Author: admin

March 27, 2021

He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” (Mark 4:21-25 NIV)

Have you ever been reading scriptures where Jesus is speaking, and it seems that he changes the subject with no apparent connection to what he had just said before?  This happened to me this morning as I was reading the scriptures from Mark 4 quoted at the beginning of this article.  I have learned that when I encounter this, that I need to really pay attention because Jesus is the very embodiment of truth, he is the way, the truth and life (John 14:6).  If I believe and obey what he teaches me, then I will know the truth and the truth will set me free (John 8:31-32).

The referenced scriptures occur immediately after Jesus had explained the parable of the sower of seed.  What is the connection between this parable and Jesus talking about not hiding a lamp, concealed things being revealed, etc?  As I pondered this, I began to see that the connection is his statement of, “Consider carefully what you hear, with the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more” and “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

In the parable of the sower, Jesus said that the various soil types (pathway, shallow, thorny or good) represent the condition of my heart and what I do with whatever Jesus speaks to me (Mark 4:1-20).  I have no interest in being anything other than a person who Jesus described as good soil.  The good soil is the only soil that held onto his words and by perseverance produced the fruit of his word.  Jesus said those people have a good and noble heart (Luke 8:15).  A good heart is one that is intrinsically good because it is its nature.  A noble heart is one that is attractively good, people are drawn to it.

In the same scriptures referenced above, Jesus also said that a lamp should not be hidden, but set on its stand, so that what is unseen may be seen.  He speaks similarly in Luke 11:33-36, but he adds that the purpose of the light from the lamp is so that others may also see what is not readily visible.  He goes on to say that my eye is the lamp of my body and that when my eye is good then my whole being is filled with light.  When I put all of this together, it seems to me, that Jesus is telling me, that I am not to keep to myself whatever he teaches me, but that I am to share it with others so that they too may be good soil.  This sharing is be done in both my words and my behavior.

Elsewhere, Jesus again spoke about not hiding a lamp when he said, “When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.” (Luke 11-33-36)

The contrast between healthy and unhealthy eyes or good and evil eyes, is a Jewish idiom where good means generous and evil means stingy.  (See my previous blog post “Do I Have an Evil Eye?)  This helps me understand the connection Jesus is making when he said, “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Will I be generous, or will I be stingy?  What does this apply to? 

Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. (Luke 9:23-24).  This statement does not leave anything out of what I am to be generous with.  One of my biggest struggles is the fear of not being approved by other people.  This is a way of trying to save my life, rather than being generous with whatever I have to offer.  It is an expression of being stingy with sharing the real me and not being vulnerable with people.  Vulnerability and mercy are foundational to building relationships with people.  Without vulnerability and mercy, I will not be able to effectively share with other people the things that Jesus has given me and done in me.  Because of his great love for me, God who is rich in mercy, made me alive in Christ when I was still dead in my sin.  For it is by grace that I have been saved (Ephesians 2-10)

God is light and in him there is no darkness (1 John 1:5).  If I walk in the light as Jesus is in the light (1 John 1:7), then my very presence will bring his light into that which is darkness.  If I bring a lamp into a pitch-dark room that has cock roaches and moths in it, then the roaches will flee from the light and the moths will be drawn to it.  The same is true with people, some will be drawn to the light of Jesus and others will flee because they fear the light. 

One expression of fleeing from the light is when I reject what God says is good and embrace as good that which God says is evil.   If I claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, I lie and do not live out the truth. But if I walk in the light, as he is in the light, I have fellowship with others, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If I claim to be without sin, I deceive myself and the truth is not in me. (1 John 1:6-8)

We live in an age when it is offensive to say that anything is evil.  However, my role is to be a vessel of the light (a lamp) and trust that Jesus is working to draw all people unto himself and that he desires none to perish.    Jesus came from the Father full of grace and truth (John 1-14) and from that fullness we have received grace upon grace (John 1:16).  Titus 2:11-12 says “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” 

It is often said that mercy is not getting what we deserve, and that grace is receiving what we do not deserve.  I think this is partially true, but it has it roots in a legal understanding of the nature of God our Father.  God relates to us as our Father, not as a judge who judges us based upon the law.  The law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  Jesus is in the bosom of the Father in the most intimate relationship that is possible. (John 1:17-18)  Whatever mercy and grace mean they have their very origin in God our Father and are perfectly demonstrated in the life of Jesus.  I would define mercy as, God our Father, being willing to do whatever is necessary to make right, whatever is wrong, in his children.  Grace means to be inclined towards a person to embrace them to show them kindness and to give them what they need.

