Tag Archives: You

The Twist

Posted on April 10, 2022 | Leave a comment

Palm Sunday, April 10, 2022
There’s a twist o this Palm Sunday story I’ve never noticed before from John 12:9
“When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. “ ESV

Lazarus is there with Jesus!  The twist is that this is a resurrection story but with a different cast!  The word of Lazarus’s restoration to life is in fact the catalyst of this growing crowd. V13 “So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” V17 & 18 “The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him [Jesus] was that they heard he had done this sign”

Lazarus has been called out of the grave!
He’s walked with Jesus into Jerusalem, healed and able-bodied, ready to add his presence as verifiable physical testimony to the truth that Jesus is Messiah and has the power to restore life!

Today has become something new and personal because of that simple two sentence paragraph.  Of course! This day IS a celebration of the power of Jesus to restore life…then.  And here’s the miracle for this
Palm Sunday, April 10, 2022:
You are the verifiable physical testimony to that truth…
now!

John 12:26…”If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also,”

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Posted in John, Matthew, New Testament, Palm Sunday

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Today’s Word – Temple “Walk”

Posted on January 16, 2022 | Leave a comment

1 Kings 6:11 Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, 12 “Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my ordinances and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.” RSV

Let me tell you how I’ve chosen to cherry pick this verse lest you imagine something far deeper.  1 Kings in the BibleGateway word search returned the most hits in the Old Testament for “walk:” 23 from this one book.  This passage was one that used the word “walk” more than once.  I am like a tourist, if you will, I’ve found one attraction to look at in this new place but I’ve got the whole chapter to walk me though what to see.  

Solomon is exercising his heart, his creativity and his wallet to build this structure.  The central part of this historic house, built for the Lord, was essentially a stand-alone sanctuary surrounded by many other rooms. I am thankful to have been compelled by my cherry picking to walk through this chapter and notice two things. The construction is unique in that the supporting beams of those external rooms were not directly tied into the structure of the sanctuary. Instead those beams rested on a ledger board much like we’d construct a deck against a house today, tied together but not an integrated part of each other.  That’s interesting. The chapter is filled with explicit details of the construction and grandeur of the structure EXCEPT for these 3 verses, and that’s interesting too.

The word of the Lord came to Solomon
concerning this house
IF
you will walk in my statutes
and obey my ordinances and
keep all my commandments
and walk in them,
THEN
I will establish my word with you,
I will dwell and will not forsake my people.

Amid all the verses filled with mind-blowing details of how luxurious this structure was, then, there was still not an integrated connection between the sanctuary and those outer rooms of the temple.  God has used my cherry picking to help me see how IF has become the reality of THEN, now.

IF Jesus, THEN the statutes, ordinances and commandments are established as the permanent, integrated connection between the sanctuary and those outer rooms and this is the fruit of reality now “concerning this house.”

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God?”
1 Corinthians 6:19

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Posted in 1 Corinthians, 1 Kings, New Testament, Old Testament, Sunday

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Betrayer

Posted on July 21, 2021 | Leave a comment

John 18:1 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.  2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.  3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

It is not an enemy who taunts me —
then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me —
then I could hide from him.
But it is you, a man, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend.
Psalm 55:12–13 RSV

What do you think about Judas?  This is one of the saddest passages of Scripture because of Judas’s betrayal of Jesus. 
Did Jesus mistakenly choose a betrayer to be one of His disciples?
Did He purposely set Judas up for this awful betrayal?
Was Judas’s mind lost in a battle with “the” enemy?
Did Jesus grieve these words of Psalm 55 over Judas?
What about Peter and his three denials?
Did Jesus grieve these same words of Psalm 55 over Peter?
……………………………WHAT ABOUT YOU?…………………………………

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Posted in John, New Testament, Psalms, Wednesday

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The Third Chapter – Philippians

Posted on October 4, 2020 | Leave a comment

Philippians 3:1 ESV Finally, my brothers,[or brothers and sisters] rejoice in the Lord.  3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—…9…found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—…12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

>§§§>

These are my highlights of words and phrases that caught my attention from the first 12 verses of Philippians 3 in the English Standard Version. Then, over multiple days I decided to take devotional reading a step further and highlight those same words or phrases in a couple other Bible versions that interested me. The object was to finally compare those highlighted phrases from each version side by side and see how they might enhance my response to what I’d read.  This is a long post but I wanted you to be able to see the process in its entirety.  It’s one “devoted” way the Word finds its “life” within you.

