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Monday, September 10, 2012
Daily Prayer - The cost of discipleship
Daily Prayer - Comfortable?
Good Monday morning, my friends.
It is good to be back after a couple of weeks off. Hope you didn't miss me too much! :-)
Are you comfortable in your current church? Do you find the teachings satisfying? Do they may you feel warm and fuzzy about your faith? Then maybe you are in the wrong church.
When you read the New Testament, you don't get the feeling that Jesus made his listeners feel comfortable - quite the opposite, actually, Teachings such as "Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me" (Mark 10:21) or "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (John 6:56) made his listeners feel anything but warm and fuzzy.
John Fischer recently wrote a great article about this - here is an excerpt:
Jesus has always been a radical and a rebel in the face of the ruling religious authorities (that's why they killed Him) and the story has always been there in the Gospels for anyone to see. It's just that when movements become structured and institutionalized they have the tendency of taking on the characteristics of the Pharisees and not of the founder. And with the "Pharisees" in charge, everything gets skewed to their perspective. So you're not going to see the radical nature of Christ's teaching advocated from the pulpits of our churches on a regular basis. That might upset too many people, make them feel uncomfortable or force them to change.
A mentor of mine used to teach us that any great movement in history always begins with a Man (it could be a woman, too, but for sake of alliteration...), then it turns into a Movement, then to a Machine, and finally, it becomes a Monument. I think this is the natural course of things in human nature. As movements become institutionalized (the Machine stage), they lose the radical nature of their founder. That's why we need to continually go back to Jesus - the Jesus of the New Testament - and go back to what He said and did, and if that becomes difficult or hard to take or understand, we mustn't just pass it off or pass it by. We must find out why. Why don't we hear this part of Christ's message, or why don't we see these things exemplified in His followers and in our own lives? If something Jesus said or did makes us uncomfortable, that's probably because it should. Preachers should make their congregations uncomfortable on a regular basis. If they're not, you have to wonder if they are teaching the truth. Preachers should be making themselves uncomfortable for that matter, because the things Jesus said are hard to take, and even harder to do.
If you're not following the founder you may be following a Pharisee. Leaders who are following the founder leave their own lives open on a regular basis, because the truth cuts them as deeply as it cuts everyone else.
Don't get me wrong, I do not believe all churches are like this. I can think of several pastors who challenge my view of Jesus in every sermon. (If you want to hear such teaching, check out the Sermon Archive at Trinity Bible Church of Ottawa or listen to any of Andy Stanley's messages at North Point Community Church.) But there are many churches out there that do not preach a message that challenges our complacency.
Are you squirming in the pew on a regular basis?
Bruce
Almighty Father, You sent Your Son into the world that all might be saved.
Through Your Holy Spirit bring those who do not know You to repentance and faith.
Grant all pastors, church workers and missionaries the skill, patience, and courage to open and teach the Scriptures as Philip did for the Ethiopian eunuch, that all may come to the waters of Holy Baptism.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Source: LCMS "Let Us Pray"
(http://cyberbrethren.com/2012/05/09/daily-prayer-for-faithful-teaching-of-the-scriptures/)
Daily Prayer - Comfortable?
Good Monday morning, my friends.
It is good to be back after a couple of weeks off. Hope you didn't miss me too much! :-)
Are you comfortable in your current church? Do you find the teachings satisfying? Do they may you feel warm and fuzzy about your faith? Then maybe you are in the wrong church.
When you read the New Testament, you don't get the feeling that Jesus made his listeners feel comfortable - quite the opposite, actually, Teachings such as "Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me" (Mark 10:21) or "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (John 6:56) made his listeners feel anything but warm and fuzzy.
John Fischer recently wrote a great article about this - here is an excerpt:
Jesus has always been a radical and a rebel in the face of the ruling religious authorities (that's why they killed Him) and the story has always been there in the Gospels for anyone to see. It's just that when movements become structured and institutionalized they have the tendency of taking on the characteristics of the Pharisees and not of the founder. And with the "Pharisees" in charge, everything gets skewed to their perspective. So you're not going to see the radical nature of Christ's teaching advocated from the pulpits of our churches on a regular basis. That might upset too many people, make them feel uncomfortable or force them to change.
