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God’s Story… For My Life – Saturday, December 13, 2014

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Gods story

In Remembrance of Him

Read Matthew 26:20-30

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”

And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
(Matthew 26:26-30)

Reflect

Jesus, who would soon be the final Passover lamb, ate the traditional Passover meal with his disciples in the upper room of a house in Jerusalem. During the meal they partook of the bread and wine, which would be the elements of future Communion celebrations, and then they went out to the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.

Each name we use for this sacrament brings out a different dimension to it. It is the Lord’s Supper because it commemorates the Passover meal Jesus ate with his disciples; it is the Eucharist (thanksgiving) because in it we thank God for Christ’s work for us; it is Communion because through it we commune with God and with other believers.

The old covenant was a shadow of the new (Jeremiah 31:31; Hebrews 8), pointing forward to the day when Jesus himself would be the final and ultimate sacrifice for sin. Rather than an unblemished lamb slain on the altar, the perfect Lamb of God was slain on the cross, a sinless sacrifice so that our sins could be forgiven once and for all. All those who believe in Jesus receive that forgiveness.

Respond

Each time you eat the bread and take the cup, you can be quietly reflective as you recall Jesus’ death and his promise to return to earth. You don’t have to wait until you take Communion, however, to honor Jesus. What feelings or thoughts come to mind now as you think of Jesus’ sacrifice and God’s forgiveness? How do you honor God for his provision?

God’s Story… For My Life – Friday, December 12, 2014

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Acts of Love

Read Matthew 25:31-46

“For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.”

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’”

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”
(Matthew 25:35-40)

Reflect

God will separate his obedient followers from pretenders and unbelievers. The real evidence of our belief is the way we act. To treat all persons we encounter as if they are Jesus is no easy task. What we do for others demonstrates what we really think about Jesus’ words to us—feed the hungry, give the homeless a place to stay, look after the sick.

There has been much discussion about the identity of the “brothers and sisters” (Matthew 25:40). Some have said they are the Jews; others say they are all Christians; still others say they are suffering people everywhere. Such a debate is similar to the law expert’s question to Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). The point of this parable is not who, but what—the importance of serving where service is needed.

This parable describes acts of mercy we can do each day. These acts do not depend on wealth or special ability; they are simple acts freely given and freely received. We have no excuse to neglect those who have deep needs, and we cannot hand over this responsibility to the church or government. Jesus requires our personal involvement in caring for others’ needs (Isaiah 58:7). Love for others glorifies God by reflecting our love for him.

Respond

What are the needs you’ve noticed in the people around you? How can you meet those needs? One way you can help meet someone’s need is to pray for him or her on a regular basis. As you pray, God may bring to mind a tangible way you can meet that person’s needs.

Streams in the Desert – December 12

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The last drops of my sacrifice are falling; my time to go has come. I have fought in the good fight; I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:6-22).

As soldiers show their scars and talk of battles when they come at last to spend their old age in the country at home, so shall we in the dear land to which we are hastening, speak of the goodness and faithfulness of God who brought us through all the trials of the way. I would not like to stand in the white-robed host and hear it said, “These are they that came out of great tribulation, all except one.”

Would you like to be there and see yourself pointed at as the one saint who never knew a sorrow? Oh, no! for you would be an alien in the midst of the sacred brotherhood. We will be content to share the battle, for we shall soon wear the crown and wave the palm.
–C. H. Spurgeon

“Where were you wounded?” asked the surgeon of a soldier at Lookout Mountain. “Almost at the top,” he answered. He forgot even his gaping wound–he only remembered that he had won the heights.

So let us go forth to higher endeavors for Christ and never rest till we can shout from the very top, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

Finish thy work, then rest,
Till then rest never;
The rest for thee by God
Is rest forever.

God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.

Of an old hero the minstrel sang–

With his Yemen sword for aid;
Ornament it carried none,
But the notches on the blade.

What nobler decoration of honor can any godly man seek after than his scars of service, his losses for the crown, his reproaches for Christ’s sake, his being worn out in his Master’s service.

