Obedience is the key to understanding!

 ⁸ He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross. Philippians 2:8 HCSB

This week we have seen the reaction to the grand jury’s decision in Ferguson, MO. It is pretty easy to say how can they react that way? What’s wrong with those people? Be honest, on our side it is easy to say that of others. I have no understanding of the dynamic in that community or any community of color.

We do that to those who act or react in a way that we don’t understand. It’s easy. We want what we want when we want it and will use any means necessary to get it. That’s how we started in this world. That’s what a toddler does.

Toddlers are not taught or schooled how to be selfish. No, they came out of the chute selfish. We teach them to share over time. We learn to share over time or at least we are supposed to learn. We don’t or haven’t learned. Christ was obedient to death on the cross. He was obedient to his Father’s will regardless of the consequences. That’s where we are going, obedience. That is what it is to die to self, to be crucified with Christ, obedience. Sometimes we fool ourselves into believing we are obedient.

Max Lucado writes from The Grip of Grace There are times when the one thing you want is the one thing you never get…You pray and wait. No answer. You pray and wait. May I ask you a very important question? What it God says no? What if the request is delayed or even denied? When God says no to you, how will you respond? If God says, “I’ve given you my grace, and that is enough,” will you be content? I would add the question, “Will you be obedient?” Or, are you tempted to help God out or explain away His answer with some excuse or reason like, “God wants me to be happy!” or “Surely he wouldn’t say that?” ”He has given me a sign or maybe that’s his sign.”

Lucado continues, “will you be content? Content. That’s the word. A state of heart in which you would be at peace if God gave you nothing more than he already has.”

Ugh, would you could you be content waiting on God? Probably not, our nature is that of willful rebellion against God. You prayed for your Mom or friend or whomever to be healed. God heard your prayer and healed them just not how you wanted because they died. You yell and scream, how mean God is and how you don’t trust him, how unjust He is etc. You decide if He is like that then you don’t need him or his church. Question, did you forget to be in Heaven with Jesus is to be whole and Holy as Jesus is holy. Sin completely healed without scar or shame. He heard your prayer, answered your pray and honored your prayer. However, it was not how you liked. You are mad! We understand those in Ferguson, MO better than we thought. It doesn’t make that response right just familiar.

To be obedient is to be content with God’s plan, purpose and your position in His Kingdom.

Understanding is a position of humility, piety and gratitude just like Jesus.

In HIS Service and yours,

Bro G

Compassion is risky business!

This is from my message Sunday. It has hit home with me this week and so I thought I would share. This event occurs following the teaching of the people we call the “Sermon on the Mount.”

When He came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. ² Right away a man with a serious skin disease came up and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Matthew 8:1-2 HCSB

In other translations “skin disease” was leprosy. It may have been plaque psoriasis or a host of other skin conditions. Either way a leper lived apart from the community both physically and spiritually. It was thought you could get the disease by touching or being close to one who had it. Imposed both by the community and by the individual separation was their isolation protocol. To walk among the “non-sick” the leper was required to call out “unclean” bringing attention to their situation, isolating themselves even more so in public. It made for a lonely, touchless, solitary life. Can you imagine a mother who could not touch their son or a father who could not hold their wife or daughter? The agony, longing, yearning for contact because we are made for touch. Appropriate contact connects us together and makes us more human. A leper had no such contact, no physical touch. Everyone knew that. Jesus knew that. Spiritually the leper could not worship in the Temple. He could not participate in the ritual activities of the nation because of his obvious “sin.” To touch such a “sinner” risked the same outcast life and consequences of the disease spiritually as well at least for a time. Knowing this risk we see the compassion of the leper as he only asks Jesus to heal him nothing more. This is how Jesus responds to the risk.

³ Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his disease was healed. Matthew 8:3 HCSB

Jesus being well Jesus starts with the man’s need and then his request. In spite of the great risk Jesus faced (he was a man) and maybe because of it he touched him and then he healed him. I think a contemporary analogy is an Ebola virus patient. As I have pondered this I saw how we isolate those with other lifestyles, ideas, political passion, the wrong families or backgrounds. It is so easy to isolate those who are not like us or have opposing views or lifestyles by treating them as lepers to be “safe.” Where is our compassion? Jesus didn’t see a leper but a child of God. A hurting, broken child in need of healing and hope.

Who do we see as “lepers” in and around us?

 

How do we isolate them?

 

Do we see them with Jesus eyes?

Who will you “touch” to change this?

 

Will you take the “risk?”