A mentor of mine used to teach us that any great movement in history always begins with a Man (it could be a woman, too, but for sake of alliteration...), then it turns into a Movement, then to a Machine, and finally, it becomes a Monument. I think this is the natural course of things in human nature. As movements become institutionalized (the Machine stage), they lose the radical nature of their founder. That's why we need to continually go back to Jesus - the Jesus of the New Testament - and go back to what He said and did, and if that becomes difficult or hard to take or understand, we mustn't just pass it off or pass it by. We must find out why. Why don't we hear this part of Christ's message, or why don't we see these things exemplified in His followers and in our own lives? If something Jesus said or did makes us uncomfortable, that's probably because it should. Preachers should make their congregations uncomfortable on a regular basis. If they're not, you have to wonder if they are teaching the truth. Preachers should be making themselves uncomfortable for that matter, because the things Jesus said are hard to take, and even harder to do.
If you're not following the founder you may be following a Pharisee. Leaders who are following the founder leave their own lives open on a regular basis, because the truth cuts them as deeply as it cuts everyone else.
Don't get me wrong, I do not believe all churches are like this. I can think of several pastors who challenge my view of Jesus in every sermon. (If you want to hear such teaching, check out the Sermon Archive at Trinity Bible Church of Ottawa or listen to any of Andy Stanley's messages at North Point Community Church.) But there are many churches out there that do not preach a message that challenges our complacency.
Are you squirming in the pew on a regular basis?
Bruce
Almighty Father, You sent Your Son into the world that all might be saved.
Through Your Holy Spirit bring those who do not know You to repentance and faith.
Grant all pastors, church workers and missionaries the skill, patience, and courage to open and teach the Scriptures as Philip did for the Ethiopian eunuch, that all may come to the waters of Holy Baptism.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Source: LCMS "Let Us Pray"
(http://cyberbrethren.com/2012/05/09/daily-prayer-for-faithful-teaching-of-the-scriptures/)
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Daily Prayer - Mockers!
Good Thursday morning, my friends.
According to Jude "there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts" (Jude 1:18b). Do you know anyone like that? Don't we see and hear these people every day? They mock any idea of God or the Bible and they live a lifestyle that flaunts God's laws. How do we feel when we encounter someone like this? Revulsion? Condemnation? Or do we love and pity them?
I was one of those people, not just a mocker but a committed one! So you would think that I, perhaps more than many, could see someone like that with love and forgiveness. But alas, I also struggle with judgmentalism. We must fight this "natural inkling" and instead see those "enemies of the faith" for what thy are: deceived and blinded by Satan. We need to tell them the Gospel and pray for them. After all, even Paul says "although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Timothy 1:13).
Because sometimes the mockers become believers.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
(I will be on vacation for the next two weeks, so you likely won't be hearing much, if anything, from me.)
According to Jude "there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts" (Jude 1:18b). Do you know anyone like that? Don't we see and hear these people every day? They mock any idea of God or the Bible and they live a lifestyle that flaunts God's laws. How do we feel when we encounter someone like this? Revulsion? Condemnation? Or do we love and pity them?
I was one of those people, not just a mocker but a committed one! So you would think that I, perhaps more than many, could see someone like that with love and forgiveness. But alas, I also struggle with judgmentalism. We must fight this "natural inkling" and instead see those "enemies of the faith" for what thy are: deceived and blinded by Satan. We need to tell them the Gospel and pray for them. After all, even Paul says "although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Timothy 1:13).
Because sometimes the mockers become believers.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
(I will be on vacation for the next two weeks, so you likely won't be hearing much, if anything, from me.)
Father, like Paul who desired that his kinsmen not be destroyed by their sin of unbelief, we too bear a burden for our fellow man that they come to repentance and find salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jude warns us that there will be mockers in the last time who walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
We see it with our eyes and it is evident in the news every day.
But we are encouraged in our witness knowing that salvation is available to any mocker or unbeliever who turns to you in repentance.
Jesus is the only name under heaven by which we can be saved so we proclaim Him who lived among the people, was sacrificed for our sins, was buried and rose on the third day.
How we pray that the life of Christ might resonate through our lives so that others might see Jesus in us.
It is in Jesus’ name that we pray for a plentiful harvest in declaring the gospel through our witness and our lives.
Amen.
(http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/a-prayer-for-faithful-impact/)
Jude warns us that there will be mockers in the last time who walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
We see it with our eyes and it is evident in the news every day.
But we are encouraged in our witness knowing that salvation is available to any mocker or unbeliever who turns to you in repentance.
