Peter’s Posts

“The answer is Jesus, now what’s the question?”

Sometimes I can sound like that.

How true is it?

Who am i going to call? When Life is overwhelming and doom is looming. Who do I call? I call a carpenter. I call Jesus. That’s what the disciples did in Matthew 8.

“23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”’

One thing that I saw in this story is the humanness of Jesus contrasted with his divinity.

Jesus was exhausted. I don’t want to be glib or irreverent but God was tired. The needs of the people had exhausted Jesus. He understands my human need for rest.

The disciples woke him up. What did they think he was going to do? He wasn’t a sailor. He was a carpenter by trade and a pastor/teacher/healer by practice. They were surprised when he calmed the storm. They wanted help in the storm but from their response it seems they didn’t expect the storm itself to go away.

Jesus shows us his divinity in his authority over the wind and the waves.

Mary and I joke about scary situations and will usually say, “so this is how we die”. Somehow those words can take away the terror. There is in us an innate fear of death. This last hospital stay for Mary I don’t remember saying those words. I was trying to keep Mary from thinking that way. It was another brush with death. We didn’t say “so this is how we die”. Instead we prayed fervently that it wouldn’t be her death.

The answers to life’s questions, why am I here, what is my purpose, what is my value? Those can be answered in Jesus.

I was created, created for a relationship with God, and when that relationship was separated by sin, God made a way for us to be together again through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

What is death? Why are we so afraid?

The answer is Jesus?

Jesus died and rose again.

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

Sometimes the questions we are asking boil down to , who cares, who can help, where can I go?

Jesus.

“We’ll follow the old man wherever he wants to go as

long as he wants to go, opposite to the foe…”

The slam bang finish, The song on White Christmas just before the enemy planes fly over and disrupt the party. They joke in the song about following the general as long as it’s easy. But the next few minutes of the movie shows the real story. They followed orders even into danger and death.

Following generals into battle. Many people have done it and died for their loyalty and obedience.

Following Jesus has its own risks and rewards. Matthew 8 has a story about that.

“The Cost of Following Jesus

18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”’

Jesus is my general. I am following him. So far in my life following has not cost me much. I have a warm house on a cold night. He has provided a job for an income. There may be a day when Jesus asks me to step away from my comforts and follow. Many Christians around the world are living without the comforts I have now and yet they follow Jesus our leader.

Thank you Jesus for the comforts you have given me. Help me to continue to choose to follow you even when the choices get difficult. Help me help others with the bounty you have given me.

I want to be touched by Jesus.

It’s the next story in Matthew 8 that make me wish Jesus was still physically here on earth. I want To be touched and immediately changed by Him. There are people in my life that I want to be healed. I long for that. Change in my life life is slow , like turning around an ocean liner.

“14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.

16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“He took up our infirmities

and bore our diseases.”[b]”

Jesus healed everyone from everything, every sickness he encountered, he healed the person. “He healed all the sick”.

I am not sick. Wait, I do have diabetes. It’s one of those illnesses that’s always there but it slips my mind because there is no cure, just management. So I am sick. But if Jesus were here on earth, sitting in a room I would take my wife and my grandsons Liam and Jonah and Clive to him and ask him to heal them.

As it is now Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for us. He sent his Holy Spirit to be here with us, to live in us when we have given our lives to him. He is still at work here, healing happens but not for every one or everyone.

We continue to ask for healing, Believing that God is still in that business. I miss and long for the touch of my master that heals and sets free.

Jesus please touch and heal Mary and Liam and Jonah and Clive.

Do I believe in Jesus? How much do I believe in him? To What lengths will my faith take me?

Matthew 8 tells the story of a Roman centurion who not only believed in Jesus but had an excellent grasp of Jesus power and authority and mission.

“5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.”

I admire this soldiers faith.

When I ask God for something can I just walk away trusting God to answer my prayers in the best possible way? Or do immediately start working on plan B?

