July 31.....What is the use?

Luke 9:25 “What profit does he show who gains the whole world and destroys himself in the process?” (NAB)

“What is the use of a man gaining the whole world, if he loses or forfeits his own soul?” (Phillips)

Heavenly Father,

“Away with you, Satan,” replied Jesus, “scripture says, Thou shalt worship the LORD thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” This was Jesus’ response when Satan offered him “all the kingdoms of the world” in exchange for worshiping him. It was a bad deal than, and remains a bad deal now. We’ve focused all week on denying self, taking up our cross daily, and following in Jesus’ steps. That is what Jesus’ reply to Satan leads us to. You are the only God we serve and bow down to! Satan has nothing to offer us that we want. Making deals with the devil might gain us this world, but we would forfeit our claim to be your sons and daughters. Only Jesus can lead us to You. He was the One who truly denied himself, took up his cross and walked in Your will. 

Scripture says that when Jesus said this to Satan: “Then the devil left him and angels came and attended to him.” Jesus affirmed his choice of Masters, who he served. Satan couldn’t reach him. Why do we want to “gain the whole world?” The more we have, the more of our time has to be spent managing it. The more our thoughts and desires are drawn away from You. It doesn’t take long to see that “gaining the world” isn’t much of gain or profit. This verse indicates that it is definitely an either/or proposition. We can’t gain the world without destroying ourselves or “forfeiting our own soul.” You created man to long for his heavenly home. You put your image in us. When we choose the world, we deny our connection to You, our Father. We turn our back on our true home. Nothing is worth that! One of my favorite songs begins: “Who can satisfy my soul like You?” The answer is “no one”! The world can’t satisfy my soul. My soul is Yours. Thank you. Amen.

July 30.....whoever loses his life for my sake

Luke 9:24 “Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

Heavenly Father,

Which do we want…..life here on our own terms with all the worldly pleasures and advantages, or life in heaven in Your presence for eternity? It seems like a clear choice, but man focuses more easily on what he sees before him with earthly eyes, than the riches of heaven and the promise of an eternal future we can’t quite comprehend. Most of us secretly believe we can have both! Just like the rich young ruler, the idea of “giving all we have” seems like an unfair proposition to ask of us, when on the surface we’ve been so very good! We go to church, we tithe, we teach Sunday School and volunteer every chance we get, we give to charity, we act like nice people and help old ladies and orphans. You mean you want even more????? All of it????? 

This verses says: whoever would save his live…..” Stop right there. Who is doing the “saving”? Apparently we still think we are. If I set out to “save my life”, I’ll never manage it. Only Jesus can do that. My attempts to save myself on my terms are lost before I start. “Whoever loses his life…..” (gives it away)….”for my sake…” (gives it to Jesus)……”will save it.” It’s no longer ours to save….we gave it to Jesus. Learning to “lose it” here by following Jesus is our goal. We can’t keep trying to take it back …..crucify it every day! We have to lose the desire to have it back. It has to mean nothing to us, if we can just keep following Jesus. The more we have here, the harder to lose it. We become accustomed to our standard of living. The familiar is better than the unknown. If we want to lose it we must open the Door and let it out. Help me do that! Amen.

July 29....the Way

Luke 9:23 “Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps.”

Heavenly Father,

Where Jesus went, we must go. We aren’t Jesus and never will be, but if we have the risen Christ abiding in us, He will lead us in His footsteps. I like the statement: “Jesus never asks us to break new ground.” He’s been there before us. We’re following the footsteps He already made. It’s a clear trail to follow so we won’t get lost. We need to be like bloodhounds with our nose to the ground sniffing for the trail. We know the “scent” of our Master, and we seek to follow and find Him. He doesn’t hide the trail. It is spelled out in every bit of scripture…..we just need to keep our heads down and our senses tuned in. 

I remember as a teenager reading the book “ In His Steps” and what a tremendous impact it had on me. What a radical idea, to live each moment asking, “What would Jesus do?”…..and then doing it! What an idea to change the world! Many years later somebody watered down the idea by turned it into a fashion statement with bracelets that had little impact on those wearing them. But Jesus tells us here that this is exactly what we must do…..”follow in my steps”. It requires an intent to follow…..”whoever wishes.” It requires a commitment to the One we follow…..”must deny his very self”. It requires crucifying our will…..”take up his cross each day.” It requires choosing a trail, a “scent” and locking on to it….”follow in my steps.” 

Jesus said many things about this trail that we are to follow: “I am the Way”……”the Way is narrow”…..”no one comes to the Father, but through me”……”I am the Door”. Follow his footsteps. Don’t leave the path. We won’t get lost if we stay with Jesus. Don’t get distracted by any other set of footprints…..know what Jesus’ steps look like. Steps can indicate “order”….take it one step at a time right behind Jesus. Some are harder than others, but He is there ahead of us and waiting. Thank you! Amen.

July 28....follow my steps

Luke 9:23 “Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps.”

Heavenly Father,

The author of the devotional ("Abide in Me" by David Rosage) says, “….when our will runs perpendicular to God’s will, we will encounter a heavy cross.” Also: “…each cross is a stepping stone to closer union with God.” Jesus says in this verse to take up our cross “each day” and that it is part of “denying self” to be his follower. Criss-crossing wills……ours sideways, against Yours upright. Yours pointing to heaven, ours resisting and blocking the way. 

