Hold Me

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3 (NLT)

My grandson loves to play with his Papou (Grandfather.) He will come over and they will play together and explore all kinds of things. One of the games they play is Hide and Seek. Now that The Little Dude (our nickname for our grandson) is older, my husband hides and the Dude is supposed to find him. Except, the Dude now knows that sometimes my husband will jump out and scare him.

When they start to play, my grandson comes and grabs my hand and says “Hold me.” It’s his way of saying he wants me to pick him up. Then he points to the room where his Papou is hiding and says he wants me to play too. As I walk into the room, he wraps his arms around my neck and buries his face in my shoulder and holds on!

You see, he wants to have the adventure with his grandfather but he is also nervous about what’s around the corner. He doesn’t stop playing and walk away, he goes to get someone that will hold him so he doesn’t have to face it alone.

I feel this same way sometimes. I love the adventures I go on with God but sometimes they make me nervous. Heck, sometimes they are downright scary. A part of me wants to turn around and sit comfortably in the room with all the lights on. There, I can see everything that is going to happen and I know how to handle it. But if I did this, I would miss out on the adventure with my Heavenly Father.

I am trying to be more like my grandson. I go to Jesus and say “I am afraid of this next step. Will you hold me?” And he does. As I pour out my concerns to him, he takes hold of my hand and says “Just keep walking. I am here with you.” I am still nervous, just like my grandson, but somehow venturing into the unknown is a lot easier if I am being held.

A Minute In It - Recognizing God

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Take a moment to read the passage below and answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

24 Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. They divided his clothes and threw dice to decide who would get each piece. 25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. 26 A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29 The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. 30 Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!” 31 The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him. 33 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 34 Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 35 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 36 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!” 37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!” Mark 15:24-39 (NLT)

Over Jesus life and during the crucifixion, how many people witnessed what he did?
In the text above, who was it that recognized him as the Son of God?
Over the years, Jesus helped many people. Why didn’t they see that he was the Son of God?
What was it that made the Roman officer see God at this moment?

Verdict: Not Guilty

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 1 John 2:1 (NLT)

A little bit ago I went with friends to lend support as they went to court. They were told to show up at the lawyer’s office at 9 a.m. Court started at 9:30 a.m. So, my friends showed up at 9 a.m. When they walked in to the office, the receptionist said “Have a seat. Your lawyer is not here yet.” They sat and waited. And waited. Pretty soon it was 9:30. Court was starting without them.

They began discussing among themselves about how troubling this was. The receptionist heard them and said “Don’t worry.” As the conversation continued she began to explain what happens in the courtroom, the process they go through and the fact that my friend’s names are already on the docket with the lawyer assigned to them. She said, “As long as you walk in with your lawyer, you will be fine.”

This made me think of Jesus. The Bible says we all sin and fall short of God’s glory. We all do things that would make us guilty in God’s court. And if we were tried by the law alone, we would be condemned. It would be a done deal except…..except for the fact that we have a lawyer. And his name is Jesus.

As long as our name is on the docket next to his name, we are fine. As long as we walk with him and choose him as our Council, we don’t have to worry about what happens in the proceedings. Jesus is pleading our case and unlike the proceedings in an actual court room, our case has already been decided. The verdict is Not Guilty.

Not Guilty because we have the best Lawyer in eternity. I’ll take that verdict any day!

Your Heart Moved

Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9 (NLT)

Eve was living her life. She had a comfortable place to live. She had everything she needed to thrive. One day, she was walking in the neighborhood and she encountered a newcomer. As she talked to him, there was a restlessness that began to creep into her mind.

As he talked, he began to suggest that there were things in her life that were missing. Take for example this beautiful fruit. “Why aren’t you enjoying it? It’s right there in front of you. All you have to do it take it.”

Eve began to ponder that. Why wasn’t she enjoying it? Then she remembered, God said no. God said that was not important for her life of happiness. She relayed this to the newcomer and he said “Nonsense!” Everyone needs to branch out and try new things. This, this will complete you. It will bring you fulfillment.”

Eve was convinced. She ate the fruit and then shared it with her husband.

After they obtained what they thought they could never have, things weren’t quite the same. The restlessness was worse. The feeling that something was broken weighed heavy on their minds. As they were trying to sort through this, God showed up. He called out “Where are you?”

God wasn’t looking for their physical location. He knew their exact spot. He was asking more about their hearts. “What happened to make your heart afraid? What caused this distance between us? Where did you go?”

It is so easy for us to follow the path of Eve…..I think we get distracted by the sparkly stuff all the time.

If only I made more money, things would be easier. If I had a life partner, I would be able to move on with my life. If I could just __________________ (you fill in the blank), I would be set. We all do it. What we don’t do is figure God’s question into the equation. You see, God doesn’t care about any of those things. What he cares about is how you answer his question; “Where are you?”

So let me ask you today. Where is your heart? What is more important to you than your relationship with Jesus? Are you really sure obtaining that will fix the restlessness in your soul?

