Day 120 Sarah is bringing on the heat and light!

In the book of Acts, the Apostles are distinguished by their force of character....In the early days they were timid, pliable, unfaithful. In supreme crises they deserted their Master and fled. They were as reeds shaken by the wind. The wind that blew upon them, the keen, perilous winds of persecution, made these disciples bend before the blast. They were negative, hesitant, uncertain, altogether lacking in persistent force.

But after the events of Acts 2, the timid and fearful Apostles have become positive and affirmative. There is nothing lax about them, nothing wavering, nothing yielding. Their characters have become strong, and steady, and effective: they have force of character--light and heat.

They have light in the sense of clarity of purpose, and  heat--the fire of a quenchless enthusiasm. And they certainly had this fire in glorious strength and abundance. There is no cold or lukewarm patch.

“We must obey God rather than man.” This strong imperative rings throughout all their doings and all their speech. They have heat, and they have light--and so do you!

Day 118 You are more than what you think you are!

When we hear the stories of people like Abraham and Moses, we think, wow, that's exciting--why doesn't that happen to me? We forget that Abraham and Moses were as frail and as nervous as we are.

We stand in awe of Moses at the burning bush: Now there is a bush that burns, we say. I would like to be a bush like that, but I'm just a heap of ashes. And that's as far as we get.

We discuss the phenomenon of what God can do in a life, tell amazing stories about it, praise it - but then resign ourselves to being nothing more than what we think we are, a mere bystander, resigned to sitting in the balcony among the spectators.

Guess what. It isn't the bush that sustains the flame. It is God in the bush--so any old bush will do!

Day 117 Enlightening

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the gift of your Son. I pray that your light will shine through Sarah. Please bring opportunities her way to share your hope and freedom with those who haven’t yet found you, and give her the right words to say!

Day 115 No really, Occupy Everything!

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness…’” Matthew 22:11-13

So...where else in the Bible do you hear about one who is considered unworthy, and therefore is bound and thrown out among others who are weeping? Where else do you hear of one who stands speechless before his accusers? Where else in the Bible do you hear of one who is judged unworthy to be invited in among the accepted?

Maybe, just maybe, this parable is about the One who shows up and says “no” to power. What if the Kingdom of heaven is like someone who is thrown by imperial power into outer darkness and what if the name of that outer darkness is Calvary?

 Maybe, then, this densely plotted story is about how we ought to resist when power and the world try to bend us into shapes that we do not recognize as followers of Jesus. Jesus told this parable in the week before his crucifixion. He would soon face public humiliation, stigma, and discrimination that would try his soul. He would know that he was abandoned by his community and sense that he had been abandoned by God, and he would present no defense against those who judged him to be unacceptable by the standards of the powerful.

Because...the kingdom of heaven is like: a first century Jewish peasant who laughed at the powerful, embraced the sick, befriended prostitutes, and ate with all the wrong people, and who authorities and the powerful elite had to hog-tie and throw into the outer darkness.

What if the kingdom of heaven is like Jesus?

 

Day 114 One step at a time

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Day 113 Great work!

Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness on us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing!

No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
The Message, Ephesians 2:7-10

Day 111 Refreshment

On the road of faith, we need refreshment. When we are distraught, disoriented, and complaining, God shows up--and provides for us physically, spiritually and emotionally--just out of grace.

Jehovah Jirah, provide for Sarah when she can't take another step. Reassure her that you are already providing for her. Refresh her today.