Hey everyone.
The boys and I are gearing up to go to New Jersey's first Dads and Lads Retreat. Awesome. Before we go I wanted to share a little thought.
I am a foodie. I will admit to being an unabashed flavor-holic. I can talk for hours about food. Jesus is a foodie, but not in the same way that I am. In my last post, I talked about Jesus and the woman at the well. I am going to continue that story now.
If you remember, Jesus had been talking to this woman about "living water," and that she would never be thirsty again. Then he began to talk to her about her life. This is where we ended. After the conversation, the woman runs back into town, leaving her water jar behind. (John 4:28) She had gotten so excited about Jesus that she had forgotten what she went to the well for in the first place. Later she brings back the town and many lives are changed.
In the meantime, the disciples who return just before the woman leaves, tried to get Jesus to eat something. He refuses their offer of food, stating "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." The disciples did not really understand what Jesus meant by this, and asked among themselves, "Could someone else have brought him food?" OK, so this is the "Jesus is a foodie" part. Jesus tells them his food is "to do the will of Him who sent me and finish his work." Jesus' food is doing God's will.
I eat food for two reasons. First, my body requires it for energy. Second, I eat because I really like food. When I taste something really flavorful, my eyes light up and I get excited. Either way, you can say that food energizes me. Jesus, however, was energized by spiritual food. Talking to this woman, changing her heart and her life, had Jesus so energized that he would not take regular food. He was already full from doing the will of the Father. Jesus then goes on to talk to his disciples about the "harvest," (a word that means the gathering of food) but he was not talking about food. He wanted to harvest a crop for eternal life. (John 4:36) So Jesus is a foodie, but his food is a different food.
We have to ask ourselves, "What energizes me?' "What is my spiritual food?" I would like to think that doing God's will excites me more than actual food. How awesome, how fulfilling is it when you know that you have been doing God's will? May we all be full like that.
Tom
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Jesus Gave Her Water. (And It Was Not From the Well.)
Hello everyone.
Continuing the story of Jesus in John, we reach John 4 which contains the story of the woman at the well. It's likely that you are familiar with the story, but just in case, I will sum it up for you. Jesus and his apostles had left Judea to return to Galilee, passing through Samaria on the way. They stopped near a town called Sychar in Samaria and Jesus rested by a well while his disciples went into town to buy food. As Jesus is resting, a Samaritan woman approaches the well to draw water. Jesus has a conversation with her. This conversation changes her life. She goes back to her town and brings her town to meet Jesus, and he changes their lives as well.
I want to talk about that initial life-changing conversation. Jesus starts with a simple request. "Will you give me a drink?" The woman is surprised because a Jewish rabbi is talking to her, a Samaritan woman. Knowing that Jews did not associate with Samaritans she asks, how he can ask her for a drink. Of course, Jesus did not hold the same prejudices as the society that he lived in. (Also, being the creator of the Universe, he was free to talk to whoever he wanted.) He responded her that if she knew to whom she was speaking, she would ask for living water. He defines this "living water" by saying that if you drink it, you will never be thirsty again and that the water inside of you will become a spring that wells up to eternal life. That sounds like pretty awesome water.
Jesus is talking on a spiritual level that the woman obviously does not understand. She believes that he is talking about a literal "living water," and so she asks for some of Jesus' water. (Of course, if that was what Jesus meant, he would not have asked her for water.) She asks for the "living water," Why? So that she would not have to keep coming back to this well to draw water.
You see, she was looking for a way to make her life easier. That was not Jesus plan at all. Jesus was looking to make her life better, but not necessarily easier. Jesus then began to challenge her about her life. She listened. She went on to influence a number of other people as well. I believe that this conversation with Jesus made her life better. She still had to come draw water from the well, though. I think the same applies to us. We often look to Jesus hoping that He can make our path easier for us. That may not be what we need. Certainly the woman did not some kind of magical water that would mean that she wouldn't need to work as hard. She needed that living water that help her deal with the sin in her life. Let's make sure that we seek that kind kind of water so that no matter the difficulty, we have a spring of living water inside of us that wells up to eternal life.
