Put on the Power

I was reading in Luke 23 last week and I came across a verse that I swear was not in there the last time I read from this chapter.  It is a verse where Jesus gives a great promise to his disciples.  Jesus promises power to His disciples in Luke 23:49. 


The word for power here is the work from which we derive the word dynamite.  Dynamite is a powerful thing.  It can be used to absolutely destroy some thing or to gently craft something.  The promised power that Jesus speaks of here comes from the Holy Spirit.  This power is the same power that had raised Jesus from the dead.  The disciples know the power of the Spirit in that are speaking to the risen Jesus even now.  Jesus promises this power to them.

There is an interesting way, though, that Jesus promises this power.  He say you will be clothed with power.  When I think of being clothed, my mind is immediately drawn to choice.  Each morning, we stand before our closet with one question on our mind, "What am I going to wear today?" Granted this question is easier to answer for some than others.  Either way, though, there is a choice that needs to be made.  We have to make the decision of what to wear.  I think this is at the heart of what Jesus is saying here.  Daily, we must make the decision to be clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit.  In essence we are making the decision to live according to our will or according to God's will.  Will I live today in my power or in the power of the Holy Spirit?  I must decide.

Don't let your righteousness get in the way

I was reading this morning and came across John 18:28.  When I read it, I just had to laugh. Seriously? You don't want to defile yourself by going into Pilate's house, but it's okay to deliver a man up to murder?  I know, that's a little harsh, but it serves of a great example of how righteousness, self-righteousness in this case, can get in the way of true holiness.

Oftentimes, we think that our righteous acts are what make us holy.  I think this is the trap the Pharisees fell into.  They were so caught up in their righteousness that they were missing out on true holiness. How I pray that does not happen for me or you.  Let us not become so full of ourselves, so confident in ourselves that we forget and forsake the power of the Holy Spirit within us.

Follow Closely to Keep Up

Picture from talkandroid.com

I love Twitter.  I've been tweeting for a couple of years now and am closing on on my 3000th tweet.  I get most of my news from Twitter.  I keep up with friends on Twitter.  Friends keep up with me on Twitter. Twitter is good.  For those who are not familiar with Twitter, you follow people (those fellow twits who tweet) and people follow you. I have quite a few followers but near as many as others. Even thought I have a few hundred followers, they are not following me closely.  Many of them I have never met personally.  So, in essence, those who follow me do so at a distance.  They may know about me and what kind of coffee I drank this morning, but they really don't know me.  I think this serves as a picture of the spiritual walk of many people in our nation.

In Luke 22:54-62, we have Luke's account of Peter's denial of Christ.  This is a gut-wrenching passage for me. Why? Because there have been times in my spiritual journey that I have lived it.  I think if most of us were honest with ourselves, we would have to say that we have lived it too.  Outside of the play-by-play that we get here from Luke, there are two sentences that really stick out in this account. 

The first sentence is found in verse 54.  It simply says that Peter followed at a distance. When we are following Jesus, following at a distance is dangerous. In fact, for Peter is was dreadfully painful.  Peter had committed the previous 3 years of his life following Jesus everywhere.  He saw things that very few others, including some of the other disciples, ever got to see.  He would be likened unto Jesus' right hand man.  It is almost as if when you saw Jesus, you saw Peter too.  What would cause Peter from following so closely to following at a distance? Fear for one.  Jesus had just been betrayed by Judas into the hands of the Pharisees.  Peter feared that he, too, might be arrested for his association with Jesus.  When we are afraid because of our association we will follow at a distance.  I think, curiosity as well.  Peter did not want to get too close but he wanted to see what was going to happen with Jesus. When we are just curious about Christ, we are not committed to Him. Commitment is how we set ourselves apart as disciples of Jesus. We cannot be a committed follower of Jesus and follow at a distance.  Disciples follow so closely to their master that they get covered with he dust of their master's feet. There is a closeness of relationship that only comes from following Jesus closely. If you are not experiencing a close relationship with Christ, you are not following Him close enough.

The second sentence that carries great weight with it is found in verse 61.  After Peter's third denial of knowing Jesus, Luke's account says that Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Can you imagine? Just a few hours earlier, Peter said that he would go to prison or even die for Jesus.  It was after this prideful statement that Jesus warned Peter of his denial.  Peter had become so caught up in the events of the night and the perceived need to protect his identity that he had forgotten the warning of his Master.  When we do not follow closely to Jesus we forget the importance and weight of His teaching. In the very moment that Peter uttered his last denial of knowing Jesus, Peter's eyes lock with Jesus'.  The next thing Peter hears is the rooster crow.  There is only one response to this -- brokenness. In that moment, Peter realized all that he had done and what following Jesus from a distance had done for him.  He responded the only way he could.  He runs outside of the city and weeps bitterly.  When we realize what following at a distance costs us and the person that it turns us into, our only response is repentance.  Luckily, the story does not end there. In John 21:15-19, we see that Peter is restored, forgiven and commissioned by Jesus. Even when we fail, there is forgiveness and restoration available from the master.

