Proverbs 16:33; Proverbs 19:21

33 The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the LORD.

21 Many are the plans in a man's heart,
but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Have you ever looked around at your circumstances, whether good or bad, and thought, "I would have never thought I would have ended up here?" I had a job once that I was devoted to, to a fault-- above all else in my life. I spent all my energy thinking about it stressing about it and figuring out ways to make it successful. About three years into it, things were successful, much more than I imagined. I found myself, however, on the verge of burnout. With a child on the way I knew it wasn't going to work anymore. Along came the perfect opportunity to get out-- another job in the same company making the same money, the same opportunity for advancement, and with a fraction of the pressure. I decided to take it. Soon after, due to a series of poor communications between my then boss, my customers, and myself, I found myself in the Human Resources office being threatened with termination from the company! After 3-years of living, eating and breathing the company, and with good results to show for it, there I was about to be fired. I did not see that coming at all.

But I think I even knew at the time that God was pulling the strings behind the scenes. I think I was feeling exactly how He wanted me to feel about the priorities I had developed during the previous 3 years (and even before that)-- disappointed. I thought-- what's the point? You worship a cause and give it everything you've got for as long as you can, do better than you ever thought you would, and end up in HR, one step away from being fired. At that moment, it didn't take much introspection to decide it was time to look again at how I was approaching life. A year later I had joined a church, was seeking the Lord, reading the Bible daily and trying as best I could to become more like Jesus-- all things that were not happening previously.

Proverbs 16:9; Proverbs 20:24; Psalm 131

9 In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.

24 A man's steps are directed by the LORD.
How then can anyone understand his own way?

Are these truths comforting to you or are they frustrating? I suspect you may have, as I do, an element of frustration associated with these statements. When you really think about it, as much as we sometimes think we would like to see the future, to see how things turn out for us and the people we love in this or that area of life, that is actually the last thing we need. I think the unconscious goal there is to eliminate faith from the equation. We think, if we could only walk by sight and not by faith, our anxiety over unknowns and risks would dissipate and we could make perfect, stress-free decisions and (could it be)....not need God.

But because we are designed to need God, a pursuit that is devoted to the opposite can only result in frustration, depression and anxiety. The result of the original sin of Adam and Eve shows us more than anything that desiring to replace faith with knowledge when it comes to the things God has promised to handle is asking for hard times. So if you are struggling today with stress over the unknowns of the future, maybe it is time to replace your desire to eliminate the unknowns and replace it with a desire for more faith.

Psalm 131
1 My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.

Proverbs 15:11; Proverbs 20:27

11 Death and Destruction [a] lie open before the LORD—
how much more the hearts of men!

27 The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man [a] ;
it searches out his inmost being.

Imagine what life would be like if there were no "inner thoughts" and everything that came to our minds was immediately expressed and then recorded for all to see. Would we have any friends? Would we want any friends? I have a feeling that nobody would be very likable under those conditions. But according to these proverbs, that is exactly how God sees us. It is no wonder that so many are afraid of Him, so many run away from Him and try to pretend He doesn't exist. Without Jesus Christ to cover up these things for us, we are left with the truth exposed to Him-- we are sinful people at heart. But when we are covered by the blood of Jesus we are separated from these sinful thoughts as if they never occurred. The personal sin that we try to forget, that we pretend never happend, that we try to make up for with good works, can be erased only by believing in His ability to do that for us. Apart from that, the truth about ourselves, our sins and our guilt will continue to haunt us.

Proverbs 10:29; Proverbs 18:10

29 The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.


And the logical deduction from Proverbs 18:10 is that those who do evil run from the name of Lord and are not safe. Those who trust in the Lord never have valid reason to feel threatened, unsafe or in danger. Those who do not trust in Him never have valid reason to feel safe or secure. If you are at one or the other extreme with respect to your feelings about your own personal security today, pause and think about what is causing you to feel that way. You may be feeling secure, but for the wrong reasons. If so, your feelings of security may be short lived. Or you may be feeling scared for the wrong reasons. If you are a Christian and have made the Lord your strong tower, these feelings of insecurity will be short lived also. But no matter what your current condition, the conclusion is the same: trust in Him and He will take care of you.

