December_31

SHARING BREAD ⁵¹ As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Luke 9:51 (NIV)I love the way Jesus teaches us volumes through His perfect example.  The “time had fully come” for His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension and He is firm, fixed and steadfast on His mission towards accomplishing this goal.  What a perfect day of the year for us to be discussing goals!  How many New Year’s Eve resolutions have we made of changed behavior patterns only to have our resolve dwindle down to a mere acknowledgement of our need of change sans action!  Let’s face it, what Jesus had in store for Him was not going to be what we would deem the perfect day (oh how little we know!).  What He was after – the redemption of men – was about to be accomplished through His work on the cross and His eyes were focused on His goal.  The joy He had was not in the work itself, but what the work would ultimately accomplish, praise Him!  Kind of makes those ten pounds we want to shed sound like child’s play does it not?   I am reminded of the words 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) Perseverance is huge in our walk of faith and its importance should never be underplayed.  We are to run with this mindset of perseverance – ridding ourselves of the sin that so easily trips us up, entangles us and adds dead weight to our walks.  We are to keep a constant gaze with our eyes fixed on Christ who went before us perfecting our faith walk and the end result our faith walk will bring.  As stated before, Jesus’ joy came from His focus on the end result – bringing many sons to glory.  This is huge! I was recently listening to a sermon describing the difference between our preferences and our convictions which may shed some light to our thoughts on resolution.  Our preferences are something we favor, perhaps a choice we would make if we were to pick between two things, yet it is not enough to keep us going when the going gets tough.  We often cave in.  Basically, we believe the end result is not worth our effort.  The work involved to achieve whatever it may be is more difficult for us than the value of what we would be receiving.  Contrast this to convictions.  Convictions are a firm belief or an opinion that are so grounded within a person that they play out in their actions.  It is what we say and do and live.  Convictions stay the course.  This is why we often hear many people espouse truth yet not live it.  What we are hearing is their preference and not their conviction.  We live what we believe. Paul lived his life with perseverance and focus.  He tells us in Romans: ¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.   Romans 5:1-5 (NIV) As believers, our hope is centered in God and His promises – and His promises do not disappoint.  We have the privilege of approach, as one of high rank, to stand in the sphere of God’s grace because Christ has ushered us into this position.  And, though falling short of it now, we rejoice in the time when we will share in Christ’s glory.  This is our confident hope as believers. This is what keeps us from not growing weary and losing heart.  James tells us: ⁴ Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.   James 1:4 (NIV)I do not know about you, but I would like to be mature, complete and not lacking anything!⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.   2 Thess 3:4-5 (NIV) Meditation on the love of God and the patient endurance of Christ will motivate us to persevere through obeying His word and enduring our trials with great patience. What I glean from this: 

• I must keep my eyes fixed on Jesus who perfected the walk of faith.
• I must seek to dwell on the end result of my walk of faith.
• Perseverance must finish its work so that I may be mature, complete and lacking nothing.

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December_28

SHARING BREAD⁴⁹ “Master,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

⁵⁰ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.” Luke 9:49-50 (NIV)We are going to learn a wonderful principle today – straight from the lips of our Savior!!  Demonic activity was being thrust out in the great name of Jesus but not by one that was part of the disciple’s team.  This did not fare well with them. Their initial reaction was one that I see prevalent in our own day and age.  This same, “They are not one of us so we must stop them,” attitude has been used by Satan as a ploy to hinder the workings of Christ’s body, the church, and the spread of the gospel even today.  We become consumed by the non-essentials, losing our focus on Christ and Christ crucified and centering our attention on the trivial – majoring on the minors so to speak.  Jesus says, “Stop it!”  He reiterates this again in Luke Chapter Eleven presenting it in the negative form:²³ “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters. Luke 11:23 (NIV) The questions we must ask ourselves are:  “Are we with Him?” and “Do we do anything to hinder the spreading of the Gospel by our own exclusive standards of by whom or by what means this spreading should be accomplished?”  The same was true in Paul’s day.  There were divisions in the church and Paul refers to them as “worldly” and not “spiritual”: ¹ Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly–mere infants in Christ. ² I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. ³ You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? ⁴ For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men? ⁵ What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe–as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. ⁷ So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.   1 Cor 3:1-9 (NIV)

Paul’s one purpose was to preach the gospel of Christ – he was compelled by this:

