Jesus, be the center.
Be my source,
Be my light, Jesus.
Jesus, be the center.
Be my hope,
Be my song, Jesus.
Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in my sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, be my vision.
Be my help,
Be my guide, Jesus.
Jesus, be the center.
Be my source,
Be my light, Jesus.
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
When Success Comes...
I've been studying a lot in Luke lately. I just taught the book to my seventh grade class last semester and we've been going through it section by section, verse by verse at Exodus. So I am preparing for Sunday's sermon and reading the account of Jesus' interaction with a leper in Luke 5.
The account is exactly what I would expect from You. You came into a city, met someone in need of deliverance, and released them from the situation that was holding them back from wholeness. In this case, it is the man's skin disease. There are some remarkable intricacies to this story, some depth that we'll get into on Sunday, but I am struck today by the end of this passage.
After You healed the man, the crowds were over the top about You and Your ministry. Your miracles, Your bold teachings, the authority that You had (nice advantage, being God and man :-), but all of these things were impressing the people. And they wanted on board. So they began to follow and the crowds became larger. You were so successful!
I find, in my times of success, two things happen to me. First of all, I become very busy. There are many people who want to talk to me, many things that I have to do to keep the success going, many people I want to see me because I want them to recognize how successful I am. I get busy.
Secondly, when I am successful I get very nervous. I worry that something will take the success away. I think about tennis last year when we were 10-2, and how much I worried that something could go wrong (something did). The year before when we won the Sectional, the way I worried about whether we would accomplish our goal or not (and we did). I think about Exodus even, when things were going really well at the beginning and people were joining on (the Mahaffas, Tim Vogel, Ben Gooding, the DeMotts - and all of a sudden we had a full house!) I remember we worked so hard and late on sermonizing and preparing on Monday nights (busyness) and I often worried about what people would think of my sermons (worry).
Strange, but I think success is so desired that it causes undue stress to most of the people in this world.
And maybe for You as well, but in this passage You did something pretty cool. Something that I as an introvert really connect with. You withdrew Yourself from the crushing crowds and prayed in "lonely places." You made time to be alone and reconnect with the Father. In success, You didn't try to do so much more, You did less. You didn't load up Your mind with constant worry; You unloaded Your mind alone with our Father.
This is something to remember. I don't know when I'll have success again. I don't know when Exodus will start firing on all cylinders and people truly grow and change. I don't know when my classes at school will again bring me the "Teacher of the Year" award. I don't know when my tennis team will jump out to a great start to the season, or have a shot at another Sectional title. I hope all of these successes will come soon and often, for I am a human and desire to see the efforts of my hands become successful.
But whenever the success comes, let me remember: Those are the times when I must run to You with even more passion!
The account is exactly what I would expect from You. You came into a city, met someone in need of deliverance, and released them from the situation that was holding them back from wholeness. In this case, it is the man's skin disease. There are some remarkable intricacies to this story, some depth that we'll get into on Sunday, but I am struck today by the end of this passage.
After You healed the man, the crowds were over the top about You and Your ministry. Your miracles, Your bold teachings, the authority that You had (nice advantage, being God and man :-), but all of these things were impressing the people. And they wanted on board. So they began to follow and the crowds became larger. You were so successful!
I find, in my times of success, two things happen to me. First of all, I become very busy. There are many people who want to talk to me, many things that I have to do to keep the success going, many people I want to see me because I want them to recognize how successful I am. I get busy.
Secondly, when I am successful I get very nervous. I worry that something will take the success away. I think about tennis last year when we were 10-2, and how much I worried that something could go wrong (something did). The year before when we won the Sectional, the way I worried about whether we would accomplish our goal or not (and we did). I think about Exodus even, when things were going really well at the beginning and people were joining on (the Mahaffas, Tim Vogel, Ben Gooding, the DeMotts - and all of a sudden we had a full house!) I remember we worked so hard and late on sermonizing and preparing on Monday nights (busyness) and I often worried about what people would think of my sermons (worry).
Strange, but I think success is so desired that it causes undue stress to most of the people in this world.
And maybe for You as well, but in this passage You did something pretty cool. Something that I as an introvert really connect with. You withdrew Yourself from the crushing crowds and prayed in "lonely places." You made time to be alone and reconnect with the Father. In success, You didn't try to do so much more, You did less. You didn't load up Your mind with constant worry; You unloaded Your mind alone with our Father.
This is something to remember. I don't know when I'll have success again. I don't know when Exodus will start firing on all cylinders and people truly grow and change. I don't know when my classes at school will again bring me the "Teacher of the Year" award. I don't know when my tennis team will jump out to a great start to the season, or have a shot at another Sectional title. I hope all of these successes will come soon and often, for I am a human and desire to see the efforts of my hands become successful.
