“Come Forth!”…or something…

“Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.”

~ John 12:9-11

 

Putting aside for a second the “airhead moment” of plotting to kill a person Jesus had just raised from the dead, imagine for a minute just how ridiculous of an impact Lazarus had on the world around him. He didn’t even have to speak most of the time; people came just to see him — he who was dead for four days, he whose sister told Jesus “by now, he stinketh” in the grave — and see the obvious and apparent work that Jesus had worked in his life.

 

It’s not too much a stretch to say there aren’t very many people today who can walk around with as obvious a work as Lazarus had done by Jesus in his, yet in another way, there should be — indeed, there are many. No, perhaps not as clear-cut as “dude was dead in a tomb for four days, then at the word of Jesus, he was resurrected”, his living itself the testimony that death was no match for Jesus, but….

 

…maybe just as clear cut to those who know the one resurrected, delivered, course-corrected from “over the waterfall” to “beside still waters”.

 

Because whether a person be dead and buried or a alive wishing he was…whether a person be on top of the world or at the bottom of the ladder…whether a person be wondering about Jesus from afar like Andrew or like Judas…

 

…When Jesus calls to a person’s soul, saying “Come forth!” as He did to Lazarus, there only remain two options: remain as you are, or follow Him.

 

Today, this day of the Last Supper, do you want to have a testimony to the world as Lazarus did — “I was dead, yet I live”? Sometimes it takes a hot minute for us to get the headwrap removed from our resurrected eyes just as Lazarus did, but once that wrap’s off, GO FORTH and walk the testimony that the Lord has worked in and through you!

“A-Where Did He Go, George?!”

Today’s the day!

While the guys were still sleeping, a few faithful ladies walked down before dawn to the Garden Tomb to properly – finally – attend to the body of Jesus, as they had been prevented from doing so on the preparation day and Passover.

Tears filled their eyes as they pondered how on earth would they ever be able to move the huge stone that had been placed over the entryway. Only instead of the regiment of guards that Caiaphas had posted there, there was a distinct absence of activity there.

They round the corner leading up to the tomb only to find the stone was already moved…and an angel was sitting on top of it!

Bewildered, they listened to the angel’s words — “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, for He is risen!” — and looked into the tomb to see it was just as the angel had said….an empty funeral wrapping still in the place they had originally laid Him, but no Jesus.

They immediately ran back to where the disciples were and told them what they saw and heard.

John and Peter ran to the tomb to check it out. John stopped at the door and peered in, amazed. Peter lumbered inside, equally amazed. They departed to share with everyone else what had happened, and the news of Jesus’ resurrection hasn’t stopped spreading ever since.

This changes everything.

What do you intend to do with this, the most impactful news ever reported?

Help Isn’t ‘On The Way’ – He’s Already Here!

It’s the day after Palm Sunday.

The day after Jesus rode that colt of a donkey down the road into Jerusalem.

The day after throngs of people crowded that roadside, placing palm branches along the roadway. Even placing their beautiful outer garments along His path for Him to traverse.

The people were crying out “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!“, making reference to Psalm 118, a prophetic Messianic psalm.

The religious leaders knew exactly what the people were declaring, and they ordered Jesus to rebuke the people for saying it. Jesus’ reply gave insight into how eternally important that moment was: “If I told them to be quiet, the very rocks themselves would speak in their place!”

What it would have been like to be there for that moment in history!

…but we weren’t. We’re here, in 2020, most likely under a “shelter in place” order because of an invisible enemy that’s really causing a ruckus.

You might be stuck in your house with your spouse and kids. Or with your roommates. Or with your animal(s). Or maybe just by yourself.

Many are in isolated quarantine, having contracted this coronavirus, unable to even be around their families.

You are very likely already tired of being cooped up, starting to get a little stir crazy (especially if you’re from America, where our motto over the past few decades has increasingly become “Go, go, go!”).

Whatever your situation, this little “pause button” in our otherwise hectic lives might have opened up some opportunity for you to do a bit more pondering than you might otherwise have had opportunity to do.

I hope this is the case for you, too.

