Day 116: Faithful Servants

"Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Luke 14:34-35

I feel that because I have heard the salt metaphor thrown around in church for so long I have started to forget the message.

Jesus says this after talking about what it takes in order to follow him.  We need to be prepared to give our whole lives over for him.  And that's where the idea of this odd kind of salt comes in.  I don't think I've ever heard of salt losing its saltiness, but if it loses it, it has absolutely no purpose.  It's not a pretty stone to look at, especially in the way we have it granulated these days.  It's just there.

Jesus, then, is calling us to remember our calling in life.  We have to remember what our purpose is, which is to serve.  We need to build communities for God.  We have to spread the Gospel, the love.  However, that means that we have to be ready to take on the mission.  We can't let anything drag us one way or another.  I find that we are filled with fear so many times that we start to make up excuses for not going forward with our calling in life.  We start to fear the lack of money in order to join a ministry.  We fear the loss of friends after devoting our lives to God.  We fear losing all of our material possessions after following God.  But that's where we can become this saltless salt.

If we are truly the body of Christ, we need to be the strong bones, the pliable skin, the healthy organs, the plentiful tissue.  We can't be just half of that, for if we do that, we instead become something more like an abnormal growth, a tumor, or even a cancer to the body.  Instead, we have to look around us and figure out how to build up our community and how to bring others to Jesus.  It's one thing to know every word in the bible, but it's a completely different thing to put it all into practice.

In order for us to live as good salt and as good servants, we need to be preparing ourselves constantly.  It's not just about saying that we accept Jesus as our savior, nor is it only about having a degree in theological studies; it's about living our faith.  When we live our faith, everything we do will become a lesson for those around us to learn, and a lesson for us to grow from.  We have the example, Jesus.  Now is the time for us to follow his lead. 

Day 115: Seeing God

"He who oppresses the poor provokes his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy upon a poor man." Proverbs 14:32

Here's an important message for all of us to take.

In our society, we can get around just fine with a certain amount of wealth.  Usually, the type of clothes we wear and the kinds of things we bring around will show what our general wealth bracket is.  If we are lucky, we might be able to pass for someone higher up with some cheap knockoffs.  Even if one doesn't make that much, he can still try to make himself appear to be much better off by investing the little money he has into a fancy car, a pair of shoes, or some accessory that would cause many eyes to turn.  The bottom line, though, is that we need to show off a certain amount in order to be considered a "normal" person.

To go even further, imagine that we ourselves are really just buying a certain plating to put around our body, as if we were coins.  Chocolate coins can be covered in gold foil.  The outside is very shiny, but the inside chocolate, as delicious as it might be, is still not worth that same weight in a precious metal.  Look at the coins we have in circulation.  They shine and have certain colors, but they are not completely made of precious metals, if they have anything precious in them at all (except for our complete faith in money).

On the other hand, those who do not make that much money cannot cover themselves up.  They are living on what they need.  They eat the food that will sustain them.  They wear the clothes that will allow them to go about without being charged with indecent exposure or the like.  In other words, they are entirely expressions of themselves.  Whereas those of us who have enough to clothe ourselves with enough coating so that we can hide all our imperfections and/or rough edges, those who are less fortunate cannot.  And that's what came to mind when I read this proverb.  If we are going to treat all those around us, those living by stretching the truth - the politician who claims to be the savior when they are raping children, the priest who stands in front of congregations with full garb but who is promiscuous and breaking vows left and right, or even the one who has robbed many people of their money but still dresses in a coat and tie and shakes your hand as if he were handing you bars of gold - with utter respect, but look down upon the poor, who are we?  If we can't accept the truth that is placed before us in the form of humans struggling to make ends meet, then how can we even accept the higher truths about life and salvation?  How can we curse the work of the Creator while we tout the work of our lying hands and filthy money?

We need to see Jesus everywhere we are, even if we are presented with a picture we deem ugly or dirty.  We need to accept the whole truth that God presents us everyday as opposed to living off the crumbs of truth we deem most satisfying.

Day 114: God's Faithfulness

Then he told her everything in his heart, and said to her, "No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a holy one of God from my mother's womb.  If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like all other men."  Judges 16:17

The book of Judges is quite a depressing read.  There is a back and forth struggle with the Israelites and their faith.  It always seems that their lack of faith gets the best of them, and there are many stories throughout about what happened when they turned away from God.  Even the more 'heroic' stories are quite gruesome.  The story of Sampson is no exception.

When I read this verse, I thought that it summed up the entire story of Sampson.  He was a man set aside by his parents for God, but he always had trouble with temptations.  In the end, he fell for a woman who was trying very hard to betray him.  He gave into her out of complete desire for her.  And, when he finally renounces his dedicated state, he loses his God-given strength.

I find that this is a great metaphor on how our lives are.  If nothing else, Sampson's story shows us that we have many different challenges to face all throughout our lives, even if we set ourselves aside for God.  In fact, Sampson also shows that just because we are Christians by family association or my title doesn't mean that we are following Jesus or fearing God.