KJV 3:1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord…3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh…9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith…12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

NIV 3:1 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord!…3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—…9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith…Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 

* Rejoice in the Lord [x2], rejoice in the Lord!
[note the emphasis of the “!”]
* We who are the circumcision [x2], we are the circumcision
[note the inclusive “we”]
* Worship by the Spirit of God, worship God in the spirit, serve God by his Spirit. [note the impact of “by/in” on “worship/serve“]
* Glory in Christ Jesus, rejoice in Christ Jesus, boast in Christ Jesus
[note how “in Christ” impacts response: “glory, rejoice and boast“]
* Put no confidence in the flesh [x2], have no confidence in the flesh
[note consider the difference between “put/have“]
* not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law [x2], not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law
[note consider difference between “from/of” law on righteousness]
* through faith in Christ [x2], through the faith of Christ
[note the impact “of Christ” and “in Christ” on our faith]
* righteousness from God that depends on faith, righteousness which is of God by faith, righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith
[note “righteousness” “depends on/is of/comes from” God]
* I press on [x2], I follow after
[note the need to “press on” to order to submit and “follow after“]
* because Christ Jesus has made me his own, I am apprehended of
Christ Jesus, Christ Jesus took hold of me
[note who Christ Jesus has made his own/apprehended/took hold of]
ME!

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Posted in New Testament, Philippians, Sunday

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The Third Chapter – Mark, Part 2

Posted on September 2, 2020 | Leave a comment

3:13 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons. 16 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot,[b] 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. NLT

>§§§>

Jesus “started a little society of his own–and a very queer society it was. There were some fishermen; there was a reformed tax-collector; there was a fanatical nationalist. They were not the kind of people whom any ambitious man would particularly want to know. They certainly were not the kind of people who would be any good to a man who was set on a career. No sensible man, they must have been thinking, would pick a crowd of friends like that. They were definitely not the kind of people a prudent man would want to get mixed up with.a“ 

Edification [the improvement of a person morally or intellectually].
Today’s lesson for you:

[Jesus] “called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him.” 

aWilliam Barclay on Mark 3

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Posted in Mark, New Testament, Wednesday

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The Firsts: II Thessalonians 1 – Simple Addition

Posted on March 3, 2019 | Leave a comment

TLB 
11 And so we keep on praying for you, that our God will make you the kind of children he wants to have—will make you as good as you wish you could be!—rewarding your faith with his power.

MSG
11 …we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he’s called you to be, pray that he’ll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something.

NIV 
11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.

God + Prayer = You
– as good as you wish you could be 
– fit for what he’s called you to be 
– made worthy of his calling
– with faith rewarded with his power
– with good ideas and acts of faith filled with his own energy
– with every desire for goodness and deeds prompted by faith brought to fruition

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Posted in 2 Thessalonians, Sunday

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The Big Event – God Bless YOU + Jesus

Posted on December 20, 2017 | Leave a comment

Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord…15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about… 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

These shepherds weren’t wise men. They were barely even acceptable. They couldn’t possibly observe the rules of cleanliness living as they did. They lived on the edge of religious society because they were unfit. They lived on the edge of danger because of the predators that threatened them and the flocks they were protecting and they lived isolated lives on the edge of town. It’s no wonder they were terrified when suddenly all around them there was inexplicable light and sound.

The revelation of the centerpiece of God’s plan was given to those who were unfit, at risk and isolated. That’s how God still works today. Do you remember how God first got your attention? You will certainly have a much less dramatic story than this revelation to the shepherds but the fact is their story is ours. Our heritage was not the intimacy God intended at creation but of our descent from Adam. God determined he would pull his creation back from the edge of life’s circumstances to that first-love intimacy with him and give them “good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”

God chose to reveal the centerpiece of his plan, a Savior, to YOU…of “all people!…” to give YOU the joy of intimacy with him so YOU might desire to …”go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about,”…again this year. God really meant Jesus, the Big Event, to be all about YOU. God bless YOU + Jesus.

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Posted in Luke, The Big Event, Wednesday

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