Sunday, November 28, 2010

On My Face

Read: Matthew 26:47-75

"And he went out and wept bitterly." Matthew 26:75


Examine:

Peter had a tough night. He fell asleep though Jesus asked for him to pray with Him through His darkest hours. He struck a slave on the ear when they came for Jesus and was corrected by Jesus for his actions. He followed Jesus at a distance and denied Him three times before the roster crowed. He lost everything on this night. His Savior was arrested and beaten. His fellow disciples were disbanded and sent into hiding. In one night Peter went from the rock upon which Jesus would build his church to a cowering man cursing Jesus to a slave girl. This chapter of his life ends with him leaving to weep bitterly over his failures.


Apply:

I have experienced some dark nights in my life. As I reflect on those moments I am encouraged to see that Peter's ministry to Christ was not ruined by one night of bad choices. Quite the opposite happened. Peter's night of failure rushed him to the end of himself. The reason for this is that Peter allowed his heart to be broken of his failure. He did not deny it. He did not become obstinate. He left and wept bitterly. That is the best place for me to be as a follower of Christ; on my face, bitterly weeping over my failure.


Pray:

Father, You are great and Your name is greatly to be praise. Above all things You sit and rule. I am grateful this morning for your presence and leadership in my life.


I am reminded this morning that I will never live a sinless life. I will fail. I will fall away. I will stumble as I am led away by my own desires and shortcomings. It is an inevitable part of my life. I am not perfect and will never achieve perfection until I am perfected in the life to come with Jesus. I confess this to You this morning. I pray that I will never lose sight of it. I pray that my heart will continually be humbled by the mess of a man I can be and that You will keep my heart tender to Your conviction and allow me to fully sense the grieving of the Holy Spirit inside of me when I make poor choices. I ask that all my sins lead me to a place of weeping and confession.


I am also reminded this morning of the words from a song: "

"There's a peace I've come to know

Though my heart and flesh may fail

There's an anchor for my soul

I can say 'It is well'.

Jesus has overcome

And the grave is overwhelmed

The victory is won

He is risen from the dead"


That is my peace today. That is my rest, my confidence, my strength and my assurance. As long as I allow my heart to be molded by Your correction of my sin I have nothing to fear and no guilt to carry. My life is never over and my purpose is always ahead of me. My soul is anchored and I boldly proclaim it is well with me today because of Jesus in my life. Thank You Father. Thank You.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Three Attention Getters

Read; Matthew 24

"And Jesus answered and said to them, 'See to it that no one misleads you,'" Matthew 24:4


Examine:

In reading this chapter there are three main things He teaches the disciples: don’t live ignorant, don't live spiritually lazy, and be faithfully sensible.


Apply:

I need to spend time discerning the God's direction. I waste most of my time with God talking about my circumstances and trying to process my agenda with Him. The things on my mind need to come second to hearing from God and discerning where He is leading me.


I need to pay attention to my personal disciplines. Day in and day out it becomes easy to get lazy in my spiritual disciplines. Everything that becomes routine becomes mindless and heartless. Going through the motions has some benefit, but it is not the full expression that God desires for me to experience.


I need to head out and work on God's Kingdom around me. The Word says that I will be blessed if God finds me working in the fields when He returns. It is not sensible to wait until I feel like I am mature enough, strong enough, or smart enough. The best day for me to be working in my Father's fields is today.


Pray:

Father, I feel like I need some time processing what You have put on my heart today. I ask that You open my eyes to fully see the entire scope of what You have given to me today. I pray that You allow my ears to clearly hear all that You desire to speak to me.


Holy Spirit, You have been given to me as a teacher, a guide and a helper. Lead me today to pursue the truth I need for this season of my life.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Forgetting About Fairness

Read: Matthew 20

"Is it no lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous? So the last shall be first, and the first last." Matthew 20:15-16


Examine:

The landowner speaking in this verse is simply an allegory about God's view of man's definition of fairness. He is the owner of all that the earth contains and is free to do with it as He pleases.


