1^st Samuel 2:1-10

I love prayer. Admittedly I don’t do it enough, but communication with the Lord is such an amazing privilege that we have been given. The Lord deeply desires communication with us. 1^st Thessalonians 5:16-18 reminds us to “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I also love studying prayers that have been captured for us in the word of God. What a beautiful glimpse into the lives, hearts, fears, and desires of so many biblical persons. For me, this is one of the ways to see their humanity and their heartbeat.

To me, this prayer immediately stands out; 10 verses and not one request. What an image of what it is to give thanks to the Lord. So many times my prayers are filled with requests and frustrations – which by no means are bad things in-and-of themselves, but how beautiful is it to see a shinning example of Hannah pouring her heart out to the Lord, and what we see is a heart of gratitude and love. This prayer truly humbles me and brings forth a desire in my heart not just to love the Lord, but to tell Him how much I do.

“Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.”

As this parable speaks of the Great feast to come, which we are to enjoy when Christ returns, we see that there are guidelines and criteria for those who will atend. Only the guests who have accepted the invitation will be allowed to take part in the banquet. But it is important to look at the requirements of the guest list. This feast is not reserved for the the most powerful, prestigious, successful or substantial as the world would assume. This guest list is made up of the lowly, the meek, the hungry and the humble.

Once again, God has thrown open the doors of His banquet of grace to the least expected party guests. His mercy has turned the economy of this world upside-down. One does not need to dress for the occasion as God has welcomed us just as we are. As it was for the banquet in this parable, it is often the case of those in our world today. There are some who say that they’ll join the spiritual feast and attend God’s banquet, but then, for a variety of earthly reasons, they will make other plans. The list of “no-shows” in this parable could be seen as the originally well-intentioned, but later misguided group of individuals who heard the invitation but neglected to respond.   

Lest we think that we must get “cleaned up” in our lives in order to come into God’s presence and enjoy His blessings, we can see that the doors are opened wide for the meek and the lowly who humble themselves and respond to His merciful invitation for salvation through Jesus.

Luke 13:24-27  “He replied, The door to heaven is narrow.  Work hard to get in, because many will try to enter, but when the head of the house has locked the door, it will be too late.  Then you will stand outside knocking and pleading, Lord, open the door for us!  But he will reply, I do not know you.  You will say, But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.  And he will reply, I tell you, I don’t know you.  Go away, all you who do evil.”

This is a sobering passage.  It is a “wake up” passage.

Jesus communicates pretty clearly, that the way to heaven is narrow.  There is one way, God said to get to heaven, Jesus is the only way.  The world would say, the view of society would be, that this way to God through Jesus is narrow-minded and “intolerant.”  Many will try their own way to enter, they will follow their own path, they will look for their own door, but once they have discovered their error, it will be too late.  There will come a time when the door will be closed and people will realize the truth and then they’ll try, and knock, and plead.  But the response of the Lord will be, “I don’t know you.”  And the decieved, misguided, and wrong way followers will try to rationalize and justify and respond by saying, but…  we did this and we did that and we were involved in these things and those things, we were good and doing “god” stuff. But the response will still be… “I don’t know you” and the reason is because they didn’t know and follow “the way, the truth, and the life.”  Jesus.  They were relying on a different road, a different path, a way that seemed right, but in reality was wrong.  Because they didn’t “know Jesus.”

The sobering, wake-up from this passage is the obvious question?  Do I know Jesus?  Will Jesus say to me, “well done, good and faithful servant”  or will he say “I never knew you.”  Romans 10:9 says,  “For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  I have done this, I believe in Jesus, I have confessed him as Lord.  But do I know Him?  Am I living for him?  Or am I doing a bunch of “semi-blessed” busy work that just makes people think I’m doing a good job?  And God is going…  “that’s good stuff… But do you know Jesus?”  Not know about him, but know Him?