Philippians 4:11-12

11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

We have heard the term "independently wealthy", which means that someone has enough money to live comfortably for an indefinite period without having to depend on anyone else as a source of income. This is attractive to us because in theory it would allow us to avoid having to rely upon people we don't like or work at tasks that we don't want to do, just for a source of income. The people who get there either have a marketable talent or extraordinary business sense or get some huge breaks, or all of the above. They may be "independently wealthy" now, but the road to that status was paved by many people who they were at one time, dependent upon.

How about the term, "independently happy"? I'm sure it has been used before, but I have never heard it. I think the reason people want to be "independently wealthy", is because they want to be "independently happy". The bad news for those who have achieved independent wealth is that the two are not synonymous. But the good news for those of us who haven't is that the road to independent happiness, the kind Paul described, is paved by nobody but ourselves and God. We don't need marketable talent, extraordinary business sense, huge breaks, or anything else to get there; we already have what we need in Jesus Christ. Not to say that we can just decide today that are going to become independently happy and it will happen. I believe it can take many years of being dedicated to growing our relationship with Jesus before it happens like it did for Paul, but I believe it is available to everyone and will happen for those who make Him the center of their life.

Luke 20:1-8

1One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2"Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave you this authority?"
3He replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell me, 4John's baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?"
5They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?' 6But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet."
7So they answered, "We don't know where it was from."
8Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."

Had this discussion been a chess match, the chief priests and teachers of the law would have just found themselves in checkmate. Just like chess players they reasoned several moves out from their next response, but to their dismay they found that they did not have any viable countermoves. An honorable player will at that point concede, shake hands with the other player and admit the truth, which is that he has lost the match. But these guys, as they do throughout the Bible, just decided to quit playing. We can do this too, in our own private chess matches with Jesus, when we reach a dilemma that prompts us to go to Him for answers. When we hear from Him what we know to be right, but don't do it because it is difficult, too risky, may cause embarassment, or for whatever reason, I think we are guilty of knocking over the proverbial chessboard also.

James 3:3-6

3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

The tongue, as the rudder, is the means by which we direct our lives into safe harbor or into a hurricane. A ship may be steered by the rudder, but the pilot is the one who directs the rudder. In the same way, the tongue may steer the person's relationships, but what is in a person's heart is what directs the tongue. Just as the rudder can only be controlled by a pilot, the tongue can only be controlled by the heart. Trying to control the tongue any other way is futile. Just like the speakers on a sound system can only play the music that is on the disk in the CD player, a person's tongue can only communicate what is in his heart. When we harbor bitterness, fear, resentment or anger, regardless of how well we think we are able to filter it before it reaches the tongue, it comes out and is heard, and our relationships get steered into places we don't want to go. In contrast, people who are full of the Holy Spirit are skilled with the tongue, always offering encouragement and saying the right things at the right time.

1 Kings 18:22- 1 Kings 19:18

Elijah on Mount Carmel


16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" 18 "I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed the Baals. 19 Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." 20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing. 22 Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the LORD's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—he is God." Then all the people said, "What you say is good." 25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire." 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. 27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel." 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs [a] of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood." 34 "Do it again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. 36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD -he is God! The LORD -he is God!" 40 Then Elijah commanded them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!" They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. 41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." 42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. 43 "Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back." 44 The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.' " 45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.


Elijah Flees to Horeb


1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."
3 Elijah was afraid [a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.

The LORD Appears to Elijah


And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."

