Me.

In charge.

Uh oh.

The best way that I can describe this transition is:

sksimants=George W. Bush

mdsimants=Barack Obama

eksimants/cesimants=Glenn Beck

Well…. maybe not Glenn Beck, but definitely one of the (slightly) less crazy FoxNews commentators.

Yeah….

“That’s not how mommy does it.”

Nope.  I’m not mommy.  I am ill-equipped to be mommy.

“When mommy’s here she…”

Is your mommy here?  No.  So Daddy does….

You get the picture.  Dad’s you’ve all been there, so I know you can relate.

At any rate…. that’s so not the point of this post.

The point is this.  My kids blew me away yesterday with the lesson they taught me.

We were getting in the car to leave.  I was dropping the kids off at Nana’s and then was headed to Youth at the Church.

We get strapped in.

Shut doors.

Turn the key.

NADA.

Nothing.

Zilch.

Not even a remote attempt at starting.

Dead.

As a doorknob.

While I go into panic mode, the kids sit peacefully in the back.

I hear a soft voice: “God, please help our car to run.”

I get them out of the car, and begin to check the things I know to check.

Papa is on his way to the rescue.

The kids are staring at the frantic daddy through the front door.

And, I learned later, were praying.

On a whim, I put the key back into the ignition.

Turned the key.

Started right up.

Turned it off.

Again.

And…

Again.

About the time that Papa pulls up, the car is working great.

As we load the kids into Papa’s car, I hear eksimants tell Papa that her and cesimants had been praying for the car.  She was almost in tears at the goodness of God to answer prayers.  She told Papa that she was so glad that mommy and daddy had taught them to pray.

I was humbled and convicted.

As I drove to the church, I stopped to repent of my unbelief and my attempts to go it alone.

The kids did exactly what we have taught them to do in all circumstances.  They prayed.

I did what we as humans do in all circumstances.  I fretted and tried to go it alone.

I’m so grateful that their way worked and mine did not.

Folks, prayer works.  In every case.  In every circumstance.  PRAY.

Thanks, kids, for teaching me what I’ve been trying to teach you.

When all else fails.  When you can’t see the end of the tunnel.  And when you are on the mountaintop of victory.

PRAY!

We were in San Juan, Puerto Rico about four years ago.  We were in a taxicab.  Our driver had one arm and one leg.

Seriously.

One arm.

One leg.

From what I could tell, he wasn’t much good in the eyesight category either.

He drove.  We prayed.

Spiritually, that’s how I have felt here lately.

I’m merely a passenger.  My Father God is the driver.

I’m riding.

He’s driving.

Sometimes it feels a bit like He is driving with one leg and one arm.  Like the car is a bit out-of-control.

Well, it is.

It is out-of-MY-control.

And it’s good.

As we allow the Father to drive, we become more in-tune to the miracles that He is constantly performing.  We view more clearly His work.  We learn what the Proverbs mean when they say that the “Fear of YHWH is the beginning of wisdom (seeing things through God’s perspective and acting on it).”

See, to allow God to drive (without us backseat driving) is to Fear Him.  It is to say, “I love You, so I will do what You say.”  It is saying, “Not my will, but thine.”  It is to say, “Show me where You are working, and let me join in.”

It’s beautiful.

It’s scary.

It’s incredibly exhilarating.

So, yes, I do realize that the automobile looks like it is careening out of control.  Yet, I remain content sitting here quietly in the backseat and letting Him take me wherever He determines the next stop will be.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The church in which we serve sponsors a 9th/10th Grade and an 11th/12th Grade Boys
Basketball team. Tonight was a playoff game for our 9th/10th Graders.

I learned upon arrival that we were only going to have five boys in uniform tonight. In
case you know nothing about basketball, five is the minimum you can have on a team and
is the maximum you can have on the floor at any given time.

In the first-half, our boys hung tough against a team that seemed at times to forget it was
church-league ball.

