seep between the lines here)! Jesus shows that true holiness is concerned with healing people and calling people drowning in sin to repentance and salvation.
Life Question: What sick people (mentally, emotionally, or physically) or sinful people might Jesus call me to invite into my life and into life with Jesus?
Your thoughts and prayers are welcome on this blog as they may encourage others in faithfulness!
More information:
For sermons click here.
For Christian life click here.
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