Jesus is the only name under heaven by which we can be saved so we proclaim Him who lived among the people, was sacrificed for our sins, was buried and rose on the third day.
How we pray that the life of Christ might resonate through our lives so that others might see Jesus in us.
It is in Jesus’ name that we pray for a plentiful harvest in declaring the gospel through our witness and our lives.
Amen.
(http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/a-prayer-for-faithful-impact/)
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Daily Prayer - Surrender
Good Wednesday morning, my friends.
Today I thought I would let my sister, Beth, take over. The other day I wrote about the "Rich Young Ruler" passage:
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”
And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22, NKJV)
Beth sent the following response to that message:
Every time I read that scripture the same thought comes to me. It seems to me that the rich young ruler is asking the question because he feels unfulfilled, like something is missing and he is asking Jesus what it is. Jesus gives him the list of commandments and the young man seems to respond, "no, that isn't it, I've already been doing those things and yet I'm empty". He is seeking but does not know for what or how to get it. It is this desperation that Jesus responds with love to I think, basically telling him that he is empty because he is wrapped up in his own world and his worldly things. He needs to get away from them in order to find his heart, and his true love for God. Sometimes we do all the right things but can't seem to figure out why we don't feel the love of God or the thrill of the freedom He offers. It's a heart problem. We fear giving ourselves over and giving our whole heart because of what it might mean we become. We may have to give up our social structure, our respectability, our time, our comforts and conveniences. No wonder he went away sad. I'm sad that I feel my own twinges at these thoughts! I don't know if I'm strong enough yet. That IS sad.
Beth
I must confess I experience this as well. So what is the cure for this sadness? It has to be surrender - surrender of the things, people, places, whatever it is we put before God. This surrender, this trusting in God and His goodness and his provision, must take place on a daily, even hourly or minute by minute basis.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
Today I thought I would let my sister, Beth, take over. The other day I wrote about the "Rich Young Ruler" passage:
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”
And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22, NKJV)
Beth sent the following response to that message:
Every time I read that scripture the same thought comes to me. It seems to me that the rich young ruler is asking the question because he feels unfulfilled, like something is missing and he is asking Jesus what it is. Jesus gives him the list of commandments and the young man seems to respond, "no, that isn't it, I've already been doing those things and yet I'm empty". He is seeking but does not know for what or how to get it. It is this desperation that Jesus responds with love to I think, basically telling him that he is empty because he is wrapped up in his own world and his worldly things. He needs to get away from them in order to find his heart, and his true love for God. Sometimes we do all the right things but can't seem to figure out why we don't feel the love of God or the thrill of the freedom He offers. It's a heart problem. We fear giving ourselves over and giving our whole heart because of what it might mean we become. We may have to give up our social structure, our respectability, our time, our comforts and conveniences. No wonder he went away sad. I'm sad that I feel my own twinges at these thoughts! I don't know if I'm strong enough yet. That IS sad.
Beth
I must confess I experience this as well. So what is the cure for this sadness? It has to be surrender - surrender of the things, people, places, whatever it is we put before God. This surrender, this trusting in God and His goodness and his provision, must take place on a daily, even hourly or minute by minute basis.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
Loving Father,
I surrender to you today with all my heart and soul. Please come into my heart in a deeper way. I say, “Yes” to you today. I open all the secret places of my heart to you and say, “Come on in.” Jesus, you are the Lord of my whole life. I believe in you and receive you as my Lord and Savior. I hold nothing back.
Holy Spirit, bring me to a deeper conversion to the person of Jesus Christ. I surrender all to you: my time, my treasures, my talents, my health, my family, my resources, my work, relationships, time management, successes and failures. I release it and let it go.
I surrender my understanding of how things ‘ought’ to be, my choices and my will. I surrender to you the promises I have kept and the promises I have failed to keep. I surrender my weaknesses and strengths to you. I surrender my emotions, my fears, my insecurities, my sexuality. I especially surrender ______ (Here mention other areas of surrender as the Holy Spirit reveals them to you.)
Lord, I surrender my whole life to you, the past, the present, and the future. In sickness and in health, in life and in death, I belong to you.
(Remain the Lord in a spirit of silence through your thoughts, a heart song, or simply staying in His presence and listening for His voice.)
(http://rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/2011/06/25/a-prayer-of-surrender)
I surrender to you today with all my heart and soul. Please come into my heart in a deeper way. I say, “Yes” to you today. I open all the secret places of my heart to you and say, “Come on in.” Jesus, you are the Lord of my whole life. I believe in you and receive you as my Lord and Savior. I hold nothing back.