And then, late in the first half, the fear that all of us Asbury fans had hanging in the back
of our minds came into being: One of our five fouled out.

For the remainder of the first-half and the entire sixteen minutes of the second-half, we
played four boys against their five.

Before you try and predict the outcome of the game (and you’re right), let me say this:
These four boys played as hard in the last minute of the game as they played in the first
minute.

It brought to mind 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (MSG):

You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one
wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for the gold medal that
tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.

I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving
it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top
condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it
and then missing out myself.

Paul doesn’t tell the Corinthian church – and by extension all of us – that they had to win,
rather he tells them to run like they want to win.

Stay alert!

Train hard!

Run hard!

Press on!

Play to win even against insurmountable odds!

These boys tonight played to win. The odds were pretty big against them before we went
down a man, yet they kept pressing on. As the other team pushed on like a golden ring
and a trip to DisneyWorld was on the line, these young men from Asbury kept on playing
to win.

They played out the words of Paul.

As I sat in the stands as one of small cloud of witnesses, I thought about that great cloud
of witnesses in the Hebrews (12:1-3). How they cheer and push us on.

They tell us, “Keep playing!”

They tell us, “Keep running!”

They tell us, “Don’t slack off!”

And we persevere on.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus.

Knowing that He has run the race.

He has finished the race.

He has won the prize.

Yet, we run on. Not to win. Rather to point others to Him.

Asbury men, you did a great job tonight in showing us all how to keep on running.

eksimants Studying the Scriptures

I went up to eksimants’ room a few minutes ago to tell her “Good Night”.

She was sitting on her bed copying Scripture from the Bible into her journal.  The passage was from Luke 21:

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.  He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.  “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.  All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Thinking I would seize on a teaching opportunity (and not realizing I was walking into a learning opportunity), I asked, “What does that story tell us?”

eksimants’ reply:

It tells us that we should give everything we have and rely on God.  If we give everything, then we don’t have to worry about anything because God will take care of it.

It’s like @jaredanderson song: Giving everything to God, becuase He gave everything to me.

It’s like the story of the woman with the oil.  Judas told her she wasted the money, because he wanted it for himself.  But Jesus said that Judas was wrong.  He knew that the woman did the best thing for him and for her. 

We should always just give everything.

The beauty of the message of Christ is: when we realize our lives are not intended to be lived for ourselves, we are fulfilled. #NotAboutYou

Christ tells the disciples to take up their cross and follow Him.  He warns them of persecution.  He tells them it won’t be an easy road.  However, when you examine the Scriptures, you find that those who forsook all to follow are living lives that are full and rich. 

Consider the Apostle Paul.  You can read any of the prison epistles (especially Philippians) and find a man who has forsaken all to follow.  He’s in prison.  He’s been shipwrecked.  He’s been beaten.  He could be killed at any minute.  Yet, he writes:

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 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 and is by faith.  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.  – Philippians 3:7-11 (NIV)

I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me.  Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:10-13

(And my unrelated, but free, comment: Be careful of taking Philippians 4:13 on it’s own.  It’s not meant to be stand-alone.)

Paul figured out the secret.  It wasn’t about him.  It was bigger than him.  It was about living a life devoted to others.  That’s what drove him and made him content no matter what the circumstance.

By living your life for someone else, then – and only then – will you find true fulfillment.

As a Christ-follower, your very duty is to live a life focused entirely on others.  #NotAboutYou

It’s not about you.  That is the very message of the Sermon on the Mount.  When you read that beautiful passage (Matthew 5-7), you find an undercurrent that runs throughout it.  That undercurrent is Jesus saying, “Hey, it’s not about you, but about living a life devoted to furthering the message of the Gospel.  It’s about living a live of devotion to YHWH.  It’s about living a live that is centered on others.”  Consider this one gem:

You’re familiar with the old written law, “Love your friend,” and it’s unwritten companion, “Hate your enemy.”  I’m challenging that.  I’m telling you to love your enemies.  Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst.  When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves.  This is what God does.  He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and the bad, the nice and the nasty.  If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus?  Anybody can do that.  If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal?  Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

In a word, what I’m saying is, “Grow up.”  You’re kingdom subjects.  Now live like it.  Live out your God-created identity.  Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.  – Matthew 5:43-48 (The Message)

Live out your God-created identity.  Even the sinners love those who love them.  Christ commands us out of our comfort zones.  He tells us that to follow Him, we have to move outside of where we “fit” and into where we don’t.  We have to live for everyone but ourselves.

Your life then becomes totally about service.  And, that is true YHWH worship. #NotAboutYou

Service.  Living for someone else.  Serving others.  That’s the duty of the YHWH worshipper. 

Consider Jesus’ response to the law expert:

One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

Jesus replied, “You must love YHWH your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.  The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:34-40 (NLT)

Love YHWH with every part of your being.  Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

In other words, the only possible way of accomplishing the desire of YHWH for His people is to pour every aspect of your being into loving Him and other people.  Forsaking all others and all else.

Your wants, desires, ambitions, hopes, dreams all take a backseat to the work of Christ.  #NotAboutYou

Until you want only what Christ wants, you are living for yourself.  Being willing to sacrifice YOUR dreams is the beginning of being a Christ-follower.  It’s not about what YOU want. 

It’s about what Christ wants for you.

It’s about where Christ wants you to go.

It’s about who Christ wants you to serve.

Your life can’t be lived in a relentless pursuit of anything other than chasing after Christ.

Jesus tells His Disciples:
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?  If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angles.  – Luke 9:23-26 (NIV)

Only when you live for others—totally—will you find joy and peace.  #NotAboutYou

People who live a life of self-centeredness will never know true joy.  #NotAboutYou

Only those who live a life of others-centeredness by dying to self will do the work of Christ and fulfill the command of YHWH.  #NotAboutYou

Like was mentioned earlier, the call of YHWH is to love Him and others with every aspect of your being.  It is to forsake all of you in order to help all of them.  It’s not about you anymore.  It’s about the cause of worshipping YHWH.

YHWH guides us on a path of service and calls it the only true act of worship.  #NotAboutYou

Isaiah 58 gives us a clear and concise picture of what it means to be a YHWH worshipper:

I’ll tell you what it really means to worship YHWH.  Remove the chains of prisoners who are chained unjustly.  Free those who are abused!  Share your food with everyone who is hungry; share your home with the poor and homeless.  Give clothes to those in need; don’t turn away your relatives.

Then your light will shine like the dawning sun, and you will quickly be healed.  Your honesty will protect you as you advance, and the glory of YHWH will defend you from behind.  When you beg YHWH for help, he will answer, “Here I am!”

Don’t mistreat others or falsely accuse them or say something cruel.  Give your food to the hungry and care for the homeless.  Then your light will shine in the dark; your darkest hour will be like the noonday sun.

YHWH will always guide you and provide good things to eat when you are in the desert.  He will make you healthy.  You will be like a garden that has plenty of water or like a stream that never runs dry.  You will rebuild those houses left in ruins for years; you will be known as a builder and repairer of city walls and streets. – Isaiah 58:6-12 (CEV)

The act of YHWH worship is an act of forsaking yourself.  It’s an act of taking care of those who are in positions that they are unable to take care of themselves. 

Homeless. 

Poor. 

Hungry. 

Unjustly imprisoned. 

Abused. 

Naked.

YHWH worship is about treating others justly and rightly.  It is about treating people with dignity.

Isaiah 58 concludes with an admonition to keep the Sabbath.  Serve others, but know when to stop, rest, and reflect on the goodness of YHWH.

Christ through His words and deeds of service shows us how to live this life of forsaking all to follow Him.  #NotAboutYou

At the end of his ministry, Jesus, is in a Garden.  He’s praying.  A place comfortable to him and his disciples.  They knew this place.  They knew the peace of prayer in this place.  But….

