Category: From Pastor

This week’s devotions are based on the message: “Overcoming Death” Week 5 of Signs (LISTEN HERE)

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If only…

Have you caught yourself saying this phrase with a hint of regret to what you didn’t do in the past and now you are dealing with the ramifications in the present?

If only I had finished college…

If only I had listened to my parents…

If only I had not had the last two drinks…

If only…

This phrase is a phrase of regret and disappointment.   We can use it with things in life we wish we could rewind the clock and do differently.  It is also a phrase that we can use to be subtly accusatory to someone else.

If only you had not turned in front of me…

If only you would have been on time…

If only you would have said something different…

It is also a phrase we can use with God with a tinge of question and perhaps a bit of disappointment that God didn’t act in the way that we wanted him to.

God, if only you would have healed my family member…

God, if only you would have led my boss to give me a raise…

God, if only you would have created me with different abilities…

As Jesus came to the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus, Lazarus was already dead for four days.

John 11:21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

True enough.  Martha knew that Jesus had the power to heal her brother.  If only Jesus had come sooner.  If only Jesus had been closer.  If only Jesus would have said, “Lazarus be healed.”

But he didn’t…intentionally

And perhaps Martha knew that.  While she was saddened by her brother’s death, she had confidence Jesus COULD have done something.  But she didn’t say, “If only…” with blame or despondency, but it certainly seems that it was with confidence that Jesus had the power to heal her brother.  She wasn’t upset.  She was confident.  She continues: (John 11:22), “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Martha trusted that Jesus was the Son of God and the Father in heaven would give him whatever he asked.  She didn’t know if he would ask or what he would ask for, she was just as confident that if he could have healed her brother, Jesus could do something even now.

What an amazing confidence.  In the midst of loss, disappointment and grief, Martha had the calm confidence that Jesus could have done something, but he didn’t and could do something if he thought it was best.

I don’t know what you are going through today.  But perhaps this couplet of phrases from Martha the Spirit of God preserved to give us a way to express our trust in the Lord.  We can be confident of two things:

1. The Lord is ALWAYS able to do something. He could have healed Lazarus.  He could raise him.  The power of the Lord is always available.
2. The Lord determines when and how to act according to his will and purpose and what is best for each of us or in his wisdom use our situation for the benefit of others.

Jesus was intentional.  He waited and didn’t heal Lazarus because he was setting up the opportunity to convince Mary, Martha, his disciples and others that he was the Son of God and had power over death.  He could be doing similar in your life today!

 

Apply: What do you wish the Lord WOULD have done in the past?  What good has come from the fact he DIDN’T act in the past, but perhaps worked in a different way than initially you wanted him to?

Prayer: Lord thank you for the power to act at any time and any way.  Lead me to always trust with confidence that if and when you act is always what is best for me and your plan of salvation.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the message: “Overcoming Death” Week 5 of Signs (LISTEN HERE)

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He’s just asleep.

When you lay down at the end of tiring day, I would say there is an expectation that you will wake up in the morning.  Perhaps if you are really tired you wake up with the help of an alarm or someone else in your home shaking you awake.

We get what sleep is.

We also understand (perhaps not fully) the value of sleep, especially when we are sick.  When your body is fighting a virus or infection and you feel crummy, you want to sleep.  In fact you know that sleep again is an important part of the healing process.  

Sleep is a valuable daily asset as well as a healing asset.

So, it makes sense that the disciples were confused why Jesus would want to wake Lazarus up.  “Let him sleep,” they thought.

John 11:11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” 

12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 

But Jesus was something referring to something more permanent: Death.

14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 

16 Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 

The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus meant by waking Lazarus.  They thought they were going to Jerusalem to die like Lazarus was.

But they weren’t.  They were going to learn something more about Jesus as the Son of God.

The difference, obviously, between sleep and death is that death is not something you wake up from.  Although the Jewish culture had hope for the first three days of a resuscitation, the reality was no human being was going to wake up from the dead.

Jesus wanted to help his disciples see life and death through his lens, not their own.  From the disciples perspective, Lazarus was either getting better and going to wake up or dead and would not wake up.  Jesus wanted them to believe that there was another possibility: Lazarus was truly dead AND he would wake up from the dead!

By this miracle Jesus was going to help his disciples see and believe that with him, there is experience beyond death.  He wanted them to believe that to him death was like sleep and raising the dead was like waking a person up…no problem.

