Luke 11:9-13

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread[d] from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

I think the reason for this passage is that sometimes it is our tendency as humans to not give God the benefit of the doubt that we would even a person placed in a similar relationship to us. Except in rare cases, most people would never doubt that their own fathers would be as cruel as described in these examples. But for some reason, when bad things happen to us, we can get discouraged and begin to believe that God could be (or is being) this way towards us. I think this is because we are so susceptible to lies about Him, especially when we feel overwhelmed in our circumstances. When we are feeling this way, it might help to think about how our own fathers would help us in our circumstances if he had the means to do so, and at least give God that amount of credit, even though we know in our minds He can and will do so much more.

Luke 14:31-33

31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

I believe most people, at least to some degree, relate to God in some matters of their lives like the king with 10,000 men. The battlefields might be issues in our lives that give us anxiety, or perhaps opportunities to gain acclaim for ourselves, or maybe some other area where we want control rather than allow God to have it. We gather up our 10,000 men and foolishly meet with Him who has 20,000.

If anyone has come through a period such as this, they know that the best solution is to send that delegation as early as possible to ask for the conditions of peace. We already know what the conditions are going to be-- complete surrender to Him (v33), which is why we often choose to fight, even to the point of despair first, with our outmatched armies, only to discover (often after much stress) that His way was best all along.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I often like to take Bible verses and reverse the perspective to either negative or positive, depending on how it is originally stated. Somethimes it speaks louder to me that way. For example, the negative version of this verse would be, "If we confess our sins, He would be unfaithful and unfair if He did not forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." At first that may not sound right, you might think, "God can do whetever He wants, and if He wants to hold our sins against us and leave us in our guilty state (uncleansed), he wouldn't be unfaithful or unfair to do so." But when you think about who it would be unfaithful and unjust to, it makes sense. God the Father made an agreement with His Son Jesus, that He would accept Jesus's sacrifice as payment for all of our sins and that His blood would cleanse all who believe in Him. So how can God now go back on that agreement without being unfaithful and unjust to His Son? He can't, which is what gives us the power to have freedom from our guilt, not because we make up for our sins but because Jesus did.

Matthew 22:34-40 1 John 4:20-21

34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[d] 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[e] 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can[c] he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Jesus said to have eternal life we must love the Lord our God with all of our hearts, minds, and souls. That pretty much covers it all. Anyone who does that will not have a problem with any of the other commandments. But then Jesus adds another, that we must love our neighbors as ourselves. It seems the first commandment would have covered this, i.e. anyone who loves God like that will have no problem loving his neighbor as himself, so why does he add the second one? I think it gives us a way to test how we are doing on the first one. It is easy to believe that we really love God, but until there is something tangible to prove it, how can we know for sure?

James 1:2-3; Romans 5:3-5; Hebrews 12:7-11

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

7 If[b] you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

If a football team loses on Saturday because they miss too many tackles, guess what the coach will have them work on during practice the next week? They may have done a lot of things well, and the coach wants them to continue doing those things well, but he is not going to waste time practicing on them when they have an obvious weakness that needs to be corrected. And if it is a particularly glaring weakness, the intensity of the practice may increase, that's just how it works. No good coach wants his team to suffer for the sake of suffering, but to improve their performance.

If you are getting discouraged because you are being tested lately, try thinking of God like a good football coach. Sometimes He allows us to experience trials, not to make us miserable, even though, like tackling drills they may, but because like a good coach, He wants us to improve in our weak areas, that we might be "perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

Acts 27:13-44; John 10:28

Acts 27:13-44
13 When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete. 14 But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon.[a] 15 So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive. 16 And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda,[b] we secured the skiff with difficulty. 17 When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis[c] Sands , they struck sail and so were driven. 18 And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. 19 On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands. 20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us , all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.

21 But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. 22 And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. 26 However, we must run aground on a certain island.”27 Now when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea , about midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land. 28 And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and when they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be fifteen fathoms. 29 Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come.

30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, when they had let down the skiff into the sea, under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall off.33 And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued without food, and eaten nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat. 36 Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves. 37 And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship. 38 So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.

39 When it was day, they did not recognize the land; but they observed a bay with a beach, onto which they planned to run the ship if possible. 40 And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore. 41 But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves.42 And the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, 44 and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land.

John 10:28
28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.