¹⁶ Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!   1 Cor 9:16 (NIV) Further, he goes on to say, though free and belonging to no man, he makes himself a slave to everyone to win as many as possible for our Lord so that he may participate fully in the blessing of the gospel: ¹⁹ Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 1 Cor 9:19-23 (NIV)We do much to hurt the body of Christ by our divisions.  It is confusing to those who are perishing to see the battling that goes on between believers.  This should not be. Shame on us! We are constantly told throughout Scripture to love one another; to forgive grievances and to bear with one another.   If the body of Christ cannot love each other, what chance will we have in demonstrating Christ’s love to a lost world?  Two come to mind:  slim and none!  May this serve as a reminder today for us to have charity in the non-essentials and perfect clarity in the essentials – or like the disciples in Jesus’ day, we could be fighting against those who are for us!  “Holy obedience puts to shame all natural and selfish desires.”  Francis of Assisi³ Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.   Dan 12:3 (NIV) What I glean from this: 

• I am called to love my brothers and sisters in Christ.     ⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  1 John 4:7-8 (NIV)
• I am not the way, Jesus is the Way.   ¹ Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.  1 John 5:1 (NIV)
• I must do nothing to hinder the spreading of the gospel.

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December_26

SHARING BREAD⁴⁷ Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. ⁴⁸ Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all–he is the greatest.” Luke 9:47-48 (NIV)True humility among God’s people shines like a sparkling diamond against a black velvet cloth.  Humility is not the abasement of self, for we are created in God’s image, rather it is the emptying of selfish desires and vain conceits or empty glory.  True humility is comfortable in its own skin – it has nothing to prove.  It is not to think little of self rather it is not to give self place at all.  This life is simply not about us.  We are on our journey home; a journey that readies us for eternity; a journey that is conforming us to the image of Christ.  Paul tells us in 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)Let’s consider for a moment who we are in Christ. We are children of the King and as such we are to demonstrate royalty.  This is not snobbery (which actually is derived from two words sans and nobility – meaning without nobility!) rather it is an understanding of who we are in Him.  Jesus knew where He came from and where He was going.  I am reminded of the passage in John where Jesus washes His disciple’s feet:¹ It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. ² The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.  John 13:1-5 (NIV) I love what the Bible Knowledge Commentary states about these verses: “Yet God was in control of all events leading to Jesus’ death. Jesus knew (cf. vv. 1, 18) His sovereign authority, His origin, and coming destiny; yet He voluntarily took the place of a slave, washing the feet of His disciples. His action contrasts sharply with their self-seeking (cf. Matt. 20:20-24; Mark 9:33-34; Luke 22:24-30) and pictures His whole ministry on earth (cf. Phil. 2:5-8)”.As His children, do we have a grasp of our coming destiny?  Like Jesus, it would certainly do us well to remember that we came from God and that we are returning to God and that throughout all eternity we will be with Him in our glorified bodies basking in total peace and joy.  Whatever amount of time He allows between those two occurrences belongs to Him (just as we do, I might add!).  As His children, we are of great significance and we have nothing to prove; we were bought with a very high price.  Paul tells us:¹⁹ Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.   1 Cor 6:19-20 (NIV) God places a high rank on humility among His people.  We are told by the prophet Micah:  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)We are called to fellowship with God walking with Him in all modesty without arrogance having dependence upon and a subjection to God’s authority. As Paul tells us:⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.   1 Cor 2:3-5 (NIV) And again he states later in Chapter Four of I Corinthians:  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)The Bible Knowledge Commentary states:  “Humility is the only acceptable posture of a person in relation to the God who gives a wide variety of gifts on the basis of grace and therefore alone is deserving of praise.” “When we became Christians, we humbled ourselves.  It was a prerequisite.  No one can accept the sacrifice of Jesus without realizing that he or she needs it, and that acceptance does violence to the ego.  But after our salvation, we have an all-too-human tendency to let pride creep back in.  We strive in our own strength to do the work of the Spirit.  We start thinking that our righteousness is actually ours and not Christ’s.  We think our loyalty to God is praiseworthy rather than the product of pure grace.  In other words, our God-centered lives can become self-centered quickly and subtly.  Our pride must then be uprooted.”  Indeed Magazine What I glean from this:

• I am called to humble myself “under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift me up in due time”.  “It is our self-importance, not our misery, that gets in His way.”  Daniel Considine
• As God’s child, I am royalty!  (I’ve always wanted to b e a princess!)
• When I am full of myself, I cannot be full of the Holy Spirit.  “He that is down need fear no fall, he that is low no pride.”  John Bunyan

