Colossians 1:24-29

24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. 25 God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. 26 This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. 27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. 29 That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

New Living Translation

There was a problem in the early church in the city of Colosse. There was a false doctrine similar to gnosticism that was being taught. In a nutshell, this is a believe that there is a secret knowledge required to be saved. Only a few "special" enlightened people will be able to find this knowledge.

Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians in large part to set the people straight. In doing so, he uses some of the same language the Gnostic's were using.

In verse 26, he says that the message of salvation was kept secret for centuries. But now it has been revealed to His own holy people. What Paul is saying is not that this was a secret message that can only be figured out by an elite few. Instead it was hidden until Christ came. After He came, the message is being boldly told, in its entirety, to anyone willing to listen and accept it.

And just what is this message, that Paul is suffering so much for in order to make sure it is known? It is that Christ lives in all who will believe that Jesus is indeed God, and that He died for our sins in order to save us. This is what Paul said earlier in this chapter. The truth is, if you believe, it does not matter who you are, you are saved and you have the Holy Spirit given to you.

You don't have to be smart, or gifted. You don't have to be a preacher, or a prophet. You don't have to be a certain race, or sex. You don't have to look any special way, or have a specific lifestyle, other than submission to the lordship of Jesus.

There is no secret password, no magical initiation, nothing that has to be done in order to earn the salvation offered by Christ. Simply believe. Then live like it, through the power of His Spirit within you.

Colossians 1:21b-23

You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

New Living Translation

Through Jesus's death, we were reconciled with God. All our sins were forgiven, and now we are blameless. We can stand before Him without a single fault.

Paul states clearly in other passages that believing in this - the essence of the Gospel - is how we are saved. In this passage, He warns us that we have to continue to believe it. We have to stand firm in this belief. He warns us not to drift away from this assurance. It isn't enough to believe it in the moment of our salvation. We have to live our lives on a daily basis with the assurance of this complete release from sin.

Why did Paul have to give such a warning? In my own experience, it is because I am still aware of all my faults. I do stupid, selfish things sometimes. It is so hard to see all my failures, and still believe that I am holy and blameless, and I can stand before Jesus without a single fault.

I need to remember the reality of the situation. First of all, Jesus knew long before I was saved not only the sins I had already committed, but also the ones I would commit right up to the end of my life. They are all completely forgiven. They may be present and active in some way to me, but to Jesus even the sins not yet acted out are already covered by His blood.

There is also a part of this that is hard for me to fully grasp, yet it is the source of my hope. The concept of entire sanctification is the promise that not only did Jesus forgive my sins, but He is also changing me from the inside out. He isn't just forgiving what I do, or will do. He is also fulfilling the promise given in the Old Testament that He will write His laws on our hearts.

What this means is that instead of abandoning myself to my sins and not caring, I can't do something wrong without feeling miserable. He is changing how I think, how I feel. And little by little I'm giving up sins because they just are not worth it anymore. I'd rather please Jesus than please myself.

Looking back over the past few years, I can see amazing evidence of this transformation. Jesus is so faithful and amazing!

Colossians 1:15-20

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.

He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,

16 for through him God created everything

in the heavenly realms and on earth.

He made the things we can see

and the things we can’t see—

such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.

Everything was created through him and for him.

17 He existed before anything else,

and he holds all creation together.

18 Christ is also the head of the church,

which is his body.

He is the beginning,

supreme over all who rise from the dead.

So he is first in everything.

19 For God in all his fullness

was pleased to live in Christ,

20 and through him God reconciled

everything to himself.

He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth

by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

New Living Translation

This passage is generally understood to be a hymn of the early church. It includes some very important statements of what the early church members, and we, believe about Jesus.

First, it is clear that they believed Jesus was divine. Critics of Christianity claim that Jesus never said He was God, and the early church never believed this. They are wrong. Jesus clearly said He was God, and from this hymn it is clear that Paul believed so as well.

Is. 44:24 says: "The Lord, your Redeemer and Creator, says: 'I am the Lord, who made all things. I alone stretched out the heavens. By myself I made the earth and everything in it.'"

If Isaiah says that God created the world by Himself, and Colossians says that He did it through Jesus, than Jesus must be God Himself!

This passage also says that Jesus is the head of the church, first to be resurrected, first in everything. The biblical concept of "head" is not ruler or boss, as we would think. Instead it means the first, the leader, the one who shows the way. Of course Jesus is also our ruler, our Lord. But the point being made here is that Jesus is the first to raise from the dead, and the One who provides reconciliation for all sinners with God. He is the source of our salvation, and the very source of our life.

Colossians 1:9-14

9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

New Living Translation

In this passage Paul outlines how he is praying for the people in the church. It is a good guideline for us, as we pray for others.

1. Thank God for them.

2. Ask that God will give them complete understanding, not just the parts that come easily to them. That they will have spiritual wisdom, not just human wisdom that accepts the parts of the gospel they like.

3. That they will live to honor and please the Lord, doing good all the time, and be kind to each other.

4. That God will strengthen them with His power so they will have the patience and endurance needed to face life’s challenges.

5. That they will be filled with real joy, not dependant on circumstances, but on God.

6. That they will be truly thankful for all God has done for them.

Colossians 1:6

6 This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.

New Living Translation

Hearing the Good News about Jesus is not like hearing other news. It isn't some story that makes us feel good, but is soon forgotten. Instead, it's purpose is to change our lives.

If we truly believe the message of Jesus - that He is God, He loves us, He died to pay for our sins so we can be completely forgiven, and that He rose from the dead, providing for us the promise of resurrection and eternal life as well - then we will never be the same.

