Wednesday, December 29, 2010

HE HAS NO EQUAL

Read Matthew 17.1-13

“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5)

HE HAS NO EQUAL

I received an email from my son, Wes, saying that he got to hang out with the President. I was impressed! I wrote him back asking for more details. Then he let the cat out the bag. It was only the president of an organization not the President of the United States. Very funny. That’s kind of what Peter should have noticed on the Mount of Transfiguration. He was so amazed at the company of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus, that he wanted to make all three a shelter right there on top of the mountain. Peter mistakenly lumped all three of these heroes of the faith together. But the Father squared him away in one small but significant statement: "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” Suddenly, there is only One Hero and it is Jesus, the Son of God. He has no equal among men! He deserves our undivided attention!

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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

HERO TO ZERO IN NOTHIN’ FLAT

Read Matthew 16.21-23

But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” (Matthew 16:23)

HERO TO ZERO IN NOTHIN’ FLAT

In my younger days, I was known as the life of the party and could be pretty funny. But inevitably, I would get on a roll and then resort to something off color or make a lame comment and ruin the whole atmosphere. That’s kind of what Peter did. He was doing pretty good, having identified Jesus correctly and Jesus praised and affirmed him. (Matthew 16.17-19) Then, just as he was feeling like he was in the groove, he rebuked Jesus. Big mistake! Now mister smarty-pants was put on the same level as the Devil. Whoa! Here’s a good proverb that reminds us to be careful when we get “on a roll.” “When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.” (Proverbs 10:19)

Have you ever experienced this? How can you guard your lips?

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Sunday, December 26, 2010

IDENTITY CRISIS

Read Matthew 16.13-20

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)

IDENTITY CRISIS

Our family was spending the hot summer’s day at the pool and I decided to get the boys a popsicle. Being 25 cents short, I went to my wife and put my arm around shoulders and said, “Give me a quarter.” Only one problem, she wasn’t my wife! Oops! This was, what you might call, an identity crisis. Fortunately, the woman had a good sense of humor. It’s one thing to misidentify your wife but its quite another to misidentify Jesus. Peter got it right when he said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And is it any wonder that in Peter’s second letter, a letter of reminders, he would remind us of this one thing: “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18) Identity Crisis or Christ’s Identity? We choose.

Who is Jesus to you, really? Are you helping others to identify the real Jesus?

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Saturday, December 25, 2010

MASTERING THE OBVIOUS

Read Matthew 16.1-12

“Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?” (Matthew 16:3)

MASTERING THE OBVIOUS

I had looked all over the house for my reading glasses and just couldn’t find them. I had just used them and they couldn’t have just disappeared. Finally I asked Deb if she had seen them. She said, “Yeah, they’re on your head.” I think we’ve all experienced this kind of embarrassment. Have you ever missed things that were spiritually obvious? The Pharisees missed the signs of the times and consequently missed the Messiah. The disciples missed the fact that Jesus could produce bread out of thin air and couldn’t connect the dots on a key lesson He was trying to teach. The only way I know how to keep from making the same blunders is to pray that God will open our eyes and ears and to hang out with people doing the same.

Who are the wise people you hang out with? Are you praying for wisdom?

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Friday, December 24, 2010

THE PRINCE OF PATIENCE

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!


Read Matthew 15.32-39

“And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people…” (Matthew 15:32)

THE PRINCE OF PATIENCE

Ever struggle in the patience department? I know I do. But let’s watch Jesus as He feeds the 4000. The first thing you should recognize is that He has fed the multitudes before. He fed 5000 earlier (Matthew 14.15-21) and He actually challenges them on their motives for wanting to be with Him (John 6.1-14, 26-27). He tells them they are just following Him because He filled their bellies. Now after you and I have discovered folks are using us, what do we do? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me, right? Not Jesus. He actually feeds them again. Father, give us the patience of Your Son so that we can love the way He did.

Who in your life do you need to be patient with and “feed” again?

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Saturday, December 18, 2010

WHERE’S THE LOYALTY?

Read Matthew 15.29-31

“So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.” (Matthew 15:31)

WHERE’S THE LOYALTY?

