Category: From Pastor

This week’s devotions are based on the Week 10 “Explore God” – A Life Worth Inquiring About! (WATCH HERE)

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1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

I have used this passage many, many times in my ministry.  But here’s the question that challenged me on this passage: “What would make someone ask?”

Peter is encouraging his readers to be prepared to give a reason for the hope they have…to everyone…who asks you.

So what would make someone ask?

It would probably be a pretty rare thing that someone without any context or relationship with you would ask, “Why do you have the hope you have?”  

When people ask a question, their curiosity has been sparked. Something happens that leads them to ask a question.  You don’t ask for directions unless you are lost.  You don’t ask for help unless the situation is beyond your ability to handle.  You don’t ask for an explanation from your kids unless their behavior has caused a question.

We ask questions when we are curious.

So what would lead someone to ask about the hope that we have?

A logical answer would be because they see a hope in you that they don’t have for themselves, but desire to have.  So they ask.

So if the hope we have because we are connected by faith to Jesus is what is different, how does that show itself to the people around us?  When does the hope we have in Jesus really manifest itself to the people around us?

Perhaps it comes up with the Monday “water cooler” conversation about the world events and coworkers express worry and concern over the end of the world, nuclear war, or escalation of events in the middle east.  When you don’t seem agitated or worked up by it, they ask, “How can you remain so calm and not be worried about escalation of the conflict?”

You now have a question to answer and your hope to share.

Perhaps it’s a conversation around the Thanksgiving Table about a relationship that has gone sour and the family in general is worked up about it and is anxious about dealing with it.  While you sit calmly and offer opportunities to address in a manner of forgiveness and kindness, another relative asks, “How can you be so loving when that’s not what this person deserves?” You now have a question to answer and a hope to share.

Perhaps its interaction with a neighbor who is going through medical challenges.  They remember you sharing a hospital stay and not being anxious or worked up about it.  They ask, “How can you be so calm when life can be so challenging?”

You now have a question to answer and a hope to share.

Everyday interactions are an opportunity to let the love of Jesus shine in and through us to others.  Because Jesus’ love, grace and peace are working in your heart, they naturally spill out into our interactions with others.  When we react or interact with the heart and love of Jesus, it will be noticed because it is different.  And because it is different, people will be curious.  When people are curious, they ask a question.  And when they ask a question, YOU get the chance to share the hope YOU have!

Apply: Pick one of the scenarios in the devotion or make up one on your own. Write down how you would articulate your faith – practice answering the questions people may ask so you are ready when they do!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving me a hope to give out to others, AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the Week 9 “Explore God” – Relationships that Matter! (WATCH HERE)

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Matthew 9:35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Matthew 9 is filled with Jesus’ encounters with different people.  Here’s a list:

• A paralyzed man brought to him to be healed
• Matthew and his tax collector friends
• John the Baptist’s disciples
• A synagogue leader
• A bleeding woman
• Two blind men
• A mute demon-possessed man
• Religious leaders opposed to him

It’s quite the list of people misled by greed, religious teaching, or the power of demons.  People with physical ailments and spiritual questions.

For Jesus it was all in a day’s work.

However, this wasn’t an isolated occurrence.  Jesus went through all the towns and villages and similar people came to him.  He taught them.  He healed them. He proclaimed the good news of the kingdom to them.

But the crowds kept coming and his heart went out to them.

He saw people misguided with misplace trust and empty hopes and promises.  He saw people stuck in the reality of their sin without forgiveness and without hope.  He saw people hanging on to spiritual teach that was neither true nor comforting.  His heart went out to them because he wanted these people to have a shepherd who would lead them into all truth, all comfort, and all hope.  Instead of being led, people were being harassed and left spiritually helpless.

Can you see the same thing today?

Look at the headlines or listen to the news.  Morals are messed up.  People are living deceptions of reality.  Drugs and alcohol and other addictions try to provide escapes.  The religious landscape is large and confusing yet individuals are told it all leads to the same end.  People are harassed by a bombardment of deceptive thoughts, superficial hope, and spiritual confusion.  Do our hearts go out to them?  Do we have the compassion of Jesus to help them find a shepherd to lead them, feed them, and guide them to truth.

I hope so, but have to admit I need Jesus’ forgiveness for the many times I am more ready to blow people off than to connect them to their Good Shepherd.

