Apr 13 - 29 - Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have

for you,” declares the LORD,

“plans to prosper you and

not to harm you, plans to

give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

Bible Rank: 29

 

This is many people’s favorite verse.

 

We must say first, that God is addressing this to Israel (Judah, really) … and not specifically to you or to me!!

 

God’s people had been rebellious. Prophet after prophet – including Jeremiah – had wept over Jerusalem and warned the people to repent. They didn’t. So God pulled off his hand of protection and allowed Judah to be over-run by the Babylonians.

 

The first half of Jeremiah is that pleading warning – repent. This verse occurs in the second half of Jeremiah. The invasion has already occurred. Jeremiah is now writing to the exiles who have been carted off to Babylon. The first half of Jeremiah was a warning. The second half is comfort and assurance. God is saying, “Don’t worry. I still have plans for you. And they’re for hope … not harm.” Indeed, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (Yesterday’s verse, fits this context indeed.)

 

Now, people understandably like to apply this to their own lives! Therefore, we must say, first, that this passage is not about you; nevertheless, it is how God acts. We can extrapolate that God does indeed have plans to prosper (not harm) you – personally, uniquely, and specifically. He wants to give you hope. He wants to bless your future. That’s part of the Good News that flows from the heart of the Father.

 

But now let me ask you a hard question: This hopeful, comforting passage occurs in the latter half of Jeremiah – in the context where God’s exiled people need hope and comfort – but could it have fit in the first half of Jeremiah?

 

The people of Judah were vile and adulterous. They mocked their Father, and chased after satanic priests and paganistic gods. They were immoral and profane. Thus, the Lord cries to the prophet, “^5:1 Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem … and see if you can find one person who acts justly.” The answer was no – “^5:6 their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great.”

 

Thus God asks, “^5:8 Shall I not bring retribution on a nation such as this?” Indeed, “^22:5 if you will not heed these words,” swears the Lord after twenty pages of calling and scolding and wooing and hoping, “this house shall become a desolation … ⁷ I will prepare destroyers against you …”

 

So here’s the question. This hopeful, comforting passage occurs in the latter half of Jeremiah – in the context where God’s exiled people need hope and comfort – but could it have fit in the first half of Jeremiah?! If God knows the plans he has for you, is he more concerned with your long-term hope than your short-term disaster?

 

Ouch. But absolutely.

 

Many individuals treat this as a sweet, feel-good message. An assurance that everything will be happy if I just follow God. And that’s half right. God’s long-term plans are absolutely to bless you, but sometimes he has to break you first in order to use you. He has to break you of pride. He has to break you of rebellion. He has to break you of apostasy and sin. That’s what he lovingly – though painfully – did for Israel! Judah’s “hope” and “future” could come only after a detour into exile. And that’s what God – lovingly and hopefully NOT painfully – will do for you.

 

Wait! Is there an option to not do this with God’s discipline and pain? Absolutely. We are invited to humble ourselves … before God has to. That’s the message of the exile: repent yourselves willingly or the loving God of your hope and future will humble you to give you the prosperous future that he has in mind.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who has a friend

who instead of saying,

“no pain, no gain,” says,

“no pain, no pain, please”

(Thus, to achieve ‘no pain, no pain,’

I’m opting for Acts 3:19-20:

“Repent therefore,

and turn to the God … so that

times of refreshing may come from

the presence of the Lord.”

 

Apr 12 - 28 - Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the LORD

with all your heart

and lean not on your

own understanding

Proverbs 3:5

Bible Rank: 28

 

I’m a doer. I confess it. I honestly like to be busy and active.

 

I’m pretty smart, a natural thinker. And I naturally lean on my own understanding.

 

By nature – as a pretty capable guy – I also tend to trust in my own skills and ability.

 

Oops.

 

God is big. I am not. And when I refuse to heed God’s wisdom and trust in my own abilities, I not only miss out on God’s wisdom, insight, power, and provision … but I am slowly plotting my own destruction.

 

When I rely on myself, I get only what I can manufacture … which sometimes seems like a lot.

