"Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying." Mark 2:4
Human beings are amazingly resourceful and resilient. There are ways found to do just about anything. We investigate, analyze, solve, plan, execute and evaluate. Most every problem that faces us is eventually solved. We then pass along the solution to others and set ourselves to tackle the next obstacle.
As Jesus was in a home sharing wisdom and knowledge, a few friends desired to see him in order to obtain healing for one of their number who was afflicted with a palsy. He was unable to get himself to Jesus. When they arrived and could not gain entrance because of the crowd, they put their heads together and found a way to get to the Lord.
Beloved, we should all use the resourcefulness that God gave us to get to Him. It was all to easy for humankind to leave Him. From that very time He has been making ways for us to be returned, reconciled and reunited. Having been advised that there is a way, we must overcome all obstacles to get to Him. We find ways to accomplish so many things that do not contribute to our salvation. Why not do similarly for that which does?
It also seen in this passage that there was an effort to deliver someone who could not deliver himself. The Christian must be willing to overcome obstacles to getting others to Christ as well. Once we have been saved, it becomes a priority to conduct others to salvation as well. Through their own circumstances, they may be hindered from seeking and gaining him on their own...perhaps as some of us may have been.
Let us tear the roof off if we must, but let nothing stand between us, our duty and our Lord.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
You and the Word-7/11/2011 (rp)
"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deut 6:6-9
The word of God is to be everything to the Christian. According to Heb 1:1-2, God previously educated us though prophets who spoke to the heads of families who in turn, taught their families. In these last days however, He speaks to us through His word. Make no mistake, the primary way we can get to know our Father and His will for our lives is to consult His word.
Though no book can possibly contain Yahweh, all we need to know about Him is contained therein. That word, devinely inspired by Him, is to not only to become a part of who we are, but to be constantly on our minds and hearts. We are to teach it to our children.
God's people have always pursued a tradition of passing down knowledge and information. Is that tradition still intact with us? Before you say yes, ask yourself when was the last time you sat down and spent time studying His word for yourself. Yes, we go to worship services and attend bible classes but do you "talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up?" When is the last time you actually conducted a study with your family or your friends?
Beloved, learn God's word for yourself. After all, it was provided specifically for you.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
The word of God is to be everything to the Christian. According to Heb 1:1-2, God previously educated us though prophets who spoke to the heads of families who in turn, taught their families. In these last days however, He speaks to us through His word. Make no mistake, the primary way we can get to know our Father and His will for our lives is to consult His word.
Though no book can possibly contain Yahweh, all we need to know about Him is contained therein. That word, devinely inspired by Him, is to not only to become a part of who we are, but to be constantly on our minds and hearts. We are to teach it to our children.
God's people have always pursued a tradition of passing down knowledge and information. Is that tradition still intact with us? Before you say yes, ask yourself when was the last time you sat down and spent time studying His word for yourself. Yes, we go to worship services and attend bible classes but do you "talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up?" When is the last time you actually conducted a study with your family or your friends?
Beloved, learn God's word for yourself. After all, it was provided specifically for you.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Friday, July 8, 2011
Know It For Yourself-7/8/2011 (rp)
"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11
In this day and age of skepticism, fact checking has become the national pastime. During the coming election season, cable news networks and internet sites will be buzzing 24 hours a day checking, verifying, rechecking and reverifying claims and statistics by those who are running. It seems that we don't want to take anyone's word for anything and that we want to know it all for ourselves.
Why is this mentality so prevalent regarding all things secular, but so noticeably lacking in the spiritual aspects of our lives. Put another way, why do we not study our bibles (more)? It has become our habit to be lazy when it comes to the word. This leads to biblical illiteracy. The end result is that we rely totally on what we think and what we are told rather than what we can learn for ourselves. In fact, we are more likely to look into the church finances and demand an accounting for every penny, than to spend an hour studying the holy writ of God.
Beloved, Heb 9:27 states, "...it is appointed unto men once to die and then the judgment." Our entire lives will be judged by the things found in the word. Does it not make sense to be as familiar and compliant with the bible as possible?
It is good to have knowledgeable men of God as preachers and teachers, but even they (we) will be judged out of the book. When it comes to your eternal soul, it is best to know it for yourself. Judgment will not be like an IRS audit at which you can call your tax preparer to come and answer questions on your behalf. We will all stand for ourselves. If we are wise, we will stand on the word.
For this reason, Jesus has said, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." John 5:39
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
In this day and age of skepticism, fact checking has become the national pastime. During the coming election season, cable news networks and internet sites will be buzzing 24 hours a day checking, verifying, rechecking and reverifying claims and statistics by those who are running. It seems that we don't want to take anyone's word for anything and that we want to know it all for ourselves.
Why is this mentality so prevalent regarding all things secular, but so noticeably lacking in the spiritual aspects of our lives. Put another way, why do we not study our bibles (more)? It has become our habit to be lazy when it comes to the word. This leads to biblical illiteracy. The end result is that we rely totally on what we think and what we are told rather than what we can learn for ourselves. In fact, we are more likely to look into the church finances and demand an accounting for every penny, than to spend an hour studying the holy writ of God.
