SHARING BREAD³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³² Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. Luke 9:30-32 (NIV)Appearing in outward splendor, grandeur, pomp, elegance and magnificence, Moses and Elijah discourse with Jesus about His upcoming departure which He was to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem.  The redemptive work of Christ was nearing its end – the fulfillment, of course, was the cross in Jerusalem. I am reminded of Jesus’ words on the cross:²⁸ Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. ³⁰ When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:28-30 (NIV) Ironically, the hyssop plant used to carry the vinegar soaked sponge to Jesus’ lips was also used in religious ceremonies to sprinkle sacrificial blood on the altar. One being used in the hands of the unrighteous bringing forth sour, sinful behavior and the other used to cleanse sinners bringing forth the righteous behavior God requires. Hence in David’s penitent Psalm 51:7 he states: ⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Psalms 51:7 (NIV)Peter, James and John were in a definite fog down in sleepy hollow land when they appropriately (some things being more important than sleep) became fully awake and perceived Jesus, Moses and Elijah in their entire splendor.  That would certainly have made the heaviest of eyelids pop wide open!  Interestingly, the word translated “glory” in verse 32 above is from the Greek word “Doxa” and carries with it a very weighty meaning indeed.  Among many other things, the definition states:  “glory, honor, wealth, splendor, prestige, respect, renown, fame; beauty, excellence of appearance, impressiveness, brilliance, illustriousness, and eminence.  It is that form, aspect, or appearance of something which catches the eye, attracts attention, or commands recognition.  “Doxa” can mean inner greatness, moral eminence, stressing an innate quality, majesty, magnanimity, sublimity, even that which is imposing, such as power, might, awesomeness, or dread – used especially of God.”  It is no wonder that Paul states in Romans:And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.   Romans 5:2 (NIV)Falling short of the glory of God now, as Paul tells us in Romans:²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,   Romans 3:23 (NIV); as Christians, we eagerly anticipate the time when we will share in Christ’s glory.  Christ is the believer’s hope of glory.  We are also told in Colossians:²⁷ To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.   Col 1:27 (NIV) As believers we are to fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen as we wait in anticipation for the fullness of His glory to be made manifest in us: ¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So 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.   2 Cor 4:16-18 (NIV) And so we shall be like Him: ⁴⁹ And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.   1 Cor 15:48-49 (NIV) ²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.  Phil 3:20-21 (NIV) Lastly, John tells us: ² Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³ Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3 (NIV) Now that, my friends, is a reason to rejoice! “God is the God of promise.  He keeps His word, even when that seems impossible.”  Colin Urquhart “Other men see only a hopeless end, but the Christian rejoices in and endless hope.”  Gilbert Brenken What I glean from this: 

• I need to wake up from my grogginess to the glory of God.
• I am to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
• I will be like Him:  ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 1 Cor 15:51-53 (NIV)

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NOTE:  Sharing Bread is a Devotional sent out Monday, Wednesday and Friday (prayerfully and Lord willing).  If you are receiving this and would like to be deleted from the list please respond to me via e-mail: beth [beth@crescent-inc.com] and I will take you off (very understandably!).  Also, if you would like for me to add anyone else to the list just e-mail me at the same address!  All Scripture cited is from the New International Version.  Blessings!        

