Tag Archives: Jesus

Satisfied

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Holly accuses me of never being able to leave well enough alone.  She’s probably right.  I have something within that is always pushing to try new things or think of new ways to connect with folks.

I just know there is always something new and exciting that God has for us.  I know that there are better days ahead, better things to come.

And I’ve always wanted to do my part, to be faithful, to try to figure out what God is calling me and my churches too.

But, Holly says I’m just wired to not be able to leave well enough alone!

I was thinking about this today as I read from John’s Gospel where the feeding of the 5000 takes place.  In this passage there is a verse that really stood out to me this morning:

11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.”

The 5000 came, Jesus took the fish and loaves of a child, blessed them, and passed them out, and the people ate just enough to where they weren’t hungry.

That’s not what the text says.  It says they were satisfied.

They had all they need. They were happy. They were content. They were satisfied.

They were satisfied in what Jesus provided in this text.

Today, are you?  Are you satisfied with life?  Are you satisfied with what the world is giving you?  Are you satisfied with what you are seeking?  Are you satisfied with choices you are making, the direction you are heading?

Are you satisfied?

That was Jesus’ desire for the people today.  Not just that they have the bare minimum to eat. That they be satisfied.  He wanted them to know that contentment in life.  That contentment that comes only from Him.

If we are living in His life, His love, His grace, His power, then may just have lunch of fish and bread, and we will be satisfied.

But, if we are not in Him, not living in Him, living in His grace and mercy, then we could have the finest steak supper.

And we will not be satisfied.

So, today, are you satisfied?

How is your life in Him?

A Made Up Mind

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There’s an old saying, never judge a book by it’s cover.

Don’t think you know everything about a situation too quickly. There’s always more to know, more to understand, things you don’t see.

Don’t make judgements too quickly, before you know what’s going on.

I thought of that as I read this morning from the first chapter of John

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Nathanael almost missed Jesus this morning. He always missed his salvation, he almost missed the great thing God wanted to do, he almost missed the very hope for his life.

Why?

Because he had his mind made up already.  He just knew that nothing good come from Nazareth.  Nothing worth anything could come from there.

He knew it.

And, because of that, he almost missed what God wanted to do.

Thankfully, he had a friend that was willing to love him and take him to Jesus.

Today, let’s not be too hasty to have our minds made up about everything.  Let’s be open to new potential and new dreams.  Let’s see what new thing God may be  up to.

Let’s see what could happen in ways that we don’t understand.  Let’s not make up our mind too fast.

Let’s be willing to follow Jesus in new ways. Let’s try new things.  Let’s not be too quick to judge.

Even if we think nothing good can come from Nazareth.  Let’s not make up our minds too quickly.

God may be trying to do something new. Let’s see what He is up to.

Access

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A couple of years ago, Holly and I went to the Holy Land. I’ll be honest with you, I was never a person that really wanted to go.  I know lots of folks that went and said it was the greatest thing ever. I’d heard all that. And while I was excited to go – it wasn’t something I’d really ever desired.

But when you get there, wow. It’ really is something else. It opens up your eyes to some many things in Scripture that you didn’t see before. It really makes thing make sense in a way the didn’t before.  It really is a power experience.

One of the cool things we saw was in the south part of Israel the ruins of an old army fort that dated back to Solomon. I know, cool. But, the cool thing was to go inside of it and see how it was all laid out. And inside of this fort, there was a replica of the  Temple in Jerusalem.  And, inside that replica of the Temple was it’s on Holy of Holies. The most sacred place in the Temple. The very place the presence of God was believed to rest. The very place where the priest would tie a rope around their ankle so if God struck them down, they could be drug out. It was the most Holy place in all the land. And each outpost had their own, which was just as holy.

In the picture to your left, you see Holly standing in that Holy of Holies. And notice, she is not struck down.  It’s 3 years later and she is still with us and still alive. God did not strike her down at point.

Why?

Because of what happened in today’s text

50 Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.

In the death of our Lord, the curtain was torn. And we have access. We are welcomed into the presence of God.  No longer is God separated from us, but He is with us.

No longer do we have go through an other means of access. We can each go directly to God. We are each welcomed in. Each of us.

Today, you have access to the created of heaven and earth.  Your prayers are heard by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  You are welcomed in!

Wow!

Take advantage of that.  Seek after Him.  Seek His face.  You have access to the King!

May we know how blessed we are.  And we spend time each day seeking after Him!

Different

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This morning as I was reading through of the passages of scripture that we all have heard a lot and that we know pretty well, the Fruit of the Spirit, I was struck by the last verse in that section in a way that’d I’d never noticed before.

Paul writes this:

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.

and this:

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

As I read this, I began to think about that notion of crucifixion. This notion of putting to death these things.  That we are supposed to die to our sinful passions and desire.

In short that we are supposed to be different.  As Christians, as those that follow Christ, we are called to be different that the world.

We are called to be different than the culture.

We are called to live, to love, to serve, to be different than the culture we are in. Different from the world.

We have a different Lord – so we have a different calling and a different way that we are supposed to live.  Not a life of self righteous judgment, mind you, but a life of love and service.

But, it comes back to that truth. We are called to be different. To put to death the past and it’s desires and live in the newness of life Jesus offers.

Today, are we different? Are we different than the world?  Do folks notice something different about us?  Do folks wonder what makes us different?  Why we have hope, peace, and joy?  Why we love?

Are we different?  If we are led by the Spirit and have put to death the old, we will be.

May we be different for our Lord in this day!

Different

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I was thinking this morning about being different.  As I’ve been working on my first sermon for Asbury Church, I’ve been thinking about how I will introduce myself, my beliefs, my family, all these things that make me who I am.  And I’ve been thinking about how we are all different.  No two of us are the same, no two of us have the ideas about everything, the same passions, the same dreams, the same beliefs, even.