It makes me so sad when people are "converted", but then continue to live their lives as if nothing has changed. That indicates to me that they took this incredible message of love and grace, and turned it into nothing but a story and a "fire insurance policy."

I wonder if sometimes this is the fault of the church. We stress the truth of forgiveness and the promise of escaping Hell and going to Heaven. In the process, we lose sight of the real power of this message.

Jesus didn't die just to get us out of Hell. That is a wonderful gift, and I don't want to diminish it. But He died for much more than that. He died and rose again in order to set us free from sin.

The promise of salvation comes not just from confession, but from repentance. What that means is we don't just admit we behaved badly. I've seen many people make such a confession with an attitude of resentment. It is as if they are upset about being caught, but have no intention of really changing. Or perhaps they are going to change - they intend to make sure they don't get caught again!

Repentance means that we agree completely that we have behaved badly, that our attitudes are messed up, and that at our core we are self-centered and sinful. It means that we have decided deep down that we don't want to live with this sin. Not only do we want to be forgiven, but we want to be changed.

Once we repent, the power of the Good News is unleashed! The Holy Spirit goes to work, changing our desires, our dreams, our very thoughts. It doesn't all happen overnight, but the process should begin immediately. And over time, we should see progress as God is changing us from the inside out.

Colossians 1:3-6

3 We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, 5 which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.

6 This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.

New Living Translation

According to this passage, faith in Jesus and love for people both come from a confident hope in what God has promised to give us in Heaven. So, just what is this promise, and why does it produce faith and love?

In short, the promise is that we will be with God for eternity. We will also be rewarded for what we have done, and we will have a wonderful home beyond our wildest imagination, and we will reign with Him forever. The beauty and wonder of Heaven is described as something beyond our comprehension. There will be no pain or suffering. It will be an eternity of joy, peace, and the most fulfilling occupation possible, though I'm not entirely sure what that will be!

I wonder, how does this guarantee of heavenly rewards and blissful closeness to God Himself produce faith and love?

The love part is easier to explain. Knowing that I'm promised more than I could ever get for myself inspires me to stop fighting for all I can get now. I can have confidence that no matter how much I accumulate in this life, it is all going to seem worthless once I'm in Heaven. It is much easier to love other people when I don't have to worry about taking care of myself.

It is a bit more difficult to understand how this promise produces faith in Jesus. It seems like it should be the opposite - faith in Jesus should give me confidence in this promise. In my way of thinking, I have hope in Heaven because I believe in Jesus.

But apparently, the reverse is true as well. Because I have a confident hope in Heaven and all it's glory, I am free from selfish concern for self. Not only does this free me to love others, it also allows me to devote myself completely to Jesus. I can love Him, serve Him, worship Him, and grow in faith because of my complete confidence in what He is going to give me. Concern for myself is removed from the equation, because I'm guaranteed to have more than I could ever imagine.

The more complete my confidence in His promise, the deeper and stronger my faith can grow. I am able to have more faith, because the chains of self centered desires and self preservation are broken.

Lord Jesus...increase my confidence in Your promises! Help my faith and love to grow stronger and deeper with each passing day!

Psalm 37:23

²³ The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives.

New Living Translation

I have been comforted by the concept expressed in this passage the last couple of days. Perhaps this is not the most important crisis in life, and many people think it is silly, but I have been greatly saddened over the loss of my cat, Snowball. He has been my friend and companion for over 10 years.

There was a special bond between us. He was very sick when we got him as a kitten, and I worked hard to keep him alive. The struggle went on for a couple months, as he fought an infection with the intestinal parasite Giardia lamblia.

He was never a beautiful cat to look at, but he was my baby. He woke me up at 5 am when he was a kitten by licking my eyelids. Over the years, we developed a bedtime ritual. He started out lying on my chest, purring and enjoying my scratching him beneath his chin. As I was ready to fall asleep, he moved down to my feet, being wise enough to not actually touch me - I can't sleep if anyone is touching me. Early in the morning, about half an hour before I had to get up, he would once again lay on my chest and purr.

Snowball had to be put down on Tuesday, because he was very sick with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus - the kitty version of AIDS. It has been very lonely without him. I rarely cried, but Tuesday morning, I held him in the vet's office for 20 minutes, unable to stop the flow of tears.

He was only a cat. He was not one of my children, or my husband, or any human friend. But still, he was an important part of my life. And God saw my grief. How I felt mattered to Him.

That speaks more to me about the character of God than hearing about His power or might. His compassion, and His involvement in the day to day hurts, trials, and victories of life mean more to me than His position as Ruler of the Universe. God cares about me. He cared about Snowball, because I cared about him. God cares about my sadness.

A God who is that personal, that compassionate and loving, is a God I can trust my entire life to.

Matthew 8:23-27

Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

New Living Translation

I was listening to a podcast by Pastor Judah Smith from The City Church in Seattle this afternoon, and he was preaching from this passage. He said something that really caught my attention, and I've been thinking about it ever since.

He said that after the disciples saw Jesus calm the storm, they were in awe of Jesus and what He was able to do. Before that, these same men were in awe of the storm.

The storms in life steal our awe, according to Pastor Smith. He said that we focus our attention on the storm, on our circumstances, and this makes the storm the most important thing in our life. In essence, we worship these storms.

I have been struck with the reality of this statement. How many times have I found myself obsessing over the trials and tribulations that life brings? I never before thought of that obsession as being a form of worship.

While Jesus was napping in the boat, the disciples were completely focused in on the storm. They believed that it was the most powerful force in their presence. Because of this error, they were consumed with fear.

