The Painting

The ocean, the surf, the sand, the footprints, the blue sky, the distant clouds;

all were rendered to perfection,

so much so that as I allowed my imagination

to be drawn into the impressionist’s rendering,

I could almost taste the salty air and feel the gentle breeze catching at my hair.

Perhaps it was because I longed for it to be that way.

My feigned senses were abruptly snatched up into the grasp of reality.

Where were the rocks, the pieces of driftwood?

Missing were the tangled globs of seaweed, dead palm fronds,

bits of weather-worn sea glass.

Was there nothing left lying around to reveal sweet memories

of sand castles, picnic lunches, Frisbee games?

Where was the lost slipper, the half-buried wristwatch,

the makeshift homeless shelter

tucked amid the thorny mesh of bougainvillea and kiawe?

As lovely and delightfully inviting as it appeared,

the painting was unrealistic…

…like my prayers may sometimes be.

Who am I

that my life would be reduced to a painting?

Am I entitled to health, comfort, kind treatment?

Am I capable of discernment?

Must my default assumption be that my struggle or lack or failure

are indications of God’s disinterest in my personal affairs,

of His punishment for my ineptitude, or of His disappointment in me?

Are the phantom portrayals and partial glimpses

of the lives surrounding me

meant to be emulated or somehow establish a standard of measurement

with which I must compare?

When I allow my imagination

to be drawn into my own artistic rendering,

I can almost taste the salty air of an ideal life

and feel the gentle breeze of self-centered optimism catching at my hair.

Perhaps it is because I long for it to be that way.

My feigned senses must be abruptly snatched up

into the grasp of God’s Truth;

that is…

to desire Jesus,

to trust in His perfect love for me,

to relinquish every holding, every title and tenure,

to count all things as loss in view of Jesus…

“But whatever things were gain to me,

those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 

More than that,

I count all things to be loss

in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,

for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,

and count them but rubbish

so that I may gain Christ,

and may be found in Him,

not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law,

but that which is through faith in Christ,

the righteousness which comes from God

on the basis of faith…” 

~Philippians 3:7-9

As the realities of life

are placed in the presence of the true reality, that is Jesus,

there are no illusions of hopelessness….

…and there is rest.

Take Courage

   If Paul Harvey were to have given an account of Paul’s journey to Rome, it may have gone something like this…

“…the Lord stood at his side and said,

‘Take courage;

for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem,

so you must witness at Rome also.’”

~Acts 23:11

“There we found some brethren,

and were invited to stay with them for seven days;

and thus we came to Rome. 

And the brethren… (came) to meet us;

and when Paul saw them,

he thanked God and took courage.” 

~Acts 28:14,15

   And so it was that Paul travelled to Rome where, surrounded by friends, he shared the Gospel and lived happily ever after.

   But God did more than just speak to Paul; He stood by his side.  What crisis would Paul have encountered that he would have needed such a measure of courage as God would provide?

   Thus began a series of predicaments, each one intense enough to require a significant amount of courage to endure…  Stay tuned as we take a closer look at… the rest… of the story…

Courage in the Face of a Death Threat:

Bright and early the very next morning, 40 Jews vowed together to refuse food or drink until Paul was dead. (23:12-15)

Courage in the Face of a Narrow Escape:

Paul’s nephew overheard their plot.  He ran and told Paul, who instructed a centurion to inform the commander, who arranged an escort of 200 soldiers by night to bring Paul, along with an official letter, directly to Caesarea. (23:16-35)

Courage in the Face of False Accusations:

The Jewish high priest and elders brought accusations against Paul in the court of Felix, the governor.  (24:1-9)

Courage in the Face of Exposing the Accusers’ Motivation:

Paul spoke in his own defense, identifying the point of contention between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. (24:10-21)

Courage in the Face of a Lengthy Imprisonment & Manipulation:

Paul remained in custody for 2 years, often summoned by Governor Felix to discuss the Gospel. As a glimmer of hope turned to fear in the realization that his life and career would be affected, Felix attempted to manipulate for an opportunity to accuse Paul of bribery. (24:22-27)