How much does that say about what I believe to be true about God? Does he know my situation? Does he care? Can he act? Will he act? Does he love me? Does he have a good plan for me? For us? For all of us humans?

So I go back a few verses and reread and review.

“7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Father God forgive my lack of faith. I want to be more like the centurion. Show me who you are. As I understand who you are let my faith grow. Help my faith grow. Lead me and my family. Even now I’m second guessing my request for building my faith, fearing what tests you will bring to me. Are you a Father who loves me? Show me your love and make my faith in you more like the centurion.

In the fall of my 5th grade year I got the mumps. Mom and dad both worked full time so I stayed home alone for a week. I had a children’s bible that had been given to me by my God parents, Mr & Mrs H. H. Rieky. (I’m probably spelling that wrong). I read it. I read the entire Old Testament and the gospels and acts. I tried reading the Epistles but got bogged down when there was more words than pictures.

My home life wasn’t perfect. My dad would drink, then get angry. My parents would fight. My dad has bought into the Playboy philosophy and had his stack of Playboy magazines in the living room, available anytime. I wanted a way to make my life and my home better.

At the back of the Bible was a sinners prayer, a place to confess your sin and receive forgiveness, accept Jesus as Lord and savior. I did that. And waited. Nothing changed. My dads stack of Playboys didn’t go away, mom and dad still fought, my dad still drank and got angry.

I thought my Prayer didn’t work. I expected my world to change but it was my heart that changed. A transaction had occurred but I wouldn’t realize it for 11 years, when I finally understood that salvation comes by grace.

Matthew 9 talks about how you can’t add new things to old. They don’t go together.

“14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”

15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”’

Christianity is a new way of life. It’s not Judaism. It’s not animal sacrifices and rituals. Christianity is about Jesus, what he did for us. He forgave, once for all and all eternity, our sin. He paid for it, covered it over. It is no longer animal sacrifice. It is a human sacrifice, one human man died to redeem all of mankind.

The transaction is simple.

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

It’s a new life in the same world. The sin and sadness and anger and will all be there, but now we can shine on it.

Darkness does not overcome light, light overcomes darkness.

Jesus is the light of the world.

As I reread this i see that it’s not very cohesive. I wrote about my childhood because the memory bubbled up when I read the verses and I hoped as I wrote it would come together. Maybe the memory was just for me, reminding me how my journey with Jesus started. I hope there’s something in hear to bless you and to draw you closer to Jesus, the new wine.

Matthew chapter 8 starts out with one of my favorite stories.

8 “When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy[a] came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”’

I like this story because I identify with the leper. I don’t have leprosy but I do have a deadly highly contagious condition that I cannot cure myself of. No one can. No one, except Jesus. The condition is sin. I have sin in my life.

For example:

In second or third grade I stole a green plastic army truck from my friend Miles Hancock. It was premeditated and well planned out. I did not wear black but even now thinking about it I hear the mission impossible theme song in my head. He had it, I wanted it. I took it.

Even if I could find Miles, repent and replace that truck right now my act of thievery wouldn’t go away. I am forever stained with that sin.

This leper had a condition hat made him an outcast. He had to leave his family and friends. He could no longer be a part of society. He couldn’t worship. He was excluded from life.

Jesus touched him. He was untouchable yet Jesus touched him and healed him.

What about me, The truck thief, What is to become of me?

Between God and me there is gap, a break in our relationship. I have confessed my sin and asked God to forgive me because I have accepted Jesus death as payment for my sin. With that simple transaction I am made right with God again.

“9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Then there is the practical side. I took something that didn’t belong to me.

Miles, if you are out there I am sorry. I don’t have the truck anymore. Contact me so I can make amends.

1 Thessalonians 5

Sum it up.

“for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”

We don’t know when Jesus will come back. It could be today.

Live expectingly. Like as a kid you waited for grandma & grandpa, excitedly on your best behavior.

“But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

A couple more things, do these too.

“12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.”

I now make Paul’s prayer for them my prayer for us;

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify us through and through. May our whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls us is faithful, and he will do it.”

