Luke 19

​I was watching my kids burn off some energy in a city park when a man wandered over to us, having been attracted by their laughing and playing. Bearing the scars of a hard life he was clearly enjoying the innocence of youth as they chased each other around a picnic table. We began to visit and eventually I steered the conversation to Jesus and the love He has for every child of Adam. At one point he began to wipe away tears with a dirty coat sleeve and remarked, “What’s happing? Why am I crying?” “That’s God,” I replied. “He’s tugging on your heart because He loves you and wants you to let Him turn your life around!” We talked some more and the weeping began again. “Stop it!” He pleaded. “Stop making me cry!” Again, I responded, “It’s not me. God is trying to convince you to trust Him. Ask Him to forgive you and He will remove all your guilt and replace it with His peace.” Clutching the contents of his paper bag, he turned and began to walk away. “Not today,” he said as he sadly shook his head. “Not today.”
 
I wonder if those are the times Jesus also weeps. In Luke 19 we read where Jesus is standing outside the city of Jerusalem. Moments before He had been gloriously honored with a triumphal procession, an event we celebrate as Palm Sunday. Now, with tears in His eyes He looks at Jerusalem and cries out, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace! But you don’t recognize God’s coming to you!” Many love to call Him prophet, even king, yet resist calling Him Savior.
 
Sin hurts people, and it breaks the heart of God to see the condition of a humanity who turn their backs on Him. It doesn’t need to be so. The Bible reveals to us a loving God who has never stopped reaching out to the people He created. In the garden He calls out, “Where are you?” to the man who is hiding because of his sin. He sends Jonah to warn the Ninevites to turn from their wickedness because He doesn’t want to destroy them. And He sends His Son to this planet to turn the hearts of the disobedient to the Father who loves them. “Come to me all you who are weary from your heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11)
 
How Jesus must weep as people choose to carry their burdens another mile, chained to the sin they hate; avoiding the God they fear. Yet, the holy God who thundered on Mount Sinai is the same God who lovingly promised His people:
“The LORD is waiting to be merciful to you, and wants to show you compassion. When you cry out to God, He will answer you.” Isaiah 30
 
This is the true character of God who, “showed his love by sending his only Son into this world to experience physical death so we could have eternal life.” 1 John 4
 
God is tugging on hearts. He weeps; He waits. Let us never miss an opportunity to bid them come with their burdens and receive His peace. Tomorrow may be too late. 

Societies views of human nature often lean toward the extreme. They tend to be overly optimistic or unduly pessimistic. Leave it to the Bible to reveal a view that is in line with reality; and history. There is both a dignity and degradation of God’s most cherished of creatures. A dignity that remains since God first breathed life into His beloved human creature, and a degradation that has followed as the result of sin.

At creation, we were without flaw, and with the ability to commune with God in a way no other creature could. We had both a will and the power of choice; able to make moral judgements governed by love. These qualities are part of what we understand as being made in the image of God.

In Genesis 1 we read where God viewed the creation of the man and woman as very good. Yet we are also told it was never God’s intent that we be alone. We are not complete by ourselves. We especially see this in the unique differences fashioned into the man and woman. Why do you think God did not create the woman from dust but formed her out of a part of man? She was not a separate creature. Though she had unique and complimentary qualities she had the same image and breath of God within her. It is also significant that she was fashioned from a part of man that was near his heart. She was neither above nor below him but designed to live alongside him.

Conflicting opinions have been written about the roles of men and women, and a lazy read of biblical history could paint a false picture of how God views the sexes. Yet this perception comes when misreading the Bibles’ description of the attitudes and behavior of fallen humanity. The mind of God is clearly woven all throughout scripture, and God does not change.

It’s hard to find words to adequately describe this remarkable creature called human, and particularly the woman who was given the name Eve (life-bearer), the mother of all the living. The special relationship between Adam and Eve would produce offspring like themselves who would also have the eternal image of God in them. This role does not end with their rebellion; what we call the ‘fall’. The blessing they were given by God (“Be fruitful and multiply”) continues. Only together is it possible for more humans to exist and the plan of God to continue.

And what is the role of the woman? As necessary as it is for man to participate in conceiving new life it has been given the woman the ability to bear that life, give birth to that life, and then nurse and nurture it as it matures toward adulthood.

