Tag Archives: Faith

Like a Child (SOAP)

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Today, let’s reflect upon Matthew 18:1-6 together!

S – scripture

Matthew 18: 1-6:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

O – observation

Jesus exalts a child as the example of faith

Jesus tells us that we should have a faith like a little child.  And that sounds nice and sweet to us, but in Jesus’ day, that wasn’t the case.  Children were not important.  They were little more than property in that day.  The number of kids you had would show the wealth that you possessed, but it was not a child friendly society like ours is.

So, Jesus takes a child, of little worth in the culture, and says, be like this.  Humble yourself.  Don’t be proud.  Be humble. And in that, you will find the kingdom.

Jesus tells us welcome little children

Jesus doesn’t just tell us to humble ourselves like a little child (which is bad enough!) but He tells us that we should welcome children.  In His day, that simply was not the case.  Children were to be seen (rarely) and never heard. They didn’t matter.  They didn’t have value in that day. They were simply not important.

First, He tells to be like someone not important. And now He tells us to welcome someone not important.

Jesus is challenging us to consider our values of who is important and who is not important.

millstoneJesus warns us to consider out actions

And finally, Jesus tells us that if we cause one of these little ones to fall, our fate would not be good.  A mill stone is HUGE stone.  Bigger than any stone that you have ever soon. There is  no way that you could tie it around your neck, it’s simply too big.  Jesus is making a point here.  It would be better for you to do something impossible than for your actions to hurt one of these.

He reminds us that our actions have consequences that we can never even see.

A – application

Who is not important to us, that is important to Jesus?

Jesus calls us to pay attention to those that don’t “count.”  That don’t “matter.”  That aren’t “important.”  Why?  Because they count, the matter, and they are important to Him. They matter to Him.  He loves them, wants us to love them, and they may have something to teach us about faith.  God may be wanting to use that one that you think doesn’t matter to point other to Him.  He may have a high and lofty purpose for them, that we’ll never understand.

But He does. And He wants us to respect, love, and care for them.

Today, who are we missing, that Jesus isn’t?  Today is not important to us, that is very important to Jesus?

How can I humble myself?

CS Lewis said “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”  We have to learn to humble ourselves, and take the focus off of us, and put it on Him.  But our vision, our plans, our lives on Him.  He calls us over, and over and over again to humility.

Every wondered why?

If we are focused only on us, we will never be able to see Him.  Today, may we take the focus off of us, and place it upon Him.

Have I considered the consequences of my actions?

My life, my decisions, my actions, they have have consequences.  They affect others.  I don’t live only for myself.  I live for God, and I live for His plan.  The choices I make today, they will affect others in ways that I can’t imagine. Today, in our lives, may we remember that the choices that we make, the have a great affect on others, than we realize.  May we live with that knowledge.

P – prayer

Dear Father, my I live today, keeping my eyes open for those that I normally miss because I am so busy.  May I seek to place the focus of my life upon you, and may I consider how my actions affect others.  Give me grace for this day.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Weak

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There’s so much we want to do for Jesus!  We want to be strong!  We want to be bold!  We want to do things the right way, be faithful, serve, give it all.

We all do.  Sure we do.  We want to go big for Jesus.

And yet, somehow, most times, it doesn’t happen.  It doesn’t happen like we want.  We blow it.  We fall.  We fail.  Life turns out different than we planned.  We don’t get it right.

And we want to give up.  We feel so weak.

In those times, remember what happened in Mark 14: 37-39:

And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.

asleep-at-the-switchYou aren’t the first person that wanted to do it right for Jesus, but just couldn’t get it right.

You aren’t the first person that was ever weak.  Peter was too.  And he’s kinda a big deal.  He did big things.  He did great things.  He was faithful.  He was who God wanted Him to be.  He was a rock.

He was strong.

But, not every time.  Sometime, he was weak.

And that’s ok. Because when we are weak, God is strong.

He is.  You can trust that.  So, be faithful.  Do your best.  But remember, when are weak, He is strong.

And He’s got this.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

Something Unexpected

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One of the things we see so often in scripture is that one of the main things that Jesus will do sometimes is push us out of our comfort zone.  He will call us to a place that we may not want to go, He will ask us to do things that we may not want to do, He will place us in place that we would not place ourselves in

Listen to Luke 5:1-5:

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”

imgresJesus tells Simon (Peter) to let down his nets on the other side.  Peter was an expert fisherman.  He had done it his entire life.  He knew what he was doing.  He was a pro.  Why would he do that?