So, how are you following Jesus today? Is he just someone you follow via Twitter?  Do you know about Him and what He's doing, but do not know Him personally?  Are you following Jesus from a distance, hoping that you will not be spotted?  Are you following Jesus so closely that you are covered with the dust of His sandals?  Jesus desires followers/disciples who follow Him closely.  Follow on!

Live with No Regret



Picture from ngiley.com

So...I wonder if this guy has any regrets? I don't think his tattoo artist has spell check, that's for sure. Just think, this guy is stuck with this forever or until he can afford a "correction".

Many of us live life in this way.  We say we have no regrets, when in all actuality we do. Granted, our regrets may not be as visible as a misspelled tattoo, but we have them none the less.  There are decisions we wish we would have made differently.  There are words we wish we could take back or have never said at all.  There are times we wished we would have been bold and courageous as opposed to timid and cautious. Regret is something that touches every life.  The question is: do we have to continue in that regret?

I simply answer that question with a resounding NO!  There are times innumerable that I made a bad decision, said the wrong thing or was passive when I needed to be active.  Wallowing in the wash of missed opportunity does nothing to get me ready for the opportunity that is just around the corner. We face opportunities to excel and succeed every day.  Many times we miss them because we are consumed by all of the opportunities we have missed while others are passing us by.  Miss enough opportunities and, pretty soon, you just stop trying. Misery sets in and makes good company for mediocrity.

One of my favorite verses is Psalm 90:12.  For me, this is the key to living life without regret.  Daily ask God to help you number or count your days.  As I have been reading about what Jesus says in the last day, over and over he says that we must be ready for His return.  It is imminent.  It is coming.  His disciples must be ready.  When we live our lives with the expectation of Jesus' return, we will live life without regret.  When we ask God to help us count our days, we understand that our time on earth is limited and we want to seize and take advantage of every opportunity.

The second half of that verse carries with it the reward of seeking God's guidance.  We will inherit a heart of wisdom. When we ask God to help us count our days, His wisdom will insure that our days count.  I think at the heart of every follower of Jesus is the desire to make our days count for the Kingdom.  When we make our days count we live without regret. When we live wisely our lives are effective.

So now what? Ask God to help you count your days so that your days will count for the Kingdom.

Wake Up and Stay Awake

Picture from: http://jordanrivas.com/?p=908

One of the things that I have challenged myself to do this year is to read through the Bible chronologically. While I did this last year in less time, I asked some folks to join with me this year.  Currently I am reading about the last week of Jesus' life. In Mark 13:32-37, you read a very passionate plea from Jesus to His disciples concerning the end of days. With the recent earthquakes in Oklahoma and the unrest around the world it would seem to reason that we should pay attention to what Jesus is saying here.

Jesus warns us four times in these six verses to keep awake or stay awake.  I don't know about you, but I think He is trying to tell us something.  In verse 33 Jesus couples His warning against spiritual slumber with the command to be on guard.  When Jesus warns us to stay awake He is also commanding us to be doing something. I don't think Jesus just intends for us to be present. I think He intends for us to be about His Father's business like He was.  Jesus said He came to seek and to save the lost and we would do well to do likewise.

I think this is a very timely message for the American church.  For generations preachers have been warning the church of Christ's imminent return. After hearing this for years and years, when a preacher says it now it falls on deaf ears.  It's kind of like the pre-flight instructions on a plane.  If you have flown very much, you've heard the spiel the flight attendants go through as you are taxiing out. They talk about seat belts and oxygen masks, exits and exit procedures. Most people on the plane are not really paying attention because they've heard it all before. In both cases, flight attendants and preachers, important and life saving information is being shared but few are truly listening. The attitude on the plane toward the pre-flight instruction is the same attitude the church takes about the return of Christ. However, I think we are seeing, first hand, the very things that Jesus said would be prevalent in the days leading to His return.

Jesus illustrates his point by comparing His return to the return of a master of an estate.  The master instructs his servants to stay awake until his return.  It is far better to be found awake and working when the master returns than to be found sleeping, especially when you consider the instructions of the master.  In Matthew's account Jesus says the servant who is found asleep will be cast out to the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Trust me...you don't want to go there.

So what does all of this mean for you and me? Very simply, I think we need to wake up and pay attention to the things that are going on around us.  I think we need to study the Scriptures so that we can give an answer to those who have questions.  I think we need to be men and women of prayer, seeking God's discernment and direction.  I think we need to be giving a clarion call to the Church to wake up so as not to be found slumbering at Jesus' return.  I think we, as the Church, need to get back to the root of our history, to study the life of the disciples and do that which they were doing in the days following Christ's ascension. I think we need to be warning those around us of Christ's return with the same message He preached -- Repent! for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.  Finally, I think we need to take our commitment to Christ seriously.  When we take our commitment to Christ seriously we will be doing all of these things.