Apply:

Fairness is not a Biblical value; doing right by what has been given to me is. If I live my life by trying to judge fairness then envy will consume me, anger will corrupt me, and injustices will confuse me.


Pray:

You are God and I am not. I ask that You forgive me of my arrogance. I make a big enough mess out of my own life on most days; who am I to think I have what it takes to manage the universe?


You have been more than gracious to me. I do not care what others have and I really do not care about my perceived shortcomings. The thing my heart longs for is to hear You say well done. Unfortunately, I have equated material blessing and peaceful circumstances as being the primary vehicles through which You affirm me. When I feel like I am lacking I automatically feel like You have rejected me. This grid I use to discern Your level of joy with my life is broken and I surrender it to You.


My life verse is Matthew 20:28. My life is not mine to keep. It is Yours to give away. That is the ultimate measure of Your joy. When You are pleased with what I have done with what You have given You position me to give freely of myself to others. Strengthen me today so that I may stay engaged with what You have called me to do and allow me to be all that those You have given to me need me to be.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Pushing into the Heart of God

Read: Matthew 16

"But Jesus, aware of this, said, 'You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?'" Matthew 16:8


Examine:

Walking with Jesus put the disciples in another world. Everything was constantly upside down and Jesus spent most of His time with them reframing their every thought. This often led Him to lovingly confront them when they missed things. In this verse Jesus needed them to understand that their mission was not about what they brought to the table; it was about the purity of their obedience to Him. He would provide what they needed to accomplish the mission. They only needed to surrender themselves to pursue it.


Apply:

This verse reminds me why it is so important to spend time with Jesus daily. If my life is not constantly being turned upside down, my thinking is not constantly being reframed, and my will is not constantly being stripped away then I have to know that I am not pushing into the heart of God.


Pray:

I am a man who still has little faith. I am a man who is still fighting to save his life. I am a man who is still consumed with my own strengths and weaknesses. I am a man who is still hesitant to pursue Your voice. I am a man who lives in fear of the unknown. I am a man who is better equipped to understand the weather than I am to understand the leading of my God. I am a man who is in desperate need of having his life turned upside down, his thinking reframed, and his will stripped away.


I do not want to stay where I am and see my plans accomplished. I want to move towards You my Father and see Your will be done. I do not want stay where I am and hear things that fit my logic. I want to step towards You my Father and have my thoughts reframed. I do not want stay where I am and be a slave to my will and desires. I want to step towards You my Father and see You strip away what remains of me.


My life and all that it contains is Yours. Teach me to do with it as You will. I submit myself to You and simply say yes to what You ask. My only desire today is to push deeper into Your heart.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Hear and Understand

Read: Matthew 15

"After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, 'Hear and understand.'" Matthew 15:10


Examine:

The Pharisees were greatly feared. They were men of power and of influence. They literally had the power of life and death over the Jewish people. Their traditions were treated as being equal to God's commands. Jesus was redefining their scorecards and did not want them to miss it.


Apply:

Hear and understand. This is such a simple command, but it contains such power. To hear means to listen with favor, assent, or compliance. To listen means to be in the presence of God and engage in the things He is saying. It is so easy to miss this in my life. I can get so busy and be so disengaged that it becomes nearly impossible for me to hear a word from God. Finding time to slow down, shut down, and sit down at the feet of Jesus is critical.


To understand means to apprehend clearly the character, nature, or subtleties and take it as agreed or settled. God does not want me to just comply with the letter of His law. He wants me to clearly see past the letters and see His character and nature. There are times in my life when I force my actions to comply with God's word but I allow my heart to run wild. This is not what God honors.


Pray:

Father,

I am excited to have another day of life. There are pressures before me today that are quite heavy to carry but I am amazed at how You are strengthening me right now. Your power, love, mercy, and grace are so evident in my life right now, thank You.