How many people did Jesus heal? Was it hundreds or maybe thousands? And what about the friends and family members who experienced a loved one being healed? Now, maybe we’re up to three thousand or more. And then there are the thousands who heard of His good deeds. Wouldn’t all those people have constituted a small army who could have risen to His defense? Surely they were in His camp - they glorified God! And yet, when He stood before His accusers, there wasn’t even one who stood to defend Him in earnest. Perhaps it's better to live with a lifetime of infirmities and still glorify Him, rather than an occasional flash-in-the-pan kind of praise that only happens when we treat Him like a cosmic vending machine. Lord, help us to glorify You even when You don’t heal us.

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Friday, December 17, 2010

DOTTED LINES

Read Matthew 15.21-28

“But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15.18)

DOTTED LINES

The disciplemaker with no boundaries won’t last very long. He or she will be pulled in so many directions that they will eventually lose all sense of direction. But I’ve learned to draw my boundaries with dotted lines like Jesus did. His boundary was “the lost sheep of Israel.” But when the Syrophoenician woman, a Gentile, approached Him, He stepped out of the box. Why? Because of her great faith. Some would see this as a reason not to have boundaries at all, but that would be missing the point. Jesus said no to plenty of people. He had to, in order to stay within His Father’s will and sustain His health for future ministry. But He was not so rigid that He couldn’t take advantage of exceptional opportunities. Boundaries are good; just draw them with dotted lines.

What are your boundaries? What would compel you to step across them?

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Thursday, December 16, 2010

AIM FOR THE HEART

Read Matthew 15.15-20

But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart…” (Matthew 15.18)

AIM FOR THE HEART

The young disciplemaker was on the verge of making a big mistake. He had pulled together a handful of guys for Bible study in the dorm of a local college. They weren’t followers of Jesus yet but things were headed in that direction. As he and I discussed the growth of the men, he was fixated on one thing: the guys were smoking cigarettes. I was surprised his aim was so low. I asked, “Why are you going after these minor issues when if you aim for the heart, you’ll see real spiritual transformation?” I told him, “Major on getting them in the Word, pray for them, love them, and let God deal with the cigarettes.” Two weeks later, several of the guys quit smoking. This is key to making disciples of Jesus: if you capture the heart, you capture the man. But if you just focus on the externals, it’s like dressing someone up in a tuxedo for an appointment in Hell.

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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

TRADITIONS: HANDLE WITH CARE

Read Matthew 15.1-14

“And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15.3)

TRADITIONS: HANDLE WITH CARE

I was discipling a young man in our ministry who was saturating his life in the Word of God but wasn’t having his quiet time the same way we were. He was memorizing Scripture but it wasn’t the same set of verses that we usually have guys memorize. It seemed his approach to his relationship with Jesus was completely different than most of the folks in our ministry. This irritated a couple of our leaders and they voiced their complaints. My question to them was, “Is he growing in his relationship with Jesus and is he helping others do the same?” The answer was yes, but… This is where we need to be very careful that we don’t become like the Pharisees. We have our methods (traditions) and most of the time they are very helpful. But they're just methods. The objective is to help people follow Jesus. Let’s not get confused between the commands of God and the traditions of men.

Now what if you have chosen different methods and your methods aren’t helping you grow closer to Christ?

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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

LET ME TRY

Read Matthew 14.22-36

And He said, “Come!” (Matthew 14.29)

LET ME TRY

My two sons inherited the “Let me try!” attitude from their father. Whether it was jumping from the bed into my arms, being first to stand in front of the baseball pitching machine, or driving like crazy men on four wheelers, they were always willing to try risky things. Now they’re doing things like Ranger school and learning Chinese. When Peter said, “Let me try!” Jesus encouraged his risk of getting out of the boat and walking on water. While the other disciples were thinking “How is Jesus doing that?” Peter was thinking,
“How can I do that? I think that thrills our Master. He wants us to imitate Him (Luke 6.40). He encourages us to exercise our faith and take risks, just as He did. Living by faith means getting out of the boat.

What risks are you taking to become like Jesus?

This was my 800th post in my blog! Thanks for your support!

