Let's Fast Regularly

Now one thing we should all agree upon, God enjoys suffering. Take the many hardships of Paul and how God even went on to say about him that he would enjoy all the suffering that comes to him. Indeed, I believe Paul and the other apostles became suffering souls simply because they knew their Master enjoyed their suffering, just as he himself suffered often upon the earth. He so could have lived a life of comfort in this world, but he chose suffering as he knew God enjoyed that experience in his people. So one way we can please God and Jesus and Spirit is to fast often, just as the apostles did: "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said . . . ." (Acts 13:2). And so we should take heed to the fact that the apostles fasted often so they could suffer for the Lord and draw close to him. Remember, your prayers get way more powerful when you fast because you get the Lord's attention; effectively praying is all about persuading God to do what you want. And you certainly make huge progress toward becoming persuasive when you fast. So let's fast at least one day a week. Holy Father, we pray that you would help us to fast one day a week and delight in our personal suffering for you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Peter's Faith Delights

Now in Acts 12 Peter got thrown in prison. But the amazing thing God has given us this story to realize, is how we must somehow go beyond our weak humaness in order to allow God to work through our weak souls. Fortunate for Peter, he did not have much choice in this astounding miracle as a kind angel came to his resue and magically walked him out of prison to greet his friends. But I so want you to capture the reality of their response when the servant found Peter at the door: "When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” 15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her." (Acts 12:14-15). Now would you not think these apostles, who had seen all the miracles of Jesus and the apostle's miracles in their midst, would welcome and accept Peter being magically freed from jail? No. Instead their human weakness holds them back so much that they cannot even welcome this friend now free. And so we must, absolutely must, acknowledge our human weakness that actually prevents us from allowing God to perform miracles through us. Yes, you have chosesn to live a dull, weak life when you do not EXPECT God to do miracles in your world. I know this, because I for one, expect miracles and see them regularly. I see absolutly magical things happen about me regularly that could only be done by God, Jesus and the Spirit! Dear Jesus, we humbly come before you and ask that you grant us a big enough faith that we can expect you to perform miracles through us. In your precious name, Amen!

Barnabas Brings Many to the Lord

It says in Acts that the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch in order to encourage the church. Encourage them he did, as it says in Acts 11:23: "When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord." Hence the result of the visit of this single man is that many are led to faith in the Lord. How so? Well, he simply possessed two key qualities that drive such progress, being that he was a man full of the holy spirit and of faith. So here we get an easy prescription on how to be fruitful, ever the hope of our God, that we might bear fruit. All we need to do is first, develop a large faith. We do this best by asking Jesus to increase our faith and then, in turn, ask him to give us the Holy Spirit. These quite valuable gifts remain fully available to us today, if we will only ask for them. Please, Lord Jesus, increase our faith and give us your Holy Spirit. In your name, Amen!

Faith Does Magic

Cornelius sought out God. It says in scripture he regularly prayed and gave gifts for the poor, the essence of faith that stirs God. One day as he prayed an angel spoke to him, telling him in Acts 10:4: “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter." Of course Peter took this as an affront, that he should be attending to a Gentile. But once he stood before Cornelius it says, "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message." This of course startled Peter, and with the previous dream he had, he came to realize that God knew Cornelius and he should treat him as a fellow believer. Lord Jesus, we pray that you would open the eyes of our hearts so we can see your incredible power and regard for everyone. Let us understand, like Peter, just how far your presence extends. In your name, Amen.

Faith Heals

We can learn some things from the incredible power of Peter's faith. As he travelled around he encountered a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years. Can you imagine the pain of that situation? Yet he had the good sense to respond when Peter drew near and welcomed his healing power. In this account I think it safe to say that both Peter and Aeneas' faith brought about such a sweet healing. The scriptures say in Acts 9:34: "Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord." We should take notice that God actually wants to heal people and relieve them of their misery. I believe this account for my prayers have brought total healing to someone just like this. And so we should be courageous and allow Jesus to use us to heal others in just the same way. Holy Father, we pray that you would increase our faith so that our prayers can bring healing to those in need. In Jesus name, Amen.

Astonding

Saul's conversion caused some serious concerns among the believers. Though they had seen the wonderous miracles caused by the apostles, they found themselves still in a deepy worrisome fear at this new Saul. They, like Ananias, could only react with horror at the nearness of this enemy of the cross. But Saul, once converted, decided he would indeed show them the wonder of the saviour. So he put his heart to preaching the message no matter what anyone said. Indeed, it says in Acts 9:28: "So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord." Though people reacted fiercely against his new faith, he pressed on, never caring for the fears of so many. Even when they tried to kill him, he escaped over the wall and continued his swing to bring life to everyone. Hence, we get a clear picture of what our confidence should be in all new believers, no matter how bad their past or how much they may have tried to harm us. Lord Jesus, we pray that you would grant us the ability to love new believers, no matter who they are. In your name, Amen.

An Exercise in Humility

When Saul encounters Jesus on the road to Damascus, he comes face to face with his own sin and weakness. But this does not diminish the intent of the Lord to bring Saul from his glorious station to a place of abject humility. It says once he slams into Jesus, 9 "For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything." Acts 9:9. Ever been blind? For the seeing that must be about as unerving as life gets. You can still carry on in every way but you no longer can commnicate, nor rule the earth as Saul once did. But curiously, Saul is not the only one in this story who must come to grips with Jesus and their own weakness. In order to bring healing to Saul, Jesus calls on one of his followers and says, "But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Of course Ananias tries to disuade the Lord, telling him how much pain Saul has caused his people. Sorry. The Master insists that he go and heal Saul. So he too gets to chow on some humble pie. Once Ananias goes and lays his hands on Saul, 18 "Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength." And so Saul goes on his way now preaching the message of the Lord and his salvation and, importantly, based on this account, learning how much "he must suffer for my name." Saul encounters Jesus and his heart changes drastically into a humble servant. Lord Jesus, we pray that you would show us mercy and grant us humble hearts like Saul. In your name, Amen.

It's Time to Pursue Miracles

We find an interesting description of Philip's faith at work in Samaria in Acts 8:6-8. It says: "When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city." Now Samaria wasn't exactly the most devoted location on earth. Yet the miracles happening from Philip caused "great joy." And that is why we should share Philip's interest in performing miracles. I have seen way to many miracles from my own ministry to know the good they can do. But to have that kind of capability we must have a large faith. So in order to get there, we had better get busy asking often for a bigger faith and then just ask God to work the miracles. Actually a fairly easy process. Lord Jesus, we do pray you would increase our faith by the power of your Spirit. In your name, Amen!

Dah, I am Simply Stupid

Now it is rare in scripture when you find people so obviously blind and stupid as we find the high priest and company in Acts 5. It says, "17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” But the high priest and his boys so suffered from spiritual blindness that they went on to arrest the apostles again and warn them not to preach any longer. This after clever Pharisee Gamaliel said: I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5). But incredibly, the high priest has the apostles flogged and cast away like refuse. Now, you have to be absolutely stupid to miss the import of these apostles miraculously rescued from jail. I mean, that was a flat miracle! And then you must be so dense to miss the counsel of one of your esteemed fellows as God spoke through Gamaliel. But we today often suffer from the same sort of blindness. Argh! Dear Jesus, we pray that you would open the eyes of our hearts so we can see your powerful hand at work about us. In your great name, Amen.

Power in Sharing

In Acts 4:33 we find the statement: "With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus." So what was powerful about the apostles life work? They performed miracles and taught effectively. But what does that matter to someone who is homeless and in desperate need? Not a lot. So I find in this passage the greatest power within their ministry. In verse 32 it says, "No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had." That spoke so loudly about the risen Christ and his power on people's lives. Remember, people are naturally selfish but here we find a church overflowing with generosity. That is what grabs people's hearts. In fact, it says here that "All the believers were one in heart and mind." Meaning, they felt such unity that if anybody had a physical need, others rushed to their help. And that is today what Jesus longs for us to do--be overflowing with generosity.

Strength in Numbers

In Acts 4:31 we find the believers swept away by the power of God in their midst: 31 "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." So what is going on here? Why such a powerful intervention from the Lord? We must back up in order to get our minds around the idea. The more important verse within this story is found at Acts 4:24: 24 "When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them." How so you might ask? Where is the power in this idea versus the might of the latter statement? The energy we find at the end of this story could not have appeared unless the disciples responded to Peter and John's imprisonment with the statement of praise to God TOGETHER. So that in summary is the key element to the story. Is they drew together and called out to God. We must, we must grasp the absolutely key strength found in praying together and begging God mutually to so something amazing. I promise you he waits upon us. But we must begin thinking like God and that means community. Our Father is a hopeless lover of commune, someone who is thrilled and touched by community, by fellowship. And we must understand that is what stirs him to move mightily when he hears his people calling to him together.

Healing by God

After Peter healed the man in the temple, it says "the whole crowd ran to them in amazement . . . ." (Acts 3:11). Peter asks them, "Why are you staring at us?" Of course that is because people just don't have this capability. But Peter goes on tell them it was God's power that healed him. And he did not do it. Here again, we see the power of faith to heal. Peter had learned to trust God fully and so he could even fully heal some one. Holy God, we pray that you would increase our faith so we can heal like Peter. In Jesus name, amen.