I do not want to go through the motions today. I have so much on my plate, it would be easy to blow right through this day and miss out on what Your desire for me to hear and understand. Help me to be sensitive and alert to You today. I ask that Your voice be loud and clear to me. I give You my ears, my heart and my submission today.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Feelings of Inadequacy

Read: Matthew 14

"Jesus replied, 'They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.'" Matthew 14:16


Examine:

The disciples looked at the needs of the people, compared them to the resources they had available, and reached the conclusion that the people needed to be sent away to feed themselves. Jesus took this opportunity to teach them a valuable lesson regarding their ministry. Their ministry to people would be to take what they had, bring it Jesus, trust Him to multiply it, and then minister to the spiritual and physical needs of the people around them.


Apply:

There are times that I feel inadequate to meet the needs of the people in my life. Sometimes I do not have anything to give because I am tired. Certain seasons seem to demand more of me than they put back into me. As a result I become tired, empty, and needy. Other times the issues at hand are beyond my knowledge and power. My understanding of scripture only goes so far. The power of my faith has self-imposed limits and bounds. There are questions and challenges life creates that are just bigger than me.


In moments like these I find myself at the edge of my faith. What I do with these moments is critical. My response will either increase my faith or shrink it. If I allow my emotions to be overwhelmed by the circumstances then I will withdraw and see my faith shrink. If I allow Jesus to overwhelm my emotions then I will likely experience something I could not do on my own and see my faith increase.


Pray:

Following You means walking into the fire. Your pathway for my life will carry me to places that I do not want to go, force me to face things I can not handle, and stretch the boundaries of my faith. Saying yes to You is frightening, but living it out a yes to You is amazing.


Jesus, I need to learn to trust You more. Feelings of fear, inadequacy, and timidity have far to great an impact on my life. In the midst of these life-sucking feelings I turn to You today to proudly proclaim all that is in me falls woefully short of the challenges ahead of me. I say it proudly because I know it is in these moments I get to see the God of the universe do what only He can do.


I love You Father. Your presence is my life, Your will is my passion, and Your promise is my hope. I look forward to living this day with You.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Staring at the Blank

Read: Matthew 10

"and Matthew the tax collector..." Matthew 10:3


Examine:

Matthew wrote this gospel. The other gospel writers did not refer to him as Matthew the tax collector when they listed him among the disciples. Being known as a tax collector was not a good thing in that day. My best comparison is being compared to owning a cash for title or payroll check cashing business.


My sense is that Matthew was not being self-condemning in referring to himself as this. I would imagine that Matthew never allowed himself to stop being amazed at how marvelous the grace of God had been in his life. Jesus carried him from being an unethical tax collector who robbed people, to a disciple of the Messiah who brought life to people, to one of only four men chosen to be anointed by the Holy Spirit in recording the story of Jesus. Matthew had to be blown away by this.


Apply:

Jason the _________. I stare at that blank and there are mental images I see from my past. There are stories that I can not undo, choices I can not take back, and a history that has been written. There are things in that blank that fully serve as all the evidence needed to eliminate me from servicing God.


I stare at that blank and I also see my current weaknesses. There are hurts, habits, and hang-ups that still fight against the work of God in my life. These things attach themselves to fears and weaknesses and create inside of me painful reminders of just how messed up I still am.


But, my opinion of the blank really does not matter. God looks at it and sees Jason, son of mine, adopted through Christ, cleansed of failure and set aside for My good purpose. Amazing. Simply amazing.


Pray:

There is nothing to say. I am literally speechless. Your grace in my life staggers me. The fact that I get to join You in the things You have set aside for me to do is humbling beyond expression. I feel like saying thank you but I know that You see and sense my gratitude. Instead of thank you, I feel like I should just say, "yes."


I need to say yes to Your grace and forget about my past. I need to say yes to who I am in Christ and move past my broken self-perceptions. I need to say yes to Your calling and step away from my comforts. I need to say yes, pick up my cross, and get after Your leading in my life. So that is what I say to You this morning. Yes Father, yes, yes, yes....have my life as You will it to be.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

In the Boat

Read: Matthew 9

"Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to His own city." Matthew 9:1


Examine:

Jesus did not sit around and wait for people come to Him. He was on mission and His mission called Him to be mobile. As God led He moved.