In love, God our Father, who is rich in mercy, has made us alive in Christ, even when we were dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:3-5).  This truly is good news!  Therefore, let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).  As we receive that mercy and grace, will you join with me in seeking to give it away to others?  “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” (Mark 4: 24-25)

Blessings,

Kevin          

March 21, 2021

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:43-45 NIV)

I have heard it said before that we are what we eat.  This is to say, that literally my body is affected by the quality, quantity, and nature of the food that I eat.  The same thing is true about the health of our souls.  Several years ago, the Lord woke me up early one morning and told me, “meet with me daily, give ear and listen to me and eat of the richest of fare that your soul might live” which is from Isaiah 55:1-3. 

In a very real way, I will eventually speak to (feed) other people what I have been listening to (eating) and treasuring up in my heart. This is because my mouth speaks what my heart is full of (Luke 6:45). Jesus said that the words that he speaks are spirit and life (John 6:63).  All spoken words are spirit but not all words produce life.  The power of death and life is in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). 

Everything God does is by his speaking forth what he desires to be.  He calls into existence that which has no existence (Romans 4:17).  This was demonstrated when the creation of the entire cosmos began when he said, “Let there be light and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).  Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1-3) and everything that was created was created by and through him, and even now is sustained by the speaking of his powerful word (Hebrews 1:1-3). 

Jesus told several parables concerning the nature of things in the created world, to help us understand the nature of things in his eternal kingdom of heaven.  This includes the story of a farmer who scattered seeds in the soil.  Even though he does not understand how it happens, the farmer watches in faith as the seeds sprout, grow, and produce grain (Mark 4:26-29).  Jesus told another story about a farmer who sowed seed that landed on a variety of soils (Luke 8:4-14).  In this parable, Jesus said that only the seed that landed on good soil sprouted, grew to maturity, and produced a crop.  He went on to say that the good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear his words, retain them, and by persevering produce a crop.

Everything in creation that has the ability reproduce itself, does so in a manner that it produces that which is like itself, kind after kind.  If you plant apple seeds, they will produce apple trees when they sprout and not some other kind of tree.  Proverbs 22:8 states, “Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity” and Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked, a man reaps what he sows”.

Jesus told another parable in Matthew 13:24-30 about a man who sowed good seed in his field.  After the man went to bed his enemy came and sowed weed seeds in the same field.  When the seeds sprouted and began to grow, both the good seed and the weed seeds began to produce plants and eventually more seed of the same kind.  Jesus made it clear that his words and our words have the capability to reproduce kind after kind.  Every day we will hear or read thousands of words from various sources.  The speaker or writer of these words all hope that their words will take root in someone’s heart and produce what they desire. 

I said earlier, we are what we eat.  I have a choice as to what words I will receive of the many that I will hear or read each day.  Receiving them and allowing to take root will result in them reproducing kind after kind.  Whatever takes root will eventually come out of my mouth.  It is my ongoing prayer that I will have a noble and good heart that receives and treasures what God my Father is speaking each day.  I also pray that I will guard my heart above all else because out of it flows everything that I do (Proverbs 4:23).  May I not be among those “who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20).

Blessings,

Kevin

March 12, 2021

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:25-30 NIV)

Several years ago, the Lord impressed upon me a definition of humility which was, “to be teachable by him in every circumstance and through every person”.  This occurred at a time when was I being resistant to believing that I could learn something from someone with whom I disagreed with.  This came back to my mind in the last few weeks as I was pondering the state of our world and all the division in our country.  This has become acute within those who call themselves Christians.  We have taken sides and we do not think that those we disagree with might be able help us to better understand, if we would only humble ourselves and genuinely listen to them.