Tom
Continuing the story of Jesus in John, we reach John 4 which contains the story of the woman at the well. It's likely that you are familiar with the story, but just in case, I will sum it up for you. Jesus and his apostles had left Judea to return to Galilee, passing through Samaria on the way. They stopped near a town called Sychar in Samaria and Jesus rested by a well while his disciples went into town to buy food. As Jesus is resting, a Samaritan woman approaches the well to draw water. Jesus has a conversation with her. This conversation changes her life. She goes back to her town and brings her town to meet Jesus, and he changes their lives as well.
I want to talk about that initial life-changing conversation. Jesus starts with a simple request. "Will you give me a drink?" The woman is surprised because a Jewish rabbi is talking to her, a Samaritan woman. Knowing that Jews did not associate with Samaritans she asks, how he can ask her for a drink. Of course, Jesus did not hold the same prejudices as the society that he lived in. (Also, being the creator of the Universe, he was free to talk to whoever he wanted.) He responded her that if she knew to whom she was speaking, she would ask for living water. He defines this "living water" by saying that if you drink it, you will never be thirsty again and that the water inside of you will become a spring that wells up to eternal life. That sounds like pretty awesome water.
Jesus is talking on a spiritual level that the woman obviously does not understand. She believes that he is talking about a literal "living water," and so she asks for some of Jesus' water. (Of course, if that was what Jesus meant, he would not have asked her for water.) She asks for the "living water," Why? So that she would not have to keep coming back to this well to draw water.
You see, she was looking for a way to make her life easier. That was not Jesus plan at all. Jesus was looking to make her life better, but not necessarily easier. Jesus then began to challenge her about her life. She listened. She went on to influence a number of other people as well. I believe that this conversation with Jesus made her life better. She still had to come draw water from the well, though. I think the same applies to us. We often look to Jesus hoping that He can make our path easier for us. That may not be what we need. Certainly the woman did not some kind of magical water that would mean that she wouldn't need to work as hard. She needed that living water that help her deal with the sin in her life. Let's make sure that we seek that kind kind of water so that no matter the difficulty, we have a spring of living water inside of us that wells up to eternal life.
Tom
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
The Bronze Snake
Hey everybody.
In John 3:14, Jesus says, "Just as Moses lifted up the snakes in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council, and makes reference to the story of the bronze snake in Numbers 21:4-9. This is story that Nicodemus would have undoubtedly been familiar with.
Here is what happens. In their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, the people of Israel grew impatient and began to complain about the lack of water and the quality of the food. God gets angry and sends venomous snakes among the people and many Israelites died. So the people come to Moses and admit their sin against God and ask that God will take the snakes away. So Moses prays. God instructs Moses to make a snake and put it on a pole. Moses makes a snake out of bronze, puts it on a pole and when someone gets bitten by a snake, they can look at the bronze snake and be healed. Interesting story.
Back in John 3, Jesus compares himself to the bronze snake. Just like the snake was lifted and those who look at it can be healed, Jesus had to be lifted up and those who look to him can be healed as well. In fact, when Jesus is lifted up, looking to him can lead to eternal life. Jesus uses the word "must" here. He must be lifted up. We, of course, now look at this statement and understand that the was referring to his being lifted up on the Cross. What I find interesting is that the very next verse is one of the most familiar in the Bible. John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Jesus offers this testimony about God's love within the context of the comparison between himself and the bronze snake of Numbers 21. To give you a Hughes paraphrase. Jesus is in essence is saying, "Like the snake was lifted up, so must I be lifted up (on the Cross), because God loves you that much. And those who look to me and believe in me can have salvation."
Tom
In John 3:14, Jesus says, "Just as Moses lifted up the snakes in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council, and makes reference to the story of the bronze snake in Numbers 21:4-9. This is story that Nicodemus would have undoubtedly been familiar with.