He challenges us to do the same.  Following Jesus is moving beyond a human, worldly perspective and seeing the world through the same lens Jesus does as the Son of God. Another human being wouldn’t wake up Lazarus, only Jesus, the Son of God can.  

No person will wake us up from death…only Jesus can and will.  

Believe he can and will…just like he did Lazarus…and a short time later, himself!

 

Apply: How does your perspective of death change when you realize that when you die, Jesus will be the one waking you up?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for being the Son of God, our Savior.  Lead me not to fear death, but to look forward to the day when the sleep of death is ended by awaking to the glory of your presence.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the message: “Overcoming Death” Week 5 of Signs (LISTEN HERE)

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“God must hate me.”

“God is angry at me.”

“God is getting back at me.”

Have you had these thoughts run through your mind when you were going through a very challenging time in life?

We lose a job.  We get a serious illness.  We experience the loss of a loved one.  Fill in the blank.

Often when hardship comes into our life we have this reaction because we think we deserve better.  This can especially be a temptation for Christians who have faithfully walked with Jesus for a long period of time.  However the sin of thought is that by doing what we should as a Christian we are earning life without trouble.  Or, at the very least, if trouble is to come, we have a stash of good that we can appeal to God to take away what we think is not good.

In John 11 and the raising of Lazarus, there are so many great truths to draw from it.  Please read that chapter this week.  However, one truth that stands out in the introduction to the account is this: Jesus loved Lazarus…and Mary…and Martha.

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

Why did the Spirit of God lead John to write, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus”?  I think it is because the fact that Jesus a) didn’t speak healing to Lazarus from a distance and heal him appears unloving when Jesus could have or b) Jesus delayed in going to Lazarus until he was already dead.

If someone is critically ill in the hospital and I tell the family, “I’ll be there in two days.” I don’t think that statement would appear too loving to the family in the middle of a life or death crisis.

Yet, the Apostle John notes Jesus’ heart for Lazarus.  It plays out later as Jesus wept at the graveside of Lazarus.

Yet…Lazarus died and Mary and Martha were grieving.

That doesn’t sound loving.

But here’s the perspective, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

The losses, hardships and challenges in life are opportunities for the glory of God to be revealed.  

I lose a job…perhaps the Lord is setting up a time to trust him when your heart was relying too heavily on yourself.  Perhaps the Lord is opening a door better than the one that was closed.  

I get a terminal illness.  Perhaps the Lord is slowing down life to give you opportunity to reconnect and grow in your relationship with him.  Perhaps he will use your peace and joy during a time of suffering to be a witness to another which he uses for their salvation.

The death of Lazarus is couched under the truth: Jesus loved Lazarus.

This is the blanket truth that covers our lives as well: Jesus loves you.

So with that premise in mind and heart, know that truly all that happens is to solidify that truth and allow the glory of God to be revealed.

 

Apply: What challenge are you going through?  What are two possible ways God is showing his love to you in this season/situation?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for a love that never diminishes and is always there…even in the hardships and challenges of life.  AMEN.

First readers, I apologize again for the sporadic devotions this week.  I was at meetings in Milwaukee and traveling and just failed to get them written and posted.

So let’s wrap up the week with the ultimate “Why?” for the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 plus people.

There is no question the miracle was impressive.  Two fish and five loaves become enough food for every person on the hillside to have not just a bite but to be satisfied, completely full…AND there were twelve baskets of bread left over.  Even what was left over was more than what was present at the beginning.

The result?

You would think that Jesus following grew exponentially.  How would you have reacted?  If you were a doubter, I would think having a meal provided by Jesus could be pretty convincing.

So why did Jesus’ following greatly diminish after the miracle?

John 6:66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

Please read the full chapter 6 of John to fill in the details, but when people realized that following Jesus was not just watching his miracles and enjoying the results of them, but rather accepting him as the Son of God and “eating of him,” people didn’t want anything to do with it.

Perhaps this is true too often in our lives and the lives of others.

If the Lord allows material blessings, it’s easy to follow him.  When he gives us health, a good income, great relationships, fun experiences…it is perhaps easier to stay close to Jesus.  We love the “bread” that Jesus distributes.

However, when the material things of life diminish and we are challenged to follow Jesus in spite the hardships and scarcity we experience, it is very tempting to walk away from Jesus or never follow him in the first place.