Courage in the Face of Publicly Dividing Religion from True Faith:

As soon as Festus, the next governor, took his seat on the tribunal, the Jews brought accusations against Paul with renewed vigor.  Festus wanted to do the Jews a favor and allow them to assume the judgment process.  But Paul, as a Roman citizen, appealed to the highest court of appeal, which had the potential of identifying Christianity as different from Judaism. (25:1-12)

Courage in the Face of Waiting:

Paul’s case continued to gnaw at Festus’ mind.  As he relayed his experience with Paul and the Jews, the curiosity of King Agrippa was piqued. (25:13-22)

Courage in the Face of Addressing the King:

King Agrippa made a showy appearance, requesting a firsthand account of Paul’s defense.  (25:23 – 26:1)

Courage in the Face of Boldly Presenting the Gospel of Salvation:

Paul presented his defense before King Agrippa by way of relaying a testimony of his life experience before, during, and after his initial encounter with Jesus, all the while clearly presenting the Gospel.  Paul boldly invited the King and all who were present to become Christians. (26:1-32)

Courage in the Face of Relationship to Authority:

Paul, along with a group of prisoners, was placed under a centurion’s charge for the journey to Rome by ship.  Due to inclement weather, the voyage became increasingly dangerous.  Meanwhile, Paul and the centurion developed a relationship of mutual respect and trust. (27:1-13)

Courage in the Face of Fear:

A typhoon overwhelmed the sea with such severity, that those aboard abandoned all hope of being saved.  After an angel stood before Paul assuring him that no life would be lost, he relayed the message to his shipmates, instructing them to ‘keep up your courage’.  In the face of fearing for their lives, the 276 men made faith decisions, trusting on the hope Paul presented. (27:14-38)

Courage in the Face of Destruction:

Protocol required that the prisoners be killed in case escape was imminent.  But the centurion overruled in favor of Paul’s faith.  The ship struck a reef and began breaking into pieces, but every man made it safely to shore. (27:39-44)

Courage in the Face of Ascribed Power:

Safely ashore on the island of Malta, the kind natives kindled a fire to offer warmth.  As Paul added wood to the fire, a deadly snake latched onto his hand.  The superstitious natives immediately assumed him a murder until he shook the viper off without being harmed, altering their view of him from a murderer to a god. (28:1-6)

Courage in the Face of Temporary Relief:

Paul extended to the natives of Malta the hope of the Gospel through healing prayer and healing. (28:7-10)

Courage in the Face of Preparing to Take Courage:

After 3 months, they again set sail toward Rome. (28:11-14)

   From the moment God instructed Paul to ‘take courage’ until it is recorded that he ‘took courage’, Paul’s life was turned upside down.  Each of these various experiences heightened the potential for Paul to become discouraged. 

·        Paul’s hope was firmly established by God.

·        Pauls actions were based on God’s promise.

·        Paul’s strength to endure was sourced

in complete dependency upon God.

·        Paul’s authority to lead those around him

was attributed to God’s blessing.

   But the first mention of Paul actually taking courage was not until he was in Rome surrounded by the brethren who rushed to meet him.

Why?

   Did he attribute God’s appointed courage for God’s purpose?

   Was the courage which God had prepared for him a precise portion of courage uniquely designed for Paul to face a particular task?

   Could it be that he remembered why the Lord sent him to Rome in the first place?

“…the Lord stood at his side and said,

‘Take courage;

for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem,

so you must witness at Rome also.’” ~Acts 23:11

   Did God’s gifts of courage which he received throughout the journey prepare Paul to accept the courage to face God’s purpose for him in Rome?

Does God offer courage to me for specific purposes?