God gives us so many gifts throughout our lives, but it is up to us how we decide to use them.  Some of us will decide to improve on our gifts.  Others of us will try to hide or reject the gifts we are given.  Our rejection of gifts seems to be quite mindless, doesn't it?  I mean, if you're at your birthday party and your friends bring you different gifts, would you reject them right in front of them?  But that's what we do when we reject our own gifts from God - we show that we disapprove of them right before God's eyes.  What's worse is that we then turn away from all the good things that God has for us and head towards something that we think is good for the moment - that pretty guy, that throwaway job, those super expensive clothes.

The interesting, but hopeful, thing about Sampson's story is the sign of God's mercy.  Despite the fact that Sampson does some pretty questionable things throughout his life, he still has that godly strength throughout, right until he outright forsakes God with his own words.  And, even though it doesn't end in the best way for Sampson, God still answers his prayer right at the last moment of his life.  I pray that we will not have to wait until that moment, but it is still an example of the fact that God is always faithful to us, even if we aren't.  God wants us to do well, and God wants to bring us back to God.

Living life will involve lots of decisions, but if we take the time to pray and read the bible, then we will be able to find our way through our problems.  God is always faithful to us; let us be faithful.

Day 113: Reality

"So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound - think of it - for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  Luke 13:16

This statement sums up a series of ideas that Jesus had been teaching.

Basically, whenever we come up to God, the truth will be revealed.  The truth will be revealed, and the fact of whether we were supporting the truth will also become very clear.  Jesus has shown us that the way others live their lives should be completely irrelevant to us.  This argument reaches its height when the Pharisees tell Jesus that there are six other days where one could be healed.  But Jesus shows that it doesn't matter how God will take care of these situations, for they will be taken care of perfectly.

Think of it, Jesus commands.  Think of it, does it matter that somebody around you is praising God in a certain way that's different than the way you are?  Does it really matter whether somebody speaks in a different language and praises in yet another one?  Does it really matter that somebody else who is a different color is receiving the same grace that you are?  None of these should.

Instead, think about your own life.  How strong is your faith?  How can you strengthen it?  Do you need to be healed?  Do you need God's grace?  Do you have gifts from God?  Do you even know what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone in the next hour?

Jesus tells us not to worry about the things that are not in our control, for they are going the way they need to.  They are going to become opportunities for you to walk even closer to God.  In fact, contrary to the plans you might have for your life, the methods that God will use in order to direct your life will be unusual and uncommon.  God has a plan for you, and it's a very unique one.  Learn to follow it, and don't let anything or anyone tempt you away from it. 

Day 112: Resolving Issues

"When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."  Luke 12:58-59

This is a harsh message.

We always want Jesus to be on our side, even when it involves our own wills and not his.  But, Jesus is a preacher of Truth, and if we are not of the Truth, we will feel that Jesus is standing against us.  Jesus reprimands us so that we can walk along the straight and narrow path, and that will involve us learning to turn away from every temptation that is out there, no matter how enticing each might be.

In the American court system, many times the case will be settled in favor of the one who has the better lawyer.  A great example of how this plays out is with immigration hearings, where the court will provide a lawyer who probably can't even speak the language of the defendant.  Of course, that would easily put that person at a disadvantage.  Indeed, cases are very hard to settle because of the gathering of evidence, and if there is not much evidence, the details can become very difficult to figure out.

The easiest way to resolve these issues is for both sides to put aside their pride and start speaking truthfully to one another, so that they can resolve the issues quickly and smoothly.  It is because of lies and pride that court cases can go on for so long.

In the same way, we need to make sure that we are resolving all our conflicts with those around us.  It is one thing to ignore issues just because we want to appear nice, or we want to make sure we can squeeze as much money out of a relationship with an acquaintance.  It is another thing, though, to speak truthfully and lovingly to those around us.  For, when we are brought before God, the ultimate Judge, there will be no ifs, ands, or buts that we can speak of.  God will judge us on the one commandment: to love one another.  When we hold grudges against other people, we project our hate towards them, and they become an embodiment of a deep sin within us.  We need to let them go and reconcile ourselves with those people whom we hold grudges against.  When we learn to resolve our issues like that, we will be able to spread the love that God has shown us to everybody around us.  Rather than continue living in a hate filled world, we will be bringing the Kingdom of Heaven into our daily lives.

Day 111: Concerns

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Luke 12:34

It's very easy for us to dismiss this message.

Surely, I live my life in a way where treasure means nothing to me.  All I need in heaven is God.  Why would I be concerned about money?  I mean, aren't we already taught that money is distracting from our faith?

However, that mentality won't get us anywhere.  We live in a world where we will constantly have to face pressure for our money.  We have to work in order to make money.  We need money so that we can provide all the basic necessities for ourselves.  All of these things are constantly nagging at our minds, day in and day out.

So, if we have our life's treasure here on earth, then we will constantly be worrying about it.  If we start to imagine spiritual treasures in heaven, our minds will be concerned with that.