It was a woman who gave birth and helped raise all the great prophets; Noah, Moses, Samuel, Daniel and John the Baptist. And it was a woman to whom God entrusted with giving birth to and raising His only begotten Son, the Savior of all humanity.

Women supported the ministry of Jesus (Luke 8). It was a woman who was the first evangelist to Samaria (John 3). It was the devotion of a woman that Jesus said would be preached about all down through history (Mathew 26). Women were the first to testify of the resurrection (Luke 24). And could it be intentional, that the main character in Jesus’ parable about the gospel being spread throughout the world, is a woman (Matthew 13:33)? There is a dignity, and a special purpose for the daughters of Eve, the mother of all mothers.

Today we honor her and all the women in our lives who bear that special gift given to them by God.
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“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

Many men and women of God have followed Christ under the most difficult of circumstances. One such saint was Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian minister who experienced imprisonment and torture for his faith. Confined for fourteen years, he used each day as an opportunity to draw closer to his Savior, encourage his fellow prisoners and witness to his captors.

The apostle Paul, while in a Roman prison, wrote a letter of thanks and encouragement to the Philippian church. Following his example, they were to live out their salvation without complaint or argument. Whatever their situation or need, there was nothing greater than to be in Christ, sharing both His power and His suffering. “I pray your love may abound…you may be pure and blameless…and filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus.” Phil. 1:9-11 Jesus must always be preached and we must be filled with His righteousness.

How are you using the time God has given you? Are these days of boredom or are you meditating on His word, communing with Him in prayer, and reaching out to others with encouragement and testimony? “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!” Ps. 118

Study His word. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Choose a Psalm to rewrite into your own words. Write your own psalm. Write your testimony. Document everything you have to be thankful for. Begin a journal of praise and prayer. May this become a precious time when you draw closer to the Lord, becoming more like Him in every way. “O to be like Thee. blessed Redeemer. This is my constant longing and prayer. Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures. Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.” T. O. Chisholm

The following is an autobiographical, acrostic psalm, in which each line begins with the next letter of the alphabet.
 
 
My Psalm

All of my life I will praise the LORD.
Because of His faithful love to me I will worship Him forever.
Could I recall all of His mercies on my behalf?
Does a man remember each breath he took?
Even if I were to count them, my days would not be enough to record them all.
For His mercies are without number, and the fullness of His ways beyond knowing.
God had a plan for me; surely before I was born He laid a path for me.
He gave a boy the faith to believe: There is a God and Jesus is His Son.
It was as a young man however, that He made me aware that I did not know Him.
Just believing was not enough; that He existed was only the beginning.
Knowing Him as my Lord and Savior, my Father and my Friend,
Letting Him live His life through me so that others might know Him. This is His delight.
My soul could not find rest until I knew the truth, until I could truly know Him.
Night and day I searched His word. I tried this way and that as some said “go here” or “go there.”
O God, you created me to want you; you made me hunger for the truth.
“Please make your way known to me,” I cried. “There must be one way. I want to walk in it.”
Quietly you said, “Follow me.” Gently you began to lead me. Patiently you began to direct my path.
Religion, you said, is to know You and to follow You.
So for twenty years you taught me, you corrected me, you were patient with me, you loved me and you filled me. Time and again you filled me.
Then one day you called me. That was the day you chose for me. Before, you said “come,” now you said “go.”
Upon my head you poured your oil, upon my shoulders you placed your hands; in my heart and on my tongue you are placing your Word.
Vast is the responsibility that lies with the servant of God! Vast is the authority given the responsible servant of God!
Wait upon the Lord until the desire of His heart becomes the desire of your heart.
eXcept your labor is for Him and because of Him, it will not please Him.
Youth has its strength and old age its wisdom, but one thing never changes;
Zealous for the LORD are His people, those who know Him as He wants to be known. 

