Monday, July 30, 2018

Hurried Instructions

Hurried Instructions
July 30, 2018
Hebrews 13:16  "And do not forget to do good and share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

The author of Hebrews is unknown, but some believe it to be Paul since in the last few verses the author mentions Timothy and life in prison. Nonetheless, the author of Hebrews takes great care to lay out the majority of the book and then the last chapter of the book, Hebrews 13, seems rather hurried. He is writing as if he is running out of time but wants to give out a list of things to remember, instructions to keep in mind. Maybe he was in prison and sensed his time running short. Maybe he would be traveling soon and needed to come to a close. Regardless about his time frame, and the hurried instructions, they are not to be taken lightly. There are a few themes woven throughout the last chapter of Hebrews and the themes actually connect nicely, despite the laundry list of items.

He says we are to be hospitable, taking care of strangers. Then a few verses later he mentions the Lord will equip us to accomplish His will if we answer His call. And then just a few more sentences later he instructs us to be generous to others with our sacrifice in that generosity being noticed and appreciated by the Lord. While the complete set of important instructions in Hebrews 13 are hurried they are not a laundry list of mutually exclusive items. They are all important and even build upon each other, progressive in maturity. 

Being generous to strangers, with brotherly love, involves doing something that is not quite natural. It is natural to serve the self, but serving those we have no attachment to, that is another thing. He instructs us to be hospitable to strangers, entertaining angels unaware. Culturally, they understood that back then. You welcomed strangers to your front door and took anyone in, treating them like royalty. But it goes beyond the knock at the front door, it goes into every person you bump into at the grocery store or waiting in line for coffee. You should show hospitality to them, too. This is rather easy because those instances are truly for a few nano seconds. Anyone can hold it together for nano seconds. It is easy to fake a smile and be polite for a few nano seconds. But the author of Hebrews does not stop there. He suggests we should go out of our way to be overtly generous to them, to the point of sacrifice, self sacrifice.

When was the last time you gave to someone in a sacrificial manner? Maybe you sacrificed for a loved one, maybe a dear Christian in your church, but what about a stranger? These instructions, to give generously, sacrificially, to strangers is akin to the story of the Good Samaritan. Remember the Good Samaritan took the fallen man to a nearby town and paid the inn keeper to feed and house him. The Good Samaritan didn't just help someone stranded on the road change a tire, he paid for weeks of food and shelter. It was a sacrifice. The Lord says we are to live this way, being sacrificial to strangers. We are all called to sacrifice for strangers but few of us answer that call. When you have the opportunity to respond to the call for the strangers you meet, the Lord will equip you to to accomplish it. He doesn't ask that you give out of your extra or plenty. He asks you give even if it hurts a little; this is what blesses Him. These instructions are hurried from the author of Hebrews but the implementation of them are anything but simple or easy or hurried. It takes deliberation to live with and implement these hurried instructions.

Don't take my word for it; look it up: Luke 10:25-37, Heb 13

Monday, July 23, 2018

Redeem One Hour

Redeem One Hour
July 23, 2018
Matthew 26:40  "Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. 'Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour?' He asked Peter."

Jesus was about to face the worst physical part of His human life, the crucifixion on the cross. He knew it was coming; He foresaw it and He understood what was going to happen.  He went out to pray and asked His disciples to pray as well, to keep watch and pray. Jesus asked them to keep watch while He prayed because He knew the soldiers would be there to arrest Him. Danger was coming and the disciples needed to be vigilant. Praying and watching were the instructions, because Jesus knew that a state of prayer would be required if and when the soldiers approached while Jesus was off in the woods praying. Jesus knew the disciples needed to be in a good spiritual state should the soldiers arrive when Jesus wasn't looking. He did not want the disciples to be caught off guard and respond in a fleshly manner.  The instruction could not have been more clear and yet the disciples failed Him in that one hour of request. They could not do it.

In effect, Jesus was asking the disciples to redeem one specific hour, to dedicate it to helping Him, most importantly in prayer. This hour, the one the disciples fell asleep during, was not necessarily an hour dedicated to anything else. It was an hour they could have spent doing anything and they used it to fall asleep. He was not asking them to skip work or family or any other productive activity. They had nothing better to do and He asked if they would give Him that one hour. They used that hour to fall asleep.  Falling asleep is symbolism for being lazy and complacent in the Bible. The analogy of falling asleep, in some instances, is also akin to walking away from Christianity. Jesus was asking the disciples specifically to focus on their Christianity, and instead they were lazy and took a nap.

The ask from the Lord is unique to each of us, however I do know collectively He has asked us to pray. When you pray, however, is completely between you and the Lord. In keeping with the parallel to the disciples, if we have nothing better to do, and we could pray, we usually take the lazy way out and fall asleep as well. Look over at all the minutes in your day and sum up all the time you spend surfing social media or videos, when you truly are surfing without any specific intent other than to waste your time away. We all do it, and likely waste so many opportunities to redeem that time for the Lord in prayer. Surfing the internet, without intent, is akin to the disciples falling asleep when they could have been praying. When you get to heaven, and the Lord reminds you of all the time you wasted just scrolling on your phone with your thumb, are you going to be pleased or disappointed you could have spent some of that time dedicated to the Lord, more intentional with your life, possibly in prayer?

Try redeeming some of your time. Try to be intentional and put down any distracting device when you are truly just wasting time and redeem it for the Lord. Spend that time in prayer, when you are driving, or waiting for a conference call, or standing in line. Every chance we can waste, if we do not attempt to redeem it, we are falling asleep.

Don't take my word for it; look it up: Matthew 26:36-46

Sunday, July 8, 2018

Expensive Gift

Expensive Gift
July 9, 2018
Matthew 26:9  "'This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.'"