While the reverberating shouting of the crowd from Palm Sunday might have already dispersed, the reality of what they were celebrating is still very much the same — that the God of all eternity set an appointment all the way back in Daniel 9:24-27, expected His people to recognize it and be waiting for it (and indeed, many were, but far from all), and when He rode that colt down the hill into the city of Jerusalem, He knew that the celebration was going to be short-lived (no pun intended) as in a few short days, the outcry was not going to be “Hosanna, hosanna!“….it was going to be “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

If YOU were in that crowd, what would YOU have shouted?

Would you rather be thankful, despite your circumstances, that the King of Kings showed up exactly when He said He would to show Himself to humanity as The Anointed One of God?

Or would you rather have your life call Him a liar, a fraud, an unnecessary usurpation or addition to what humanity could accomplish without Him?

You might not have been standing on that hillside circa 32AD to declare it to His face, but you’re in the same position to make your life a declaration of one or the other today, wherever you are.

So many people who had seen Him work personally, who were changed by His miracles, His healings, His teachings, were on that hillside declaring Him to be who He said He was — the long awaited Messiah. So many others stood amidst the crowd, arms folded, scowls on their faces, loathing Him because they craved the power they held more than the Truth they were supposed to uphold and relay to the people from His Scriptures.

They could not fathom that the regular, uneducated, common people recognized Jesus reaching out His hand to them, seeking to meet them where they were and save them anyways.

Just like His parable of the shepherd leaving the 99 to find the one lost sheep, He hasn’t given up on you, He’s still pursuing you, seeking for you to be reunited with Him.

But unlike the parable, on this side of the cross there’s no waiting period — if you have not yet known Him, or if you once did but have walked away, His hand is still extended waiting for you to put your trust in Him.

Instead of “help is on the way”, He now says “I’ve been here with you, waiting for you to come follow Me“.

Whatever your circumstances, don’t give up. Fight through the crowd, fight through the haters, fight through the circumstances with everything you have to GRAB HIS HAND…and never let go again.

Everything — Lifehouse

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(Obviously not my music, rights reserved by their respective owners.)

Thoughts on This Palm Sunday

Good morning, you beautiful people!

It’s Palm Sunday!

Not even coronavirus can stop this most wonderful of days from being commemorated.

NOTHING can stop the King of Kings from riding down that slope into Jerusalem on the back of that colt of a donkey, just as was predicted hundreds of years ahead of time.

The people shouted “Hosanna, hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” They cast their beautiful outer garments on the roadway along with palm branches in honor of their long awaited Messiah’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

And halfway through His ride, Jesus stopped. And wept.

Why? Because His people were being held responsible for the appointment He had scheduled with them hundreds of years prior, as recorded in Daniel 9. (Think of this as the ultimate version of Morgan Freeman’s “God” character setting and keeping the appointment with Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty)

The Seventh at Seven — Bruce Almighty

He wept knowing that even though thousands had gathered to shout “Hosanna, hosanna!” this time, in a few short days another crowd would be shouting “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

But on that first Palm Sunday, this event kicked off the final week of Jesus’ direct earthly ministry, effectively passing the point of no return (though He, of course, never had any intention of turning back).

For one day at least, the people were thrilled to have Jesus in their midst. And I pray today that you also are just as thrilled, regardless of the circumstances of life being what they are.

Put all that aside for today, and just be thrilled to have Jesus in your midst.

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I’ll Find You — Lecrae (ft. Tori Kelly)
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(Obviously not my music, rights reserved by their respective owners.)

Doubleheader for #UnityFriday

Hey y’all, with so many being on coronavirus lockdown right now, I figured it would be a good time to send out a nice #UnityDoubleheader for everyone to watch and enjoy.

Especially at times like these, we need to remember that we’re not nearly as different as the loudest voices would often like us to believe. And even despite our differences, that which unites us as Americans (and humans, for that matter) is far greater than most of the things which divide us.

Love to you all,
~Jason

(Obviously not my music, rights reserved by their respective owners.)
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KJ-52 — Island of the Misfit Toys

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They Like Me — KJ-52 ft. Lecrae

 

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Forgiveness Friday?

Yeah, it’s Valentine’s Day.