It makes me think of a child being dragged “kicking and screaming” towards a goal he is willfully resisting. We want heaven, we want Your presence, we want the Jesus we love and who loves us…..but…..we want it our way. Jesus says, “no”. It has to be His way. When we line our will up perpendicular to Yours, there will be pain involved. Resisting just makes life harder because we are fighting the very thing we want….your love, your presence, your perfect will. Each day “self” rears its ugly head and refuses to obey. Each day we must seek to let it hang there until it dies. The pain Christ suffered came from his arms being stretched and nailed on the crossbar of the cross where our sins smothered and chocked him. We held him there. Without his choice to die for us, there would have been no cross, because his will aligned perfectly with Yours. 

Each day I must “take up my cross” and see where my will clashes with Yours. What part of “self” is interfering with my abiding relationship with You? Each time we knock the crossbar from our cross and align ourselves with Your will, we come closer to You. Jesus’ crossbar was one of obedience and sacrifice. When we die for someone else our cross will be His cross. But our cross stands in the way……self will. Crucify my “self” today and every day that I might follow You. Amen.

July 27....must deny self

Luke 9:23 “Whoever wishes to be my follower, must deny his very self, take up his cross daily, and follow in my steps.”

Heavenly Father,

“Whoever wishes….must deny his very self.” Here comes the “but”, the command, the strings attached to our quest to follow Jesus. Grace opened the door, we are determined to remain with Him, our Savior, our beloved. I think of the song: “I will follow Him. Follow him, wherever he may go. There isn’t an ocean too deep, a mountain so high it can keep, keep me away, away from my love!” It sounds easy in song! We swell up in praise and sing our devotion loud and clear and heart-felt. Now we come down to earth and learn what we must do to follow Him. 

Keep loving Him is a start and keep singing our praises to Him. The part we look at today is more complicated……”deny his very self”. What does that mean? How do we deny self? The world is totally focused on self and gratifying our every desire. The study in Daniel I’m doing puts it in a nutshell….” I am and there is none besides me!" This is the cry of the world….the “me generation”... isn’t just one group, it is all of us. Following Jesus doesn’t allow that. “I must become less so You can become more.” This is our theme. Get rid of “me”…..I want to contain You! Abide in me! 

Denying anything starts with recognizing that the thing we "deny" is something to get rid of or avoid, and having a desire to rid ourselves of it. It doesn’t mean pretending it doesn’t exist. That is a different sort of denial. This is “not allowing” the denied thing…..self. Throwing it away. Locking the door and changing the locks. If we succeed in denying self, the Holy Spirit can fill us. Each bit of self that gets shoved out the door makes more room. Jesus is the Door that allows us in, but also the Door that shuts the world out. Denying self to follow Jesus is a transformation. His will, His love, His Spirit, become ours. We allow Him to change us, by denying the claims of self. It isn’t easy for us….but “all things are possible through Him who strengthens me.” Amen.

July 26....invitation

Luke 9:23 “Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps.”

Heavenly Father,

We’ve opened the invitation….”Whoever wishes to be my follower…..”. It’s from Jesus himself. What a blessing! Jesus wants me to be one of his followers! Many leap at the invitation….forgiveness, grace, love, peace, salvation, heaven! It’s easy to fall in love with Jesus. Jesus died for us! Jesus loved us so much he died to save us! For some people that is a love they’ve never come close to finding anywhere else. They didn’t have loving earthly parents. They don’t have loving friends or close relationships with anyone. They aren’t loved by the world, but only feel used by the world around them. Then they hear about Jesus….Jesus loves them! Jesus doesn’t care who they have been, he wants to love them anyway. Jesus will take away all the bad they’ve known. So they love Him! They love the Savior, the one who loved them, the One who died on the cross for them. 

Jesus came to show us Your love. We all can identify with the story of the Prodigal Son coming home to the loving Father. The Father throws open his arms and hugs us, forgives us, makes us an honored and loved son of the family. We’ve been the Prodigal, now we are home and Jesus makes this possible for us. We do wish to be his follower, we do want the invitation, we do choose Jesus and the heaven he holds out to us! We wish it with all of our hearts! There is no word more amazing then grace! The invitation brings us this grace. We’re ready to read the rest of the invitation, because it was sent by Jesus, and Jesus loves us. Thank you, O LORD for your grace filled invitation! Grace spills out like confetti and brightens our day. Amen

July 25.....take up his cross

Luke 9:23 “Jesus said to all: “whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps.”

Heavenly Father,

Jesus issues us an invitation but also a challenge: “Whoever wishes……”. We must choose to follow. He wants us to follow but it must be our own choice. This verse is going to lay down specific rules for following, but it first begins with our choice. “Jesus said to all”…..this is an open invitation…..anyone can come. The author makes a comparison to the kids game of “Follow the Leader”……those who follow must do everything the leader does. I know I never really liked that game much as a child. Like most kids, I wanted to be the leader. Doing what someone else chose was never as much fun as being the one in control. But I also remember that like many kids, when it was my turn to be leader, I couldn’t think of anything to do! I’m not a natural leader. Being a leader means having ideas and a plan and stepping out in confidence. We tend to try to be leaders in our life the same way. We think we want to lead, but quickly learn that we don’t have a clue where to go or how to get there…..we don’t have a plan. Our God does. 

You, O LORD, have had a plan from the beginning of time. You have sent us a leader who knows the plan and can implement it. All we must do is choose to follow Him. We can play the “game” and follow the leader or sit on the sidelines. He will always be the Leader. This isn’t a game where we take turns. One leader, one Savior, one Way to follow. It is a challenge, but it has a huge reward….eternal life. Make my desire to follow You, the one desire of my life. Teach me to follow, to not tire of the process, to stay in the game no matter what, and to keep my eyes fixed on my Leader, Jesus Christ. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Amen.