Power of Faith

We find a crippled guy hanging out in the temple hoping for a hand out. But instead he encounters Peter and John who offer to heal him. It says, "I don't have any silver or gold! But I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, get up and start walking." (Acts 3:6). And then the guy started walking and jumping and rejoicing at his healing. The remarkable thing here is just how easily Peter healed him. He did not need to rant or rave or carry on. He just said the word. That is the power of faith. Always remember, we can heal in this very same way. Lord Jesus, we pray that you would breathe faith into us and increase our faith by the power of your Spirit. In your name, amean.

In Real Churches People Share

The wonder of the new church that flourished after Pentacost is how generously people share with anyone who had needs. "They would sell their property and possessions and give the money to whoever needed it." (Acts 2:35) Can you imagine the beauty of that? The church simply took care of everyone and so all enjoyed enormous peace. Not so today. I find this among the biggest weaknesses of the church. They have tiny "benevolent" ministries that share so little. People are homeless and go to church and nobody tries to help them. Church is fake! Jesus is heartbroken at our selfishness. Lord Jesus, please soften our hearts so we can give to those in need. In your name, amen.

What Shall we do?

After Peter preached his sermon on Pentecost, everyone was troubled by what they had done to Jesus. They asked, "Friends, what shall we do?" Peter's counsel was "Turn back to God! Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ . . . ." (Acts 2:38). He guides them toward taking a life changing step. One must understand that baptism sent a message to the world of this new step. It says people were so moved that three thousand of them were baptized. This act sent a message to everyone of their plunge toward faith in Christ. No small step when such a move would engender ridicule from all. Yet this setting forced them to step out with abandonment regardless of the imminent pain such a move would inflict. So we see the power of faith in the Lord. Lord Jesus, we pray that you might breathe faith into us and increase our faith by the power of your Spirit. So we can be willing to risk everything for you. In your name, amen.

Power of the Spirit

When on the day of Pentacost and all of the Lord's followers were together, "there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind!" (Acts 2:2). This Spirit settled on everyone there and gave them amazing powers to speak other languages. No surprise after the promise of Jesus just before. Yet way beyond the experience of all these people from what they had imagined could touch them. The point was they lost control of their faculties and became subject to the invasion of the Spirit. Yet that is the style of Heaven to move wherever the Spirit wishes. Certainly these people stood there with deeply humble hearts that opened a door to the Spirit moving. Lord Jesus, we pray you would give us contrite hearts so you can join us any way you wish. In your name, amen.

Prayer for Rescue

You know the apostles felt bereft to see the Lord fly up to Heaven. Yet they maintained the proper posture of praying for his guidance. It says, "The apostles often met me together and prayed with a single purpose in mind." (Acts 1:14). What purpose? Of course the intent of their prayers is to see this power of the Spirit appear and guide them toward success in ministry. And soon it came to happen. Indeed, they were not alone. At one point, "about one hundred twenty of the Lord's followers met together." And then the Holy Spirit came to them in power. This speaks to the incredible power of prayer. The Lord awaits his people to call on him and ask for his intervention to make a difference in the world. Lord Jesus, we do ask that you would come to us with the power of your Spirit. In your name, amen.

Power from Heaven

When the apostles met with Jesus before he was about to go up to Heaven, they were in for a big surprise. Of course on their minds was the idea of a Jewish win over Rome. But instead the Lord calls them to wait for for "the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power." (Acts 1:8). Of course they found this confusing. But soon they would experience that coming first hand. So to see the Master fly into the sky and then see angels appear should not have been much of a surprise. But they suffered from human frailty and so I am sure that transition perplexed them. Yet the wonder of this promise from Jesus is how greatly it comes true and gives them enormous power to heal and work miracles. Lord Jesus, we praise you for your gift of the Holy Spirit. We pray you would continue to fill us with this Power. In your name, amean.

Frightened Guards

The problem of Jesus' resurrection most afflicted the guards at the tomb. How are they to explain a missing Messiah? They go on to tell the Chief Priests and try to find a solution for their failure. The Priests tell them the obvious, that the disciples stole his body in the night. So they took the money from the Chief Priests in order to have reason to tell their fabricated story. But the wonder of all this is the scripture says, "The people of Judea still tell each other this story." (Matthew 28:15). So even those who chose not to follow Jesus did in fact gather that this was fabricated from the guards. And so the excitement of Jesus' resurrection goes on to grab the Jewish people. Lord Jesus, we ask that you would make us strong to share the story of your ressurrection. Help us, Lord. In your name, Amen.

Heaven Comes Down

When Jesus was buried more excitement is in store. The Marys go to his tomb expecting him silent and buried like anybody else. Instead, they get accosted by an angel "bright as lightning, and his clothes where white as snow." (Matthew 28:3). This sort of thing already appeared to Peter and apostles on the mountain. Yet the women were afraid. But the angel assures them the Lord had been raised to life and their duty now is to tell the others. Here we find Heaven breaking through human weakness. And that is the ongoing fact of a disciples life today, to sense when God is calling them toward touching eternity. And so our response must to be ready and willing to react with confidence that God has appeared in our world. Holy Father, we thank you for raising dear Jesus to life. We pray you would soften our hearts to know when you too are calling us to be about your work. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Jesus Connundrum

The scene at the cross before Jesus' death is compelling. The fact the officer and soldiers guarding Jesus felt the earthquake and saw all the turmoil about them causes one to wonder what their response should be. Indeed, they said, "This man really was God's Son!" Their exclamation point reveals the extent of their conviction. No surprise. But that ought to lead us to think the same way. And that is why everyone should be entitled to ponder similar things and make a decision about the majesty of the Christ. So it remains our obligation to share this story and allow people to come to some choice about the Christ. Allow them to study his miracles and statements and then sit back and pursue discussion about an appropriate response. Lord Jesus, we pray that you would enable us to see your glory. Help us to share that with others so they too might see your greatness. In your name, Amen.

Dramatic Changes

When Jesus dies we find all kinds of drama happening about Jerusalem. You must understand, this is the city of Peace that to this point had merely experienced rabbinical trials. But now we find "At once the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Graves opened, and many of God's people were raised to life." (Matthew 27:51-52). So we find untold trauma happening about the city when our Lord dies. And this is indeed the result of people connecting with the Saviour. Think of it, what has been your response to the beauty of creation before you on each new day? But even more, the vast otherworldliness of one changing their very life when they learn of the love of God upon them? So we must find ourselves facing dramatic visits from Heaven and then deciding what shall we do? It is this intrusion upon everyday life the Jews faced when Jesus died. I think our response must be one of amazement and humility to see the touch of God about us. Holy Father, do open the eyes of our heart to your glory. Come near and prompt us to see your wonder. In Jesus name, Amen. And Amen.

Extreme Pain

Have you ever felt extreme pain? I know I have like the time I got hit by a car and went through the agony of being stiched back up. But I think our suffering has no comparison to the agony of our saviour as he hung on the cross and said "My God, my God, why have you deserted me?" (Matthew 27:46). That was the moment when he felt all the sins of the world resting on his heart. Indeed, he felt utterly deserted by his Father and everyone else. And that shows selflessness in the extreme. Yet to live with abandon like this fit with the whole ministry of Jesus. He constantly risked everything to share the love of God with everybody. Who cares if the Jews are harrassing him. Instead, he always pushed forward to bring love and healing to the massess knowing in time he would ultimately experience agonizing death for all. Lord Jesus, we at this point simply admire the way you took our sins upon yourself in order that we can enjoy eternal salvaion. Power be to you! In your name, Amen.

The Wonder of Discipline

Curious how when Jesus was led to crucifixition he chose not to drink any wine to ease the pain. Now I shall be the first to proclaim a glass of wine brings some nice comfort at the end of a long day. Yet our Lord so decided to experience the full pain of the cross that he chose to decline comforting wine. Of course the walk to the cross totally engendered vast pain, not to mention the prospect of what awaited him. Just the prospect of nails in his wrists must have brought huge fear and anguish. But Jesus decided he would somehow experience this pain fully. And beyond that he knew the soldiers would merely gamble to win his worn clothes. (Matthew 27:38). Talk about humiliation. So we must now find a way to share in this absolute rejection of our Lord. And find hope. Lord Jesus, we thank you for suffering so greatly for us. And we do ask that you would somehow place upon our hearts a desire to share in your pain. Please come near. Amen.

Self Condemnation

Now it is not easy to bring eternal condemnation upon onself in light of the mercy of Jesus taught so often in the gospels. But the the governor's soldiers seem to pull this off with enormous alacrity. On the one hand they have Jesus within their midst and on the other all the opportunity within eternity to make a good call and give him a break. But of course they relish the moment of humiliating Jesus by putting a crown of thorns on his head. Then mocking him with false worship and spitting on him. Please. How can they possibly be so blind? Well, I find this blindness way to close to home. It happens when a wife is taken with a coworker and then ends up screwing in a meeting room floor. Take that Jesus, a knife in the heart. Or when a teenager finds friends getting high and having sex and they get an invitation to share the joy. Take that Jesus, a spit in the face. So you see, we can't exactly stand beyond these soldiers with our own enormouse goodness. Rather, the point of the passage is that people might earnestly repent and come humbly before the Lord for foregiveness. Lord Jesus, we do so apologize for this harm from these soldiers. And honestly admit our own guilt. Please foregive us and change us to be humble and ever seeking to admire you. In your name, Amen.