But hey, whether you’re “feeling the love” or not, perhaps you’ve been hurt by someone and deep down you know you don’t want to be trapped in the quicksand of an unforgiving heart about it.

Or maybe you did some hurting of your own and want to make it right by seeking that forgiveness yourself.

Maybe you’ve been running from the Hounddog of Heaven for so long that you’re just about out of your last iota of strength.

Face it, we all have people we need to forgive, as well as those we need forgiveness from.

Most fundamentally, we need our Creator’s forgiveness to “reset or baseline” so to speak.

So for this #ForgivenessFriday, enjoy a few minutes of some folks celebrating forgiveness.

We The Kingdom – Holy Water

Integrity In The Face of Inclusiveness

Kids are great.

They force us to examine ourselves and situational life in ways that we’d likely (read: preferably) gloss over and largely ignore. Their struggles allow us to impart some of our “expertise” and wisdom to help them better navigate stormy waters, while at the same time putting a mirror in front of our own faces allow us to simultaneously speak words of life to them while we slowly, painfully have our own shortcomings appear before our eyes.

Think of the Pharisees who cast the woman caught in adultery at Jesus’ feet in John chapter 8….the looks on their faces when He said to them “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first”, and when they were “convicted in their conscience” and “went out one by one, from the oldest even to the last”.

Recently, I was having a conversation with a dear friend of mine about our kids that ended up developing into a pretty neat examination of some of the nuanced differences in determining if a child is “qualified” (more on that in a bit) to stand in a position of example over others in their same peer group.

The sometimes-tense discussion centered around the concept of the appropriateness of a child taking a position of moral authority over a peer when the child struggles in related areas of social interactions. In the days since the conversation, my mind has been marinading on the balance between the two equally valid positions — the necessary correction and rebuke of a person actively engaging in activities both at odds with their professed faith and detrimental to their physical well being, and the necessary sending forth of said person into areas of life requiring better decision-making choices in ways that will both reinforce and encourage them to more beneficial and honorable conduct.

Central to the issue is personal integrity: the concept of having your external words and conduct align with your internal beliefs.

We touched a little on one word in the premise: qualification.  Strictly speaking, none of us are purely qualified; there is not one among us who has perfectly corraled the mind, heart, and tongue so as to be able to say to another “I am superior to you in this”.

After all, some of the most resonant voices in various areas of struggle are not those who have been immune to those struggles, but rather those who were entangled in them before Jesus helped them gain victory over them.

More practically though, there is also wisdom in not setting yourself up as an implied authority in an area you are actively “misbehaving”. You can’t really disqualify everyone who has fallen short, as there would be no one left to speak truth and life into others, but you don’t want to be an active hypocrite, either.

Sadly, our kids inhabit a world where “inclusiveness” is far more than the simple “treat everyone equally regardless of external appearances” mantra of the previous generation. Today, the term also involves an air of “no one has any right to judge anyone else’s beliefs or conduct” that invariably leads to the “only God can judge me” mindset that people use to effectively shut down any uncomfortable examination of their conduct.

Maintaining one’s integrity in a day and age where it’s highly frowned upon for anyone to speak out against your conduct is a tricky proposition for all, but even more so for younger folks more easily swayed by the desire to be accepted by their peers.

In the case of a kid wanting to assert a standard of conduct over a peer — as in protectively informing a young man that a girl he wants to date is a precious, loved treasure who has many protective male family and friends who will protect her against disrespect — the one wanting to communicate just how intensely she will be protected should also expect the inevitable “Yeah, but who are you to tell me when you yourself  (insert disrespectful behavior here)”.

There are realistically only two defenses to such a rebuttal: first, never having engaged in any relevant disrespectful behavior, or second, humbly recognizing past shortcomings while actively forging a new path of respect and honorable interactions.

Both are tough these days.

In past generations, the social expectation of respectful interactions was far more widespread. Today, prevalent disrespect and the ability to emotionally isolate from anyone who steps up to correct or rebuke such behavior makes it a tremendous challenge for young people to operate in a realm of integrity. But such only makes integrity all the more precious of a commodity.