SHARING BREAD²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. ²⁹ As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Luke 9:28-29 (NIV)Can you even imagine the scene?  Jesus is in prayer along with Peter, John and James when suddenly the appearance of His face and clothes begin to change – His raiment becoming “dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach” (Mark 9:3) – amazing!  What could those disciples have been thinking? All throughout Scripture, whenever humans would come into contact with angelic beings or glorified Deity the sight was so terrifying that they normally fell prostrate and were overcome by their own lack of holiness and their profuse depravity.  I think that it would do us good to look at a couple of these examples – if nothing else, it will give us a clearer understanding of who we are not!Scene one – the prophet Isaiah:¹ In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” ⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. ⁵ ”Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Isaiah 6:1-5 (NIV) Appropriately, Isaiah’s response is one of “Woe to me!”   “I am a sinner!”  This is very natural and proper (I might add!).   When pure Holiness confronts depraved flesh the response is always one of woe.  Light always dispels darkness.  Evil is made manifest by the light.  I am reminded of the words in John chapter one regarding Jesus: ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. ⁶ There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. ⁹ The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.   John 1:4-9 (NIV)And again in John chapter three Jesus Himself states to Nicodemus:¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” John 3:19-21 (NIV)And so it was, and so it will ever be – evil hates the light.  It loves the darkness so that its deeds will not be made known.Scene two – Ezekiel:⁴ I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north–an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, ⁵ and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, ⁶ but each of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, ⁹ and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.  Ezek 1:4-9 (NIV)²⁵ Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. ²⁶ Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. ²⁷ I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. ²⁸ Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking. Ezek 1:25-28 (NIV) Ezekiel’s response of humility was also very appropriate.  God loves and bestows grace to the humble of heart and for that I am very thankful!  I love the verse in Micah which gives us our job descriptions: ⁸ He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.   Micah 6:8 (NIV) What I glean from this: 

• Darkness conceals evil (except to God).
• Light exposes evil.
• God desires for me to act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with Him.

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SHARING BREAD²⁶ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26 (NIV)Ever been ashamed of Jesus?  Ever been ashamed of His Word?  Ever wonder why we are?  Scripture alludes to this in John chapter twelve:⁴² Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.   John 12:42-43 (NIV) Unfortunately, we sometimes find ourselves in the exact same situation as the above scenario.  The praise of man falls so sweetly upon our ears that we tend to disregard the gentle whispered truth of our Master. We have a tendency to care more about what man thinks about us than what God thinks – big mistake!  Jesus is returning and, as Isaiah tells us, His reward is with Him and His recompense accompanies Him: ⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 40:5 (NIV) ¹⁰ See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.  Isaiah 40:10 (NIV) He will arrive with power, might, reward and glory to bestow upon His faithful ones honor, prestige, respect, recognition, approval and distinction (not to mention glory!).  While believers now often suffer public shame and ignominy in the eyes of men, the Holy Spirit inwardly testifies through the gospel that in the eyes of God they are honored and that one day, therefore, in the eyes of men (especially their persecutors) God will honor them.  This occurs solely because of Jesus’ work on the cross.  I am reminded of Psalm One: ⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.   Psalms 1:5 (NIV)The Bible Knowledge Commentary states about the above verse: “On the basis of the contrast between the godly and the wicked, the psalmist wrote that God will separate the righteous from the wicked in the judgment. The righteous are those who are related by covenant with the Lord, who live by His Word, who produce things of eternal value. God will divide the righteous and sinners as a man separates wheat from tares.”Paul also tells his beloved Timothy:⁸ So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, ⁹ who has saved us and called us to a holy life–not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ¹¹ And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. ¹² That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.   2 Tim 1:8-12 (NIV) Confident that his work and sufferings for his Lord were not in vain, Paul encourages timid Timothy to follow his wonderful example; all the while knowing for certain that Christ’s power is made perfect in our weaknesses.  The strength and grace He bestows in sufficient measure to meet each need is made manifest in the life of His saints who live according to His purposes and for His glory.   Paul also states the gospel as being God’s panacea for the spiritual need of mankind in Romans One:
¹⁶ I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. ¹⁷ For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”  Romans 1:16-17 (NIV) Christian, why afraid, ashamed or alarmed?  The only hope for the world is Jesus – proclaim Him with boldness! “We who preach the gospel must not think of ourselves as public relations agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world.  We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports or modern education.  We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum. God offers life, but not an improved old life.  The life He offers is life out of death.  It stands always on the far side of the cross.  Whoever would possess it must pass under the rod.  He must repudiate himself and concur in God’s just sentence against him.  He must repent and believe.  He must forsake his sins and then go on to forsake himself.  Let him cover nothing, defend nothing, excuse nothing.  Our trouble is not that we refuse to believe right doctrine, but that we refuse to practice it.”  A.W.Tozer  What I glean from this: 

• I am not to love praise from men more than praise from God.
• God rewards those who diligently seek Him.  ¹⁰ ”I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”  Jer 17:10 (NIV)
• The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.