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December_24

SHARING BREADI received the following message from a missionary friend who ministers to the Muslim world.  As a special Christmas blessings, I am passing it on to you.  I have no idea who composed this sequence of Scripture but it strengthened my spirit and my prayer is that it will strengthen yours also!  It is a message of contrasts; of darkness verses light, and of our ultimate hope in Jesus – the Savior of the world.  Enjoy!Psalm 23 – For the UnreachedI have no shepherd.  I am in desperate need.  I have no one to feed me in green pastures.  I find no rest.  I have no one to lead me to quiet waters.  I have no one to restore my anxious and desperate soul.  I find no one to guide me in right ways.  I don’t know where to turn.  As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, evil surrounds me.  I am terribly afraid, for no one is with me to comfort me.  I have no feast prepared for me; I am overwhelmed by my enemies.  No one anoints my wounds to heal them.  My cup is empty.  All the days of my life are filled with uncertainty and disappointments and I have no home for eternity.  Will I dwell in the house of evil forever?“Deep in your heart it is not guidance you want so much as a Guide.”  John White FATHER’S LOVE LETTERMy Child…….You may not know Me, but I know everything about you…….I know when you sit down and when you rise up…….I am familiar with all your ways…….Even the very hairs on your head are numbered…….For you were made in My image…….In Me you live and move and have your being…….For you are My offspring…….I knew you even before you were conceived…….I chose you when I planned creation…….You were not a mistake…….For all your days are written in My book…….I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live…….You are fearfully and wonderfully made…….I knit you together in your mother’s womb…….And brought you forth on the day you were born…….I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know Me…….I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love…….And it is My desire to lavish My love on you…….Simply because you are My child and I am your Father…….I offer you more than your earthly father ever could…….For I am the perfect Father…….Every good gift that you receive comes from My hand…….For I am your provider and I meet all your needs…….My plan for your future has always been filled with hope…….Because I love you with an everlasting love…….My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore…….And I rejoice over you with singing…….I will never stop doing good to you…….For you are My treasured possession…….I desire to establish you with all My heart and all My soul…….And I want to show you great and marvelous things…….If you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me…….Delight in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart…….For it is I who gave you those desires…….I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine…….For I Am your greatest encourager…….I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles…….When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you…….As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart…….One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes…….And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth…….I am your Father and I love you even as I love My Son, Jesus…….For in Jesus My love for you is revealed…….He is the exact representation of My Being…….And He came to demonstrate that I Am for you, not against you…….And to tell you that I am not counting your sins…….Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled…….His death was the ultimate expression of My love for you…….I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love…….If you receive the gift of My Son, Jesus, you receive Me…….And nothing will ever separate you from My love again…….Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen……I have always been Father and will always be Father…….My question is…….Will you be My child?…….I am waiting for you…….Love, Your Dad…….ALMIGHTY GOD.“He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts.”  A.W, Tozer“In Christ we can move out of our past into a meaningful present and a breathtaking future.”  Erwin Lutzer“The future belongs to those who belong to God.  This is hope.”  W.T. Purkiser³² “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.   Acts 20:32 (NIV) ²⁴ To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy– ²⁵ to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. Jude 1:24-25 (NIV) A BLESSED CHRIST FILLED CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS!  What I glean from this:·         God is for me and not against me.·         God loves me with an everlasting love.·         I am God’s treasured possession. *****************************************************************************