Photo by Recal Media on Pexels.com

So how do we build and encourage integrity in those God has entrusted to us to train up?

We’re in the same battle our kids are in.

As each of us has fallen short, we have to keep in mind just how viciously our Enemy seeks to drive wedges of division between us, to keep us from striving together for each other’s good. He seeks to isolate us from each other and pit us against each other, so that rather than uniting in the field hospital to bandage each other’s wounds and regroup for the next battle, we are tricked into thinking the other is our enemy and get drawn into mortal combat with those we’re called to stand shoulder to shoulder with.

As the battle rages, we have to diagnose if/when each other’s actions drift from our Biblical instruction. As Paul wrote to Timothy about a good soldier not entangling himself in worldly affairs so he can please the One who enlisted him (2 Timothy 2:4), he then went on to remind him:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

That “course correction” — the literal definition of “repentance” — is a necessary part of every believer’s walk. And while we typically do not enjoy being corrected, as we grow in our walk with Him we should also learn how it’s necessary and beneficial to us to accept correction.

It then falls on us to take that correction and do something with it, so that our commanding officers in this life can in turn send us back out onto the battlefield to walk in such a way that we can influence others to also “course correct”, looking to the Savior for the gift of redemption and allowing Him to work in and through them to reach even more.

Sending them back out into the battle without the correction degrades the integrity of the messenger and badly taints the message; dwelling on the prior wrong heading without sending them back out into the battle makes the soldier bitter that they’re being withheld from the battlefield they were enlisted to do battle upon and keeps them from being able to grow and find victory in areas they previously fell short.

If we want them to be able to walk worthy of the One who called them, we have to do both: course correct and send back out to try again. Anything less stunts their growth, and it also robs those in their sphere of influence of the voice and example our course-corrected kids were put in place to offer them.

After all, what is gained by training up a soldier only to never send him into the battle? Instill the integrity, then unleash them upon their world. A whole generation of believers depends upon it.

Keeping People “Off The Island”

There have been a number of people I’ve talked to lately that have opened up about the presence of “loneliness” in their lives, even though they are (by all outward appearances) typically happy people, with plenty of friends and lots of social activity. In our culture, such an admission seems almost counterintuitive, yet as many are discovering, it’s a growing trend.

Why?

Despite appearances, people are largely finding that our busy, stress-laden lives are becoming more and more compartmentalized. It’s almost a necessity for it to be so, just to keep your head straight with all the things vying for our attention. We’ve got the work compartment, the home compartment (with sub-compartments for various family members), the neighborhood compartment, the friends compartment (with its various sub-compartments), hobbies, kids’ activities, social obligations….

It stands to reason with having all these different compartments, being able to “close the file” on one to effectively move our focus onto another is a smart use of our energies. However, there’s a social component to this that we’re starting to see the downside of.

When people have their lives compartmentalized – the way you have files on your computer compartmentalized – that separation between each compartment trains them to not think about things from one compartment while thinking about another. While it might be smart thinking regarding “things” (i.e. work, household chores, vehicle maintenance, etc.), unfortunately people are not exempted from being compartmentalized as well.

What does this end up breeding in our lives? Well, first and foremost it breeds the habit of not thinking about people unless we’re thinking about the compartment that they’ve been assigned to. For example, my wife and I coach our daughters’ soccer teams. Since I don’t spend my entire week thinking about the soccer teams, I naturally don’t think about the team members and their families unless I’m focusing on something that has to do with that “compartment”.

“What’s the harm in that?”, you might be thinking.

Superficially, there might not be much harm in it, because they are very likely not expecting me to be spending my entire week thinking about them. Digging a little deeper though, there might be one kid on one team who doesn’t really have a lot of positive going on at home, and that kid just might be viewing “team time” completely differently – enjoying the ability to have clear-cut goals and things to work on and excel in, and being able to receive positive encouragement from coaches looking for opportunities to encourage them.

“Wait a minute, weren’t we talking about loneliness?” This is precisely where loneliness comes in.

As adults, we’re no strangers to the concept of having responsibilities. There are many places to be and things to do each day, each of which likely having its own “compartment”, which causes us to isolate ourselves from the things within each compartment when we’re not actively engaging them. Again, it might seem counterintuitive to think this would breed loneliness, but look a little deeper.