Jesus scolded them for having so little faith, not because they found the storm frightening. He scolded them because they focused on the storm, seeing it as the ultimate power, instead of focusing on Jesus, and knowing that He was stronger than any storm.

Lord, please help me to keep my focus on You. I can't ignore the storms in life. It would be insanity to pretend they don't exist. But they are not stronger or bigger or more powerful than You. Help me to keep my perspective straight, and to worship only You.

2 Corinthians 7:1

Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete purity because we fear God.

New Living Translation

We have such great promises in scripture. Promises of love, provision, protection, and eternal life. Paul taught that these great promises should inspire us to have great fear (or awe) of God.

And this awe should inspire us to do all we can to please Him. This will require effort, as we work to cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit.

Intention is required. Cleansing isn't automatic. We have to ask for it, seek it, ask God to search us, and show us what is defiling. That part is important, because there are often things that are sinful that we are reluctant to label as such.

Working toward complete purity isn't about gritting our teeth and trying to keep all the rules. It is about asking God to reveal truth, and then submitting to His cleansing when He shows us what He wants to change.

1 Peter 1:13-16

13 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ. 14 Obey God because you are his children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God—who chose you to be his children—is holy. 16 For he himself has said, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

New Living Translation

This is really pretty clear. God is holy. He is too holy to be in the presence of sin. His very presence consumes impurity, like a fire. So when we are made God's children, and brought into His presence, He cleanses us. And we are to do our best to stay clean.

It is so easy to just accept the forgiveness He offers, and not make an attempt to life a holy life. But that isn't the way it is supposed to work. Peter is telling us not to slip back into our old habits, attitudes, or lifestyle.

We may not have understood before just how sinful and destructive those things were. But now we know, because we have seen that they were serious enough for Christ to have to suffer and die for them. God doesn't take sin lightly. Neither should we.

Psalm 139

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

16 You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.

They cannot be numbered!

18 I can’t even count them;

they outnumber the grains of sand!

And when I wake up,

you are still with me!

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

New Living Translation

I know I have used this passage before, in a previous entry. But it just seems so appropriate today. This is my 45th birthday. It seems appropriate to remember with awe that I was created by God, a unique individual put together exactly as He saw fit.

His creative energies did not stop with my birth. For the past 45 years, God has been working to guide me, teach me, and mold me into the woman He wants me to be.

It is such an awesome thing, to think that God is so real and active in our lives. What we are becoming matters so very much to Him! We are precious to Him. He thinks about us constantly, and is concerned with all of the tiny details of our lives. He knows that all of those little things adds up to the totality of our character.

Paul says in Philippians 1:6, " And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Thank You, Lord, for being so personally involved in my life. That is the greatest birthday gift I could ever receive!

Psalm 19:12-14

12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. 13 Keep me from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. 14 May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

New Living Translation

The desire to be holy is so beautifully expressed in this Psalm. The author had a desire to have God search his heart, his attitudes, his thoughts, his actions, and show him anything that was sinful or displeasing to Him.

He also asked that all that he does, what he says, even what he thinks, would be pleasing to God.

I think it takes great courage to have an attitude like that. On the surface it sounds so pious and nice. But think about what could happen if God actually DID this!

If God were to search my heart now, what would He find? How much pride, arrogance, resentment, and greed would He uproot? I know they are there but honestly, I'd rather avoid it.

It isn't even so much because I want to hang on to these things. I really do want them all to go. But rather, it is that I'm so ashamed they exist, I want to hide them, pretend they are not there.

The problem is, they ARE there. And pretending they aren't won't make them any less real. In fact, ignoring them generally allows them to take over. I can't explain why, but I have learned from experience that when I pretend a sinful attitude doesn't exist, instead of it shrinking and becoming invisible, it seems to grow. Before long it is controlling me. What was once a small, impure thought is suddenly a stronghold that the enemy uses quite effectively against me.

I want to have the attitude that David had. I want to let God search my heart, and to purify all of the unclean thoughts and attitudes that He discovers. I want God to help me avoid unintentional sin as well as intentional sins. I want to be so cleansed by Him that all of my words, all of my thoughts, and all of my actions are pleasing to Him.

Lord, search me and cleanse me!

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. ⁴ We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds. ⁵ With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ.

New Living Translation

I have been thinking a lot about this passage lately. There are times my life, what I do all day long, feels futile. I'm working all day in a chemistry lab, engrossed in my samples and the level of ammonia, nitrogen, phenol, or alkalinity. Working in the same lab with me are people I care about deeply, who do not know Jesus. We are focusing all our energy on what is in our drinking water or waste water, but the eternal destiny of their souls is being ignored.

There is no scientific test I can run to prove to them that they need God. They know my beliefs, we talk about it frequently. But some of them are fringe church attenders, some are skeptics, and a few are self declared atheists. One thing that is evident not only to me, but to anyone who has ever tried to witness, is that you cannot debate anyone into the Kingdom of God.

I can't bear the thought of these souls suffering for eternity. I don't understand how I can enjoy heaven if I have any responsibility for anyone else not being there as well. But nothing I can do can change the situation.

The same is not true for the Holy Spirit.

When humans want to change someone's mind, they rely on evidence. They make the best case possible, and present it. Sometimes they escalate to arguing. In some sad cases, illustrated by the recent murder of an abortion doctor, they even resort to violence. None of these tactics will ever bring someone to their knees before the cross.

We cannot win the battle with human methods or techniques. We must rely on the Holy Spirit. His Word is our Sword. I will confess at times it seems completely ineffective because those I am trying to reach reject the Word as any kind of authority. However, whether they reject it or not, it is doing it's work under the surface.