Pilate's Poor Marriage

I guess God chose Pilate to judge Jesus because his marriage was so bad. A better man would have listened to his wife who said, "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man. I have had nightmares because of him." (Matthew 27:19). I for one could possibly not refuse to obey my wife saying such a thing. But apparently Pilate had such a disdain for his wife that he went on to hand Jesus over for the cross. He makes a lame attempt to wash his hands of this case. But in the end he ordered his soldiers to nail the Lord to a cross. So we get to see one hard hearted guy in Pilate.

Lord Jesus, we pray that you would give us soft hearts that we can respond to our loved ones. In your name, Amen.

He Amazes Them

Funny how when they bring Jesus before Pilate he has not a reply to his proclamation, "Are you the king of the Jews?" (Matthew 27:11). It is of course his expectation that the Lord would make all kinds of rebuttals to get free. But this prisoner has a curios agenda that no authority can unravel. Indeed, the Lord simply has nothing to say to this accusation and it says "the governor was greatly amazed." But I do suspect he knew well the miracles and healings of this prisoner. For who could have missed that? So he has his hands full and soon will be further perplexed at his encounter with the Creator before him.

Holy Father, we pray that you would enable us to deeply understand the majesty of your Son here. In Jesus name, Amen.

A Reckoning

Once Judas learned that Jesus had been sentenced to death, he feels terribly sorry for what he has done and hangs himself. Now that speaks volumes about the beauty of our Lord in his midst. How can someone feel so convicted about turning him over that they kill themselves? This again speaks to us about the magic of Jesus healing and carrying on upon the earth. And it is that wonder that grips Judas so deeply that he must end his life. What a story. Indeed, Judas even goes so far as throw the good money the Jews gave him away before he does the deed. Now why would he end his sweet suddenly rich life? Because the touch of Jesus lingered on his soul and he became unable to reconcile damaging such a fine man.

Lord Jeus, we ask that you would touch our hearts with your very presence. Please come. In your name, Amen.

The Pain of Denial

Sure enough Peter goes on to deny he knows the Lord three times. Then when he hears the rooster crow, it says "Then Peter went out and cried hard." (Matthew 26:75). You have to give him credit for such a response. He knew the gravity of his hard heart. But here he is willing to respond the the Lord prick at his soul. And we ought to admire Peter for that. Indeed, when Jesus after his resurrection goes on to welcome his apostles to a warm breakfast and fire after they fished poorly all night, Peter sees him and dives into the water to be near Jesus. So our Peter learned well his misdeed and he longed to set things straight with his Master. Let's allow our hearts to be pricked in a similar by the Lord.

Our Jesus, we pray you would give us soft hearts like Peter so we can respond to your promptings. In your name, Amen.

Severe Blindness

When Jesus is taken prisoner by Caiphas the high priest, they ask him if he is in fact the Messiah. Now that has to be one of the dumbest questions of all time. All they had to do was look at the miracles he performed all about them and see the wonder of God’s power within the Lord. They already had the answer to this question. But instead they choose to ignore the obvious and make their accusations. The Master kindly responds to their accusations to point out that he is fact God before them. Then these Jewish boys go on to make sure they have their spot in Hell by spitting in his face and hitting him with their fists. Amazing how this spiritual blindness can grip them so thoroughly. Yet that seems to be the human condition. And the Savior chooses to endure it.
Holy Jesus, we pray that you would open the eyes of our heart that we can every day see your glory and respond to you. In your name, Amen.

A Lover of Freedom

When Jesus is accosted by the friends of Judas, he does something surprising. He held every right to bring down "more than twelve armies of angels." (Matthew 26:53). But instead he relates to these oppressors as one willing to go to agonizing death. Why? Because he fully supports the right of these boys to harras him. He knows that in time the victory is obviously his. That is how freedom works. And we we must support pain and opposition entering our lives if if are ever to share in the winning glory of the Beginning and the End.

Lord Jesus, we earnestly pray that you would open our dim eyes and allow us to see our need to gladly accept persecution for you. In your name, Amen.

Human Divergence

When Jesus came back after praying he found his disciples sleeping. Imagine that. They had clearly been told of his approaching torture and death. And they doze off when their master is praying, the most powerful moment in his final days. He says, "You want to do what is right, but you are weak." (Matthew 26:41). This fits so well with Peter's exclamation that he would never deny his Lord. And yet we can so well contrast this to holy discipline: "My Father, if there is no other way, and I must suffer, I will still do what you want." (Matthew 26:42). So our task is the one to somehow transcend human frailty and join the Master in a journey of selfless sacrifice. Indeed, that is where the rubber meets the road for people. To join Jesus and enter into places of absolute pain. And that is what we must somehow grab tightly and hang onto in order to bring the Lord immense joy forever.

Our Jesus, we pray that you would make us strong enough to follow through on our personal sacrifice for you. In your precious name, Amen.

A Prayer Lesson

Prior to his arrest and agonizing death, Jesus took out some time for some serious prayer. The very fact that he would do this ought to speak loudly about the preminence of prayer. But even bigger lessons appear in how he prays. He of course had every right to assume a demanding stance ever so expecting God to at least bring comfort. But instead he kneels with his face to the ground and implores God to help and bascially says, "But do what you want, and not what I want." (Matthew 26:39). And the magic of this moment is found in the immense power of this type of prayer. It is clear from scripture that God is tightly drawn to humility. Knowing that, the Master kneeling on his face drew the Father in close. And then the simple wish that His will be done sort of clinches the certaintly that the full power of God shall enter the world of his Son. And that so should teach clearly to all our prayer manners ought to be the same.

Holy Father, we pray that you would transform us to pray as Jesus did here. In His name, Amen.

A Valiant Promise

Jesus warns his apostles that this night, after sharing such an intimate Supper, all of them will reject their Lord. Peter ever the impetuous one exclaims, "Even if all the others reject you, I never will!" And the Lord goes on to assure him that he will in fact disown his Master three times. Typical human weakness and maybe reason that we should be circumspect about the commitments we make to God. Way worse to pronounce our noble deeds before they happen and then find we come up short like Peter. But the beauty of this travesty is the way Jesus goes on after his resurrection to provide breakfast to these apostles who had just so fully rejected him.

Lord Jesus, we pray that you would give us the wisdom to not say we shall do good things until we can actually do them. In your name, Amen.

The Lord's Supper is an Intimate Moment

When in Matthew 26:26 we find Jesus sharing the Lord's Supper with his apostles we gain a vantage point of just how deep this communion truly is. He says of the bread, "Take this and eat it. This is my body." (Matthew 26:26). Now it is fair during the Lord's Supper to regard this bread as in fact the body of Christ. And I think what the Master is shooting for here is to envelope us into this body that we might truly share in his suffering and his very self. For why else would he speak in these terms? So the calling for us to partake in the Lord's Supper often to simply intertwine more deeply with the Creator. Because that is where his life and his power reside.

Appropriate Devotion

When a woman came into Jesus and poured a bottle of expensive perfume on his head, his disciples were upset as they thought such expense should be saved to give to the poor. Yet the Lord said, “She has done a beautiful thing for me. You will always have the poor with you, but you won’t always have me.” (Matthew 26:10-11). We must understand God’s perspective on devotion. Of course the poor will always have needs. But what Jesus wants is commitment to him above all. That means we must always linger in our devotion and praise toward him and the Father and simply forget about the ever present needs of others. For life itself flows from the Lord and somehow trying to ignore that, no matter if for noble causes, comes up short.
Holy Father, please enable us to put you first above all. Make us fully devoted to you no matter what. In Jesus name, Amen.

Expanisve Thinking

Jesus tells a parable of a man who entrusts his servants with money to invest. Two of them invest the money and earn a good return for their master. He replies to this diligence with “I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!” (Matthew 25:21). But the third servant was scared so he buried the money and returned it to the master when he came back. The master replies harshly, “You are lazy and good-for-nothing! You could have at least put my money in the bank, so that I could have earned interest on it . . . . You are a worthless servant, and you will be thrown out into the dark where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain.” (Matthew 25:26-30). So why so harsh when the servant at least saved his money? The Lord does not explain but the implication is clear. He routinely blesses everyone with breath and life and he expects they invest their time to expand the kingdom. Which can actually be done for free. But to those unwilling to lift a finger for Heaven, all they can expect is damnation.
Lord Jesus, we ask that you would give us expansive thinking. Enable us to be ever about expanding your kingdom on Earth. In your name, Amen.

Look Past Human Standing

In Matthew 23 Jesus goes on at length about how badly the Pharisees have missed the essence of religion. His complaint is they do everything for the look and to gain admiration at all costs. When in fact they care nothing for helping people. He goes on to say that the disciples should simply not regard people as points of religous adoration. Rather, he calls his followers to go back to that one ideal: "The greatest among you will be your servant." (Matthew 23:11). Nothing new here. Yet this stands so much in contrast to religion at large among the people that he must again make the call. So it is today. Pastors now seem to view themselves as the epicenter of the universe. Rather than work to reveal the message of God waiting in the scriptures, they tend to speak off of the cuff with whatever wisdom is within their heads. I tend to think we have Pharisee religion all about us. Nobody cares to dive deep into the Bible striving to grasp the message of God. Humanism reigns. Regardless, the edict of Christ is to grasp the true message of God found in scripture--servanthood.