In this story, due to some bad decisions made by the crew, the ship was in the midst of a terrible storm and all hope was lost for survival. At the lowest point of the moral of the people on board, Paul comes forward with a message from God, a promise that everyone will survive, and only the ship will be lost. Conditions got even worse after that, and there were some of crew who thought about taking matters in their own hands, by escaping on the life boat. Paul admonishes them to believe what he has told them and stay in the boat, because if they don't, they will die. Amazingly, they take his advice and cut away what looked to be their only hope of saving themselves. Paul begins to eat and encourages the others to do the same, and they are now optimistic, against all logic.

As in the story of Paul's shipwreck in Acts 27, in the Christian journey, many people make some bad decisions before they come to know Jesus (and after too) and find themselves in a bad storm like the one Paul was in. At the low point of their lives, they hear the invitation from God, and cut away all of their life boats and begin to trust in Jesus, because of the promise that "not a hair will fall from the head" of the person who will put all of their trust in Him.

This is not a physical promise for the Christian, because of course everyone dies. The promise in the storm of Acts 27, like in the Christian life, is that "only the ship will be lost", that our souls will arrive in heaven unscathed, even as our bodies are lost. And even though the promise is sure, we must still actively participate in its fulfillment. The men in Acts 27 did not just lay down and sleep until the promise was fulfilled, they had to play their part in it also, as they continued to work to best steer the ship in and then swim to shore.

From this exercise I get two points of encouragement (hopefully you are still with me). As bad as the storms can seem in life, even if they are because of our own poor decisions, like the men on the ship, we have been given the promise and therefore our safe arrival on the island is not in question. Second, during struggles with the health of our bodies, we need not be depressed about the condition of our ship (even if its wrapped with cables to keep it from coming apart), because we won't have it nor will we need it to get to the island.

Matthew 6:25-34

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Most of us know or have known people who take exceptional care of their things. When they buy a car, in five years, it looks and runs almost as good as the day they bought it. Their yards are neatly landscaped, their houses are well maintained, they never seem to need a haircut, and their clothes are pressed. You hear it said about them that, "they take good care of their stuff."

I think the message Jesus is trying to convey in this passage is that God takes good care of His stuff. He points out two examples of "His stuff" to prove His point. The billions of birds that God feeds abundantly every day (Think again about all the healthy birds you can see at one time on a power line. Where do they all get their food?) and the flowers of the field which are clothed so beautifully. Jesus tells us in this passage that we are God's "stuff" too, and not only that, we are His favorite "stuff", we are worth much more to God than the things in the examples.

Matthew 10:29-31

29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny[d]? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

The next time you see a bird, you might enjoy considering a few things about him. The Bible says that God knows who that bird is individually. If that is true, He is aware of every unique marking on him, the nuances of his voice, and if there is such a thing for birds, his unique personality traits. He knows his birthday. He remembers when he was a little baby bird in the nest, dependant upon his mother for the food he received. God recalls with pleasure the day he learned to sing and the day he learned to fly.

The next time you see a power line with literally thousands of birds perched on it, think about how God knows and cares for each one of those guys individually in this way. After that, consider that you are worth more to Him than many birds, and then think about how much value God must place on you as an individual and on your individual life.

Romans 5:6-8; 8:32

6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?


Without question our children are the most valuable things in the world to us. Even our other concerns such as job security, health, etc. have a strong connection to the well being of our children. Is there anything for which we would willingly, in advance, approve the death of one of our children? The very thought is unsettling. There is of course nothing material or even non-material that could bring us to do that.

But let's say there was a person who hated you because of an old dispute and had devoted his life to ruining your reputation. For years, if he found out you were trying to get a job, or a loan, or join an organization, he would call the people in charge of overseeing whatever it was and tell them lies to convince them to not do business with you. Then one day you find out that he is dying, that only your son can give him the transplant he needs, and if you agree, there is a strong chance your son will die during the procedure. Would you allow your son to die saving the hateful man's life?

The answer to that question for us is easy-- I don't think anyone who has ever lived would allow their son to die in that situation. In the Bible, we are like the hateful man in the story and God is like the father with the son whose organs he needs. We already know God's answer to the dilemma, and it is the opposite of ours. I wonder, is there anything more that God could have done to show us how much he loves us? I can't think of anything.

Matthew 7:24-27

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

How do we know if our spiritual house is built upon rock or sand? Before the storm, the house that was built upon the sand could have been well maintained, clean and attractive. It's possible that it was even nicer than the other house. We will not know for sure what our house is built upon until the rain descends, the floods come and the winds beat and blow. If we are still standing after that, we know we are built on the rock of Jesus Christ. Before the storm we are left to wonder, with no confidence in our faith. After the storm we are ready for anything, knowing that our foundation is solid.