This division is quite contrary to Ephesians 4:1-7 which states, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Note that Jesus said of himself that “I am gentle and humble in heart” when he invited all who are weary and burdened to come to him for rest for their souls. (Matthew 11:25-30).  Jesus is the exact representation of God our Father’s being (Hebrews 1:3) and if we know him, we know our Father as well (John 14:7-11).  This is quite astounding to me, to realize that Jesus is humble and gentle in heart because God our Father is humble and gentle in heart.  They are one in all things!  As I pondered what does this mean, that God our Father is gentle and humble in heart, I thought about Hebrews 4:16 which states, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”   I would paraphrase this to mean that God our Father is approachable at all times and in all circumstances.  Those who look to him are radiant and their faces are never covered with shame (Psalm 37:4).  The Father in the parable of the lost son was eagerly looking to see his son’s face again and welcomed him back with a loving embrace and a celebration (Luke 15:11-32).

Jesus came from his Father full of grace and truth (John 1:14) and from that fullness we have been given grace upon grace (John 1:16).  The word grace means to be favorably inclined towards and to lean towards someone to share benefit for them.  Jesus is inviting us to come to him in with our weariness and to take his yoke upon us and learn from him.  This requires humility on our part to admit that we need grace for whatever we face in daily life.  The yoke that Jesus is offering us, is the yoke of his being one with his Father, who at the very core of his being is love (1 John 4:8). When we submit to this, we find rest for our souls, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.  This is the reality of the Christian life, Christ alive in me sharing his life with me in every circumstance that I may encounter.  His is in me and I am in him (John 14:20), therefore come what may, all will be well with my soul when I remember that this is the truth.

However, this leads me to ask myself, do people see me as approachable, especially those whom I disagree with?  Would they think that I would listen to them?  When they interact with me will they experience mercy and grace?  Will their burdens be made lighter?  This is something that I must take seriously because if people do not see me as approachable then there is a disconnect between my heart and Jesus.  Therefore, my constant prayer is that the humble and gentle heart of Jesus, will be manifest in me, that I may walk worthy of the calling I have received by being completely humble and gentle in heart.  Will you also with join me in this prayer?

Blessings,

Kevin

“Please Lord, help me get just one more.” Quote from, World War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss in the movie Hacksaw Ridge.

I recently heard the phrase “occupy till I come” on a podcast where the speakers had been discussing the power of technology that can be used for good or evil.  I was not familiar with the phrase, but I suspected it was a quote from the Bible and I was not sure what the person meant.  My first thought was that they might have meant to “hunker down and hold onto what you have till Jesus returns”.

I looked the phrase up and found it be a quote from the King James Version (KJV) of Luke 19:13. The context of this verse is Jesus telling the Parable of the Ten Minas in Luke 19:11-27 in response to questions about when the Kingdom of Heaven would appear.  In the parable, a man of noble birth was going to travel to a far country to have himself appointed king and then to return to his own country.  Before he left, he called ten of his servants to him and entrusted each of them an amount of money and told them, “Occupy till I come”.

The phrase “occupy till I come” seemed odd to me since other translations used something like, “put this money to work until I come back”.  The Greek word translated as the English word occupy in the KJV, is pragmateuomai, which means to do business, to enter into commerce with the intent to make a legitimate gain.  The word also implies taking a risk rather than playing it safe.

In the parable, once the man returned as king, he called his ten servants to give account for how they had used his money.  The ones who took risk to earn a legitimate gain were praised, but the one who played it safe and took no risk, was rebuked for not doing anything with the money to earn more. 

As I pondered this, trying to understand why the KJV version used the word occupy, I began to think about the possible relationship between the word occupy and occupation.  There are multiple meanings of the words, but I was drawn to one definition for occupation which is, “the act of moving into a country, town, etc. and taking control of it using military force; the period of time during which a country, town, etc. is controlled in this way”.

This set me to thinking about some of the things the Bible has to say about ruling, reigning and the Kingdom of Heaven.  When God created Adam and Eve in his image, he told them “be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28).  The Hebrew word translated as subdue is kâbash, which is where the phrase “to put the kabash” on something comes from.  It means to conquer and subjugate something.  The command to fill the earth and to kabash it seems to mean to occupy it, in the sense of the occupation of a country by a conquering people from another country.  At the time that God spoke this, Adam and Eve were the sum total of all mankind on the earth.  Who was there then for them to put the kabash on?  It could apply to the creation itself since they were told by God to work and take care of the Garden of Eden where he had placed them (Genesis 2:15).    But I think it was in reference to Satan himself who had been cast out of heaven for leading a rebellion of other angels against God himself (Isaiah 14:12-14).