July 24....every tongue confess

Philippians 2:11 “And every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father: Jesus Christ is Lord!” (NAB) 

“And every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (NIV) 

Heavenly Father, 

“To the glory of God the Father.” Jesus’ humble obedience brought glory to his Father. When we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, we proclaim that what You will is good and right. Jesus Christ is Lord because he obeyed his Father’s will perfectly and lived righteously and completed your plan of salvation for mankind. What the Son does reflects glory to the Father. Jesus claimed always that he was speaking your words and doing your will. He claimed oneness with You in all things. When we confess our faith in Jesus Christ we confess our faith in You. 

The devotional book ("Abide in Me" by David Rosage) describes these 4 words as the “first creed found in the Christian Church”…….”Jesus Christ is Lord.” That is our faith statement, the only one we really need. If we accept Jesus Christ as Lord, we accept your Son and your will and we glorify You. We accept what he said and did, we accept the consequences of being a follower, we accept the status of servant under our Lord and Master, we elevate His name above all names and bow in worship. 

Sometimes I think we make it all much more complicated than You ever meant it to be. You gave us your Son. You told us clearly: “This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” That’s all we have to do….listen to Your Son. The rest will follow. Jesus Christ will draw us to him when we listen. We will follow, we will confess, we will glorify You by believing in Him, we will serve Him. Thank You for giving us Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. May we bring glory to You by loving and following Him. Amen

July 23....every knee must bow

Philippians 2:10 “So that at Jesus’ name every knee must bend in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth. “ (NAB)

Heavenly Father,

I’m in a study of the book of Daniel right now and Nebuchadnezzar has built his 90 foot golden statue and demanded that everyone bow down and worship it. If anyone refuses they will be thrown into the fiery furnace. Your people…..the 3 young Jews who worship You alone…..refuse and are thrown into the fire. But they are saved from the fire by a fourth “man” walking in the fire with them. Who saves us from the fires of hell? Who plucks us out of a sure death because we have faith? 

Jesus Christ…..before whom every knee must bow. Jesus isn't a golden statue of a man. Jesus isn't an earthly king seeking his own glory. Jesus Christ is your Son, sent to bring your love to all of us. He didn't come with demands, but with commands…..”Love the LORD your God with all your heart, mind, soul, strength, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus didn't come so that men would bow at his feet while he was here. Jesus came to bow at our feet and wash them. Jesus came to show God’s love and to serve mankind through his death for our sins. 

Two very different kings….Nebuchadnezzar tried to force worship of himself by threat of punishment…..Jesus Christ won our worship and devotion through his love and service to us. We bow down at the name of Jesus Christ because he saves us from our sin! We bow down to Jesus Christ because You, the Father have exalted him above all others!…..”This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus Christ is Lord! All…..in heaven, on the earth, under the earth….will bow down to Jesus Christ. The fiery furnace is still out there…..but this one is eternal. Only one, Jesus Christ, can pull us out from death to life. Thank you! Amen.

July 22.....because of this

Philippians 2:9 “Because of this, God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name above every other name.” (NAB)

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name above every name.” (NIV)

Heavenly Father,

You exalted your Son, Jesus Christ “to the highest place.” Because he was humble and obedient he receives the place of honor in heaven. “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, and honor and glory and praise.” (Rev. 5:12) Jesus is the “name above all names”, the name before which every knee will bow. You have exalted Him! You have bestowed upon him this honor. In my mind I'm listening to songs that sing these words to the Lamb. My heart overflows with praise when I remember Jesus Christ, Lamb of God, my Savior! 

I can’t seem to write this morning…..just sing. Worthy is the Lamb! Worthy is the Lamb! Worthy is the Lamb! Jesus took his place in heaven only after he had taken his place on earth. Obedience first, honor follows. First love and service, live as a servant, death on a cross, than “power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and praise.” First dying, then living. You exalted Jesus “because of this”. Obedience to the cross brought worthiness in heaven. Humility put Jesus on the throne. Poverty of spirit brings riches. Man’s idea of “foolishness” is God’s wisdom. Our weakness leads to strength. Paradox upon paradox. 

“Your attitude must be that of Christ’s ! He is our example. He is our Savior. He is our goal. He is the “name above all names”, exalted to the “highest place” through sacrifice, obedience, humility, love. Praise Him! Crown Him King! Follow Him! Abide in Him! Serve Him! Bow to Him! Thank Him! Holy, holy, holy is the Lamb who was slain! Amen.

July 21...even death on a cross

Philippians 2:8 “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (NIV)

“And plainly seen as a human being, he humbled himself by living a life of utter obedience, to the point of death, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal. “ (Phillips)

Heavenly Father,

I can’t read this scripture without hearing in my mind the haunting tune as we sung these words, year after year in the Lutheran church that I grew up in. The melody and the words always had a huge emotional impact on me as we slowly sung the final dramatic words….”even the death of the cross.” I felt humble. I felt sad. I felt unworthy and sinful. I didn’t even know the words were from scripture…..I just knew they were heart-breaking words, words full of emotion, words that painted a “word picture” in my mind. At that time, I truly was “remembering” what Christ had done for me. The word humility always drew me. I wanted so very much to be humble! I memorized the parable of the 2 men who went to the temple to pray…..” he who exaleth himself shall be abased, but he who humbleth himself will be exalted.” I could identify with the publican……”God be merciful to me a sinner.” I had never in my life felt “exalted” or good about myself. But was that humility? Not really. It was extreme shyness and lack of self-confidence. I was a child and thought like a child and I knew I was not “good”, that I was a sinner. 

