faith – Pressing On In His Footsteps

On The Sacrifice of Christmas

Luke 2:8-12 MSG There were shepherds camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

HARK! The Herald Angels Sing (John Wesley/George Whitfield c. 1740)

Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King, peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!” Joyful, all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies; with th’ angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!” Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord; late in time behold him come, offspring of a virgin’s womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail th’ incarnate Deity, pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel. Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings. Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give us second birth. Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Observation

Side note: This Christmas Carol is my favorite of them all. It was written by John Wesley and modified by George Whitfield, two of the preachers instrumental in the Great Awakening, a revival in England and the American Colonies in the 1700’s, setting free the offer of salvation from denominational boundaries. “God and sinners reconciled … Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give us second birth.” They invited men and women to receive the free gift of salvation in spite of their theological differences

Back to the song…. “Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified.” I think about these shepherds, the first strangers invited to the stable. They were low on the Jewish value system – not chosen to continue in religious training, only fit to be out in the fields watching sheep, probably malodorous from infrequent bathing. They certainly never expected to meet a king. Perhaps they had enough religious training to expect Messiah to come as an adult – a great warrior king who would free them from Roman rule. Yet, here they are bathed in blazing light and being told that the Messiah was a baby in a manger nearby in their own backwater town of Bethlehem. I am sure they didn’t argue, but, when they recovered their senses, I wonder what they thought on the way to the stable. Recognizing those at the top of the invitation list is worth noting.

Impact On Me

For me, Christmas is a time to recognize the sacrifice our Savior made from manger to the Cross. He came as a baby so He could share in all we are and do, submitted to His parents and the other authority figures as He grew up, lived within the cultural rules of the day, and knew all that would be required of Him well before the Cross. “Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled … Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail th’ incarnate Deity, pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel … Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give us second birth.”

This song always reminds me that our God was willing to give it all to reconcile with me, with us. It also reminds me that He was not in a hurry. He didn’t just drop Jesus down as a fully grown man to start preaching and teaching. He was not moved by the expectations of the warrior Messiah who would free Israel from the latest conqueror. He gave Himself in the God/Man Jesus as a baby and waited until around 30 years to start His 3-year ministry – 33 years that modeled how to live in that reconciled state. Christmas reminds me that the sacrifice started at His birth.

Devotion

“Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord … Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! … Glory to the newborn King!” You are all of these and more! In my life of worshipping You, Lord, never let me forget that You came to provide salvation, reconciliation and indwelling for whosoever will come – to include all humankind. The first invitees to worship You were the lowliest on the social totem pole, the cast offs, the culturally insignificant. You value every soul and desire to embrace – to reconcile – each one to relationship with You. As I sing the songs and enjoy the warmth and joy of the Christmas season, may I never take Your sacrifice for granted – from manger to the Cross. Make it so in Jesus’ name. Amen.

On Bowing Low

Mark 10:43-45 ESV But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

John 13:1-5; 12-17 PHILLIPS^1-5Before the festival of the Passover began, Jesus realised that the time had come for Him to leave this world and return to the Father. He had loved those who were His own in this world and He loved them to the end. By supper-time, the devil had already put the thought of betraying Jesus in the mind of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son. Jesus, with the full knowledge that the Father had put everything into His hands and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from the supper-table, took off His outer clothes, picked up a towel and fastened it round His waist. Then He poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel around His waist….

^12-17When Jesus had washed their feet and put on His clothes, He sat down and spoke to them, “Do you realise what I have just done to you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘Lord’ and you are quite right, for I am your teacher and your Lord. But if I, your teacher and Lord, have washed your feet, you must be ready to wash one another’s feet. I have given you this as an example so that you may do as I have done. Believe me, the servant is not greater than his master and the messenger is not greater than the man who sent him. Once you have realised these things, you will find your happiness in doing them.

Observation

The point of the Bible is to tell us Who God is and how He wants us to fit into His story and His plan for our redemption. All of the passages are there to reveal Who He is, what He desires of us and for us, and how He responds to our choices. Jesus the Christ, the manifestation of God in human form, called Himself “gentle (meek) and humble” (Matthew 11:28-30), defined servanthood as the path to pleasing God, and spoke of Himself as serving all of us by giving His life as a ransom for us all (God’s redemptive plan to restore the intimate relationship He desired with us and intended from the beginning). In the passages above, Jesus demonstrates for His disciples the depth of humility to which they must stoop if they want to be like Him and considered great and first in God’s Kingdom. Jesus had come to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah regarding the servanthood of Messiah (Isaiah 42:1-4, Matthew 12:16-21), the bowing low of God to redeem His creation, His people, so that He might restore the intimate relationship with us disrupted in the Garden of Eden.