We are told in Scripture that nobody can accept Jesus until the Holy Spirit draws them to Him. We need to depend on constant, fervent prayer for those who are lost. We don't need to convince anyone of anything. God will do that. We just need to be available to do whatever God may ask us to do along the way.

Romans 8:26-28

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. ²⁷ And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

New Living Translation

There is such comfort in this passage. I realize it has been misused. Almost every Christian I know can tell of a time when something bad happened, and someone quoted verse 28 as saying "All things work for good." When you are hurting, it doesn't typically feel helpful to have someone insinuate that you shouldn't feel bad, because God is using this terrible thing for good.

But the truth is, there is comfort in this. God is so sovereign, so powerful, that He can use the very worst to accomplish something good. It doesn't make evil into something good. It just means that His goodness is greater than evil.

What I am finding comfort in tonight though are verses 26-27. I often discover that in difficult circumstances, praying seems like a task that is simply beyond me. I can cry out "Help me God!", but anything rational beyond that is impossible. Pain, fear, and confusion lock up my prayer abilities, because all I can focus on is relief. The problem is, relief is not always the best answer. That is generally the last thing I want to acknowledge when hurting.

Reading through the Psalms helps a lot at times like these, because so often they beautifully express my very feelings, and I figure God won't turn a deaf ear to His own words prayed back at Him! Some days though, even that isn't quite enough. It definitely isn't enough when I have the sense that God is wanting to accomplish something specific through the struggle I am experiencing. When that is the case, crying out to God for relief is a bit futile. He will bring comfort, but not until is purpose is accomplished.

It is comforting to know that I don't have to know what to pray when I find myself in this kind of battle. All I have to do is call out to Him, tell Him I'm in over my head, and let Him do the rest. I can - and generally do - pour out all my thoughts, feeling, and arguments to Him. If I were talking to any mere human they would be certain that I'm completely unable to stick with any single line of thought. So much of what I pray at these times contradicts what I have just said. I pray in circles, taking this side, then that, and then yet another. I can't follow my own thoughts; I don't see how anyone else can.

But God is not confused by it all. He understands my poor muddled brain, because He created it. He knows all the arguments, He knows when I am saying something because it is "right" and when I am saying something because it is what I long for, and when I am saying something that exposes my truest, deepest motives. I can't always tell the difference myself. Sometimes I can but I don't want to admit it. But God always knows.

And His Spirit is praying with me, not in a confused jumble, but with perfect wisdom and with perfect love. He knows my heart, my motives, and He knows exactly what I need. And slowly but with loving determination, He works to untangle the mess and lead me into His good and perfect will.

So dear Lord, please...pray for me. I need it.

Psalm 42

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.

2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and stand before him?

3 Day and night, I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?”

4 My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks— it was the sound of a great celebration!

5 Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and 6 my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember your kindness— from Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.

7 I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.

8 Through each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.

9 “O God my rock,” I cry, “Why have you forsaken me? Why must I wander in darkness, oppressed by my enemies?”

10 Their taunts pierce me like a fatal wound. They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”

11 Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!

This is one of those days when the unexpected happens, and I feel sad, hurt, and abandoned. It was nothing intentional, nothing that should mean anything at all in the long run, but still emotions run deep. And my default response when I hurt is to feel that God has abandoned me. My natural response to that is to withdraw from Him. The result is an ache and a loneliness that defies description. The hollow feeling in my heart tells me that life no longer has any meaning or purpose. All this because I didn't get my way!

Some wounds are deeper than others. Some are objectively horrifying; some, like this one, are fairly insignificant. All can lead to this wrong response, that draws me away from God. It is so natural, it happens without my even thinking about it.

This time though, I did think about it. And the conclusion I came to is that I simply cannot withdraw from my God. When the Bible says that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, that was no mere figure of speach. Jesus is indeed the source of my life. When I hide from Him because of fear, pain, or a lack of trust, I cut myself off from life itself, and my spirit withers and dies.

I don't want to repeat this pattern. I need Jesus. I long for Him, thirst for Him. I simply cannot live one second without Him. I may be discouraged right now, but this disappointment is not the end of the story. I will put my hope in God. I will remember His kindness, and I will praise Him again, because He alone gives me life.

Colossians 3:1-3

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power. 2 Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth.

New Living Translation 

If you spend all your time thinking about things in this life, you will soon be depressed.  The weight of family schedules, work demands, strained relationships, financial burdens, and even natural disasters will soon overwhelm you.

There is something better to think about -  the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power.  

This world and its concerns are temporary.  Soon they will be gone.  This life seems like the only reality that exists, but there is something much more real, much more permanent.

So, let Heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth.

Philippians 3:12-14

12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.

New Living Translation

I wish I were perfect.  I'm not.  I do foolish things, usually by mistake, despite my best intentions.  And I'm not very kind to myself.  Nobody has to be critical of me...I do it better all by myself!  

It would be wise for me to learn from what Paul is saying.  Whether it is accidental failures or blatant sin, the things in my past I can't change.  I am not helping myself by beating myself up for it.  In fact, doing so only keeps me bound to shame, increasing the chances of my failing again.

It is far better to really believe what scripture says about forgiveness.  God blots out the stain of our sin.  He separates us as far from our guilt as east is from west.  Jesus paid for all my sins, completely.  I don't have to hang on to them.

I need to let go, make myself stop thinking about them, and move on in grace.  Thank You God, for Your amazing grace!

Luke 17:5-6

5 One day the apostles said to the Lord, “We need more faith; tell us how to get it.”

6 “Even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed,” the Lord answered, “you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May God uproot you and throw you into the sea,’ and it would obey you!