Courage to Face Temptation: 

I Cor. 10:13

Courage to Speak and to Serve: 

I Peter 4:11;  II Thes. 2:16,17

Courage to Grow Together in Faith: 

Acts 16:5

Courage to Stand in the Wake of God’s Power Over Enemies: 

Deut. 31:1-6;  I John 4:4

Courage to Face Catastrophic Calamity

          Psalm 46:1-5

Courage to Pray with Thankfulness: 

Phil. 4:6

Courage to Encounter Trials: 

James 1:2-4,12

Courage to Be Perfected in Love: 

I John 4:16-18

Courage to Walk:

          Psalm 37:23,24;  Psalm 41:12

“Wait for the Lord;

Be strong and let your heart take courage;

Yes, wait for the Lord.”

~Psalm 27:14

…and now you know… the rest… of the story…  Good day!

Hidden Treasure ~ Cinquain

Word

secretive, untouchable

whispering, probing, penetrating

defying death, securing life

Promise
~ae

“Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, 

that I might not sin against Thee.” 

~Psalm 119:11

Jesus felt a love for him...

   “As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ 

   “And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good?  No one is good except God alone.  You know the commandments, Do Not Murder, Do Not Commit Adultery, Do Not Steal, Do Not Bear False Witness, Do Not Defraud, Honor Your Father and Mother.’ 

   “And he said to Him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.’ 

   “Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, ‘One thing you lack:  go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ 

   “But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.”

~Mark 10:17-22

What did you feel when you read this story?

Sad?

…because the man walked away in low spirits?

Annoyed? 

…because it shouldn't be that hard to give stuff up?

Outraged? 

…because mega-property holders shouldn’t be so tightfisted?

Confused? 

…because the concept of doing good is unclear?

Curious? 

…because of Jesus’ response?

Jesus’ reply to this man’s eager question was fourfold:

1.     He asked a question about Himself.

2.     He clarified with a statement which identified Himself as God.

3.     He correctly defined the term ‘good’ from God’s perspective.

4.     He validated God’s commandments.

The man was sincere, consistent in his actions of obedience to the law. 

A loose interpretation may present the man’s question as follows: 

‘O.k. Lord, I checked all the boxes. 

So far, so good. 

Now, what do I do next to accomplish the goal?’

Eager?  Yes. 

Sincere?  Yes. 

Obedient?  Yes. 

Desire to do good for Jesus?  Yes. 

So what went wrong?

The man’s external conformity to the law collided head on with his need for inner obedience to the Person of Jesus, which can only be satisfied by God’s undeserved gift of mercy and grace.

Did Jesus scold Him?  No.

Did He shame him by exposing his failure to understand?  No.

Did Jesus command everyone to give up all of their possessions?  No.

Does self-denial earn heavenly treasure?  No.

“Jesus felt a love for him”

… and in this genuinely tender expression of love, Jesus touched upon one hindrance, one cause of division, one obstacle that kept the man from placing his trust in Him.

His instructions to the man were simple: 

The command to “Go”; obedience to act, with a promise of reward,

and

the command to “Come, follow Me”; obedience of relationship with Him.

Jesus discussed this concept with His disciples at great length, telling them just how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God… like a camel going through the eye of a needle.  It was a very disheartening conversation, indeed.  Jesus was basically telling them, ‘You can’t do it.  It’s impossible.’

So there they were, between a rock and a hard place, with no end in sight… they hit a wall.  They had heard the conversation between the rich man and Jesus, yet they were amazed, they were astonished, they were at a loss of understanding for what to do next… just like the rich man. 

How did they feel?  …sad?  …annoyed?  …outraged?  …confused?  …curious?

In desperation, they cried,

“Then who CAN be saved?”

“Looking at them, Jesus said,

‘With people it is impossible, but not with God;

for all things are possible with God.”

~Mark 10:27

Jesus felt a love for them.

Jesus feels a love for me.

All's well that ends well.

All’s well that ends well.

Grammy Morgan loved to read.

One day, I watched as she pulled a book off of the shelf,

flipped to the last chapter, and began reading.

“Grammy, that’s cheating!” I cried in disbelief.

“Why, that’s not cheating,” she replied.  “I always check the ending so I’ll know whether or not it’ll be worth reading.”

“…Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia,

they came to Thessalonica…” 

~Acts 15:36-41, 17:1

Thessalonica, a sizeable metropolis with a population of about 200,000, was the capital and main seaport of the entire Roman Macedonian Province.  Strategically located for communication and commerce by land and by sea, this vast city hosted its fair share of multicultural influences including an array of aggressively pagan religions.