Streams in the Desert – December 11

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Attention! Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who serve in the Lord’s temple during the night. May the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion!—Ps 134:1,3

 

Strange time for adoration, you say, to stand in God’s house by night, to worship in the depth of sorrow —it is indeed an arduous thing. Yes, and therein lies the blessing; it is the test of perfect faith. If I would know the love of my friend I must see what it can do in the winter. So with the Divine love. It is easy for me to worship in the summer sunshine when the melodies of life are in the air and the fruits of life are on the tree. But let the song of the bird cease and the fruit of the tree fall, and will my heart still go on to sing? Will I stand in God’s house by night? Will I love Him in His own night? Will I watch with Him even one hour in His Gethsemane? Will I help to bear His cross up the dolorous way? Will I stand beside Him in His dying moments with Mary and the beloved disciple? Will I be able with Nicodemus to take up the dead Christ? Then is my worship complete and my blessing glorious. My love has come to Him in His humiliation. My faith has found Him in His lowliness. My heart has recognized His majesty through His mean disguise, and I know at last that I desire not the gift but the Giver. When I can stand in His house by night I have accepted Him for Himself alone.
—George Matheson

 

“My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace,

Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God; 

’Tis His to lead me there, not mine, but His

’At any cost, dear Lord, by any road!’

 

“So faith bounds forward to its goal in God, 

And love can trust her Lord to lead her there; 

’Upheld by Him, my soul is following hard 

Till God hath full fulfilled my deepest prayer.

 

“No matter if the way be sometimes dark, 

No matter though the cost be ofttimes great, 

He knows how I best shall reach the mark, 

The way that leads to Him must needs be straight.

 

“One thing I know, I cannot say Him nay; 

One thing I do, I press towards my Lord; 

My God my glory here, from day to day, 

And in the glory there my Great Reward.”

God’s Story… For My Life – Wednesday, December 10, 2014

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Blind Guides

Read Matthew 23:13-36

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!

“Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear ‘by God’s Temple,’ but that it is binding to swear ‘by the gold in the Temple.’ Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? And you say that to swear ‘by the altar’ is not binding, but to swear ‘by the gifts on the altar’ is binding. How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred? When you swear ‘by the altar,’ you are swearing by it and by everything on it. And when you swear ‘by the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it. And when you swear ‘by heaven,’ you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne.”
(Matthew 23:13-22)

Reflect

Being a religious leader in Jerusalem was very different from being a pastor in a secular society today. Israel’s history, culture, and daily life centered around its relationship with God. The religious leaders were the best known, most powerful, and most respected of all leaders. Jesus made these stinging accusations because the leaders’ hunger for more power, money, and status had made them lose sight of God, and their blindness was spreading to the whole nation.

The Pharisees’ converts were attracted to religion, not to God. By getting caught up in the details of their additional laws and regulations, they completely missed God, to whom the laws pointed. A religion of deeds puts pressure on people to surpass others in what they know and do.

Respond

It’s possible to obey the details of the laws but still be disobedient in general. For example, we could be very precise and faithful about giving ten percent of our money to God but refuse to give one minute of our time to help others. Tithing is important, but giving a tithe does not exempt us from fulfilling God’s other directives. Consider the message of love (Mark 12:28-34) from two days ago, and how you can keep the most important commandment.

God’s Story… For My Life – Tuesday, December 9, 2014

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Phony Actions

Read Matthew 23:1-12

“So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.

“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’

“Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
(Matthew 23:3-12)

Reflect

Jesus again exposed the hypocritical attitudes of the religious leaders. The Pharisees’ traditions and their interpretations and applications of the laws had become as important to them as God’s law itself. Their laws were not all bad—some were beneficial. Problems arose when the religious leaders (1) held that human rules were equal to God’s laws, (2) told the people to obey these rules but did not do so themselves, or (3) obeyed the rules, not to honor God, but to make themselves look good.