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Sunday, December 05, 2010

“PEOPLED”

Read Matthew 14.13-21

When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. (Matthew 14.14)

“PEOPLED”

The lady at the customer service counter was snapping at the man in front of me. I was thinking to myself, “this isn't going to be pretty.” She was obviously, what I call, “peopled.” It’s when people in the people business spend so much time with people problems they can no longer treat people like people. How do I know this? Because I’m in the people business and I’ve been there. That brings me to Jesus. He was in the people business and probably no one in the history of mankind had the potential of being more “peopled” than He. And yet that wasn’t the case. Jesus was mourning the death of His cousin and trying to get away to grieve. And what meets Him on the other side, the place of solitude? 5000 people! And what’s His reaction? Irritation? No, it’s compassion. So what was the greater miracle: feeding 5000 or His attitude toward them?

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Saturday, December 04, 2010

WHO REALLY LOST THEIR HEAD?

Read Matthew 14.1-12

Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. (Matthew 14.9-10)

WHO REALLY LOST THEIR HEAD?

“I just want to know that I can trust you,” said one thief to another. Some standards of morality just don’t make any sense, do they? When we look at Herod’s life, we enter the state of moral confusion. Herod is willing to commit adultery with his brother’s wife, live in debauchery, and murder John the Baptist. But when it comes to breaking an oath, oh no, he wouldn’t do that. His moral compass was spinning out of control. He had lost his head well before John lost his. His problem was not the absence of a personal moral code. His problem was that his moral code was personal. In order to maintain any real objectivity in our moral standards, they must come from Jesus. He is our consistency. Otherwise, we will be left to the whims of our opinions to guide our sense of rightness.

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Friday, December 03, 2010

SOMETIMES SEEING IS NOT BELIEVING

Read Matthew 13.53-58

And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13.58)

SOMETIMES SEEING IS NOT BELIEVING

He was leaning precariously over the edge of the rock but not quite past the point of no return. He was frozen with fear on the 60-foot cliff and he could go no further. I reminded him that the rope held him securely and he had seen others rappel down the rock wall several times. In the end, his faith failed. Simply seeing did not lead to believing. Just like the people of Nazareth. Jesus’ hometown folk had seen and heard the wonders of their prized son. And yet they could not get beyond the arrogance of familiarity or the pride seniority. Jesus’ powers were limited by unbelief.

Are you limiting the power of Jesus by the trumping power of disbelief?

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Wednesday, December 01, 2010

AMPLE WARNING

Read Matthew 13.47-52

“…and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13.50)

Ample Warning

I told them three times, “Be careful with that blasting cap, you could blow your hand off.” Now what’s my motivation? Am I trying to be a “Debbie Downer”? Am I overly critical or legalistic? No, I care about these people and I’m teaching them how to handle explosives. Repetition is a technique in instruction and Jesus uses it several times (especially when it comes to people feeling comfortable with their standing in the Kingdom). If Jesus emphasized this over and over again, we can come to two conclusions. First, this must be a very important message. And second, some will still choose not to listen. Remember, Jesus sets the standards. He is the standard.

I’ve heard it said, “There are three ways to learn: repetition, blunt force trauma, and repetitive blunt force trauma. I choose number one!

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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

WHAT SACRIFICE?

Read Matthew 13.44-45

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13.44)

WHAT SACRIFICE?

I know three men who recently left very successful careers to enter full-time ministry. When their peers found out that they were forfeiting their pay, status, and a very comfortable retirement in order to obey God’s call on their lives, well, let’s just say they were a little less than encouraging. But if you were to ask these men and their wives about the sacrifice, you might be a little surprised at their response. They would say, “What sacrifice? We have gained the Kingdom of God!” And by the way, I know of three other men who have answered a call to stay in their careers for the sake of the Kingdom. It’s not about position, possessions, or people. It’s all about the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 6.33)

What is the Kingdom of God worth to you? Do you joyfully give up the things of this world in order to gain the Kingdom?

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Monday, November 29, 2010

THE KINGDOM IS LIKE SPRAY INSULATING FOAM

Read Matthew 13.31-35

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.” (Matthew 13.31)

THE KINGDOM IS LIKE SPRAY INSULATING FOAM

I needed to fill in some small cracks in order to finish insulating the house. I used a can of spray foam insulation. Now if you’ve never used this stuff before you're in for a surprise. When I gave it what I thought was a little squirt, it not only filled the crack but started growing so fast it went half way down the wall and expanded to about a 100 times its size. Wow! So when it says, “Apply in small amounts,” it means small amounts. The Kingdom of God grows the same way. It only takes a few fired up “Jesus Followers” sharing the good news and living an authentic Christian life to change whole communities. Jesus guarantees that the Kingdom will grow. We just need to roll up our sleeves, apply a little faith and start sharing the gospel in word and deed.