 

The lie is that since I’m pretty capable, I think I can take care of myself. And that works, until I can’t take care of myself. So what happens when I’m sick, depressed, unemployed, injured, betrayed, dying, or grieving? Precisely when I need help the most, I have it the least … because all I’ve learned to rely upon is myself (who is now powerless). Oops. Oops. Oops. Ouch.

 

The secret to life is humbling ourselves in advance. It is learning to walk by faith, not by sight. It is obeying God’s Word, rather than thinking I know better myself. It is following his promptings, even when I can’t see why he’s asking me to do something hard. The secret to life – indeed – learning to trust in the Lord with all your heart and [to] lean not on your own understanding.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a capable mess

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apr 11 - Galatians 5:22

But the fruit of the Spirit is

love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness [²³gentleness,

and self-control]

Galatians 5:22

Bible Rank: 27

 

Which of these do you desire most in life?

 

·         Love, Joy, Peace?

·         … or … Patience, Kindness, Generosity?

·         … or … Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control?

 

My answer is “Yes!” “Please!” “I want them all!!!” Of course!

 

So, how do I get them? See if you can find the common characteristic in these statements.

 

·         On my own, I can often manufacture more love … than if I wasn’t trying.

·         On my own, I can do things that make me happier. (But is that true joy?)

·         By learning to channel my emotions, I can respond to events more peacefully.

·         Self-help techniques – and counting to ten before I react – can make me more patient.

·         By seeking to understand the other person’s perspective, I can be kinder.

·         If learn to be less selfish, I achieve more goodness – or more “generosity” (as some translations render it).

·         More devotion equals a little more faith.

·         More love and more kindness (two earlier items on the list) will generally make me more gentle.

·         And increasing self-control is a matter of more practice and greater discipline, right?

 

So … did you see it? My human efforts can do what? They make me “more” and better. (Wait! Did you see it?) Me, myself, and I and practice and effort and successes and failures do what? They push me a few inches further down the road. But the ultimate “joy” – that this passage promises – is elusive as long as an imperfect actor (you or me) is trying to manufacture it ourselves.

 

Yes, you may get “more,” you may get closer, but you don’t get “it”!

 

And “it” is true love, perfect joy, and abiding peace. “It” is the patience of the Father. “It” is the kindness of Jesus. “It” is the goodness and generosity of the Spirit.

 

Do you want “it”?

 

Well, how do you get “it”?

 

The answer is simple. You don’t! “It” only comes as a gift given by the Spirit!

 

The secret, therefore, isn’t chasing earthly things like happiness or love. The secret is yielding your heart to God. And as you break your heart open in tearful confession, heartfelt submission, and genuine worship, the Holy Spirit comes more fully in. He fills you to overflowing. And what pours out is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants to be like

the fellow in The Operation game

(I want an obvious hole where my heart is

So that the Spirit can reach in with tweezers

And remove my heart of stone

And give me a heart of flesh – see

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apr 9,10 - 26 - John 3:1

Now there was a Pharisee,

a man named Nicodemus

who was a member of

the Jewish ruling council.

John 3:1

                Bible Rank: 26

Though today's passage is mainly a transitional verse -- changing scenes and announcing the telling of a new story -- there's an important spiritual message in this unassuming passage. 

Let me set the stage: A Pharisee -- yes, a legalistic Pharisee, of all people -- comes to Jesus, searching for genuine faith. Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again. And then he goes on to proclaim to this teacher of the Law, the profound truths of John 3:16 -- that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son ... and by the way, that belief in this Son is our link to not perishing but having eternal life. 

Yes, this transitional verse sets up an important story ... but what can we milk of practical use from an unassuming verse that otherwise doesn't seem like it deserves consideration in top four thousand of www.TopVerses.com? 

The answer is plenty! This verse is a primer on the struggles within proud man's hungry heart. And the insights stem this simple question: Why did Nicodemus come to the Messiah in the middle of the night?

1.      Nicodemus liked his position and his standing. He was important. In approaching a teacher that his peers and superiors viewed as a false teacher, he be ridiculed, if not out cast. Thus he must come under the cloak of darkness so that his curiosity wouldn't be discovered by the elites.

 

2.      Nevertheless, Nicodemus was indeed spiritually curious, spiritually hungry. How many in our world have a spiritual curiosity that they're afraid to let the world know about? Thus, too many just let the moment pass.