Hopefully you have time to read this long passage. It is a pretty readable story. The part that I want to focus on is:

3 Elijah was afraid [a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."

Why the shift in Elijah's attitude from the boldness he showed in chapter 18? He went from a heroic, no fear, challenging, in your face kind of guy, to just the opposite over a 24 hour period. This would be like David running in a panic from the rest of the Philistine army after he slayed Goliath. What would cause such a shift in his personality?

I believe that Elijah thought God had put the entire world on his shoulders and he was confident until something happend that he didn't expect, Jezebel did not surrender after the Baals were defeated. Elijah assumed he had failed and had caused God to fail because of this. He mistakenly thought that the success of God was all up to him.

Have you ever felt that way? It is easy to do, some might even say that if people don't feel that way, they will not be motivated to do anything for the cause of Christ. I think we should participate in ministries and missions out of faithfulness and not because we think that if we don't, people will not be helped or that they will not receive salvation. As this story illustrates, the fulfillment of God's purposes do not rest on the shoulders of men.

Someone might ask, why do anything at all, if God's purposes are to be fulfilled regardless of what we do, and our success or failure can neither bolster nor impede His success? Because He has invited us to participate in all the good things He is doing and we like working with Him. If a famous master builder asks us to help him build a house, we know the house is going to be built whether we excel at our assigned task or not, but if we like building houses, we just want the opportunity to work alongside this guy and see how he does it and also be part of one of his projects. If an avid golfer wins a contest and has an opportunity to carry clubs for Tiger Woods in the Masters, he knows that Tiger is probably going to shoot the same round regardless of how well he carries the clubs, but he will jump at the opportunity to, in some small way, be part of his round. One more, and maybe the best; if a 3 year old sees his father outside raking leaves, he immediately wants to come out and "help". He really doesn't think that his dad can't do it without him, nor does he care whether he speeds up the job. He really just wants to be with his dad and be part of what his dad is doing.

The fact that we do not impact God's ultimate success actually makes it easier for us to enjoy doing His work, because there is no pressure and no aspect of self pride to mix up our motives. This allows us to do His work for the same reason the 3 year old wants to rake leaves, just because we like it, and because we like Him.

Luke 6:27-36

27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Finally a passage that tells us how to be instead of how not to be! But it doesn't get any easier. This direction from Jesus is hard to accept unless we really think about the overall goals we have with respect to our enemies. In the heat of the moment we may desire only that justice be served upon our enemies, but I think what we really want from them is for them to stop the behavior that makes them our enemies. If that is our ultimate goal, I believe this method is the best way to accomplish it, especially the part about praying for them. Sometimes I think that God brings certain people into our lives that we are sure to clash with, so that we will pray for them (and possibly so they will pray for us). Sometimes, people who don't like each other are so in tune with one another's weaknesses and shortcomings that they are actually the people who are most equipped to pray for each other. This is pretty ironic, but it makes sense to me. Another thing I have noticed is that when I begin to pray for an "enemy" I become vested in the pursuit of their genuine betterment, and begin to see myself as a tool that the Lord is using to bring that transformation about in them. This makes the contentions easier to tolerate as I begin to see a purpose in them as opposed to only seeing the inconvenience or frustration.

Luke 17:11-17

11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a]met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

I don't think it is uncommon for people who have cried out in desperation to Jesus while in the midst of some crisis, after they have been delivered, to forget all about what He did for them. I think it is what we naturally tend to do. But here is a thought. What if the men in the above story had leprosy for a reason, in other words, God was using their undesirable condition to bring about His purpose in them, whether to humble them or to teach them to rely on Him or to show them His power in curing them. Now if that was the case for the nine men who failed to appreciate what He did for them, what might be next for them? I would say possibly another affliction for God to use towards fulfilling His purposes in them that the leprosy did not accomplish. Not to punish them so much as to continue to draw them where they need to be. Maybe this story can motivate us to make more permanent changes in our relationship with Him the next time He shows off His power in our circumstances.