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December_21

SHARING BREAD⁴⁶ An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Luke 9:46 (NIV)I love the disciples – they are just so human. I mean seriously, who can’t relate to these guys? Nothing comes more naturally for us than desiring to be top dog.  Nothing comes more naturally for us than a “look out for number one” mentality i.e., it’s all about me!  Our flesh is consumed with self.  A perfect example of this is to look at a group picture we posed for.  Who is the first person we fix our eyes upon?  Be honest!  We always zero in on our big fat faces to see if we deem the picture good or not.  It may be a wonderful shot of all the others but who cares?  If it is bad of us we definitely think we need a do-over!  Human nature, God tells us, goes contrary to His nature.  Here are just a few examples of these contrasts that we find in Scripture:Human Nature says live for self.God says deny self:   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)Human nature says seek revenge.God says it is His to avenge:   ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  Romans 12:19 (NIV)Human Nature whines “It’s not fair; why am I to suffer?”God says we will have trouble:  ³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33 (NIV)Human Nature says if you want to be great you must clamor for first.God says to be great you must be last and the servant of all:  ²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave– Matt 20:25-27 (NIV)I think we can begin to get the picture here!  God is calling us out of our human nature into His nature.  Out of our darkness and into His marvelous light.  He is all about conforming us to the image of His precious Son – this of course takes pruning and pruning is often not very pleasant!  Scripture tells us:²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.   Romans 8:29-30 (NIV)Furthermore, Jesus tells us in John:¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:1-2 (NIV)As the loving Gardner, God lavishes care and attention to His precious vine desiring to see His fruit produced.  He plants, He waters, and He tenderly guards it as Isaiah tells us:“Sing about a fruitful vineyard: ³ I, the LORD, watch over it; I water it continually.  I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it.   Isaiah 27:2-3 (NIV) Then God waits patiently for the good fruit to be produced in our lives.  The fruit God desires from us is loving obedience, righteousness and justice.  Fruitfulness is the evidence of Jesus’ life being reproduced in the life of the disciple.  That is our ultimate goal as John the Baptist states: ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30 (NIV) Remember too, on the night He was betrayed, Jesus washes His disciples feet showing them the “full extent of His love” and adding: ¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.   John 13:12-17 (NIV)    Our ultimate happiness comes through our obedient service as Amy Carmichael states:  “There are joys that are unearthly in their power and in their sweetness.” What I glean from this: 

• My human nature fights against God’s nature taking control therefore I am called to die to self.  “Be the first,” Amy Carmichael said, “wherever there is a sacrifice to be made, a self-denial to be practiced, or an impetus to be given.”  I am to make this truth visible in my own life as an example for others to follow.
• God desires for me to be conformed to the image of His Son.  His process of doing this is by pruning me.
• I am to be obedient in all things God calls me to – even if those things are deemed lowly by society. “A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in little things is a very great thing.”   Carmichael.

 Note:  Wednesday’s “Sharing Bread” was not sent out because the Lord was not willing!  I was sick!   *****************************************************************************

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December_17

SHARING BREAD⁴⁴ “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.” ⁴⁵ But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it. Luke 9:44-45 (NIV)How confusing this statement must have seemed to the disciples from their Lord!  They had just experienced, yet again, a powerful miracle from His hand and the crowds were marveling in amazement.  From their vantage point, Jesus appeared to be on the pinnacle of success.  Then He hits them with this statement literally rendered:  “Lay your hearts towards a firm resolve with a view towards your ears listening and your actions heeding my words” – a/k/a/ “Pay Attention!    Get ready!  Respond!  I am going to be betrayed into the hands of men” – they just did not get it. The word used in verse 45 rendered “grasp” is an interesting Greek word “Aisthanomai” whose definition in the New Testament Lexical Aids sheds light on our passage:  “To recognize, perceive, understand; to sense or have a sense about something.  The verb refers to understanding something through recognition, having a frame of reference for something, distinguishing a concept.  Originally it meant to know through sense perception.  It means to have a frame of reference for something; to recognize a concept.  It is “conscious perception,” a knowledge which is more immediate than that arrived at by reasoning; it arises from previous experience or acquaintance with a thing.  Only in Luke 9:45 where the apostles are completely baffled by Jesus’ statement that the Son of man would be handed over (betrayed) by men; they could not recognize this doctrine because the concept was totally foreign to them.”  This certainly gives confirmation to Paul’s words in I Corinthians:¹² Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.   1 Cor 13:11-12 (NIV) “God has reasons, based on His infinite wisdom, which He does not always choose to reveal to us.”  Spiros Zodhiates It would do us well to remember the words the prophet Isaiah penned: ⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. ⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.  Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.  ⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.  ⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.   Isaiah 55:6-9 (NIV) The commands are clear:  Seek Him, Call on Him, Forsake our evil ways and thoughts and Turn to Him, He will have mercy, He will freely pardon.  Live a life of trust in Him.  Jesus wanted His boys to understand how the events of His life would indeed play out.  He did not want them to be caught off guard.  He was telling them to listen carefully!  He was telling them to pay attention!  How often I have missed His warnings too!  There are many reasons for this including, but not limited to, pre-determined ideas of how my life would play out, being too busy to hear His still small voice, confusion over His will for my life, and being ignorant of God’s word, just to name a few.  Since our God is a God of order, when I experience confusion in my life, I am the problem.  Having a firm grasp of Scripture will keep our heads above water – and I don’t mean when the crisis hits!  The most effective Christians for Kingdom work are prepared people.  They know truth.  They can trust God even when circumstances appear different from expectations.  “Real trust in God is above circumstances and appearances.”  George Muller. God has a greater plan than our eyes can see or our mind can understand.  For instance, in our verses for today, if the disciples would have had their way, Jesus would have been made an earthly king. He would have never gone to the cross and all mankind (including them) would have been destined to hell.  But God (my two favorite words together) had a different plan.  His desire as Paul states: ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.    2 Cor 5:20-21 (NIV)Again, as Paul states in Romans:¹¹ As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  Romans 10:11 (NIV) “Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds.”  Thomas Brooks What I glean from this: 