Holy Spirit, bring me to a deeper conversion to the person of Jesus Christ. I surrender all to you: my time, my treasures, my talents, my health, my family, my resources, my work, relationships, time management, successes and failures. I release it and let it go.
I surrender my understanding of how things ‘ought’ to be, my choices and my will. I surrender to you the promises I have kept and the promises I have failed to keep. I surrender my weaknesses and strengths to you. I surrender my emotions, my fears, my insecurities, my sexuality. I especially surrender ______ (Here mention other areas of surrender as the Holy Spirit reveals them to you.)
Lord, I surrender my whole life to you, the past, the present, and the future. In sickness and in health, in life and in death, I belong to you.
(Remain the Lord in a spirit of silence through your thoughts, a heart song, or simply staying in His presence and listening for His voice.)
(http://rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/2011/06/25/a-prayer-of-surrender)
Monday, July 30, 2012
Daily Prayer - The Rich Young Ruler
Good Monday morning, my friends.
In one of my messages last week I made reference to Jesus' parable of "The Rich Young Ruler". A friend of mine (thanks, Drew) pointed out something I had not seen before in the text:
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”
And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22, NKJV)
OK, I am not a Bible scholar, and it is dangerous to question Biblical text, however I have deliberately chosen to use the "New King James Version" for this text because there is a minor (or perhaps not so minor) difference in the text from one translation to another. In some common translations, such as the New International Version (NIV), Jesus says to this young man: “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
The word "then" implies that this young man (and by extension all of us) could only begin to follow Jesus after he had made a wholesale change in his life. In my experience that isn't the way Jesus works. Rather, once we begin to follow Him we begin to change our lives through the help of the Holy Spirit. As the saying goes, "God loves you just the way you are but He loves you too much to leave you that way". I believe that for this young ruler, he was asked to sell his posessions and follow Jesus as parallel activities, not sequential ones.
Something else to note and ponder on from this parable are the words "Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him". Anyone who has ever encountered Jesus including you and me, receives this love as well. But let's not follow the example of this young man and reject the life-giving changes God wants to make in us.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
In one of my messages last week I made reference to Jesus' parable of "The Rich Young Ruler". A friend of mine (thanks, Drew) pointed out something I had not seen before in the text:
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”
And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22, NKJV)
OK, I am not a Bible scholar, and it is dangerous to question Biblical text, however I have deliberately chosen to use the "New King James Version" for this text because there is a minor (or perhaps not so minor) difference in the text from one translation to another. In some common translations, such as the New International Version (NIV), Jesus says to this young man: “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
The word "then" implies that this young man (and by extension all of us) could only begin to follow Jesus after he had made a wholesale change in his life. In my experience that isn't the way Jesus works. Rather, once we begin to follow Him we begin to change our lives through the help of the Holy Spirit. As the saying goes, "God loves you just the way you are but He loves you too much to leave you that way". I believe that for this young ruler, he was asked to sell his posessions and follow Jesus as parallel activities, not sequential ones.
Something else to note and ponder on from this parable are the words "Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him". Anyone who has ever encountered Jesus including you and me, receives this love as well. But let's not follow the example of this young man and reject the life-giving changes God wants to make in us.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
Dear Father, Jesus' words have a way of piercing our hearts and defenses we have built up against you and doing things your way.
Make us tender-hearted. Gently expose the reservations of our hearts, as you did for that wealthy young man those many centuries ago.
But give us grace to be able to obey you, the Great Physician, who alone can heal our corrupt and deceitful hearts, and make us whole.
Forgive us, O Lord, for clinging to the remnants of a life independent of you, and make us wholly yours.
In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
(http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/18_18-23.htm)
Make us tender-hearted. Gently expose the reservations of our hearts, as you did for that wealthy young man those many centuries ago.
But give us grace to be able to obey you, the Great Physician, who alone can heal our corrupt and deceitful hearts, and make us whole.
Forgive us, O Lord, for clinging to the remnants of a life independent of you, and make us wholly yours.
In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
(http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/18_18-23.htm)
Friday, July 27, 2012
Daily Prayer - Salt and Money
Good Friday morning, my friends.
I has been a while since I have listened to my audio Bible in the car, so this morning I picked up a CD and popped it in. I listened to several chapters from Luke's Gospel, and as frequently happens when reading (or hearing) scripture, God starts to connect some of the dots.
