He Hurts Like We Hurt

April 6 2016
Scripture: Isaiah 16:11 (ESV)

He Hurts Like We Hurt

"Therefore my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab, and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth"

In the middle of a series of prophecies to the reigning cities of the day, the Lord decrees righteous consequences to each one. He pours out correcting punishments telling the people to weep over their cities. But something here seems a little different about the "Righteous Judge" than the cold unsympathetic attitude one might expect from the "Old Testament God". Here He says He weeps and moans in the inmost parts of His being for these people, and what they have to go through. In verse 9 it says, "I drench you with My tears." It's not that God doesn't care when He disciplines us. In fact, He weeps for His children. He hurts like we hurt. 

When a father must punish his child and he sees the tear-filled eyes look back at him, he cannot help but feel compassion for his child. Does this mean that the father should boycott the consequence that the child needs to learn the lesson? You could, but that is not truly helping the child in the long run, because throughout life there are choices and consequences. If the father let his child do anything consequence-free, it is setting up that child for failure in the real world. 

Yet even when God disciplines us, His children, He feels our pain very deeply. Jesus wept bitterly for Jerusalem, over their unbelief. He didn't shake His fist at them shouting, "You'll get what's coming to you!" No, God cares; He comforts you at the hospital, He mourns with you at the graveside, He hurts at the sight of evil done to you. God cares.

"Lord Jesus, thank You that You truly care about me and the struggles I face everyday. Your comfort is soothing and I know that Your arms are wrapped around me tightest when I hurt the most. Amen."

Feast On This

March 14 2016
Scripture: Luke 14:13-14 (ESV)

Feast On This!

"But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the Resurrection of the Just."

Jesus was invited to a party where we find him 'changing the rules of the game' once again. He states that when you give a feast don't invite your friends, relatives, or rich neighbors, for they may pay you back by inviting you in return. This no longer is a generous giving, but borrowing, because the expectation is "if I do something nice to you, you should do something nice to me to return the favor". 

But true giving is not expecting even a penny back in this life; for the eternal repayment is found in the Father's pleasure at the End of the Age. So Jesus is saying to be generous in this way, it would be easier to invite those who couldn't repay you even if they wanted to. Then you will be blessed because you followed the heart of Jesus' instruction when He said, "as you did to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did to Me" (Mat 25:40). 

If I want to know the true joys of giving, I must decide for myself to give, expecting nothing, not even a "thank you". It will not be for my gain, but for theirs. If Jesus was willing to give everything, even His life, what would I be willing to give to those He died for? My resources? My time? My "youth pastor shuddle services"? I must give to those that cannot give back, for Jesus did the exact same thing on the cross by giving Himself when there was no other way for us to repay our debts. 

"Lord Jesus, thank You for throwing Your "heavenly party" and inviting me to join in, when there was no way I could repay You for what You paid to make it happen. Help me to model my giving after You and to find the joy and blessing of serving the least, the poor, the blind, the lame, and crippled. Let me not seek any earthly reward but cling to the eternal reward that You will give during the Resurrection of the Just. Take me and use all I have for Your glory. Amen."

Who Is My Neighbor

March 12 2016
Scripture: Luke 10:28-29 (ESV)

Who Is My Neighbor?

"And He (Jesus) said to him, 'You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.' But he desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'

This lawyer intended to test Jesus, but in reality it was Jesus testing him. He knew the heart of the Old Testament law was to love God and your neighbor as yourself. But he must have not been living it out, for he felt the need for a clarifying question: " Who is my neighbor?" He wanted to know what little he could get by with and still make it to Heaven. How many times do we know what we ought to do and choose to ignore it. I believe the Holy Spirit will teach us and bring to remembrance the things we heard Jesus say (John 14:26). The struggle is between knowing and doing. Jesus knew that to truly love you need to let what you know and believe determine what you do. 

Does this mean I should be like the Good Samaritan and pick up every person I see and pay for their hotel rooms? Maybe if the Holy Spirit leads you to in that certain situation. But what I see is that I must have compassion for all people, even those I do not know yet. I must ask myself, "Is there an obvious need in that person's life I could possibly fill? If it were me, what would bless my heart?" Ask the Spirit. Take what you know, do it, and you will surely live. Now look and see, "who is your neighbor?"

" Lord Jesus, I know sometimes I try to squeeze by with the smallest amount possible, and I am sorry. Help me to see that to truly live, I must go and do likewise. Thank you for your word, which shows me what I need to know, so I can go and do it in my world. Amen"