Way Things Should Be in the Kingdom

When I was a child, one of the things that I really thought was fun was that you never knew who might just stop by unannounced to say hello. I had the privilege of growing up in a neighborhood where each of my aunts and uncles on both sides lived within walking distance of my home. That meant that at any moment through the week anyone of my dad’s sisters or brothers or my mom’s sister or brother might just stop by to say hello or just “sit for a spell!” It didn’t just stop with family though, back then any friend might just stop in, we even had a “long lost relative” stop by and then one month later they were gone!

Because of the unexpected nature of drop in visits, there was not time to get the house cleaned up before someone stopped by. There was an unspoken statement of “come as you are and accept me as I am.” We never had to get cleaned up before we showed hospitality.

At the same time of life, I grew up in a church that whether unintentionally or not, made you feel that before you came to the Lord that you had to “Clean yourself up!” It was incredible to watch the looks and see the actions or inaction of the “church people” toward the underdressed, smoke-smelling, tattooed wearing, long haired, body pierced, liquor drinking, party dancing, non-bible carrying people that came to the church. Those that were just doing what they were supposed to do, outside of a relationship with Christ.

I love how in Scripture, God gives us a picture of the way things should be in the Kingdom.

One such place is in the story of Zacchaeus the Tax Collector in Luke chapter 19. Here is a man that is in a position that is hated by many and probably for good reason because of the way that he would take advantage of others for personal gain.

Then Jesus steps into his journey and everything turns around.

Zacchaeus had heard about Jesus and desired to see Him, as soon as He did, Jesus said, “I must stay at your house today”. Zacchaeus didn’t have time to “Call the maid” and tell her to clean up because Jesus was coming, Scripture tells us that “he came down at once and welcomed him gladly”. What room has Jesus requested entrance to in your life and you’ve not allowed Him in because you feel that you need to “clean up” before you let Him in?

God is so good! The passage goes on to show us that Zacchaeus let Jesus in and then Jesus took care of cleaning, not Zacchaeus’s house but his heart. Jesus came to change lives, not circumstances, but lives in the midst of those circumstances. Our Master loved Zacchaeus so much that He accepted him as he was, but loved him enough not to leave him there. Don’t neglect to come just as you are; bring your life, your everything, dirt and all and God will, through the power of His Holy Spirit change your life, forever; For His glory alone. Listen to His call today and let Him in. You’ll want Him to stay!

Prayer a Gift from God

"Often we do not pray because we doubt that anything will actually happen if we pray. Of course, we don’t admit this publicly. But if we felt certain of visible results within sixty seconds of every prayer, there would be holes in the knees of every pair of Christian-owned pants in the world!" Donald Whitney

Prayer is one of the most wonderful and powerful gifts and privileges that God has given us. Just think, when you and I pray the God of the universe gives us His undivided attention. Many times it’s hard to even get our friends and family to do that! How awesome it is to think that God would listen to us express everything from our praises to petitions and be pleased when we do so.

Most of us have personal prayer times. However, one thing that many churches are weak is their times of corporate prayer. Praying alone is essential yet prayer is also something to be done with others in the Body of Christ. Whether it’s in a small group, large corporate gathering or at home, being with others is following a pattern modeled by those we read about in Scriptures.

In the Scriptures we see believers gathering to hear the Word and do the acts that God had set down for them. They heard, saw, tasted, smelled, felt and sang about God’s love. As the Spirit drew them together they responded in prayer. Also, public prayer shed insight to them what others private prayers were about. In His writings about Believers praying together, Robert Longman, Jr. asks us to consider this: “In public they prayed when they didn’t want to pray or didn’t feel like praying; they prayed when they had trouble concentrating on praying; they prayed when they weren’t prepared for it; they prayed the Word by drawing their liturgies and readings from the Scriptures; they prayed for and with those they were in conflict with; they prayed about people and things that they wouldn’t have thought to pray for or would have forgotten to pray for.”