You probably know the sad outcome of Satan’s encounter with Adam and Eve, when he deceived them into joining his rebellion by essentially telling them that God was not worthy of their obeying him, that he did not really have their best interest in his heart.  However, as Athanasius of old wrote, “With God being good, what was he to do when his entire creation was on the road to ruin?”  God’s answer was that one of Adam’s and Eve’s descendants would put the kabash on Satan and his allies (Genesis 3:15).  However, it was many years before this promise was fulfilled when the Eternal Son of God, through whom the creation was spoken into being, became flesh in the womb of virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit.  He was given the name Jesus which means God is Savior.  Jesus himself, as God, put the kabash on Satan and his allies when he triumphed over them by his death on the cross when he defeated them and made a public spectacle of them (Colossians 2:15).

So, what does all of this have to do with Jesus’ parable where the man of noble birth told his servants to “occupy till I come”?  Remember, the parable was told in the context of asking when the Kingdom of Heaven would appear.  God reconciled the entire cosmos unto himself by being one with Jesus when he was crucified on the cross and his is no longer counting our sins against us (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).  Jesus is now seated at the right hand of our Father (Ephesians 1:19-21) where he has been made both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36) and all authority and heaven and earth has been given to him (Matthew 28:18).  Those who have believed in their heart and confessed with their mouth that he is Lord (Romans 10:8-9) have also been seated with him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6) and he has made us ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19-20).  Before Jesus ascended to his Father he said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

We get to work with Jesus to put the kabash on Satan and his allies by telling the good news of the Gospel of Jesus. The Apostle Paul said, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).  In other words, we are to “occupy till he comes”, remembering that the government of his kingdom rests upon the shoulders of Jesus and that of the increase of his government and peace there shall never be an end.  This is good news!

Ok, if you have read this far, you may be wondering what the reference means at the top of this article about Desmond T. Doss.  His life story is told in the movie Hacksaw Ridge which is a bloody account of the invasion of Okinawa, Japan near the end of the World War II.  His life story is a good example of one who lived their life to put the kabash on the works of the devil in the middle of a battlefield.  If you have never seen it you can get an idea by following this link to watch the trailer for the movie Hacksaw Ridge (2016) Official Trailer – “Believe” – Andrew Garfield – Bing video .  Jesus came to seek and save the lost and he desires that none be left wounded on the battlefield.  May we give ourselves to the prayer of “Please Lord, help me get one more.”

Blessings,

Kevin

February 3, 2021

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:21-24 KJV)

Jesus used parables about routine daily activities to help teach people about the Kingdom of Heaven and about the nature and character of God our Father.  One of those parables, is recorded in Matthew 20:1-16, which is often referred to as the Parable of the Vineyard Workers.  In this story, a landowner went into the marketplace several times one day, and each time, hired workers to come work in his vineyard.  At the end of the day, he told his foreman to pay them all the same daily wage even though some of them worked all day, some part of the day, and others for only one hour.  The workers who worked all day were indignant that they were all paid the same wage.  The landowner’s response was, “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:15 NIV).

I read this parable this morning and while pondering it, I asked my Father to give me something to receive and to obey.  During this process I read the parable in several translations.  I found significant differences in the wording in those translations.  The King James Version of Matthew 20:15 says, “Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” I do not know about you, but I do not consider “envious” and “evil eye” being synonymous or interchangeable in a sentence.

As I pondered the words “evil eye” I remembered this phrase being used in the KJV account of Matthew 6:21-24 where Jesus warned his followers that they could not serve two masters.  This led me to reading these scriptures in the Complete Jewish Study Bible which is a paraphrase translation that focuses on the fact that Jesus was an observant Jew, and his disciples were Jews, and therefore understood what he said through the uniqueness of Jewish culture.  A commentary in this translation indicated that the phrases “good eye” and “evil eye” are Jewish idioms.  Having a “good eye” meant being generous and having an “evil eye” meant being stingy. 