While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him a second time: “This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says…”   Jer. 33:1-4
 
Jeremiah; one of the most significant prophets in the history of Israel. He was a priest; a man of God who lived and ministered during some of the stormiest years of Middle Eastern history. It was a period of turbulence and anxiety for many nations, particularly for the people who were the apple of Gods eye. And Jeremiah was raised up to suffer and serve as God’s representative through this time.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jer. 1:5  At the beginning of Jeremiah’s ministry God declares His sovereign activity with the creation, call and destiny of Jeremiah. He is Lord over life, Lord over death, Lord over nations and Lord over everything both in heaven and on earth. He knows the past and the future. His word and His will are law. Jeremiah had a hard life and a hard ministry yet God tells him this is the time and purpose for which he was created. This confinement does not change God’s call on Jeremiah’s life, it is part of it. God is still listening, God is still speaking, God is still acting because God is always aware and actively involved in His creation. He uses the circumstances, the chaos and the conflict which surrounded Jeremiah to chisel Jeremiah’s words—God’s words—into the conscience of kings. Once a friend of kings, this bold herald for the King of Kings suffers periods of persecution and imprisonment at the hand of kings. This was his destiny.
 
And today is ours. God knew you before He formed you. He knew the plans He had for you and the time He established for you. No matter the turmoil in the world, no matter your situation, no matter your station in life, God still speaks. He still listens. He still sees and He still acts. He has a plan and you are a part of it; a significant part of it because God never does anything without it being significant. Do not be discouraged nor distracted. Those who watch the clouds neither plant nor harvest. God loves to display His power and abilities under the most impossible of circumstances. Psalm 46 rings true for every generation; while rulers shake and nations live in terror, God still speaks and creation must still respond.
 
Do not succumb to the unsteady nature of the world. Let God’s nature transform your mind and be the guiding light that keeps you in the will of He who created and called you. You were destined for today.
 

“I care not today what tomorrow may bring,
If shadow or sunshine or rain,
The Lord I know ruleth o’er everything,
And all my worries are vain.”
 
We are seeing fear sweep across the world. Not because of war. Not because of terrorism. Because of a virus. Never in our lifetimes has an event had such a shared, global impact. Entire cities, even states are being shut down. Some hospitals are experiencing the worst. Others are bracing for the worst. The reports and warnings provide little encouragement, and the degree of severity varies. Many areas are particularly hard hit while others are not. Yet it’s coming we are told. Hideous, full-color pictures of an alien looking creature covered with numerous suckers, eager to invade our bodies. There is no solution except to hide from it. Most will suffer very little while others might face the shadow of death.

People are not just afraid of the virus; they are of afraid of each other. I’ve seen it in their eyes. Several times I’ve encountered someone who would look up at me over the top of their mask and I could see fear. If I approach, they quickly turn and go another way. Panic has led to hoarding. The threat is real. But the reaction…. How do you practice caution without becoming enslaved by fear?
 
By knowing who you are and knowing Who’s you are. No one wants to suffer, and no one wants to die. But we are to be a people of faith who trust our life to the author of life. We are to “not fear what can kill the body but cannot touch the soul” (Matt. 10:28). 

Our cares, desires, and hopes should be of heaven. To know Him. To be like Him. To follow Him. I don’t know what tomorrow may bring, but may it bring me closer to Him. “Do not worry about what will happen tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Matt. 6:34). Practicing caution is wise, but when trouble comes, whatever the shape it takes, fear not, for we, “rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91)
 
 “Living by faith, in Jesus above.
Trusting confiding in His great love;
Safe from all harm, in His sheltering arm.
I’m living by faith, and feel no alarm.”
      James Wells
 

Every year at Easter, Christians around the world gather together with pomp and ceremony to celebrate the greatest miracle in human history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The same scriptures are recited, the same sermons are preached and the same traditions are followed in an enjoyable yet, predictable manner. Until this year. Routine has been disrupted. Public policy is now, “social distancing” and “shelter-in-place.” Churches are closed as people huddle in their homes because of fear or government mandate or both. The circumstances may be different but the scenario is not new; nor is it uncommon.