Lord Jesus, please place our minds within the domain of your wish that we might become servants. Enable us to escape religous pressure about us exalting people. In your name, Amen.

The End of Blasphemy

It seems Jesus tired of all the Pharisaical questions. So he puts a big one to them they cannot address. The idea he had in mind is to pull their thinking from the Messaih being merely human to him being God. He said, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” (Matthew 22:43). They reply he is the son of David, of course. But then the Lord goes on to challenge their thinking questioning why would David call him Lord. They cannot answer as this lies beyond their contemplations of the messaih. So here we get to see Jesus openly sweeping away all pretensions of the Pharisees for tame religion. Instead, they get faced with daunting majesty in the person of the Master and they are speechless.

Dear Jesus, we pray that you would enlighten us regarding your overwhelming power being God. Show us you majesty. In your name, Amen

The Most Important Commandment

The Pharisees could not seem to stop trying to catch Jesus saying something wrong. So one of them asked him, “What is the most important commandment in the Law?” Sort of a silly question when you think of it. And the Lord replied with the obvious: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, Love others as much as you love yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39). This response of course threw the Pharisees. For they never considered a concern for others within the Law’s demands. Yet here the Master makes them again speechless for loving others is in a sense the same as loving God with you whole heart. How could they argue against this? Not within their practices but something they could never deny. So the Creator drives home the immense value of caring for others as in the same league as loving God.
Dear Jesus, we pray that you would somehow help us to love other as much as ourselves. In your holy name, Amen.

More than Marriage

Once again the Pharisees try to trick Jesus with a complicated question. But they miss the whole point of what the resurrection is about. The quandry focuses on who will be married to whom at the resurrection. Yet the Lord counters this by so well pointing out that at the resurrection there will be no marriage. The promise of marriage in this life is huge as a man and a woman have been designed by God for deep compatibility. But the point the Creator makes here is that in Heaven we will be "like the angels in Heaven." (Matthew 22:30). So our quality of life will be way beyond even the best marriage and our relationships will transcend what marriage could ever offer.

Holy Jesus, do help us understand how vast our joy will be in Heaven when we will be like angels with you. In your name, Amen.

Life is so much more than money

When the Pharisees accosted Jesus on whether to pay taxes or not, they thought they could trap him with the idea of protecting all people's money by obviously defying the Romans. Yet Jesus replies in tune beyond what they might consider, Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22:21). Why might this response amaze people? Because nobody expected him to suggest that Caesar deserves his taxes. Everyone hates the idea of paying Caesar. But the Lord's point is that life extends beyond money and that it is no big deal to give the government thier due. Rather, Jesus once again makes the call toward higher priorities beyond simple cash. He expects people to give their very soul to the Lord and care less about a bit of money.

Our Jesus, we pray that you would grant us a vision of your calling higher. Get our minds beyond our money and onto your glory. In your name, Amen.

Few are Chosen

Jesus tells a story of a man holding a wedding banquet. But those invited did not come. So he tells his servants to hit the streets and invite everyone to attend. And of course many people show up. But he singles out one person not wearing wedding clothes and he tells his attendents to tie him up and throw him out. Pretty harsh treatment. Yet the Lord is trying to make the point that everone is invited to the banquet in Heaven but few are allowed to attend. He says, “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14). So it is safe to take his point here that entrance into Heaven is not at all assured. Jesus is looking for those who are willing to actually live out his teachings, no matter the hardship. And the harsh reality is to carry on with the chosen life must feel like rejection now with hands tied up. But the reward shall certainly be worth it.

Lord Jesus, we do pray that you would enable us to live the life of sacrifice you demand that we can be welcomed into Heaven. In your name, Amen.

Faith Actually Does Work

When the apostles saw Jesus curse an unproductive fig tree that soon withered in response, they where amazed at this sight. Yet the Lord goes on to make the point that faith can in fact work this kind of wonder and much more. We must understant that this ideal measure of faith is what in the Master caused amazing things to happen. He goes on to say, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew (21:21-22). Jesus here is trying to persuade his apostles of the reality that belief holds great power. And all that is merely required is too deeply trust God to work these wonders. Yet that trust seems the chasm holding so many back from experiencing dramatic Heavenly intercession. So the take away here is to devote oneself to absolute confidence that God can heal and rescue.

Our holy Father, we pray that you would instill in us a deep faith and trust in your ability to solve our problems. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Anger of Jesus Strikes

This passage in Matthew 21 is sobering. No other time do we see the Lord physically express his fury toward people like this time when he accosts the sellers of doves in the temple. One would think there is little wrong with these guys selling doves as people needed to make sacrifices. But in the Master's eye's the temple is sacrosanct, not the place for commerce. And his unbridled move to set matters straight must have upset some people: "He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[f]” (Matthew 21:12-13). But here it seems Jesus does not care what people think; he is destined to bring purity to the temple. It stands to reason that this glimpse of the nature of the Master should cause us to pause and wonder how he feels about any unjust behavior in the world. Surely he feels angry at many things, like this, that might seem slight to us. So that begs the question what behaviors in our circle drive him crazy?

Lord Jesus, we ask that you would show us what we can do to live a more pure life that pleases you. In your name, Amen.

Keep Pressing into Jesus

There seems to be a prevailing apathy in the church that always seems to sustain the status quo. We leave passion to Muslim terrorists who have deep religous zeal that leads them to kill soldiers and scream praise God. Yet we just approach faith "ho hum." This when the rewards of passionate faith are so extreme. Fortunately, we get to see passion for Christ in two blind men who simply persist in obtaining healing. It says when they asked the Lord for healing 31 "The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” (Matthew 20:31). So even though they get "rebuked," they passionately press into to Jesus and find instant healing. We must live life with this very passion for the Master.

Our Jesus, we pray that you would stir our hearts and increase our passion for you. In your holy name, Amen.

Jesus Calls us to be Servants

In Matthew 20 we find the mom of two of the apostles begging the Lord to put her boys at his right and left in Heaven. You have to give her credit to fully understand the majesty of the Master as she kneeled before him. Yet Jesus explains to her and the other apostles the more important goal. He says, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-27). He beckons her and his boys to think in eternal terms. What that looks like is living the life of a slave, always seeking that opportunity to care for others. Of course this defies common sense and our natural leading of self preservation and self adoration. Nevertheless, the message of the Creator here is that he himself has decided to give his very life as an offering. Don't know anybody who has endured his level of pain to rescure us: having the sins of the world placed on his body under crucifixion; fasting for forty days (ouch!); enduring the abuse and harrasment from Pharisees and Romans. So Jesus is obviously entitled to call us to a life of servanthood.

Holy Master, we pray that you would transform our hearts that we might become dear servants like you. In your blessed name, Amen.

I plan to build a rapidly growing church in Houston. Please let me know if that would be of interest to you. My email: rosupplee@gmail.com

Jesus Has Mercy

In the parable of the vineyard,the Lord shows that he is prepared to care for anyone no matter when they respond to his generosity. In other words, someone can live their lives apart from him and still choose faith in their last days. He explains it this way: “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?" (Matthew 20:13-14). Of course I am led from scripture to believe that those who devoted their lives to him longer will get a sweeter reward in Heaven than the ones who put out less. But the bottom line is that all will enjoy the rewards of Heaven who ultimately choose him. This reveals the unworldly mercy of the Master that flys in the face of the typical reward. And it is our task to share this vision as we seek to care for others.

Dear Jesus, we pray that you would help us to show kindness to others with your level of mercy. In your name, Amen.

God's Heart for the Poor

We must understand an underlying reason Jesus calls us to help the poor is because he has deep feelings to help these people. For that is God's nature. If you read through the Psalms you find many times God saying he cares for the poor and David too. Remember that King David was about the wealthies, most powerful ruler in his day yet he is taken with providing for the impoverished. And of course he was a man after God's own heart. So just that should compel us to become folks who find ways to accomodate the needy. The nice thing is how easy we can find the poor and figure out ways to touch them. The last couple of days I was travelling on a bus and seemed to bump into hungry people all over the place. Given that God's glory lingers on me I often find them approaching me as a source of help. Yesterday a hungry homeless guy reached out to me and we became friends. He was broke and hungry so I bought him dinner and shared my faith with him. Watching all these reminded me what a great location bus stations are to meet the poor. You can do this too by bringing a pack of cigarrettes and dollar bills, and gospels of Mark to a bus station and be ready to serve. Cigarrettes help because most of the poor smoke. At one place I had four requests for cigarrettes and when I pass them out this opens a door to become friends and share my faith. Even better to smoke with them as sharing a smoke is a sweet form of fellowship to the hungry. Or you can hang out by homeless shelters and there meet many poor people. And remember the reward with living this life. Jesus explains, "everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[e] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." (Matthew 19:29). So always remember that caring for the needy builds a wonderful reward in Heaven for us.