Sanctify is a word we don’t use very often. It means to clean, To purify cleanse or absolve. Cleaned inside and out, by God himself. The thought of it is a little intimidating. Much like Mrs. Pearce taking Eliza Doolittle in for her first bath. Cleaning will take place. It may feel strange and uncomfortable. We will need to expose our most private self to our father but his goal is not to shame us but to cleanse us.

I am in your hands Father, clean me.

1 Thessalonians 4

That thing that you did yesterday, where you lived a selfless life, loving and serving the world around you? Living like Jesus and telling the world about him? Do that again. And again. And again.

“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.”

Part of this lifestyle, a big part, is living a sexually pure life.

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.[b] The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.”

His (or her) own body. I must learn to control me.

Be quiet and mind your own business.

” make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”

I have seen some very precious people laid into their graves. It hurts but I have hope that we are not separated forever.

“For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

I am waiting for that day. Meanwhile I strive to keep moving forward.

No turning back, no turning back.

1 Thessalonians 3

The ideal.

“But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you. 7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. 8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.”

I want to be that church. I also want to be that Paul. Passionately involved in the spiritual welfare of a group of people he spent 3 weeks with.

Now a prayer for my friends and family:

“11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”

May we all have strong hearts and pure lives as we wait for Jesus to come back. It could be today….

Looking at house plans is different than buying house plans. And buying house plans is different than building a house.

The 3 most important thing about buying or building a house, Location, location, location.

The last part of Matthew 7 is about location. Where will we build our future? What will our foundation be?

“24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”

Where or on what or on whom will we build the foundation of our life? Foundations are important. They are …… foundational.

“My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name.

On Christ the solid rock I stand: all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

I built on Jesus.

Won’t you be my neighbor?

1 Thessalonians 2

How to grow a church.

Use every opportunity to share Jesus with people.

“You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. 2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition.”

Live honestly.

“For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like young children[a] among you.”

Love people. Share your life with them.

“Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”

Live a good life. Be an example.

“You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. ”

Teach the word of God.

“And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.”

Never give up! never surrender!

“17 But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. 18 For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan blocked our way. 19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy.”

I could call myself a Seattle Seahawks fan but you would be hard pressed to find evidence of it in my life. I am a fan in the loosest terms. I watched more Seahawks football than any other team in the NFL. Unless you count the other team that was also playing the day I turned on the game and saw 2 or 3 plays. But I was rooting for the Hawks. Go Hawks!

Too little – too late?

Almost done reading through Matthew 7.

There are some people who call themselves Christians but there is no evidence to that fact in their lives. Calling Jesus Lord and living as Jesus being Lord (Lord means master or boss or the one who can give direction to us and we follow without question or hesitation) are two different things.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Prophesying, driving out demons, performing miracles, that all sounds like evidence of Jesus being Lord but those are all very public, very showey activities. God looks at our heart and our motives, not at our actions.

Later on in Matthew, chapter 25 Jesus will talk about behavior that proves a heart change. A heart ruled by Jesus will have evidence.

“31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”’

Does my life show a concern for the physical needs of others. Do I care about and for those around me? Does Jesus have control of this heart of mine? I am I a show-er or a go-er?

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”.

2 Thessalonians 1

Prelude

When I was 5 years old we lived in Moses Lake on Stratford road. My mom told me that my grandparents were coming to visit. I spent the morning straining my eyes, watching the road from the south, the direction my family always came from when driving to my house. I gave up watching at some point but I wouldn’t have seen them because they came from the north. I was overjoyed to see them but I remember being perturbed because they surprised me by coming from the other direction.

The people of Thessalonica were watching and waiting. Watching and waiting for Jesus to come back for them. Some had sold everything and basically sat down by the road to wait. This letter from Paul is to encourage them to continue to wait, but to stay busy until he comes. The first chapter sounds harsh but may have been intended to re-energize the waiters to get busy and share Jesus because eternity is hell for those who don’t accept him as savior.

