Walking with Jesus

This chapter is a command (10:5 & 11:1) on being a missionary for Jesus. It teaches us how to do it and what to expect. v. 5 -> Go when and where you are sent. Do not just go whenever and wherever you want. v. 7 -> Preach the Kingdom, which includes healing, cleansing, miracles, and spiritual warfare. v. 8 -> Give freely and trust God to provide. v. 11 -> Be discerning in your associations. v. 14 -> Trust God to validate your ministry and do not take rejection to heart. v. 16 -> "Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." v. 17 -> Do not place your confidence in people, but trust God for guidance when you are betrayed, even by those closest to you. v. 22 -> Expect to be hated for Jesus' sake. v. 27 -> Share what Jesus tells you faithfully and boldly. v. 28 -> Fear no one but the LORD. Do not deny Him. v. 34 -> Expect the gospel to bring conflict and to call for hard, sacrificial choices. v. 40 -> Remember t...

There are those who believe we should pray for our country's leaders. I agree. We should pray for them to know that Jesus is the true King of kings and Lord of lords and then govern accordingly as those subject to His authority. This video shows actual clips of Barak Obama speaking on the Senate floor before he was President. When I saw it, I was very troubled. I believe God has a plan, and that there is no authority given to men except by His grace. However, the fact our country is being led (manhandled?) by someone who believes these things should remind us all to pray. I do not intend to comment on the commentary of the video, only to bring Mr. Obama's words back into the light. I've seen other video where he claims to be a Christian, but if we have learned anything over the past four years, it is that what bold statements are not the same thing aas truthful statements. Please remember to pray for our country. "For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, 'F...

[This Reflection Journal is not intended to cover all the material in each chapter. Rather, it is what stands out to me in that particular reading of the passage. Sharing it with you helps me keep to the task of journaling, something I used to do very consistently and hope to encourage in myself once more as a spiritual discipline. My desire is to know God's voice with greater clarity, and thus know Him with more intimacy. These reflections are incomplete without reading the biblical chapters themselves. If you do not have a Bible with you, you may read the chapters at either Bible Gateway or Blue Letter Bible . I use both depending on what tools I am looking for. Reflection entries may be isolated from other entries by clicking the label "Reflection" at the end of any post.] Some of these stories appear here in abbreviated versions. Mark 2 & 5 and Luke 5 & 8 contain fuller versions of some of this same material. Perhaps they were written earlier. if the stori...

Sweet Olivia, I pray this birthday is your happiest birthday ever!

Jesus heals. He doesn't refer people to doctors [no offense to any doctors out there]. He is the Great Physician. Jesus heals. Jesus touched the leper . It was the sign of His "I am willing." Jesus is willing to heal because the leper believed. He knew he was sick. There was no hiding it. He knew he needed a deliver and that Jesus could deliver. Jesus was a man under authority. I don't believe we think often about that. He was healing in submission to GOD the Father. After being healed, Peter's mother-in-law "arose and served them." She didn't spend her restoration on herself. Her healing made her a disciple of Jesus (thus, v.18>>>). Now, we are "under authority." Jesus heals. It was (apparently) the only reason He crossed the sea. It is why He came.

Jesus taught with authority. And, what did he teach? "Enter by the narrow gate." This seems to me to be the thesis statement for chapter 7. The way of the narrow gate does not judge (v.1); it does not condemn, though it is discerning (v.15). The way of the narrow gate addresses itself first (v.5) and then tries to help others. The way of the narrow gate looks to God for a provision of grace (v.7), and also provides grace to others (v.12). The way of the narrow gate looks to knowing Jesus (v.23) for salvation, but also heeds the warning that we will be known by the fruit produced by God through that relationship (v.20). This chapter is part of the Sermon begun in chapter 5. The way of the narrow gate includes those admonitions and warnings [found in ch. 6 and ch. 7] as well. They provide us with an introduction [perhaps a summary] of Jesus' teaching ministry.

This is one of my favotire worship songs. I almost said "praise song" but caught myself. I guess technically there is a difference. "Praise" is about what God does; it is about God's acts in history, even in our own lives. "Worship" is about who God is, His eternal nature which never changes. Forever and always, YHWH is the Great "I AM". We worship God for who He is. We praise Him for revealing Himself to us. Perhaps, then, this song does both.

[I was surprised to notice the word assumptions come into my mind as I was reading this chapter, but that is exactly what happened. Jesus assumed some things about us, things that we do not always assume about ourselves.] Jesus assumes that we will do charitable deeds, works. He wants us to be sure our motives remain pure. In sounds incredible that we would ever sound a trumpet before us as we give, until I consider how ready we are to see our name on a building, a campus, or even just a T-shirt. [The buildings have bothered me for years, but perhaps there was a reason even I didn't recognize?] Jesus likewise assumes that we will pray, and again He warns us to tend to our motives. Keep God the focus. Ask only for what we actually need. [It occurs to me that the point isn't hyper-simplicity, but need. We may need a miracle of healing, or for a mountain to move. If so, we should ask God for it.] Ask for mercy and for grace. Give God glory. Do not seek glory for yourself in y...