This opened a whole new understanding for me of why Jesus talked about having a good eye or an evil eye in the middle of him teaching about not storing up wealth in this world.  The English word good is translated from the Greek word “agathos” in the Bible and means that which is intrinsically good.  Jesus said that no one, but his Father was good (Matthew 19:17).  The very core characteristic of the nature of God our Father is love, being and seeking the welfare of another.  Jesus said that no greater love has a man than to lay down his life for another (John 15:13).  What could be more generous than the love of the Father being lavished on us his children. (1 John 3:1)? 

If this be so, then what could be less loving than to be stingy, to withhold what is in my hands rather than using it to bless someone in need (Proverbs 3:28).  Jesus said’ “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. (Luke 16:9 NIV).  He spoke this in the same context of Matthew 6:19-24 where he spoke about having a good eye or evil eye!  As I ponder the life and teaching of Jesus, I do not think that having a good eye (being generous) or evil eye (being stingy) is limited only to how I use worldly wealth. It must also include all that I am, including how I use my talents, giftings, my time … to bless and to encourage people…. including those who are different from me and that I may disagree with. 

Jesus came from the Father full of grace and truth and from that fullness he has given us grace upon grace (John 1:14-16).  I am to abide in that grace and then pour it out on others with the assurance that I will never exhaust his grace being poured out upon me.  I do not want it to be said of me that I have an evil eye. For I am made in his image, I am his workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do the good works (loving my neighbor as myself) that he created in advance for me to do (Ephesians 2:10)                     

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:6-11 NIV)

Blessings,

Kevin

January 24, 2021

If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! (Matthew 18:1-7 NIV)

This morning I was reading Matthew 16:13-20 which is the account of Jesus asking his disciples who they and others said he was.  When Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” Jesus told him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

As I was pondering the statement of “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” an image came to my mind of bricks being laid out on the ground to provide a pathway.  The image included a heavy tamping tool being used to make the pathway of bricks level so that no one would stumble over an unlevel brick.  This was followed by me hearing in my mind the phrase, “make level paths for your feet”.  I later discovered this phrase was from Hebrews 12:13-15 which states, ““Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

Jesus came from his Father full of grace and truth with a mission to reveal to us the true nature of our Father in heaven (John 1;14-18).  Yet his life and teaching offended many people, especially those who taught other people what they thought was an accurate understanding of the nature of God.  They refused to believe that their understanding about the nature of God was not accurate. 

Jesus has told us that unless we become like little children we shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3).  Children have a special place in Jesus’ heart because they were willing to believe what he tells them because he demonstrates the goodness of God.  Our Father is good and his loves endures forever and Jesus only does what he sees his Father doing and only says what he hears him speak (John 8:28). 

Children by nature are willing to trust people and to believe them.  They are especially capable of believing in the goodness of God their Father, even if they do not yet know him.  They also willingly respond to the goodness of God when it comes through people.  A crying infant will be instantly comforted if its mother holds it and allows it to nurse from her breast.   Unbelief is unnatural to them….they learn unbelief from the adults in their lives whose hearts have become hardened.

Jesus spoke about the binding and loosing of things here on the earth having the same effect in heaven.  To bind something is to restrict it and to loose something is to not restrict it.  If I bind someone’s hands with a rope, then the use of their hands is restricted. If I unbind their hands, then they have unrestricted use of their hands.  Jesus stated that he came to set the captives free.  Free from what?  From the lies of Satan, which have restricted people from knowing the goodness of God and binding them from living in the fullness of the children of God.  For all who believe in Jesus are given the right to be called the children of God (John 1:12-13)!

 Jesus has been seated at the right hand of our Father in heaven where all authority and heaven and earth has been given to him (John 1:20-22).  He has defeated and disarmed the evil spiritual forces that stood against us and oppressed us (Colossians 2:15).  Yet Ephesians chapter 6 tell us that we wrestle against the same spiritual forces that Jesus defeated and disarmed.  How can this be if he disarmed them?  Because we can rearm them by believing their lies.  We give authority to whatever we give agreement to.  When we agree with their lies, we grant them authority and power to oppress us!  Jesus is the truth and when we believe what he speaks he sets us free!

When we believe and speak the lies, we loose the spiritual forces behind those lies to do their evil work against us and others.  When we believe and speak what Jesus says then we bind those same spiritual forces and restrict their freedom to do their evil work. 