Usually Jesus did not condemn what the Pharisees taught but what they were—hypocrites. They knew the Scriptures but did not live by them. They didn’t care about being holy—just looking holy in order to receive the people’s admiration and praise. Today, like the Pharisees, many people who know the Bible do not let it change their lives. They say they follow Jesus, but they don’t live by his standards of love. People who live this way are hypocrites. We must make sure that our actions match our beliefs.

Respond

Jesus challenged society’s norms. To him, greatness comes from serving—giving yourself to serve God and others. Service keeps us aware of others’ needs, and it stops us from focusing only on ourselves. Jesus came as a servant. What kind of greatness do you seek? How will you give yourself in service to God’s Kingdom?

Streams in the Desert – December 9

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For this our light and transitory burden of suffering is achieving for us a weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:17). (Weymouth)

The question is repeatedly asked–Why is the life of man drenched with so much blood, and blistered with so many tears? The answer is to be found in the word “achieving”; these things are achieving for us something precious. They are teaching us not only the way to victory, but better still the laws of victory. There is a compensation in every sorrow, and the sorrow is working out the compensation. It is the cry of the dear old hymn:

“Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee,
E’en tho’ it be a cross that raises me.”

Joy sometimes needs pain to give it birth. Fanny Crosby could never have written her beautiful hymn, “I shall see Him face to face,” were it not for the fact that she had never looked upon the green fields nor the evening sunset nor the kindly twinkle in her mother’s eye. It was the loss of her own vision that helped her to gain her remarkable spiritual discernment.

It is comforting to know that sorrow tarries only for the night; it takes its leave in the morning. A thunderstorm is very brief when put alongside the long summer day. “Weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning.”
–Songs in the Night

There is a peace that comes after sorrow,
Of hope surrendered, not of hope fulfilled;
A peace that looks not upon tomorrow,
But calmly on a tempest that it stilled.
A peace that lives not now in joy’s excesses,
Nor in the happy life of love secure;
But in the unerring strength the heart possesses,
Of conflicts won while learning to endure.
A peace there is, in sacrifice secluded,
A life subdued, from will and passion free;
‘Tis not the peace that over Eden brooded,
But that which triumphed in Gethsemane.

Streams in the Desert – December 8

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Put on as the elect of God, kindness (Col. 3:12).

There is a story of an old man who carried a little can of oil with him everywhere he went, and if he passed through a door that squeaked, he poured a little oil on the hinges. If a gate was hard to open, he oiled the latch. And thus he passed through life lubricating all hard places and making it easier for those who came after him. People called him eccentric, queer, and cranky; but the old man went steadily on refilling his can of oil when it became empty, and oiled the hard places he found.

There are many lives that creak and grate harshly as they live day by day. Nothing goes right with them. They need lubricating with the oil of gladness, gentleness, or thoughtfulness.

Have you your own can of oil with you? Be ready with your oil of helpfulness in the early morning to the one nearest you. It may lubricate the whole day for him. The oil, of good cheer to the downhearted one–Oh, how much it may mean! The word of courage to the despairing. Speak it. Our lives touch others but once, perhaps, on the road of life; and then, mayhap, our ways diverge, never to meet again.

The oil of kindness has worn the sharp, hard edges off of many a sin-hardened life and left it soft and pliable and ready for the redeeming grace of the Savior. A word spoken pleasantly is a large spot of sunshine on a sad heart. Therefore, “Give others the sunshine, tell Jesus the rest.”

We cannot know the grief
That men may borrow;
We cannot see the souls
Storm-swept by sorrow;
But love can shine upon the way
Today, tomorrow;
Let us be kind.
Upon the wheel of pain so many weary lives are broken,
We live in vain who give no tender token.
Let us be kind.

“Be kindly affection one to another with brotherly love” (Rom. 12:10).

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The Most Important Commandment

Read Mark 12:28-34

One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.”

Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
(Mark 12:28-34)

Reflect

By Jesus’ time, the Jews had accumulated hundreds of laws—613 by one historian’s count. Some religious leaders tried to distinguish between major and minor laws, and some taught that all laws were equally binding and that it was dangerous to make any distinctions. This teacher’s question could have provoked controversy among these groups, but Jesus’ answer summarized all of God’s laws.

God’s laws are not burdensome. They can be reduced to two simple principles: Love God and love others. These commands are from the Old Testament (Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:5).

This Pharisee had grasped the intent of God’s law—that true obedience comes from the heart. Because all the Old Testament commands lead to Christ, his next step was faith in Jesus. This, however, was the most difficult step to take.

Respond

When you love God completely and care for others as you care for yourself, then you have fulfilled the intent of the Ten Commandments and the other Old Testament laws. According to Jesus, these two commandments summarize all God’s laws. Let them rule your thoughts, decisions, and actions. When you are uncertain about what to do, ask yourself which course of action best demonstrates love for God and love for others.

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The Key to an Un-Rushed Christmas

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The Rhythm of Rush by Lysa Terkeurst
Not too long ago, I stood at the sink trying to ease the stabbing feeling of stress. I had so much pulling at me. I found myself rushing my husband in conversation. Rushing my kids out the door. Rushing to the next thing and then the next. Rushing to make dinner and then rushing my people through dinner. Exhaustion gnawed deep places in my heart, demanding me to slow down. But how? I’ve made my decisions and now my decisions have made me. Me—this shell of a woman caught in the rush of endless demands.Ever felt like you’ve set your life to the rhythm of rush? Sometimes it takes stepping out of the rush to see things. Not too long after the day I stood at the sink drowning in life, I went to the Holy Land. It was a trip I’d longed to take for years. But as the day to leave marched closer and closer, I wished I’d scheduled it later—another time, a time when life didn’t feel so busy. But the trip was booked, so I went. And I’m forever glad I did. In the Holy Land, busy took a break from chasing me.

This trip forced me to “unrush,” and I discovered I like who I am so much better when I’m not set to the wrong rhythm. I also learned so much about Jesus. His life. His decisions. His lessons. And do you know what the most impactful lesson was for me, personally? Jesus never rushed. He set His life to the rhythm of connection and compassion. With great intentionality Jesus stayed unrushed. This is what I want.
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Jesus never rushed
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As I stood at my sink that day, this is what I was longing for but didn’t know it. Like Jesus, I must unrush my pace for connection and compassion to take place. As I walked many of the same places Jesus walked, I was struck so profoundly by this. He knew pressure. He knew stress. People pulled at Him everywhere He went. Crowds demanded sermons. Individuals begged for healing. The disciples wanted leadership. Friends wanted time with Him. The religious rulers wanted answers. There was an entire world to save with such limited time.Yet, He didn’t rush. He talked with the woman at the well. He reached out His hand, making contact, and healed the leper. He felt the touch of the woman with the issue of blood and stopped for her. Do you see it? Connection and compassion were central to every interaction. And then for those with whom Jesus was the closest? That’s when He was the most unrushed.

While I was in the Holy Land, I visited the site that’s recorded in Matthew 16:13–20. In the shadow of a pagan temple hustling with unspeakable acts and human sacrifices, Jesus pointed and said, “I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” He connected truth with Peter’s calling. He compassionately assured Peter that the church would prevail.

I’m sure Peter recalled this conversation many, many times. It must have given him the courage to become one of the most pivotal church leaders in history. And he had this conversation to remember, because Jesus wasn’t too busy to have it. The Lord walked three days out of His way to make one point with Peter. It would seem Jesus was unrushed so He could be incredibly intentional and laser focused on connection and compassion.

If I were reading this right now, I would probably think, That’s great you went to the Holy Land and it helped unrush you, but I can’t do that right now. I understand. So, let this truth from Jesus’ life come to you. It’s not the location that changed me. It was the revelation. Jesus didn’t rush, so neither should I. Tomorrow we’ll talk about an unrushed perspective. But for now, let’s end by praying this very simple three-word prayer: “Lord, unrush me.”