Jesus couldn’t get to everyone.  He connected in relationship with the people he could…but then he prayed to his heavenly Father to provide more workers to bring in the harvest of people that was ready for truth, ready for hope, ready for a Good Shepherd.

Ironically, Matthew chapter 10 begins with listing the 12 disciples…they were the answer to his prayer.

So are you.  So am I.

The harvest of people is around us.  Pray that the Lord would use us. 

 

Apply: Today just notice people.  People driving around you, walking around you, working with you, living next to you, in class with you, etc.  Pray for the Lord to use you to build a relationship with one more person to be able to point them to their Good Shepherd, Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for a heart of compassion that was willing to engage with people to bring them to know you as their Savior.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the Week 9 “Explore God” – Relationships that Matter! (WATCH HERE)

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Matthew 9:18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. …

23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.

 

This morning we continue our look at relationships Jesus affected in Matthew 9.  Matthew was  a tax collector…an outcast from society.  A woman who touched Jesus’ garment suffered from continuous bleeding and as a result was perpetually unclean.  When the woman touched Jesus he was on his way to help a synagogue leader.

Perhaps this connection may seem “normal.”  Jesus was a known rabbi and it would seem natural for a synagogue leader to reach out to him…perhaps for insight into the Scripture or to be a guest speaker at the synagogue gathering.  On this occasion the request was very personal.  His daughter had died.

As a dad of two daughters, I can’t even begin to imagine the heartache that this man was in.  I have to ask if I would have had the same confidence as this synagogue leader did to reach out and come before Jesus with the ask and confidence that if Jesus came and touched his daughter, she would live.  As a pastor, one often feels like they have to be the one to encourage, comfort and be there for others when there is a time of tragedy and loss.  But who is there to comfort the church leader when they experience a loss?  This man has the opportunity to go to Jesus.  Perhaps the relationship that needs Jesus is one who you think never does because they are always bringing Jesus to you.   But to be sure, even leaders in God’s church, need God’s people to check in and see how they can be supportive and encouraging.  God’s leaders need God’s people.

Jesus knew this and received the request of the synagogue leader.  To be sure, many of the religious leaders of the day were more skeptical of Jesus than receptive.  But this one is not.  He has confidence in the healing power of Jesus.  Jesus could have made a sweeping judgment on all those connected to the institution of the Jewish leadership at that time, but he doesn’t.  Again he sees a soul that is hurting and a soul that is needing him.  So he takes the time to step in and help.

Again a reminder in our relationships to not make sweeping judgments about a whole group of people and carry a bitterness toward all in that category.  Respond to individuals.  For in the group of the whole stand individuals who need Jesus.

When Jesus gets to the leader’s home, he finds the funeral mourners inside and out.  He doesn’t join them, but dismisses them.  They laugh when he comments the girl is sleeping.  But his words were backed by his powerful hand which grabbed the hand of the girl and she sat up…alive.  The impact spread throughout the region.

The Lord has not promised us the gift of physically raising people from the dead, yet the impact our witness of Jesus can have on one individual can have a ripple affect in a family or community like the raising of the synagogue’s leader’s daughter.  The way you engage with one relationship with the Gospel can have widespread and generational impact beyond the immediate.  Never underestimate the conversation you have, the care you show, or the time you take to build a relationship for Jesus.  The blessing can be far reaching.

 

Apply: Don’t worry about the reaction of the crowd should you witness to Jesus and his love.  The importance of a soul matters more than the reaction of a crowd!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your love and concern for all people.  Your mercy extends to all.  Your power impacts lives for eternity.  Your love affects the hearts of many.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the Week 9 “Explore God” – Relationships that Matter! (WATCH HERE)

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Matthew 9:20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

Jesus was busy.  On this particular day he was on the way to help a leader of a synagogue whose daughter had just died.  As he is walking to the leader’s home, the crowd was around him and a woman touched the edge of his cloak.  He didn’t just keep walking, but rather stopped and addressed the physical and spiritual need of the woman.

Not only do we see the power of God to heal, we see the power of God’s heart for the individual.

Jesus takes time for people even with he’s busy.

The only thing that stopped Jesus was a tug of his garment.  In most settings, by most people, the little tug would have been ignored and life would continue…even if the person noticed the tug.  Perhaps this is my projection on the situation.  Little tugs are often ignored and an opportunity perhaps missed.