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SHARING BREAD²⁵ What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? Luke 9:25 (NIV)There is no earthly commodity existing that would equate as a fair exchange for the soul of a man.  Luke tells us to take heed from the lessons of Scripture:³² Remember Lot’s wife! ³³ Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.   Luke 17:32-33 (NIV) The Bible Knowledge Commentary expounds on the above verse: “In the same way the materialistic, indifferent people of Sodom (eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building) were not prepared for God’s judgment (Gen. 19). They were living in sin, oblivious to God. Therefore they were destroyed. Jesus reminded His followers that people should not be attached to their material things at the time of the coming of the kingdom for they, like Lot’s wife, will be judged accordingly.”Interestingly, Lot’s wife looked back longingly for what she was leaving behind to escape God’s judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Much like the Israelites who longed for the leeks of Egypt, those who long for the things of this world are doing so at a very high price indeed.   I must interject here that there is a vast difference between enjoying what God’s hand allows in a life in comparison to having a death grip on it and living for it – that crosses the line into idolatry – every time.Let’s consider for a minute what is going to happen to this world and everything in it according to Scripture:⁷ By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.   2 Peter 3:7 (NIV)  ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 2 Peter 3:10 (NIV) ¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 2 Peter 3:11-13 (NIV)Peter comes to a very logical conclusion.  Do we live for the temporal or the eternal?  How very shortsighted of us to not consider carefully what he is telling us here.  We each have one life to live and one life that we must give an account for. If we are not impacting our world for Jesus, we are simply wasting our time. The writer of Hebrews tells us: ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Heb 4:12-13 (NIV) Paul also tells us in 2 Corinthians: ⁶ Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷ We live by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.   2 Cor 5:6-10 (NIV)What sustained Paul was his realization of his temporary and transitory state – that should be a clue for us too!  Our focus, like Paul’s, should be on future conditions not present, on unseen and not seen.  This is living by faith and not by sight, for the ultimate rather than the immediate realities.  Our motivation lies in our pleasing our Lord as we will be evaluated by our Master.  Paul sought a “Well done my good and faithful servant” as should we.God is looking for whole-hearted devotion and a willing mind from His people.  His desire is for us to walk in a manner worthy of His gospel and to please Him in everything that we say and do and think; this, of course, being for our ultimate good and His glory.“Commit to Me your sanctification.  Bring your thoughts into captivity and let your mind be under the control of the Mind of Christ.”  Frances J. Roberts“Behold, I say to you, This is the way.  Walk in it.  I am the Way.  Walk in Me.  I am the truth.  Believe Me (trust in Me).  I am the Life.  Live in Me, and share My life with others.  For you know not what I do now, but you will know hereafter.  (Now we see in a glass darkly, but then, face-to-face.  Now our grasp of the ways of God is incomplete, but as we move on, we come to understand what He has been endeavoring to do in our lives.)  Rejoice.  Rejoice not so much in victories as in the fact that I am leading.  Praise Me.   Not so much for My blessing as for My love that prompts them.  Serve Me with gladness, not for the ultimate nor present reward, but for the thrill of knowing that we labor together; that I stand beside you in every enterprise, however trivial.”     Frances J. RobertsWhat I glean from this:·           There is nothing on this earth that I can give for the exchange of my soul.·           If I have a death grip of what God allows in my life it is idolatry.·           I should be living for the eternal and not the temporal – always “making it my goal to please Him”.    *****************************************************************************

