Matthew 19:1-30
Observation: Marriage, children, money, sacrifice—all of these things Jesus valued differently than men. When Jesus described God’s ideal for marriage, the disciples answered, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.” Jesus values life-long commitment.
When children were brought for His blessing, the disciples rebuked them. Jesus welcomed them. Jesus values children.
When the ruler attested that he had kept the 10 commandments, Jesus compared his affection for people with his affection for riches. Jesus values people.
When the disciples questioned the value of their earthly sacrifice in comparison with the rich young ruler, Jesus assured them of His generosity. Jesus values sacrifice.
Application: All of these are impossible. It is impossible for a married couple to live as one entity for a lifetime. It is impossible to value children over and above the demands of life. It impossible to value people more than riches. It is impossible to live a life of sacrifice and service…without Jesus.
In and of myself I will value those things that meet my desires, that quench my thirst—even temporarily. But with Jesus’ indwelling character, I will surrender my desires to be unified with my mate. With Jesus’ help, I will value and bless children, not push them aside or make them wait until a more convenient time. Through Jesus I will see the value in others and willingly give from my abundance to serve those in need. And because of Jesus, I will not measure today’s sacrifice against the riches of another. I will count it all loss to in light of gaining Christ and His righteousness (Philippians 3:8). My values? His values? Today I will ask for opportunities to live out the impossible.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Evangelism and a Cow
I woke to Bubby's bellow outside my window at 5:00 this morning. Again, David and I jumped out of bed and found our way outside in the dark. Bubby stayed where he was as I went to him, rubbed his head, and visited quietly with him. Then, as I called him and walked toward the pasture, he followed. This time he went with only a little hesitation--no balking.
As I made coffee to start my morning the old-fashioned, traditional way, I reflected on Bubby and the similarities with community friends and students at Friday night's football game. This last week, Bubby escaped repeatedly. We have fixed the fence in numerous ways, kenneled him in the barn, and made sure his needs are provided. He keeps walking out of the pasture (yes, we installed an electric fence). Friday night I had the opportunity to see and spend time with a number of the students and parents I worked with at the high school last year. So many of them have pains, anxieties, and frustrations that weigh them down. No one is able to adequately calm their hearts or provide peace. But when I can come alongside them repeatedly, I have the opportunity to build a sense of trust.
God is the One who throws the lasso and allows the pressure, but I can come alongside them with kindness, reassurance, and truth. It is not a one-time interaction. As I have the opportunity to present Christ, they balk and shake their heads. Over time they watch, they listen, they wonder. And God works. I am not the cow-whisperer. I am not the people-whisperer. But I can speak truth, and love, and grace for it is mine to share and offer. The pasture is a wonderful place. It is the best place. But until others see the goodness of God and He gives them the faith to trust, I will continue to walk alongside, to love, and speak truth. And I have hope because the Head Roper and I are on the same team.
"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God." (2 Corinthians 4:1-15)
As I made coffee to start my morning the old-fashioned, traditional way, I reflected on Bubby and the similarities with community friends and students at Friday night's football game. This last week, Bubby escaped repeatedly. We have fixed the fence in numerous ways, kenneled him in the barn, and made sure his needs are provided. He keeps walking out of the pasture (yes, we installed an electric fence). Friday night I had the opportunity to see and spend time with a number of the students and parents I worked with at the high school last year. So many of them have pains, anxieties, and frustrations that weigh them down. No one is able to adequately calm their hearts or provide peace. But when I can come alongside them repeatedly, I have the opportunity to build a sense of trust.
God is the One who throws the lasso and allows the pressure, but I can come alongside them with kindness, reassurance, and truth. It is not a one-time interaction. As I have the opportunity to present Christ, they balk and shake their heads. Over time they watch, they listen, they wonder. And God works. I am not the cow-whisperer. I am not the people-whisperer. But I can speak truth, and love, and grace for it is mine to share and offer. The pasture is a wonderful place. It is the best place. But until others see the goodness of God and He gives them the faith to trust, I will continue to walk alongside, to love, and speak truth. And I have hope because the Head Roper and I are on the same team.
"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God." (2 Corinthians 4:1-15)
Friday, September 17, 2010
The Cow Whisperer--or Not
The phone rang at 2:30 a.m. David, my husband, answered and after a brief conversation hurried out of bed and into his clothes.
"Who was that?"
"The sheriff. Bubby's out," he answered.
"Oh, no..."
Earlier (6:30-a.m.-earlier) that same day the neighbor had pulled into our driveway in his red truck to let us know our cow was in his backyard. After losing our dog, Pretty, to a car accident last week, I shuddered to think of 600-pound Bubby on the highway....(see http://www.getrealfarmlife.blogspot.com/).