But this message extends so much further than just material worth.  We have many things that are pulling us in so many different directions.  We concern ourselves with our careers, our families, our friends, our health, our spirituality, and many other things.  And, each one of those things is taking us away from another.  If we take Paul's example of living life as running a race, there is a prize at the end of each race.  We are usually running many races at the same time.  Now, I don't know about you, but I have enough trouble running for three miles, let alone a half-marathon or any other race.  Imagine how difficult it would be to have to run multiple races at the same time, taking one step forward, another to the left, then a leap to the right, and then forward again, and then turning towards another and running for quite a distance.  That would be ridiculous!

And that's what we need to remember when we are trying to organize our life.  When we run towards God, towards heaven, towards the Kingdom, we will find our lives just that much easier to live.  The things that we feel are prizes - our job, our money, our house - are just aids on the way, those little snacks that your sponsors - the Trinity - provide as you make it to the end.  Yes, the race will be long and difficult, but we have the hands of God providing for us when we feel that we can't run any farther.

Day 110: Our Strength

"For our defense is from the Lord and from the Holy One of Israel, our King."  Psalm 88:19 (89:18)

This is a verse that is very powerful, but it's something that we don't always take entirely seriously.

We live our lives in a very rough and cruel world.  We live where there are people so filled with hate that they will kill indiscriminately.  There are people so filled with greed that they will lower as many people as possible just to get the riches that they want.  There are people so filled with envy that they will lie about so many people around them just to feel better.  After thinking about this, it becomes apparent that we do need a defense in this world and in this life.

To go a step further, if we know where our defense is, wouldn't that also be where all of our lives are coming from?  The one who gave us life is the one who is protecting us, just as a mother does for her children.  Our defense comes from the one who gives us life and power.  This is important to remember because we can't just be living our lives as if we are alone in all that we do.  When you think about how many things you have to take care of, it can start to get overwhelming.  Think about that dream you are pursuing.  Now think about the job you're working at.  Is that where you want to be?  What about your family?  Are you satisfied with it?  Are you satisfied with your friends?  Your body?  The list can go on forever.

The reason why we need to remember that our defense comes from the Lord is because the Lord has a plan for each one of us.  God has a plan for all of our lives, and God defends all of those lives because they need to go in the way they need to go.  God provides us with moments to celebrate the grace that we have, moments to strengthen our faith, moments to come closer to God, moments to preach, moments to cry, moments to come, and moments to go.  When we remember to put our lives into God's hands, there is nothing that can get in the way.  God is our ultimate defense.  It's time to respect that and live accordingly.

Day 109: Godly Teaching

"And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient."  2 Timothy 2:24

Here's something that gets ignored way too often.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to be teachers of the Gospel.  However, that teaching comes with certain responsibilities - patience and gentleness are just two.  What we might forget with these responsibilities is that we need to have them in order to teach.

Jesus was a very patient teacher and a very gentle one as well.  He allowed for people to come up to him with questions that were set up as traps.  He was willing to teach people from all walks of life.  He was patient with many of his students, even when it seemed that they were never going to learn.

Why is that so important?  How about the notion that God is love.  God loves us so much that God will be patient with us in our learning.  God teaches, corrects, and helps us all the time, and all of these things are done out of a pure love for all of us.  A teacher of the Lord has to be someone who is willing to show what the Lord has done for her to all of her students.  She has to live the Gospel that she teaches.  Jesus did that, and we must follow.

Jesus accomplished a great deal of teaching because he did not push away students.  He achieved this through his welcoming teaching.  He calls people to come to him.  He calls all of us to listen to every word he says.  If we do the same, perhaps we can maintain a full classroom.  If we teach the way that Jesus has taught us, then we will walk with our students closer to God.

Day 108: Couragious Spirit

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  2 Timothy 1:7

This is a message we have to hold onto at all times.

It's crazy that the word spirit could even be used in a way that incorporates fear or timidity.  It means air.  In many Indo-European languages, the word for spirit or soul comes from the word for wind or air or breath.  It implies motion.  It implies power.  Our spirits are the things that move us in every situation.

It is our fears that quench the spirit.  It is when we start getting on our high horses with our logic that we start to fall apart.  And that's because we start to put barriers on our spirit.  We will start to hide our talents.  We will lower our voices.  We will continue to hide ourselves until we find a place where only our mind can take care of us.  We could become so isolated that everything that we shielded ourselves from is truly distant.  Yet, that would involve us being far away from everything good as well.

Paul probably wrote this letter understanding that his martyrdom was very near.  However, even in that dire situation, he found a way to give encouragement, and it must have been encouragement for himself as well.  Jesus called for all of us to go out into the wild world in order to preach the Good News.  I'm sure you're just like me, observing that this world needs more of the Good News.  We need Jesus.  We need a peace of mind.  We need love.

Our fears only become taxing for us, for they are things that we have to give an effort just to come up with.  When we're afraid of the dark, it only starts to sound ridiculous when we start considering our fear.  In the same way, we need to start evaluating our fears.  Jesus told us to go out, show our talents, bring others to God.  Nowhere did Jesus say to cower in the face of adversity.  In fact, Jesus showed us to do the opposite, first with miracles and casting out of demons and then with going up to the cross.