When do we feel lonely? Don’t get suckered into thinking that it’s something that only happens when no one else is around, though it can happen then. It often can happen when there are people all around us.

I would suggest that loneliness happens more from being (or feeling) disconnected from those around you than from being physically absent from others.

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When we lead ever-increasingly compartmentalized lives, it becomes easier and easier to be disconnected from people:

“I’d love to spend more time with you honey, but I’ve gotta get to work.”
“I’d love to hang out with you after work, but I’ve got stuff I’ve gotta get done at home.”
“We don’t have time for that right now, we’ve gotta get to soccer practice.”
“Sorry I don’t have time to sit and talk with you after practice, we have to hurry and get some dinner so the kids can get their homework done and get to bed on time.”
“We don’t have time to try to find your doll’s missing shoe, get dressed, we have to get to church.”
“I’d love to sit and chat with you about some things that moved us from the sermon today, but I’ve gotta get to room ____ to serve.”
“Yeah bro, I’d love to sit and catch up with you but we’ve got ____ to do at home.”

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You might be thinking “That sounds more like disconnection due to an overly busy schedule”, but that would be superficial and short-sighted. No, I’m not trying to be insulting, I’m trying to be real with you.

When things are important to us, we make time for them; when we view things as no more pressing or important than average, we have no problem allowing them to sink back into “the routine” and not put the extra effort into them they might be asking for. It’s just another thing looking to take energy from us, and it’s not worth it enough to us to give that.

This is where this problem is rooted.

Because we’ve allowed ourselves to become so compartmentalized, we don’t have nearly so many relationships that “transcend the compartments”. If my wife needs something right now, I’m going to drop what I’m doing and do what I can to meet that need; likewise with my kids, if they truly need something right now (not, “Daddy, I neeeeeeeeeeeeeed to find my dolly’s shoe or I’ll just die!”), I’m going to stop what I’m doing and meet the need. But those are relationships that are expected to “transcend the compartments”, and indeed we know in some unspoken place that we’ll even be looked down upon socially if we fail to do so. But what about the relationships that are not so expected to “transcend the compartments”?

*What about that neighbor down the street you don’t really know very well, but you see they might be needing a little bit of help – do you break routine and offer?
*What about the guy at work you notice is “going along with the crowd” in some crude way but you can tell he’s uncomfortable with it – do you seek him out one on one at some point to ask him about it?
*What about that friend at church that you haven’t seen in a while or that you can tell is really going through something – do you say to yourself “I’ll pray for them” but never step forward to be there for them?
*What about those people who you get along with when you’re “in their compartment” (leisure activities, sports contests, kids’ activities, etc.) – do you reach out to possibly bring them into another compartment (telling them about a job opportunity in their field where you work, inviting them to church with you, invite them and their kids over to enjoy an afternoon, etc.)?

Going back to “loneliness = disconnection” for a second, we have to recognize that we’re not always going to recognize loneliness in other people. Some people are really good at hiding it and “putting on the smile”, some people are good at using defensive reflexes (like humor or deflections), and sometimes we’re just flat-out not paying attention. We have to be somewhat vigilant – IF indeed we care about the people whom God has put us in contact with – to invest ourselves in people, and part of that is being on the lookout for any that are “on the island”. (I don’t mean militantly investigating people’s lives either, but rather just paying attention and being able to read between the lines of what might be going on in their hearts and letting them know we’re available to talk.)

I can tell you from personal experience, people “on the island” will certainly send up “smoke signals” hoping that someone will break through the compartments and take the time to engage them, seeing what’s going on and in some small way, help them re-connect and break through. They also will not continue sending up smoke signals forever, because of our culture’s recent emphasis towards people reaching out for help as being “needy” or “whiny”, and nothing adds insult to injury more than, well, adding literal insult to emotional injury.

It’s easy to say “Hey bud, if you’re feeling lonely, why don’t you just get re-connected to people?” Usually though, it’s not just a case of a natural introvert just slinking back from people and disappearing – there’s typically something external that happens to push someone away, with the person hoping that someone from the “compartment” will reach out saying “I’m not giving up on you.”