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.”

I saw an interview with the magician Penn Jillette who although did not accept Jesus yet, talked about an encounter with a christian who was praying for him. Penn reprimanded all Christians because if we believe God is sending to hell all those who don’t believe, then we should be better at telling the world. Otherwise it shows that we don’t really care if the world burns in hell. We have our salvation, too bad for the rest of you.

So what am I to do? What are we to do?

“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 1

The tone of this book is just so tender. Paul really loves these folks and these folks really love Jesus.

“We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This group of pagan idol worshipping lost people, God loves them and sent Jesus to die for them.

“They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”

Guess what? God loves them too.

“For we know, brothers and sisters[b] loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.”

Anything written to them is also written to us. Can we accept a loving warm embrace from a God who proclaims his love for us by dying to pay for our sins?

I still have to remind myself that God loves me. It’s not about my behavior but about His commitment to me to love me unceasingly. I don’t get it, I don’t always feel it it but I continue to believe it.

How are you doing with this incredibly good news? Jesus loves us.

I was telling someone today that the bible is like a truth bomb. That image has gotten stuck in my head.

I see this cartoonish bomb dropping from the sky, it may even have an ACME loggo on it. It falls down right in front of me and explodes! I expect to be anihilated but instead there is a new light all around me. I can see so much clearer. There air is thick with what appears to be dust but as I look closer its a bunch of tiny hearts dropping on me. They feel good on me. They feel good over me. But it is weird. It is different to be covered in love like this. I try to brush them off but they have barbs. They don’t hurt but they do dig in. They remind me of chihuahua hair, the more I brush them the deeper and more entangled they get.

” Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

God’s word to us comes from a loving Father’s heart. It is love. It may come in the form of correction but it is loving correction. Some of us have never experienced that before so it feels foreign. It is love. Love with no agenda. Love that goes all in one direction, to us. Love that does not demand anything back.

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,

and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

6

because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”[a]

7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Truth and love. God’s word to us.

Boom, <3, <3, ❤

There is a woody plant growing in my back yard. Right now In the winter, it looks like a stick. No leaves. No fruit.

Last spring it grew blossoms and then those blossoms turned into fruit. They were apples. I know what this wood plant is because I saw the fruit that it grew.

They were good apples. (Thank you Nadine and Rodger).

I know what the tree is by what it produces.

“15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

If I attach grapes or figs to the branches of my apple tree it will not then become a fig tree tree or a grape tree. (Grape tree?)

When I became a follower in Jesus and accepted his gift of forgiveness and allowed Him to come and live in my heart his Holy Spirit began to produce fruit in me. It was good fruit. It was love, joy peace, patience, gentleness, long suffering, I have trouble remembering the entire list so I will quote what Paul said in His letter to the Galatians.

“19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

These are the things that are happening in my life not because I am adding these behaviors to my life but because God is changing me from the inside out and I am becoming a good tree that bears good fruit.

You don’t become an apple tree from the outside in. You become an apple tree from the inside out. The same with being a Christian. We are transformed from the inside out. The fruit that grows in our lives is a manifestation of a transformed life. It grows as part of a life led by the Holy Spirit.

The philosophy of “fake it till you make it” really doesn’t work in matters of heart change. It is just exhausting.Before I became a Christian I was trying to earn my way into a relationship with God. Exhausting and impossible. How much good does it take to pay for bad? It takes all of it. All the good. Jesus is all the good and he has paid for us with his life.

Come into Gods garden and grow and produce good fruit.

“You need to act quickly the offer won’t last for long. Operators are standing by. Don’t delay, Call now”

A sales pitch to create a sense of urgency.

Jesus makes a declaration in Matthew 7.

Not all of these words bring comfort. All of these words are true.

““Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Jesus doesn’t say it here, but he does say in other places that he is the only way to our heavenly Father.

In John 10 Jesus uses the example of a sheep pen where shepherds put their sheep to keep them safe. He says that he is the gate to the sheep pen. The only way in is through him.