But I had no real grasp of Christ’s humility. I didn’t understand what he gave up…..other than his human life. I didn’t understand his obedience. Being able to think badly about yourself isn’t all that humility consists of and obedience isn’t just following rules out of fear of reprisal. Jesus’ humility and obedience were must deeper than that. Jesus was so attuned to Your will, Your holiness, Your love, that he had no thought or desire to do less that obey You. His human form made human death a necessity, but his heart connection to You was pure love and conformity to your perfect will. He died like a “common criminal”, separated from You, plastered with our sins. Humility. I still can’t grasp it all, but I’m still haunted by it. The child wasn’t all wrong…..it was my sins he died for. His obedience, righted my wrongs. His humility allowed me to be exalted. He died like a criminal, but arose a Victorious King! Thank you, O Lord, and teach me true humility, amen.

July 20....emptied himself

Philippians 2:7 “Rather emptied himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men.” (NAB)

“But made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (NIV)

Heavenly Father,

“Emptied himself.” Putting aside his deity made Jesus empty, nothing. “Born in the likeness of man”….that’s us….the “empty nothings”. We who were created in the image of God, have made ourselves nothing through our sin and separation from God. When we are empty of God, empty of his image, empty of holiness and deity, we are nothing. Emily Dickinson wrote, “I’m nobody, who are you? Are you nobody, too?” Without God, that is exactly who we are….nobody! Jesus was “Somebody”! Jesus had the full likeness of his Father, full of holiness and deity! But he chose to “empty himself” and become like us. 

God didn’t create us to be “nobody”, to be nothings and empty. We have a potential to be sons and daughters of God! But we have to get rid of our sin…..the black hole of nothingness that has come to reside in us. How? Through Jesus. Jesus took on “the likeness of men”…..a human body……but he didn’t take on the nature of man…..the sin. He became the man we were supposed to be…..the man who walked God’s way, obeyed God’s will, lived a righteous life. He did this as a true man…..emptied of his deity. We don’t fully understand this double nature of Jesus, but we know he did it to save us, who can’t do it on our own. 

We have the gene pool of Adam, the fallen man. Jesus has the gene pool of his Father, in heaven. His pure beginning allows him to be a pure sacrificial lamb. He chose to do this. He chose to obey his Father. He chose to live out God’s love for us that we might fill our “emptiness” with His holiness. The risen Christ, the victor over sin and death can now fill our emptiness and make us “somebody”, too. No more “nobody”! Now we are a child of God! Thank you Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Amen

July 19.....did not cling to his privileges

Philippians 2:6 “Though he was in the form of God, he did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at.” (NAB)

“He who had always been God by nature, did not cling to his privileges as God’s equal.” (Phillips) 

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped at.” (NIV) 

Heavenly Father, 

What must it have been like to be Son of God and Son of Man? How does the holy nature of God share a human body? Did one who was in truth pure Spirit feel weighted down by the heaviness of a human body? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) “In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness…” (John 1:4-5) The Word….Life and Light….clothed in human flesh struggling to speak and to shine for man to understand. 

Many times when I read Jesus’ words I feel an underlying frustration with the slowness of man to comprehend who and what he is. “Open your ears”…..”Hypocrites”…..”I am Bread”….”I am Light”….”.I am the Door”…..”I am the Good Shepherd”…..”I am the Vine”….”I am the Way, the Truth, the Life”……”I am the Resurrection”. This verse for today is almost unbelievable. How can One who is God, not grasp or cling to that nature? How does what is holy, willingly let go of the presence of heaven for the reality of earth? So much to give up! So much to let loose of! Why??? For me??? 

God is love. That is the answer. “Love….keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Cor. 13:5-6) “Greater love has no one then this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) No greater love……the Father’s love is greatest. The Father’s love is perfect. Jesus and the Father are One. Love gives. Love sacrifices. Love focuses outward. Love doesn't “grasp” at its own nature. Love flows and envelops all it encounters. For an attitude like Christ we must understand the nature of love, the nature of God. Thank you for loving me with a love beyond my comprehension! You are God! You are love! Amen.

July 18.....attitude

Philippians 2:5 “Your attitude must be that of Christ.”

Heavenly Father,

Attitude…most of us have too much of it as defined in today’s terms. Attitude today seems to mean “self focus”. We are told here that we must have the same attitude as Christ Jesus. The 4 verses that precede this verse are important. They tell us that if we know Christ at all, if we’ve experienced his love, if we have a fellowship in the Spirit, if we have any compassion and sympathy….then we should live in harmony, in love, as if we have one mind and one Spirit. ”None of you should think only of his own affairs, but consider other people’s interests also” (vs. 4, Phillips). This is what leads up to this verse about “attitude”. Forgetting ourselves and thinking about others! 

What a difference from what I see around me much of the time. On a personal level our culture is keyed to self….what’s in it for me? We obsess about our looks, our possessions, and our time. The Church is no better. The recent news and the local scene are rife with bad examples. The Pope has declared that only the Catholic Church is “right”. A local church is battling with presbytery over who owns their building. Small dying congregations are clinging to large unneeded buildings because of their memories, while growing congregations are struggling with lack of space. Churches are building next door to other churches to try to win the same converts. No one wants to go into other less desirable areas except to load up buses and drag them elsewhere. Where is the “unity” of the Church? Where is the “attitude” of Christ? What happened to all of those WWJD? bracelets and did they ever mean anything to the wearers? 