How do you see the Kingdom growing in your own heart? How do you see it growing in your community?

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Sunday, November 28, 2010

DON’T FAIL THIS TEST

Read Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43

"But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.” (Matthew 13.26)

DON’T FAIL THIS TEST

I knew the information for the exam like the back of my hand and I was filling in the little circles as fast as I could on the bubble test. Only one problem: I had skipped one question in the beginning. Now all my answers were just one question off. What a shock when I got my exam back with a big fat “F” and I realized what I had done. Failing an exam in school is one thing but being mistaken on your eternal security is another. There is only one question on the eternal test: “Will you follow Jesus?” How do you know you’ve answered the question right? The same way you can tell the difference between wheat and tares: you'll see the fruit (2 Corinthians 13.5, John 15.8).

What does the fruit look like and how is it produced? (John 15.1-8) Is Jesus the only way to produce such fruit? (John 14.6, 2 Corinthians 5.21)

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Saturday, November 27, 2010

YOU ARE HERE

Read Matthew 13.18-23

"And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit..."(Matthew 13.23)

YOU ARE HERE

You know the maps in the mall that help you find your location? You look for the little arrow that says, “You are here.” Well, Jesus talks about a spiritual map in a similar way. It pinpoints the location of where we are in relationship to God. The first potential location is “clueless”. They don’t even know where to begin and probably don’t care (and they would probably have stopped reading by now). The second is one who has had an emotional experience with God but is “rootless” and simply fades away. The third location is one who is distracted by so many things it’s being choked out and bears no “fruit.” However, the desired destination is the one called “good ground”. That's where we find a fruitful relationship with God.

Re-read Matthew 13.18-23. What's your location?

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Friday, November 26, 2010

PROFOUND MYSTERIOUS SIMPLICITY

Read Matthew 13.1-17

And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?” (Matthew 13.10)

PROFOUND MYSTERIOUS SIMPLICITY

Remember in the third grade when you put a seed on a moist paper towel in a jar? After sealing it, you and your classmates put the jar on the windowsill. A few days later you began to understand the miracle of how plants grow. Jesus reminds us of that early lesson from grade school. For the casual listener, it may be so simplistic it’s paid no attention. But for those who know the Teacher, it is the beginning of a deeper understanding of life, spirituality, and communing with the Creator of all things. The hungry are left with a nagging curiosity that will only be quenched with the Master’s explanation. And He bids you, “Come, ask your questions and I will reveal to you the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.”

How are you mastering the art of asking questions of both God and man?

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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY

Read Matthew 12.46-50

"For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12.50)

ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY

For the last eight years, we’ve had young soldiers and officers living in our home. Some may ask, “How can you do that? How do you have guests living in your home for days on end?” Well, we don’t consider these guys guests - they’re family. So now that they're family, it sheds a different light on how we interact and how we prioritize our relationships. For Jesus, there was no tension between biological family and His spiritual family. He saw them all as family. He simply met the needs of each family member as He could, when it was appropriate. He also got help from the brothers and sisters to meet the needs where He couldn’t. Isn’t that how big families work?

How would a family of 12 function differently than a family of four? How does this relate to the spiritual family?

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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

SHOW ME YOUR BADGE

Read Matthew 12.38-45

But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet…(Matthew 12.39)

SHOW ME YOUR BADGE

The off-duty policeman politely instructed the youth that there were signs posted and that they we loitering. One of the young men stepped forward and said, “What, are you a cop or something? Let me see your badge!” This is exactly the situation Jesus found Himself in when the Pharisees confronted Him. They demanded a sign of His authority and yet there were signs all around them. He had just healed two men. It wasn’t about miracles. Jesus had caught them using the Law to promote themselves and to manipulate the people. Their pride and envy had clouded the fact that they were wrong - whether Jesus had a “badge” or not. We ought to gladly obey the ways of the Kingdom, whether the King is present or not. By the way, the King is always present!