Jesus says in Luke 13:24  “Work hard to get in…”  What does that mean?  We can’t earn our salvation.  We can’t work for it.  It is a free gift.  It is grace.  We rely on the work of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for us, so that “no one can boast.”  But Jesus says here “work hard to get in.”  I think this is an issue of obedience and discipleship for those who have put their faith in Jesus.  If I have given my life to Christ, then I am a changed person and my desire is going to be to live for Jesus and “to work out my salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).  According to this verse I already have salvation and now I am putting effort into the relationship that I have with Jesus, just like I would in any relationship.  Leon Morris says…”It is not about human achievement that merits entrance into heaven:  it is the attitude that is in mind.”

So what am I saying?  Bottom line?  I want to know Jesus and I want to know, that I know Jesus.  I don’t want to be doing stuff that impresses others, I want to be living my life for the Lord that shows Him, that I know Him.  The way is narrow, but that door is still open for anyone who is willing to believe and put their faith in Jesus.  Any person who would seek and seek earnestly the Lord’s way of getting to heaven, through knowing Jesus, will find eternal life.  Those who strive now, enter.  It’s not about working for it, it’s putting faith in Jesus and desiring to live for Him in that relationship.

Lord Jesus, help me to rely on you.  Help me to know you and remind me of the assurance I have that because I have put my faith in you and trust in you, I am known by You.  Keep me Lord from putting my hope in work, and busy “Christian” service.  Give me the ability to serve you out of a heart that belongs to you and desires to do your will.  Not a heart that just wants to impress you and others with all my work oriented stuff.  May my work for you be because of what you have done for me, not because I am trying to earn a place in heaven.  Thank you for this passage today.  Help me to put it into practice and to live a godly life by the power of your Holy Spirit.  Forgive me Lord for the times I have tried to prove myself to you and tried to earn your love.  Please let me rest in the gentle reality of grace and then to take that renewed perspective and whole heartedly give myself to you because of what you have done for me and because you know me.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Luke 12:48b

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted much, much will be asked.

There are strings attached when God gives much to a person or entrusts a person with much. When that is the case, more is demanded. There is more that is asked.

Jesus was telling a parable to His followers about masters and servants. To take the parable and put it into the context of my life, Jesus is the master and I am the servant. Verse 47 in this chapter speaks of the servant who knows the master’s will and doesn’t do it or who doesn’t get ready for the Master’s return. The master isn’t pleased with the servant when He returns and finds things unprepared or unaccomplished. I know the feeling…how upset I am when I come home to find that my teenager hasn’t done what was required to be done before I got home from work! My will was known but not done.

I know God’s will in many instances (and need to seek it in others) but am not sure that I am always working and focusing only on that in preparation for His return. I believe that Christ will return soon and am convicted about what all He has for me to accomplish in the meantime.  Verse 33 in this chapter talks about being ready for service…ready to do what God desires for me to do. Much has been given to me. I have my needs met each day by my faithful God. I have been entrusted with much. There are my children and those He has put in my life with whom I can have a ministry. The strings are attached. I need to share the material blessings I have been given with others. I need to know what God would have me to do to minister to my children and to those whose lives are being woven into mine. Knowing what God wants me to do is imperative. I want to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21) when Christ returns. What is He asking of me today?

Lord, thank you. All that I have comes from you. Let me be your willing and obedient servant. I desire to do the “much” that You have asked me to do today because I love you for what you have done for me. Thank you for paying the price for my sins.

“And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”

How quickly I can look beyond my own faults in order to judge the faults of those around me. I can look out the window of my own life to see what’s wrong with those around me, rather than look in the mirror to see my own shortcomings and inadequacies. If I am called to introspection, I must avail myself to the “mirrors” that God puts in my life. I must be sensitive to God’s Spirit as He shines His light on my soul to “see if there be any wicked way in me.” I must look intently into God’s perfect Law and be not only a hearer, but also an obedient doer of His Word.

If I am like the man in James who looks at his face in the mirror, and then immediately forgets what he looks like when he turns away, then I will miss the opportunity to be changed and transormed into the likeness of Christ.  If I am constantly on the look-out to ”fix” those around me, I will be ignoring my own need for change. It certainly is easier to diagnose the ills of others and prescribe changes for them. It requires very little effort on my behalf. But when I seek to be obedient to make changes in my own life, it takes both inspiration AND perspiration.