New Living Translation

I can relate to the disciples' dilemma.  I need more faith too.  How do I get it? 

Jesus didn't give them instructions on where to find, or purchase, more faith.  Instead he told them that if they had just a little faith, great things could happen.

For a long time, I was frustrated by that answer.  “Jesus, You didn't answer the question!  I know if I have that faith, I can move trees, or even mountains, as You said.  But where do I get that faith?

But Jesus did answer the question, I just missed it.  I was looking for where to get newer, stronger faith.  Jesus was saying, You already have what you need.  Use it!  When you do, you will see miracles, and your faith will grow stronger.

This is a challenge to me, because sometimes my faith seems so defective, I'm pretty sure it couldn't rescue me from a cellophane wrapper blowing in the wind, much less move a mountain!  But the first step in exercising faith, is trusting that if Jesus says I have what I need already, then I need to actually believe that, and use it.

Lord, I need faith today - this very minute!  Help me to use what You have already given, and help it to grow stronger.

Philippians 2:12-13

12 Dearest friends, you were always so careful to follow my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.

New Living Translation

We are told to be careful to put into action God's saving work, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.  We are to put our all into obeying God.  But look at what comes after that:  FOR God is working in you....

God's work is the reason we should obey.  We should obey because we can, because He makes it possible.  He is the source of our strength.  The desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him doesn't come from ourselves.  It comes from Him.  And in order to receive what we need, we have to be focused on Him

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.

New Living Translation

When our circumstances are overwhelming to us, it seems perfectly natural to let them absorb all our time and energy.  The problems are so big, nothing else seems to matter.

But in this passage, Paul is reminding us that no matter how intense our struggles are now, they are nothing compared to what we will have someday. 

Compared to the glory of Heaven, all the misery of this world is quite small.   Compared to eternity, even 100 years of intense suffering is a short time.

And enduring all of this here, now, with faith, will bring us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever.

Write the passage down somewhere, and keep it where you can see it.  The next time you can only see your circumstances, read this, and remember that there is something better to look at, if you are willing.

Hebrews 12:1-4

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven. 3 Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

New Living Translation

 

There are two important truths in this passage that can help us when we feel weak, and our faith is anemic.

First, we are not alone.  Many have run this race before us, and there are many Christians around us, cheering us on.  If you are feeling discouraged, there is someone you can go to for encouragement, if you are willing to take the risk.

Second, we are able to endure all we have to suffer in this life not because we have so much strength in ourselves.  We do it instead by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. 

He endured so much, for our sake.  No matter how much you are suffering, it is nothing compared to the torture He endured.  He understands your struggles, and He offers hope and help. 

But that hope and help is not an object, something He hands over to us and we use.  Instead, He is our hope and our help.  As long as we keep our eyes fixed on Him, we can do anything He asks.  If we take our eyes of Him, we sink, just like Peter did when he was walking on the water, and looked at the waves instead of at Jesus.

It isn't always easy to keep our focus, but it is vital!

Psalm 32:10-11

10 Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.

11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

New Living Translation

 

I don't know about you, but I NEED unfailing love.  I've been hurt over and over by love that is conditional.  When I need love and hope most, it is pulled away from me because I didn't measure up.

God's love is different.  It is a result of His nature, not my behavior.  It will never fail me, it will never be pulled from me because I wasn't good enough.

We trust Him not as a condition to having this love, we trust Him as a result.  When we do that, His love surrounds us, helping us to feel emotionally safe and comforted.  The love is there whether we trust Him or not, but it can only have the effect intended if we will trust it enough to immerse ourselves in it.

Psalm 32:8-9

8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.

9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

New Living Translation

 

Having an attitude of humility, a lifestyle of repentance, also means that we are willing to let God lead and direct our lives.  Instead of being stubborn and doing what we want, we will seek God's will.  

I so often do what I want, what I think is best, what I WANT to be right.  I'm learning to let God lead, but it isn't always easy.  So often I'm blinded by my own perceptions.  Oh Lord, please help me to tell the difference between my ideas and Yours!  And then, help me to be willing to follow Your way instead of my own, even if at first I don't want to.

 

Psalm 32:6-7

6 Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you while there is time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.

7 For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.

New Living Translation

 

The godly need to confess their rebellion?  That doesn't seem to make sense!  Aren't the godly the ones that are always good, that don't rebel? 

Even the godly are sinners.  When God looks in our hearts, He judges our motives, attitudes, and our actions, and all of us fall short of the standard of absolute purity.  We may be set free of intentional sin, but none of us will ever reach absolute perfection.

The most godly people I know are those that recognize that they are saved, but still capable of sin.  They are Christians, but they are sometimes weak or foolish.   Remembering this keeps us dependent on God moment by moment.

Yes, God can cleanse us of our sins.  Yes, He can purify our hearts, and transform our desires.  But living a lifestyle of constant submission to God means that we are always willing to admit our weaknesses.  It is an attitude of humility. 

And when we have such an attitude, God is able to work wonders.  He keeps us safe, spiritually, as we find comfort in Him.

Psam 32:5

5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself,  “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

New Living Translation

 

Guilt is too hard to live with.  It hurts.  But we don't have to live with it.  We can stop trying to hide, or deny, or blame others.  We can stop trying to cover it up with anger, or with addictions.  Instead, we can confess.

And when we do, God forgives.  It is gone.  We still remember, true.  Other people still remember, and sometimes the consequences of our actions linger.  But the crippling spiritual shame is taken away when we sincerely confess our sins to God, and ask for His forgiveness.  Thank You, Lord!