Here is what happens. In their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, the people of Israel grew impatient and began to complain about the lack of water and the quality of the food. God gets angry and sends venomous snakes among the people and many Israelites died. So the people come to Moses and admit their sin against God and ask that God will take the snakes away. So Moses prays. God instructs Moses to make a snake and put it on a pole. Moses makes a snake out of bronze, puts it on a pole and when someone gets bitten by a snake, they can look at the bronze snake and be healed. Interesting story.
Back in John 3, Jesus compares himself to the bronze snake. Just like the snake was lifted and those who look at it can be healed, Jesus had to be lifted up and those who look to him can be healed as well. In fact, when Jesus is lifted up, looking to him can lead to eternal life. Jesus uses the word "must" here. He must be lifted up. We, of course, now look at this statement and understand that the was referring to his being lifted up on the Cross. What I find interesting is that the very next verse is one of the most familiar in the Bible. John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Jesus offers this testimony about God's love within the context of the comparison between himself and the bronze snake of Numbers 21. To give you a Hughes paraphrase. Jesus is in essence is saying, "Like the snake was lifted up, so must I be lifted up (on the Cross), because God loves you that much. And those who look to me and believe in me can have salvation."
Tom
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Family Devotional Idea #1
Hey everyone.
I had this idea for a family devotional that I wanted to share with you. I got the idea while I was reading Good Enough Parenting by John and Karen Louis. It comes from Luke 18:9-14, which the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.
We looked at this passage recently in a family devotion that I called Acting 101. We took turns acting out the two parts and trying to deliver the lines in the way that we thought each man may have said them. First, we took turns acting our the Pharisees prayer. Then we talked about his motivation, and what the prayer showed about the man and his heart. After that we took turns trying to present the Tax Collector and say his one line, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner," with heartfelt emotion. I even beat my chest in anguish just like the tax collector in the story. (But even with all my heartfelt sincerity, Wendy and the boys laughed my over-the-top acting.) We also talked about his motivation and what his prayer said about him. Then we had a good conversation comparing the two men. We decided that the tax collector was humble, while that pharisee was full of pride. Then we compared the qualities of humility and pride. We then talked about how pride and humility can manifest itself in our behavior. It was a really good conversation. Together we were able to determine some things:
Tom
I had this idea for a family devotional that I wanted to share with you. I got the idea while I was reading Good Enough Parenting by John and Karen Louis. It comes from Luke 18:9-14, which the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.
We looked at this passage recently in a family devotion that I called Acting 101. We took turns acting out the two parts and trying to deliver the lines in the way that we thought each man may have said them. First, we took turns acting our the Pharisees prayer. Then we talked about his motivation, and what the prayer showed about the man and his heart. After that we took turns trying to present the Tax Collector and say his one line, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner," with heartfelt emotion. I even beat my chest in anguish just like the tax collector in the story. (But even with all my heartfelt sincerity, Wendy and the boys laughed my over-the-top acting.) We also talked about his motivation and what his prayer said about him. Then we had a good conversation comparing the two men. We decided that the tax collector was humble, while that pharisee was full of pride. Then we compared the qualities of humility and pride. We then talked about how pride and humility can manifest itself in our behavior. It was a really good conversation. Together we were able to determine some things:
- Wendy is the best actor in the family.
- Aaron always speaks with a British accent when he is acting.
- God is pleased with humility and not so pleased with pride.
- Humility is always better than pride.
- We all prefer to be treated with humility.
Tom
Monday, September 2, 2013
Zeal for His House
Hey everyone.
Shortly after returning from Teen Camp in which John 2:17 was the the theme scripture, I got to it in my own study of John. I suppose that it would have made more sense to study it before camp, not after, but that's how it goes sometimes.