We have been created with a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind.  When we let our spirit lead us, we will find ourselves getting closer and closer to God.

Day 107: God's Gift

"If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"  Luke 11:11-13

This is one of my favorite passages from the bible because it explains the grace of God so well.

We know how to carry out transactions so well that it just becomes second nature to us.  Yet, that by itself is a display of courtesy towards our neighbors.  We are prone to give whatever anybody requests.  Now, that doesn't go without acknowledging that there can be an entirely different context surrounding these occasions.  We can give things over with an attitude.  We could even give things that are of poor quality.  But in general, we will give when we are asked.

Imagine being in a classroom and somebody asks for a pencil.  Unless it's during an important test or competition, there is always someone there to give over a pencil, even if it's short, chewed up, and without an eraser.  These are the kinds of things Jesus is referring us to.

Paul has taken many opportunities throughout his letters to explain what the Holy Spirit is.  It's kind of like a gift basket for us, with everything being useful (unlike a basket with a few things we could just do away with).  The Holy Spirit is something that guides us in our living.  It's a mode of communication from the Holy Trinity to us.  It's also something that drives us to pursue godly things in our lives.

So, if we can ask our friends and (occasionally) our enemies for things and receive what we'd asked for, how much better would be the things that come straight from God?  God, who is all loving, all caring, all forgiving, has shown us a gift.  We are receiving a gift that comes out of all things that are good in the universe.  The Holy Spirit is good.  God's gift is perfect.

Day 106: Following the Lord

"But if it does not please you to serve the Lord, choose gods for yourselves today whom you will serve, whether the gods of your fathers that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, among whom you dwell in their land.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, because He is holy."  Joshua 24:15

Nobody is being forced into this life.

If we were all forced into a life of faith, there wouldn't be a concept of faith at all.  It would merely be duty, or slavery.  We are not forced into slavery.  In fact, we are the opposite.  We are free to choose where we want to be, and as Christians, we choose freedom.  We are free to choose the Lord who forgives our sins, who shows us mercy every day, who teaches us how to live with other human beings, who loves us unconditionally.

Sure, the riches and successes of all the other gods out there might seem appealing.  In fact, we are subject to that temptation every day.  We could just wander off to serve money, so that way everybody will know us just for our material worth.  Imagine what kind of life that would be: slavery to the dollar and subjugation to every single pain that we might inflict on ourselves just to get there.  When it comes to the end of our lives of following money, what will we have left?  A comfortable bed?  A fancy suit?  What will we be able to take into the afterlife? Absolutely nothing.  We will leave the world in shambles, and our lives would be a reflection of that world.

Instead, we choose to follow Jesus, who is leading us to eternal life.  We are receiving grace every day so that we can make it to the next day.  We are building up communities all around us, making sure that others can have the same joy we feel on our journey, for we are not selfish.  Jesus has taught us to follow so that we can make the world a better place: a perfect dwelling to present before God.

Let's remember why we are following when the temptations arise, for that's when we will remind ourselves that we will serve the Lord, for the Lord is holy.

Day 105: Spiritual Discipline

"But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.  For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come."  1 Timothy 4:7-8

Here's an excellent metaphor for spirituality.

The two verses seem to make up two important components for spiritual discipline: self-control and practice.  If we take a step backwards to follow the physical metaphor, these two components are diet and exercise.

Dieting is a very interesting field.  I must say that in our modern times, a healthy diet is quite hard to come by.  On the one hand, everything that is being advertised is quite unhealthy, from soda and fast food ads on TV to having all of the processed snacks in eyesight at the supermarkets.  On the other hand, many diets that claim to have health benefits have absolutely no scientific backing or approval.  In fact, even studies in support of fad diets tend to be debunked and/or retracted.  Therefore, dieting consists of resisting the temptations of advertisements and the temptations of fast results.  The only solution is to go to your personal doctor and/or nutritionist to find out what is best for you.  In the same way, spiritual self-control involves quite a bit of resisting of temptations - both of things that will only harm our minds, bodies, and souls and of doctrines that claim to be able to be a quick fix to our problems.  Yet, we have our authority more easily and readily available to us than a doctor (with the long waits and exorbitant costs).  God is just a prayer away, and the word is only a book a way (or even an app!).  We have all that we need, but we need to put these things into practice.

Exercise is quite straightforward.  Do this, and that will happen.  Do cardio, and you will lose weight.  Practice strength training, and you will get stronger.  The best thing about exercise is that you can see the results.  Looking at your physical appearance, you can see when you lose some weight or gain some muscle.  When you are performing everyday tasks (such as walking up stairs or even walking around for certain periods of time) or even when meeting with a personal trainer, it becomes very clear whether you have been doing your exercise or not.  There is no lying.  The same goes for our spirituality.  If we don't put it to practice, it will be quite obvious.  If all we are doing is asking questions and not researching or praying or reading, then we will be left with the blubber of ignorance.  If we don't put the teachings of Christ into practice, we will forget them.  Words are nice, but if they take no root, they are merely noise or scribbles.