Reflect on This



Picture from: http://mtcministry.wordpress.com

The closer Jesus got to the end of His life, the more the Pharisees seemed to hassle and question Him.  The result is that Jesus teaching toward them became even harder.  In Matthew 22:16, one of the Pharisees' disciples comes to question Jesus about taxes.  Before he asks Jesus his question, though, he makes an assertion that is true, profound and challenging.  In a nutshell, the Pharisees' disciple states that Jesus has shown Himself to be who He says He is regardless of what others say or think.  He goes on to state that Jesus is no respecter of persons.  What that means is that it does not matter where a person is from, what they look like, what they do for a living, or how they dress, Jesus treats them all the same.

As I read that verse this morning, I was deeply challenged in my own faith walk.  How many times have we asserted that we are to be like Christ to people?  How often have we heard from pulpits the necessity of reflecting Christ in our community?  I've heard it and I have preached it.  All of that aside, the question remains, are we living it?  I want to spend some time today unpacking the assertions of this verse and what impact it has for our daily life.

You are True

Jesus is who He says He is.  Can the same be said for me?  To be true, we must walk in truth.  What that translates to for us as disciples of Jesus is that we are to walk in the Truth.  Jesus makes it very clear in John 14:6 that He is the Truth. So for us to walk in the truth, we are to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Paul adds to this in Galatians 5:25 saying that as we are in the Spirit (or as the Spirit is in us) we are to keep in step with the Spirit. To be true, we must stay rooted in the truth.  An additional way that we are to do that is to be steeped in the Word of truth, which is God's word.  If we, as Jesus' disciples, are not spending time in the Scriptures daily, we are missing the mark and standard that Jesus has set for us.

You Teach the Truth

Jesus was uncompromising when it came to teaching God's Word.  But His teaching extended beyond just the words that He said into the way He lived His life.  We've long heard it said in the church that we may be the only Bible some people ever read. That points directly to how we live our lives before an unbelieving world. If our life does not match the words we speak concerning Jesus, then we have missed the mark that Jesus set for us.  When we teach the truth about Jesus, we must live out that truth as well.

You Don't Care

When our lives are intensely focused on Jesus, His opinion is the only one that matters.  At this point in Jesus' ministry, there were many detractors, but He was unfazed by them.  He continued to carry out His life's mission - to seek and to save that which is lost.  As His disciples, we must live our lives in the same way.  Too often we are overly concerned by what others will say or think.  We cannot be concerned with the things of the world.  If we are concerned with the things of the world, that means that our focus is misplaced there instead of on Jesus.  When we care more about what people think as opposed to what Jesus thinks ,we have missed the mark that Jesus has set for us.

You are Unswayed

Jesus was not swayed by the status of those around Him.  He brought low the high and elevated the low.  He leveled the playing field for people.  He was not impressed by titles, symbols, incomes or gadgets.  People were people to Him.  If there is one thing that we must learn from Jesus as His disciples, it is this.  Often we get caught up in who people are or, worse, who we think we are. People are people. It does not matter if they are rich or poor, powerful or powerless. At the heart level, people are all the same.  If we treat people differently because of an external appearance, we have missed the mark that Jesus has set for us.

These words have challenged me deeply. They will cause me to think and live differently.  They have brought into perspective the life that Jesus expects me to live as His follower, and that is crashing into life.



Just Ask

Exhibition of Jean-Michel Folon.
Forte Belvedere, Firenze.

I want to go back and look at Matthew 20:32-33.  Yesterday we dealt more with the question that Jesus asked and how we can ask that question of Jesus -- what we can do for Him.  Today, I would like to deal more with how the blind men respond to Jesus.

Think about this.  Jesus basically says to them that they can ask for anything and He would essentially do it.  Can you imagine that?  Jesus is standing right in front of you and says you can ask Him to do anything for you.  What would you ask for? I know that some might have treated Jesus like a genie in a bottle.  These men don't even seem to ponder what they want from Jesus.  In that moment they could have asked for anything, but they ask for their most immediate need.  They say, "Lord, let our eyes be opened."  Without hesitation, they make their request to God, and He answers just as quickly.

We are not much different than the two blind men who stood before Jesus that day.  We, too, have blind spots.  There are areas in our life that either cause us blindness or we are blind too.  What do we do?  Just like the two blind men who stood before Jesus, ask Him to heal you.  I know it sounds so simple, but that is what is necessary. I love what David writes in Psalm 139:24.  He simply asks God to show him any way that may be offensive to God.  Lord, show me my blind spots. 

Be warned, this is a dangerous thing to ask because God will do just that.  He will give you sight.  He will cause you to see the things that are keeping you from being completely His. Keep this in mind though, Jesus will be the first one that you see.  At the moment that Jesus says their sight was restored, as their eyes were opened, He was the first one they saw. They saw their Healer first.  When we ask God to open our eyes, we immediately see Him and then we see the things in our lives that have been keeping us from Him.  When God opens our eyes, He shows Himself to us first so that we know where to fix our gaze from that point forward.  When we look at Jesus and then see the other things we have been focusing on, those things pale in comparison to seeing Jesus.

Know that when you ask, God will answer. So, as you stand before Jesus today, what will you ask Him to do for you?