Teach us, O LORD, to have your attitude! Strip us of self-serving motives and lead us to unity! Focus us on your life, your love, your Holy Spirit! Unite the Church in its heart and actions. Start with me. Start today. Amen.

July 17.....go make disciples

Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations.” (NAB) 

“You then are to go, making disciples of all the nations.” (Phillips) 

Heavenly Father,

Go and make. Very simple commands. The reason? “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.” Jesus is the authority, Jesus has all the power. He will channel it to us when we serve in his name. We are to baptize and to teach…..bring them into the family and then shepherd them. We all enter the family of God reborn. We are all babes when we come to Christ. There must be a time of growth before we mature and repeat the process…go and make. Most of us are very timid about this process. We don’t act as if we are working in Jesus’ authority and power. 

I notice here in this passage that with the 11 disciples standing before the risen Christ, it says: “….they worshiped him, but some doubted.” How can we stare at the risen Christ and still doubt? Do we doubt him or do we doubt ourselves? The mantle of authority and power doesn’t rest easily on all shoulders. Absorbing Christ’s power, believing in it, letting it guide and move us is hard. We are promised the Holy Spirit to enable us. We are promised gifts from this Holy Spirit, so that each part of the Body of Christ will be able to do its part. We must trust the Holy Spirit and allow ourselves to be used where and when he determines. 

Go and make consists of many things. We must pray for the Holy spirit to show us our part in this going forth and making of disciples. We must desire to be a part of it, desire to leave all doubts behind, desire to use our gifts. “Eager desire” of spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14:1) is part of following the “way of love.” We need love and we need the gifts of the Spirit in order to go and make disciples. May the authority and power of the risen Christ be known by all who follow Him. Amen

July 16....one seed

John 12:24 “Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” (NAB)

“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains a single grain of wheat, but if it dies, it brings a good harvest.” (Phillips)

 

Heavenly Father,

Of what use is a seed? The purpose of a seed is to yield more seed. If we eat the single seed or all of the harvest it produces, we stop the process. Some of the seed from the harvest must be saved to continue the planting, growing, harvesting cycle. The purpose of a seed is to die. The individual seed can barely feed even one person as it is. If not consumed, it will not even feed one. A seed comes to life when it is buried and dies. 

This passage follows the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus is at the height of popularity here on earth. His voice is being heard by thousands, his fame is spreading fast and far and wide, his miracles are convincing people. Not only the Jews, but others want to meet him. This passage opens with the Greeks wanting to “see Jesus”. People are making appointments to get through the crowds and get near him. Jesus says, “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” How? “Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies….”. Being “king” on earth isn’t the answer. Being the celebrity of the moment isn’t enough. For true life, he must first die. He is the Seed. There can’t be more seed until he dies. 

Kingdom life must come from death. Until he dies and we die with him, we can’t live. If we “love our life” here we will remain a single useless seed and we will die forever. Jesus obeyed his Father and died for us. His seed produced a harvest of eternal life. Now we have to die, as he did, to this life….our human sin life….and rise up as fruit from Jesus’ death. A seed grows best in soil rich in decayed matter. When we allow Jesus to take our sins into the earth with Him, the soil becomes rich and productive. Each sin we leave behind in the earth helps us grow and flourish. Our “seed” sheds its human husk and a harvest of eternal sons of God sprout up to live forever and produce more seed. Jesus died to produce a good harvest. Than you, Savior, Seed of Eternal Live! Amen.

(based on John 12:24)

 ONE SEED 

“Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground…..and dies”, 

There shedding its husk of human sin, 

No harvest will be reaped, no fruit will grow 

Only in death will the seed, the victory win. 

A single seed alive is good for naught. 

A single seed unplanted will not grow. 

Its purpose is to lie beneath the earth 

And break apart, so shoots of life can show. 

One Seed in death produced a thousand more. 

One Seed was buried, according to God’s will. 

The harvest from that Seed is full and plentiful

Because that Seed its purpose did fulfill.

(7-16-2007)

July 15....do as I have done

John 13:15 “What I just did was give you an example: as I have done, so you must do.” (NAB) “I have given you this as an example, so that you may do as I have done.” (Phillips)

 Heavenly Father,

Washing the disciples feet is always something I have trouble totally understanding the significance of. Foot washing has no meaning in our present society. Trying to sort out what it means now is hard….beyond the obvious, that we should serve others. I don’t feel that is the whole meaning. The Mother Teresa’s of the world understand that meaning very well….humble service among the poorest of the poor. Jesus told Peter, “unless I wash you, you have no part of me.” That is a more personal message…..we must specifically be washed by Jesus himself…..not someone else. Jesus’ death on the cross is his “foot washing” for us and all mankind…..he washed us clean with his blood, his sacrifice. We must experience that “washing” to have a “part of him.” 

Jesus tells the disciples that this is an example: “as I have done, so you must do.” Does this refer just to the service, the foot washing, or does it refer to Christ’s death on the cross? How do we follow his example to “wash each other’s feet”? There is humility here…..a willingness to lower ourselves. If the Son of God can “come down”, become human, suffer and die for our sins, than we are not ever too good to serve anyone else. We too must be servants, we too must strip ourselves of our outer clothing of “class” and “rank” and kneel to wash the dust of this world from the feet of others. Jesus tells Peter that only his feet need to be washed. Our feet are what touch this world and move us about and connect us to it. The feet get dirty over and over. He told them they were clean, except for their feet…..their connection to the world…….all but one of them. 