Just as a nutritionist or a doctor wants us to get healthier, the same goes for Jesus.  Jesus wants to see us become the best that we can be.  Through his teachings, Jesus shows us how to get into shape.  Until we put them to practice, they will mean nothing to us.

Day 104: Will

And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.  Luke 9:54-56

This passage shows that we can never take the position of God.

Jesus, all knowing wisdom, has a plan for all of us.  Jesus is also working on each one of us.  Jesus has even commanded us with many different things to do: so many different jobs that we can perform in order to better the world around us.  Jesus commanded us to love one another.  But what happens when we take control?

The above passage shows that we will do anything necessary to get our way in life.  However, for God, who is love, that is not right.  We have been ordered to love our neighbors, but we want for our lives to go the way we want them to, at the expense of anybody that comes in our way.  Jesus showed that just because somebody came in the way of his ministry didn't mean that he would kill them on the spot.  On the other hand, James and John wanted to see them suffer for mistreating Jesus.  I don't blame them, honestly.

But Jesus lived by example.  Jesus put all the things he taught into practice.  We have the advantage of having the written word that tells us all about this great life Jesus led on earth.  Now, it is our turn to follow.  It is our turn to make God's plan - a plan of love and mercy - our desire.

Day 103: Hear Him

While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  Luke 9:34-35

I find the Transfiguration to be something very confusing.  The description we get in the Gospels doesn't seem to warrant so much to make an important feast day out of it in the church calendar.  Perhaps, when I compare it to the Passion, the Nativity, or the end times, this description pales in comparison.

However, every time I come back to reading about it, I feel that God speaks to me in a different way.  A detail that stuck out to me this time around was the passage I copied above.  The disciples whom Jesus had brought along for this event were filled with so many questions, as can be evidenced by Peter's suggestion to build tabernacles for the three men.  In addition to that, they were frightened.  Their teacher's face had just started glowing!

Despite all this uncertainty, though, they entered the cloud.  And, as they entered, they began to receive the gift of understanding.  Jesus is one with God.  In the same way, we should take this approach to our own lives.  We will encounter so many different things where we won't know all the answers.  However, when we take the leap forward, even with our doubts, our questions, our fears, we will get the answer.  God is wherever we are, but we need to receive God.  I find that the physical church building can be seen as a sort of parallel to the cloud.  Within the church's walls, we hear the voice of God in the form of song, prayer, and scripture.  We can also look at our own moments of deep meditation as entering the cloud - the cloud of our own souls.  Within our meditations, we can hear the voice of God.  Another parallel of the cloud is the bible.  When we open up the covers, we can start to receive the revelation of God.  And, each time that we receive the revelations, we understand the same message:  "Jesus is my beloved son.  Hear him!"

Day 102: Edifying Evangelism

"As I urged you when I went into Macedonia —remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith." 1 Timothy 1:3-4

This is a good admonishment that we don't hear enough.

We need to bring our evangelism back to the basics: the proclamation of the Gospel.  There are times when we allow for different things to get in the way of proclaiming the Gospel.  Jesus gave us some very good examples of how to proclaim, especially with the use of parables (and even explaining some of them to us in simple terms).  But we can also become obsessed with different things.

One thing that I think of is how we might become obsessed with that one Bible verse and try to figure out how we can make that Bible verse our own.  The truth of the matter is that we want to start making the entire evangelization to be something that glorifies ourselves rather than God.  When we show that we have so much knowledge about a certain matter, we can start to distance ourselves from those we are trying to reach.

Instead, we should remember that evangelism involves godly edification.  Rather than argue with others about minutia, we should be edifying one another, especially those who are new to Christ.  Jesus spent his entire ministry building up his disciples, and he is also edifying us each time we communicate with him through our prayers, worship, and reading.  Therefore, we must continue this tradition to our own students.  We must continue to build them up rather than tear them down.

Day 101: Jesus' Care

But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." Luke 9:46

Jesus is in a huddled crowd and seems to state the obvious.

But this message goes far beyond the obvious.  A woman stepped up to Jesus to be healed, and her act of faith healed her.  The better part is that Jesus knew.  Jesus knew because he cares.  A verse that comes to mind is when someone challenges Jesus at the cross, "he saved many, but he can't save himself".  Jesus cares for us that he is paying attention to all of our needs.

The moral of this anecdote is that we need to approach Jesus with good faith in order to be healed.  We will be faced with challenges and hurdles, but Jesus will be there for us, ready to help us when we are in need.  As soon as we reach him, Jesus will send us back, for our act of faith has saved us.

 

Day 100: Proclaiming the Great Things

"Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, 'Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.'  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him."  Luke 8:38-39

This is a message that might seem a little harsh at first.

Jesus has told so many to drop everything and follow him, but this man whom he had just healed he sent away.  The man even asked to follow.  However, that's where we need to look at our own ideas.

The man had been through a struggle, hosting demons and living in the cemetery.  He was suffering some of the craziest things we could think of.  So, now that he's back to his senses, it would make sense for him to follow Jesus as a disciple.  But Jesus calls us to follow him in so many different ways.  The important fact here is that Jesus is showing that following will be difficult.  Just because one thing has passed doesn't mean that everything else is going to be very light and easy.  Look at Paul's or Peter's life if you want a better example.