Apply:

The same ministry that Jesus had is the ministry that falls to me. If I pray and ask God to stir and move in my life there are three things from Matthew 9 that I need to expect. First, I have to be willing to lay down my old wineskins. Wineskins for me are my expectations of God, my personal comfort, my image of myself, my view of faith, my attitudes, and my surroundings. If God starts a new work in me all these things are subject to change.


Second, I will have to answer the question, "Do you really believe that God can do this?" The movement of God in my life will lead me to a crisis of faith. He will carry me into the teeth of something that is far stronger than I am on my own. The crisis is unpredictable in its form but guaranteed in its coming. Pursuing God's will in my life will inevitably lead me beyond the edge of my faith.


Finally, I will have to allow my vision to change. So often my desire to see God do something new in my life is built around Him making my life better. That is not how God works. Jesus looked around Him, saw people through God's eyes, had compassion on them, and poured Himself out to see their lives align with God. My journey of faith and the working of God in my life is not about me. It is about God's heart to redeem the world. I have to learn to look at the world and see God's harvest; not my personal playground.


Pray:

Father,

The one thing that is certain in my life right now is that You are changing everything. I feel like I am in the boat, crossing the sea, and heading to a new place. I have a lot of questions stirring inside of me right now. As I look ahead I see the crises of faith looming on the horizon like storms brewing over the sea. I feel inadequate and yet I find myself at perfect peace. I know that You are leading me and that is the only comfort I have right now. I have put my hand in Yours and I choose to rest this morning.


There is not one single aspect of me or my life that I want more than I want a new movement of You in my life. Open my eyes to see the areas of my life that I am holding back. I do not want to cling to any of the old wineskins in my life. I ask for fresh skins and new wine. I pray that in moments where the challenges exceed my faith I will choose to press ahead; trusting You are all that You claim to be. I ask that You continue to shatter my heart with compassion and send me into the world to join in gathering Your harvest.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Working on the Foundation

Read: Matthew 7

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24


Examine:

Jesus concluded His teaching in this chapter by putting the weight of the decision on those who heard the message. They would make one of two decisions. Either they would apply what they heard and build on the solid foundation or they would ignore what they heard and continue to build on a foundation of sand. The choice was now theirs.


Apply:

There are four main things I hear from the words of Jesus this morning that I believe contribute to my life having a strong foundation. First, I have to choose my standard of judgment carefully, but I must have a measure of judgment. I will be held by the same rules I apply to others. The same measure of frustration I display to others will be returned to me. The simple answer to this would seem to be that I should never confront anyone about anything for fear of my own person judgment, but Jesus planted a catch in this teaching. He never says don't mess with the speck in your brother's eye. He says get the plank out of your eye and then remove the speck in your bother's.


Second, I must wrap my life around prayer and service. Nothing is a better indicator of my relationship with God than the power of my prayer life and the level of preference I give to others. If I really believe God is who He says He is and I really allow Him access to my heart then my prayers will align with Him and my heart will be given to others.


Third, I must learn to walk against the crowd. Jesus makes it quite clear that the way of God is counter intuitive for man. The gate to Him is narrow. I have to become skilled at seeking, finding, and entering the narrow gate. This will necessitate making choices that others will deem unnecessary or even crazy.


Finally, I must learn to deal in good fruit. Intentions do not count, convictions do not matter and knowledge only serves to condemn. In the end, the only true judgment regarding my life is the fruit I bear. My life has to reflect the life of Christ and the fruit of the Spirit must be the fruit of my life.


Pray:

Father,

My mind is racing in a hundred different directions this morning. It is so hard to find focus right now. The normal pace of my life is insanely quick and the events of this fall have only served to increase it. I ask that You slow me down today. Help me to breath, rest, discern, and then act wisely. There is nothing I will do today that is as important as what I am doing right now. Sitting with You and allowing You to work on my heart will have a far greater impact than anything else I will do today.