All of my pondering this morning led me to a very sobering understanding of the times that we live in.  Please scroll back to the top of this post and read Jesus’ words about the consequences for those who cause children and others to stumble.  The Greek word for stumble, skandalon,  means to ensnare someone by setting a trap with bait that will draw them into triggering the trap.  There are many types of bait which include teaching a wrong understanding of God that is not expressed by Jesus.  Other bait comes through wounds that people receive from others which causes them to question if God exists and if he does, then why do bad things happen.  One of the most effective baits is to call good what God calls not good (evil). 

As a country, we are on a path of embracing more and more what is evil by calling it good.  There is nothing good about racism, white supremacy, killing of unborn children, oppression of the poor or sexual immorality in all its various forms.  Every person has some level of authority whether it is due to relationships or positional authority in government, work, schools or the military.  Jesus indicated that it is an awfully bad thing, with serious consequences, for someone to use their authority to cause any person to stumble into a trap of Satan.  It is also true that the greater the level of authority, the greater the level of accountability and consequences for those causing people to stumble. 

It would be easy for me to apply these words only to others, who in varying degrees, are advocating for the acceptance of racism, white supremacy, killing of unborn children, oppression of the poor or sexual immorality, etc.  However, I must first ask Jesus to search me and try me and show me whatever wicked or hurtful ways are in my own heart (Psalm 139).  I must then ask him to remove the log in my own eye before I do anything to remove the speck of sawdust, from the same log, that I see in someone else’s eye (Matthew 7:3-5).  Then I can pray with a pure heart and with power for those who are in positions of authority who are advocating for what is evil. 

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:14-21 NIV)

Blessings,

Kevin

The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.  (Luke 12:42-48 NIV)

Very much has been said and written in the last couple of years about what has come to be known as white privilege.  As a white male growing up and living in a mostly white community and culture, I took offense at this term when I first heard it.  However, over time as I read books and listened to messages about this subject, I came to a better understanding of what is meant by white privilege such that it no longer offends me.  It would be dishonest of me to not realize that by virtue of my birth, into a white middle-class family, that I received many privileges that have contributed to the quality of my life.  These include receiving a good education paid for by my family, good health care, good jobs that paid well and not being suspected as to my motives or abilities due to the color of my skin and many other such privileges.

By quality of life, I mean having never had to miss a meal because I did not have enough to pay for it, living in a comfortable crime free neighborhood, access to good health care, no fear for my safety when I see a policeman, etc.  Sadly, even if I had not made good use of these privileges, I may still have had more quality of life than many, who by virtue of their skin color alone, did not have those same privileges.

Socialism seems to be a way to equalize the distribution of privileges.  But sadly, history indicates this is not true.  Countries that have embraced socialism still have great inequity in who receives certain privileges without the hope of hard work gaining them a better quality of life.

So, what does all of this have to do with the scripture quoted above.  Jesus came from the Father full of grace and truth and from that fullness he has given us grace upon grace.  A good definition of grace is to lean towards a person with the desire to share benefits with them, to give myself to them for their benefit.  As one who has been born again, Jesus lives in me and I in him, therefore the fullness of his grace is in me.  That grace is not meant to be only for my benefit but for others as well. In other words, I am to be a good steward of the grace given to me and to use whatever privileges I have been given to help other people.  “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”  Being a recipient of white privilege means I have a great duty to seek the good for my neighbor who does not have those same privileges. 

As I honestly reflect on this, I must admit that I have not been a good steward of the privileges that I received.  I am looking for ways to help beyond giving money to various ministries that are involved directly with people.  Giving money is a good thing but it does not involve me building relationships with people.  I hope to do better in 2021.

Blessings,

Kevin

May 29, 2020

Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

(Psalms 139:23-24)

With all of the current events in the news about racial injustice I have been pondering, how is that two people can hear the same sound and see the same sights at the very same time but come away with a completely different understanding of what they just heard and saw?  I think part of the answer has to do with perspective.  Every person has a perspective that is based upon what they believe to be true.  What I believe to be true comes from my culture, education, life experience and my understanding of the nature of God.  All of these factors effects how my mind interprets what my sense of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch give as inputs to my brain. 