The other thing is a question of understanding.  The man wanted to be near Jesus because Jesus saved him from evil.  Jesus, in turn, explains how he can always be with him: proclaiming the Gospel.  We seem to forget the many ways Jesus is walking right next to us.  We deceive ourselves into thinking that Jesus is only with us when we're at church or in the middle of prayer.  The truth is that Jesus is with us everywhere.  It's only our choice whether we feel his presence or not.  When we proclaim the Gospel and live it, we will feel all the good things that are Jesus.  Therefore, Jesus sends us out every day so that we can proclaim the Gospel and acknowledge that he is with us, every step of the way.

Day 099: Strengthening Faith

But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master we are perishing!"  Luke 8:23-24

As I have been learning more about philosophy and taking more time to contemplate the wisdom literature of the bible, I have started to understand that wisdom involves a change of perspective.

This event shows a contrast between the wise person and the doubting one.  It seems that the end goal of wisdom is to find peace amidst all of the terrible things all around.  Jesus does this by falling asleep and remaining asleep during a storm.  Now, I don't know about you, but I know that I wouldn't be able to stay asleep (except for that one time while I slept through one of the worst hurricanes that swept through Houston).  I would probably be just like the disciples: scared, frightened.

But that's our problem with how we live our lives.  Despite the fact that we can describe ourselves as the good soil that accepts the seed from the sower and allow it to grow into something bearing the most beautiful of fruits, we might waver when we are faced with danger.  That's not what the Gospel calls us to do, though.  All throughout the Gospel, we find many words of encouragement.  Jesus has come to save us.  God will not test us beyond our means.  Go out into the world and preach the good news.  Behold!  The ill are healed and the poor are receiving the Gospel.  He is risen!

So why do we have trouble with accepting these words?  The issue is that we still deceive ourselves.  We like to say that just because we go to church we are faithful.  It's easy for anybody to walk into a church.  We say that just because we read a few words of the bible that we are faithful.  Just take a moment to scroll through Facebook to see how easy it is to read a word, even if one doesn't believe a single word.

"The wisdom of astute men will know their ways, but the folly of men without discernment is in their deceit." (Proverbs 14:8)  We can't live our lives deceiving ourselves about what faith we have.  We need to be diligent in our faith.  That involves knowing why we are faithful.  We need to take time every day to understand our faith.  We can only strengthen it through the practice of meditation through prayer, and through discernment while we read the bible.  We can only prepare ourselves for the storm when we actually prepare ourselves.  It's one thing to be in a house and say that you've watched all the safety videos for hurricane preparedness, but it's another to go to the store and buy a preparedness kit and know all of the ins and outs of the disaster.  We can tout our faith all we want, but God knows what's actually going on.

In order for us to make it through the storm, we have to reject all of the distractions from our faith.  We have to follow and stick with Jesus through all the times: the good and the bad.  When we do this, we will find that our faith is stronger than ever.  Jesus has called us to follow him; let us follow him.

Day 098: Letting Go

"For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.  But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.  For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him."  1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

Here is a message that we don't respond to all that well.

I've seen many clergy stress out so much over making sure that every single member of the congregation would be more active and more dedicated to the Gospel.  Glory be to God that we have so many leaders who share this genuine concern.  However, at the same time, it goes to show that letting go is a very difficult thing for us.

Sometimes, we deceive ourselves, saying, "If we are created in the image of God, and God has the control, then we must have total control over everything."

The message above is one that is very telling for us, though, because Paul is telling us that it's okay to let go of those who won't change.  He says that there will be people doing their own thing, falling behind the rest and destroying themselves.  He also says, though, to continue doing what you do and disregard them.  Sure, we are called to bring the Gospel to every end of the earth, but we aren't responsible for every single person.  If people will decide to disobey God and turn away from God, how much more will those same people feel inclined to turn away from our own admonitions?  We don't have the life giving power that God has.

I know from personal experience with many of my friends and acquaintances that we will all feel like we've fallen short in our work because of those who do not want to take our advice.  However, we cannot let those people hinder us as well.  There's only so much we can do before we have to admit that we are becoming tempted to stall and lag behind where we could truly be.  Instead, we should be working to better ourselves, realizing our greater dreams, and following Jesus.

We need to let Jesus take care of the things that only Jesus can take care of, and that will require patience on our part.  When we realize that some of the material possessions that we are called to let go of are some of our friends, acquaintances, and students, we will be able to follow Jesus even further down the way.  We need to pray that we can continue in our walk and that Jesus will help those whom we cannot.

Day 097: Purpose

When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet."  Luke 7:24-26

What do you go into a church for?  To see lots of paintings?  There are plenty of paintings, and probably even better ones at art galleries.  What do you go for?  To see fancy clothes and hats?  Why not go to a history museum, or an opera?  They have many costumes and fancy props, probably far better than those in a church.  What did you go for?  For a speech?  There are plenty more on YouTube or many other outlets on the internet, radio, and TV.