3.      Nicodemus? He reached an uneasy compromise -- I'll search, but in secret. He came to Jesus, but hesitantly. "Better late (at night) than never" was his motto.

What can we learn from this night visitor? Well, here's the end of the story. The night-time-seeker found the Messiah. Indeed who buried Jesus? Beside Joseph of Arimathea, who offered up his own family tomb, was a sincere helper who forsook his proud Pharisaical standing and tended gently to his crucified Lord -- Nicodemus. At the end of John's Gospel, we are told that Nicodemus, in the light of day, risked everything in front of a murderous crowd to minister to his Lord. 

The message is clear. Don't stand for social standing and worldly prestige. Seek the truth ... and preferably by day. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to be

more bold whenever

there is most light

Apr 8 - 25 - Acts 2:42

They devoted themselves to the

apostles' teaching and to fellowship,

to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Acts 2:42

Bible Rank: 25

What is the church supposed to be like? My biblical compass comes from today’s verse in Acts 2. 

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came with a rush like a mighty wind and empowered the previously confused (and even cowering) disciples. Indeed, just fifty days after local authorities had crucified their master, the disciples were still secluding themselves behind locked doors. Suddenly -- and by the power of the Spirit -- Peter was able to stand with boldness in the midst of the same murderous crowd and proclaim … their guilt … God's forgiveness … and a life-transforming kind of faith in Jesus Christ. 

That day, three thousand people embraced the Gospel, and the church began! 

According to today's verse (and a few of the verses immediately following), here's what the Apostolic church looked like (and see if this doesn't paint a glorious picture of how churches today ought to aim their ministry too) ... 

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching ... We don't have Jesus' twelve apostles still with us, so how can we devote ourselves to the apostles' teaching? The apostles were the ones who wrote the New Testament; therefore, a good church must devote itself to Bible Study. 

⁴²They devoted themselves ... to fellowship ... Church must be a family. And family takes – among other things – a lot of forgiveness.

⁴²They devoted themselves ... to the breaking of bread ... Good churches are sacramental, obeying Christ's command to "do this" … to be continually "in remembrance" of God’s saving acts … to embrace Christ's method for linking us in communion (community) … and to receive Christ’s blessings through this meal like "the forgiveness of sins."

⁴²They devoted themselves ... to prayer ... Prayerlessness is pride. It's assuming we can do life without God's help. Prayer, however, is humble submission. It is intentionally placing ourselves under God's leadership and care. And it is a vital and personal link to God’s awe and power.

⁴³Awe came upon everyone, [as] many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. Good churches should see manifestations of God’s presence and power. And do you know how and where that starts? It starts with people who expect the living God to actually show up!

⁴⁴All who believed were together and had all things in common; ⁴⁵they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Church is family. And family shares. This is stewardship. It is generosity. It is communal care. It is being the church.

⁴⁶Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple. Church wasn’t a Sunday activity. Church was the center of their lives. Everything revolved around this adventure of God, faith, and (church) family.

⁴⁶Day by day, they broke bread at home. As much as each Christian home was brought in the church … the church was brought back into each home. Modern people too often “put things into boxes.” This is my church box and I do church things at church. This is my home and family box and I do home and family things at home. This is my job box and I do work things at work. This is my recreation box and leave me alone and let me play!

No! That’s not the secret to life.

God is all. And everything about God and faith should occur at church and home and work and even when we play. Christ should be our life. Indeed, we should have one box – the faith box and all of life should fit into – and then flow out of – it.

⁴⁷Day by day … they [were] praising God ... Worship was an everyday – indeed, every minute of everyday priority! If God is God, then he deserves our honor and our praise … day by day!

⁴⁷And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. All churches are imperfect. Why? Because all the people in them are imperfect. Nevertheless, if more churches started aiming toward this goal, try locking the doors and holding back the “number [of] those who were being saved.”

In Christ’s Love,

an Acts 2 guy

(Lord, aim me more accurately

and use me more fully.)

to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

No church ever does anything perfectly. (And that's a confession of sin ... not an excuse for compromise.)

Sent from my iPhone

Apr 7 - 24 - Acts 4:12

"Salvation is found in no one else,

for there is no other name

given under heaven

by which we must be saved."