Prayer is a discipline. Public prayer helps us learn through a unity of purpose and helps strengthen our private times. To have a complete prayer life we are reminded that the lessons learned during corporate prayer times feed back into our private prayer lives, and the lessons of private prayer feed back into the corporate gatherings. Each week at 7:00pm on Wednesday nights we gather to do just that, a time of prayer and praise. You are invited to come and join us as we spend time in His presence praising and praying from our hearts to His.

With you on the journey, MJ

Lordship

What comes to mind when you think of “Lordship”? We hear that word used a lot, especially as we sing words phrases such as “He is Lord”, “Lord, I lift Your Name on high”, “Lord, You are…”, “The Lord is Good,” or “In my life, Lord, be glorified.” We use it when we pray, “Dear Lord…”, but what does this word mean in our relationship to Jesus?


For many years, I thought that I had to get to a point in my life where I allowed Jesus to be “Lord” over my life; that I had to allow Him to be “Lord over all or He was not Lord at all…” Those make for compelling lyrics, and in truth I can daily give more of myself to Him to be under His control, but the truth of the matter is that Jesus is Lord, period. “He is Lord of heaven, Lord of earth, He is Lord of all who live, He is Lord above the universe, all praise to Him we give!” (see Revelation 17:14)

What we must realize is that Jesus is Lord and it’s up to us to accept that fact and live according to that reality. Either we will accept His Lordship under His grace and mercy in this life, or we will be forced to accept it in his judgment and condemnation after this life is over.

His being Lord is not up for debate. Our acknowledgment and acceptance of His Lordship is what we are to live out and exclaim with our every breath! He is your Lord whether you like it our not. The question is whether you acknowledge it and choose to live like it. Just saying “He is Lord” does not make Him your Lord, either, however, saying it in truth only comes from the power and leading of God’s Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3)

When Scripture says in Philippians 2:9, “…every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father,” these will not all be willing participants. Will you be? Are you now? This week read Romans 14:11 and be resolved with the right choice now and experience a life lead by His Lordship today. Give Him your everthingness today. That is one way we can worship Him with our lives this week by acknowledging His Lordship in our lives and in all we do.

He is worthy of our doing so!

Too Blessed to Be Stressed!

I am constantly amazed at how many times I sing about God’s grace being sufficient and how much I can trust Him and how much I believe that He will never leave me or forsake me and yet, I stress over life’s circumstances. It never fails, especially when I read the book of Exodus and see the actions and rebellion of the Children of Israel time and time again after God had done some impossible act, an outright miracle before their eyes that they in almost the next breath complained, doubted and worried about their next step. I mean, if God parted the Rea Sea, made water come from a rock, turned a wooden staff into a snake, turned water into blood and held my enemies at bay with a fiery cloud, I’d never doubt Him again, right?

It’s interesting How God chose certain stories to put in the Bible, stories that so resonate with basic human nature and instinct so that we could relate and remember that we are no different in our foundational makeup than those who have come before us. I am a blessed man. Rebecca and I talk often as we look at our lives and see what God has done and how He has blessed us in our marriage and our entire family far beyond what we deserve. He is so good. So, why is it then that after God provides financially in bleak and seemingly impossible situation and then miraculously heals my son’s heart and then steps into our journey and blows us away with other things that I don’t have room to list here that I wake up one day and realize that I need something and my heart starts racing and my first instinct is to worry about it? No, I’m no different at times than those I read about in Scripture. The difference is that I’m still here and I have an opportunity today to turn things around, by the grace and power of the Lord.

My friend, what would it be like if our first response to every difficult circumstance were to say, “Father, as I face this, I surround myself with Your Word and an altar filled with every blessing and provision that You have ever given me and I trust You and Your character to reveal Yourself in this situation as well. I choose trusting You over being stressed.” Imagine the smile on the Lord’s face to hear His child breath a prayer of trust instead of allowing the circumstance to weigh them down.

“Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” Philippians 4:6-8 (The Message)

I’m glad God is patient, aren’t you? Praise Him today with me for that.