• When God tells me something I must pay attention and respond.
• God’s thoughts and ways are higher than my thoughts and ways.
• God has a greater plan than my eyes can see or my mind can understand.  

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December_14

SHARING BREADEven while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. ⁴³ And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.  Luke 9:42-43 (NIV) Almost to mock Jesus, the demon throws the boy to the ground on his way to the Healing Hand.  This poor soul had been spiraling into ruination when Christ spoke and he was restored to wholeness.  Demons must flee at His command.  The word rendered “evil” in the above verse is from the Greek word “Akathartos” meaning “unclean, filthy, impure, dirty; unclean in nature and disposition; evil, foul, obscene, lewd; it describes that which has not been cleansed by God, that which is marked by sinfulness” (The New Testament Lexical Aids – The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible).  Instead of just glossing over it in our reading, delving into the definition of “evil” gives us an even broader perspective of the vileness of it.  Kind of makes the word “evil” come to life doesn’t it?  This boy was indwelled with a bad actor.  I love how Matthew Henry puts it:  “What harm does Satan do when he gets possession!  But happy they who have access to Christ!” Jesus gives an abrupt, curt and biting charge pointedly expressing His disapproval and taking to task the demonic culprit.  Again, Henry states:  “One word from Christ healed the child, and made good the damage the demon had done him.”  Immediately, the boy was healed and returned back to his father – amazing the crowds with the greatness of God.  Ever been amazed when the hand of God moves?  Jesus had a way of constantly amazing both the crowds and His disciples.  When God takes on flesh and walks among His creation, man stands amazed.  Paul tells us in Colossians: ⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.   Col 2:9-10 (NIV)Fully God and fully man with the agenda of bringing fullness back to His creation.  God with us!  What a wonderful reminder to us as we celebrate His birth!  He came to “make good the damage the demons had done” for us all!  He brings fullness back into our lives, where we are no longer empty and subject to the filling of evil.I am reminded of a passage in Matthew where the disciples stood amazed at the workings of Christ.  They had all piled into a boat and without warning a furious storm came upon them.  Jesus was catching some z’s in the stern.  The disciples woke Him with pleas to save them from drowning – I can relate here, maybe not literally but certainly figuratively!  Here is Jesus’ reply:²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. ²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”   Matt 8:26-27 (NIV)We live in a generation where we constantly depend upon our own strength and abilities – I suppose most generations preceding us have been that way too – until, of course, we reach the end of our powers, hopes and dreams and we are left empty, much like the disciples in their particular situation, calling out for help to save us!  I believe that our lives would be much less harried if we began each day by emptying ourselves of ourselves and praying to be filled with all the fullness of God.  God desires for His Spirit to fully indwell and equip His saints for every good work.  We shrink the Spirit within us when we constantly rely on ourselves.  He often has to get us to the point the disciples were in before we will look up and be amazed by the greatness of God.  Spurgeon tells us:  “It will do us good to be very empty, to be very weak, and so to go about our Master’s work.”David had a wonderful grasp of God’s amazing deeds.  The Old Testament has citing after citing of David’s praises to God for the works of His hands.  David had a grateful heart – he knew Who took him from shepherd to king and he gave Him all the glory, praise and honor.²⁴ Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. ²⁵ For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.  1 Chron 16:24-25 (NIV) David wanted God’s glory and power and honor made known among the nations. We would do well to emulate his passion. John Piper states:  “God has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the fame of His name among the nations.” Psalm 71:17-19 tells us: I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. ¹⁷ Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. ¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. ¹⁹ Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you?   Psalms 71:16-19 (NIV)What I glean from this:

• Jesus came to make good for me the damage the demons had done.  “Will power does not change men.  Time does not change men.  Christ does.”  Drummond
• Because He loves me, Jesus wants to amaze me.  “The miracles of Jesus were the ordinary works of His Father.”  MacDonald
• I am to be thankful and shout out His glory and fame and honor among the nations.  “A life in thankfulness releases the glory of God.”  Bengt Sundberg

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December_12

SHARING BREAD ⁴¹ “O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” Luke 9:41 (NIV)“Untrustworthy, unfaithful, unreliable, disloyal; substantively, an unbeliever” are just a few of the words used to define the Greek word “Apistos” (translated “unbelieving” in the above verse) in the New Testament Lexical Aids of the Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible.  To state that our faith is of importance to God would be a gross understatement at best!  In the “Hall of Faith” chapter eleven of Hebrews, we are given this following truth:⁵ By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Heb 11:5-6 (NIV) Re-read verse six.  It is impossible to please God without faith.  In fact, Jesus added the word perverse to His description of that generation meaning “deliberately or stubbornly departing from what is reasonable or required; persistent in error and wayward” – and my particular favorite, “against the weight of evidence”.  Poor choices indeed!  Let’s take a minute and reflect back on the life that chose so well he never experienced death – Enoch.  Perhaps we can glean some truths that we can appropriate into our own lives as well.  The description of his life is briefly given in Genesis chapter five: ²¹ When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. ²² And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. ²³ Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. ²⁴ Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.   Gen 5:21-24 (NIV)Interestingly, like Noah in Genesis 6:9, the Bible tells us that Enoch “walked with God” indicating his gracious conduct and his true religion.  The word “walk: is a biblical expression which expresses fellowship and obedience resulting in Divine favor.  It was a choice both Enoch and Noah made which was reminiscent of the Garden of Eden where God Himself walked with Adam and Eve prior to the fall. Even during periods of religious apostasy permeating each of their generations, they both steadfastly clung to the God of their salvation.  This call is for us all. Matthew Henry states: “To walk with God is to set God always before us, and to act as those who are always under His eye.  It is to live a life of communion with God both in ordinances and providences.  It is to make God’s word our rule and His glory our end in all our actions.  It is to comply with His will, to concur with His purposes, and to be workers together with Him.” A very high calling indeed!  Because Enoch did not live like the rest, he did not die like the rest.  God took him away.  He had walked with God for so long that he was probably closer to God’s house than his own and God may have just told him to walk on up!  Again Matthew Henry tells us: “Those whose conduct in the world is truly holy shall find their departure from it truly happy.” The Bible gives us a clear definition of faith again in Hebrews chapter 11:  ¹ Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.   Heb 11:1-2 (NIV) In its essence, faith is being sure and certain regarding unseen hopes and realities.  This is the honorable and right path as the ancients who walked in this way were commended for it.  Faith is the full attention of our souls toward an Object – the gaze of the soul.  We must be certain our attention in on the Right Object!  That is probably why Hebrews chapter 12 begins with these verses: 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 is our supreme Model for our faith.  He is the focus of our faith.  He went before us showing us the path of faith we are called to follow and He perfected it since He reached its end successfully.  This is why we are to fix our eyes on Him to keep us from growing weary and losing heart – an easy thing to do in this time of His-story.  May we all like Paul be able to state with boldness: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 I glean from this: 

• It is impossible for me to please God without faith.
• God’s word should be my rule and His glory the end to all my actions.
• I am to fix my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith.