Bible Rank: 24

Acts 4:12

 

Many people don’t like the specificity of one way, one Savior. Even some Christians think it sounds elitist – How dare we claim to have the only truth and thus claim that all other people, religions, and worldviews are wrong?

 

We live in a world where truth is viewed as “relative” and that all opinions must be viewed as equal. Indeed, judging another person – including their worldview, thought, and philosophies – is the height of arrogance.

 

Even good Christians cower under this politically correct pressure. We equivocate. We often remain silent. We don’t want to be perceived as judgmental.

 

So … here’s the question: Was Peter being judgmental when he stood in front of a murderous tribunal and said, “Salvation is found in no one else” … or was he telling the truth?

 

Remember the testimony of the Gospel – the Good News! Remember, why Jesus willingly gave his life upon the cross! The Gospel is either totally true or it totally isn’t. Jesus can’t be just kind-of-true. Our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross matters infinitely and definitively … or he was a deluded madman … or a crazy fraud. The Gospel is either totally true or it totally isn’t.

 

And the Good News is this:

 

·         Sin separates us from God – moment-by-moment and eternally.

·         And because God is so holy, perfect, and pure – and we’re not – then we can’t ever worm our way into his favor.

·         Thankfully, in an act of love and generosity God “gave his one and only son” (see John 3:16).

·         And in another act of love and generosity, Jesus not only stepped off the throne in heaven to come down to this broken earth, but died to take the penalty of our sin upon himself.

·         We are free – not by our own actions – but through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

·         Thus, “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.”

 

We are not judgmental when we say this!

 

Read that again. We are not judgmental when we say this. Why? Because God – not us – is the judge. Yet rather than angrily judging, God is his costly grace has offered a path to freedom and life.

 

Our world make it seem like a crime if we state this. (We’re deemed elitist … judgmental … narrow-minded … exclusive.)

 

So is testifying a crime of insensitivity? No, it’s a crime if we don’t speak! As in the story of the Good Samaritan, if we don’t graciously proclaim this life-giving truth, we’re the religious pretenders who walk by helpless, hopeless, dying people without offering a way to be saved.

 

God sets the terms of his salvation, not the political correctness of our culture. And God’s terms are generous, self-giving, and life-restoring. And this is the Good News: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.”

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who cares

more for eternal truth

than worldly popularity

 

 

 

 

 

Mar 28 - 18 - Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates

his own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners,

Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

Bible Rank: 18

What is love?

Is it a feeling? Yes. Often. 

Is it an action? Absolutely. Our actions reveal our true feelings. They cement our feelings. Our actions "prove" what we say is in our heart. 

For example: "Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends" (John 15:13). 

Do you see it? Love may be a feeling, but greater love is an action. The action -- in this case, Jesus' sacrificial death -- reveals God's true heart. His feeling (love) gives everything (action).

And our verse for today describes the heights of this love-action ... because nothing we've done (our love-action, or lack thereof) reveals that we deserve it at all. (Which only magnifies the beauty of God's love for us.)

Therefore, as dessert today -- the cherry on top of the assurance of God's love for you -- read today's verse in context (from the evocative Message paraphrase) ... 

We can understand someone dying

for a person worth dying for ...

and we can understand

how someone good and noble could

inspire us to selfless sacrifice ...

But God put his love

on the line for us by

offering his Son in sacrificial death

while we were of no use whatever to him.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who is of no use to God

... and yet he still chose me

(Thank you, God!)

Mar 26/27 - 17 - Romans 12:1

Therefore, I urge you,

brothers and sisters,

in view of God's mercy, to offer

your bodies as a living sacrifice,

holy and pleasing to God

– this is true worship.

Romans 12:1

Bible Rank: 17

The problem with living sacrifices, it has been said, is that they can get off the table and run away. 

Such is our human nature. 

We "offer" ourselves. Then we pull back. We offer ourselves again. Then shrink back another time. Often our Christian life is like the hokey-pokey. "We put our left foot in, we put our left foot out." And it's our love, joy, and peace that keeps getting shaken all about. Hence the call to crucify our selfish self. Dead desires can't run!