He knew what would happen.  He knew this was a waste of time  He knew there was no point in this.

And then something unexpected happened.  Listen to Luke5:6:

And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.

Peter did what Jesus asked, even through it looked a little crazy.  Even through he had no reason to expect that it would change things.  Even through he thought it was pointless.

He obeyed.  And Jesus did something unexpected.  He did something amazing.  He did something no one could see coming.

Because that’s what He does.

Today, will you do that thing that is different, that Jesus is calling you to do?  You have no idea what He may do with that.  Today, He wants to do something unexpected.

So, hold on tight. And see what He is up to.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

For all the Scared and the Restless

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There are times in life when we do no fail safe.  There are times when we may be worried, we may be fretting, we may be fearful.  We may be facing a tremendous test or issue.

We may be in a season now where don’t feel “safe.”  Where we may feel unsure or unsteady.  We’ve all been there.

We may be there now.

If we aren’t or ever have been, at some point, we will be. We will all feel that way.  It’s ok.  It’s human.  But, for all of us that are scared and restless, listen to the words of Psalm 63: 7-8 today:

for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

12-Benn-(Benejou-Rabinowicz--1905-89)--Psalm-91-4God is the one that is our help.  God is the one that strengthens us.  God is the one that sustains us, no matter what.

No matter what it may be in your life that is terrifying you.  No matter what it may be in your life that is scarring you.  No matter what is making you run.  No matter what.

You are safe in the shelter of His wing.  His right hand will uphold you. You can trust.  You can be believe.  You can hope.

You can know joy, during any struggle.  Because you are safe in Him.

So, for all the scared and restless, you can relax.  You can breathe.  You can hope.  Because God is there.  He has this.  He has you.  It is ok.

Rest in Him today.  You don’t have fret or fear.  He has you.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

After the Mountaintop

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mountain-top[1]Yesterday at Asbury, I preached about baptism, our promises to God in baptism, and God’s promises to us in baptism.  Baptism is extremely powerful, holy, and sacred moment in our lives.  It is a profound moment, a moment that we need to always remember, a moment that really defines God’s love for us.

It can be what is called a mountaintop experience.  A time when we really feel God’s power.

Mountaintops are great.  They are awesome.  They are holy.

But, here’s the thing.  They don’t last forever.

Listen to what happens to Jesus, after His baptism, in Matthew 4:1-4:

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

After the mountaintop, reality sets back in.  There are still problems.

There are still worries.

There are still challenges.

There are still problems.

We can’t stay on the mountain forever.  There are things that we must do.  Challenges we must face.  Battles we must fight.  Tests that remain.

But, remember this.  The God that is God on the mountaintop is the same God that is God in the valley.  He is God in the midst of the storm.  He is God in the midst of the test.

He is God in the midst of the trial.

And He will not let you go.

No matter what.  You can trust Him.

On the mountain or in the valley.  He is God.  And you can trust.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

In the Hard Times

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Hard-Times-Grey-Fisted1None of us like tough times or challenges.  None of us like times of trial, or times of worry, or times of stress.  These are all times that we turn away from, times we we don’t like, times we great, and yes, even times that will haunt us and stay with us for a long while.

There are times in our life that are so hard, that literally feel like days, months, or years of our lives are wasted and gone, time we will never get back, time that is gone for us.  These times trial can cause us to even think that God is not there, that we have failed, that our faith is crushed.

You may be going through a tough time right now, and that’s how you feel.  You may be going through a hard time right now, and you’re wondering, where is God, how is this going to get better, how is this going to change, how can I keep going?

Today, listen to the words of James 1: 2-4.  This time of trial may be a great blessing to you, believe it or not:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Count these times joy.  I know it doesn’t sound right. I know it doesn’t even make sense. But it’s true.  These tough times, they will make us strong. They will make us better.  We will grow.  We will find our way.  We will find that God is there.

See, that’s the thing that I’ve come to realize about times of trial.  We feel like God’s not there. We all feel that way. But what we come to find out, in time, is that it is God that is carrying us.  It is God that is giving us the strength to keep going.  It is God that is pulling us forward, holding us close, giving us strength.

No matter how hard the challenge is today, God is with you.  Know that. Remember that.  Don’t give up.  Don’t give up.  Don’t give up.

Even if you don’t feel it, God is there. Don’t give up.

For this time of trial, it will grow you.  It will change you.  It will make you better.  It will.  Believe that. Keep going.