Luke 15:25-32

25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ 28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ 31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

While the first part of the story gives us encouragement and hope, the rest of the story provides a warning, which is that sometimes when we are feeling the best about ourselves, we may actually be at our worst. The older son was like this. I think he honestly believed he had not transgressed his father's commandment at any time, even as he was doing so right then by not joining the party.

While the younger son, finally in touch with reality, said "I am no longer worthy to be called your son", the older son, so self-absorbed he could no longer see reality, seemed to be saying, "You are no longer worthy to be called my father". While the younger son was seeing his own sin and the benefits offered by his father clearly for the first time, the older son was still completely blind to both. The scary part here is that he was 100% sure of just the opposite, that he was the only one aware of what was going on, when in reality he may have been the only one who wasn't.

Luke 15:21-24

21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring[b] out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

It is often true that when we feel like we are at our absolute worst, we are actually at our absolute best. The younger son was like this. In his mind he was reduced to nothing, a laughingstock, with nothing redeemable left in him. He wasn't sure if he could, but he just wanted to go home and be with his daddy, in whatever capacity would be allowed. But the father in the story saw things just the opposite. While the son said, "I am no longer worthy to be called your son", the father said "You are finally worthy to be called my son."

So if you are at low point right now, be encouraged, because, like the boy in the story, you may just be in the best shape of your life.

Ephesians 3:20 Part 2

Ephesians 3:20
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

For some reason, the story I told yesterday has really stuck in my mind. I think it is because it is refreshing to think about a time when somebody took a risk and did something that most would not. We need those kind of people in our lives, and sometimes we need to BE those kind of people for others and ourselves.

The good news is that we are equipped and even called to assume this role. In many cases, if God is going to perform in ways that are "greater than we can ask or think", it is going to be through our individual lives. So this means that, if we are trusting in Him and His power, there are times when WE will perform greater than those around us can ask or think. And that is something that is easy to be excited about.

Ephesians 3:20

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

When I was in the 9th grade, I went to a varsity basketball game at my future high school. We had a really good team but we were playing a favored divisional rival. We had played very well. We had a slight lead and the ball with very little time left. Everyone in the stands seemed to be hoping we could just hold on to the ball long enough to run the clock out, and go home with the upset victory. We were in the appropriate, spread, "just pass the ball around" offense, designed to do just that. We seemed to be barely hanging on to control, and each second off the clock seemed like an eternity. One turnover would have given our opponent a chance to come back and win. That's when one of our players did something "immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine". While everyone in the gym was merely hoping we wouldn't blow it, he took a back door cut and got wide open under the basket for a lay-up, which he made, thereby assuring us the victory. What a great and heroic ending to a well played game.

We love it in the sports world when someone surprises us with a creative play or exceptional effort. A basketball player dunking a ball out of nowhere, a long bomb for a touchdown on fourth and one, a holed out chip on the 18th green to win, etc. While these plays and the players who do them delight us, they are nothing compared to our God, who does these types of things constantly. The next time we are in what seems to be a hopeless situation, let's think about our favorite "sports miracle" and know that God loves to be heroic in our lives also. And let's not forget to delight in Him in the same way that we do our sports heros when He performs "immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine" in our lives.

John 14:13-14; Matthew 17:20b

John 14:13-14
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask[c] anything in My name, I will do it.

Matthew 17:20b
I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."[a]

The main difference to me, between average basketball teams and truly great basketball teams is how they play when they are winning by ten or so points. The average teams are content to throttle down a little and enjoy their lead. They let the other team stay somewhat in the game this way, and sometimes end up losing the game. The great teams seem to be even more energized when they get up by ten points as they sense that victory is within reach. Before you know it, they are winning by thirty or more and its all over.

In the Christian walk, we need to decide whether we want to be an average team or a truly great team. Many of us are allowing the enemy to play close behind. We are content to just lead by ten points for our whole lives. We have had some victories, but we have become content to stay where we are. We get get lazy in our struggle against sin, we begin to compromise in areas we never would have considered back when the score was tied. It is not until we find that the Enemy has made a run and made the score close that we start to tighten up again. Then we get a modest lead, begin to slack, and the cycle starts all over again.

Let's decide today that we are going to blow this game open. We certainly have the resources to do it. If our Christian walk is going well, let us not be satisfied, but even more energized in our determination to put the other team away.

2 Kings 5:1-16

1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.”5 Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6 Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. 7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12 Are not the Abanah[a] and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.” 16 But he said, “As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.