Psalm 32:3-4

3 When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long.

4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.

New Living Translation

 

Guilt is a horrible thing.  I often find myself feeling guilty.  Even for things that are not my fault.  If my kids, my husband, or a coworker are in a bad mood, I feel horribly guilty, sure that I have done something wrong.

It is even worse when I really am to blame.  Like when I say something unkind, and hurt someone's feelings.  Or when I forget something important, and let others down.  Or when I do something selfish.

Guilt takes its price.  It exhausts us, wears us down, eats away at our mental peace.  But we don't have to live with guilt.  There is a cure for it! 

We can hold on to it, refusing to admit our guilt.  We can try to ignore it, hoping it will just go away.  We can blame others for it.  But those things don't take the burden away, they only bury it.

The better option is to confess it.  Admitting our failures and accepting God's graceful forgiveness, combined with a commitment to learn from our failure and not repeat it, has the power to set us free from the guilt that makes our hearts so heavy. 

Psalm 32:1-2

1 Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!

2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

New Living Translation

God's grace is so great!  All of us have sinned, rebelled against Him and His law.  Even if we have been good people, lived a moral lifestyle, all of us have at least once, said, this time, I'm doing things my way. 

But God wants to clear our names, making us innocent.  He wants us to live in complete honesty. 

This honesty means that we will admit our sins, let Jesus cover them and forgive them, and then, committing ourselves to living God's way from this point on. 

What a great God!

John 4:7-15

7Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Please give me a drink." 8He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. 9The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, "You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?" 10Jesus replied, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water."  11"But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket," she said, "and this is a very deep well. Where would you get this living water? 12And besides, are you greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his cattle enjoyed?" 13Jesus replied, "People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water. 14But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life." 15"Please, sir," the woman said, "give me some of that water! Then I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to haul water."

New Living Translation

Yesterday, we saw how the Israelites complained when they had a lack of water, instead of trusting God to supply their needs.  Today, we see a completely opposite response.

This woman, that society had considered worthless, encountered Jesus at a well.  He asked for a drink, since she had a bucket and He did not. 

It was so unusual for a Jewish Rabbi to talk to a Samaritan at all, or a woman.....let alone one that lived an immoral lifestyle.  She was so surprised she asked Him why He was talking to her.

Jesus didn't really explain why, but He did tell her that He could give her living water.  An odd response, since He was asking her for a drink!  She pointed that fact out to Him.

And Jesus explained that He wasn't talking about the water in the well, because that water couldn't permanently satisfy what we need most.  Only He could really satisfy her needs.

Now, this woman realized that she had a need.  But she had no hope until now.  She was an outcast.  But at this moment, Jesus is telling her that she has hope.  All she has to do is ask.

She doesn't complain about having a need.  She doesn't play victim.  She doesn't get offended because Jesus is pointing out her problems.  Instead, she responds with eagerness.  Please, give me what I need!  I'm desperate!

This woman's true thirst was satisfied, because she believed Jesus's word, and asked for what He was offering.  Isn't that a better response than being angry that the thirst exists?

 

Exodus 17:1-7

1At the LORD's command, the people of Israel left the Sin Desert and moved from place to place. Eventually they came to Rephidim, but there was no water to be found there. 2So once more the people grumbled and complained to Moses. "Give us water to drink!" they demanded."Quiet!" Moses replied. "Why are you arguing with me? And why are you testing the LORD?" 3But tormented by thirst, they continued to complain, "Why did you ever take us out of Egypt? Why did you bring us here? We, our children, and our livestock will all die!" 4Then Moses pleaded with the LORD, "What should I do with these people? They are about to stone me!" 5The LORD said to Moses, "Take your shepherd's staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile. Then call some of the leaders of Israel and walk on ahead of the people. 6I will meet you by the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come pouring out. Then the people will be able to drink." Moses did just as he was told; and as the leaders looked on, water gushed out. 7Moses named the place Massah--"the place of testing"--and Meribah--"the place of arguing"--because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the LORD by saying, "Is the LORD going to take care of us or not?"

New Living Translation

Poor Moses!  Can you imagine having an entire nation of people complaining to you about a lack of fresh water in the desert?  What could he do about it?  The situation was an impossible one!

Yet Moses and the Israelites had seen God deal with impossible situations before.  He rescued them from slavery, parted the sea so they could escape Pharaoh, and even gave them manna every day so they could eat. 

Still, the people's first response when a problem arose was to complain.  Maybe it was habit.  When they were in Egypt, they were powerless.  When things went wrong, all they could do was pray.  When, over the course of 400 years those prayers appeared unanswered, they shifted from praying to complaining. 

They were no longer asking for help, because they lost the expectation that God was listening, and caring.  They let Him know about their situation, but in an accusatory way, instead of an anticipatory way.

But the reality was, God had been listening all along, and was working out His plan.  Once the time was right, the people saw miracle after miracle. 

In spite of that, every time they faced a new challenge, they lost faith.  They didn't expect help from God.  They saw every challenge as abandonment, instead of a new opportunity to see God work on their behalf.

I have the same problem, I have to confess.  I wonder, what will it take for me to change my typical response of complaining and accusing God of abandonment, and instead to present the situation to Him with faith and expect Him to act?

Isaiah 55:10-11

10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

New Living Translation

We may not always understand God's actions.  We may not always understand His words.  But we can be sure of this one thing:  whether we understand it or not, it is truth.

God knows what He is doing.  And the things He said will happen, simply will.  Sometimes it takes a while.  It also takes a long time for an apple seed to grow into a tree, and start producing apples.  But, it happens.