SHARING BREAD¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
     ² Worship the LORD with gladness;
     come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
     It is he who made us, and we are his;
     we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
     and his courts with praise;
     give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
     his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalms 100:1-5 (NIV)In celebration of Thanksgiving Day, this Sharing Bread is written in honor of the One from whom whose hand all blessings flow.  God is worthy of all of our praise. A thankful, appreciative heart points to our knowledge of the Source of our strength, sufficiency, peace and joy.  I am reminded of God’s negative reaction to His creatures when usurping His rightful praise by taking the credit for what His hand had bestowed:²⁸ All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, ³⁰ he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” ³¹ The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. ³² You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.”   Dan 4:28-32 (NIV) I love what Scripture says about this “long haired, clawed, pagan cow king” (Daniel 4:33) when eventually his eyes looked up to heaven: ³⁴ At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. ³⁵ All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”    Dan 4:34-35 (NIV) ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. Dan 4:37 (NIV) A pretty amazing statement indeed from a once pagan king!  We, too, would do well to praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven!  I love what God tells His servant Job: Who then is able to stand against me? ¹¹ Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.   Job 41:10-11 (NIV) Should we not lift up our voice and praise, with thankful hearts, the Bestower of very good and perfect gift?  Is this not His rightful due?   Moses did:   ¹ Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted.   Ex 15:1 (NIV)² The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. Ex 15:2 (NIV) David did:¹ I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. ² I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.  Psalms 9:1-2 (NIV) The writer of Hebrews did:¹⁵ Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that confess his name. ¹⁶ And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.  Heb 13:15-16 (NIV) “Rejoice always, said the Apostle Paul – and again I say rejoice.  Let your stability be apparent to all, for truly, the coming of the Lord is near.  Prepare yourselves, and be strong; for it is the Lord who upholds you and He it is who give you the victory.  Sing, my children, and let the shout of praise be heard:  For the Lord is mighty, and His Name is glorious.”  Frances J. Roberts What I glean from this: 

• God is worthy of my praise and thanksgiving.
• God is right and just in all of His ways.
• Everything belongs to God.

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SHARING BREAD²⁴ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. Luke 9:24 (NIV)Jesus’ word’s here appear a bit oxymoronic at first blush.  To save our life we must lose it or to lose our life we will save it – what on earth does that mean?  Bonhoeffer states:  “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.”   In God’s economy, our striving to save our own lives ends up ultimately in the loss of it rather than losing our lives for His sake where we discover His comforting safety, His unsurpassed joy and His blessed peace.We must remember that He is our great Shepherd.  His delight is to take care of His sheep. The greatest sacrifice occurs when we fail to realize this and are disobedient to His commands.  “Nothing is really lost by a life of sacrifice; everything is lost by failure to obey God’s call.”  Henry Parry Liddon. I recently received an e-mail describing what Jesus desires to bestow upon His children – the life that He has saved us for – according to the precious promises written by a man after God’s own heart – King David.  As children of the King, the promises of Psalm 23 are ours for the taking:·         The Lord is my Shepherd:  That is relationship.·         I shall not be in want:  That is supply.·         He makes me lie down in green pastures:  That is rest.·         He leads me beside quiet waters:  That is refreshment.·         He restores my soul:  That is healing.·         He guides me in the paths of righteousness:  That is guidance.·         For His name’s sake:  That is purpose.·         Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death:  That is testing.·         I will fear no evil:  That is protection.·         For You are with me:  That is faithfulness.·         Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me:  That is discipline.·         You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies:  That is hope.·         You anoint my head with oil:  That is consecration.·         My cup overflows:  That is abundance.·         Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life:  That is blessing.·         And I will dwell in the house of the Lord:  That is security.·         Forever:  That is eternity.   I do not know about you, but I do not possess the ability to offer myself these things in my flesh on a long term basis (or even a short term basis for that matter).  This, of course, begs the question of why on earth I would try to hold on to my own life in lieu of dying to self and living for Him.  There always seems to be a wrestling within our spirits when we forget to let God be God and assume upon ourselves His rightful position. There will always be warring within a soul of a believer of Jesus who chooses to go his own way – chooses to be his own god so to speak.  This is why we see so many discontented Christians.  James, the half brother of our Lord states:¹ What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. ⁴ You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?   James 4:1-4 (NIV)We, of course, can kill without actually murdering someone – a death to a relationship, a death to supply, a death to trust, a death to family, a death to character – are but a few of the ways we “murder” daily by our poor choices.  Our verse for today shows us that we indeed have a choice.  Since most of us are such stupid sheep, we choose to selfishly hold on to our pathetic lives.  When we relinquish our death grip on our own “wills” and grasp hold of Jesus and His perfect will, He bestows upon us the abundant life He so desires to give to His faithful ones.  Amy Carmichael states:  “A sovereign God, however, works through flawed human instruments to whom He has given the power of choice.  Sometimes the choices are mistaken.  Divine sovereignty permits those mistakes.”  When the realization of a mistake becomes manifest to a life, like the prodigal, the most important thing is to turn back to Him.  Run home to the loving embrace of the Father.  Again Carmichael writes:  “There is only one way of victory over the bitterness and rage that come naturally to us – To will what God wills brings peace.”  And yet again she states:  “And as we rest our hearts upon what we know (the certainty of the ultimate triumph of good) leaving what we do not know to the Love that has led us all our life long, the peace of God enters into us and abides.”Paul tells us that contentment is a learned secret (Philippians 4:11-13). Satan has not changed his tactics.  God is not holding out on us. Satan’s offers will never satisfy no matter how shiny they appear.  Satan’s offers will never bring lasting contentment.  Satan’s offers are a lie.  I believe the secret of contentment that Paul says he has learned comes from abiding in the perfect will of our loving heavenly Father who bestows upon us the grace, strength, peace and ultimate joy to abide in whatever circumstances He allows in our lives.   What I glean from this:

• If I want to save my life I must lose it.
• Peace rules in my life when I am in the center of God’ will.
• God is not holding out on me.

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SHARING BREAD ²³ Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23 (NIV)Want to know how Jesus defines His followers?  Read the above verse again.  Now, read it again. How about just one more time?  When something is repeated in Scripture even once it should red flag us – this (or the variation of this) appears in all four of the gospels (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; and John 12:23-26) highlighting it as an important issue indeed! What in the world does Jesus mean by this statement?  In our world today it goes totally against our “have it your way” mentality.  In fact, the crucified life is so foreign to us that, if we are honest, we have a very difficult time relating to it in any form or fashion.  We have been fed a steady worldly diet of such nonsense of our “rights” and “privileges” that we as Christians have started to embrace that propaganda.  As believers we are called to “pour out our lives like a drink offering” showing us to be true disciples of our Lord.  Paul tells us of the crucified life in Galatians:²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20 (NIV)Remember anyone can espouse faith – talk is cheap; we actually live what we believe.  Interestingly, Jesus did not think of those as “followers” who just trailed after Him for what they could receive. This gives some clarity to the verse in Matthew where He states:¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.   Matt 7:13-14 (NIV) 

Jesus is not looking for our external requirements but rather for our internal transformation.  The first step of this according to our verse for today is the denial of self.  What does that look like?  Reject, denounce, decline, give up are but a few words that would encompass deny.  I am reminded of Paul’s wonderful words to the Philippians:

 ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross!  Phil 2:3-8 (NIV) We are to give Jesus our rights and in turn He fills us with His precious Holy Spirit equipping us to live a life worthy of the gospel.  Empowering us to do what “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived”.  How exactly does that flesh out in real life?  I believe that it begins by prayer asking God to help us shrink self and manifest more of the Holy Spirit.  This will no doubt begin with small acts of self-sacrifice. As believers we “grow up” into Christ – this is called the sanctification process.  It certainly would be easier if when we became believers we were automatically on the level of a Billy Graham but unfortunately it does not work that way! We go from milk to solid food through prayer, the study of God’s Word, obedience to His revealed will and hiding His Word in our hearts.  It is simply not an overnight thing – it wasn’t for the saints in the past and neither will it be for us. “Take up his cross daily” refers to our admission to and also our public display before others that we are in agreement with Jesus.  The Bible Knowledge Commentary states: “The second difficult qualification Jesus stressed was that one must carry his (i.e., his own) cross and follow Jesus (Luke 14:27; cf. 9:23). When the Roman Empire crucified a criminal or captive, the victim was often forced to carry his cross part of the way to the crucifixion site. Carrying his cross through the heart of the city was supposed to be a tacit admission that the Roman Empire was correct in the sentence of death imposed on him, an admission that Rome was right and he was wrong. So when Jesus enjoined His followers to carry their crosses and follow Him, He was referring to a public display before others that Jesus was right and that the disciples were following Him even to their deaths. This is exactly what the religious leaders refused to do.”In the New Testament Lexical Aids of the Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible we are given this insightful exposition of “follow” translated from the Greek word “Akoloutheo”: “The individual calling to follow Jesus involved abiding fellowship with Him, not only for the sake of learning as a student from his teacher, but also for the sake of the salvation known or looked for, which presented itself in this fellowship.  The first thing involved in following Jesus is a cleaving to Him in believing trust and obedience, those cleaving to Him also following His leading and acting according to His example.  Hence the constant stress laid by the Lord Jesus upon the need of self-denial and fellowship with Himself in the cross.   Thus following Jesus denotes a fellowship of faith as well as a fellowship of life, sharing in His sufferings not only inwardly but outwardly if necessary.” “Never once in the Gospels, the Epistles, or the book of Revelation, is the Christian life rewarded as something in any way naturally easy; everywhere we see the symbol that stands for what is stern, deep-cutting, inexorable.  The Cross is no plaything.  But ‘If the Leader bears the brunt of the battle the soldier can follow.’”  Amy Carmichael What I glean from this: ·         As a believer, I am called to the crucified life.·         There is unsurpassed joy – unearthly in nature – in following Christ.·         “Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.”  Theodore Roosevelt     *****************************************************************************

SHARING BREAD²¹ Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. ²² And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Luke 9:21-22 (NIV)In one of his more illustrious moments, Peter had just confessed that Jesus was indeed “The Christ of God” (verse 20).  Since the “fullness of time” had not yet fully come for Jesus to be proclaimed publically as the Messiah, He strictly warns His disciples in our verse for today not to divulge this confession of truth.  Then Jesus proceeds to inform them of the next stages of His ministry.  You can only imagine what they must have been thinking.  Certainly some of them surmised that this didn’t sound too good for the home team!  They had left everything to follow Jesus – jobs, families, associations – believing the Messianic Kingdom was about to be ushered in.  How this statement by our Lord must have shook them to the core!  Jesus was to suffer, He was to be rejected by the respected religious leaders of the day, He was to be killed and subsequently raised back to life.  This had to be confusing to them!  I find it hard to believe that they could have grasped even a small portion of His words much less the enormity of the action itself and all that it entailed.Interestingly, Jesus’ word choice of “must” in verse 22 is translated from the Greek word “Dei” meaning necessary by the very nature of things; an unavoidable, urgent, compulsory necessity.  It was a given and it was a go!  I love what Luke tells us later in this same chapter:⁵¹ As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.   Luke 9:51 (NIV) Jesus was firm, fixed and resolved about what lay ahead.  So too should we.  We are told in Hebrews chapter 12: ¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.   Heb 12:1-3 (NIV) Jesus “pioneered” and perfected our path of faith with joy.  He is our ultimate example. Like Jesus, we are to look ahead to our future glory and not keep focusing on the cross that He calls us to bear.  Remembering, as Matthew Henry stated:  “This world is our passage, not our portion.”  It is easy to get our eyes off of our Savior and on to our circumstances getting bogged down in the mire, so to speak, and being robbed of our joy.  We are on the winning team and He bestows upon us the grace sufficient to meet each need He allows.  Paul states in II Corinthians: ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reston me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.   2 Cor 12:9-10 (NIV) Divine power is best displayed against the background of our human weaknesses showing that the all-surpassing power could not be from us but from Him thus pointing others to Christ. The word rendered “suffer” is translated from the Greek word “Pascho” meaning, of course, to suffer but also it refers to suffering on behalf of someone else.  How very precious of our Jesus! Lest we get too complacent here, we are also called to this same type of suffering.  Paul tells us in Philippians: ²⁹ For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰ since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.    Phil 1:29-30 (NIV) I recently read an article about a horrific kidnapping and murder of a young 29 year old missionary in the Gaza Strip.  The descriptions given detailing his life validate our discussion and serve as a wonderful example of a Christian empowered by the Spirit concerning bearing his cross: ·         A wonderful young man who exhibits the spirit of Christ.·         Undeterred by all the threats upon his life.  He did not allow these hardships to keep him from reaching Muslims with the love of Christ.·         Courageous, loving, caring, and self-sacrificing.·         Filled with a deep passion for the lost people of Gaza. “The servant of Christ must never be surprised if he has to drink of the same cup with his Lord.”     J.C. Ryle What I glean from this:

• Like Jesus, I am to “set my face like flint” towards His will for my life.
• I am not to be surprised by suffering.  “A Christian is someone who shares the sufferings of God in the world.”  Dietrich Bonheoffer
• As Paul tells the Thessalonians, he tells me:  “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

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SHARING BREAD ¹⁸ Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” Luke 9:18 (NIV)If Jesus came to us today and asked “Who do the crowds say I am” what would our response sound like?  Who does our sphere of influence claim Jesus to be?  Jesus was quite the stir in this group’s surrounding crowds.  Rushing to touch Him, wanting to be with Him, observing His power yet not fully understanding its source – these crowds realized that He was more than just a good man.  The power He manifested was proof enough alone for those who saw to believe that He was no ordinary human.  Luke tells us in the next verse:¹⁹ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”  Luke 9:19 (NIV)At this point in time, John the Baptist had been beheaded; Elijah the Tishbite had been taken in a whirlwind to heaven into the presence of God in a chariot of fire; and, of course, the prophets of long ago were no longer to be found.  These people knew that Jesus’ power had to be attributed to God somehow yet again they were not sure how.  Do the throngs of our day perceive the power of Christ within us?  Are they familiar with the saving power of the cross?  Do we manifest in their presence the Holy Spirit’s all achieving power subsequently showing a changed heart which, I might add, is one of the biggest miracles God performs?  Do our lives point to Christ and His glory alone?  Does our sphere even recognize a difference in our lives? Through the Holy Spirit’s power, we are to be Christ to our crowds today, pointing them to Him through our actions and with our words. I love a quote by Charles Spurgeon regarding this very issue:“Jesus’ return is not a reason for star-gazing, but for working in the power of the Holy Ghost.” We are warned by the writer of Hebrews:¹⁴ Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵ See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. ¹⁶ See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. ¹⁷ Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.   Heb 12:14-17 (NIV)Paul also tells us In Colossians:⁵ Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ⁶ Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.   Col 4:4-6 (NIV) Lastly, Jesus gives us this instruction: ¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. ¹⁴ ”You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.   Matt 5:13-16 (NIV) Make no mistake about it, what we do and say points ultimately to what we believe (ouch) and on Whom we rely and place our trust.  The fruit that is produced in and through our lives should point directly to the Producer of it. Our job is to empty ourselves of us so that we may be filled with His Spirit in order to manifest His fruit and His life to a decaying, dying world.  Indeed, we are to be a “Planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor” (Isaiah 61:3).  Speaking of Amy Carmichael, Elisabeth Elliot writes:  “Amy felt that the world had far too many run-of-the-mill Christians, cool, respectable, satisfied with the usual, the mediocre.  Why bother to lay down one’s life to multiply the number of those?”  Very convicting indeed!  We are issued a strong warning, again by Jesus, in Matthew: ³³ ”Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”   Matt 12:33-37 (NIV) I can so feel Isaiah’s pain when he states: ⁵ ”Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”   Isaiah 6:5 (NIV) When the reality of God’s holiness comes face to face with the reality of our sinfulness, true humility is the only acceptable response.  As a coal from the altar purged iniquity from Isaiah’s lips (because the drops of blood from the sacrifice had fallen upon it) so too, the blood of Christ purges iniquity from ours.  Praise Him!  What I glean from this: ·         Through the Holy Spirit’s power, I am responsible to manifest Christ to my sphere.·         Through the Holy Spirit’s power, I am responsible to live a life worthy of the gospel.  “The making of a disciple means the creating of a duplicate.”  Juan Carlos Ortiz·         As the oil in the temple burned day and night giving light, so should I.    *****************************************************************************

