Are You Listening?

Everyone who asks will receive, Everyone who searches will find. Matthew 7:8
      Once there was a man who dared God to speak: Burn the bush like you did for Moses, God. And I will follow. Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua, God. And I will fight. Still the waves like you did on Gaililee, God. And I will listen. And so the man sat by a bush, near a wall, close to the sea and waited for God to speak. And God heard the man, so God answered. He sent fire, not for a bush, but for a church. He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin. He stilled a storm, not of the sea, but of a soul. And God waited for the man to respond. And he waited...and waited. But because the man was looking at bushes, not hearts; bricks and not lives, seas and not souls, he decided that God had done nothing. Finally he looked to God and asked, Have you lost your power? And God looked at him and said, Have you lost your hearing?

Powerful Baby

The first time I saw him, I cried. He looked like a perfect newborn asleep in his crib. But, we knew he would never wake up. Not until he was in the arms of Jesus. He clung to life for several months. Then his mother told us of his death in a heart-wrenching email. She wrote of " that deep, deep pain that groans inside you." The she said, " How deeply God carved His work of love into our hearts through that little life! What a powerful life it was!"
      Powerful? How could she say that? This family's precious little boy showed them-and us-that we must depend on God for everything. Especially when things go horribly wrong! The hard yet comforting truth is that God meets us in our pain. He knows the grief of losing a Son.
      In our deepest pain, we turn to the songs of David because he writes out of his own grief. " How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?" he asked. " Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death". Yet David could give his biggest questions to God. " But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation." Only God can bring ultimate significance to our most tragic events.
     Where do I turn when a crisis hits me? Do I ever get angry with God when facing grief and loss? Am I afraid to share my true emotions with Him? Have I ever asked God for His peace?
     God can do the most with what we think is least.

Living Anonymously

My well-worn and often-read copy of Jane Yolen's essay " Working Up to Anon" ( Anonymous) was clipped from The writer magazine many years ago. " The best writers," she says, " are the ones who really, in their heart of hearts, aspire to the byline Anon. The story told is important, not the storyteller." The story we tell is about Jesus, the Savior, who gave His life for us. Together with other believers we live for Him and share His love with others. Romans 12:3-21 describes the attitude of humility and love that should permeate our relationships with each other as followers of Jesus. " Don't cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance, but try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities by the light of the faith that God has given to you all....Let us have real warm afflection for one another as between [ family], and a willingness to let the other [ person] have the credit". Pride in our past accomplishments can blind us to  the gifts of others. Arrogance can poison the future. John the Baptist, whose mission was to pave the way for Jesus, said, " He must become greater; I must become less". That's a good motto for us all.
      I admit, Lord, that I have a lot to learn about humility. Help me see You for who You are so You and others have their rightful place in my life. Always be humble before God and allow Him to be your all in all.

Take Jesus at His Word

In all things we have full victory through God who showed his love for us. Romans 8:37.
     When it comes to healing our spiritual condition, we don't have a chance. We might as well be told to pole-vault the moon. We don't have what it takes to be healed. Our only hope is that God will do for us what he did for the man at Bethesda--that he will step out of the temple and step into our ward of hurt and helplessness.
     Which is exactly what he has done.....
      I wish we would take Jesus at his word.....
         When he says we're forgiven, let's unload the guilt.
         When he says we're valuable, let's believe him....
         When he says we're provided for, let's stop worrying.
God's efforts are stronger when our efforts are useless.

Who Is This?

" Remove everything from your desks, take out a piece of paper and pencil." When I was a student these dreaded words announced that " test time" had come.
     In Mark 4, we read that Jesus's day, which started with teaching by the seaside, ended with a time of testing on the sea. The boat that had been used as a teaching platform was used to transport Jesus and a handful of His followers to the other side of the sea. During the journey ( while an exhausted Jesus slept in the back of the boat), they encountered a swirling storm. Drenched disciples woke Jesus with the words, " Teacher, don't you care if we drown?". Then it happened. The one who had exhorted the crowds to " Listen!" earlier in the day, uttered a simple, powerful command to the winds of nature- " Quiet! Be still!".
      The wind obeyed and the wonder of fear-filled disciples was displayed with the words, " Who is this?". The question was a good one but it would take them a while to honestly and correctly conclude that Jesus was God's Son. Sincere, honest, open-hearted questions and experience lead people to the same conclusion today. He is more than a teacher to listen to; He is the God to be worshiped.
      Father, thank You for Your Word that helps us to see Jesus as Your Son. Please help me to listen to You and to trust that You are in control.
     " Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."

Everyone Will See Him

After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you may be where I am. John 14:3

Someday, according to Christ, he will set us free. He will come back. In the blink of an eye, as fast as the lightning flashes from the east to the west, he will come back. And everyone will see him-you will, I will. Bodies will push back the dirt and break the surface of the sea. The earth will tremble, the sky will roar, and those who do not know him will shudder. But in that hour you will not fear, because you know him.

Ruth's Story

Ruth cannot tell her story without tears. In her mideighties and unable to get around much anymore, Ruth may not appear to be a central figure in our church's life. She depends on others for rides, and because she lives alone she doesn't have a huge circle of influence. But when she tells us her story of salvation-as she does often-Ruth stands out as a remarkable example of God's grace. Back when she was in her thirties, a friend invited her to go to a meeting one night. Ruth didn't know she was going to hear a preacher. " I wouldn't have gone if I knew " she says. She already had " religion," and it wasn't doing her any good. But go she did. And she heard the good news about Jesus that night.
      Now, more than fifty years later, she cries tears of joy when she talks of how Jesus transformed her life. That evening, she became a child of God. Her story never grows old.
      It doesn't matter if our story is similiar to Ruth's or not. What does matter is that we take the simple step of putting our faith in Jesus and His death and resurrection. The apostle Paul said, " If you declare with your mouth, ' Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
      That's what Ruth did. You can do that too. Jesus redeems, transforms, and gives us new life.
      Belonging to Christ is not rehabilitation; it's re-creation