It’s a dark night.  Trouble is brewing.

Jesus has spent three years serving others.  From things as simple as turning water into wine to as complex as casting demons into swine, in every move Jesus made he served someone else.  He fed thousands.  He walked on water to prove to his followers that he was Messiah.  He slept in the storm to show the Disciples the beauty that is the peace of knowing who is in control.

But….

Thursday night comes.

There’s always a Thursday night in our lives.

A night when we just want to hang it up….

A night when we cry out, “I know you can take this mess from me, but will you?”

Our “Why, God?” turns into a “Do I really have to, God?”

Jesus has hit this evening.

Yet, we see three years of service.   We see three years of miracles.  We see three years of lives forever changed.  We see three guys asleep.

Even in this moment of self-awareness, we see a servant heart.  We hear the prayer, “I don’t really want to, but I will because I know it’s the way.” 

We hear the soldiers.

A Disciple pulls a sword.

Jesus serves.

Even in the moment of deepest trial, he serves by putting an ear back on a servants head.

The acts of service that our Messiah culminated in an ultimate act of service. 

A death. 

A burial. 

A resurrection.

Jesus shows us by his example that life is only worth living when you’re willing to follow the will of YHWH and die.

Forsaking all and following is simply the act of refusing to live for yourself and instead living for everyone else.  #NotAboutYou

Jesus gives the command. 

Forsake all.  Follow me.

There’s a pair of stories.  Bookends almost.  Where Jesus calls and then re-calls Peter.

As Jesus walked beyond the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”  At once they left their nets and followed him.   – Mark 1:16-18 (NIV)

Three years later:

“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.”  So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” he answered.

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”  When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”  As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.  The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.  When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore.  It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 

…

Then he said to him [Peter], “Follow me!” – John 21:3-11, 19 (NIV)

Two stories. 

One man.

A bunch of fish.

More than they’d ever caught.

Miraculous catch.

“Peter, follow me.”

A calling and then a re-calling of a man who would change history. 

There are so many neat things in these stories (for instance, when they arrive back on shore after Jesus asked them if they had fish, Jesus is cooking fish), but let me leave with this one:

They left their nets on the shore and said, “We’re in.”

They followed.

They committed their lives to service.

They realized that a life lived for someone besides themselves was more interesting, fun, fulfilling, and rewarding than a life lived for themselves.

The message of Christ and the worship of YHWH is simply defined as acting upon the realization that it is not about you. #NotAboutYou

So, the call to action for all of us is simply, “Get over yourself and live for others.  Then you will please YHWH.”  #NotAboutYou

It’s not about you.  It’s about a life bigger than yourself.  When you allow YHWH to be that footlamp of which the Psalmist speaks, then you can dream God-sized dreams.  When you dream God-sized dreams, then you can do God-sized things.

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU!

When Job heard this, he tore his clothes and shaved his head because of his great sorrow.  He knelt on the ground, then worshiped God and said:

“We bring nothing at birth

We take nothing with us at death.

YHWH alone gives and takes

Praise the name of YHWH!”

                                       — Job 1:20-21

Job has just lost his entire livelihood.  His oxen and donkeys were stolen and servants killed.  His sheep and shepherds are dead.  His camels and camel-herders have been taken by Chaldeans.  His sons and daughters killed in a windstorm. 

All he has left is his health (for now), the four servants who escaped to tell him bad news, and his wife who isn’t very supportive.

It’s bad.

Bad.

We’ve all been there.

Those moments when it seems that the world is closing in around us.  When it seems like we’re lost in a fog and have no idea which way is out. 

The boat is being cast back and forth in the storm. 

Certain death.

It’s bad.

It’s that moment when you find out …

… your best friend hates you

… you’re loosing that dream job

… that promotion you hoped to get isn’t going to happen

… your wife is leaving you

… the cancer is terminal

It’s bad news all around.