This isn’t intended as an indictment but as an exhortation – we all can do better with this, on both sides of the spectrum. I would encourage you today to get engaged with those around you, to remind people you’re there for them. If you name the name of Jesus, be reminded that He said “Love one another, even as I have loved you” (John 15:12 & 13:34).

We’re responsible for each other as Family. Do we forget that we have a common enemy, one who seeks to separate us from each other, to isolate us so he can “steal, kill and destroy”? Therefore, as much as the hustle and bustle would try to force us into compartmentalizing people just as much as things and events, we must – MUST – simply refuse to let people evaporate from our lives. It makes a world of difference.

“The Influence of Mary’s Meditation…” ((DTFD, March 10))

(from “Daily Thoughts for Disciples” by Oswald Chambers, March 10th entry)

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“After serious thought…” — Nehemiah 5:7

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Meditation means getting to the middle of a thing; not being like a pebble in a brook letting the water of thought go over us; that is reverie, not meditation. Meditation is an intense spiritual activity; it means bringing every bit of the mind into harness and concentrating its powers; it includes both deliberation and reflection.

Deliberation means being able to weigh well what we think, conscious all the time that we are deliberating and meditating. “After serious thought…” (Nehemiah 5:7) — that is exactly the meaning of meditation, also — “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

A great many delightful people mistake meditation for prayer; meditation often accompanies prayer, but it is not prayer. It is simply the power of the natural heart to get to the middle of things. Prayer is asking, whereby God puts processes to work and creates things which are not in existence until we ask.

Prayer is definite talk to God, around which God puts an atmosphere and we get answers back. Meditation has a reflex action; people without an ounce of the Spirit of God in them can meditate, but that is not prayer. This fundamental distinction is frequently obscured.

Mary pondered these things in her heart, that is, she meditated on them, got right to the center of the revelations about her Son, but as far as we know, she did not utter a word to anyone. But read John’s gospel, and a wonder will occur to you. St. Augustine has called John’s gospel “the Heart of Jesus Christ.”

Recall what Jesus said to His mother about John: “Woman, behold your son!” and to John about Mary, ” ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” It is surely quite legitimate to think that Mary’s meditations found marvelous expression to John under the guidance of the Spirit of God, and found a place in his gospel and epistles.

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Taken from Daily Thoughts for Disciples, © 1976, 1994 by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd., and used by permission of Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids MI 49501. All rights reserved.

[[Some words Chambers uses are not used often today — click [here] to look up difficult words.]]

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Brief commentary:
It has often been said that praying is like enjoying a Creole dinner then asking what all was in the pot, while meditating is like simply savoring every bite of what’s there without asking about what’s on your plate. God doesn’t slip us spiritual “food” that we’d gag on if we knew what it really was — “I can’t believe you threw some Peruvian wombat in my gumbo, Jesus…that’s so not cool.”

Sure, there are some times that He won’t always disclose that tonight is a “peas and spinach” night (or whatever vegetables you know you need but try to avoid), but only with things that are beneficial, not things that are just for His own amusement — “Hey, Dad, shhh! Jason’s totally about to eat some of that wombat snout! …. don’t make it too obvious We’re watching him now…OH!! He bit it! Ewww, that’s so GROSS!”

We don’t have to worry about Him giving us any disgusting spiritual food, thus armed with the knowledge that He delights in treating us to exotic nutritious foods, we don’t have to concern ourselves with the menu; we can just sit back and enjoy what He’s dishing. If you can’t see who’s in the kitchen cooking your food, you better verify the source before you eat, so make sure the only “restaurant” you pull out your knife and fork at is “His Bible Cafe”. Doing so ensures that you’re not digesting any trash from some “D-rating-from-the-health-department” greasy spoon.

Once you come to His Word, there will be times you come across things that are simply too much for your brain to process adequately, and it’s best to tuck them away in your heart the same way Mary did after hearing from Simeon and Anna. Sometimes we get a piece of the puzzle and we need to wait until we find all the border-pieces first so we can know where to fill in the center tiles.