 

Compassion is risky business doing the right thing!

In HIS Service and yours,

Bro G

This is cra cra amaz (crazy amazing)

This is crazy amazing!

The European Space Agency reported Wednesday that they had landed a probe on the surface of a comet 317 million miles from earth. The comet was:

Discovered in 1969, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko circles the sun in an elliptical orbit extending nearly 500 million miles from the sun at its far point -- beyond the orbit of Jupiter -- to a point between the orbits of Earth and Mars some 115 million miles from the sun. The comet measures 2.5 miles across and rotates every 12.4 hours, taking about 6.5 years to complete one orbit. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/comet-landing-esa-rosetta-photos-philae-lander-on-comet-67p/ 11.13.14 12:47pm It is traveling at 86,000 miles per hour. Our own planet earth travels at 66,700 miles per hour around the sun once every 365 1/3 days rotating every 24 hours. The diameter of the earth at the equator is 7,926.41 miles. I know that is a lot of numbers probably too big to get our heads around.

Consider that man aimed at a moving target 21/2 miles across, 317 million miles from our own moving planet 10 years+ ago and yesterday hit it. The machine used the gravitational pull of two different object within our solar system to accelerate to the speed needed to orbit around the comet.  Command and control signals traveling at nearly the speed of light still take 28 minutes to cover the distance and 28 minutes to return.

 

Consider that we could calculate these times and places to land on this “new” object because there is such order in the universe. Not randomness but order, predictable, plan-able (yes I made that one up) perceptible order to the cosmos. Order does not come from chaos.

Consider, Speaking of God Isaiah said:

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure or weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in the scales? Isaiah 40:12 HCSB        

God is amazing. Bigger than the vastness of the heavens and all of these mind boggling numbers too big to comprehend and yet it is also true that he knows where you are what you are going through and how it turns out for your good and His glory. You have value and are worth more than the life of his own son!   

²⁹ Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. ³¹ So don’t be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31 HCSB

Now THAT’S crazy amazing!

In HIS Service and yours,

Bro G

God’s provision from the ridiculous to the subline!

Speaking of ridiculous, last we I ran out of the paper stock on which we print our worship folder. Its 28lb and bright white (like 100) so it is not cheap or available anywhere. Our previous stock had come from staples and I went to reorder but 4 reams were $46 and that was just too much. So, no order. We made due last week but now have got to have some. As a Staples customer, I received some sweet discounts in the mail. I was hoping for one of those and Wednesday it came $30 off a $60 order. The paper was $46 and we needed some batteries I was at $60 subtract $30 and bingo sweet deal. That’s ridiculous but thank God.

But every good endowment that we possess and every complete gift that we have received must come from above, from the Father of all lights, with whom there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency. James 1:17 J.B. Phillips

Now the sublime, Tuesday I was driving the babies (my term) home from school. On the way my volt gauge sounded an alarm reading a lower than normal output. Off and on it went until it went off. I thought oh great my alternator is going bad maybe it will get through the route and then can get it repaired. Well, on to the next stop and the same thing again but added to this another alarm on the water temperature. I thought oh great the belt is broken we have got to get another bus. So we limped to a safer spot for student transfer. I stopped the motor only to have my “babies” go crazy because routine was broken. We have never had to change buses during the route before. I don’t know about you but I was a little miffed by all of this. Why now? Why today? Why stupid? UGH!

The other bus arrived and as we transferred students crazy continues pushing me more and more. However, we get on with dropping children off and down the road. Next the radio crackles with excitement that something is happening and emergency vehicles are flying at Courthouse and Little McCall. That’s where I have to go, GREAT. When I get to the intersection nothing, no blue lights, cars nothing so far so good. I made several regular stops behind schedule but fine (it had been about 10 minutes waiting). We rounded the corner and there are 10 Deputies parked in a front yard right where my next stop is. So, I proceed with caution and finally see several deputies gathered by a mailbox talking. Ok, so kids can get off and Moms where all waiting (glory hallelujah). Two more stops and fine and then there is another house with what seemed like 10 more Deputies, the Sheriff and Chief Deputy (that means it’s a deal). But, on with the rest of the route and home.

Later the news reported an armed robbery and three suspects in custody, REALLY! It was not until the next morning as I was still with God that I understood his provision. If we had not been delayed by a broken belt the “babies” and I would have either been in the middle of the robbery or the law enforcement response.

 

Turns out I am the one who is crazy and ridiculous!

 

But you already knew that!       

In HIS Service and yours,
Bro G