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December_10

SHARING BREAD³⁸ A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. ³⁹ A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. ⁴⁰ I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.” Luke 9:38-40 (NIV)Desperation is felt in this poor man’s request. Demonic activity is seizing his only son taking him down into the pits of hellish fury.  Blackest darkness, no consolation, uncontrolled frenzy, all being Satan’s calling cards.  It is no wonder that this daddy begged Jesus to show some special attention to his boy.  His child is being destroyed before his very eyes – Jesus is his only hope.  Lucky for him to come to this realization – Jesus is the only hope for all mankind.  Don’t you think it funny how we are so often slow to come to this awareness? We tend to be prone to try and handle things ourselves until we are placed into circumstances “far beyond our ability to endure” as Paul states in II Corinthians 1:8.  It is God’s desire for us not to rely on ourselves but on Him. Paul shows us this in verses 10-11 of that same passage:¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 2 Cor 1:10-11 (NIV) Paul stresses how powerless he is apart from Christ and how important prayer is in effecting God’s gracious intervention and help.  I am reminded of David’s Psalm 108: ¹² Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. ¹³ With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.  Psalms 108:12-13 (NIV) The Psalms are filled with the promises of God coming to the aid of His people.  Psalm 91 is one of my personal favorites. I call it the “I will” Psalm because of all the “I will” promises God sets forth in it.  Attributed to Moses, God’s friend, who experienced firsthand the helping power of the great, I AM.  While the whole Psalm is worthy of study, the last few verses are particularly powerful: ¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. ¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. ¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalms 91:14-16 (NIV) As His children, His ears are always attentive to our cries.  Again, David states in Psalm 34: ¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; Psalms 34:15 (NIV)  Because we are His, we may always approach Him with freedom and confidence as told us in Ephesians: ¹² In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Eph 3:12 (NIV) And, as God states through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 41:10: ¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.   Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)  Just as the disciples in their own flesh were powerless to change this poor child’s condition, we too lack the ability apart from Christ.  Jesus Himself tells us:⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.   John 15:5 (NIV) Therefore, my dear friend, hurry to His place of shelter, far from the tempests and storms; with freedom and confidence, running into the arms of your loving Father where you may rest your head between His shoulders as He restores your soul. “We may tremble on the Rock, but the Rock beneath us never trembles.”  Chuck Swindoll “Jesus came treading the waves; and so He puts all the swelling tumults of life under His feet.  Christians – why afraid?”  Augustine What I glean from this: 

• In all of life, Jesus is my only hope.
• God’s promises of Scripture are for me personally.  “Christ’s words are of permanent value because of His person; they endure because He endures.”  W.H. Griffith Thomas.
• Because of faith in Jesus, I can approach God with freedom and confidence.  “Jesus Christ is God’s everything for man’s total needs.”  Richard Halverson

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December_07

SHARING BREAD³⁶ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen. Luke 9:36 (NIV)Have you ever experienced a spiritual revelation leaving you so speechless you cannot pull up words to adequately give justice in describing the scene?  Me neither – just kidding, I am sure that some of you have!  Peter, John and James had had such an experience.  Being privileged to gaze upon the glorified bodies of Moses, Elijah and Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, these three disciples were left figuratively mute from the whole glory of it all!  Our passage today tells us that they told no one of their experience.  I am reminded of the Scripture when Paul was “caught up” (the same word used for the rapture of the saints in I Thessalonians 4:17) to the “third heaven”:² I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know–God knows. ³ And I know that this man–whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows– ⁴ was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. 2 Cor 12:2-4 (NIV) I think that we could probably put Peter, John and James into this same category.  How could they ever begin to explain in human terms what their ears had heard and what their eyes had seen?  Let’s face it; the average dude of that day would have had a difficult time relating to their experience.  They were certainly a privileged few getting just a taste of heaven before actually taking up residence there.  There would come occasion when their story could be made known, but for now it was to lay concealed in their memories.  Don’t you know the three of them talked of it when they were alone together?  How very sweet of Jesus to manifest His glory to companions rather than to a solo.  Several other encounters with the Divine recorded in Scripture were alone.  Let’s take a quick glance at two of them – Isaiah and Ezekiel.  Isaiah’s revelation went as follows: 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)Isaiah’s vision propelled him to respond to God’s call.  Nothing like getting a glimpse of the great I AM to cause instant obedience in His children!  Scripture goes on to say:  ⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
 And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”    Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)Ezekiel’s experience is not too dissimilar.  His vision was also an inauguration to his prophetic ministry.  We are told: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 1:2-9 (NIV) ¹ He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” ² As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. ³ He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. ⁴ The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ ⁵ And whether they listen or fail to listen–for they are a rebellious house–they will know that a prophet has been among them.   Ezek 2:1-5 (NIV) God’s call on these two men’s lives would be difficult at best.  Like Paul, God prepared them by giving them a glimpse into Whom they were serving.  I am confident these visions sustained these prophets when they encountered many of the trials that their specific calls would require.  God always dispenses the grace sufficient to meet every need – always!  Paul tells us in II Corinthians: ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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 rest on 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 12:7-10 (NIV) What I glean from this: 

• Sometimes it is best to keep spiritual revelation to myself.
• God may use a spiritual revelation in my life to equip and encourage me for my call.
• Christ’s power and grace is sufficiently bestowed upon me according to my need.   

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