Lord Jesus, we ask that you would help us to be like you and David and constantly look for ways to love the weak. In your name, Amen.

The Wealth Threat

This discussion of Jesus with the rich man warrants further study because it holds such eternal consquences for us all. The Lord explains further his position: 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-24). The reason this indicts us is because we are Americans, the wealthiest people on earth. And because we live among lots of wealthy American religious people who could care less for the poor. Yet here the Master says how truly difficult it is in fact for wealthy people to enter the kingdom of heaven. Now I do think wealthy people devoted to God can get there but I also suspect their reward will be slight. Heaven, yes. But the lite version. So a broader interpretation is certainly called for here. I would say that view is that most Americans may have a tough time getting in through the Pearly Gates or once in find they missed the big time enjoyed by those devoted few who cared for the poor. So that certainly ought to give us pause to ponder. And the obvious conclusion to Jesus' teaching here is he plainly longs for his people to deny themselves and readily share with the needy that these his people may one day enjoy a glorious eternal taste everafter. Pretty tough stuff, huh? But I am sorry I do not find a life caring for the poor hard at all. Sure, at first it hurts to part with your sweet cash to put it into the greedy hands of a wanton person. But over time all I can call it is joy and delight and freedom. I must confess I have this awful habit of praying to God, "OK, Father, I am asking you to put people with needs into my life so I might serve them." And guess what happens, people just start appearing right and left asking me for money or for me to pray for them or do something else. And the odd thing is like a desperate girl who accosted me a couple of days ago when I was one out of a hundred people downtown but she purposely went to me for help and told me her tragic story. At another time someone I did not even know out of the blue asked me to pray for them. I wonder who is behind these curious moments? Dah, even I can see God moving there. So our job is to step aside and welcome the Lord to place needy people in our paths that we might do his mighty work and care for them.

Holy Father, we again ask that you would soften our hearts that we can become your people who love the poor and freely share with them. In Jesus, Amen.

Wealth is Risky

A guy asks Jesus how he can get eternal life. But he has some internal issues that get in the way and in typical fashion the Lord addresses these immediately, Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Matthew 19: 22). Very Sad. What a tragedy as all the Master is asking is for him to start living and care for the poor. But this guy is so typical. He wants to be religous without living the faith. I find this approach to the faith so typical. I know how wrong this is because God has helped me understand this great need to care for the needy and so I often give money to the poor. Just the other day a desperate woman approached me for money to buy a bus ticket and some food. She was hungry. Of course I gave her $25 to care for her. Yet I know I am the odd guy out as nobody cares at all for the poor. I live in a city of half a million that is the Jerusalem of America. There are over 1,000 churches here but nobody cares for the homeless. Whereas I tend to rescue homeless people and invite them to my house I find that I am alone. Others consider me a fool to ask God to bring me needy people and he often dumps them in my lap. So they regularly ask me to help them and I do. What about you? It is time for you to start living the real faith and share with the needy. And I must tell you such a life is a joy and a delight to find Jesus put the needy in your path. But will you decide to start living the real walk, the genuine faith and start sharing? Probably not. For some crazy reason everybody wants to go to church and say stupid prayers all the while abaondoning the poor. Trust me, religion is worthless unless you become open to living the real faith that means caring for the desperate souls who just need your attention.

Lord Jesus, we pray that you could change us to be willing to care for the poor and actually live out the real faith you call us to. Please help us be generous like you. In your magnanimous name, Amen.

Magic of Marriage

Once again the Pharisees try to stick it to Jesus regarding divorce. They want him to explain how it is right for divorce to happen. To their dismay, the Lord explains that marriage runs far deeper than they think: "and the two will become one flesh’[b]? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Matthew 19:5). Our Master tries to steer their thinking toward the mysterious ethereal notion that marriage actually transforms two people into one. This of course is beyond them and I tend to think beyond the reach of so many couples. But if we consider the fact that God designed a man and woman to be so trancendently compatible the idea of them becoming one is not that far unreachable. That, of course, is the ideal our Saviour exults here. Indeed, to me I simply find stirring magic within the union of a man and woman. And so Jesus here tries to ask that we might get our arms around his sweet vision of that nirvana possible within marriage.

Dear Jesus, we pray that you might enable us to understand your regard for marriage. Allow us to see what potential is found between a man and woman becoming one. In your name, Amen.

Children Precedence

Ever wonder why we have kids among us? They can be such a pain with all the whining and trouble. But I think God's call is that we might see their enormous value and all they can teach us. Jesus addresses this in Matthew 18 as he shares his fondness for children by saying, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3). So we have reason to pay attention to the magic of kids if we ever wish to please the Lord. I think what the Master sees is their innocence, joy and curiosity that causes him to place boys and girls on the pedestal as the Christian ideal. And that gives us easy insight into what the believing life should look like. I believe Jesus wants us to adore kids and ever look for times to be among them and simply enjoy their wonder. If you know a kid aged 2-12 you have a treasure to carry you toward experiencing the closest connection to the Lord. Always remember that the prayers of a child tend to be the most effective as God is terribly attracted to them for they are like Him.

Holy God, we pray that you might change us to become like children. Grant us open hearts that we enjoy kids as much as you do. In Jesus name, Amen.

Healing Faith

Jesus is struck by a quandry that frustrates him a great deal. A dad brought his possessed son to the apostles and they could not heal him. This situation became troubled as in Mark it records that when the Lord arrived they were "arguing." You must understand the pain this parent felt here because there is little in life that hurts as bad as seeing your child suffer. I suspect this kid suffered from a curse that we call autism today, an affliction that propelled him toward water and fire.. Instead of recognizing demon possession for what it really is, we have a new way of classifying such an affliction to call it autism, a mental illness. And that is a central problem. For I am sure this dad thought his kid had mental problems but fortunately he had the insight to seek the right kind of help. Tragically, few do that today. Fortunately when the apostles found themselves unable to help, they had Jesus there to bring instantly healing. After expressing his extreme frustration with this failure, he addresses how healing can happen: "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20). So what is missing in the heart of the apostles is a decent sized faith. And the Master spells out the solution. He says just a little faith the size of a mustard seed can work miracles. Does that mean there is barely any faith among us? I think so. But the hope found here presents a huge opportunity for anyone willing to press into God for a bigger faith.

Our precious Jesus, we pray that you would breathe faith into us now and increase our faith by the power of your Spirit. Please have mercy on us and enable us to feel a searing pain until we can gain a big faith. In your dear name, Amen.

Touching Heaven

Ever the surprising one, Jesus leads his apostles up a mountain that Heaven might visit. Now this was one of the most powerful invasions of Heaven on the earth. It says when the Lord connects with the Other Side that "2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light." (Matthew 17:2). Here we find a deep contrast between eternal surprise and earth bound humans. Peter comes on about creating shelters to honor their visitors. Shelters? What is up with this? Of course shelter building to welcome God stood as typical Jewish understanding of how to corner God. But here the enormity of God's closeness so swept beyond any need for that. And God goes on to say regarding his Son, "Listen to him." It says the apostles were terrified and hit the ground. So once again we get to see a faith shortfall within them that prevents a proper response. They so should have been about soaking in this glory of God around them and welcoming his visit. Instead, they shrink back to pull away from this appearance. Yet this remains the human response to God's eternal wish to visit his people. He stands outside church assemblies as all we can do is think about newer carpet for the building as that would honor God. But what about God himself? Forget the decorum of the apostles here. Accept that God longs to invade our assemblies and change hearts. He scans the gathering seeking faith that welcomes him. But always holding back due to all the faith he can find is the shallow faith like the apostles here. Shall we be like the apostles and ever shrink back from his glory? Or instead step off the cliff and embrace faith so big His visit inspires?

A Comforting Cross

Jesus tells his apostles that he will soon go to Jerusalem and lose his life at the hands of the Pharisees. This of course troubles them and Peter puts his foot down and proclaims this shall never happen. The Lord strikes back and even calls him Satan. Yikes! Don't think I ever want to hear that from God. But the Master goes to say,

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24).

Pain. That is the calling of our savior. Yet within this crucifiction we should find life. Ever the paradox from the Lord. But that is his very point here. Indeed, later he says that people will be rewarded in measure to the measure they use in caring for others. So the idea Jesus seeks to communicate is that the Cross actually should bring eternal comfort. Apart from everyday experience that says pain ought to turn us in a different direction, the Creator states that we should welcome cross suffering as this ends in eternal triumph.

Our Jesus, we ask that you would help us understand the glory of pain carrying your cross within our lives. Enable us to lift that cross always and rejoice in the nails. In your name, Amen.

Hearing God

One of the more challenging things the apostles must face is what to think about Jesus. It seems the outlook around them is he is some kind of prophet worthy of admiration. But Peter comes out with the truth, saying, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16). What stands out here is that the Lord says Peter learned this from God. So Peter has arrived at that place where he can understand the message God is trying to pour out on him. No wonder he went on to lead the church and change earth history forever. Peter was merely a human with such a humble heart that he could grasp the eternal truth God wished him to understand. While his friends remain stuck with the idea that Jesus is something less.
That dynamic still occurs today for God still loves his people and forever whishes they include him in their thinking. So as he speaks to us shall we listen and respond? Be willing to do his work even if that means we end up crucified like Peter?