What are those little tugs that people send that indicate they need some attention, some help, some love…which may lead to a conversation about Jesus?

A text message?

A social media post?

An “accidental” phone call?

A “strange” comment in conversation?

The woman that encountered Jesus had trust that all she needed was a small connection to Jesus to address her bleeding.

To not miss a cue, our mindset has to be open to the interruption of others.  I can get busy moving from one event to the next, one task to the next, or simply have a mindset that I don’t want to be bothered.  It’s usually in the busiest times of our life that another person interrupts us with some need.  Yet it may be those little tugs from people that provide great witness opportunities.

What amazes me and encourages me in Jesus’ relationships with people, is he was willing to take the time needed to address the need of a person seeking connection with him.  Believers or non-believers, Jesus would take time for them.

Relationships that need Jesus are not always planned.  They often come up at the most “inopportune” moments.  However, our perspective of inopportune, may just be the opportunity that God is orchestrating for us to be to his witness to a soul that needs connection to Jesus.

 

Apply: Adjust your perspective today to notice “tugs” of people around you that might be opportunities to establish or enhance a relationship to connect them to Jesus.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for love you show to all people and the special concern and time you take to help, heal, and forgive souls.  May your Spirit give me your heart!  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the Week 9 “Explore God” – Relationships that Matter! (WATCH HERE)

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Relationships that Matter: People like Matthew

 

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” 

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 

With this brief paragraph, Matthew recounts his call to follow Jesus.  He doesn’t embellish or make it about him, but rather keeps the focus on Jesus, as his whole Gospel does.  But the “matter-of-fact” account of his calling to be a disciple and the following meal he hosted does not lack in the truths he wants to teach about Jesus.

Jesus was willing to get to know him and his friends.

As with Zacchaeus of yesterday, Matthew was a Roman government agent who was tasked with bringing in revenue from the citizens of Israel.  He was a “necessary evil” in the land and grouped together with ones who were viewed as liars and cheaters.  Perhaps like government jobs today, Matthew found a bit of security in his profession, even though he was socially outcast from his Jewish community.

We don’t know if Matthew had heard about Jesus or this was their first encounter, but one can only imagine the shock that a Jewish rabbi would call him, a tax collector, to follow him.  Perhaps the only words he had heard from other rabbis and Pharisees were, “Sinner! Sinner! Cheater! Cheater!”

From Jesus he says, “Follow me.”

And Matthew does.

So impressed and struck by Jesus’ willingness to not only spend time with him, but to mentor him as a disciple, Matthew couldn’t help but introduce Jesus to the rest of his tax collector friends.  There WAS someone in Israel who had a love and concern for those outside the religious elite and cultural norm.  Matthew wanted them to meet Jesus.

And Jesus was willing to bring his disciples and hang out with them.

Why?

Was Jesus concerned about being “polluted” by the “uncleanness” of the meal participants?  Nope. 

Was Jesus concerned about his reputation with other religious leaders in the community? Nope.

Jesus was concerned about changing hearts and lives with the power of his saving love and glorious Gospel.  The crowd around the table knew they were not right.  The Savior around the table was there to bring forgiveness to sinners.

Hanging out with people who need Jesus is risky and can be uncomfortable.  Others may question or raise objections.

However, remember the viewpoint of Jesus.  He came for all people, but was more than ready to hang out with individuals that realized their righteousness was lacking and were ones that were receptive to hearing of his love and grace.

To be clear, Jesus was there for the Pharisees too.  The setting caused a question from them as to why Jesus would hang out with them…Jesus used it to prick their consciences to realize that their self-righteous hearts were just as bad as the heart of a cheater.  Jesus was for them if they would only realize they too were sinful in need of his forgiveness.

Every encounter is an opportunity to capture a relationship for Christ.  Sometimes they are out of our comfort zone.  Sometimes they are in our confronting zone.  But either way, they are people that matter to Jesus…and therefore, matter to us.

 

Apply: What risk do you perceive hanging out with the “unrighteous”? How about the “righteous?” What common need do they both share?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your heart of love that is for all people whether they realize it or not.  Continue to form in us your heart of love for “sinners” to bring them to repentance and to enjoy a life of following you.  Use us to reach souls for you.  AMEN.