But whenever the success comes, let me remember: Those are the times when I must run to You with even more passion!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Blocked Prayer
Yesterday morning after I finished typing here I began to have a conversation with God. I was especially concerned about Bryan and his job, but as soon as I tried to pray about it I felt distracted. Started thinking about school, worries, sports, whatever. It was important to me so I tried to refocus and yet, I couldn't bring myself to actually pray about what was going on without becoming distracted.
It was then that I realized. There are other spiritual forces at play in the world other than God who would rather that I didn't pray for Bryan. Who are here to destroy goodness. That is a thought that weirds me out when I'm honest, but that I also know that the Bible treats these other spirits very seriously. Why else did Jesus go around throwing out demons? They're real, I just don't like to acknowledge any sort of other spiritual presence.
In Jesus name, I was able to pray through that yesterday. But again today, prayer about certain things seemed blocked. Makes me wonder where all there are significant power struggles of spiritual forces and I am unawares. It's a scary thought.
Lord Jesus, as I continue to converse with You throughout the day, show me these blockades that need to be dragged down. Where do they exist? I praise You for fully answering and working in situations I prayed about yesterday, with Bryan particularly. I always want Your praise to be quick to my tongue so that I do not forget the wonder You do around me every single day.
Walk with me today I pray. Amen.
It was then that I realized. There are other spiritual forces at play in the world other than God who would rather that I didn't pray for Bryan. Who are here to destroy goodness. That is a thought that weirds me out when I'm honest, but that I also know that the Bible treats these other spirits very seriously. Why else did Jesus go around throwing out demons? They're real, I just don't like to acknowledge any sort of other spiritual presence.
In Jesus name, I was able to pray through that yesterday. But again today, prayer about certain things seemed blocked. Makes me wonder where all there are significant power struggles of spiritual forces and I am unawares. It's a scary thought.
Lord Jesus, as I continue to converse with You throughout the day, show me these blockades that need to be dragged down. Where do they exist? I praise You for fully answering and working in situations I prayed about yesterday, with Bryan particularly. I always want Your praise to be quick to my tongue so that I do not forget the wonder You do around me every single day.
Walk with me today I pray. Amen.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Alive, Humanly Alive
Texts:
- Psalms 77-80
- Luke 3-4
- Nehemiah 7-10
I am often unaffected by the Easter festivity of Christ's raising from the dead. He died for my sins, but I am still committing those same sins. He made a way for me to go to heaven, but I am not right now in heaven. He hung there and was beat there and perished there for me, but I do not always feel that power, nor the flood of remorse that might be expected from a poor man like me, a sinner.
But yet, Jesus, You are risen. You are risen indeed. And what does that mean to me? Too often Easter becomes about the gruesome, horrifying, torturous death You died and not about the fact that the only reason You even went to that death was to conquer it. I look at the lives of Your disciples, Your death did nothing but scare and scatter them. But Your resurrection, Your reappearance, Your sending, Your ascension...it enabled them to walk to the same death as You, the same death that they had been so frightened and avoided when You suffered it.
It is because the power of You alive is what makes You amazing. It is the power of You alive that can deliver me from sin and pain, not the power of Your death. It is the power of Your victory over the grave that can give me confidence to live in You, not the gruesome way that You went to the grave. You alive gives power to those who believe.
And humanly alive, not as a ghost. You are still alive in human form, still providing a way to God for the rest of us humans. You are the way to God and God's way to us. Jesus, You care for all humanity so deeply that You are still working among us today, in Your human life.
I don't know how to say this succinctly, but Christ alive not dead makes Easter special. He is risen, he is risen indeed.
- Psalms 77-80
- Luke 3-4
- Nehemiah 7-10
I am often unaffected by the Easter festivity of Christ's raising from the dead. He died for my sins, but I am still committing those same sins. He made a way for me to go to heaven, but I am not right now in heaven. He hung there and was beat there and perished there for me, but I do not always feel that power, nor the flood of remorse that might be expected from a poor man like me, a sinner.
But yet, Jesus, You are risen. You are risen indeed. And what does that mean to me? Too often Easter becomes about the gruesome, horrifying, torturous death You died and not about the fact that the only reason You even went to that death was to conquer it. I look at the lives of Your disciples, Your death did nothing but scare and scatter them. But Your resurrection, Your reappearance, Your sending, Your ascension...it enabled them to walk to the same death as You, the same death that they had been so frightened and avoided when You suffered it.
It is because the power of You alive is what makes You amazing. It is the power of You alive that can deliver me from sin and pain, not the power of Your death. It is the power of Your victory over the grave that can give me confidence to live in You, not the gruesome way that You went to the grave. You alive gives power to those who believe.
And humanly alive, not as a ghost. You are still alive in human form, still providing a way to God for the rest of us humans. You are the way to God and God's way to us. Jesus, You care for all humanity so deeply that You are still working among us today, in Your human life.
I don't know how to say this succinctly, but Christ alive not dead makes Easter special. He is risen, he is risen indeed.
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