Beloved, Heb 9:27 states, "...it is appointed unto men once to die and then the judgment." Our entire lives will be judged by the things found in the word. Does it not make sense to be as familiar and compliant with the bible as possible?
It is good to have knowledgeable men of God as preachers and teachers, but even they (we) will be judged out of the book. When it comes to your eternal soul, it is best to know it for yourself. Judgment will not be like an IRS audit at which you can call your tax preparer to come and answer questions on your behalf. We will all stand for ourselves. If we are wise, we will stand on the word.
For this reason, Jesus has said, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." John 5:39
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Protect Your Birthright-7/7/2011
"But Jacob said, 'First sell me your birthright.' Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” Gen 25:31-32
Esau was the first born of his father, Isaac. The culture in those times gave the first born son certain rights and privileges that superseded that of all of the other children. He would typically become the heir and thus receive the vast majority of his father's possessions upon his death.
Esau had just come from the field where he presumably was working. Due to hunger he described as putting him into proximity of death, Esau willingly sold his birthright to his younger twin brother for a bowl of soup.
Beloved, through baptism, we have been born into the family of God. We have been made joint heirs with Christ, Rom 8:17. This is the most wonderful, yet costly gift we can ever receive. It is available nowhere else. It is of such surpassing value that it will literally determine our eternity.
Esau sold his inheritance for the temporary relief of hunger and pleasure of eating. He is described as having despised his birthright. For how little are we willing to sacrifice our inheritance in our daily lives? For what whim or temporary pleasure are we willing to jeopardize our birthright? We must place it within the safety deposit box of sanctity and literally guard it with our lives because once it is gone,it is gone forever.
Loving Like Jesus
Lee
Esau was the first born of his father, Isaac. The culture in those times gave the first born son certain rights and privileges that superseded that of all of the other children. He would typically become the heir and thus receive the vast majority of his father's possessions upon his death.
Esau had just come from the field where he presumably was working. Due to hunger he described as putting him into proximity of death, Esau willingly sold his birthright to his younger twin brother for a bowl of soup.
Beloved, through baptism, we have been born into the family of God. We have been made joint heirs with Christ, Rom 8:17. This is the most wonderful, yet costly gift we can ever receive. It is available nowhere else. It is of such surpassing value that it will literally determine our eternity.
Esau sold his inheritance for the temporary relief of hunger and pleasure of eating. He is described as having despised his birthright. For how little are we willing to sacrifice our inheritance in our daily lives? For what whim or temporary pleasure are we willing to jeopardize our birthright? We must place it within the safety deposit box of sanctity and literally guard it with our lives because once it is gone,it is gone forever.
Loving Like Jesus
Lee
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Help For Your Unbelief-7/6/2011 (rp)
"Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief." Mark 9:24
Jesus' disciples had just failed at casting a demon that caused convulsions out of a young boy when the desperate father came to the Lord and asked him to do something if he could. Jesus replied that "all things are possible to him who believes."
Having faith in anything we cannot see with our own eyes and touch with our own hands can sometimes be difficult. As long as we are clothed in flesh, we will always be subject to its limitations. Matters of the Spirit do not come natural to us, yet as a moth to a guiding light, we are drawn to them.
We seek the Lord in all of his glory, wisdom, benevolence and love while sometimes doubting his very existence somewhere within ourselves. We sometimes think, "After all, it is possible that he exist(ed) but are all the things recorded about him literal and true? Can I really look forward to a heaven where I will see him or will we just cease to exist?"
If these thoughts sometimes float through your mind, don't be too hard on yourself. John the Baptist was once described by Jesus as the greatest man that ever lived. Consider this: "Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?" Matt 11:2-3. John had seen with his own eyes, touched with his own hands, saw the Spirit descend on him like a dove, heard the voice of God acknowledge and identify him and he still had questions!
Surely if Christ's forerunner needed reassurance, we ourselves might have the same issue. In response, the Lord sent word back to him that was not a rebuke, but an assurance. He told John's followers to tell him what the Lord had been seen doing, not what he said.
Beloved, should your faith ever falter, consider the things the Lord has done in your life. Remember the prayers that have been answered. Remember the healing you have experienced. Consider the meals you have never missed and the children that make your heart swell. Most of all, remember the quiet times when it was just you and him. Remember what that communion and that peace felt like. It is still there. Always there. He is help for your unbelief.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Jesus' disciples had just failed at casting a demon that caused convulsions out of a young boy when the desperate father came to the Lord and asked him to do something if he could. Jesus replied that "all things are possible to him who believes."
Having faith in anything we cannot see with our own eyes and touch with our own hands can sometimes be difficult. As long as we are clothed in flesh, we will always be subject to its limitations. Matters of the Spirit do not come natural to us, yet as a moth to a guiding light, we are drawn to them.