Finally, the last part of this passage rang out more loudly and clearly than I have seen it before. If I humble myself before the Lord and sincerely ask Him to change me from the inside so that I’ll become more like Him, only then will I be able to be an effective blessing and help to those around me.

Lord, as I recognize my own weaknesses and yield myself to You, help me to accept Your grace. Only then will I begin to reflect Your grace and extend it to others. Help me get the logs out of my own eyes so I can see clearly enough to be a help and a blessing to those around me.

Luke 6:45c  “Whatever is in your heart determines what you say.”

This statement convicts me.  In fact the larger context of verses 43-45 is very powerful.  Jesus is talking about being a “fruit” producer.  He uses the illustration and example of good trees and bad trees and the type of fruit that comes from each one.  A good tree can not produce bad fruit and vice versa.  And a tree is known by what it produces.  Lemon trees produce lemons, apple trees apples, etc.  I would be really confused if I went to a cherry tree to pick cherries and found oranges.  My expectation is cherries and if it is a good, healthy, vibrant cherry tree, I am going to get cherries.  Jesus equates this with the condition of the heart.  A good person produces good deeds and that comes from a good heart.  An evil person produces evil deeds and that comes from an evil heart.  And whatever is in my heart determines my words, my actions, my attitudes, the fruit I produce.  Before Jesus my heart was evil, sinful, selfish, and dark.  But after Jesus, asking him into my heart and life, he was able to change me and produce good fruit in me.  I’m not a good person in my own strength and ability, but thankfully because of Jesus, my sin is forgiven, my heart is changed, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I am able to produce good fruit.. love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.  It is when I remember that Jesus is in my heart and he is cultivating good in me, that I can produce the kind of fruit that my Master is expecting to see.

What is in my heart?  Jesus.  Do I still struggle with the sin and the evil and the challenges of this world?  Totally.

But thank God, Jesus is pruning me, cleansing me, and helping me to be a producer of fruit that honors and glorifies Him.

Lord help me with the areas of my heart that I try to hold onto and produce in my own effort.  Cleanse me today of the sin in my life that I struggle with.  The evil that at times can be so challenging.  Thank you that you are producing your fruit in my life and please Lord give me the ability to daily ask the question…  What is in my heart?  Help me to guard my heart and to constantly give my heart, my life, to you.

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”     Luke 4:4

But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. Luke 4:5,6

I have so much to learn, and today I decided to think through Luke 5:1-16 from Peter’s perspective…

He was probably tired, from fishing all night without success, and having to clean the nets. He may have been hungry, and discouraged. I wonder what prompted him to take his boat out again for Jesus…I see that he was obedient there… or curious. It does not say how long Jesus talked from the boat, but Peter was a captive audience.

When Jesus started to talk about fishing in vs 4, I think Simon started to operate in his flesh. Jesus was about to show Simon that He would bless him, and meet his needs, and Simon was ready to be the expert about fishing. I am glad that Simon made the choice to heed the word of Jesus to let down the nets. In vs 5 it says that Simon let down the net.

Jesus wants me to trust in him for my needs. Beyond that, He wants me to apply my God given gifts and talents to further His kingdom. To be a fisher of men. (Matt 4:19) I do not want to be like Simon, in some respects. I can see that he did not understand who Jesus was at this time, and that he only put one net into the water at the request of Jesus.

I want to stay in the same boat with Jesus, to hear teaching from him, and to receive instruction. I want to set aside the areas of my life that I feel I have a handle by myself, may expertise in ”fishing”. I desire to be quick to obey Jesus, even if I have been ”fishing all night in my own wisdom and strength.” I want to develop the kind of faith that allows me to concentrate on Eternal things in the midst of the day to day, while I am out “tossing the nets.”    But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. (Matt 6:33)

Lord, thank You for meeting my daily needs. Thank You for your word that includes people like Simon. I want to stay close to You Jesus, to be about the work of the kingdom. Please help me to step out in faith, and toss all of the nets to bring in a big catch. I want others to know you Lord and have Eternity with You. Lord today I long to keep my eyes on you first as I head out into the world.