I was somewhat chastened by Jesus' words in this passage:
those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. (Luke 14:33-35)
Salt changes the flavour of the food to which it is added. Does the Church change society today, or is it indistinguishable from it? Does our behaviour and lifestyle make us stand out or do we blend in? Is the reality that the Church today has lost its saltiness? I believe in large part that it has.
While mulling this over, my attention turned to the first part of the passage - the part about giving up everything. Everything? Really? Just give it all away? Well, that is certainly an option, and one that Jesus recommends to a certain "rich young ruler", but perhaps not the only way. As I continued to listen to Luke's Gospel, Jesus offers another way to "give up everything": use it shrewdly for Kingdom purposes. Use it to gain influence and credibility with those around us who are lost, in order to point them to Christ:
Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
"The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
“‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’
“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:1-13)
Wealth is a tool and a test for us. A tool to expand the Kingdom, and a test of where our hearts really are. And like the shrewd manager, one day we will be called to account.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
I has been a while since I have listened to my audio Bible in the car, so this morning I picked up a CD and popped it in. I listened to several chapters from Luke's Gospel, and as frequently happens when reading (or hearing) scripture, God starts to connect some of the dots.
I was somewhat chastened by Jesus' words in this passage:
those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. (Luke 14:33-35)
Salt changes the flavour of the food to which it is added. Does the Church change society today, or is it indistinguishable from it? Does our behaviour and lifestyle make us stand out or do we blend in? Is the reality that the Church today has lost its saltiness? I believe in large part that it has.
While mulling this over, my attention turned to the first part of the passage - the part about giving up everything. Everything? Really? Just give it all away? Well, that is certainly an option, and one that Jesus recommends to a certain "rich young ruler", but perhaps not the only way. As I continued to listen to Luke's Gospel, Jesus offers another way to "give up everything": use it shrewdly for Kingdom purposes. Use it to gain influence and credibility with those around us who are lost, in order to point them to Christ:
Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
"The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
“‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’
“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:1-13)
Wealth is a tool and a test for us. A tool to expand the Kingdom, and a test of where our hearts really are. And like the shrewd manager, one day we will be called to account.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
Father, a lot of life comes down to money.
Whether it controls us or whether we make You our Master instead.
Lord, we deliberately ask you to resume your rightful place OVER our money right now.
Forgive us for the fear of want that drives us, for the self-centered love of luxury that corrupts us, and for the lust for power and acceptance that motivates our lifestyles.
Teach us, we pray, how to live with you as fully Lord, fully God.
In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
(http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/16_1-15.htm)
God! Please open our eyes to your eternal kingdom.
Teach us to invest in the life forever with you.
Help us to realize that everything we think we own here is temporary so we'll begin to consider what's permanent and strive for that.
Give us eternal eyes.
(http://www.web-church.com/jesus_christ/parable_of_the_shrewd_manager-2.htm)
Whether it controls us or whether we make You our Master instead.
Lord, we deliberately ask you to resume your rightful place OVER our money right now.
Forgive us for the fear of want that drives us, for the self-centered love of luxury that corrupts us, and for the lust for power and acceptance that motivates our lifestyles.
Teach us, we pray, how to live with you as fully Lord, fully God.
In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
(http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/16_1-15.htm)
God! Please open our eyes to your eternal kingdom.
Teach us to invest in the life forever with you.
Help us to realize that everything we think we own here is temporary so we'll begin to consider what's permanent and strive for that.
Give us eternal eyes.
(http://www.web-church.com/jesus_christ/parable_of_the_shrewd_manager-2.htm)
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Daily Prayer - How flexible are you?
Good Wednesday afternoon, my friends
It seems that MailChimp worked quite well yesterday. Please let me know if you have any issues with these messages.
How often do we not have either the time or the resources to help those around us who are in need? They may need a listening ear, encouragement, assistance with a physical task, relief from a financial crisis, or any number of other problems. As you read the Gospels you will notice that Jesus always allowed His schedule to be interrupted when someone needed help - whether it was a blind man at the side of the road, or a crowd that was following him. Are we that flexible? Do we allow for any margin in our schedule or budget which would enable us to take advantage of these blessings presented to us? Yes - blessings. You know from experience how blessed you feel when you are able to help someone else. And remember "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2)
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
Jesus, help me to have the heart and motivation of the Samaritan when he saw the needy man along the way.