Any way, it is the story of Jesus clearing the temple courts. The story, recorded in John 2:13-25, tells how Jesus went up to the temple in Jerusalem and found merchants selling animals for sacrifice and exchanging money. Jesus, in anger, makes a whip out of cords and drives the animals out and overturns the tables of the moneychangers. It must have been quite a sight, with money and tables flying and animals running around. Jesus was angry because, in his words, they had turned his Father's house into a market. These men were dishonoring God's holy place by using it to turn a profit. Jesus was not one to stand aside and allow people to make a mockery of the holiness of his Father's temple. So he made a whip and drove them out.
Here is what I want us to think about today. We understand that in the Old Testament times, as well as in Jesus times, the temple was viewed as God's dwelling place. In the new covenant, however, God dwells in a different temple. In I Corinthians 3:10-16 it tells us that we ourselves are God's temple and his Spirit dwells in us. It tells us that we should be careful how we build our temple knowing that God dwells within us rather than in a building. We are that building. So consider this, if Jesus were to walk into the temple that you are building, would he be grabbing cords to make a whip? Are there things that he would be driving out? Are there tables he would be overturning? Rather, may we all be building a temple that honors our Father. Just something to think about.
Shortly after returning from Teen Camp in which John 2:17 was the the theme scripture, I got to it in my own study of John. I suppose that it would have made more sense to study it before camp, not after, but that's how it goes sometimes.
Any way, it is the story of Jesus clearing the temple courts. The story, recorded in John 2:13-25, tells how Jesus went up to the temple in Jerusalem and found merchants selling animals for sacrifice and exchanging money. Jesus, in anger, makes a whip out of cords and drives the animals out and overturns the tables of the moneychangers. It must have been quite a sight, with money and tables flying and animals running around. Jesus was angry because, in his words, they had turned his Father's house into a market. These men were dishonoring God's holy place by using it to turn a profit. Jesus was not one to stand aside and allow people to make a mockery of the holiness of his Father's temple. So he made a whip and drove them out.
Here is what I want us to think about today. We understand that in the Old Testament times, as well as in Jesus times, the temple was viewed as God's dwelling place. In the new covenant, however, God dwells in a different temple. In I Corinthians 3:10-16 it tells us that we ourselves are God's temple and his Spirit dwells in us. It tells us that we should be careful how we build our temple knowing that God dwells within us rather than in a building. We are that building. So consider this, if Jesus were to walk into the temple that you are building, would he be grabbing cords to make a whip? Are there things that he would be driving out? Are there tables he would be overturning? Rather, may we all be building a temple that honors our Father. Just something to think about.
Friday, August 2, 2013
The Voice
Hey everyone.
I have started my study of the Gospel of John and in the first chapter I have found a new hero, He is John the Baptist, and I will tell you some of his story today. Now John is preaching and teaching in the wilderness and big crowds are coming to him. In John 1:19 the leaders of the Jews in Jerusalem send some men out to question him. They want to know who he is and why is doing what he is doing. These are legitimate questions, I suppose. The people have been looking for The Messiah, and John tells them right up front that he is not The Messiah. So they continue to question him, "Are you Elijah?" (v.21) He denies being Elijah and also denies being the The Prophet. These men wonder, if John is not any of those things, then who exactly is he? John's response to the question, "Who are you?" is "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness."
There is a lot here that is interesting. First, why would they ask him if he was Elijah? Elijah had lived generations before, and if you remember had been carried off to heaven in a chariot of fire. (2 Kings 2:11) Were they expecting him to return? In a way, they were. The last passage of the Old Testament talks about Elijah returning before the "great and dreadful day of the Lord." (Mal. 4:5-6) Interestingly it says that when Elijah comes he will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents. (This comes up later.) So not only are they expecting the Messiah to come, they are also expecting Elijah to come. So it seems a very legitimate question to ask John, "Are you Elijah?" I will show you that according to scripture he was. So then the question becomes, why did he say he wasn't Elijah?
OK. Time for some good old-fashioned Bible study. In Luke 1:5-24 the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah and tells him that he is going to have a son. He tells him in v. 17 that this son (John) would "go before the Lord in the spirit of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children." It is clear that the angel Gabriel is saying that John is going to be this Elijah that Malachi has prophesied about. Zechariah, being a priest, should have clearly understood what Gabriel was saying about his coming son.
