"But Peter said to Him, 'Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.' Jesus said to him, 'Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.'” Matthew 26:33-34
Imagine what it must have been like for Jesus to be experiencing his last night before being hung on a cruel cross and dying. Spending time with his inner circle, he had just partaken of what we know as the Last Supper and informed them that one of them would betray him. Subsequent to this, however, he told them that they would all fall away (or stumble). He quoted Zachariah 13:7 which states, "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." We all know that it was Judas that betrayed the Lord but what of those who stumbled? What does it even mean to stumble? And why was Peter pointed out in particular?
The simple truth is that most of us avoid trouble at all costs. Jesus was considered to be and treated as a criminal and the apostles were his closest associates. On that same night, while in the company of some of them, he was arrested, beaten and taken to trial. That is most certainly trouble. As it was predicted, the apostles, with the exception of John, all scattered. Peter in particular followed Jesus to the trials at some distance but did in fact deny him three times when people recognized that he had been one who walked with Jesus. It is also known that the apostles did not busy themselves carrying out the training and mission they had received but instead hid, returning to their prior vocation as fishermen. This is stumbling.
Beloved, we must ask ourselves if we ever stumble in our faith and purpose. Though Jesus is no longer physically being dragged through the streets and falsely accused, his cause is still under indictment by some. When atheists attempt to legislate the Lord out of our lives, do we make our voices heard? When we are attacked for our stance on God ordained relationships do we hide and cower? When Satan tempts us personally do we give in or tell him to go away? The potential to stumble most surely continues to exist among the followers of the Lord. Even the most ardent, such as Peter, can find themselves out of position. We therefore must guard against the impulse to flee the one who left heaven to seek and save us. Let us not stumble but let us keep our feet.
Committed,
Lee
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
Would You Be Great? 9/16/2013
"The Lord said to Gideon, 'The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’" Judges 7:2.
These days we are our own biggest fans. Everything we have, we earned and therefore deserve. Many times we are even squeamish about accepting help from others when it is probably in our best interest to accept it. We are dyed in the wool "pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps" people. The interesting thing about this thinking is that it leaves no room for the recognition of God's grace in our lives.
Due to an amazing pattern of rebelliousness and idolatry, the people of Gideon's time were in need of someone to deliver them from their enemies. Rather than the biggest most powerful and ferocious person around, God chose Gideon, who, by his own admission was the least in his family, who were the weakest in the clan, which was of the smallest tribe (Judges 6:15). God was not looking for someone formidable, but was looking to express His own power through the meekness of an individual.
Beloved, far too often we fail to give God the glory. We are much too interested in our own fame, fortune and abilities. We are preoccupied with being well thought of, praised and deferred to by others. Interestingly enough, Jesus, in response to two of his apostles desiring to have preeminence over the others said, "...whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;" Matthew 20:26-27. Otherwise put, serving others in all humility rather than self is the path to greatness in the Lord.
When we give God the glory and allow Him to use us, His greatness will be seen through the greatness He has brought about in and through us.
Committed
Lee
These days we are our own biggest fans. Everything we have, we earned and therefore deserve. Many times we are even squeamish about accepting help from others when it is probably in our best interest to accept it. We are dyed in the wool "pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps" people. The interesting thing about this thinking is that it leaves no room for the recognition of God's grace in our lives.
Due to an amazing pattern of rebelliousness and idolatry, the people of Gideon's time were in need of someone to deliver them from their enemies. Rather than the biggest most powerful and ferocious person around, God chose Gideon, who, by his own admission was the least in his family, who were the weakest in the clan, which was of the smallest tribe (Judges 6:15). God was not looking for someone formidable, but was looking to express His own power through the meekness of an individual.
Beloved, far too often we fail to give God the glory. We are much too interested in our own fame, fortune and abilities. We are preoccupied with being well thought of, praised and deferred to by others. Interestingly enough, Jesus, in response to two of his apostles desiring to have preeminence over the others said, "...whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;" Matthew 20:26-27. Otherwise put, serving others in all humility rather than self is the path to greatness in the Lord.