The lesson Jesus is teaching his disciples and us is that he is far more interested in our eternal sustenance, than our physical sustenance (although by the miracle he is certainly gracious to provide for both.)  When we are challenged to give up the idols in our heart and follow Jesus; to give up the possibility that there are many ways to heaven; and to submit ourselves to the Word of God?  Hmmm…now I have to think about that.  Many simply find it easer to disconnect from Jesus and follow their own path in life.

So many followers of Jesus did.

So he turns to his disciples (the original group he was with before the crowd of people came).

67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

Simon Peter answers for himself and others.

68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

The test Jesus set up for his disciples about where to buy bread was a test to discern not the practical feeding of so many people, but to give opportunity to build confidence in the hearts of the disciples that Jesus was the Christ and that by believing they would have life in his name.

The very purpose John stated he recorded the miracles were the very ones God used to convince him that Jesus was the Son of God, the ONLY one with words that led to eternal life.

Bread would bless for a few hours.  The Bread of Life, Jesus, would sustain life for an eternity.

That is why Jesus did the miracle of feeding the 5000+.

So you and I would answer when we are tempted to leave Jesus, ““Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Apply: What tempts you to walk away from Jesus?  What happens when we turn back to his word of truth and realize that Jesus is the only one who gives eternal life?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being concerned about my eternal salvation more than our physical bread, but I am also grateful you provide for my daily needs even as you did all for my eternal needs. AMEN.

As the crowd approached Jesus, he asked Philip where they could get bread to feed all the people. As we mentioned yesterday (I wrote this for Tuesday, but forgot to post it!), Jesus was setting up a test. Was it a trick question?  Perhaps you could make that argument.  However, Jesus was asking the question, not because he needed help solving the problem, he already knew the answer.  He asked the question to see how his disciples would answer it.

So they give it their best shot.

Philip responds, “Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for every one to have a bite.”

Why would he answer this way?

Why would you answer the question this way?

I will speak for myself, but perhaps you can relate.

I naturally look for solutions that are in the realm of my awareness and possibilities.  Philip obviously had purchased bread before for himself and perhaps for smaller crowds the disciples used their treasury to buy a bit of bread.  So, it’s a natural line of thinking.  We have purchased bread in the past.  It costs a certain price per loaf.  A loaf feeds about “x” number of people.  So to get food for about 5000 people it would be at least eight months wages…just to give everyone a bite.

To be fair, the good Lord most often provides natural means to provide for our physical well being.  The natural progression to put food on our table would be to a) get a job; b) do your job faithfully; c) get paid for doing your job; d) go to the grocery store and buy food; e) prepare the food and eat it.

So if you had company coming over, you would buy a little bit more.  If you were hosting a graduation party, it would take more money to buy enough food.  If you were at the Round Rock Express minor league baseball game (in Round Rock, TX) and was asked to feed everyone in the stands, the practical financial person, perhaps like Philip was, you figure out the same solution.  Eight months wages wouldn’t even get every person a bite.

Our natural solution would come up short.

Andrew tried by bringing a young boy who was wise enough to bring something to eat.  Yet, Andrew also has to acknowledge that two fish and five barley loaves would never even get past the first fifty guests.

Again, I am not faulting Philip or Andrew.  They brought forward two answers that seem reasonable to consider.  Buy enough or borrow enough.  But in this case, neither was enough.

The test put the disciples in a position that they were lacking.  What they could do or what they could gather was not enough.

Jesus knew this was the case.  He wanted his disciples to realize that there would be situations in life where their resources were not enough to deal with the challenge.  He wanted them to reach of their abilities to see the limitations of human possibilities.  He wanted them to see that he, Jesus, as the Son of God had resources beyond their limitations and possibilities beyond their abilities.

He wants us to see the same thing.

While the Apostle Paul wasn’t on the mountainside with Jesus, Jesus taught him a similar lesson.  He shares his learning with these two verses.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

Is it possible that Jesus wanted his disciples to experience a situation where they had to rely on him?

I think so.

And he does the same for us.

 

Apply: What situation are you facing today that you are working to solve simply with your human possibilities?  Perhaps it’s time to admit defeat and rely on the Lord.  Ask him for help.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the situations in my life where I am invited and sometimes forced to rely on you instead of myself.  AMEN.