There are references to Judas throughout this passage. Judas had a “dirty heart and “dirty” hands as well. Surface grime can be washed off, but Judas was dirty inside. Jesus can clean all of us. He is the only one who can. We can help others wash away the filth of this world that they walk in daily, but only Jesus can truly wash us clean. We are to do as Jesus has done for us. “Create in me a clean heart, O LORD, and renew a right spirit within me.” Amen.

July 14....come with me

Matthew 4:19 “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.” 

Heavenly Father,

Jesus went fishing for men who would become “fishers of men.” His first 4 chosen disciples were all fishermen. Two sets of brothers, partners in a fishing business. Jesus called them and they willingly left everything behind and came after him. These men were all experienced fisherman….they knew the trade. Now Jesus was going to teach them a new type of fishing…..”I will make you….”. What they already knew wouldn’t be sufficient. Jesus would “make” them what they needed to be. Just as they learned their old trade with their fathers, now they had a new teacher. 

Other scriptures indicate that they might have already been following and listening to John the Baptist. The seeds had already been planted that the Christ was coming. Preparation…..John the Baptist did his job teaching repentance and heralding Christ’s arrival. People were ready and looking for it. These 4 disciples were already a “team”….accustomed to working and living together in harmony. Now Jesus walks into their midst. They hear the call and they go with Him. I’m always amazed at their willingness to drop everything….their business, their past life….and take off with Jesus! What happened to their fishing business? Did others keep it running? Did they still fish at times when Jesus didn’t need them? Jesus’ life was spent wandering from place to place with the disciples at his heels. 

Jesus must have had a tremendous charisma that drew people to him. Nothing else mattered when he called, when he taught, when he healed, when he prayed. His righteousness drew them in and held them. They knew they were part of something they had looked for all their lives. Something expected but not really anticipated. Now the time was here and they dropped everything to be a part of it. Fishermen in training to be fishermen. A new life, and a new calling. Maybe this sentence should have an exclamation point in it: “Come! After me, I will make you fishers of men." His disciples will carry on His work. Amen.

July 13.....my servant

John 12:26 “If anyone would serve me, let him follow me; where I am there will my servant be.” (NAB)

 “If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment’s notice.” (MSG)

Heavenly Father,

What makes a servant a servant? By definition and by nature, a servant must have a Master to serve. I think we sometimes confuse the service itself with who we serve. We don’t serve others, we serve Christ. Our service for Christ shows in acts of service shown to others. A servant has to be where his Master is. That is why we “follow” Christ. We have to remain in his presence in order to serve him. The Master gives orders to the servant. The Servant carries them out. A servant has a choice of who he will serve. A servant isn’t a slave. A good servant loves his Master and wants to follow him. A good servant is very attuned to his Master’s ways and his wants and his will. A good servant begins to anticipate the Master’s desires as he comes to know the Master. The more time spent in the Master’s presence the better able to serve. 

Christ says, “If you want to serve me….then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve…..”. Readiness….preparedness….training and experience….an ear tuned to hear commands, and anticipation developed through proximity. Following is a mixture of things. It is tagging along and observing the Master in order to learn his ways. It is being in the Master’s presence in order to care for his needs. It is imitating the Master’s ways, becoming an extension of the Master…….an “extra pair of hands” to act for him. Following the Master is being “where I am, ready….”. Christ served his Father while here on earth. We serve Christ. Christ was always present and ready to serve in his Father’s will. We must be present and ready to serve “at a moment’s notice.” Wherever, whenever, however…….where Christ goes, we follow. Where Christ serves, we serve. A good servant finds his reward in his devotion to his Master, whom he loves and would die for. Make me a servant. Amen.

July 12....blessed and broken

Mark 6:41 “Jesus raised his eyes to heaven, pronounced a blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to distribute.” (NAB)

"He took the 5 loaves and 2 fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke and gave the bread to the disciples, and the disciples in turn gave it to the people.” (MSG)

 Heavenly Father,

Jesus “lifted his face to heaven in prayer.” How often do we look up in prayer? We have developed a habit of looking down in humility and repentance. But Jesus has been broken for us and now is the time for looking up! We are saved! Our eyes should rise upward in thankfulness! Our heads should lift as the weight of sin is lifted! Our hearts should soar in the freedom of grace! Look up to the Father who sent his only Son to die for us! Look up with our hands full of “loaves and fishes” and say thank You! Lift our focus to the sun and bask in grace, mercy, forgiveness, and freedom from the darkness of death and sin! 

I have a field of sunflowers outside my front door. They got their name because it is believed that they lift their heavy heads and track the sun…..they follow it, always wanting to lift their faces towards the light. We too, need to lift our faces upward! Stop wallowing in the sins of the past. Jesus forgave them. Stop remembering the bad we did, the old burdens, and remember the grace, the “bread” we hold in our hands! Jesus blessed the bread…..his brokenness for our wholeness…..and passed it out freely to the disciples, the followers. Enough for everyone! Come one, come all! Take the bread. 

Disciples not only follow, they take what Jesus gives them and pass it on. We are His Church. We are the ones who distribute all of His precious gifts to the rest of the world. His first disciples passed it on, and the work has continued for over 2000 years! We pass on every bit of silliness that comes to us in an e-mail without a 2nd thought. This is so much more important! This is the Bread of Life…..blessed, broken, and enough for all! Stop looking down! Lift your face to heaven…..bask in the sun! Say, “thank You, Father!” amen.