How do you respond?

For Job it was to do the natural thing and begin to mourn.  Yet, in his mourning, he knew that he had to worship. 

Here’s where Job meets David.

Fast-forward to Psalm 13:1-4 (NIV).

How long, YHWH?  Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, YHWH, my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

My enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”

And my foes will rejoice when I fall.

It’s bad. 

The world is crushing in.

Yet, Psalm 13 has one more verse.

But I trust in your unfailing love;

My heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing to YHWH,

For HE HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME.

cesimants Praying

In the midst of the bad, David, like Job, recognized that YHWH has been good to him.  That in the midst of all the rough circumstances, YHWH is still on the throne.

That when he was being chased by Saul, hiding in a cave, fearing for his very life, he was able to stand on the promise that YHWH was still with him. 

Even when YHWH wasn’t evident, David knew YHWH was there.

Fast forward again.

This time to the Disciples.

They’re in the boat.

It’s storming.

It’s bad.

Certain death.

These were fishermen and they were afraid.  These were men who made a living on the water.   They knew the ferociousness of the storm.  Fear was legitimate. 

Jesus is sleeping.

They wake the Messiah up and ask Him if He just didn’t care that they were about to die.

Jesus calms the storm, and then gives a lesson in faith.

In the midst of the storm, Messiah brings peace.

One more fast forward.

John Wesley is on a boat.  Ferocious storm.  Certain death.  Legitimate fear.

In the corner sits a group of people.  Moravians.  Answering their own prayers by going to serve God in a dark land.

They are at peace.

They are praying.

That experience begins the process for Wesley that culminates in the Aldersgate experience.  The peace of YHWH in the midst of the bad-stuff sets the spark in motion that becomes the Methodist movement.

Four stories.

Four bad situations.

Four impossible circumstances.

All changed by worship.

All changed by the knowledge that YHWH has all things in His hand.

All changed by the peace that comes from knowing the unfailing love of YHWH.

All changed by knowing that even in the bad HE HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME.

In the midst of your bad, how do you respond? 

Several months ago, I learned that a common event with people affiliated with the 24-7 Prayer movement was to set their alarms for Noon in whatever timezone they were in.  When that alarm sounds, they stop whatever they are doing to pray the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray.  What an awesome idea. 

In Sunday School on Sunday, I challenged our youth to do the same.  Take two minutes at Noon to re-center the day by praying the Lord’s Prayer. 

I also taught a bit on the Lord’s Prayer.

Luke 11:1-4 (HCSB):

He was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say:

Father,

Your name be honored as holy.

Your kingdom come.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone in debt to us.

And do not bring us into temptation.”

He was praying in a certain place

I love this image.  The disciples understood that when Jesus went into this “certain place” it was to pray.  Prayer matters.  Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount that we should pray in a quiet, private place.  He does what He teaches.

Teach us to pray

Elsewhere in the Gospels (Mark 9), we get the story of Jesus, Peter, James, and John going up the Mount of Transfiguration.  While they were on the mountain, the remaining disciples were asked to heal a boy.  They tried all that they knew to try.  No success.  Jesus comes back down the mountain and takes care of the problem.

Afterwards, the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t do what He did.  Jesus replies, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” (Mark 9:29, NIV)

The disciples grasped the importance of prayer.  They understood that prayer was the source of the power that Jesus had.  Prayer matters.

They don’t ask Jesus to teach them to preach.

They don’t ask Jesus to teach them to heal the sick.

They don’t ask Jesus to teach them to walk on water.

They don’t ask Jesus to teach them to raise the dead.

They don’t ask Jesus to teach them how to build a big church.

They don’t ask Jesus to teach them how to raise lots of money.

They ask Jesus to teach them to pray. 

That’s all.

Teach us to pray.

So, Jesus does.

Father

Beautiful imagery here.