God's will, His word, will be fulfilled.  You can count on it!

Isaiah 55:8-9

8 “My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

New Living Translation

There are so many things God does that I just don't get.  Why does He answer some prayers, but not others?  Why does it seem that the most desperate ones are the ones that are not answered?  Why does He take so long to act?  And the list of questions goes on, and on, and on....

Job had a long list of questions for God.  At the end of the book, God came and talked to Job, but He never offered any answers or explanations.  Instead, He asked some questions of His own.

"Where were you when I made the heavens and the earth?  Did you make the mountains and the seas?  Did you make the animals?"

God's point was this:  He knows a whole lot more than we do, and His power and authority, and His wisdom, are absolute.  He doesn't owe us an explanation.

Also, He doesn't explain because even if He did, we would not be capable of understanding the answers!  He doesn't think like we do, limited by time, space, and our own personal experiences. 

So He doesn't explain Himself.  He just asks us to trust Him, even when we don't understand.

Isaiah 55:6-7

7 Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

New Living Translation

Yesterday we saw that a relationship with God is always available, if we will only seek it.  But a relationship with anyone does require boundaries.  You can't constantly do things that gets on another person's nerves, and expect that person to want to be around you.

God hates sin.  This is not because He is a legalist.  It is because He knows how sin destroys the people He loves so much.  And God is holy, meaning that He cannot be in the presence of sin.  His presence is a consuming fire that burns up all that is impure. 

So if someone is intentionally holding on to sinful behaviors or attitudes, it is not possible for that person to also have an intimate relationship with God.

So if you really want a relationship with Him, if you really want to have Him satisfy the thirst in your soul, you will need to be willing to give up sin. 

The good news is, all that is required is a willingness to confess, and to allow God to cleanse you.  He offers forgiveness, mercy, and transformation freely to any who want it.

 

Isaiah 55:1-2; 6

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free! 2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul!  6 Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.

New Living Translation

Have you noticed how much a bottle of water costs at a convenience store?  It amazes me that we can spend over a dollar on 12 ounces of water!  What is sad is that this is no mere luxury.  Without water, our bodies will not survive.  Yet, it can cost so much.

And the water we have must be pure.  Immediately after the tsunami the day after Christmas in 2004, we were already hearing predictions of how many people would die not from the flood itself, but from the contaminated water supply.  Water that carries disease may bring immediate relief.  But it also brings eventual death.

As a society we spend a lot of time and money making sure we have pure water to drink. 

But we too often ignore another thirst.  And this thirst is really more important than our need for fresh water.  It is a need for our God.

We were created with the purpose of having a relationship with Him.  Without that, we will go through life with a thirst that can't be quenched.

The good news is, you don't have to work hard, or spend a lot of money to satisfy this thirst. Unlike our struggle for pure water, what we need is freely available, any time, to anyone.  All you have to do is admit to Him that You need Him, and ask Him to give you what you need.

^{John 21:15-17}

¹⁵ After breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

¹⁶ Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

¹⁷ Once more he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was grieved that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.

 New Living Translation

Why did Jesus ask Peter if he loved Him three times, and tell him to feed His sheep three times?  I've always heard it taught that this was to counteract the three times that Peter denied Jesus on the night of His trial.  Peter denied Jesus three times; Jesus restored him three times.

I am beginning to think differently about this, just as I have begun to see Peter's denial differently.  If it is true that Peter denied Jesus not because he was afraid but confused by Jesus's surrender when he was expecting a revolution, that I think it is safe to say that Peter was still rather confused at this time.

Nothing was turning out as expected.  Peter expected war.  Instead his Master was crucified.  He thought this was the end of everything.  The resurrection caught him off guard.  Now Jesus was alive again, but there was still no apparent revolution.  Just what WAS going on?!  What did Jesus expect of him?  What was Jesus wanting to accomplish?

Three times Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?"  Three times Peter said "Yes, You know I love You."  And three times Jesus replied "Feed my sheep."

Jesus is using the law of emphasis here.  This was vital for Peter to understand.  He was prepared to go to war to defend Jesus's sheep, the Israelites, from the evil Roman empire.  But what good does it do to keep sheep away from predators if those same sheep starve to death?

The Jews were starving to death spiritually.  They served God ritually, but not with their hearts.  And when their Messiah, their Savior, showed up, they not only didn't recognize Him, they had Him crucified.  

Jesus knew Peter was ready to go to war for Him, but that wasn't what He needed Peter to do.  Instead He was giving Peter a much more urgent mission:  feed His sheep!

His call was to bring the message of Jesus's life, death and resurrection, and the meaning it held for all, to the people.  He was not to be a warrior, he was to be a missionary.  

Peter was having a hard time grasping it all.  None of it was making any sense at this point.  He was confused, disillusioned, but in absolute awe at the fact that he was talking and eating with this man who he watched die a brutal death just a few short days ago.  His world and his understanding of everything in it had been turned on it's head.  

So Jesus asked him a simple question.  "Peter, do you love me?"  Peter, a bit stunned, replied, "Of course I love You."  

Jesus had used one word for love - the Greek agape, meaning absolute, complete devotion.  Peter replied with a different word for love - phileo, meaning brotherly love.  Some scholars believe this is a symptom of what happened earlier.  Peter had declared before Jesus's death his agape love, and then found it fell short when he denied him.  This could very well be true.  It could be that Peter was so confused as to what was now going to be asked of him that he was afraid to commit too much.  

Whether this change types of love was significant or not, Jesus accepted Peter's answer.  He didn't rebuke him for not loving enough, or not committing enough.  He took what Peter had to offer, then gave him his mission - "Feed my sheep."