Foot-washing was an important element of hospitality for the culture of the time as feet became dirty walking on dusty roads. As important to hospitality as it was, the lowest, almost always Gentile, servants were the ones to do it. When Jesus “took off his outer clothes, picked up a towel and fastened it round his waist,” He took on the persona of a menial foreign slave. Disciples were supposed to serve their Master/Rabbi, not the other way around. Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of Man, God, was demonstrating the kind of humility and servanthood He required of them to truly be one of His disciples. “But if I, your teacher and Lord, have washed your feet, you must be ready to wash one another’s feet. I have given you this as an example so that you may do as I have done.”

Did you catch that He washed ALL of the disciples’ feet – including the feet of Judas who was about to betray Him? This level of humility requires more than setting pride aside temporarily. This level of humility requires complete surrender, total submission to the will and purpose of God Who does not want any to perish (2 Peter 3:9). This was a powerful discipleship lesson which was apparently caught and embraced as His disciples later identified themselves as servants (or slaves) of God and committed even to die in His service – John (Rev. 1:1), Paul (1 Cor 3:5-6), Peter (2 Peter 1:1), James (James 1:1), Jude (Jude 1:1).

Impact on Me

Merriam Webster defines “humble” as “not proud: not thinking of yourself as better than other people.” A servant is simply one who serves others. Servant in the New Testament is often translated as slave. We don’t like that word as it has a bad taste in our historical context. The position Jesus took above was as low as He could go in His culture. What is the lowest I can go in service today – an unpaid volunteer in homeless ministry, serving orphans in a foreign land, working to change the lives of the poorest so they can have a better future? I know people who do all these and will never have any recognition on earth but much treasure in heaven.

I have participated in foot-washing services and it is a very humbling experience. However, this passage is not meant to tell me how important foot-washing services are, but, rather, that I need to be willing to set aside my pride and any status provided by my position to gladly and humbly serve those who have nothing to give me in return. Jesus is demonstrating to me (and us all) the kind of humility and service I am to emulate if I want to be like Him in this day and age. Jesus is showing me that it’s not a sign of weakness to serve someone — it’s a sign of love, strength and humility – all treasures in His kingdom. Jesus is saying to me, “Don’t view yourself as better than other people – even your enemy – for I died for him/her, too.” This is a hard lesson to embrace and live.

Devotion

Father God, You are Love and created us in Your image. You rule over the universe and yet still bowed so low to redeem me. You gave Jesus to walk this earth as a human to show us how to live in and for You. I am humbled by how lowly Jesus bowed, how much He sacrificed, to restore intimacy between us. I am woefully inconsistent in my attempts to emulate Jesus’ example. However, I pray that as I find each new pocket of pride, You will, by Your Holy Spirit, help me to place that pride on Your altar to be burnt up. I truly want to be more like Jesus day by day as I journey through this life. Make it so, Lord, in Jesus’ name.

On Faithfulness When You Don’t Understand

Luke 1:29-38 (JBPhillips) ^29-33Mary was deeply perturbed at these words and wondered what such a greeting could possibly mean. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; God loves you dearly. You are going to be the mother of a son, and you will call him Jesus. He will be great and will be known as the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his forefather, David, and he will be king over the people of Jacob forever. His reign shall never end.”

³⁴Then Mary spoke to the angel, “How can this be,” she said, “I am not married!”

But the angel made this reply to her – “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Your child will therefore be called holy – the Son of God. Your cousin Elisabeth has also conceived a son, old as she is. Indeed, this is the sixth month for her, a woman who was called barren. For no promise of God can fail to be fulfilled.”.

“I belong to the Lord, body and soul,” replied Mary, “let it happen as you say.” And at this the angel left her.

Observation

“For no promise of God can fail to be fulfilled.” Without blaming God, Zacharias and Elisabeth grew old honoring and serving God faithfully while bearing the shame of being childless, which was generally perceived by their culture as an indication of God’s disfavor. Nevertheless, they remained faithful over a lifetime. They loved and served God without understanding the why of their childlessness or what they had done to deserve it. Zacharias and Elisabeth had borne the shame of being childless until they were too old to conceive, so a child was a very long-awaited justification of their faithful service, their “well done, good and faithful servant”.