We seek the Lord in all of his glory, wisdom, benevolence and love while sometimes doubting his very existence somewhere within ourselves. We sometimes think, "After all, it is possible that he exist(ed) but are all the things recorded about him literal and true? Can I really look forward to a heaven where I will see him or will we just cease to exist?"
If these thoughts sometimes float through your mind, don't be too hard on yourself. John the Baptist was once described by Jesus as the greatest man that ever lived. Consider this: "Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?" Matt 11:2-3. John had seen with his own eyes, touched with his own hands, saw the Spirit descend on him like a dove, heard the voice of God acknowledge and identify him and he still had questions!
Surely if Christ's forerunner needed reassurance, we ourselves might have the same issue. In response, the Lord sent word back to him that was not a rebuke, but an assurance. He told John's followers to tell him what the Lord had been seen doing, not what he said.
Beloved, should your faith ever falter, consider the things the Lord has done in your life. Remember the prayers that have been answered. Remember the healing you have experienced. Consider the meals you have never missed and the children that make your heart swell. Most of all, remember the quiet times when it was just you and him. Remember what that communion and that peace felt like. It is still there. Always there. He is help for your unbelief.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Freedom in Christ-7/5/2011
"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." Rom 8:1-2
Many are familiar with the apostle Paul's mea culpa in which he admits that, "The good which I would do, I do not: but the evil which I would not, I practice," Rom 7:19. The truth is that we are all guilty of sin and trespass against the God who made us. No matter how clean and innocent we may delude ourselves into thinking that we are, none can escape the fact of what the greatest gospel writer freely and publicly admits.
Fortunately for us beloved, that is not the end of the story. The good news is that those who have named the name of Jesus have been freed from the spiritual consequences of our shortcomings. This freedom is not obtained through our own efforts but the efforts of our savior. Many at that time were advocating a return to the observance of a legalism they felt would earn them heaven. In fact this was never the design of the law nor a possible outcome. The law was presented to mankind to point toward the need of a savior, Jesus, through whom redemption is available.
Though we must continue to deal with the earthly consequences of our actions, God has delivered us from the threat of everlasting punishment through His son. Let us busy ourselves praising Him for His loving kindness and sharing the good news of freedom's availability to all who are spiritually incarcerated.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Many are familiar with the apostle Paul's mea culpa in which he admits that, "The good which I would do, I do not: but the evil which I would not, I practice," Rom 7:19. The truth is that we are all guilty of sin and trespass against the God who made us. No matter how clean and innocent we may delude ourselves into thinking that we are, none can escape the fact of what the greatest gospel writer freely and publicly admits.
Fortunately for us beloved, that is not the end of the story. The good news is that those who have named the name of Jesus have been freed from the spiritual consequences of our shortcomings. This freedom is not obtained through our own efforts but the efforts of our savior. Many at that time were advocating a return to the observance of a legalism they felt would earn them heaven. In fact this was never the design of the law nor a possible outcome. The law was presented to mankind to point toward the need of a savior, Jesus, through whom redemption is available.
Though we must continue to deal with the earthly consequences of our actions, God has delivered us from the threat of everlasting punishment through His son. Let us busy ourselves praising Him for His loving kindness and sharing the good news of freedom's availability to all who are spiritually incarcerated.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
Friday, July 1, 2011
Word is Bond-7/1/2011
"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." 2 Pet 3:9
We put a lot of stock into what people say when it comes to things they say they are going to do. Failure to deliver on promises or just plain lying are some of the biggest offenses we know and can tend to label a person for life. We also put a lot of effort into making sure that those things are done. Today there are lengthy contracts, the legal vocation, notarizations and sworn testimonies to keep people honest and provide for remedies if they are not. Seldom will we take people at their word on important matters.
Beloved, we must always strive to be people of our word because we serve a God of His word. Jesus said that we are to live lives that are credible enough not to have to make promises that are based on the surety of things that are beyond us but to instead let our yes be yes and our no be no, Matt 5:33-37.
As Christians, we have faith in the promises of God. We have that faith because He has never lied and has always done what He said that He would. We have that faith because we earnestly desire the day that we will shed our current circumstances in favor of being with Him for all time. This He has promised and will do. Let us do likewise in all things.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
We put a lot of stock into what people say when it comes to things they say they are going to do. Failure to deliver on promises or just plain lying are some of the biggest offenses we know and can tend to label a person for life. We also put a lot of effort into making sure that those things are done. Today there are lengthy contracts, the legal vocation, notarizations and sworn testimonies to keep people honest and provide for remedies if they are not. Seldom will we take people at their word on important matters.
Beloved, we must always strive to be people of our word because we serve a God of His word. Jesus said that we are to live lives that are credible enough not to have to make promises that are based on the surety of things that are beyond us but to instead let our yes be yes and our no be no, Matt 5:33-37.
As Christians, we have faith in the promises of God. We have that faith because He has never lied and has always done what He said that He would. We have that faith because we earnestly desire the day that we will shed our current circumstances in favor of being with Him for all time. This He has promised and will do. Let us do likewise in all things.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
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