In A.D. 51, Paul remembered with compassion his recent brief stay with this new body of followers of Christ.  He thought of the believers, newly converted from paganism, living in Thessalonica with hardly any external support, enduring persecution.  Paul longed to be with them again, to encourage their hearts and instruct them in God’s truth. 

In A.D. 51, Paul wrote to the baby church in Thessalonica, encouraging them in their trials (3:3-5), instructing them how to live in godliness (4:1-8), advising them to continue in their work (4:11,12).

What could be said in a letter

that would offer encouragement
which would be felt deeply
and known confidently?

Paul’s letters did more than instruct… each correspondence was permeated with hope…  infused with, wrapped in, saturated by assurance of the future!

“…to wait for His Son from heaven,

whom He raised from the dead,

that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” 

~1 Thessalonians 1:10

“…so that you would walk in a manner

worthy of the God who calls you

into His own kingdom and glory.”

~1 Thessalonians 2:12

“For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? 

Is it not even you,

in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?”

~1 Thessalonians 2:19

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely;

and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete,

without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

~1 Thessalonians 5:23

All’s well that ends well.

Take Grammy’s advice:  Check the ending so you’ll know.
...and remind others of the ending, too.
*Hint:  God's ending is... there isn't one!

Don’t worry; it’s not cheating.

Better late than never

Better late than never.

Upon reading this old adage,

the first person that came to mind was the thief on the cross.

His life displayed a series of poor choices

which led to destructive behavior… and then he got caught.

He did not deny his wrong doing or avoid blame;

he acknowledged his hopeless estate and that he was receiving what he deserved.

“One of the criminals who were hanged there 

was hurling abuse at Him,

saying, 'Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!'

But the other answered, and rebuking him said,

'Do you not even fear God,

since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 

And we indeed are suffering justly,

for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds;

but this man has done nothing wrong...'” 

~Luke 23:39-41

The thief not only recognized Jesus’ innocence,

he also identified that Jesus was completely without sin,

that Jesus’ authority was equivalent to that of God,

and that God’s kingdom belonged to Jesus.

“…And he was saying,

'Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!'

And He said to him,

'Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.'”

~Luke 23:42,43

God’s grace and gift of life were extended to the thief right then and there.

*      *       *

Better late than never

…may also allude to another manner

in which Jesus drove home an important life lesson to those He loved.

“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus

of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha… 

…So the sisters sent word to Him, saying,

'Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.'
But when Jesus heard this, He said,

'This sickness is not to end in death,

but for the glory of God,

so that the Son of God may be glorified by it...'"

It’s hard to imagine a more difficult tragedy or agonizing sorrow

than the one which was about to occur.

“…Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 

So when He heard that he was sick,

He then stayed two days longer 

in the place where He was...”

If Jesus loved Lazarus, then

why wait two days longer?

“...Jesus then said to [His disciples] plainly, 'Lazarus is dead,

and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there,

so that you may believe;

but let us go to him…'” 

Plainly, there were two options presented;

take Jesus at His word … or don’t believe Him.

Here are several of the people’s reactions;

unfortunately each is very common to this day…

The Martyr Reaction

“Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”

The Informed Reaction

“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

The Reasoning Reaction

“Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man,

have kept this man also from dying?”

The Write-It-Off-As-Done

and Let’s-Move-On Reaction

“Lord, by this time there will be a stench,

for he has been dead four days.”

This next phrase is going to sound familiar because Jesus purposefully repeated it,

reinforcing, highlighting, underlining, emphasizing,

…stressing over and over and over again…

“Did I not say to you that if you believe,

you will see the glory of God?” 

“So they removed the stone.

Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said,

‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 

“I knew that You always hear Me;

but because of the people standing around I said it,

so that they may believe that You sent Me.’

When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice,

‘Lazarus, come forth.’ The man who had died came forth…

“Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary,

and saw what He had done, believed in Him.”