“I belong to the Lord, body and soul,” replied Mary, “let it happen as you say.” So, also, Mary trusted God even though she would bear the disgrace of being unmarried and pregnant, bringing shame on her family, becoming a social outcast, probably throwing away any hope for marrying Joseph or any future marriage. For Mary, saying “yes” meant risking at a very young age everything about her life and future.

Impact on Me

I am sure that they were aware of the costs of their obedience, whether the price was paid up front (as in the case of Zacharias and Elisabeth) or paid forward (as in the case of Mary). How do I weigh the costs when God asks me to do something? Am I willing to suffer disgrace and serve in “shame” for His sake, allowing others, even family and friends, to misunderstand or disagree, leaving the explanations, the defense of my pathway, to God? Am I willing to risk it all to obey God, allowing Him to count the cost and spend or invest me as He sees fit? Am I willing to wait and wait and wait until God says the time is right? All of these questions probe how much I trust God and need to be addressed over and over to ensure that I remember I am called to be a servant.

Devotion

Lord God, Almighty, Eternal Father, I submit my life to You and commit to be a good and faithful servant. Remind me that I am not in charge and I don’t need to understand as long as I trust You and know I am obeying You. May my “yes” remain so after I hear Your request. Help me always to allow You to weigh the cost to me against the benefit to Your kingdom. Make it so, in Jesus’ name.

On The Things to Dwell On

Philippians 4:6-8 NASB. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:6-8 NLT. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Philippians 4:6-8 MSG. 6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. 8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

Philippians 4:6-8 VOICE. 6 Don’t be anxious about things; instead, pray. Pray about everything. He longs to hear your requests, so talk to God about your needs and be thankful for what has come. 7 And know that the peace of God (a peace that is beyond any and all of our human understanding) will stand watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus, the Anointed One. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, fill your minds with beauty and truth. Meditate on whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is good, whatever is virtuous and praiseworthy.

Observation

Philippi was a Roman military colony on the Egnatian Road, the main road between Rome and Byzantium (modern day Istanbul, Turkey). This community of Christians (mostly converted Gentiles) faced struggles from inside and out that seriously undermined their peace. The predominant religion was the Roman Caesar as God and Savior. There were also those within the Christian community that preached the necessity to follow Jewish practices, such as circumcision, to “seal” their commitment to Christ.

At this time Nero was Caesar, a ruler infamous for using humans as torches to light the road or as fodder for animals to tear apart for gruesome “entertainment” in the arena. It is remarkable to note that Paul is writing this warm, transparent and engaging letter of encouragement while imprisoned in Rome waiting to see this same Caesar face-to-face. Truly, Paul is speaking from his own experience in how to dwell in that peace that passes all understanding despite every challenge, circumstance and fear. I am an encourager, so I love the Book of Philippians. What Paul says in this passage is really part of the bottom line of any encouraging message and hearkens back for me to Joshua’s challenge to “choose this day whom you will serve.”

These passages written during treacherous times issue the same challenge to choose your Master. We can serve the Enemy and focus on the fearful, painful, unjust, despicable, ungodly, ugly and cruel and allow ourselves to be overwhelmed or discouraged by them OR we can choose to serve the One True God and imitate Paul as he imitates Christ – don’t waste time worrying, pray instead, putting all in God’s hands, resting in the peace that He has it all under control. It is our opportunity to put the cost to us in His hands AND choose “filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”

Impact on Me

I must confess that this current political season and secular culture are presenting me with an in-your-face opportunity to choose which way I respond to these verses. The politics seem so caustic, so partisan, so ugly. The culture around me seems to be worshipping the ungodly, the superficial, the pursuit of pleasure, self-adoration and acquisition. But, how different is this society, this culture, from the one at the time these words were written? The Emperor Nero is the definition of absolute power absolutely corrupted; the Roman society stands even today as one of the most decadent and depraved of all time. Yet, Paul instructs the Philippians to remember that, while we are to be good citizens of our earthly country, we are really citizens of Heaven, subjects of the King of Kings, servants of the Lord of Lords and responsible ultimately to Him alone for our conduct, our choices.

Paul is teaching me (and us all) how to be good and faithful servants of our true Master regardless of what earthly masters or leaders may do. Our God sets up leaders and takes down leaders to serve His will and purpose, to orchestrate history as He has planned. He also sets His people, His servants, in the midst of darkness to provide the light of Christ as a means out of the darkness into the eternal light of His salvation. Why should I be surprised at the darkness that surrounds/encroaches us? Isn’t this my opportunity to be a means of rescue for those who know nothing but darkness, who embrace it as a hiding place or the only safe place for them?