I walked across the pasture toward the neighbors calling his name. When he heard my voice, he picked his head up from the grass and looked at me, framed by evergreens. It was precious. He jumped in the air and ran down the fence line. I ran alongside him, then walked him the rest of the way home. After a lovely bite of flowers, he allowed David and I to herd him back through the gate. "You're the Cow Whisperer," David commented in awe. I was proud. It had been so easy to call Bubby and walk him home.
There was no apparent hole in the fence. "Maybe Hoover is missing Pretty and decided to take Bubby out on his morning walk," our daughter, Laura, suggested. Hoover, our other retriever, has been quite lonely lately. What a perfect solution!
Now, this call at 2:30 a.m. I won't go into all the gory details, but suffice it to say that the "Cow Whisperer" lost her title. We searched. We found. We lassoed. We lost. We chased. We cajoled. We pushed (thankfully he hasn't learned to kick yet--but there are some unpleasantries associated with pushing an uncooperative cow from behind). At one point I had the lasso around my waist in an effort to anchor him. When he took off running, the rope pulled taut around my middle and my foot tangled in the tail-end. I hit the ground sliding. Praise the Lord for a husband who threw himself on the rope and kept me from trailing through the soybean field behind a mad cow!
David cinched the lasso close and applied the "Lasso Rule:" when you pull away or go the wrong direction, your wind pipe will suffer and there is pain; when you come near and go the right direction, there is relief.
What spiritual applications did I learn?
- Pride goes before a fall. God is the One who allowed Bubby to come home so easily that first morning. I regretted my pride and gloating "before the cock crowed" the next day.
- Sometimes in our Christian walk, we are quick to follow Jesus--we're so excited to see Him that we'll go anywhere just to walk by His side. It should always be like that.
- There are times, however, when we choose to go our own way and wander outside the protection He's provided. He then applies "life's lasso." It chokes us when we turn away and relieves us as we stay close by His side.
You can read this and walk away. I, unfortunately, am still limping a bit and nursing my bruised hip. Praise God for real reminders of His loving care, His constant nature, and His patient work!
"Who was that?"
"The sheriff. Bubby's out," he answered.
"Oh, no..."
Earlier (6:30-a.m.-earlier) that same day the neighbor had pulled into our driveway in his red truck to let us know our cow was in his backyard. After losing our dog, Pretty, to a car accident last week, I shuddered to think of 600-pound Bubby on the highway....(see http://www.getrealfarmlife.blogspot.com/).
I walked across the pasture toward the neighbors calling his name. When he heard my voice, he picked his head up from the grass and looked at me, framed by evergreens. It was precious. He jumped in the air and ran down the fence line. I ran alongside him, then walked him the rest of the way home. After a lovely bite of flowers, he allowed David and I to herd him back through the gate. "You're the Cow Whisperer," David commented in awe. I was proud. It had been so easy to call Bubby and walk him home.
There was no apparent hole in the fence. "Maybe Hoover is missing Pretty and decided to take Bubby out on his morning walk," our daughter, Laura, suggested. Hoover, our other retriever, has been quite lonely lately. What a perfect solution!
Now, this call at 2:30 a.m. I won't go into all the gory details, but suffice it to say that the "Cow Whisperer" lost her title. We searched. We found. We lassoed. We lost. We chased. We cajoled. We pushed (thankfully he hasn't learned to kick yet--but there are some unpleasantries associated with pushing an uncooperative cow from behind). At one point I had the lasso around my waist in an effort to anchor him. When he took off running, the rope pulled taut around my middle and my foot tangled in the tail-end. I hit the ground sliding. Praise the Lord for a husband who threw himself on the rope and kept me from trailing through the soybean field behind a mad cow!
David cinched the lasso close and applied the "Lasso Rule:" when you pull away or go the wrong direction, your wind pipe will suffer and there is pain; when you come near and go the right direction, there is relief.
What spiritual applications did I learn?
- Pride goes before a fall. God is the One who allowed Bubby to come home so easily that first morning. I regretted my pride and gloating "before the cock crowed" the next day.
- Sometimes in our Christian walk, we are quick to follow Jesus--we're so excited to see Him that we'll go anywhere just to walk by His side. It should always be like that.
- There are times, however, when we choose to go our own way and wander outside the protection He's provided. He then applies "life's lasso." It chokes us when we turn away and relieves us as we stay close by His side.
You can read this and walk away. I, unfortunately, am still limping a bit and nursing my bruised hip. Praise God for real reminders of His loving care, His constant nature, and His patient work!
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