I think we often get lost in this as being Big, Awe-full, Reverent God (and it is), yet, I like this image of Father as in Abba – Daddy.

We see later in this passage that Jesus talks about being a father and what that means.  He says in verse 11-13 (HCSB):

“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Father – Abba – Daddy. 

Your name be honored as holy.

Here we get the reverence.

Holy! Holy! Holy!

Revelation tells us of masses of angels, cherubims, seraphims, and saints gathered around the Throne of God non-stop singing Holy, Holy, Holy! 

God.  Is.  Big.

God is to be revered. 

God is to be worshipped.

God is to be looked upon with great awe.

Your kingdom come.

In Matthew’s account of the Lord’s Prayer this phrase is rendered: “Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, HCSB)

Your kingdom come.

Not mine.

Not my plan.

Not my ambition.

Not my goal.

Yours.

Hard prayer.

It’s not about us.  It’s not about our plans, ambitions, goals, schemes, desires, wants, or needs.  It’s about God’s.

Your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

Not our weekly bread.

Not our monthly bread.

Not our Sunday morning to Sunday morning bread.

Daily bread.

Remember the story of the Israelites in the wilderness?

They’re hungry.  God provides in the form of Manna and Quail.  Yet, God gives them specific instructions.  Only gather enough for today. 

Today’s bread.

Daily bread.

Jesus talked about this in the Sermon on the Mount as well.  At the end of Matthew 6 (vs. 25-34, MSG), he tells us:

“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion.  There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.  Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God.  And you count far more to him than birds.

“Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch?  All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference?  Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into fields and look at the wildflowers.  They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it?  The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

“If God gives such attention to the appearance wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?  What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.  People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.  Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.  Don’t worry about missing out.  You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

“Give your attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.  God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

In short, God will take care of you.  Daily. 

Daily bread.

And forgive us out sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone in debt to us.

Uh. Oh.

This is the tough part.

Forgive us, as we forgive others.

Sometimes, we think “Do unto others” gives us the liberty to really stick it to folks.  After all, they hurt us, so they must want to be hurt right?

Yet….

Jesus comes and messes it all up.

Forgive us as we have forgiven others.

Back in the Sermon on the Mount, He tells us that if we hold even as much as a grudge against someone, then we should fix it before coming to the altar. 

Praise the Lord for mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

And do not bring us into temptation

It seems to me that we often think of temptation in the wrong sense.  Often when we pray this, we think: Remove us from the temptation to …

… rob a bank

… smack our neighbor

… steal a twix bar

… take a pen from the office

Yet, there’s more here.

Think of the context.

I think temptation here is deeper than the superficial stuff we usually attach to it.

Remove us from the temptation to …

… not allow God to be our Father

… worship something other than God

… force our kingdom into being

… seek out – on our own – our weekly bread

… hold that grudge as long as possible

Do not bring us into temptation.

So, I challenge each of you, set that alarm for Noon.  When it buzzes, beeps, dings, or rings, stop what you’re doing and join me for two minutes as we pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory.  Forever.  Amen.

During the rule of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest assigned service in the regiment of Abijah. His name was Zachariah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth. Together they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God. But they were childless because Elizabeth could never conceive, and now they were quite old.

It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God, working the shift assigned to his regiment, it came his one turn in life to enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense. The congregation was gathered and praying outside the Temple at the hour of the incense offering. Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the altar of incense. Zachariah was paralyzed in fear.

But the angel reassured him, “Don’t fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You’re going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He’ll achieve great stature with God.   “He’ll drink neither wine nor beer. He’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother’s womb. He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God’s arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he’ll get the people ready for God.”

Zachariah said to the angel, “Do you expect me to believe this? I’m an old man and my wife is an old woman.”

But the angel said, “I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won’t believe me, you’ll be unable to say a word until the day of your son’s birth. Every word I’ve spoken to you will come true on time—God’s time.”

Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary. When he came out and couldn’t speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people.