Jesus challenges us with these questions every day, and they aren't meant to deter us, but to strengthen us.  I enjoy talking to clergy because they are very direct about these questions, especially when they are about going into different ministries or trying to figure out a new direction for life.  Jesus challenges us to look within our souls to find what we need.  He also confronts us with these questions because he wants us to be sure that we are ready to follow him.

There will be lots of troubles along the way, and the road will be very bumpy.  The soles of your shoes will wear down to nothing, and there will be moments where you won't be able to rest for a while.  But the goal is worth it.  We are heading towards redemption, towards eternal life.  We are headed for a life full of glory - a life that is filled with so much glory that there will be no need for the sun or any other bright star.

We have to be sure that we are understanding what we are getting ourselves into.  We are going into renewal so that we will be perfect for God.  This will require us to leave behind many things.  It will also involve us allowing for Jesus to be our guide rather than ourselves.  We can only direct our lives for so long, but that will only lead us away from God.  There are many things that will attract us to stray from the way.  Only with the guidance of Jesus will we be able to follow.

So, what did you go into a church for?  To follow Jesus?  Let's make that be our one and only answer. 

Day 096: Work

"Where there are no oxen, the stalls are clean, but where there are abundant crops, the strength of an ox is evident."  Proverbs 14:4

This proverb gives us an insight into life.

Something that I'm sure many people envy is having time to relax.  Sometimes we see our friends who do nothing but relax.  They have the time to sleep long hours, and then they get to have more time to do whatever they want.  On the other hand, our lives are ones that are filled with many stresses, such as working long hours and facing criticism after criticism.

But the proverb is quite sly when it expresses the truth.  The clean stalls, the lives that are just of relaxation, are a revelation of a life without any work at all.  These lives are ones that are fruitless.  They are ones where they are mere shells of what's supposed to be happening.  Just walk into a stable, ranch, zoo, or wherever animals are kept, and you can smell and see how hard it is to have a clean stall in the first place.  Clean stalls are either new or ones that aren't being used.

On the contrary, lives that produce lots of fruits, lives where many things are happening, are ones where we can see that there is effort.  There is work in the midst of all the troubles.

This proverb explains that living a good life will require lots of work.  There will be piles of papers on your desk.  There will be files unsorted all over your computer desktop.  There will be sinks full of dirty dishes.  There will be misplaced items.  There will be an unmade bed.  But there will be results.  Our journey with Christ will require us to leave many things behind, but we will reach the goal, where life will be just an abundance of fruits that will sustain us to eternal life. 

Day 095: Measures

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  Luke 6:37-38

Jesus gives us commands that are very direct and simple, yet we seem to forget them.

In a long sermon, Jesus tells us that we are going to face the results of all the things that we do in our lives.  In fact, the way that Jesus commands these things is similar to how God commanded them in the Old Testament - that all the commandments are there so that things would go well in the lives of those who obeyed.  When Jesus makes these commands, though, he explains them very simply.

Many times, we live our lives as if we were still children.  We don't think about how the things we do will affect all of those around us.  Now, many of us will say that we already take many factors into consideration, but when we reevaluate things, we might find many more factors that we could be affecting.  Maybe there is that one person we take for granted: we can trample all over her/him, but we forget that our actions will come right back to us.  That's where the above commandments come into play.

It's impossible for us to take every single person that we will ever encounter into account.  I just learned that the human brain can only maintain around 150 relations with other humans on average.  So what's the solution?  Just think about how you want things to come back to you.  Take all of your criticisms that you would make towards others and apply them to yourself.  Do you hate reading typos in articles?  Then start thinking about what care you should take in your own work.  Do people annoy you for not arriving on time?  Then make sure that you will never have any issues with timing and scheduling. 

One more verse I want to consider today is this: "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher."  (Luke 6:40)  A word that seems fleeting is "perfectly".  We think that just by listening to sermons at church or reading the bible will save us.  Jesus is training us.  Jesus is teaching us.  However, his teachings all involve an important point: you have to do them.  The above commandments are all commands.  They involve the second person - the you.  Therefore, let's all remember that Jesus calls us into action.  Jesus is calling us all to put all of his teachings into practice.  We can only train ourselves perfectly if we practice perfectly.  It will be difficult, but when we take the time to evaluate how we do everything with respect to our own lives, we will be able to get closer to being just like Jesus, our teacher.

Day 094: Lord of the New

So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here."  And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  Luke 6:7-9

Jesus came into the world to change things, and the way he did that was very direct.

One of the things that probably separates so many of us from one another is language.  Language is something that humans use to communicate with one another, but when two people don't speak the same language, there is a stark disconnect between the groups of people.  I know that in my own family, we will switch back and forth between Spanish and English in order for others not to understand what we are talking about (at times).

We speakers of English, though, might forget that there are so many people around the globe that don't understand English.  We like to think that English is the only way to speak to one another, and if somebody can't speak English, then that person is deficient.  Historically, many cultures looked down upon the others that didn't speak the same language as they did (ever hear of the word barbarian?), but that still goes on to this day.  And, it's not only English speakers who have that prejudice.