If I take up Paul’s challenge to pray, put my trust in my God and remember and meditate “on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse”, I will be encouraged to see myself as part of the unending string of lights that extends throughout the world and all history, bringing escape for the lost through faith, hope, peace, joy, redemption, restoration, healing, mercy, grace and love that drives back the darkness – regardless of how dark, overwhelming or pervasive the darkness may appear.

Devotion

Lord God, All-Knowing, All-Powerful, the One Who is Never Surprised or Dismayed, forgive me for allowing myself to be discouraged by what I see and hear, causing me to feel overwhelmed and helpless in the face of circumstances. I never want to doubt You, Your ability to effect change, Your power to fulfill Your eternal plan and purpose. Let me forget to complain, despair, and worry because I am overwhelmed with Your presence, with gratitude for Your grace, Your mercy, Your blessings, Your love. Constantly remind me to look to You, to present myself before You to pray and believe for what appears impossible, to seek out Your presence and Your word as instruction to me, to be content with where You set me to shine, so I may always be Your encouragement to those who are lost, struggling, defeated or discouraged. I pray this all in the name of Jesus. Make it so.

On Help Me With My Doubts

John 9:17-27 MSG A man out of the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought my mute son, made speechless by a demon, to you. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and goes stiff as a board. I told your disciples, hoping they could deliver him, but they couldn’t.”

^19-20Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here.” They brought him. When the demon saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a seizure, causing him to writhe on the ground and foam at the mouth.

^21-22He asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been going on?”

“Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!”

²³Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.”

²⁴No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”

^25-27Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the vile spirit its marching orders: “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you—Out of him, and stay out!” Screaming, and with much thrashing about, it left. The boy was pale as a corpse, so people started saying, “He’s dead.” But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him. The boy stood up.

Observation

This father came to Jesus out of desperation, hoping against hope that Jesus could heal and deliver his son. We don’t know how old the son was or how many years the parents had watched their son suffer, but we can hear the desperation in his reply (“help my unbelief”). I am sure he had tried everything else available before resorting to searching out this unconventional itinerant rabbi.

I am reminded of the woman with the issue of blood who had become impoverished and desperate in searching out healing until she broke the rules to find her answer in touching only the hem of Jesus’ garment. What about Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, whose daughter was dying while Jesus delayed to engage this unclean woman who dared to appear in public? (Mark 5:21-43 NIV) Desperation drove them to extreme measures, moving outside the acceptable cultural and safe box, to believe for what seems impossible. In doing so, they found that nothing is impossible with God.

Impact on Me

I don’t want to wait until I am desperate to take my needs to Jesus. However, I find that I sometimes get caught up in the urgency of a situation and immediately set out to do everything in my own power to fix things. At some point, I am arrested by my overwhelming inadequacy to effectively fix much on my own. Some things are just not humanly fixable.

My only daughter was in a car accident at 15 that resulted in a broken back when she was thrown from the car which then rolled over her. I am so grateful for all those medical professionals did to bring healing, but ultimately I came to understand that the extent of her healing was in God’s hands. So many times we cried out, “we believe; help our unbelief,” as we received bad news from the doctors about how her life would be limited. Then God would surprise them with impossible healing to take her past those limits. We saw many miracles along the way – spiritually, physically and financially – that changed our understanding about God’s possibilities.

You would think that an experience like that would prevent me from turning to my own devices in crisis, but I am so very human and forgetful. So, when I find myself trying to fix things on my own, I repent again for trusting first in my own ability, strength, wisdom instead of the Holy Spirit’s, bow in prayer and ask Jesus for His solution, His power to flow, His plan for how I can assist Him. Never discount the power of prayer on behalf of yourself and others. Your prayer may give others the courage and wisdom, like this father, woman and ruler, to put their lives and the lives of their loved ones into His hands and care.

Prayer

Lord, I put my faith in You, Faithful One, Gracious God, Loving Father, the One Who Sees All. Lord, I believe; help my dispel my doubts with Your perfect peace when crisis and fear ramp up the urgency and tempt me to run off on my own to fix what only You can fix. Give me the courage to allow You to pull me aside for time with You so I can be comforted, encouraged, listening to Your plan and my part in it. Remind me that prayer is powerful, You have defeated our Enemy, and that Your Holy Spirit is at work 24/7 to bring about Your will and purpose in all circumstances. Make it so, in Jesus’ name.