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Monday, November 22, 2010

WATCH YOUR MOUTH

Read Matthew 12.33-37

" For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart ." (Matthew 12.34)

WATCH YOUR MOUTH

Has your mama ever told you to "watch your mouth"? Or even worse, "I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap." You know, I’ve had that done to me a couple of times and it never helped. My mouth was just as dirty after the washing as it was before the soap. Jesus says if you want to clean up the mouth, you have to clean up the heart. How can I do that? I'm glad you asked! The first step is to acknowledge that your heart needs cleaning by confessing your sin to Him. (1
Jo 1.9) Next, you need to enlist His help by praying that He will change your heart. (1 Jo 5.14-15) Then put it into practice by intercepting the bad thoughts and replacing them with the thoughts of Christ. (Rom 12.1-2, Phil 4.8) Ask friends who are committed to the same objective to help in the heart-cleansing process. (Pro 27.17) Lastly, never quit. (1 Tim 6.12) It's going to be a fight! But remember, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom 8.31)

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Sunday, November 21, 2010

CHOOSE YOUR SIDE

Read Matthew 12.22-32

"He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters." (Matthew 12.30)

CHOOSE YOUR SIDE

Remember playing sandlot kickball, soccer, or baseball when you were a kid? Usually two captains are chosen (the cool guys) and then they pick their teammates, alternating between one captain and the other. After about five or six picks, you could tell which team was going to win and you would secretly pray that the winning captain would pick you. Spiritually, there are two captains: Jesus and Satan (one of them not so cool). And they're picking their teammates. But here's where things are different. First, the Bible tells us which team is going to win. And second, you have a choice on which team you're going to be on. Now some may say, "I don't want either team” or "I don 't want to play. By default, that person is automatically put on the losing team. I don't make the rules, I just publish them.

How are you helping others pick the winning Captain?

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Saturday, November 20, 2010

DISCRETION IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR

Read Matthew 12.8-21

But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. (Matthew 12.14-15)

DISCRETION IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR

You can be right and you can be dead right. And when I say dead right, I mean just plain dead. There are some battles that just aren't worth fighting. Jesus recognized the spiritual ambush that had been laid by the Pharisees. He spoke the truth but then very wisely disengaged from the conflict. Ultimately, He would die for the truth. But now wasn't the right time. Sometimes we sacrifice relationships, our jobs, or even our lives when it isn't necessary or prudent. Often, it’s because we had our feelings hurt or were too proud to let it go. A bruised ego is never a good reason to fall on your sword. Jesus was very right about the Sabbath: He's Lord of the Sabbath. But He doesn't let being right get in the way of His mission. He chooses His battles wisely.

Where could you win the battle and lose the war?

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Friday, November 19, 2010

GOING THE EXTRA MILE IN THE WRONG WAY

Read Matthew 12.1-8

"But if you had known what this means, 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,' you would not have condemned the innocent." (Matthew 12.7)

GOING THE EXTRA MILE IN THE WRONG WAY

He told us it was against his religion to go bowling and he couldn't play football either. Wow, what a stretch! How do you go from following Jesus to no sports? It sounds like the making of a Pharisee doesn't it? This is an age-old mistake of going the extra mile in the wrong way. Legalism is the art of taking God's commands and adding additional requirements for the sake of personal piety and then inflicting these "addendums" on others. This is usually the result of a gross misunderstanding of God's intent of a particular command. We need to obey His commands but also be very careful not to burden ourselves or others beyond God's original intent.

Are there spiritual traditions you practice that you have unwittingly turned in to a "command of God?"

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Thursday, November 18, 2010

THE RIGHT CO-WORKER

Read Matthew 11.28-30

"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11.29)

THE RIGHT CO-WORKER

I’ve worked with a lot of people over the years. It’s interesting how a co-worker can affect your attitude and productivity. Inevitably, you’ll find folks that make work both invigorating and fruitful. That’s a great combination! Jesus promises such a combination. He asks us to come to Him for rest by taking on His yoke. A yoke is an instrument where two animals are put together for the purpose of labor. It’s hard to combine rest and work unless you understand Who you are being yoked with. It’s Jesus! We become co-laborers with God! Imagine the power and joy we have if we're properly teamed with Him! Even the hardest tasks are made simple. Rest isn't found in inactivity. Rest is found in working with the right person in the right way.

Are you co-laboring with Jesus?

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