Need more witnesses. Jesus says in Matthew 11:13 that John the Baptist was Elijah. He says it again in Matthew 17:11-13. When Elijah (the OT one) appeared along with Moses at the Mount of Transfiguration, the disciples mention this idea that Elijah had to come first. Jesus tells them that Elijah had already come, but that they did not recognize him. The disciples understood at this point that Jesus was referring to John the Baptist.
This brings us back to our question. Why did John say that he was not Elijah, when clearly he was. All we can do is speculate, but I will give it a shot. Of course, it is possible that John was this Elijah, but did not know it. It's possible, but I think that there is more to his denial than just not-knowing. It think that the answer is found in his response toe their question, "Well then, who are you?" He responded, "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord." John recognized that he wasn't doing all this to call attention to himself. It was his job to point people to Jesus, not himself. So when asked who he was, he referred to a passage in Isaiah 40:3 and basically "Me? I am just a voice." John demonstrates both here and in other places an incredible humility. With John, it is never about John, it is about Jesus. Later in John 1, when Jesus appears, John points him out to two of his followers, Andrew and John, who become two of the apostles. Again, John is not thinking of himself, but is pointing people to Jesus. So I think was his humility that led John to say that he wasn't Elijah. He just to continue his work preparing the way for the Lord and pointing other people toward him. Which is, by the way, what we are to be doing as well. We can learn a lot from John.
Tom
I have started my study of the Gospel of John and in the first chapter I have found a new hero, He is John the Baptist, and I will tell you some of his story today. Now John is preaching and teaching in the wilderness and big crowds are coming to him. In John 1:19 the leaders of the Jews in Jerusalem send some men out to question him. They want to know who he is and why is doing what he is doing. These are legitimate questions, I suppose. The people have been looking for The Messiah, and John tells them right up front that he is not The Messiah. So they continue to question him, "Are you Elijah?" (v.21) He denies being Elijah and also denies being the The Prophet. These men wonder, if John is not any of those things, then who exactly is he? John's response to the question, "Who are you?" is "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness."
There is a lot here that is interesting. First, why would they ask him if he was Elijah? Elijah had lived generations before, and if you remember had been carried off to heaven in a chariot of fire. (2 Kings 2:11) Were they expecting him to return? In a way, they were. The last passage of the Old Testament talks about Elijah returning before the "great and dreadful day of the Lord." (Mal. 4:5-6) Interestingly it says that when Elijah comes he will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents. (This comes up later.) So not only are they expecting the Messiah to come, they are also expecting Elijah to come. So it seems a very legitimate question to ask John, "Are you Elijah?" I will show you that according to scripture he was. So then the question becomes, why did he say he wasn't Elijah?
OK. Time for some good old-fashioned Bible study. In Luke 1:5-24 the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah and tells him that he is going to have a son. He tells him in v. 17 that this son (John) would "go before the Lord in the spirit of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children." It is clear that the angel Gabriel is saying that John is going to be this Elijah that Malachi has prophesied about. Zechariah, being a priest, should have clearly understood what Gabriel was saying about his coming son.
Need more witnesses. Jesus says in Matthew 11:13 that John the Baptist was Elijah. He says it again in Matthew 17:11-13. When Elijah (the OT one) appeared along with Moses at the Mount of Transfiguration, the disciples mention this idea that Elijah had to come first. Jesus tells them that Elijah had already come, but that they did not recognize him. The disciples understood at this point that Jesus was referring to John the Baptist.