When Jesus asked the third time, Peter was distressed.  Why?  Was it because he thought Jesus was doubting him when he said he loved him?  That is possible.  He does say “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.”  I'm sure his failure was still weighing heavy on his heart.  But Jesus wasn't repeating the question to remind Peter of his failure.  He was repeating it to drive home the change in direction that Peter was to take.  Peter didn't understand before, and because of that He denied Jesus.  It was vital that Peter understand now.  

Peter was hurting, remembering his failure.  He was stunned and shocked at having seen the impossible happen.  He was confused about what was to happen next.  Jesus was wanting to make sure he got it.  Peter apparently interpreted this as rubbing salt in his wounds.  But it was really a loving act of grace.  He was giving Peter one of the most important calls ever given.  He was to go out and bring the message of life to the multitudes of dying souls all around him.  And he was to do this not because of some political agenda or a desire for greatness.  He was to do it because Jesus loved him, and he loved Jesus.

At the Last Supper, Jesus told Peter that he would betray him.  Peter objected strenuously - he would die before he betrayed Jesus!  Jesus told him that in fact, before the rooster crowed that very night, Peter would deny Him three times.

After the dinner, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples to pray.  While there, Judas came with the soldiers, to arrest Jesus.

Peter was ready to fight.  He meant what he said earlier - he was fully committed to the cause of Jesus, and was willing to die for Him.  He pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of one of the soldiers.

Then something Peter never expected happened - Jesus told him to put the sword away and let Him be arrested.   Adding to the shock, Jesus healed the soldier's ear.

Later that night, just as Jesus had predicted, Peter denied that he was a follower of Jesus', and in fact denied that he even knew Jesus.  When the rooster crowed immediately after his third denial, Peter realized what had happened, and was heartbroken.

How did this man go from a zealot ready to die for the cause, to someone who wouldn't even admit he knew Jesus, in just a few hours?  

For years I assumed that Peter had overestimated his courage and devotion.  He thought he was ready for battle, but he was wrong.  When the time came to take a stand, he ran instead.  He needed the power of the Holy Spirit to have the courage he clearly lacked.

Recently though, I have realized that this is a wrong interpretation of what was happening.  Peter was courageous, and ready to die for the cause.  The problem was he had the wrong cause.

Peter was expecting a coup, a violent overthrow of the Roman oppression.  When the soldiers showed up, he was ready for a fight.  What happened to Peter that night in the garden was not the exposure of cowardice.  Instead his world was turned upside down.

He had devoted the last three years to this man Jesus.  He was convinced He was the Messiah.  Sure, Jesus said some weird things over the years...things about suffering and dying.  That didn't make much sense for a political conqueror, but somehow it would all work out.  Because one thing he knew for sure - the Messiah could not lose!

Yet instead of fighting, his Messiah was surrendering!  This did not make any sense to Peter.  Everything he thought he was signed up for he was watching go down the tubes in just a few moments.

In his confusion, Peter felt lost.  He couldn't fight...but he couldn't surrender either.  He was ready for a glorious death in battle, but he wasn't ready to lay down his life for what seemed at the moment to be nothing.  So he followed...and watched...and when confronted, denied that he was a follower of Jesus.

It is so easy to follow the wrong plan.  Over the years there have been many times when I thought I knew how things should go.  I was ready to conquer the world for Christ.  When things didn't go the way I anticipated my faith was shaken.

How could Jesus let this happen?  He is the One who called me to ministry.  Why would He allow what seemed like disaster?  How do I believe that Jesus is my Savior when He keeps letting me down?

The problem is, I wasn't following Jesus, I was following my own ideas, based on a mix of my own dreams and aspirations, and a bit of Scripture thrown in to attempt to manipulate God into doing things my way. 

What seemed like disaster was really salvation.  Because God used those times to purify me, strengthen me, and help me to find His real plan.

I don't fish.  I grew up around Chicago, and for me, "fishing" meant going to the local supermarket and finding a box of fillet, breaded, deep-fried, and then frozen fish sticks.

 

A couple years ago, some men in my church took my son on a fishing trip.  Scott came home with a bucket of nasty, slimy, smelly fish.  Neither he nor his mother had any idea what to do with them, so one of the men deboned them, and filleted them.  He then taught me how to cook them.  I was quite amazed to discover that those fish were a huge improvement over my frozen food variety!

Jesus has called us to be "fishers of men."  So many in the church think that is a fine idea, as long as we can do my Chicago suburb style of fishing.  We go out into the world and find some already cleaned up, civilized people, get them saved, and then celebrate with a fish fry!

The problem is, fish - and sinners - are not clean, sweet-smelling creatures.  They are messy, smelly, and they tend to flop around a lot trying to get back into their comfort zone.  Fishing may seem like a relaxing hobby, but actually catching fish takes work and a strong stomach.

Going out into a world of sinners, where immorality is rampant, jokes are crude, language is offensive, and violence is the norm is not a comfortable endeavor.  But just like a typical fisherman doesn't see fish launching themselves into the boat so they can be taken home and fried up for supper, the church doesn't often see "sinners" breaking down the church doors to get inside.  

To the contrary, they seem to understand that they don't fit, and they feel unwanted.  It should not be that way.  If we are going to learn to be fishers of men, we need to accept that fish will be fish.  

We need to look beyond the filth of sin and see the person underneath it all.  That person is someone Jesus loves so much, He died so that He could spend all of eternity with him or her.  The temporary mess that goes with ministering to the lost is well worth a few moments of discomfort.