SHARING BREAD¹⁵ The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. ¹⁶ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. ¹⁷ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. Luke 9:15-17 (NIV)In the above verses, as Jesus prepares to feed the five thousand, He gives us a wonderful lesson on consecration by thanksgiving.  What an appropriate time to delve into this topic! Holding the loaves and the fish in His hands, He looks into heaven and gives the Giver of every perfect gift thanks – consecrating or setting apart as sacred, the food He was about to bestow.  I would certainly say that those meager five loaves and two fish were blessed beyond imagination!  That’s what I call stretching a meal (the original Hamburger Helper)!  With God the supply never runs out.  I love it when God exceeds my expectations and I even think that He delights in doing that too!  Paul states this so clearly in Ephesians:²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,   Eph 3:20 (NIV)And David gives us this word of encouragement in Psalm 36:⁷ How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. ⁸ They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.   Psalms 36:7-8 (NIV) God is not only able but also willing to do God sized things in and through our lives.  We are the ones that stay His mighty arm with our lack of obedience, our refusal to request, our pride, our lack of gratitude, our selfish ambition and our vain conceits (etc., etc.).  I fully believe that He takes great pleasure in giving to His children just as we, as mere humans, delight to give to our children.  Jesus speaks of this in the Sermon on the Mount: ⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹ ”Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matt 7:7-11 (NIV) Abba (Daddy) Father enjoys both our asking Him (relationship) and His subsequent bestowal of the request (giving).  This is not like Santa Claus, it is far better.  It is perhaps the difference between getting an entire beach instead of a sandbox!  All is bestowed by His hand to His child for His child’s betterment and for His glory alone.  This does not mean a life of ease necessarily but a life that is satisfying and abundantly full beyond our meager imaginations. One is never satisfied in this life apart from His filling.  It is our God given purpose.  Anything requested that conforms us to the image of His Son and that is aligned with His perfect will, is heaped upon us in loving measure.  When the answer we receive is a “no” or a “wait”, it is because of a greater good that He is in the process of accomplishing (hence the cross of Christ where prior, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus receives a “no” to His request of the removal of the cup). We see but a poor reflection yet God sees the picture in its entirety.  His time schedules and ours are often vastly different. In faith, with thanksgiving, we trust His wisdom and His timing. God desires for His children to develop an attitude of gratitude for all that is allowed in our lives.  Paul tells us plainly: ⁷ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?   1 Cor 4:7 (NIV) Humility coupled with thanksgiving is the only acceptable posture for a child of the King. God is the giver of every perfect gift on the basis of His marvelous grace. He alone is deserving of our praise.    ⁸ Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
⁹ Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. ¹⁰ Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. ¹¹ Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.   1 Chron 16:8-11 (NIV)³⁴ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chron 16:34 (NIV) ¹⁶ Be joyful always; ¹⁷ pray continually; ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thess 5:16-18 (NIV) What I glean from this:

• In being thankful, I will experience God’s glory.  “A life of thankfulness releases the glory of God.”  Bengt Sundberg.
• God delights in giving beyond my expectations.
• I should be thankful in all circumstances.  “Ungrateful people live under the deception that they are always entitled to more.”  Wayne Cordeiro

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