It’s great to pray about what you’re studying — you should get into the habit of doing so before, during and after you read regardless of how challenging or elementary you feel the section at hand is — and it’s great to meditate on what you’re going through. Prayer will invite the Holy Spirit to brighten your dim vision, while meditation will run what you’re reading “through the grid” of the things you’ve studied before, taking time to compare and contrast and search for connections and unearth parallels.

But Mary, she had no idea just how vivid the impact of the words she had received that day, nor did she even know where to go to try to make heads or tails of it all, so she hid them away in her heart — basically adopting a “we’ll wait for the time and see for ourselves” approach. And when she stood there with John the Beloved on Golgotha that afternoon, looking at her Son hanging there on a tree in fulfillment of Psalm 22, the things she’d hidden away likely came bubbling back up to the surface again for her contemplation.

John, having just spent three and a half years with Jesus, would likely have been the next best thing to discussing the things with Jesus directly. And these insights into things that happened before John met Jesus would do nothing but build up his readers. If it’s really how things unfolded, it certainly would answer some questions as to how John acquired a lot of the insights about Jesus’ early life that he recorded.

Think about it like a recipe. When you first decide on a recipe, you typically start with the main ingredient, but there’s nothing else with it. After you grab the main ingredient, you have to generally prep it in some way, adding a few other important ingredients to build on the base. Toss in a couple finishing touches, a sprinkle of some seasoning and a bit of garnish, and voila, you’ve got a gourmet dish.

The awesome thing about meditation is that you leave the idea on “simmer” long enough for other ingredients to make their way into the mix, and after a while, the whole recipe comes together in such a way that now as you meditate on it, it tastes sooooo good you enjoy every time you think about it. So if it’s been a while since you’ve last meditated on a section of Scripture, I’d suggest doing so today…it’s never too soon to start preparing your next gourmet meal.

What are Israeli leaders learning from the President’s vacillations on Syria? They’re on their own when it comes to Iran.

For anyone who has ever wondered why there’s no mention of the U.S. coming to the aid of Israel in Ezekiel 38-39, this might have something to do with it:
(reposted from Joel Rosenberg’s blog)

Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

UPDATED:(Washington, D.C.) — It is not exactly starting off as a happy New Year in Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Security Cabinet have to be mortified by what they are seeing unfold — not in Damascus, but in Washington.

To be sure, Israeli leaders are concerned but not surprised by the horrific blood-letting that is underway between the evil Assad regime and the demonic forces of al Qaeda and their Radical Islamic partners. But the Israelis are stunned and dismayed by the vacillating, lurching, confused and chaotic approach to decision-making being taken by President Obama and his top advisors.

Officially, the Israeli government supports the Obama administration’s approach to Syria. “Israel agrees with President Obama that the use of chemical weapons is a ‘heinous act’ for which the Assad regime must be held accountable and for which there must be ‘international consequences,’” said Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador…

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HCAD — John 13:1-17

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His outer garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” 8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, You are not all clean.”

12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

Study of James – Intro

This is intended as the introduction portion of our study in James. In it, I will cover (a) information about the author, (b) touch briefly on significant points and characteristics of the letter, and (c) establish a basic outline of the subsequent parts of the study.

So Who’s James?

As you read through the New Testament, you’ll notice that there are several men named “James” along the way. So how can we know which one wrote this epistle? Well, the apostle James (the brother of the apostle John, son of Zebedee) is thought to have been martyred a bit too early (Acts 12:2, early/mid 40’s AD) for it to have been from him, as this epistle is thought to have been written between ~50-66 AD. In Acts 15, we read about the council in Jerusalem — apparently the “leadership group” of the church at that time — and James, the half-brother of Jesus (i.e. one of the several sons that Joseph and Mary had “the normal way” after Jesus’ immaculate conception and birth), is seen there as a prominent leader at that time. It is generally recognized that the half-brother of Jesus is the James who wrote “The Epistle of James”.