When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn’t long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. “So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!” she said.

When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her.

On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father. But his mother intervened: “No. He is to be called John.”

“But,” they said, “no one in your family is named that.” They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named.

Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, “His name is to be John.” That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah’s mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!

A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, “What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this.”

Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

   And you, my child, “Prophet of the Highest,”
      will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways,
   Present the offer of salvation to his people,
      the forgiveness of their sins.
   Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
      God’s Sunrise will break in upon us,
   Shining on those in the darkness,
      those sitting in the shadow of death,
   Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
      down the path of peace.

The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.

There are two things from this story that stand-out to me.  First is Zachariah’s response to the angel and the second is his response to the birth.

Zachariah was a priest.  He knows the history of the Jewish people.  He knows one story in particular – Abraham and Sarah. 

Angel appears. 

Says, “You’re going to be a pop.  Congratulations.”

Zachariah laughs.

Outloud.

Just like Sarah did.

Here is a priest.  A man who has taught hundreds of Jewish children their history laughs at a story he’s heard before.

This story shows hope.

Once again, we see God choosing the unlikely to become history.

An old man.

An old woman.

A baby.

The foreteller of the Messiah.

God removing people from their personal dramas to make them a part of His story.

The angel tells Zachariah that his lack of belief – belief of a story he’s known all his life – would result in his mouth being shut until the baby is born.  See, when we fail to belief the promises of God, He would prefer that we just keep our mouth shut. 

Contrast Elizabeth’s response.  She “relishes” in the fact that she is pregnant.  Fortunately for her, Zachariah couldn’t talk.  He couldn’t be the wet-blanket that he would have undoubtedly been if he had been able to speak.  He couldn’t derail the joy of God as we so often do when we hear a promise of God that will remove us from our own dramas.

Then the baby is born.

“Name him John”, Elizabeth says.

Counter-cultural.

No one in the family is named John.

No significance.

But, Zacariah, speaks.

“Name him John.”

See, God often works counter-culturally.

God often takes us from what’s comfortable when He uses us in His story.  It’s not just a taking us out of the drama and keeping us where we are, but rather it’s a matter of removing us from the drama to drop us into a new place.

Zachariah then prophesies.  He says that this boy, John, would foretell the coming of the Messiah.

Then he makes a profound statement: “Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God’s Sunrise will break in upon us, shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.”

Because God has chosen to have mercy on us once again, He will break through our darkness with His beautiful sunrise.

The beauty of Immanuel is that Immanuel is right now.  God is with us in the right now. 

Immanuel doesn’t parachute in to rescue us; rather He is right here right now.  In the midst of our darkness, He breaks in with His sunrise.

When Job is in deepest despair, God speaks out of the storm.

When Elijah is hiding in a cave, God breaks in with a still, small voice.

When His people were in slavery, God burns a bush to get Moses’ attention.

When we are struggling with addictions, God’s sunrise brings us comfort and strength.

When we are experiencing death, God’s sunrise brings us hope of new life.

In the middle of our darkness – our personal drama – God’s sunrise, Immanuel, breaks in and moves us into His story.

Though it was an uncomfortable moment, two lessons were ingrained into my mind because of this event.  The greatest commandment Jesus gave us was to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  I realized why the love of possessions is such an evil in the Kingdom of God.  When I place my possessions as idols, then I cannot love my neighbor as myself, because I’m loving my possessions as myself, resulting in people coming second to things.  When we ignorantly believe that all we have belongs to us, then we start to identify our value through the possessions we “own.”  And of course the logical step following that identification is to use our energy and time and money to protect those possessions, because if they lose their value, then we lose our value along with them!