This brings us back to our question. Why did John say that he was not Elijah, when clearly he was. All we can do is speculate, but I will give it a shot. Of course, it is possible that John was this Elijah, but did not know it. It's possible, but I think that there is more to his denial than just not-knowing. It think that the answer is found in his response toe their question, "Well then, who are you?" He responded, "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord." John recognized that he wasn't doing all this to call attention to himself. It was his job to point people to Jesus, not himself. So when asked who he was, he referred to a passage in Isaiah 40:3 and basically "Me? I am just a voice." John demonstrates both here and in other places an incredible humility. With John, it is never about John, it is about Jesus. Later in John 1, when Jesus appears, John points him out to two of his followers, Andrew and John, who become two of the apostles. Again, John is not thinking of himself, but is pointing people to Jesus. So I think was his humility that led John to say that he wasn't Elijah. He just to continue his work preparing the way for the Lord and pointing other people toward him. Which is, by the way, what we are to be doing as well. We can learn a lot from John.
Tom
Monday, July 15, 2013
Celebrate Good Times, Come On
Hey everyone.
The school year ended and we went immediately went on vacation. We had great time and now we are settling in to our summer routine.
Any way, I wanted to continue to story of Nehemiah. Nehemiah and the citizens of Jerusalem finished the wall and then in chapters 12 and 13 they have a dedication of the walls. In other words, they celebrate what God has done. If you read 12:31 and following you see that Nehemiah, all the leaders and two large choirs stood on top of this wall. (It is an interesting side note to remember that Tobiah, one of Nehemiah's detractors had said that a single fox could knock these walls down, now a great number of men were standing on it and it was in tact. The work of God was far greater than whatever negative buss was going on around it.)
So Nehemiah bought the people together and they celebrated. 12:43 says that they rejoiced "because God had given them great joy." It is important to celebrate accomplishment and victory. they had worked hard and deserved this celebration, but they were not celebrating themselves and what they had done, they were worshiping and celebrating what He had done. And apparently it was quite a party. 12:43 further says, "The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away."
We began a while back looking at Nehemiah, and how in 52 days he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem that had lain in ruin for over 100 years. My hope was to learn some things to help me in "building" my own spiritual life and ministry. For those who have come along on the journey we have seen Nehemiah, a man who cared deeply about God and his people, who prayed intently, whose trust in God led him to great boldness in dealing with the king and with his enemies. He would not be discouraged or dissuaded for the great work God had placed on his heart and he worked to get everyone involved. He had some things to say about parenting too. Then he celebrated what God had done.
This finishes my study of Nehemiah. I learned a great deal from it, I hope that something has benefited you as well. I have started studying the book of John and will start sharing thoughts on it soon.
Tom
The school year ended and we went immediately went on vacation. We had great time and now we are settling in to our summer routine.
Any way, I wanted to continue to story of Nehemiah. Nehemiah and the citizens of Jerusalem finished the wall and then in chapters 12 and 13 they have a dedication of the walls. In other words, they celebrate what God has done. If you read 12:31 and following you see that Nehemiah, all the leaders and two large choirs stood on top of this wall. (It is an interesting side note to remember that Tobiah, one of Nehemiah's detractors had said that a single fox could knock these walls down, now a great number of men were standing on it and it was in tact. The work of God was far greater than whatever negative buss was going on around it.)
So Nehemiah bought the people together and they celebrated. 12:43 says that they rejoiced "because God had given them great joy." It is important to celebrate accomplishment and victory. they had worked hard and deserved this celebration, but they were not celebrating themselves and what they had done, they were worshiping and celebrating what He had done. And apparently it was quite a party. 12:43 further says, "The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away."
We began a while back looking at Nehemiah, and how in 52 days he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem that had lain in ruin for over 100 years. My hope was to learn some things to help me in "building" my own spiritual life and ministry. For those who have come along on the journey we have seen Nehemiah, a man who cared deeply about God and his people, who prayed intently, whose trust in God led him to great boldness in dealing with the king and with his enemies. He would not be discouraged or dissuaded for the great work God had placed on his heart and he worked to get everyone involved. He had some things to say about parenting too. Then he celebrated what God had done.
This finishes my study of Nehemiah. I learned a great deal from it, I hope that something has benefited you as well. I have started studying the book of John and will start sharing thoughts on it soon.
Tom
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