July 11.....My sheep

John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” (NAB)

“My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.” (NIV) 

Heavenly Father, 

I’m finishing a study of Max Lucado’s book about the 23rd Psalm and how to apply it to leaving behind all the baggage of our lives and instead follow the Shepherd and find rest. Before we can follow the Shepherd, we have to hear his voice and listen to it. Jesus knows each of his sheep. He knows who will listen, when they will listen, when they won’t listen, when they will follow and when they will get lost. Sheep are a perfect image of mankind. Sheep are “followers”. I don’t think there is any such thing as a “natural leader” among sheep. They wander aimlessly without a leader…..a Shepherd. 

Man chooses who he will follow. Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd because there are may Bad Shepherds that we can follow. Getting into the Good Shepherd’s sheepfold is the key. Once we are His….”no one can snatch them out of my hand.” Security is immediate once we are part of the fold. The 23rd Psalm is a beautiful picture of what life in Jesus’ sheepfold is like……green pastures, still water, soul restoration, righteous paths, company through the valley of the shadow of death, comforting rod and staff, a prepared table despite our enemies, anointing, overflowing cup, goodness and mercy, and best of all….dwelling in the house of the LORD forever! No wonder His sheep love this Psalm! 

We are always close enough to “hear His voice”. He knows us, cares for us, protects us, provides for us. We follow willingly, gratefully once we find Him. Following can mean many things. Much of following, especially for sheep, is intuitive….instinctive and with little thought. Following the correct voice is what saves the sheep. Recognizing the difference and sticking with it. Not being fooled, not getting out of earshot. This is where abiding comes in. The Good Shepherd has set a perfect scene for abiding…..all our needs are provided for as described in Psalm 23. With our ear tuned to the Good Shepherd, following is easy and leads to home. Thank you, Good Shepherd! Amen.

July 10....looking back

Luke 9:61 “I will be your follower, Lord, but first let me take leave of my people at home.” Jesus answered him, “Whoever puts his hand to the plow but keeps looking back is unfit of the reign of God” (NAB)

“I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go back…..” “No one…..who looks back…..is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (NIV) 

Heavenly Father, Starting and stopping. “I will……....but first.” Making a commitment, but immediately wanting to postpone it. I think this is where many Christians are in their lives. They believe in Jesus, they have accepted him as their Savior, they attend church regularly, they do a few things for the church……but that’s as far as they go before the second thoughts begin about what a real deep commitment will mean. What will I have to give up? How much of my time, talents, treasures are expected? How will I continue to handle other commitments on my heart and my time? Hanging on to the world. Looking back over our shoulder. What have we lost? What have we left behind? What has it cost us? The focus is backward rather than forward. 

I think this goes back to the “rocky soil”…..shallow roots, not enough moisture and nourishment. We haven’t spent enough time in your presence. We haven’t waited for your Holy Spirit to fill us up…..like a car with not enough gas to get anywhere but back home where we started. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” We are “unfit for service” until we stop looking back. We “look back” to our comfort zone, our present home, our easy life. It takes renewed commitment, a strong graft on the Vine, filling with spiritual food, a focus on our goal before we can move on. If we abide in You, than where You go, we go. Make me “fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Turn my eyes forward and keep me from looking back. Help me to truly say, “I will be your follower”, without adding any “buts……”. I want to learn to be single-hearted with only eyes for You, so that where You go, I will follow. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. Amen.

July 9.....let me first...

Luke 9:59-60 “Come after me.” The man replied, “Let me bury my father first.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their dead; come away and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” 

Matthew 6:33 “Seek first his kingship over you, his way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides.” 

Heavenly Father, This time Jesus initiates the call to “come after me” or ”follow me.” The man responds, “let me go…..first” or in many of the translations our favorite word is used….”but….”. Whenever we don’t really want to do something the excuses start….”but..”. Whenever we want control of a situation and to add stipulations it’s….”but..”. Stalling is something we are good at. Our minds and hearts don’t grasp the single-mindedness, the single-heartedness necessary to truly follow Christ. We want to think about it. Weigh the cost. Figure out how to split our commitments and share our time. That is what this man is doing. It is supposed here, that we aren’t talking about a currently dead father, but a future event. “Let me”…..make sure all my family is taken care of, and all my duties to them discharged, and basically wait until no one else has any call upon my time and my heart. Putting Christ last, not first. We all do this. 

Once again the world wins. Our ties here in the world pull stronger than our heavenly tie. We have been taught responsibility. We have been taught to be concerned for those we love. How do we just drop everything and follow? How did Zebedee feel when his sons dropped their commitment to him and left to follow Jesus? I can’t answer these questions. A whole-hearted commitment to follow is hard. It seems impossible. Much of it is attitude. Our attitude toward what is most important. Matthew 6:33 in the NAB translation says, “seek first his kingship over you, his way of holiness…”. Put Christ first, not last. We cling to too many excuses. Our commitments to people we love are one of the hardest to escape. If we keep striving to put Jesus first in “his way of holiness”…..we will begin to allow “the dead to bury their own dead.” Life here will continue at all times, but we must carve out more time for Christ. We must “come away and proclaim the kingdom of God”……first in our own lives and then to others. Amen

July 8.....nowhere to lay his head

Luke 9:57-58 “I will be your follower wherever you go.” Jesus said to him, “The foxes have lairs, the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (NAB)

Heavenly Father,

Jesus had no home in this world….”nowhere to lay his head.” A home is a safe haven….the fox’s lair, the bird’s nest…..where it is safe to sleep, to raise young, to repel predators. Jesus was never at home here. His home was heaven, his place was at his Father’s side. He didn’t come to rest….he stepped into the presence of his enemies to do battle. Jesus is headed for Jerusalem in this verse. Passing through Samaria…..where he is not welcomed. The disciples want to destroy the people who reject him, but Jesus says…no….and they move on. One man in the group says, “I will be your follower wherever you go.” Bold words. Ready to commit no matter what and do battle if necessary. Peter spoke similar words…..but still denied Christ when a trial came. 