Often the disciples are criticized for hiding out in fear on the first resurrection day. Yet we don’t hear that from Jesus. He knew the Holy Spirit had yet to come upon them, and He knew the climate in which they lived. The leader of their movement had just been arrested, tortured and executed and now His followers were understandably frightened. The book of Acts tells how, immediately after Pentecost, persecution began to increase dramatically and soon much of the church was forced underground. Many in today’s church have no concept of that level of persecution. Yet a great number of our brothers and sisters actually live under that black cloud. Thirty-five years ago, I traveled oversees for three weeks to meet with and encourage those who lived under the boot of religious oppression. Following Christ could cost you your job, your home, your family, your freedom or your life. Neighbors reported on one another. Gathering in groups was risky. Religious material was scarce. Once I attended a meeting in a forest, led by a pastor who had spent 25 years enduring harsh treatment in prison for his faith. Another time I met with Christians in a home where 10 or 15 gathered in a small apartment, all of us quietly arriving and leaving in staggered pairs. I remember knocking on a door late at night, hoping and praying we had found the correct address. I remember driving slowly down a street with the headlights off, then trying to suppress a cough as we quietly entered the unlit home. And I remember how relieved I was when I boarded the plane to fly home, and the guilt I felt for leaving my brothers and sisters behind.

We are so blessed to live where we do, and we have so much more to be thankful for than to complain about.

May our temporary limitations, due to a public health crisis, provoke us to pray for those who are restricted due to religious persecution. They are living out the resurrection in spite of harassment, in spite of the virus, and in spite of the fear. But it is a heavy cross to bear alone.

Denominations like to boast about their worldwide membership. Persecution is the daily reality of at least 100 million Christians around the world. Remember them this Easter.

“Continue to remember… those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”
Hebrews 13:3
 

Luke 23

​Maybe he was scared. Earlier he had been bold, angry, even cocky as he joined the others in mocking this Messiah. Now the fear of facing God grips his heart as he asks, “Jesus, will you remember me?” I find this to be one of the most remarkable moments in the gospel records. Not his last-minute change of heart. Death bed conversions happen. Perhaps he was recalling Bible verses taught as a child or the conviction of a mother’s prayers were digging deeper than the big slivers in his back. With a dying man’s faith, he reaches out to Jesus…who welcomes him. This is what I find most remarkable; the patient and unwavering dedication of Jesus to His ministry – people, and to his mission,  reconciling us to God.
 
All during His hour of suffering we see this. He speaks to the women who mourn for him, offers forgiveness to His executioners, even arranges for the welfare of his mother. And now, having endured torture, betrayal, desertion, and injustice, He who had lived among sinners is about to die with them. Yet in this moment Jesus turns to his dying companion and declares, “This day you will be with me in paradise.” Not until He is able to snatch one more soul out of the fire does Jesus say, “It finished.”
 
Today is Palm Sunday when we typically welcome the coming King with pomp and celebration. And how we love Easter with its bright colored candy, flowers and fine clothes. But between those days was a blood soaked cross where we were made right with God. We cannot run to the empty tomb with fellow saints, until we kneel at the cross with fellow sinners.
 

There is a green hill far away, without a city wall,
where the dear Lord was crucified; who died to save us all.
 
We may not know; we cannot tell what pains He had to bear;
But we believe it was for us  He hung and suffered there.
 
There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin;
He only could unlock the gate of heaven, and let us in.  
 
Cecil Alexander
 

Chickens are hard to sneak up on. One day the chicken house on my grandparent’s farm failed to hold its residents and I had to round them up. Each time I got close to one it gave out a startled ‘cluck’ and scooted away. I would lunge after it but then spot one more so I’d turn and chase it only to see a chance to grab another. Soon I’d be running left and right, growing frustrated as the air became filled with dust, feathers and frantic squawking. Years later, as I prepared to pastor a church for the first time a friend gave me this advice, “Only chase one chicken at a time.” That was experience talking.

As each year begins I see the new calendar as an opportunity for many accomplishments. With high expectations I set goals and make vows to fulfill them but as the months go by I’m tempted to dart from one good thing to another. Then winter rolls around and I look back on the year with some regret for not staying focused. Half-read books; projects started but not finished, issues or problems I began to tackle until some other urgent thing would catch my attention. I don’t mean to say the year was wasted, but distractions, even good ones can get us sidetracked from our goals.

What are your goals? Do you make resolutions? I’m making just one: “Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5

It seems simple yet if I will begin each day committing to Him the time that I have, He has promised to direct my path through the urgencies that attract my attention. Focus on Him and He will help you accomplish many things…one chicken at a time.
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​“Trust the LORD… surrender all your ways to Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6