Maybe you have seen the Geico commercial where the silly lizard says, "What if I told you I would give you $100 just for standing up?" Would you reply, "I'm so rich I think I'll just keep my seat, thank you." The funny thing is, many of us do that with God all the time. There is something within us that wants to "make our own way", to not be indebted to anybody, as absurd as it is, even to God. We go to God so often for help only when there is nowhere else to turn, and he helps us. I wonder how many desperate situations could be avoided if we could make it a habit of turning to God early and often. I am somethimes content to settle for less than what I could have, just because I don't want to approach God in the small things, in the things I think I can handle, or in the things that I think wouldn't be the end of the world if they were less than perfect. I think it is because I then feel indebted to Him, and I hate that feeling, even though I know I should feel it constantly anyway.

In the passage above, Naaman seems intent upon getting his health back his way, and it infuriated him to learn that if it was to happen, it would be a one way deal-- a gift that he could not attribute to his status, that he could not repay, or otherwise feel like he earned. Because of his sinful pride, he almost gave up the greatest blessing of his life. Fortunately, he was counseled back to his senses, but even after the event, we find that he continues trying to erase the debt, to unload the burden he feels to God by paying something back to the prophet.

But carrying a weight of debt to God is a good thing. It is healthy and is an appropriate part of our relationship with Him, if we are to maintain the attitude of thankfulness which is essential to experiencing joy in this Christian walk. So anytime we can ask Him for something that will make us aware of how much we owe Him, we will be blessed, not only because he grants our request but also because it humbles us and we can thank Him for it.

Hebrews 11-12

Hebrews 11
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2011;&version=50;

Hebrews 12
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2012;&version=50

I like to read this passage imagining the Spirit of God as a football coach, giving a halftime speech to His players, who may be feeling outmatched and unwilling to go out for the second half. I will try to paraphrase it in that way:

Some of you boys may be thinking you don't have what it takes it to win this game. You're beat up and I know you're even thinking about quitting right here on the spot. But let me tell you something. You DO have what it takes. You know how I know that? Because you have FAITH. You may be sitting here thinking that I'm crazy, that FAITH by itself is not enough, that you need more than that. But let me tell you something else, FAITH is enough. Look at the players who played here before you. Great players who won many championships. Were they any better than you? NO! The only thing special about them was that they had the same FAITH that you have. Look at some of these guys, you all know who they are: Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephtha, David, Samuel, need I go on? These men and women did GREAT things, ENDURED much and some willingly died HORRIBLE deaths. But we can see by the rest of their lives that they were not any braver, stronger or smarter than anybody sitting here. And not only that, these men and women had never seen the promise of Jesus Christ fulfilled, like you have. But their FAITH in Him, the same FAITH you have, was enough. And it is MORE THAN ENOUGH for you too!

Now listen, you guys don't yet even know half of the STRENGTH, ENDURANCE and COURAGE that your FAITH is able to give you. So men, lets get back on that field and do battle. Do battle for the One who for the joy that was set before Him, never second-guessed , never pulled back, never stopped fighting against sin, all the way to the shedding of his own precious blood. Lets GO DO IT!

Romans 6:6 Part 2

6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

In the workplace, it seems like you hear all the time,"But you don't work for him." Or "Who does he think he is? He isn't even my boss!" These thoughts are universal, we all know it is inappopriate for someone who has no authority over us to act as if they do. It also galls us when someone acts as if they are in charge of something that we have been appointed to do.

But for some reason, when sin invokes authority that it no longer has, we tend to let it off the hook. When our fears begin to control us, or when pride drives us to do something we know is selfish or anger makes us speak out of turn, we aren't really as appalled in the same way as in the workplace example above. But it seems like we should be, since these sins have no authority over us anymore once we are in Christ.

Who (or what) do they think they are? We need not be tricked or intimidated anymore, into thinking these things have authority when it comes to our thoughts, words or actions. Because of our new Boss, we can now put them in their place, at the bottom of the org chart.

Romans 6:6

6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Anyone who is a Christian is free from all kinds of bondage. Anything that is holding us back right now from the joyful, productive Christian life has no legal power and should not be. In the book, Pilgrims Progress, Christian was held captive in the dungeon of Doubting Castle by a tyrant named Giant Despair. Day after day he was punished by Giant Despair, tortured to within an inch of his life. Christain was so miserable he didn't think he could go on. But it turned out that Christian had the key to the dungeon cell in his pocket the entire time. As soon as he remembered, he unlocked the door and walked right through the front gate of the castle. He felt like a fool for not remembering it sooner.