What I believe to be true leads to how I interpret what I see and what I see leads to what I do based upon what I see.  The justification for how Europeans enslaved, oppressed and killed many African people to serve their purposes in the New World was partly based upon the belief that African people were something less than human.  Adolf Hitler believed and convinced many people in Germany that Jews and those he considered as undesirables as being something less than human.  Advocates for abortion believe that a fetus is not a person.  History tells the sad results of such beliefs which includes the Jewish holocaust, the horror of and lasting legacy of slavery in our country and the death of millions of unborn children. 

Jesus is the absolute truth and he has given us the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth to lead and guide us into all truth.  But what about my own beliefs and actions, do they agree with the nature of God revealed through Jesus who is one with the Father?  Are my beliefs absolutely true or are they colored somehow by culture, education, life experience and my understanding of the nature of God?  Do I somehow see some people as less than human, not worthy of my attention or compassion?  Do I have contempt for people who are somehow not like me or disagree with my beliefs?  Sadly, I must admit that my life experience has taught me how easy it is for me to be deceived and completely misinterpret what I see and hear.

Jesus came from the Father full of grace and truth and he came into our world to seek and save the lost.  This included those who did not think they were lost or needed to be saved.  Luke 10:25-29 tells us, “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?””

Quite some time ago I had an image come to mind as I was praying.  The image was of a machine that an optometrist would use to perform an eye exam  As I pondered the meaning of the image I came away with the impression that I needed an eye exam to correct my vision. I have worn corrective lenses since I was in the first grade so I am very familiar with eye exams and the wearing of glasses to allow me to see. However, at the time I was not having any problems with my vision so I just set the image aside to see if it would become important at another time.  I think I now understand the meaning of the image.  I need a change of perspective ….. a change in what I believe to be true….. which will change how I interpret what I see and hear and what I do as a result.  I need the conviction of the Holy Spirit and resulting Godly sorrow that leads to repentance.  I need my mind to be renewed.  Indeed, who is my neighbor?

It has been said that rioting is the language of those who have no voice and who are ignored.  In no way am I am justifying the destruction of property and looting but instead see this as a wakeup call for the white community of which I am a part.   Will we listen and burn any of our thinking that is contrary to the truth of Jesus?  Or will we watch the fires spread and grow with the resulting damage to our communities while we shake our heads?

It is time, well past time, for me to speak up for those who have no voice in our community, to take time to understand their perspective and to begin to advocate for them.  Please join me in embracing the words of 1 Peter 1:13-19,  “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

Blessings,

Kevin

05-10-2020

No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. John 1: 18 (NKJV)

We are made in the image and likeness of God our Father.  Therefore, even with the brokenness of our humanity, caused by the varying degrees of our unbelief that God loves us and is for us, we get glimpses of his character through other people.  Have you ever experienced compassion for someone who is hurting or grieving?  That compassion did not have its origin in you or another person.  Its origin is in God himself who is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort”. (2 Corinthians 1:3).  The same is true about masculinity, femininity, fatherhood and motherhood….its source in the nature and character of God himself. 

One of my treasured childhood memories is of laying with my head in my mother’s lap and her gently stroking my head and my hair.  All things were well with me whenever I was laying in her lap.  However, little boys grow up and do not lay their head in the mother’s lap any longer.  Therefore, she had to find new ways to show her affection, acceptance, affirmation and love for me.  She was a source of comfort and encouragement to me all my life and deep down I knew that she loved me and was for me even when at the time I might have felt otherwise. 

I suspect that Jesus had a similar experience with his mother, except that she knew without any doubt that God himself was his father.  I can easily picture her telling him from the youngest age about his being conceived by the Holy Spirit and then continuing to remind him all his life of who he was.  The scripture above declares that Jesus “is in the bosom of the Father”.  I do not know about you but the word bosom used to have only one meaning to me, that being a reference to the breasts of a woman.  However, I discovered that is not the primary meaning of the word bosom. 

The primary meaning of the word bosom has to do with clothing worn by people back when both men and women wore loose fitting clothing such as a tunic. Because the clothing was loose fitting, a belt of some sort was often used to secure the garment at the waist.  This created a hollow formed by the upper forepart of the rather loose fitting garment.  This hollow was used for keeping and carrying things inside the garment, especially things valued by the wearer of the garment.  Some Bible translations try to overcome our cultural understanding of the word bosom referring to a woman’s breasts by saying that Jesus “is in closest relationship with the Father”.  This is an accurate translation but it does not convey the sense of intimacy that Jesus has with the Father. 