You have given me a lot to consider this morning. The main thing I keep coming back to is my attitude with others. As the pressures of my life mount I have a tendency to resent people coming to me for guidance or advice. My patience with people dries up and I become harsh in my responses, attitudes, and demeanor. I confess that to You this morning and release it to You.


Your Word tells me that when I run the race with You my strength will be renewed. I ask that You align my heart with Yours. Help me navigate the events of today with poise, heart, and skill. Help me remove the planks from my eyes so that I can see clearly, temper my reaction to the specks in the eyes of others, and lead me to build only on the solid foundation of Your Word.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Salt and Light

Read: Matthew 5

"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48


Examine:

God did not send Jesus to live a sinless life and conquer death so that He could lower His standards to accommodate man. In Jesus, God gave us His very best and raised His level of expectation. It only makes sense that He would do this. Followers of Christ have access to power that the people of God before Christ never had. We have grace. We have the indwelling of the Spirit. We have the rights of sons and daughters. Grace in Christ Jesus is not a license to live a loose life of relaxed standards. It is a call to live a life of salt and light in the world.


Apply:

The end result for my life is that I pursue perfection in Christ so that I can be salt and light to the world. Salt has three affects. It provides taste, it serves as a preservative, and it creates thirst. As I live out my days on earth the perfection of Christ in me should bring taste to bland lives, preserve those who are striving forward, and create a thirst for all to experience more of Christ.


Light also has three affects. It creates warmth, it provides direction, and overcomes darkness. The result of following after Christ is light shining from my life. This light is intended to provide warmth, direction, and something to overcome darkness. The affects of religion are the opposite of this as it creates coldness, distorts direction, and creates darkness. God's mission for my life is to bring light to the world, not religion.


Pray:

Father,

I am sitting here this morning and finding it a struggle to connect my feelings to words that will adequately describe the hunger I have to go deeper with You. There is power inside of me that is yet to be tapped. There are reservoirs of life that lie hidden behind false religion and unnecessary guilt. There is freedom that I routinely give away to foolish lusts and sinful tolerances.


I want to be perfect as You are perfect. I want my life to represent true salt and light in the world. Take my life and have it as You desire. I pray that Your voice will continue to lead me, that Your Spirit will continue to empower me, and that Your Son will continue to radiate through me. Overwhelm the things that hold me back from attaining perfection and remind me that my perfection is in Christ and not in myself.

Friday, November 5, 2010

The More Things Change

Read: Matthew 4

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." Matthew 4:1


Examine:

Interestingly Satan's temptations of Eve in the Garden of Eden correspond to those of Jesus in the desert. Satan appealed to the physical appetite (Gen 3:1-3; Matt 4:3), the desire for personal gain (Gen 3:4-5; Matt 4:6), and an easy path to power or glory (Gen 3:5-6; Matt 4:8-9). And in each case Satan altered God's Word (Gen 3:4; Matt 4:6). Satan's temptations of people today often fall into the same three categories (cf. 1 John 2:16).

(from Bible Knowledge Commentary/Old Testament Copyright. All rights reserved.)


Apply:

The more things change the more they stay the same. Satan's tactics have only shifted with the culture. His methods have adapted with the times but the heart of his tactics are still the same. The defenses Jesus modeled are just as affective now as they were then. I need to learn from them and apply them.


Pray:

Father,

I want to know Your Word and use it to filter my decisions. I see that in Jesus during the first temptation. Your Word was alive and active in His heart and His mind. He made it part of His daily life and it was the grid He used to evaluate the choices He made with His life. I pray for Your Word to be the same for me today. Hide it in my heart, burn in my mind, and leverage its use in my life.


Jesus had total clarity regarding Your call and timing in His life. In the midst of the second temptation there was no gray area in Jesus' understanding of His calling or Your timing. I pray the same for my life today. It is so easy for me to get confused regarding Your calling and timing. There are times that I seem to live in a gray area and it is not so easy to know what is Your will, what is my will, and what is of the devil. I pray that You would lead me to a place of total clarity and understanding of Your will and timing for my life.