Many of us, like Christian, have been spending too much time in Doubting Castle, being pummeled by many different kinds of giants. But anyone who has died (accepted Jesus that is) is free from sin of all kind-- doubt, despair and fear (all sins) included. We have this key to escape, so lets go! What in the world are we doing here?

Revelation 21:4

4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

In baseball, the batter who is warming up in the on-deck circle uses a weight on his bat to make it heavier, so that when he gets up to bat he can take that weight off, and make his swing feel much lighter. This concept is easy to understand. The batter willingly puts the weight on his bat because he wants the feeling of a lighter than normal bat when it is time to swing the bat for real. He doesn't complain how hard he has it with the weighted bat, he looks forward to his turn at the plate, and wants every advantage he can get.

In so many ways we who are Christians are in the on-deck circle in this world. No matter how strong our faith is, we all must carry to some degree the weight of sorrow, loss, physical discomfort, guilt, etc. We must use the weighted bat in this life. When we get to heaven the weight will come off and the bat will seem lighter than we can fathom. Maybe the analogy is simplistic, but I sure would like to be able to think like the batter in the on-deck circle as I swing life's weighted bat-- not dwelling on how heavy the bat is, but on how light it will feel when I get my turn at the plate.

2 Corinthians 4:16-17

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,

I remember having what I thought to be serious problems when I was younger. Doing well in school, having friends, girlfriends, etc. There were problems in these areas that at the time I felt I could not overcome. Looking back on those years, I can see now that they were important, but also that God had everything worked out for me already. People and opportunities came into my life at just the right time to allow me to move forward and I was better for the challenging experiences. I don't have the same worries now that I had in those years. Now I have responsibilities as a father and husband, in my company and in my church. If I could have seen back then how my life has turned out now, I should have worried a lot less. I would have also said, "Look, I have everything I am striving for now, that day will be perfect, or at least close enough." And I can imagine God replying, "Yes, you are correct child, but sadly you will be worrying about the next stage of your life still, just like now, once again about things I have already taken of for you."

This passage advises me and all of us trust God and to avoid the cycle of trading the joy of God's current blessings for the worries of tomorrow's outcome (which has already been worked out perfectly by God). And Paul promises that our affflictions now will seem light some day, just as those I experienced in my younger years do now. We will all look back at the things we worry about now and say, look how God made it turn out! And it really was not so bad anyway. It is hard to believe that promise sometimes with some of the struggles people have to go through, but I believe that Paul knew what he was talking about. I don't think these were just hopeful words of encouragement, I believe they are factual. Dear God, might my day to day thoughts reflect that belief also! Amen.

Luke 15:11-31
11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 and not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ 20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring[b] out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. 25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ 28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ 31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

Ezekial 19:32
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!

Our God is good. Who could blame Him if he did take pleasure in the death of the wicked-- of those that hate Him, who slander His name and wish He did not exist, and even devote themselves to convincing others to do the same. Many people, even Christians do take pleasure in the death or punishment of these kind of people. The older son in the prodigal son story was like this. It seems he would have liked nothing better than to see his brother rolling around with the pigs in his misery. In contrast to the father in the story, the older son took no pleasure in the repentance of the wicked. I believe God (like the father in the story) sees the repentance of the wicked as one of His crowning achievements. That seems to be at the heart of the friction between the father and the older son. What the older son did not realize was that the father was trying with all of his effort to get the older son to do what his brother had just done. To repent of his pride and come in and celebrate the goodness of the father with everyone else. The father's ongoing forgiveness of the arrogant, resentful older son is just as amazing if not more so as his forgiveness of the outwardly rebellious younger son.

Luke 13:10-14

10 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

It struck me today, as a diabetic for 28 years, how upset I would have been at the Pharisees, had Jesus just cured my condition. If you think about the worst thing you have had to endure, and might still be enduring, just going away at the touch of Jesus's hand! And then for someone to complain that this is illegal due to a technicality! I would have experienced quite a roller coaster of emotions. It does shows how cold these people were, and how into their rules they were. I also wonder if the stem cell debate might have a parallel? I am not sure how I feel about this issue, but I can sure see Pharisaic (sp?) types coming out and condemning people who are being cured if stem cells ever do produce a cure for diseases such as diabetes.

Another odd thing about this event was that Jesus probably didn't technically do any work. All he did was touch someone. I am guessing that touching someone on the sabbath was not against any laws. It was what the Father did through that touch that the Pharisees had a problem with. So basically, the Pharisees were trying to make God subject to His own laws, that were meant for men, not Himself.