In the same way, the Pharisees looked at Jesus.  He was doing many new things, and they were amazing, revealing the unconditional love of God for all of God's people, but the Pharisees rejected those things because they were different.  Rather than accept a new Gospel, they wanted to stick with the things as they were, even if that was actually hurting them.

Jesus challenges us every day to accept the new and the good.  The good might look very strange to us at the first glance, but if we live as the disciples did, attempting to understand every word and teaching that Jesus did, and not as the Pharisees, finding all things new to be bad, we will enjoy blessing after blessing.

Day 093: Taking the Initiative

"And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"  Luke 5:39

Change is tough.  A phrase that comes to mind is, "Humans are creatures of habit."

However, that's what Jesus came into the world to do: change.  He came to change the way things worked.  He came to change the world.  He came to change each and every one of us.  Just as in the beginning of his ministry, his change is still not being well received.  For many of us, church can be something that we just do out of habit.  We need something to do on boring Sunday mornings, so why not go to church?  Make sure to sit in the back so that nobody will notice whether you're paying attention or not.  Stare down at your phone while the music is going.  Sleep through the sermon.  Cross your arms during the offering and communion.  It's easy to repeat the same prayers over and over again to the point where they have no meaning.  Do we really want God to provide us with our daily bread?  Do we really not want to be led into temptation?  Do we really believe in the one church?

Jesus came into the world to ask us these questions.  We might have trouble with our faith, but the neat thing is that we can actually take our first steps to changing our lives with Jesus' guidance.  Sure, it may seem that things are fine just the way they are, but sometimes you might feel that there's something missing.  Perhaps it's time to open up the doors of the church to new people.  Perhaps it's time to donate time and treasure to charity.  Perhaps it's time to become active in church.  No matter what it is, Jesus is there to help us.

The Holy Spirit will always be nagging at us to make our lives better.  We just need to take the courage to accept the new as good and not just as something scary.  It will definitely take an effort, but we will be able to accomplish it all with God's help.

Day 092: Encouragement

Then Moses called Joshua and said to him before all Israel, "Be valiant and strong, for you must go before this people to the land the Lord swore to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it.  But the Lord, He is the One who goes before you.  He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not be afraid, nor be terrified."  Deuteronomy 31:7-8

How would Joshua have felt hearing this?  Of course, for a while before this point he had been appointed to lead, but now it was getting serious - it was time for him to take the reins.

Joshua was there in Israel, witnessing all the issues.  He saw the people turn away from God so many times, but he continued to follow God.  He also saw what struggles Moses had in order to lead Israel forward.  He even saw the punishment that Moses received for doubting God.  Now he was supposed to take up this glamorous position.  I, for one, would be utterly terrified by such a job.  I'd run away as far as I could from the position.

We don't like for things to be difficult in our life.  We want things to go the way we plan them to, and we want everybody around us to understand us and follow our lead, whatever that might be.  However, God has very important plans for each and every one of us.  God appointed us before we were born, and as we grow, we learn more and more about where we are supposed to be going.  But that's where things get difficult.  Rather than follow things as they are written in our own minds and books, we are called to allow for God to lead us the way we need to be led.  We need to allow God to guide us to the Promised Land.

If it seems impossible, just take a moment to read about what Joshua did.  He ended up leading Israel to many different victories during battles so that they could control more land.  That all happened because he was faithful to God.  When we are faithful to God, we will find so many things falling into place.  God blesses us with this same benediction.  God does not want to scare us.  In fact, God is always calling our name, before all the peoples, commanding us to be strong as we will lead our way into the Promised Land. 

Day 091: Overcoming Obstacles

"So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way."  Luke 4:28-30

Imagine how frightening it would be to be led along a cliff by an angry mob dead set on throwing you off.  Imagine what a relief you would feel if you saw a way to walk through the crowd, like nothing, and go on your way.

Those are the things I think about when I read this passage.  It shows a stark contrast between the irrational, angry mob and the calm Jesus.  It also shows two important messages.  The first message is: watch whom you're following.  I would dare to say that many of the people who were in the mob were just people following their "leaders" in the synagogues.  These leaders were ones who preached against the light and against love.  Instead, they promoted hate, and they championed persecution as the only solution to any problem.  But the people who followed didn't seem to know what they were doing.  They must have been yelling and chanting whatever their leaders were shouting.  They obviously didn't do a great job with their gathering, for they missed Jesus entirely as he passed through them.  Sometimes, the people whom we follow are leading us straight up the cliff in such a convincing manner that we miss our savior, our salvation.

The second message is: there is always a way out of a troublesome situation.  When things get very tough, God has a way to make it through.  Jesus just did what he needed to do: he passed through the crowd.  They didn't notice him at all as he made his way through.  God is always making sure that we have a path to follow towards the light.  Jesus is moving through the many crowds of challenges that might be chasing us so that we can follow him to a better life.

We need to make sure that we are always following Jesus along his way, for his way is the way of love, of compassion, of mercy, of forgiveness.  His way is the right way.