Some mentions of this James that speak of his prominence in the early church:

• Peter told his friends to tell James that he’d been rescued from prison (Acts 12:17)
• James was mentioned as a leader in the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:13)
• Paul met with James on his first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion (as mentioned in Galatians 1:19), as well as on his last visit to Jerusalem (Acts 21:18)
• He was one of the select people Jesus appeared to after His resurrection (as mentioned in 1st Corinthians 15:7)
• Paul called him a “pillar” of the church (Galatians 2:9)
• Jude, in his epistle, identifies himself as a “bond-servant of the Lord Jesus Christ and brother of James” — in a time when people typically introduced themselves by parental lineage, introducing one’s self as a “brother of” someone indicates that someone must have great enough significance to warrant it (Jude 1)

Significant Points and Characteristics

There are some points of significance that are useful to talk about, and others that generally only will appeal to a more “scholarly” type of study (such as taking note of the exceptional use of the Greek language). Since our purpose is a practical one, I’ll stick to the useful points and leave the more “scholarly” ones for you to seek out, should you so desire to jump into that pool later.

The epistle of James is sometimes referred to as “the New Testament ‘Proverbs'”, as it is rich with practical wisdom regarding righteous living, morality, dealing with temptation, prayer, “walking the talk”, and keeping one’s tongue on a tight leash. It is probably best known for its call for believers to match their talk about their faith with genuine action. The early parts of chapter 2 also suggest a great familiarity with Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount”, as it directly talks about points made there before “fleshing out” what exactly the heart the Lord was speaking about looks like in everyday life.

Basic Outline

If you are using a study Bible, it will likely have some sort of outline preceding each book. Looking through several study Bibles and commentaries of my own in preparation for this study has given me no less than five general outlines — none of which are “right” or “wrong”, they simply group things together in different ways, depending on (a) the simplicity or thoroughness with which they are attempting to outline (the simplest used in the materials I possess had only five outline points, while the most thoroughly broken down one had ten outline points + 11 sub-points) as well as (b) what particular focus or topical emphasis each material delved into the most.

Look at it like the gospels: different perspectives on the same events give us harmonized, yet differentiated accounts of what happened that paint a “higher resolution” picture for us than if they’d been exact photocopies of each other. Likewise, don’t be discouraged or confused if your study Bible has a different outline than what we’ll follow here. The purpose of the simple outline I’m drawing up matches our immediate purposes, which is a plain “first run through” study of the book of James with sections that are large enough to focus on and learn from without being so big that we get lost in too much information. It will often follow the natural divisions within the fairly short chapters, and more or less breaks into about half a chapter for each part of our study (similar to what you’d find in the “Half-Chapter a Day” sections of Scripture I try to post daily).

I.     Instruction Regarding Trials and Tribulations (1:2-1:18)
II.    The Difference Between a Hearer and a Doer (1:19-1:27)
III.   The Folly and Consequence of Favoritism (2:1-2:13)
IV.   The Intersection of Faith and Works (2:14-2:26)
V.    Taming the Tongue (3:1-12)
VI.   Two Kinds of Wisdom (3:13-18)
VII.  The Dangers of Pride (4:1-10)
VIII. The Dangers of Pride, Undercover (4:11-17)
IX.   “To Whom Much Is Given…” (5:1-12)
X.    The Prayer of Faith and Chasing Down the One (5:13-20)

This should be a real fun study, breaking down sections of this very practical book into daily, “bite sized” portions that we can then more easily incorporate into practical living. With ten sections, assuming that you read through one a day, even if you took the weekends off you could still complete a “first run through” study of the epistle of James in two short weeks. I pray that it would be as helpful and practical for you as getting ready for it has been for me.

HCAD — John 12:27-50

27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying:

“I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. 31 Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die. 34 The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up‘? Who is this Son of Man?

35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

37 But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:

“Lord, who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”

39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:

40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
Lest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.”

41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. 42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

44 Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

HCAD — John 12:1-26

Then six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. 7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

“Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’
The King of Israel!”

14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it as it is written:

15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. 17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him.”

20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast, 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

23 But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”

H-CAD — John 11:37-57

37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave-clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus did. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

49 And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 Now this he did not say on his own authority, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. 53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.

54 Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples. 55 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. 56 Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think — that He will not come to the feast?” 57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.