When we give God the glory and allow Him to use us, His greatness will be seen through the greatness He has brought about in and through us.
Committed
Lee
Friday, September 13, 2013
Atonement 9/13/2013
“When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness." Leviticus 16:20-22
Tomorrow (9/14/13) is the Jewish high holy day of Yom Kippur. In short, it is the occassion on which the Old Testament Day of Atonement is celebrated by Jews all over the world. It comes from the one day a year in which the Hebrew high priest performed a sacrifice for the atonement of the sins of the people committed that year. It was also the one time per year that the high priest could go behind the veil in the tabernacle (or temple) and come into the presence of God in a place called the holiest of holies for the purpose of making the sacrifice. At the conclusion of the event, all were considered clean (Leviticus 16:30).
Though this was a great and glorious demonstration of the love of God toward His people, there was one problem: the sacrifices did not take away sins. It is recorded in Hebrews 10:1-4, "For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."
The good news, beloved, is that there IS a sacrifice that was made for the forgiveness of sin, the cleansing of conciences, the bestowing of righteousness and the provision of salvation. Further, it was and is made available not just to the Jews but to all who will accept it. It was Jesus who said to God, "'Here I am, I have come to do your will.' [In so doing] He sets aside the first [covenant] to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all," Hebrews 10:9-10 (NIV). There is no longer any need for an earthly high priest to intercede on our behalf. There is no longer any need to sacrifice bulls and goats. There is no longer any need for these things to be done year after year. To the praise of the Almighty, they have been done once and for all.
As you hear about Yom Kippur this weekend, just remember that necessary atonement has been accomplished in Jesus and it is worth celebrating daily.
Committed,
Lee
Tomorrow (9/14/13) is the Jewish high holy day of Yom Kippur. In short, it is the occassion on which the Old Testament Day of Atonement is celebrated by Jews all over the world. It comes from the one day a year in which the Hebrew high priest performed a sacrifice for the atonement of the sins of the people committed that year. It was also the one time per year that the high priest could go behind the veil in the tabernacle (or temple) and come into the presence of God in a place called the holiest of holies for the purpose of making the sacrifice. At the conclusion of the event, all were considered clean (Leviticus 16:30).
Though this was a great and glorious demonstration of the love of God toward His people, there was one problem: the sacrifices did not take away sins. It is recorded in Hebrews 10:1-4, "For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."
The good news, beloved, is that there IS a sacrifice that was made for the forgiveness of sin, the cleansing of conciences, the bestowing of righteousness and the provision of salvation. Further, it was and is made available not just to the Jews but to all who will accept it. It was Jesus who said to God, "'Here I am, I have come to do your will.' [In so doing] He sets aside the first [covenant] to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all," Hebrews 10:9-10 (NIV). There is no longer any need for an earthly high priest to intercede on our behalf. There is no longer any need to sacrifice bulls and goats. There is no longer any need for these things to be done year after year. To the praise of the Almighty, they have been done once and for all.
As you hear about Yom Kippur this weekend, just remember that necessary atonement has been accomplished in Jesus and it is worth celebrating daily.
Committed,
Lee
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Keeping the Fire Burning 9/11/2013 (rp)
"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." Romans 12:11 (NIV)
It is a natural thing for the fire in some relationships to cool. This is not to say that the relationship is destroyed or becomes any less important but that the intensity and enthusiasm can either wane or become transformed to something more comfortable. Think about romantic relationships. In the beginning, we are given to writing poetry, dedicating songs, remaining on the phone (or text) all hours of the day and night and that person is almost all that is on our minds. We present ourselves in the best possible light by carefully and purposefully choosing our attire, hair style, make-up (in the case of the ladies) and scent. Emotions run high and feelings soar.
Let us fast forward 5 years, 7 years, 10 years, then 20. How much poetry has been written lately? How purposeful are we in our dress now? It is not to say that the love is no longer there but the urgency once known seems to have faded over time.