The beauty of Jesus being in the bosom of the Father becomes more apparent to me when Jesus stated several times he and the Father were and are one….. if you see Jesus then you have seen the Father.  Jesus came to seek and save the lost and to bring us into intimate fellowship with his Father, in the closest possible relationship with the Father, i.e., in the bosom of the Father.  When we consciously abide in that place of intimacy of the bosom of the Father it is like it was for me as a little boy laying with my head in my mother’s lap, all is well with our souls.  This is expressed in Isaiah 40:11 which states, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young”.

I write this on what we call Mother’s Day, a day set aside to honor our mother’s.  My mother was very precious to me and I miss her greatly even though she passed from this life in 1996.  This article would be way longer than you would read if I wrote all that is in my heart about her to honor her.  Therefore, I will limit it to words quoted from Proverbs 31, “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”

In honor and memory of Dalpha Dean Dehart Verett, December 21,1916 – October 23, 1996.

Blessings,

Kevin

April 11, 2020

Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:17-23)

After more than thirty years of following Jesus I have come to believe that he uses things from everyday life that we are familiar with to teach us something deeper about himself, his kingdom and us.  In my case, he often uses things related to engineering or farming such as the time he showed me how the working of an electrical circuit could help me understand how the Holy Spirit works in us.  There have many such times he showed me things but the most profound one was related to cotton harvest.

When my parents were young, before the use of mechanical cotton harvesting equipment was common, they picked cotton by hand.  They would pull the cotton lint from the open bolls and leave behind the burr and most of the leaves and other trash.  My mother told me stories of how difficult the work was and how her hands would swell up from bites from spiders that would hide in open cotton bolls. 

As hard as picking cotton was it had one advantage over cotton stripper machines that became common when I was growing up.  Hand-picked cotton produced a better grade of cotton lint.  The cotton stripper machines would literally strip everything from the cotton stalk including the cotton lint, the burr holding the lint, leaves and bark from the plant stalk.  Everything but the cotton lint and its associated seed was considered to be trash that had to be removed in the cotton ginning process. Depending upon the effects of weather there could be enough trash in the cotton lint that it caused it to receive a lower grade after the ginning process.  A lower grade meant a lower price for the cotton lint.

Several years ago I went through a time of severe anxiety coupled with some depression.  I had never experienced such a thing and sought out help from a Christian counselor.  The counselor’s approach was to pray and ask Jesus to bring thoughts to my mind and to let that thought lead to successive thoughts that would eventually land on something significant where Jesus would give me insight into my struggles.  It was in this session that Jesus spoke to me through a memory of cotton harvest.  In the memory, I was running a cotton module builder which is used to compact a large volume of freshly stripped cotton into a more compact form that would later be hauled to the cotton gin.  In the memory I could see the cotton in the module builder but it was different from my actual experience.  The cotton was as white as snow without even a hint of the trash that would have normally been present.  As I pondered this I realized that the farmer plants cotton seed to produce a harvest of cotton lint and more seed.  His goal is not to produce trash that degrades the quality of the cotton but the presence of some amount of trash was inevitable.

So what does this have to do with the scripture at the beginning of this article?  God our Father chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in face to face on-going fellowship with him.  However, in my cotton harvest memory Jesus showed me that because we live in a fallen world that it is impossible to walk through this life without its trash getting on us.  As a young man I was stained by the trash of pornography, sexual immorality and other sin.  However, Jesus, the Eternal Son of the Father entered into the brokenness of all of humanity at his birth.  His mission was to reveal the true nature of our Father and gather up all of humanity in his arms as he died upon the cross to present us to his Father as holy, blameless and without spot or wrinkle.  We have been born of imperishable seed that will reproduce kind-after-kind.  This is the mystery of the Gospel …..that Jesus has accepted me into his life and he now lives in me and will produce fruit consistent with his life through me.  That is truly good news! 

Even though we cannot gather with other saints this year for celebrating Resurrection Day, let us through Jesus continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

Blessings,

Kevin