Holy Father, we ask that you would open the eyes of our heart that we might hear your voice and respond to you like Peter did. In Jesus, Amen.

Pollutive Yeast

As Jesus traveled about with his apostles he found them wrestling with what to think of all the food he had created. And their minds got stuck on the role of bread to provide what they need. Yet the Master turns their thinking onto something far more important. He says, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6). His appeal is that their minds might remain purely devoted to his teaching versus the more common dogma of the Pharisees. So he calls them to remain focused on the teaching within the narrow road. Less accessible than the Jewish stuff. And that remains his call to us. We get flooded with so many "answers" on how to live life better. The pastor persona calls us for him to be out example. Yet I have seen a number of them fall into sin horribly. So the better path within the Lord's appeal is for us to stay gripped by his compassion and edicts. Untarnished by outward yeast we can in fact enjoy pure teaching from the Lord's guidance within scripture.

Lord Jesus, we pray that you would enable us to remain fully focused on your teaching and somehow not be captured by the yeast around us. In your name, Amen.

True Worship

After his encounter with the Pharisees, Jesus goes on to address their heart problem. I find it worth considering that he calls their worship in vain. You know they were doing church stuff and acting terribly religous. Yet their empty worship draws the Lord's scorn. Here the Creator presents worship as key to religion that should lead us to think the same way. And that might push us toward a place of seeking meaningful worship that actually connects with the heart of God. So we should take a position opposite to what the Master implores: "They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules." (Matthew 15:9). So what does true worship look like? I believe humility is at the core of real worship. Proper worship should be all about adoring Jesus and the Father and the Spirit and entirely not about us. And that can be accomplished with a proper selection of songs and an accompanying approach all about pursuing the presence of God. The outcome should always be people weeping and repenting and feeling the surge of God in their midst. I have been there so many times to see this occur and I have taught groups how to worship effectively and sure enough when they carry on this way God appears and people get changed forever. Indeed, on one of the groups I taught a doctor became so touched she quit her job and moved to Guatamala to care for the poor where she remains today. So your goal must be to so adore Jesus that he cannot resist you and he comes down from Heaven and invades your gathering to the extent that people lose touch with the everday and so connect with him. I find that most gatherings have not this quality. But if you just insist on songs of adoration for God and then constantly call for his joining you I know that in time you can experience God sweeping through your assembly and the life changing results.

Please holy Father, do guide us to only allow worship that adores you and always calls you to our gatherings. We so need your touch. Come Jesus, Come. Spirit we do earnestly invite you to join us. In Jesus, Amen.

Faith Power

We find an amazing interaction between Jesus and the Cannanite woman in Matthew 15. What strikes me about this exchange is the way the Lord simply refuses her request to heal her daughter because she is not Jewish. Yet this lady persists and seeks to persuade the Lord to help her. And the Master's response says volumes about the power of one person's faith to convice the Creator to help her. In her steadfastness she actually persuades God to rescue her daughter. Indeed, our Friend says, “Woman, you have great faith!" (Matthew 15:28). It is rare Jesus exclaims this way about someone's faith. So the bottom line here is she simply turns his power to her plight through sheer belief. That must grip out hearts that our prayers can accomplish the same outcomes. To know that persistence pulls the heart of God toward our need must always demand that we keep asking.

Dear God, we ask that you would impress our souls about your willingness to respond to our prayers. In Jesus, Amen. And Amen.

Heart Purity

After Jesus finishes the exchange with the Pharisees the apostles remain stumpted at what he is trying to say. I must agree with his sentiment, "Are you still so dull?" One would think they would gather the point of what he was saying. Yet they ask for a further explanation. The Lord says, "But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” (Matthew 15:18-20). We have heard this point before from the Master. So it should grab our thinking as well. This is why purity remains the priority of our hearts. And then always asking for forgiveness. For of course the Dark side constantly pulls at us to go for these things that defile.

Our Jesus, we pray that you would enable us to remain pure in our thinking. In your glorious name, Amen.

Honor Mom and Dad

Once again the Pharisees come after Jesus trying to tip him. Yet the Lord strikes back right to the heart of one of their many shortcomings. Their trouble lay in their disregard for parents. Ever consumed with religion they miss what the Lord considers the central point to religion, caring for Mom and Dad: "Honor your father and mother’[a] and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’" (Matthew 15:4). Why this focus? I think because family strength is the heart of God. And that tie between kids and their teachers remains paramount toward stabilizing life itself. At the end of the day, don't parents offer wisdom? Of course they do with a way better perspective on life. But the Pharisees miss this priority while the Master appeals for devotion to wisdom. Can you think back to sweet memories of how your parents cared for you? I sure can. So our Friend's calling is that we might carry on with adoring our parents as that relationship offers lasting value.

Dear Jesus, we pray that you might enable us to always remember this emphasis on honoring our parents. In your name, Amen.

Faith Overcome

When we see Jesus walking on the water in Matthew 14 we get an opportunity to see how faith can clearly work within the heart of a human. Peter grabs faith tight and begins walking to the Lord on the water. What a sight that must have been for his companions. We must give Peter credit here for having the gusto to step out with such faith. But of course he soon sees the storm about him and loses that precious faith and begins sinking. Yet that first stride walking accross the water must have put an amazing story into the minds of the apostles that they will tell for generations. And we get to see first hand the potential of faith and the consummate failure once faith is lost. What an illustration?! So it is safe to say if we can only keep our eyes fully fixed on Jesus we too might enjoy the progress of faith even better than this.

Dear Master, we pray that you would today breathe faith into us and build our faith by the power of your Spirit. Enable us to keep such a tight focus on you, the Source of life, that we can in fact move forward tightly with a lasting faith. In your name, Amen.

Irresistible People

In Matthew 14 we find Jesus heading off to be alone so he could pray. Certainly prayer moments brought eternal magic into the life of Christ. It says in Matthew, "After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it." (Matthew 14:23-24). What we must realize is the essence of God and Jesus is communion. This Connection is who they are. Hence Christ referred to as the "Word" in John. So when the Lord prayed he entered back into sweet fellowship with the Father that they had enjoyed forever. Now breaking that must have been painful. That is why my daily thanks to God is that he allowed Jesus to live on earth for 33 years; that distance must excruciating to them. So here as we know the Master felt delight in his talk with God, we must also realize the extent of his love for people. He somehow manages to break off that intimate conversation with God in order to attend to struggling people. It is this leap that we must always treasure. This selflessness within God that presents our plight as simply irresistible and calls him to us.

Our Jesus, we pray that you might show us the dept of your love for people that always seems to beckon you to us. In you, Amen.

A Delightful Meal

When we find Jesus in Matthew 14 he is once again facing a huge crowd of 5,000 men and families. Yet in spite of his tiredness and I am sure weary from lots of healing, etc, it says, "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick." (Matthew 14:14). We must understand this is the nature of God, to Always feel for us when we are about him. He goes on to ask the apostles to feed these poor people. When of course they could not he created massive amounts of food out of thin air. You know the apostles were euphoric to see this surplus they passed around to the hungry crowd. And that seems to be the outcome anytime the Lord gets involved in life. People get cared for in surprising ways. So once again the Lord transcends physical limitations.

Our Master, we ask that you might give us a vision to see just how much you can do within our situations to satisfy our needs. In your name, Amen.

Elusive Faith

When Jesus goes to his hometown he does not get a warm reception. He taught and sought to perform miracles there. Yet the people were entirely skeptical and went on and on about him being a hometown boy who could not really do anything of consequence. In fact, the scripture goes so far as to say they "took offense at him." (Matthew 13:57). Now that takes some doing. To be repulsed by God. And the Lord goes on to say something quite insightful and brimming with eternal power: "And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." So these sorry people missed the glory of God in front of their very faces due to a lack of faith. Hmm. I wonder how that plays out today? I suspect quite the same as faith is lacking all over the place. I feel like a lone ranger praying daily and at length for a bigger faith. That's because the pastor does not push that. But I wonder just how many delightful moves of Jesus in power are missed due to the more common faith absence.

Our dear Friend, we ask that you would breathe faith into us and increase our faith by the power of your Spirit. Please Lord, have mercy and grant us big faith. In your sweet name, Amen.

A Big Family

Jesus speaks of his real family when someone asks him to attend to his true family. In response the Lord says, "For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother." (Matthew 12:50). Hence it is fair for us to assume the same outlook. The idea the Master is sharing is the concept that everyone who believes is in fact our brother and sister and mother and father. Actually quite a nice arrangement to have a church full of family. But this is the manner in which Jesus wants us to relate to those people. As he pulls us toward intimacy in that circle. As so we must ever retain that outlook as we strech for closeness in his body. The beauty of such a view is that in time we might enjoy deep closeness in the church and that is the very goal of the Savior.

Lord Jesus, we pray that your mid would rule in our hearts regarding your church. Enable us to relate to them as siblings and we as children. In your name, Amen.