Perhaps the most difficult of tactics Jesus used to counter satan was His complete and total desire for Your glory above His own. Jesus was willing to deny Himself anything and everything in order for You to get glory. This is a matter of the heart that lies beyond my power to achieve. My spirit is willing to go there but I am just too weak. Increase my hunger for Your glory. Help it to be the bread and wine of my life. Allow it to become the thing I celebrate, the reward I seek, and the victory I savor.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Lessons from Herod

Read: Matthew 2

"When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled..." Matthew 2:3


Examine:

It is no surprise that King Herod was disturbed when the Magi came to Jerusalem looking for the One who had been born King. Herod was not the rightful king from the line of David. In fact he was not even a descendant of Jacob, but was descended from Esau and thus was an Edomite. This fact caused most of the Jews to hate him and never truly to accept him as king, even though he did much for the country. If someone had been rightfully born king, then Herod's job was in jeopardy.


Apply:

There are two lessons from Herod I can learn. First, my insecurities will cause me to consume people. Just this past week I was reminded of this truth. My insecurity regarding a person's opinion of me cause me to lash out at them. Later I found out that I was mistaken but it was too late to undo what I said to this person. I hurt them and it was over nothing but my insecurities. I felt disrespected and so I took measured steps to counter those feelings. Whether it is co-workers, my wife, or my kids; my feelings of inadequacy bring tensions to my relationships that cause other people to suffer.


Second, the things of the world to which I cling will devour the things of God that threaten them. When God stirs a new work in my heart I seldom fear the new work. Most of the time the things I fear are the things I must leave behind. It is easy to get comfortable. It is easy to like the things of my world to the point that they become idols in my life. Once they have ascended to that point in my life, the cost of following God starts to rise.


Pray:

I need to love the call You have on my life and not the thing to which You have called me. The things to which You call me will change over time but the call You have on my life is permanent. Lead me today to understand how to hold on loosely to the things You give me and joyfully embrace the times You ask me to set them down.


Insecurity runs deep in my soul and is a curse that has impacted my family for generations. There is no way I can calculate what this sin in my life has cost me over the years. My best guess is that insecurity is the root of 90% of the struggles I have in life. I confess this to You this morning and ask that You change my perception of me. The me I need to see is Christ in me. He is more than enough in me to accomplish everything to which You have called me.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Great to Sit and Think

Read: Psalm 131 & 132

"For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation." Psalm 132:13


Examine:

During the time of this Psalm the people of God were living prior to the coming of Christ, His perfect sacrifice, His miraculous resurrection, and His glorious ascension. During their lives God's presence only inhabited the temple and the few people He chose to anoint with this Spirit.


Everything has changed now. Following the completion of Christ's work; God's presence no longer resides in a building nor is it only reserved for a select few. He freely gives His presence and His Spirit to all who surrender their lives to obedience to Christ as Savior and Lord.


Apply:

God has chosen me and desired me for His habitation. My body is His temple and His presence should radiate from me in a manner that is attractive and encouraging to others. My life should represent the best that He has to offer to His sons and daughters. My life should be a living tribute to His mercy, a constant picture of His grace, and a joyful reflection of His glory.


Pray:

Father,

It is a great thing to sit and think about what You have done for me. The fact that I am able to live everyday of my life and enjoy Your presence, Your fellowship, Your power and Your love literally blows my mind. I can't get my mind around it and I struggle to find words that are able to express exactly how I feel about Your work in my life.


I pray that there continues to be more of You radiating through the life that I life. I want my life to count for Your glory. I desire to see Your presence spread. Make the joy of my salvation something that I am able to celebrate in a way that is attractive to others. Allow me to articulate Your word in a manner that is anointed for Your work. Lead me to serve from a heart that is pure and pour out on me a wisdom that matches Your desires.