And, that’s ok. There’s something awesome about all us, with our ideas and own stuff gathering together around the table, worshiping our resurrected Lord.

Today, in one of the passages, Jesus talks about being different.  And He says, not only is it a good thing, but that we as Christians are called to be different.  He says in Matthew 20:

24 When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26 It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Jesus tells us today, the world understands greatness in terms of power.  Who’s the boss?  Who is the one in control?  Who is right?  Who wins?

That’s how the world works.

It is not so among you.  We are called to be different.  We are not called to be like the world.  None of us are the boss – God is.  Those of us that lead, lead not by our own wisdom or knowledge, but by God’s wisdom, and God’s knowledge.

The greatest among us is not the smartest or strongest, it is the one that serves.

We are called to be different. We are called not be the same.  We are called to find life, not in our own life, but in His life.

We are called to love.  To love our God and love each other.

So, don’t feel bad about being different.  In fact, be proud!  Jesus wants us to live different, to love different, to be different.  It is not so among us.  We are called to serve  one another.  And serve Him.

And, in these acts of service, though simple, small things, we find that power of God. We find the life of God. We find a purpose of life and for faith.

Though love. Through service. Through being different.

Today, an amazing, abundant day, an amazing abundant life are our there for that taking.  Through Jesus Christ.

Today, let’s go live that life. Let’s find that life. Through His grace, mercy, and strength.  Let’s love and serve with the power of God. And let’s find what it is we seek.

Payday

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One of my first real jobs was as a camp counselor during the summers at Twin Lakes, in Florence, MS.  I worked their two summers and some of the best times of my life there. I made friends there that I will treasure forever.

One of the things I remember most, though, about camp, was getting that my first paycheck.  Looking back now, it wasn’t much. But at the time, I thought I’d won the lottery.  I thought I was the richest man I knew.

I’d worked hard for that check. I loved my job, but I’d worked really hard. I’d earned what I had.  And, honestly, if I’d have worked that hard, and the camp had not paid me, when they promised to, I’d have been upset.  You want what’s coming to you!  What you deserve!

Sometimes, I think we tie ourselves in a knot with God.  Just like in our job, be it our first job, or our current job, we feel like we have to earn God’s love. We feel like we have to “do” something to make God love us. Just like at camp I had certain things I had to do as part of my job, as Christians, we sometimes feel like we have to “do” something to make God love us.

Forgive us.

Care for us.

And, here’s the problem. We can’t ever do things just perfect. We mess up. We fall down.  We make mistakes. We sin.  It gets ugly.

And then, because we’ve mess up, we feel like we haven’t earned that love we want.

Today in Roman’s we see Paul talk about Abraham.  He writes this:

1 What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. 5 But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.

God didn’t love or accept Abraham because he was perfect.  In fact, if we look back it his story, he did some pretty dumb things.

He loved Abraham because He’s God. And that’s what He does. What God wanted from Abraham was this.  Faith.  Trust. Relationship.

We don’t have to earn God’s love. We just have to accept it.  We have have to make God love us. We just have to understand He does.

We don’t have to wait for payday.  Payday is here, today. We just have to have faith.

Today, God loves you. Believe that.  No matter where you or what you’ve done.  God loves you. Have faith. And find that love and acceptance you’ve been seeking.

Crucified with Christ?

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I don’t always want what is best for me. The things that I desire are not always in my best interest and for my best life. They may look really, really appealing, but in the end, can be my doom. Today, Paul talks about the need to understand how our desires might not always be best.  In Galatians, he says:

I have been crucified with Christ; 20 and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

What does that mean, to be crucified with Christ? That’s a nice phrase that sounds good and holy and Christian, but what does that mean?

I think, or at least I’ve found out for me, that in some ways, it just means realizing that life is not about me.  Life, in the end is not about what I want or what I desire, but it is about what God wants.

In life I, and you, have two choices. We can spend our lives chasing our desires and our “stuff,” or we can spend our lives chasing God’s desires and God’s dreams for us.

The more we chase our “stuff” the more we will find a joyous, abundant life slipping through our fingers like sand. The more we chase God’s dreams, the more we will find life, even if it isn’t the life that we “want,” we will find that life that is abundant.  Life giving. Amazing.  Fulfilling.

So, which life will we chase? Will we chase ours and maybe, get what we want, but not what we need?

Or will we be crucified with Christ, and chase after His dream and His vision and His life?  In that find life?

Which life will we chase after today?

Belief

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As I was reading today, I read one of the texts that has always really spoken to me.  It seems like in scripture, only one thing could stop Jesus from doing what He wanted to do. The unbelief of people. Today, in Matthew’s Gospel, we read this:

But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.” And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.

That passage has always stood with me for a while when I read it.  He simply did not do many things, because of their unbelief.

In life, we will have times of doubt. That’s the way that it goes. We all doubt. We all struggle. We all have those times, those moments of darkness. Those moments where our foundation is shaken. That’s part of what we all know and experience.

But, we can’t stay in the dark forever.  We can’t stay in doubt forever.  We have to believe the sun will come out, that the rain will stop, that the fire will cease.

In short, we have to believe that God is still God.

Today, do we have faith? Do we have that belief. No matter what we are going through, God is bigger.

If we believe in God, we have to believe that He can do these things.  After all, He’s God!  He’s bigger, greater, and more mighty than all!  He made all this is, both seen and unseen. He’s the creator of all!

And, He wants to do amazing things with us each today.

Today, do we believe in the power of God? Do we believe in His work? Do we believe in what He’s doing?  Even when we can’t seen. Even when we don’t understand.  God is at work.

Have faith. Believe.  Hope.  Trust.  God is at work. Today, an always.