Beloved, our zeal for the Lord should never suffer this fate. As much good as he had to say about the church at Ephesus, the Lord said to them, "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." Revelation 3:4-5a. We must remember that the Lord's fervent love for us never fades and never diminishes. Despite our many shortcomings, the Spirit has said that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord, Romans 8:39. For this reason, for the very love of him, we must constantly feed and re-stoke the fire of love and adoration that burned within us when we first met him and when we gave ourselves to him. Never let it be said that we have forsaken our first love.
Committed,
Lee
It is a natural thing for the fire in some relationships to cool. This is not to say that the relationship is destroyed or becomes any less important but that the intensity and enthusiasm can either wane or become transformed to something more comfortable. Think about romantic relationships. In the beginning, we are given to writing poetry, dedicating songs, remaining on the phone (or text) all hours of the day and night and that person is almost all that is on our minds. We present ourselves in the best possible light by carefully and purposefully choosing our attire, hair style, make-up (in the case of the ladies) and scent. Emotions run high and feelings soar.
Let us fast forward 5 years, 7 years, 10 years, then 20. How much poetry has been written lately? How purposeful are we in our dress now? It is not to say that the love is no longer there but the urgency once known seems to have faded over time.
Beloved, our zeal for the Lord should never suffer this fate. As much good as he had to say about the church at Ephesus, the Lord said to them, "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." Revelation 3:4-5a. We must remember that the Lord's fervent love for us never fades and never diminishes. Despite our many shortcomings, the Spirit has said that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord, Romans 8:39. For this reason, for the very love of him, we must constantly feed and re-stoke the fire of love and adoration that burned within us when we first met him and when we gave ourselves to him. Never let it be said that we have forsaken our first love.
Committed,
Lee
Friday, September 6, 2013
Nothing But the Best 9/6/2013 (rp)
"It was necessary therefore that the copies of things in the heavens should be cleansed with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us." Heb 9:23,24
The Hebrew writer penned his letter primarily to make the case for the supremacy of Christ over all who had come before. There were people who were leaving the Christian faith to return to what they felt they knew best. They had begun to fall back to their traditions and religious habits that had since been superseded in innumerable ways and measure.
In short, everything that was being done was mere practice for heaven. The temple worship of old and all of its tenants and implements were symbolic of things in heaven (Rev 4). Even they, however, required the sacrifice of bulls and goats to make them clean. In order for you and I to gain the actual heaven, far more was needed. In fact, it required the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus to make it possible.
Beloved, many times in life, we get by with the next best thing. Rather than insisting on purity, the genuine article or the name brand, we compromise for one reason or the other. Know that God is the master of quality. Our reconciliation to Him required no less than the perfect sacrifice. Knowing and requiring this, He sent the only one of his kind. He sent nothing but the best. Dare we give Him any less than our best?
Committed,
Lee
The Hebrew writer penned his letter primarily to make the case for the supremacy of Christ over all who had come before. There were people who were leaving the Christian faith to return to what they felt they knew best. They had begun to fall back to their traditions and religious habits that had since been superseded in innumerable ways and measure.
In short, everything that was being done was mere practice for heaven. The temple worship of old and all of its tenants and implements were symbolic of things in heaven (Rev 4). Even they, however, required the sacrifice of bulls and goats to make them clean. In order for you and I to gain the actual heaven, far more was needed. In fact, it required the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus to make it possible.
Beloved, many times in life, we get by with the next best thing. Rather than insisting on purity, the genuine article or the name brand, we compromise for one reason or the other. Know that God is the master of quality. Our reconciliation to Him required no less than the perfect sacrifice. Knowing and requiring this, He sent the only one of his kind. He sent nothing but the best. Dare we give Him any less than our best?
Committed,
Lee
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Alignment 9/4/2013
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;" 1 John 1:6
Let's face it. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian behaves like one should. If the estimated 247 million Christians in the US alone truly reflected the teachings of Jesus in word, thought and deed, Christianity would not be experiencing the decline that has been documented. Our children would not be leaving the church as they enter adulthood at the levels they are. And our country would not be in the state of moral degradation that it clearly is. But this is not about what others are or are not doing. This is about self examination.