Trusting I AM

As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”  So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:35-40 (NLT)

Jesus, do you say that to me? “Why are you so afraid? Don’t you have faith in me? Don’t you believe what I tell you?” I am sure you do. But Lord, like the disciples I am watching the waves crash on my boat. I’m seeing it fill with water and I feel the pull as it seems to sink just a little lower into the depths of the black. I feel the sting of the cold water as it washes over my body. And Lord, I can’t swim when the waves are so rough.

“Do you trust that I will not let you sink?”

Yes, sort of, but how do I reconcile that you do let some people sink that deep. Some people lose everything - including their lives. That makes me afraid.

“They didn’t sink. I was holding them. What they learned to trust was that my love is not dependent on your circumstances. Just because the waves are fierce doesn’t mean I am not walking in the storm with you. Is it possible that you trust what you see more than you trust who I AM?”

Touch Me Again

When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch the man and heal him. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?” The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.” Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly. Mark 8:22-25 (NLT)

Can you see me now? Sounds more like something we would say as we try to fix something, right? It doesn’t sound like something Jesus would say. We are so used to Jesus performing a miracle one time. One and done. There isn’t ever a question about whether he got it right the first time.

That’s why this story made me pause. And of course, then it made me ponder. Why? Why did he spit in the man’s eyes and then touch them and ask “Can you see anything?” I know Jesus could have healed the man immediately so to me, that’s not the question. The question is why didn’t he? We also know that Jesus always did things for the people’s benefit and God’s glory.

So what was it in this man that made Jesus heal him in stages? One of the interesting things in this passage is that other people brought him to Jesus and begged him to heal him. In other stories, the person who needed healing is crying out to Jesus for healing. Could the man have given up? Was his faith gone? Maybe he’d never heard of Jesus and didn’t know the possibilities?

When the friends brought him to Jesus, Jesus took over. He led him out of the town and had a one-on-one with him. He involved him in the process and engaged him in his healing. There could be so many reasons that Jesus interacted with this man the way he did and until we get to heaven we won’t know what they are. But, we do know a couple of things.

We are often like this blind man. Maybe we’ve given up. Maybe we are so discouraged we don’t have it in us to seek what is best for us. Maybe we just need a one-on-one.

I know Jesus has touched me and grown me in stages. I long for him to just change me into what he wants me to be. I really would like him to just make me new but because this has happened over time and in a relationship with him, it is so much more valuable to me.

When we encounter him, we are not healed all at once. It takes multiple encounters. And maybe, just maybe when we get a glimpse of the “trees”, we know there is something better and we keep looking for more.

Lord Jesus, please touch me again!

Getting The Fit Just Right

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:2-30 (MSG)

I was reading a book and the author suggested trying something different to let the Bible leave more of an impression on my sometimes too busy life. I decided to try it. As I “discover” a Bible verse that speaks to me, I print it out and hang it in a couple of places around my house. When I am in those places, I see it and read it and think about it. Some people would memorize it but I’m not sure I’d be too successful at that so instead I decided to let it seep in to my soul.

Today’s verse particularly intrigued me. I love the words “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” I started pondering what that meant. What are unforced rhythms of grace? As I thought about Jesus and how he interacted with people, I think I got a glimpse into how this looked.

Jesus was always around a lot of people. He spent the most time around his disciples and Peter, James and John. If you watch how he interacts with folks, it’s always different. He addresses them individually, where and how they need to hear him.

When Peter is spouting off, Jesus corrects him. When Peter does something great, Jesus commends him. When the woman with the bleeding disease touches his robe she expects to be chastised but Jesus affirms her. He tells them stories that are relevant to the moment. He constantly meets people where they are and loves on them in the way they need to be loved.

Jesus never said “Look. Here’s the deal. In order to follow me you need to clean yourselves up. Change your clothes, get new friends who do the same things you do and try to look the part. Once everyone is in line, we can grow the Kingdom.” That’s not how he worked. Instead he showered grace (His favor) on all he came in contact with and encouraged them to be themselves while learning to love him.

In The Voice verse 29 says “Put My yoke upon your shoulders—it might appear heavy at first, but it is perfectly fitted to your curves.” I love that imagery. When Jesus calls us to follow him, the way we do it fits us perfectly.

How do we share Jesus in a way that is full of grace? How do we share this life while letting it fit each person individually? Jesus answers that too. “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.” We are never going to grow God’s Kingdom by trying to make everyone look the part. It takes acceptance and unconditional love that only comes from a relentless focus on Jesus.

A Minute In It - Which Soil Are You?

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Take a moment to read the passage below and answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

3-8 “What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.

18-19 “Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.

20-21 “The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

22 “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.

23 “The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.” Matthew 13:3-23 (MSG)

Which soil are you?
Why do you think you fit into that group?
Is there anything you can do to change your soil type?
If so, what?