Day Seventeen: Strength Personified

I AM THERE

    I was thirteen when my big brother died. I never saw my parents cry. I witnessed a few hugs but they tried hard to maintain a strong appearance in front of the kids. It was years before I heard anyone mention his name I assumed to keep from upsetting us. I was twenty the first time my mom and I had a nice conversation about my big brother. I was visiting after being away from home for awhile and I said, “I miss Mitch, I want to tell him all the neat things I am doing.” She said she missed him too and we sat and shared a few wonderful stories together. After that it got much easier to talk about him with the family.
     Those years of silence, the years where mom and dad maintained a strong appearance were very painful. I know now how lonely grieving is no matter how much you talk about your loved one but just once I needed to see them cry. I needed to know that they hurt as much as I was hurting. I needed to know they missed him so much it hurt their very soul.

Day Sixteen: The Judas in Us.

     “Then Satan entered Judas,” at this point in the story I am quite concerned. Can that happen? Could Satan enter me? Thankfully I can not think of a great anecdote to start off my post with as I usually do. I can not think of one of my life stories that can set this up. “Then Satan entered Judas.” Judas, a follower of Christ and God allowed Satan to enter him. This puzzles me. Was Judas a hypocrite? Was he not truly saved? Is anyone else flooded with questions about this?

Things aren't always what they look like.

      Can Judas be held accountable for betraying Christ if Satan had entered him? Can't Judas just play the card, “The devil made me do it?” The bible indicates that Judas was a willing vessel. How could anyone be willing to allow Satan to enter? Maybe they don’t know any better but Judas walked with Jesus. How could he not know any better? How could he not realize the options or the dangers? What did he hope to gain? Did he hope to gain power and wealth in this world?

    We live in a sinful world when do we hold people accountable for what they choose to do?

Day Fifteen: Lean In

I'll be your firend, I'll help you carry on~

"Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We always know that there's tomorrow

Lean On Me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you don't let show

Lean On Me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

If there is a load you have to bear
That you can't carry
I'm right up the road
I'll share your load
If you just call me

So just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to make it
I just might have a problem that you'd understand
We all need somebody to make it

Lean on me when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on"

Lean On Me...[By Bill Withers]

Day Fourteen: Secret Missions

Search, Discover, Share

     Every day I am wondering what this day has to do with God’s plan for me. However, today I was acutely reminded that he is working in me and I have faith He is struggling to bring out the best in me. I had seriously judged someone and as much as I tried not to I jumped to conclusions about this person. Interestingly enough I ran into this person later in the day in the most unlikely place that a person I had judged to be what I thought he was would be. And people treated him in a way that I was forced to rethink the way I had thought about him. I am still trying to figure out the irony of this whole ordeal and all I can figure is that God is doing a great work in me. Seeing this person today in this rare setting would have been puzzling any day but not so much a great work in my character had God not brought us together in conflict earlier this week and day. God’s timing is so perfect that I knew our meetings this week were not by chance but by design. Designed to build a better character in me.
1. How deeply do you believe that each day is another opportunity to be on mission with God, that He has tasks in mind for you today that are specifically ordained for you life?

Day Thirteen: Growing Uppity

Quiet Suffering

    “Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” I can hardly handle the suffering and the pain in my tiny little story on earth and I can not even conceive of the suffering and the pain Christ endured for me. However, we do have the advantage point that James and John did not. We know the cup that Jesus was to drink and the baptism he would be baptized with. They obviously had no idea for they answered him without hesitation, “We are able.”
     We were chosen to walk with Christ despite our ignorance and inability to share fully his pain and suffering for us. Though walking with Christ means we will endure suffering in his name, my desire is often selfish as I only desire to share in his Joy. My desire is to be near Christ, in his inner circle, and though I seek only the joy I know that Jesus will be there to help me bear the suffering that comes with it. And knowing that suffering will come, I still desire nothing more than to be with Christ and no where else.
     Walking with Christ means being a servant, not wanting to be first. Walking with Christ means having a mindset of servitude not self-fulfillment. Sometimes this means enduring an inner suffering, a quiet suffering that to truly serve means crying out to Christ from a quiet place.
1. In what way does this ‘servant” and slave mentality have the hardest time getting through?

A Daily Prayer If You're Feeling Attacked

A chaplain shared this with me  to pray daily while my daughter is deployed. I wanted to share it with you if you are feeling attacked he recommends praying God's word, in particular Psalm 91 daily.

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Short Break

Sorry for the departure from the study. I am having a little internet connection problems. They should be resolved by this weekend and we will get back on track. Enjoy this time in personal reflection on God's word and/or catch up with the first 12 days of the 90 day study if you'd like to join us!

Day Twelve: High Horses

Pure Power
 (image by Carol Poland)

     It sounds like James and John were getting pretty excited about the new powers Jesus had delegated to them. "Should we call down fire from heaven," they asked. Jesus rebuked them helping them learn to keep their powers in proper perspective. Have you ever been in a position where someone has let their position of authority go to their head? If those with power are not held accountable to those they have power over, then things can get very ugly. Jesus was teaching them that with power comes great responsibility.

     But can you blame them for getting excited? How awesome to be able to walk with the King and receive his authority to cast out demons and call down fire from heaven! They were priviledged to walk in Jesus' inner circle. The problems began when they decided to withhold priviledges from others who weren't in their circle. Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."

     It is easy to get that "inner circle" syndrome when you are among seekers or non-committed Christians who don't walk out their Christianity the same as you. Maybe you don't think their Christianity is as real as the believers in your small group or that possibly they are non-believers. I think in these passages Jesus is reminding us not to be the judge and especially not to rank the believers. 'Don't worry about it,' he cautions, 'as long as they are not against you they are for you.'

Day Eleven: Triple Wow

NOW THIS WOULD TRANSFORM A HOT SUMMER NIGHT

     I want to see Jesus’ transformation and fall on my face in inexpressible awe. It must have been amazing to see Jesus walking around and talking to them after they watched him hang on that cross and saw the very breath of life escape from him. I found it interesting that they only saw him during those 40 days appear and disappear at his will. They couldn’t just go up to his house and ring the bell and ask him to visit with them. Instead they would be gathering together somewhere and Jesus would surprise them by appearing among them.
     Imagine what it must have been like to see him appear in the flesh once again with clothes so dazzling white there was nothing on earth that compared to it. Not to mention, he was hanging out with Elijah and Moses carrying on a conversation. What a sight that must have been!

Day Ten: Behind the Veil

           Jesus took Peter, John, and James into the room with him to raise up the little girl from her death bed. Imagine being one of the few chosen to be with Jesus at this time. Already Jesus had chosen only twelve to be close to him but of the twelve he specifically choses only three for this particular moment. It is interesting to ponder why. I also wonder what they must have been thinking.

           Here everyone thinks the little girl is dead. There are already mourners wailing at her home. Jesus walks in with the three disciples and tells the girl to get up and she does. I wonder if Jesus was not trying to teach Peter, John, and James that things are not always what they seem to be. Don't assume you know the outcome of the situation, let Jesus walk into the situation and change it.

Kiss and Make Up

            Most of today's study is geared toward relationships. Facing the death of a loved can leave a lot of things unresolved in our hearts. Beth is reminding us of the bible's wise instruction to keep our relationships settled so you don't have any regrets.

"Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesian 4:25-32)."