Jesus is the same, He will never change.
Jesus is with us and will never leave us.
Jesus will provide everything we need.
Jesus has already come and given His life so we can be forgiven and live free.
Jesus is the King seated on the throne in heaven, and in my heart.
Jesus knows what we need before we even ask Him.
I woke up this morning with this verse running through my mind…
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.- Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
We lean on our own understanding far too often. That’s why the writer of Proverbs 3 warns us not to fall into the trap of “figuring it out on our own.” Jesus is willing to carry us if we will stop walking off on our own and let him pick us up. Our “independence” is not maturity, it is ignorance. When we try to do life on our own we put ourselves in a space that makes us more apt to be self-centered, self-protective and closed-off to the world. The enemy of your soul will lie to you and lead you astray when you try to independently walk through this life.
I love this scripture:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” - Romans 12:2
There are so many ambiguities, questions and frustrations during this season. Homelessness and poverty are certainly high on the list! If you are feeling unsure how to respond, what to think, or how to act, you are not alone. So, let's invite Jesus to renew our minds!
We are delightfully crafted in his image and as we say "yes" and trust him in each new step of the process, his masterpiece becomes more and more glorious. We are created to create with him, just as Jesus was there in the creative beginning with the father.
Some say it’s my love language- I experience the world and loving others in eating, feeding, preparing, and gathering. One of my favorite ways to experience God’s Kingdom and glory through food is to head to the Farmers Market on Saturday morning. I walk the aisles, marveling at the vendors' tables heaped with treasures from the earth. Throughout the year the seasonal offerings change, but if you look, you will find colors, shapes, and inspiration that entice the eyes and the palate. This is a place where God shows off His creation, the partnership between humans and the divine. The gift of cultivating the earth and bringing forth nourishment which nurtures bodies and souls.
When Andrew asked me to write a briefing about the Kingdom and Play, my first thought was ‘Why me?’ and then my second thought was, ‘Because of my husband.’
Marc. If you know him or have met him, you know he embodies play and loves Jesus. He is an example to me every day of how to intentionally bring the Kingdom into your work, rest and play. Being married to him, I have learned a few things, but I still need more practice making it an automatic part of how I live my life.
Also, when Andrew asked me to write this briefing, my second thought was, ‘What does God say about play in his Word?’
After a long work trip doing ministry all over the region surrounding the Sea of Galilee, the disciples return to tell Jesus of all they had done: preaching, healing the sick, and casting out demons. These young budding leaders had hustled hard and would understandably be tired. The problem is that Jesus is quite popular by this point, and there are crowds of needy people milling around… which means no rest for the disciples, or even time to eat!
Many people, believers included, see work as a “necessary evil”. Something you just have to do to get to the weekend. Whether we realize it or not, we see work as a result of the fall in Genesis 3, where God told Adam that the ground would be cursed and he would toil endlessly with little fruit. That is an awful picture. To keep working, keep toiling, but with no visible fruit for your work.
The truth is actually found in the previous chapter. In Genesis 2 we see God completing His work of creation. He sees His work and says “it is good.” God didn’t create work as a punishment for sin; God is a worker. Genesis also tells us that He made Adam in His own image. God gives Adam meaningful work in Genesis 2:15 – he is to care for the garden, and then later to name the animals. In the Garden, the work has purpose and meaning and is full of contribution. It is labor that yields good fruit, not painful toil.
Matthew 22:39 says, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
What if Jesus really meant that we are to love our actual neighbors? Sometimes we see Jesus saying this and we think “our neighbor” is some fictional person in the future to whom we can’t relate. However, I believe that Jesus was imagining his followers intentionally engaging in relationship with their neighbors and serving them.
That’s what Don Rogers’ father told him many years ago and he never forgot it. He was right; this life is fragile and we only have today – tomorrow is not promised to us. In these days of a pandemic and devastating fires our sense of mortality has never been greater.
Our culture is trying to dive into any entertainment possible right now to drown out the sounds of fear, anxiety, worry, and a sense of being out of control. People don’t like to feel out of control. The truth is, that control is an illusion – we only “think” we are in control. The idea of knowing that if you get this virus you may not live has stopped many in their tracks. Turning up the music louder doesn’t help your heart reconcile the wars that are raging there – these are only temporary distractions. When we are alone with our thoughts, we realize that if we aren’t walking with Jesus there isn’t any self-reassuring or hope available.