Taking the time to stop and help wasn't on his schedule and his medical expenses weren't in the Samaritan's budget.
He didn't consider these factors to be an obstacle that would keep him from extending Your mercy to one in need.
Jesus, help me to be Your hand extended reaching out to the needy, the sick, and the oppressed.
And, Lord, when it is not within my ability or power to directly reach that person in need, prompt me to bring him before the throne in earnest prayer.
Help me to be a vessel that You use to heal the broken-hearted as You bind up their wounds.
And I will do it in Jesus' name and for Your honor.
Amen.
(http://www.prayerfortoday.net/)
It seems that MailChimp worked quite well yesterday. Please let me know if you have any issues with these messages.
How often do we not have either the time or the resources to help those around us who are in need? They may need a listening ear, encouragement, assistance with a physical task, relief from a financial crisis, or any number of other problems. As you read the Gospels you will notice that Jesus always allowed His schedule to be interrupted when someone needed help - whether it was a blind man at the side of the road, or a crowd that was following him. Are we that flexible? Do we allow for any margin in our schedule or budget which would enable us to take advantage of these blessings presented to us? Yes - blessings. You know from experience how blessed you feel when you are able to help someone else. And remember "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2)
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
Jesus, help me to have the heart and motivation of the Samaritan when he saw the needy man along the way.
Taking the time to stop and help wasn't on his schedule and his medical expenses weren't in the Samaritan's budget.
He didn't consider these factors to be an obstacle that would keep him from extending Your mercy to one in need.
Jesus, help me to be Your hand extended reaching out to the needy, the sick, and the oppressed.
And, Lord, when it is not within my ability or power to directly reach that person in need, prompt me to bring him before the throne in earnest prayer.
Help me to be a vessel that You use to heal the broken-hearted as You bind up their wounds.
And I will do it in Jesus' name and for Your honor.
Amen.
(http://www.prayerfortoday.net/)
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Daily Prayer - Praying for our enemies
Good Tuesday afternoon, my friends
You haven't heard from me for a few days because the client site I work at changed their security policy last week. I no longer have access to the email account I have used to send out this message. As God often does, when one door closes He opens another. In this case that door is MailChimp.com. This is my first message using MailChimp, so we will see how this works out.
We have had many reminders in the past few weeks that there is evil in this world. From the shootings at the Eaton Centre in Toronto and at a neighbourhood barbeque in Scarborough, to the horrendous events at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado.
It is so easy to hate those who perpetrate these unspeakable crimes, however Jesus calls us to love our enemies and even pray for them (Matthew 5:44). So while we pray for the victims and their families we must also pray for the blinded, deceived individuals who are convinced by our evil enemy to commit these acts.
God can and will use every circumstance to reach out to this fallen world, even events such as these. What we see in this world is like looking at the back of a beautiful tapestry or Persian rug - there is no discernable pattern or image in the threads we see, but once we get to the other side we will see the complete beauty of God's creation.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
Father, the horrendous acts of terror and slaughter that took place in Aurora, Colorado and Toronto and Scarborough, Ontario remind us that we live in an ever darkening world that is choosing evil over good, the prince of darkness over the Prince of Peace.
We pray for the families who lost their loved ones in the massacre shooting and for those recovering from wounds inflicted as well as the emotional terror they were subjected to.
Father of Compassion, only You can turn evil to good, so we pray that from this evil tragedy people’s hearts will be turned to You where they can find comfort, peace, healing and above all salvation that comes through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
(adapted from http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/a-prayer-for-assurance-in-times-of-evil/)
You haven't heard from me for a few days because the client site I work at changed their security policy last week. I no longer have access to the email account I have used to send out this message. As God often does, when one door closes He opens another. In this case that door is MailChimp.com. This is my first message using MailChimp, so we will see how this works out.
We have had many reminders in the past few weeks that there is evil in this world. From the shootings at the Eaton Centre in Toronto and at a neighbourhood barbeque in Scarborough, to the horrendous events at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado.
It is so easy to hate those who perpetrate these unspeakable crimes, however Jesus calls us to love our enemies and even pray for them (Matthew 5:44). So while we pray for the victims and their families we must also pray for the blinded, deceived individuals who are convinced by our evil enemy to commit these acts.