Thanks to Russ Long for his good journal entry today.  Take a moment to read and respond to Russ’ thoughts.  Thanks, Brett

Luke 4 :18-19
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

Jesus is reading a passage from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue in Nazareth.  In doing so, He is revealing Himself and telling the people what He intends to accomplish.  This is often thought to be Christ’s inauguration of His ministry or His mission statement.

For me, this passage is one of many in the Bible that can be taken literally true in the physical sense, and literally true in the Spiritual sense.  If you look at the miracles and other actions of Jesus throughout His ministry, he purposefully fulfills these things quite literally in the physical sense.  He literally preached.  He literally heals those who are broken and blind.  When you read through all these things Christ did, you begin to see that the physical healing was not the primary objective of His ministry.  He went way beyond physical healing, and forgave people of their sins, mended their hearts, and set them free.

How concerned are we with the physical world?  How often to we pray for physical healing and forget the greater work of His Spirit?  I am guilty, especially when the pain is acute.  His real gift to the people who walked with Him, is still that same gift that is available to us today.  The gospel is Christ Himself.  He offers himself to us.  How often do we really live in light of that Truth?

I think one of my favorite verses fits in here, so I will add it.  A great example for us all can be found back in Daniel 3:17 : “Our God whom we serve us able to deliver us…He will deliver us…But even if he does not, [we will still serve Him]”  As Pastor Brett so clearly illustrated,  Faith that our God can deliver us,  Hope that He will, and Love for Him even if He does not.

And the Greatest of these is Love.

Lord,  thank you for giving your life to us and for us.  Help my prayers to you to be purposefully guided by your desires Lord, and not my own.  I get so distracted with the physical things of life sometimes, I know you can take care of all of them, and I hope that you do,  but even if you don’t, I Love you.  I want to glorify you today with my life.  Live through me that Your Will will be accomplished today.

Amen.

Psalm 63:3  “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”
 
It’s easy to live our lives calling ourselves Christians, but forget about who we truly are.  We were born to be loved by God and to love Him back.  His love is powerful, passionate, and persistent. It is the kind of love that our souls really yearn for.  Yet, it’s so common for us to forget how great his love is, and thus, we attempt to satisfy our souls with other things.  This leads us away from the relationship that we need most.  Perhaps the best way to know how to share in God’s love here on earth is to remind ourselves of what God says about Heaven.

 
Heaven is the place where believers will come to experience the perfect fullness of God’s love.  There will be no obstacles or distractions powerful enough to keep us from sharing that with Him and each other.  The book of Revelation says that He will be our temple and our light.  He will freely share his blessings with us, and we will return that love back to Him, unhindered.

 
If we can’t fully experience those things on earth, we can continue to strive for the same kind of love-relationship with God.  The secret seems to be our acceptance that his love IS better than life.  Bible heroes like David, Moses and Paul understood that God’s love was better than the things they saw around them, or even the people that they loved. Each one put his life on the line so that he would continue to live in God’s amazing love.  How could they make such sacrifices without constantly reminding themselves that a loving God existed who promised things too wonderful to comprehend?

 
Lord, may I not forget that your love is better than life, and may my actions reflect obedience to you and glorify you.

Psalm 60:9-12  “Who will bring me into the beseiged city? Who will lead me to Edom? Hast not Thou Thyself, O God, rejected us? And wilt Thou not go forth with our armies, O God? O give us help against the adversary, for deliverance by man is in vain. Through God we shall do valiantly, and it is He who shall tread down our enemies.”

How many times does my self-sufficiency get in the way? All too often I find myself relying on my own strength and depending on my own wisdom when I am challenged by my circumstances. I need to come to the end of myself more quickly and depend on the Lord more readily and steadily. David recognized that “deliverance by man is in vain.” All that we do to strategize or manipulate on our own can quickly evaporate. David also understood that “through God we shall do valiantly.”  He is the One doing our bidding and the One waging our battles. “And it is He who will tread down our adversaries.”

Lord, help me see my abilities and inabilities for what they are, knowing that You are great and mighty… and I’m not. Thank You for going before me and fighting my battles for me. The victory is already won in You. Thank You that through You, I shall do valiantly.