An Abundant Heart Speaks Good Things

Jesus goes on to address the central problem or opportunity that resides in people's hearts. He says, "The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things." (Matthew 12:35). And of course it was from the wellspring of evil that the Pharisees made their lame accusations. Yet the Master here expresses the central truth that everyone has a choice if they are willing to go about storing good in a heart. For if one builds a life of good only good can flow from that soul. So it bears study to find the path to storing up good. I have found the easiest, most joyful way to do that. In the Psalms God says he enjoys the "sacrifice of thanks." So for one to build this storehouse of good an excellent way to get there is to be filled with gratitude to God. That means putting our minds to ever enjoying happy pure memories of family and friends. The remarkable result is such thinking pours joy into thinking that makes life better. Have a spare moment? Force your thoughts toward gratitude. Then you and Jesus get to enjoy holy peace that touches Heaven.

Dear God, come to us and turn our thinking toward thankfulness. Please prompt us to constantly offer you that "sacrifice of thanks." In Jesus, Amen.

Playing with Fire

In Matthew 12 we find Jesus healing a man and the crowds are delighted as they wrestle with the notion that this might be in fact that expected son of David to free them. Yet the Pharisees jump on this response to proclaim the Lord works by the power of Beezebul, the Devil. Of course they are free to express their opinion but here they cross a line unto infinite condemnation. The Master responds: "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 12:32Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come." This sort of absolute proclamation is unusual for Jesus. But the Pharisees manage to bring it on. This might be worth pondering. In the eternal workings of the universe, the Spirit is the force that allows healings to happen. And this force continues moving among us today. So the Pharisees blast this Heavenly power and by doing so widen their entrance to Hell. A take away here is for us to become sensitive to the movement of the Spirit among us and ever cherish His presence and work.

Our Jesus, we pray that you might allow us to see the work of your Spirit in our lives. Make us people that facillitate the flow of your Spirit. In your name, Amen.

A Curious Justice

An attractive angle to the life of Christ is expressed well in Matthew 12:18-21. It is this remarkable idea that Jesus shall bring justice to earth not by the convential military method of "shouting" or beating people up. Rather he brings it with healing and a powerful message of God's foregiveness. This in his time rang foreign to the masses who were accustomed to the former style. And for us we might notice his justice manner today can be found in the mystery of his beguilling touch through his people: caring, sacrificing their money and time and feeling deeply for the hurting. Justice. I find this going on among my own children in flat remarkable ways like my oldest daughter who spent the summer caring for the neediest people on earth at Mother Theres'a Clinic in India all alone. But we must hold tight to this justice as from the hand of the Master and rejoice that his hand flows among us.

Mercy Continues

To the chagrin of the Pharisees, Jesus continue his mission of caring for the needy. A poor guy with a shriveled hand appears on the Sabbath and seeks the Lord's attention. Of course the Master n Matthew 12:13 makes the Pharisees have a cow as they begin planning how they might kill our Savior. Now Jesus' point is that if a sheep falls into a ditch on the Sabbath would you not attend to him? Yet the merciless spirit of the Pharisees see this as blasphemy. Really? How can you possibly argue with common sense? So the Creator simply heals in spite of all this opposition. The Pharisee truly emboy everything wrong with a humanity that ignores desperate human needs for a wrong headed attention to religion. Here the Lord saves us all from hurtful religion ever hoping that we might apply the idea that serving others rules.

Dear Jesus, please do soften our hearts to care for the needy. Let us look beyond comfort to meeting those needs about us. In your holy name, Amen.

Mercy Missing

In Matthew 12 we find Jesus and the apostles walking through some wheat fields and the apostles were hungy so they began picking and eating grains of wheat. Must be nice to have food so available. Yet the Pharisees see this and accost Jesus ever trying to find ways to stop him. They say, "Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that!" These Pharisees had no idea they were playing with God who is omnicient. So Jesus fires back with about the greatest touche in scripture: "You surely must have read what David did when he and his followers were hungry. He went into the house of God, and then they ate the sacred loaves of bread that only priests are supposed to eat." (Matthew 12:3-4). He goes on to say that the Law allows priests to work in the temple on the Sabbath. Ouch! The Pharisees had nothing to come back with on that because the Lord uses scripture to make his point. Indeed, his apostles were allowed to work on the sabbath as they are priests. And the master concludes his teaching on this point that he desires mercy and not sacrifice. The Pharisees so missed mercy here. Yet that can be our style in life, always err on the side of mercy and everything will be OK.

Lord Jesus, we pray that you would change our hearts to be always merciful just as you are. In your name, Amen.

Rest with the Father

In Matthew 11:27 Jesus presents the deep relationship he holds with God, saying "The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son." That of course holds the greatest promise in life as God is Creator and Sustainer of all life. And so the Savior is the very key to accessing this life. He goes on, "But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too." In this the Master brings the essence of life to people, as he is the only one who can communicate the Person of God. Interesting how this relationship is entirely the reason Jesus can offer true rest. His appeal is to anyone weary from life, saying "If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest." So this "rest" is all about knowing God and Jesus, with the Master bringing God's rest to wayward people. So true rest here is cleary making that connection with the Father through Jesus. He promises, "I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest." So if we want peace and refuge the Lord offers this with the ultimate power from Heaven found within Him and the Father.

Holy Father, we ask that you would grant us the ability to connect to your rest through Jesus. In His name, Amen. And Amen.

Imminent Judgement

We see quite an unusual display of angry judgement from Jesus toward some towns in Matthew 11:21. He says, "You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are in for trouble too! If the miracles that took place in your towns had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago." You can see his frustration with a lack of faith here. Hard to believe they would not respond to miracles occuring before their very eyes. Yet that remains the hardness of people's hearts. God today can be moving right and left before people and they simply ignore that power. This passage is so remarkable because Jesus is clearly very angry by unresponsive people. He goes on to say Hell is absolute destiny for this sort dismissive people. That ought to catch our attention for we remain at just the same level of risk to dismiss as these. For I do believe that Jesus often knocks at our doors hoping to bring new life into our world. Will we listen?

Our Master, we pray that you would increase our faith so we can respond to your visits. Thank you for ever reaching for our lives. In your name, Amen.

Don't Judge Others

In Matthew 11:18 Jesus goes on to talk of how people describe John the Baptist as someone strange because he did not "go around eating and drinking." But he says people say he is bad due to "That man eats and drinks too much!" So what is his point? I think the Lord is trying to say such talk is pointless. God gives lots of latitude to people to eat or drink in whatever fashion they wish. And our job is to grant people room for styles differing from ours. I do think God has much more room for quasi abberent behavior than we have. And I think our obligation is to lighten up on others and try to look for good rather than be so nitpicky. That was the issue when people got upset with the Master for hanging out with sinners. They simply thought themselves too religous to ever be seen with the weak. Instead, they missed the whole point of religion in that it primarily is for those with life needs. The Lord has little time for the "perfect." So what He is after is people willing to live life fully no matter what direction that takes them. So forget about judging the eating habits or other living practices of others. Open your heart to welcoming everyone, Just as Jesus did.

Dear Savior, we pray that you would sweep any inclination to judge others from our hearts. Open our Spirits to welcome everyone just as you did. In your precious name. Amen.

The Sending

When Jesus sent his apostles out to teach about him and to bring healing to others, he did so with a powerful assumption: that they would work together. The strength in this idea is found in a later passage where the Lord says, "When two or three of you are together I am there in your midst." So this sending came with attending power. I suspect the apostles went off in groups of two or more. And so the might of the Savior resided within their group. I have seen time and again how strongly the Lord appears when believers simply pray or worship together. It is this dynamic that propels the apostles on to work mightily with the companionship of their Teacher. Alone they would have struggled to be sure. For in my life experience all the delight I have found in Jesus appearing with His powerful touch has been in the company of other Christians. Alone nothing seems to happen. Trust me, I have tried it. So the apostles head out with the confidence of fellowship. And it is that union that holds eternal power for good.

Holy Father, we pray that you would give us conviction that we only find success and your power within the company of other believers. Change us into complete people people in your name. Amen.

Power Flows From Jesus to Meet Faith

In Matthew 9:18 we encounter another couple of faith heroes. Jairus starts it all by "worshipping" Jesus and saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live." Now that is a strong position to begin your appeal with worship. And Jairus is smart enough to know that if he wants healing this strong he had better begin in deep humility. Of course that sort of meeting gets the Lord's attention and he immediately heads for his house. But along the way a woman feels that touching the Master will get her healed so she does just that. The Savior's response to her ought to capture our thinking: "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." Indeed, the power of faith within her is the force that completely brings total healing. Remarkable how a person's faith literally compels Jesus to bring full healing. He had no other option. Then at Jairus' house people ridicule the Lord for saying his daughter is only sleeping. Yet the immense faith of Jairus trancends this ridicule and so the Lord can instantly bring the girl back to life. Once again, deep faith remains unstoppable even when others just launch seasoned doubt into the situation. Thanks entirely to the humble belief of Jairus we get to see life come down from Heaven to rescue this precious girl. Talk about a dream come true for a dad.