Jesus recognizes our lack of understanding of what it means to “follow wherever you go”. We think we are ready. We think we have made a full commitment. But we don’t really understand the depth of what we promise. It is easier to say “I will follow”, than to actually do it. We have homes in this world. We feel comfortable here, settled, safe in our “nests”. Joining Jesus in his “homelessness” is hard for us to understand or accomplish. The more we have here, the harder it is. Abiding constantly in Jesus’ presence, in the Father’s presence is to be disconnected from the pull of this world. You don’t “lay your head down” where you don’t feel safe, where you don’t belong. 

Jesus knew where his home was. He resolutely moved toward it at all times. He was an alien in this world, just as we should be. Jesus doesn’t tell the man that he shouldn’t follow him…..he merely warns him of the homeless nature of doing so. Following is giving up our nests, our riches, our ties to this world. That is a battle most of us lose daily. Forgive me. Teach me to follow, to be a stranger here as I anticipate my true home in heaven. Lead me that I might follow you. “Bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.” Amen.

July 7.....bearing fruit

John 15:8 “My Father has been glorified in your bearing much fruit and becoming my disciples.” (NAB)

"This is how my Father shows who he is…..when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.” (MSG)

 “This is how my Father will be glorified…..in your becoming fruitful and being my disciples.” (Phillips) 

Heavenly Father,

For a branch to produce fruit it has to remain on the vine. The branch draws its life from the vine. Jesus is our Vine. Jesus is the source of all our life. Fruit grows on the branches. The sole purpose of the Vine and its branches is to produce fruit. The branches have to be pruned to get the highest yield of fruit. If we allow them to become a tangle of overgrowth the fruit can’t grow. Our branches become a tangle when we fill our lives with busyness and activity that has no real purpose. Distractions fill our lives daily….family, friends, houses, jobs, hobbies, “things”, busy schedules. This entire study is about abiding…..resting in the Vine, allowing our branch to be pruned of useless tangle, drawing life from the Vine to energize us and increase our yield of fruit. 

The goal of abiding is to bring glory to You, the Father, the Vinedresser. You planted Jesus for a reason. You planted this Vine for us to graft onto and grow. Charles Stanley says that the Holy Spirit is the sap that flows between the Vine and the branches. As we open ourselves to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us, to flow into us, we draw life into our branch. We grow strong. We produce fruit. Fruit is what glorifies You. Fruit is produced in abiding. We don’t produce the fruit……the Vine does. We are an extension of the Vine that provides a place of growth for the fruit. As long as we abide and allow the sap of the Holy Spirit to flow unhindered through us, the fruit will appear. The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Our spiritual fruit glorifies You. Our spiritual fruit shows our maturity and productiveness. Let me abide in You always. Produce fruit from my branch. Be glorified in me through your Holy Spirit. Amen.

July 6....choosing our treasure

Matthew 19:21 “If you seek perfection, go sell your possessions, and give to the poor you will than have treasure in heaven. Afterward, come back and follow me.” (NAB)

“If you want to give it all you’ve got, go sell your possessions, give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven, then come follow me.” (MSG) 

Heavenly Father,

The rich ruler begins with the wrong question: “What good thing must I do?” Jesus rebukes him and tells him simply: “To enter life obey the commandments.” The man nit-picks: “Which ones?” Jesus gets more specific and lists the ones dealing with his fellow man…..loving his neighbor. Rich ruler, confidently says, “ I’ve done that….what do I lack? This question is better……he recognizes that something is lacking, but still is thinking in terms of “doing”. He wants a magic formula, a single act of pilgrimage, something to perform and check off his list of accomplishments, something done by himself. Jesus sees through him. 

I like the Message translation here…..”If you want to give it all you’ve got” ……then do just that…..give all you’ve got! Strip yourself of manmade wealth and possessions, your reliance on your own ability to get along in life, start from scratch with nothing……except to “follow me.” Rethink your entire life and what is important. Give up your control of wealth and reduce your control of your own circumstances. Shift your focus from what you’ve made of yourself and see what I can make of you. Go from master of your own world to servant in mine. Go from being comfortable, to being homeless in this world. I don’t think Jesus really expected this from the rich ruler…..he is just showing him he can’t “do” any “good thing” to enter heaven. 

The disciples ask the right question: “Who then can be saved?” Jesus gives the answer: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. We all have sins. We all have “riches and possessions” we won’t give up like the rich ruler. We can’t save ourselves. We can’t reach perfection. Our salvation comes from God. With Him all is possible. We have to throw ourselves at his feet and beg for mercy. He will lift us up in grace. Following Jesus is the pathway to grace. With Jesus….”all of your wealth will be in heaven.” Jesus is the pearl of great price that we give all to own. All we need. When we “come back” from disposing of our riches…..he’ll be there for us. Thank you for not moving, but for waiting for us to come and follow you. Amen.