~John 11:1-43

Jesus was late… on purpose.

   Lazarus was totally and completely dead… beyond a shadow of a doubt.

      All possibilities of hope for Lazarus were eliminated.

         Only God could conquer death and create life.

            God was glorified as a result of Jesus being late… on purpose.

               God knows what He’s doing.

                  We don’t.

                     We can trust Jesus… completely.

A Watched Pot...

A watched pot never boils.

...for as I watch, are my expectations for a certain outcome most important?

The prophet anxiously awaited God’s response,

yet this prophecy would not be fulfilled

for another sixty-six years.

God instructed him to wait,

and in His compassion

reminded Habakkuk of His promise…

“For still

the vision awaits its appointed time;

it hastens to the end—it will not lie.

If it seems slow,

wait for it;

it will surely come;

it will not delay.” 

~Habakkuk 2:3

God’s ways are not within

my calendar.

He felt overwhelmed, hungry, weary, abandoned, afraid.

He had run away.  He was hiding.

God told Elijah that He would reveal His Presence to him,

but not in the way he had expected;

a display of might, of power, of strength came and went.

Then in a gentle, comforting whisper,

God’s promise was fulfilled…

“So He said, ‘Go forth

and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ 

And behold, the Lord was passing by! 

And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains

and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord;

but the Lord was not in the wind.  

And after the wind an earthquake,

but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 

After the earthquake a fire,

but the Lord was not in the fire;

and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing…

…and behold, a voice came to him and said,

‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”

~I Kings 19:11-13

God’s ways are not within

my expectations of grandeur…

He was promised a son,

but more than that,

he was told that he would be the father

of a great nation. (Gen. 12:1-3)

At seventy-five years old, this seemed impossible.

Twenty-five years later,

God’s promise was fulfilled through Abraham…

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?

At the appointed time I will return to you,

about this time next year,

and Sarah shall have a son… 

And Sarah conceived

and bore Abraham a son in his old age

at the time of which God had spoken to him.” 

~Genesis 18:14, 21:2

God’s ways are not within

my own ability…

*       *       *

“But he said,

“What is impossible with men

is possible with God.” 

~Luke 18:27

“And let us not grow weary of doing good,

for in due season

we will reap,

if we do not give up.” 

~Galatians 6:9

What sort of world is this?

Guest Post:  ~by Dianne Eldridge

My boss shut the exam room door quietly and looked at me.

"His dad died recently, I mean really recently, of Carcinoid Cancer.

And this guy is 24 and has all the symptoms of Carcinoid Cancer."

He set his computer on the counter. I waited as he absent-mindedly typed out his report. It took a few minutes before he looked up again, his normally confident, cheerful face filled with deep sadness.

“The labs are all positive.
            He doesn’t want to go through what his dad went through...

He’ll commit suicide.”

Pausing, he looked down and tried to keep his composure.

Then two tears rolled down his cheeks,

“He’s so young and so smart.

I wish... I wish he could go into the medical field.”

Anguish washed over me.

For death has come up into our windows;

it has entered our palaces,

cutting off the children from the streets

and the young men from the squares. (Jeremiah 9:21)

That night I dressed in scrubs and clocked in at the nursing home.

I fed a woman pureed birthday cake.

It was her one hundred and second birthday.

I chided and consoled my elderly residents throughout dinner.

One wanted to eat her napkin.

One whimpered because she missed her daughter.

One didn’t know who she was.

One kissed my hand every time I passed.

One shouted obscenities at illusions.

One perpetually hummed a tune.

One demanded the time every five minutes.

Lifting an elderly man from his wheelchair to his bed, I remembered the young man’s hollow cheeks and lifeless gaze as I handed him his invoice.

Such a change from when I had checked him in, when his twinkling eyes and flirtatious comments had impelled me to hurry through height, weight, and vital signs.

What sort of world is this?

Where young men die before proving their intelligence, and old men outlive their wits?

I guess it’s a fallen sort of world.

We just need Jesus… desperately.

He will swallow up death forever;

and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,

and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,

for the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 25:8)