Lord Jesus, we so admire your willingness to care for hurting people about you. And we are so glad that you too share in our lives. We just keep asking for a stronger faith. In you, Amen

Merciless

We find an entertaining contrast between the Pharisees and Jesus at Matthew 9:10. It says, "Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him . . . ." This of course troubled the self righteous Pharisees and they complained to him that he would dare fellowship with such people. The Lord makes the point: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." Now that is talk way out of the bounds of these "pure" legalists. The Master is simply trying to get them to think like humans and consider the needs of sinners rather than stay hung up on their devotion to religion. And that is the style of our Friend. Ever about mercy for the weak instead of compliance with rules. But then they go on to accuse the disciples of not fasting. They just can't get their arms anywhere near around the notion of caring for others. Yet the beauty of Jesus remains in his kind attention to these "who are sick and in need of a physician." I bet they totally revelled in his friendship in the face of merciless, uptight legalists. And that is something we must always cherish. This very day our Jesus ruling the universe is totally filled with a heart of mercy for weak people.

Dear Jesus, we do pray that you would give us your heart of love for the sinners of this world. Enable us to patiently care for the unloved. In your name, Amen.

Contrast Darkness and Light

Two Demon Possessed men met Jesus as he came to the "country of the Gergesenes." Now these men were fierce for the scripture says they were so "exceedingly fierce that no one could pass that way." They simply had everyhone terrified with their peresence. Yet when they saw Jesus they said, "What have we to do with You Jesus, You Son of God?" They were obviously terrified to encounter the Lord before them. Funny contrast between darkness in its weak fearful form and light in the glory of our Master. The dynamic here is entertaining. So what do Satan's boys do when faced with omnicient glory before them? They panic and beg Jesus to cast them into the pigs nearby, ever hoping to somehow continue with the business of possession. Our Lord is merciful and allows them to enter the pigs they wish for and of course the pigs run off a cliff to their death. What is remarkable here is how scary these demons appear to the people at large yet the demons become flat scared in the face of the Lord. This divergence should capture our hearts as we consider Jesus at large. His glory so commands the earth within his walk that demons simply shake as they face Him. And that should be our basis to admire Him. Our Jesus, we admire your glory and power in the face of demons. We ask that you might open the eyes of our hearts to your glory that we can see power before us. In your name, amen.

A Picture of Faithlessness

We get a clear picture of life without faith at Matthew 8:23. It says Jesus was sound asleep in the back of the boat as a storm hits. The disciples were terrified by the storm and waves splashing into the boat. So they woke the Lord and asked him to save them. The savior responds: "Why are you so afraid? You surely don't have much faith." Then he went on to calm the storm and the disciples acted so amazed. How could they possibly worry when they had just seen Jesus heal so many? Because they had fallen into humaness given to worry and fear. Here our Friend expresses his disapointment at their lack of faith. A nice lesson for us because we can see what faithlessness looks like so we can not do that. I know there are fears and worries within your life, just as there are in mine. But the Lord wants us to face them with confidence that he will solve any problem and protect us. Is it not better to forget all the worries of life facing us and simply pray for God's help? Of course it is and that response is what brings the Son and the Father immense joy. Don't rob them of this euphoria that can flow from your life and mine. Allow powerful faith to flow through you and solve everything by God's wonderful move. Dear God, we ask that you would increase our faith so we can weather any trouble and depend on you to care for us. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Biggest Faith in Israel

Speaking of faith, my favorite faith hero is found next in Matthew 8. The Roman Centurion asks Jesus to heal his servant and Jesus says, "OK, lets go heal him." But the response of the Centurion captures the heart of the Lord. He says he is not worthy to have Jesus come in his home. Now that is even more power to heal: humility. Talk about a style that so totally grips the heart of Christ. Indeed, the Master goes on to say that this Centurion has the biggest faith in Israel. Remarkable. This in a highly religous country with lots of faith around. In fact, the response of Jesus to the Centurion saying he is not worthy to have the Christ in his house is worth considering. It says, "When Jesus heard this, he was astonished." Now that is the only occassion I can think of in the gospel where it says the Lord reacted that way. So we should take serious note. Humily delights our Saviour. So as we ponder this faith journey, we might take away the notion that this Centurion aught to be our faith model. And we should strive to live so humbly as we stretch for a faith as big as his. Lord Jesus, we pray that you would give us faith as big as the Roman Centurion. In your holy name, Amen.

Powerful Faith

If you wonder why I go on and on about faith, let me show you an example. There was a guy in Jesus' day who had the courage to accost the master that he might be healed. This was not an easy task for at that time the Lord had become a major celebrity typically not available to anyone as "major crowds" surrounded him wherever he went. Yet this fellow found his chance and was able to kneel before the master and say, "Sir, if you want to, you can make me clean." He has the serious ailment of leprosy and so he had nothing to lose. It says: "Jesus stretched out his hand and placed it on the leper, saying: 'Of course I want to. Be clean!' And at once the leper was clear of the leprosy." So what was going on here? Well below the surface enormous things were happening within the heart of this leper. For as you read through the gospel you find that Jesus is actually unable to heal when there is no faith. So here we find someone with big faith and that makes the task a piece of cake for the Lord. Instant healing. And this is why as I daily pray for a bigger faith I always ask for faith as big as this man. So I would say building the size of our faith is about the most important work of our lives, bar none. Our friend Jesus, we ask that you would breathe faith into us and increase our faith by the power of your Spirit. Capture our hearts with the faith journey that we might enjoy powerful faith just like this leper you healed so effortlessly. In your precious name, Amen.

Honor Other People

Jesus tells us that we should "treat other people exactly as you would like to be treated by them--this is the essence of all true religion." (Matthew 7). When you think of it, these are tough ethical teachings by the Lord. Because human tendency will allways lead us to react to poor treatment from others. The Dark side constantly pulls us to stand up for our rights. Yet the Lord beckons us to head the better direction and basicaly exult that troublesome person to regard them as highly as we do ourselves. There are some ways to change direction when their taunt pulls us toward a reaction. What about asking that person why they are treating you like this? Ask, "what do you mean by that?" Such a response always defuses tension and informs us of what is really going on within that troubled soul. And isn't that a step toward a better outcome? It must be because so few people take the time to inquire why someone acts poorly. Instead, they somehow look for ways to inflict consummate pain. But our savior here simply commands us to hold a higher regard at all time for others. And that does require we seek a source for difficult relationships and work toward a concilatory place. Facinating the master sums up this idea as "the essence of all true religion." Talk about a broad emphatic statement. Holy Father, we ask that you would give us the means to diffuse tense moments with others and work toward a bridge of agreement and hope. In Jesus, Amen.

Ask and You Will Recive

Jesus goes on to teach that his followers should ask and they will in fact receive. But in my experience this idea must be interpreted in light of the preferences of Jesus and God. You may want a new Lexus, but I doubt God is going to assist you in getting one. Rather, God's desire is that we might ask for things in line with his priorities. That is why other stuff will indeed get in the way of this ask and receive ideal. For example, if you harbor any habitual sin like gossip going on in your life, forget God responding to your desires. Or if you do not daily ask for forgiveness and along the way confess your sins, you are unfit for God's blessings. But I think the bigger trouble for us all is missing God's priorities. As we long for physical stuff or physical relationships, we tend to operate outside the passion of God's heart for ministry. And so our asking is unfruitful. But when we can identify God priorities and then somehow align our thinking and pursuits with that, exciting things begin to happen as we see our prayers miraculously answered. So our biggest job is to grip the heart of God and then go for his desires. Then the receiving can happen big time. For starters, God has a heart for the poor. And he also longs to see everyone come to faith. And to see his church mature. So start seeking these things with a clean soul and God can pour abundantly into your life beyond what you can imagine. And the beauty of God's passion is that his longings typically reside within the needs of others. So his wish for us is that we might stretch beyond ourselves. And remember that doing God's work is laying up eternal treasure in Heaven. So when we can get to that place of living out God's desires in our hearts, the teaching of Jesus rings true: "Ask and it will be given to you. Search and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened for you." (Matthew 7) Our Jesus, we pray that you would change our hearts to long for your priorities. Then grant us to be about your work. In you, Amen.

Give People a Break

Recently I was at a McDonalds and I noticed a guy telling the person cleaning the sidewalk that his hose had a leak. The hose connection was just lose and so water was coming out there but this by no means got in the guys way. So I told this worker how much I appreciated his efforts and I apologized for the guy critisizing him. I learned this notion of supporting others in the teaching of Jesus. In Matthew 7:1 he says: "Don't criticize people, and you will not be criticized. For you will be judged by the way you criticize others, and the measure you give will be the measure you receive." In other words, if your life is all about finding out what is wrong with others and informing them of that, God will criticize you just as bad when you face him. Not a good time to be on the wrong side of God when you stand before him in judgement. I find it interesting that we rarely see Jesus criticizing others. If anyone had a right to constantly rip into his fellow man it was the Lord. For I know he must have constantly felt the pain of all the aberrant behavior going on around him. But he held back and was terribly positive, often blessing people right and left. So I take this passage to teach us that our lives should center around finding the good in others, rather than to criticize. I know that makes you want to gag but it really is fun once you get the hang of it. You just look around and spend most of your time noticing the littlest things people do right and then commend them for it. At first people might not believe you since most people focus on whatever broken thing they can find. But leave perfection seeking to others. Be someone who affirms the nearly right going on about you. That is the point Jesus is trying to make here. We sinners bring a lot more good into the world when we bless rather than curse. Holy Father, we ask that you would transform our hearts into goodfinders. Please stop us from criticizing others and instead find the good. In Jesus name, Amen.