Jesus said in John 14, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

This is some news that isn’t bad, it’s just restrictive.There is only one way to God and it is Jesus. The good news is that he has come and died for us all. Not everyone will believe that. There is more good news and that is that he rose from the dead and now lives forever. Not everyone will believe that. These truths are true for everyone. No one is excluded from the promise of forgiveness of sin and eternal life in heaven but not everyone will believe it and receive it.

Every person will make their own decision. I have decided to believe in Jesus and be welcomed into the family of God.

We have a limited time to respond. We have today, well, we have now. Not all of us will make it through this day. God is always standing by waiting for us to respond to his offer.

Don’t delay, call now.

“You are my favorite!” Said God….to everyone.

On the eve of the invasion, not d-day, Jericho day, Joshua had a visitor.

“13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?”’

The Fighting was about to start and every man woman and child in side the walls of Jericho would be dead within a week (with the exception of Rahab and her family).

15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Still God had not taken sides. All people are Gods creation. All of us are his kids. Even in this situation on the eve of destruction God had not taken sides.

Another example of this is found in the book of Jonah.

Jonah had tried to escape going to Nineveh. Ninevites were an enemy of the nation of Israel. The were horribly cruel. I can’t substantiate this here but I have heard that Ninevites would skin their prisoners alive and disembowel pregnant women. They were wicked and evil yet God sent Jonah to warn them of his coming Judgement.

He walked through the city and proclaimed Gods coming judgement and the city repented so God did not judge them. This made Jonah angry.

“4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant[a] and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”’

God loved and had concern for every person in Nineveh.

The last example is from the Gospel of John. A familiar verse. I will add a few on the end to give it more context.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

God does play favorites but we are all his favorites. We can choose to accept this or reject but the offer is extended to every person who draws a breath.

What will you decide today? Will you believe in Jesus?

God is completely Just. Truth.

God is completely merciful. Truth.

How can those two statements be true of the same God? Justice demands payment for wrongdoing. Mercy forgives wrongdoing. How can God be completely and perfectly both at the same time?

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 2:1-2

In John chapter 19 John recorded Jesus’ final words, “It is finished “.

When Jesus said those words from the cross it was as if he was saying, “I forgive you, you are forgiven, it’s over with, the slate that recorded all of your sins has been wiped clean”.

We were separated from God by a condition that there is no cure for, but there is a covering that washes away the condition of sin. The covering is innocent blood. When Jesus was crucified, killed on a cross he was innocent of any sin. They accused him of claiming to be God, he did claim that, but if you are God, it isn’t a sin to claim your self God.

Once we are saved by his mercy, Jesus continues to be our defense attorney and defend us against all the accusations that are made against us, even those that are true. We sent him to the cross through our rebellion and disobedience and yet he still Acts as our defender.

Yes, God Can be Just and merciful at the same time if he takes both roles in our life. He does. He is both the judge and in his body, the payment for our sins, then he takes on a third role as our defender.

What craziness is this? It is a crazy love that only a loving God can have for his creation.

How will we respond to this crazy love today?

If I said “Don’t worry..”

What would you say? My guess is you would say, “be happy”. That’s the hook from the Bobby McFerrin song.

Jesus said it first and then he gave a reason not to and then he redirects our attention to what we really need to be focused on.

“25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Our culture and our economy are based on what we don’t have. Advertising keeps showing us what we could have, or what other people have, so that we will be discontented with what we have now and keep going out and trying to buy our happiness. But I think that may be a sideways rant. Sorry.

I do not do well in this area, worry. The problem of worry is what lies behind it. I worry because I don’t trust. I don’t trust because I don’t know the one well enough that I should be trusting in.

All I can do is confess my failure and weaknesses, ask for forgiveness and then get back to the task at hand. Seeking the Kingdom first.

Father God, forgive me when I worry, pull me close and tell me you love me because sometimes, often times I forget that truth. I love you Father, show me what you need me to do for you today.