Jesus had a circle of people close to him, not just the 12 disciples. Mary and Martha were two women who were constants in this stories about His life. Little is known about the two women, except that they were sisters and had a brother whom Jesus raised from the dead, Lazarus. Mary is believed to have been a woman of the night, someone who sold her body in exchange for money. Mary was likely the wayward sister. But despite her background, she came to accept the forgiveness of her sins and the salvation that Jesus offered her. And thus, she became similar to what you might call a friend and disciple of Jesus as well.

But before the forgiveness of her lifestyle, she made her money through detestable means. Coming to the knowledge and understanding of the Lord, she had to have given up that lifestyle, that way of earning a living. Having turned over a new leaf, she ended up living in the same household as her sister Martha as well as brother Lazarus, when Jesus comes to dinner. At that dinner was a notable event, Mary anointed Jesus with expensive perfume. Think about how she got that expensive perfume for a moment. She sold her body to men, in exchange for money that she used to buy that expensive perfume, and then would wear the expensive perfume to attract more men, keeping the circle of her income flowing. Now, she had expensive perfume and no income. That lifestyle was gone. Did she have any other skills to earn money? It is doubtful, since she chose to sell her body as the best means for earning a living. And what does she do with that perfume? She doesn't sell it to provide income for herself, she doesn't sell it and donate the money to the poor, she poured it on Jesus. The disciples complained about the waste, but Jesus chastised them, suggesting it was a perfectly fine give, though very expensive. 

That perfume represented a lot for Mary.  In keeping it and even wearing the perfume, she would be reminded of her old lifestyle. But she needed the money, too. She couldn't afford to just dump it all out in one setting. She needed the income. In the least she should have sold it to help provide for herself. But instead of providing for herself, she dumped it all out in one setting, perfume that was purchased through her promiscuous lifestyle. Be Jesus appreciated the gift. He didn't see it a waste of resources. He was honored by the expensive gift. He did not appreciate the gift because it was expensive, He appreciated the gift because of how much if cost Mary to give it away. 

I'm not going to ask you how much the most expensive gift cost that you've given to the Lord, but  I will ask how much it actually cost you. What did you have to give up in order to give the gift to Jesus? It cost Him His life to give you the gift of salvation, what is the total of your personal expense? Maybe it isn't about a dollar amount as much as it is a heart amount. Mary put her heart in it, in pouring the expensive perfume on Him. In essence, she was dumping our her entire life out for Him, as now she would have nothing left at all. She was now without income, or a source of future income, completely dependent on her brother and sister. All she has was the forgiveness of sins and her salvation.

You likely have more than just the forgiveness of your sins and salvation. You have far more than Mary did at this point in her life. She could not afford that expensive gift, but the Lord honored her for it. From an economic point of view and applying the same wisdom that the disciples applied, she should not have used up the perfume that night. It wasn't the right thing to do at the same time is was completely the right thing to do. She gave Him the most expensive gift she could, because her relationship with Him was worth far more than a year's salary. So, I'll ask again, how much has it cost you to give that gift to the Lord?

Don't take my word for it; look it up: Matthew 26:6-13, Luke 7:37-38, John 11:2 & 12:1-8

Monday, July 2, 2018

Freedom to Do

Freedom to Do
July 2, 2018
Romans 6:17  "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slave to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance."

In the Old Testament, the Bible speaks often about setting a slave free. The instances around that freedom were always defined, that led to the freedom, but it never explained the outcome of that freedom. It seems obvious; the slave was free. The outcome and benefit to the slave was his personal freedom. We seldom have to define that benefit of freedom, thinking it self explanatory. Being free means you are open and able to do whatever it is you would like. Being free means no one is controlling you, telling you what to do, requiring anything from you, or forcing you to do something you do not want to do.

The Bible says very clearly, though, in the New Testament, that freedom from slavery isn't just about being free, it is freedom from something in order to do something else. You are freed from something; the hindrances are removed so you are able to do whatever it is you are supposed to now do in freedom. Being free does not mean you are floating in space. While you are free to relax when you need to relax, you are also free to be productive when you need to be productive. More specifically, you are free to serve the Lord, as He has something for you to do. This is voluntary, though, not something you are forced to do. He wants willing participants, those who choose Him and have a desire to do whatever it is He requires.

This isn't just about a mission in life or job that the Lord has for you and me. We are free from sin in order to submit to righteousness and holiness. Holiness seems ignored today, but we are asked to be holy if we want to accept what the Lord has for us. For some, that requirement to be holy feels like an obligation of drudgery, as it is in direct opposition to being free. It can feel like slavery, when your body wants to participate in sin or worldly activities, but you know you are asked to be holy. This is where the desire to serve the Lord kicks in gear. If you desire to serve the Lord, then you desire to be holy. The Bible uses the words, "slave to righteousness." It says we are free from sin and now a slave to holiness. It feels like going from one slavery to the next. 

As a slave you are not free to choose. But the Lord says very clearly, we are free to choose Him or not, to choose His way or not. The Lord does not keep us a slave. We, ask Christians, must acknowledge when we willingly want to come in to the Lord's family, that we will be asked to follow the guidelines of the father's house. This is also voluntary, as you can leave the father's house anytime you wish. You may struggle with the idea of being a slave to righteousness, but that is something you should want to do, not have to do. You are freed from sin so you can do what it is the Lord wants for your life. If you want the Lord, then you'll want what He has for you. Your desire, then, should be for His ways and His will and His plan. If you find yourself in a conflict with being a slave to righteousness, not wanting that lifestyle, you are more than welcome to become a slave to sin again. Just know there are consequences to both lifestyles. You have the freedom to do whatever it is you want to do. Use caution and care in exercising your freedom.

Don't take my word for it; look it up: Romans 6