God can and will use every circumstance to reach out to this fallen world, even events such as these. What we see in this world is like looking at the back of a beautiful tapestry or Persian rug - there is no discernable pattern or image in the threads we see, but once we get to the other side we will see the complete beauty of God's creation.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
Father, the horrendous acts of terror and slaughter that took place in Aurora, Colorado and Toronto and Scarborough, Ontario remind us that we live in an ever darkening world that is choosing evil over good, the prince of darkness over the Prince of Peace.
We pray for the families who lost their loved ones in the massacre shooting and for those recovering from wounds inflicted as well as the emotional terror they were subjected to.
Father of Compassion, only You can turn evil to good, so we pray that from this evil tragedy people’s hearts will be turned to You where they can find comfort, peace, healing and above all salvation that comes through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
(adapted from http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/a-prayer-for-assurance-in-times-of-evil/)
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Daily Prayer - Blessed to be a blessing
Good Wednesday morning, my friends.
This morning I was reading a daily scripture email from The Canadian Bible Society. In this passage David is in the tabernacle praying and giving thanks to God. Something he prayed struck a chord with me:
And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, 'The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!' And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight. (2 Samuel 7:25-26)
I am all for asking and expecting the Lord to keep His promises to me and my family. I tend to remind Him of His obligations on a daily basis! But I rarely, if ever, ask Him to do it so that His "name will be great forever". I ask it for me, wanting special favours for my own private gain. I do not ask it so that others will see that God is with me and blessing me for my obedience and trust. Just as the Israelites forgot that they were blessed so that they would be a blessing to all nations (Genesis 22:17-18), I (we?) forget that God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to those we meet.
How have you been blessed today and who around you can be blessed as a result of it?
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce
Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,The Lord bless you and keep you;the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.Numbers 6:23-27
 | Bruce MacPherson |
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Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Daily Prayer - Free will
Good Tuesday morning, my friends.
Free will has to be the biggest double-edged sword ever conceived. God has given it to us so that we can freely choose to be in relationship with Him. Or not. Without the freedom to choose, there would be no relationship - we would simply be robots, created to do the bidding of the Creator.
We who have chosen this relationship should be perpetually grateful that we were given the choice. And we must be constantly pointing others in the same direction, and praying they would do likewise.
Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace be yours!
Bruce
Father, it is not Your will that any should perish but that all would come to repentance.Yet You don't force us to follow Your prescribed plan, but give us a free will to come willingly, lovingly, obediently, and gratefully as we come to realize that there is none like You.No one else could touch our hearts like You do,grant us peace that is eternaland prepare a home for us to last for all eternity.We don't presume upon Your grace, but we do receive it by faith with thanksgiving.In Jesus' name we pray.Amen.
| Bruce MacPherson |
You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material.
If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.
Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Daily Prayer - A link in the chain ...
Good Friday morning, my friend.
You are (or can be) a link in the chain. Actually, a link in many chains:
A person's coming to Christ is like a chain with many links…. There are many influences and conversations that precede a person's decision to convert to Christ. I know the joy of being the first link at times, a middle link usually, and occasionally the last link. God has not called me to only be the last link. He has called me to be faithful and to love all people. – evangelist Cliffe Knechtle
You can be a link in the chain by inviting someone to chuch, bringing a meal to a family suffering loss or illness, being open to talking about Jesus to your family and friends, even if you are rebuffed. You may not feel like an evangelist, but you are called to be one. I was once a dedicated skeptic but because of a number of wonderful people, links in my chain, I have come to know the One true God and His saving mercy. Please don't give up on your friends and relatives. And don't neglect praying for them:
Evangelism without intercession is like an explosive without a detonator; intercession without evangelism is like a detonator without an explosive.– Reinhart Bonnke
For a great example of this, take the time to read this story.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce
Lord of the Harvest, we see that Your harvest field is ripe and ready all over this nation and the world!We long to see Your kingdom come on this earth and to do everything we can to obey Your commission to go into all the world.Help us to consider serving You by answering Your call to go, or to generously release our funds so that others might be sent.May we as individuals, as families and as Your Church, respond to Your command in whatever way You call us!We want the harvest to be plentiful and powerful!Show us how to pray effectively for the protection, boldness, clarity, health, and fruitfulness of missionaries.May we actively seek to align ourselves with Your heart and respond to the need!We pray that our hearts would be obedient to the desires of Your heart, so that all men would come to a saving knowledge of the truth—the Lord Jesus Christ, in Whose powerful Name we pray.Amen.
| Bruce MacPherson |
You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material.