Luke 18:9-14

9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Here, Jesus gives another example of how not to be. The Pharisee in the story thanks God that he is "not like other men", but what he really means is "God, you should thank me that I am not like other men." He then lists all the ways that he has excelled in life so that God can praise him for it. He basically has it backwards.

Before I beat this guy up too much, I must admit that I think this trap is easy to fall into. One version of it might be to thank God for our blessings: our great job, our well behaved kids, our nice house, etc., when what may really be meant sometimes is, you guessed it, "thank You God that we are not like other men".

I think a way to get out of this trap if you ever find yourself in it, is to thank Jesus that He was and is not like other men, and focus on the ways that He excels and how we are blessed by Him and maybe not so much focus on the things He has given us.

Luke 19:41-44

41As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."

How many times has Jesus looked at your life, at my life, and lamented the same thing? Think of a disasterous situation you may have let yourself fall into, and imagine Him, knowing what is about to happen, grieving for you, even to tears: "if you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace..."

Now this is a tough question. What are the things we need to know today that will bring us peace? Or stated differently, are there things that we might be ignorant of today, that if we fail to learn soon, could lead to great calamity for us somewhere down the road?

Dear Lord, may we avoid the kind of destruction that Jerusalem faced, that happend because they "did not recognize the time of Your coming to them". May we recognize Your coming to us-- so that we can have the peace that goes with that. We realize that "recognition" is not just acknowledgement but is also an act, an act of obedience to do Your will even when it is difficult. And we know it will be difficult sometimes. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Luke 19:20-23

20"Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.'
22"His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?'

You are probably familiar with the parable of the talents or minas in this case. The first two servants of course did good with the Master's money and were rewarded. The third (or wicked) servant is an interesting study, however. He decided to make sure that the Master's money was kept completely separate from his own. He went so far as to wrap the very coin that he was given in cloth and put it away so that it could never be mistaken as to whose it was. This seems odd, why did he do this? If you gave me a $100 bill and asked me to do something with it, even if I planned to do nothing with it, wouldn't I just pay you back $100 when you saw you again? I probably wouldn't make such effort to ensure you got back the exact same $100 bill that you gave me.

The wicked servant states the reason why he did this in verse 21, he says he was afraid that the Master would come at the end and take more from him than just what that particular mina earned. In other words, he was afraid that if he mixed up the Master's mina with his own investments, the Master might claim that the servant's profits from his own money were his too. The Master says, "If you thought I would do that, I might understand you keeping it separate. But it doesn't explain why you didn't invest it in a separate account-- there would have been no confusion then!" This reveals the third servant's true motive for acting as he did. He did not want to lift so much as a finger if it meant that any profits that resulted from his efforts would not be his own.

Dear Lord, although we can find it easy to condemn the wicked servant, we regret that it is also in our nature to act this way with what You has given us. We are often reluctant to give up time, money or energy for something that will only result in another's benefit and in no way our own. From this parable we know that this attitude displeases You greatly. Help us be more like the good and faithful servants today, doing our best to help others and to glorify You without regard for what is in it for us. Amen

Luke 7:18-22

18 Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. 19 And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus,[b] saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
20 When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’” 21 And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.
22 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. 23 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

This passage reminds me of a commercial that was on a lot a few months ago. In it, two guys are riding in a car and the passenger says something like, "..so then I ended up finishing the triathlon with a broken ankle." To which the driver replies, "So what's your point?" The passenger, somewhat incredulous, says, "The point is, I am the man." The driver then rebukes him, "The man never has to say he is the man... he just is!"

You have probably wondered at some point as I have, why Jesus wasn't more direct with his answers sometimes. I think it is because He wants us to make our own decisions about Him, but also, maybe because He wanted to show us, and He wants to show us even now, who He is and who His Father is, rather than tell us, because that is what someone who is "The Man" does. "The Man" is all about his actions and not his words. He is says in effect, "I don't want to come out and tell you that, because I want you to see it for yourself. Then you decide if I am The Man or not."