Even in the hard times.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone

God Knows What He is Doing

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I love the Old Testament.  I really do.  Right now, I’m reading a great book entitled Jesus on Every Page, which talks about how as Christians, the Old Testament, and the stories of the Old Testament, they are ours. They belong to us as well, and they paint a picture of God’s long term plan of redemption for His people.

God knows what He is doing. And He has a plan for saving His people, that was around, long before us.  God has a plan.  Listen to what the angel tells Mary today in Luke 1: 30-33:

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

trustJesus will sit on the throne of His father David.  He is from the tribe of Judah, the ancestor of David.

God promised David, way back in the Old Testament, that He would establish David’s kingdom, and it would last forever. That it would be an eternal kingdom.

Well, He wasn’t talking about an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly.

That was God’s plan, from the beginning. God knows what He is doing.

Long term, for the world. And for us. For me, for you.  God knows what He is doing.  He has a plan.  He has a will.  He knows what is going to happen. And He directs us where we need to be.

So, today, trust.  God knows what He is doing.  He really does. We see the foundations for God’s plan in Jesus Christ, being laid as far back as the fall, in Genesis 3:15 where He promises this:

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

An offspring from Eve would one day crush the head of the serpent. Even in the fall, God was pointing the way towards what Jesus would do.

God knows what He is doing.  He does.

You can trust Him today.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

What Lasts

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I was having a talk with someone yesterday about Christmas and buying presents and all the stuff that goes into this time of year.  Think about how much work, how much effort, how much everything goes into this time.

And think about how much of it we remember a few months from now.  I was talking about someone about buying a present for a 3 year old, and we all agreed that the best present that you could buy for them would be a cardboard box.  An empty, cardboard box.

And we could laugh at them playing in that empty box. And just enjoying it.

The greatest challenge of this Christmas season is to remember what really matters.  Listen to what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 4:17-18:

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

karen-tribett-faith-family-friendsSo many things that we put so much stock into are just passing.  They are not eternal.  They are not lasting. They will pass.  So many of the things that we put so much effort into will not be here in a year.

They many not ever be remembered in a week.

So, what matters?  What counts?  What should we count on?  The way I often put it is the “F’s.”  Faith.  Family. Friends.

These things last. These things count. These thing are not passing. These things are the things that we remember and that we cling to in all of life.  These things are where life is truly, truly found.

Faith. Family. Friends.

In this Christmas season, may we remember what is truly most important.  And what lasts.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

 

Nothing is Impossible

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What mountain are you trying to climb today?  What hill are are looking at, thinking that there is no way that you can do this?  What challenge do you face that is worrying you to death?

What are you up against today?  What thing do you face, that to you, looks impossible, and leaves you with no hope?  What are you to do?

Listen to what happens in Luke 1: 35-38:

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Fra_Angelico_AnnunciationThis is the story that’s called “The Annunciation.”  This is where the angel tells Mary that she will give birth to Jesus. And her response, with a greater challenge than anything we will face is “let it be to me according to your word.”

How could she have such confidence?  How could she have such hope?  How could she trust in a situation that seems to hard, to challenging, to much, for someone to handle?  This is how.

She believed the word that that the angel spoke – Nothing is impossible for with God.  Nothing.  Nothing.

God is bigger than that mountain.  That challenge. That fear.  That doubt. That hurdle.  That, whatever.  God is bigger.  God is stronger.  God is more powerful.  With God, nothing is impossible.

Nothing.

Believe that, today.  Have hope in that today. With God, nothing is impossible.  Hold tight to Him.  Trust in Him.  And He will make a way.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Calm

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We worry don’t we?   We worry about the future.  We worry about the past.

We worry about the things that we don’t understand.  We worry about the things that we do understand.

We worry about the thing that we control.  We worry about the things that we don’t control.  We worry.

Today, in this season of Advent, where we focus on the fact that God has a plan, for salvation, for hope, for redemption, to make all things right, we are reminded.  We don’t have to worry.

Really.

We don’t.  We can be calm.  Listen to the words of Psalm 131 today:

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.

calmThere is a simple humility in these words today.  David says, I don’t worry about things that are too great for him. He doesn’t worry about things above him.  God has those things .  Really.  God has it.

Do you believe that today?  God has it under control.  He really does.

David says, he has calmed his soul, because he knows that God has it under control.  He can rest.  He can relax.  He can.  He doesn’t have to worry. God has it.

He can rest in God. He can be calm.

So can you today.  You can rest in God.  Really, you can.  You can rest in Him.  You can be calm.  He has it.   He really does.

Today, rest.  Be calm.  Trust.  God has it.  You can place your hope in that this day, and each day.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.