We cannot know with certainty why persecution comes. It may be because of Jesus, or it may be our own doing. (We may just not be a nice person.) We cannot presume to know or be blessed. We are salt and light in the world, but we must choose not to hinder our impact or hide our light. We must "let" it shine. Regarding God's law, we are either breakers or keepers. In either case, we are teachers. This breaking or keeping begins in our heart, possibly the most unreliable place for it to begin except Jesus live there. Praying for ones persecutors is something God does. Jesus did it from the cross, but to know that God the Father was His example is amazing. God provides love and grace for all.

Jesus was led by the Spirit in order to be tempted by the devil. This is actually pretty shocking. We normally think about the Spirit leading us away from temptation. But, while this is our prayer (6:13), it is not always what happens. And how do we know about this story anyway? Jesus was alone. He had as yet no disciples. He Himself must have told them the tale. What was it like to hear the Lord of purity describe His temptations? Sure He did not feel guilty about them as we would... did He?  Perhaps it was in the telling that the temptation to condemn Himself (which I know we often feel) for being tempted was also overcome. (cf. Heb 4:15 ) To defeat the darkness, it must be brought into the light.

Inspired by Grace "Blessings" Photos!  Micah is growing and doing well. Thank you for your continued prayers and notes of encouragement Inspired by Grace "Blessings" Photos!

"Leave it now! For thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness." (my translation)  These words are Jesus' first in the gospel. They are words of submission, of obedience. They are words spoken in order that Jesus might be identified with us in baptism. They are words spoken as a model for us that we might be identified with Him. They are also authoritative words, spoken in the imperative (command) tense. Jesus orders John to stop arguing and just do what God has called him to do. There is no room for false humility, only obedience. This baptism is John's real ministry. It is how he is preparing "the way of the Lord." (v.3) His hesitation to baptize Jesus threatens the fulfillment of righteousness. Thus, Jesus is obedient to God, without pretense. And, He requires similar obedience from us.

This story is dramatic and powerful. It deserves to be told faithfully. The story of the wise men found in the second chapter of Matthew is full of details we often miss. Somehow, we have combined it with the story of the shepherds and the manger from Mark 2. Naturally! They both relate to the birth of Jesus. But, in our effort to share as many of the amazing aspects of Jesus' birth as we can, we've gotten into the habit of viewing both of these events as part of the same 55 minute Christmas Pageant. (How often do we see a manger scene without "3 kings" in it?) Even more professional efforts to tell the story, like The Nativity Story (a film we own and one I very highly recommend), don't tell the story of the wise men accurately. How can they? In trying to combine all these events into one composite work, we forget that they are not actually the same story. We start to harmonize them, with the result that we must change the details. So, ...

1) Family matters. Where Jesus came from was important. Without the lineage of Joseph (notice it was both adopted and valid), Jesus would not have been counted in the royal line. Without Joseph, Jesus would not (perhaps could not) have been Israel's king. 2) Joseph and Mary belonged to each other according to God's Word. Even as Bathsheba was always "of Uriah," so marriage is a permanent state of being joined together. This is a hard teaching in our culture, but we need it desperately. [Thus far, I see only three means by which the bond of marriage is severed: Death - 1 Cor. 7:39 ; Adultery - Matt. 19:9 ; and Abandonment by an unbeliever - 1 Cor. 7:12-16 . The first case is obvious. The second applies to the victim. The third case is the least certain to me regarding remarriage (because of v.16). Yet, God is gracious and my understanding is limited. There may be other reasons (like Abuse) that I don't see.] 3) Joseph, "her husband" already, loved M...

We are on our way to another eye exam for Micah. These are not her favorite things, to say the least. She didn't mind them so much at first, but I suppose they were mild compared to what else she had going on. As she gets used to being loved and protected all day every day, having her eyes poked at has definitely become less tolerable. We are praying for another great report and a long break until her next visit. Last week we saw Micah's lung doctor. She seems to be doing well, but we had to change our approach to weaning her off of the oxygen. We are waiting on a new machine to measure the level of O2 in her blood over a long period of time before we can proceed any further. The good news is there is no danger for Micah in being on her current level of support for an extended level of time. It's just logistically harder to get through each day while dragging around a big machine or a tank of O2. Our little Ahava also received her first shot last week. We still a...

Four more years of American decline into socialism. Why? I believe Mitt Romney lost yesterday's election because he wasn't a real choice. He wasn't a real conservative. He didn't ring true. His record and his words did not match. Conservatives didn't trust him, so many of them opted out. They know that a "moderate" Republican is really just a Democrat with an (R) behind his name. (Reports are already showing low participation for Evengelicals.) Romney simply didn't look much different than Mr. Obama. Probably because he isn't. Now, don't hear me saying that I'm sorry (or happy) he lost. I didn't believe either candidate was what America needed. Not if we really care about the future of our country. Not if we want a President who understands his need for Jesus to lead our nation. Not if we hope to save our country from its politicians. Not if we want to stop pretending that this is a "Christian nation" and start trying to ...