Beloved, the questions about why things are as they are must begin with a long look in the mirror of Scripture. We as individuals must make an honest determination about how much the word and will of God exists in our lives. It is the easiest thing in the world to do to cast stones at others or point out the "motes of dust" in their eyes, but are we as quick to recognize deficiencies in our own lives? The Scripture says, "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does," James 1:23-25.
It is beyond both our ability and our commission to "fix" the whole world. That is strictly within the purview of God. We can, however, do all within our ability to be in alignment with His will as reveled in His word in our own lives. It would be amazing how "fixed" the world would become if everyone focused on ensuring the orderliness of their own houses.
Committed,
Lee
Let's face it. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian behaves like one should. If the estimated 247 million Christians in the US alone truly reflected the teachings of Jesus in word, thought and deed, Christianity would not be experiencing the decline that has been documented. Our children would not be leaving the church as they enter adulthood at the levels they are. And our country would not be in the state of moral degradation that it clearly is. But this is not about what others are or are not doing. This is about self examination.
Beloved, the questions about why things are as they are must begin with a long look in the mirror of Scripture. We as individuals must make an honest determination about how much the word and will of God exists in our lives. It is the easiest thing in the world to do to cast stones at others or point out the "motes of dust" in their eyes, but are we as quick to recognize deficiencies in our own lives? The Scripture says, "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does," James 1:23-25.
It is beyond both our ability and our commission to "fix" the whole world. That is strictly within the purview of God. We can, however, do all within our ability to be in alignment with His will as reveled in His word in our own lives. It would be amazing how "fixed" the world would become if everyone focused on ensuring the orderliness of their own houses.
Committed,
Lee
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Shine On 9/3/2013
"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18
When you think about bondage in the spiritual realm, there are several different aspects to consider. First, before making a decision for Christ, we were all bound in and by sin. We were in utter darkness with no access to the benefits of light. For the Jews specifically, there was bondage under the Law. Though the Law was a great and holy thing, it meant death insofar as none could successfully keep all of it (Romans 7:9-10). Lastly, Gentiles were not a party to the covenant between God and Israel and were therefore without God, without hope(Ephesians 2:12)and clothed in darkness.
The good news today beloved, is that Jesus has made a way out of darkness and provides freedom. We have the ability to look upon his words and his life and see the light that exists there for all mankind. Not only are we able to observe it but we are transformed by it. Moses face famously shone as a result of his being in the presence of God, causing him to have to wear a veil (Exodus 34:32-35). Eventually the glory began to fade from him and the veil was kept to keep the people from seeing the glory leaving. But the veil of darkness has now been removed from our lives and the glory from the Lord is increasing every day. The glory manifests itself in our spirits, our hearts and our words, thoughts and deeds. It will continue to increase until such time as we reflect the light of the Lord in everything we are.
Let us do all we can to avail ourselves of what is available to us in and through the Lord. In so doing, let us let our light shine.
Committed,
Lee
When you think about bondage in the spiritual realm, there are several different aspects to consider. First, before making a decision for Christ, we were all bound in and by sin. We were in utter darkness with no access to the benefits of light. For the Jews specifically, there was bondage under the Law. Though the Law was a great and holy thing, it meant death insofar as none could successfully keep all of it (Romans 7:9-10). Lastly, Gentiles were not a party to the covenant between God and Israel and were therefore without God, without hope(Ephesians 2:12)and clothed in darkness.
The good news today beloved, is that Jesus has made a way out of darkness and provides freedom. We have the ability to look upon his words and his life and see the light that exists there for all mankind. Not only are we able to observe it but we are transformed by it. Moses face famously shone as a result of his being in the presence of God, causing him to have to wear a veil (Exodus 34:32-35). Eventually the glory began to fade from him and the veil was kept to keep the people from seeing the glory leaving. But the veil of darkness has now been removed from our lives and the glory from the Lord is increasing every day. The glory manifests itself in our spirits, our hearts and our words, thoughts and deeds. It will continue to increase until such time as we reflect the light of the Lord in everything we are.
Let us do all we can to avail ourselves of what is available to us in and through the Lord. In so doing, let us let our light shine.
Committed,
Lee
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