But what’s so wonderful about the world that God created is that we are to put HIM first and love HIM with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind.  We give God the greatest value in our lives, because through Him all things were made and in Him is life!  And when we put God first in our life, then we begin to identify ourselves through HIS eyes, and we see that we are made in HIS image!  And we give God our energy and time and money because we love Him and we realize it all came from Him and is His anyway, but we don’t have to worry about protecting God for fear of risking depreciation, because God will never lose His value.  The only risk of loving God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind is that we surrender our will to His, and when he tells us to go, we go.  When he tells us to give, we give.  When he tells us to serve, we serve.  When he tells us to pray, we pray.  When he tells us to fast, we fast.  When he tells us to preach, we preach.  We give our ALL, and we say for me, to live is Christ and to die is gain!

And this is where the second commandment comes in so easily.  When we love God and obey God, when we live with the fear of the Lord in our hearts, we tenderly and humbly see that our neighbor is also made in the image of God.  We see that those who have rejected God are like lost sheep who need to receive the mercy and love of their Shepherd.  We see that God loves His creation, and because we love Him, we have a deep respect and love toward those which he has created.  We see the likeness of God in our neighbor, and we recognize that we too are a humble creation, a pot in the Potter’s hands.

The second lesson I took away from this experience is that from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.  If my heart is full of bitterness and rage and idolatry and selfishness, then when my heart overflows, my mouth will speak these things.  If my heart is full of the grace and compassion and the fruit of a life living in step with the Holy Spirit and full of His fruit, then when my heart overflows, my mouth will speak His truth and His life.

Father God, You are worthy of all my praise and honor and thanksgiving and worship.  I’m reminded today of how deadly idols can be.  Please remove the idols in my life.  Reveal to me the things that I exalt over people and over You so that I may crush them in Jesus’ name!  Fill me with your Spirit.  I want my cup to run over with the power of the Holy Spirit.  I put You above all in my life.  Lord, bless the man who cussed me out today.  Reveal your truth and love and grace to him.  Turn his life around in such a way that when his heart overflows, his mouth speaks Your blessing and love to others.  Teach him what it is to be slow to speak and slow to become angry.  Thank you for being Emmanuel, God with me today and revealing truth to me in the midst of an unsettling encounter.  Lead me into Your path and Your way and correct me when I stray.  Deliver me from the desire to seek revenge.  I surrender all to You.  May Your name be exalted and glorified from the earth below to the heavens above!  You reign, Almighty God!  Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!  To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!  Amen!

Inside the front cover of mine, Mom wrote a note:

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” – 3 John 4 (KJV)

As a kid, I understood this to mean, “Live right and make Momma proud.”  Yet, now, as the father of two kids, while I still understand it that way, I also understand it quite differently.

As I watch my own kids, and pray that they grow up to walk in truth, I understand what else Mom was saying with that inscription.  There is something amazingly special about seeing your children walking in truth.

I watch my kids with their hearts turned to God, and, through the pride of a parent, learn the lesson that Jesus tried to teach His disciples – “a little child shall lead them.”

Yesterday morning, cesimants sat in my lap as I read Proverbs 24 and my daily Psalms readings (19, 91, 121 and 139).  As I read them out loud, cesimants would mimic the words.  So, together we memorized Psalm 121:2a (“My help comes from YHWH”).  It’s amazing to hear him say that, and know that he’s saying a prayer that millions have been saying for thousands of years.  It’s even more amazing to see him walking in truth.

Week-in and week-out, we get to watch eksimants worship, quote scripture, praise God, etc.  Last night after a 12 hour day of serving at church, we pulled back in the church parking lot to pick up our other vehicle.  I said, “we’re back at the church, let’s go worship again.”  eksimants quickly replied, “Ok!  We should!”

So, Mom, I didn’t fully understand 31 or so years ago when I first read that inscription what you were saying, but I do now.  Thank you for raising us up to walk in truth.

sksimants, thank you for raising our children to walk in truth!  While I hate to think of them growing up, I can’t wait to see how God uses them and the things you instill in them every day.

Below are two videos of my own kids.  First, is cesimants praising God, and second is eksimants quoting Philippians 4:4-13, 19-20.