If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.
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Thursday, July 12, 2012
Daily Prayer - Work ethic
Good Thursday morning, my friends.
Do we have the kind of attitude towards work that Paul espouses in Colossians 3:23?
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men
There is a delicate balancing act here, however. It is all too common for work and accomplishment (and wealth and success) to take too important of a place in our lives. It can replace God and our family in terms of priority. But we should be blessing our employers every day with our work effort and ethic. And that is an area I need to improve upon. Reflect today on your own situation and see if God has something to say on this subject in your life.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce
Father, we offer up to You our lives as living sacrifices.May we be holy and pleasing to You.In whatever form of work we do may we do so with diligence as unto the Lord.We thank you for the variety of giftings and work skills You give us in regard to vocational work and how we are blessed and provided for.We honor you as we have a proper view toward work.Amen.
| Bruce MacPherson |
You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material.
If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.
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Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Daily Prayer - Are you rich?
Good Tuesday morning, my friends.
What does it mean to be "rich"? Are you and I rich? By whose standards? There is no question that when we view the population of the earth as a whole we are in the top 20% by material standards (probably the top 5%). But we look at those around us who have a lot more wealth and say "not me, I'm not rich – that guy is rich!".
But is wealth the real measure of richness? Not by God's standard. Being rich in God's eyes means being in a right relationship with Him. And being in a right relationship with Him brings peace in our hearts. And when we have peace in our hearts we are not concerned with material wealth, rather we want to share all that we have because we trust that by seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness, we will receive everything else we need (Matthew 6:33).
What are you seeking?
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
Father,You have shown the greatest example of what it is to be rich toward us in countless ways, but most especially when You gave Your only Son to be our Savior.You extended to us full forgiveness when we could do nothing to earn it.May we likewise be rich toward You giving ourselves fully in love, obedience, in our resources, and in loving others as we love ourselves.Rather than seeking first a comfortable and secure life here on earth, help us to remember that will come to us in heaven.Instead help us to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness and all that is needed will be given to us by Your gracious hand.We thank You for it in Jesus' name.Amen.
| Bruce MacPherson |
You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material.
If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.
Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Daily Prayer - True love
Good Thursday morning, my friends.
The prayer below quotes from the very familiar "Love" passage in Paul's first letter to the believers in Corinth:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
I used to call this "the wedding passage" because I have heard it read in almost every marriage ceremony I have attended. But over time God has opened my eyes to a deeper meaning for this scripture. It is not only about the relationship between a husband and wife, it is a blueprint for every relationship we will ever have, long or short. It describes an ideal we can only aspire to because in reality it describes God's love for you and for me.
Let us attempt to love others today as God loves us.
Grace and peace and love be yours in abundance,
Bruce
Father, You teach us that we are to love one another unreservedly.The love You give us for others goes beyond our own natural inclinations.It is a love that motivates us to give without expecting anything in return.More often than not we fall short of extending this kind of love to our spouse and other loved ones.Only with Your continued help can we set aside our own expectations and learn to love the way You intend by always protecting, always trusting, always hoping, and always persevering with those You've brought into our lives.Amen.
| Bruce MacPherson |
You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material.
If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.
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Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Daily Prayer - Communal prayer
Good Wednesday morning, my friends.
I love the thought that a group of us lift the same prayer to God. There is power in community (remember "where two or more are gathered together"?). Today I just want to pray for this community and thank God for it.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce
Heavenly Lord,I know I am not alone saying these prayers or reading your Word this morning,but many people unknown to me, from all stations of life, have joined together in this brief moment of devotion.May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,be among the community of all who pray in the name of Christ this morning, and remain among us always.Amen.
| Bruce MacPherson |
You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material.
If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.
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Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Daily Prayer - Eternal perspective
Good Tuesday morning, my friends.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:17: "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." In the midst of distressing family news, illness, job loss, or the death of someone close to us it is almost impossible to see the circumstances as "light and momentary troubles". Yet that is what we will view it as from the perspective of eternity. If you find yourself today (or tomorrow - for we all will face these) in trying times, then pause and remember that a day is coming when "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace be yours,
Bruce
Father, we thank you for the absolute truthfulness of your Word.We rely on Your promises in Scripture concerning our future eternal home.Help us as we deal with what Your Word says are "our light and momentary troubles" and to recognize that they are "achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."Today "we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."Amen.
| Bruce MacPherson |
You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material.
If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address.
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