Wait. Notice what I just said. Did you here the invitation to discover "love, joy, peace" (and several other fruitful blessings)? These are part of the famous fruits of the Spirit passage -- Galatians 5:22-23. They are absolutely gifts from God-the-Holy-Spirit. But ... look at the call in the very next verse. How do we open ourselves to these gifts? The Apostle Paul says, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Galatians 5:24). Dead desires, indeed, can't run away from that sacrificial altar. 

Which leaves us with only one problem. If it's only dead sacrifices that can't run, why does the same Apostle, Paul, encourage us to be "living sacrifice" rather than "crucified and dead offerings"? 

Why? Because this world matters! God wants to bless your daily life. And he wants you to bless others. God wants to fill you and a rebellious world with love, joy, and peace. We're the barrier to receiving these blessings, of course, and not him. But he wants us to be living to receive them. So what needs crucified is not our living bodies, but our deadly desires. 

And it's an everyday sacrifice. Moment by moment, my love, joy, and peace blossom as a die to self and live for him. I kill it when I compromise. But hope blossoms as I trust. 

God doesn't want you dead. He wants yourself in. And rather than pulling your whole self out, he wants to joyfully shake you all about. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's trying to

get to the joyful end

of the hokey-pokey

(whole self in!)

Mar 25 - 16 - Genesis 1:26

Then God said,

"Let us make human beings

in our image, in our likeness,

so that they may rule over

the fish in the sea and the birds

in the sky, over the livestock

and all the wild animals,

and over all the creatures that

move along the ground."

Genesis 1:26

Bible Rank: 16

One of the strangest words in scripture -- at least to me, along my young and uneducated faith journey -- was "our."

I could see God saying, "I will make human beings in MY likeness." But "let US make human beings in OUR likeness"? What did that mean?

Now, you may be way ahead of me! Yes, I went to church every Sunday. Yes, I recited the creeds, confessing in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yes, I sang Holy, Holy, Holy, celebrating "God-in-Three-Persons, Blessed Trinity." But speaking about the Trinity was really just lip service:

·       God = Father = Creator. 

·       Jesus came later, being "born into existence" halfway into the story. 

·       And the Spirit was too mystical to really be considered. 

I hope, indeed, that you are way, way ahead of me! Page one of the Bible speaks of "us." Indeed, almost before the Father is mentioned in Genesis, we see the Spirit moving over "the waters" -- the chaotic, whelming nothingness -- that IS everything before Father, Son, and Holy Spirit unleash light, love, and life. 

The first words of the Gospel of John (hinted at in yesterday's commentary), reveal that Jesus the Son wasn't born into being at Christmas as the Father's back-up plan to finally defeat sin. No! Jesus was also the "us" and "our" at creation. “He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people" (John 1:2-4).

Now, this is and isn't the most important part of this verse! Arguably, the most important part of this verse is that we who are created have the majestic imprint of God all over us! Thus, we have tremendous light and potential. (In a chapter and a half in Genesis, we'll learn that on earth this potential is constantly marred by our rebellion and sin, making us, sometimes, barely recognizable. But for today, let's focus on the tremendous light and potential that God sees in us and is willing to step off the throne, come down to earth, and die on the cross to reclaim!)

We are made in God's image. And if God is Father-Son-and-Holy-Spirit, then an inseparable characteristic of God is that he is always, joyfully, and inseparably, "in relationship." Thus, perhaps the greatest message of this verse is that if you and I are made in the Trinitarian image of God, then we are made for relationship. With God. And with each other. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who had to learn

to believe what he 

technically confessed

and robotically sang

Mar 24 - 15 - John 1:9

The true light,

which enlightens everyone,

was coming into the world.

John 1:9

Bible Rank: 15

Two books in the Bible begin with the words: "in the beginning."

Genesis, the first book of the Bible, tells the story of God the Father at creation. And it takes just three verses until light conquers the darkness and the journey toward life begins. 

The Gospel of John also starts with "in the beginning." It focuses on the eternal role of God the Son in creation ... and now in incarnation too. (Since "carn" means "flesh" in Latin, "incarn" reminds us that God the Son was coming "in flesh" -- see John 1:14).

And like Genesis 1, it only takes the Gospel of John a few verses to get to the "true light" that would "conquer the darkness" and would be the beginning of God's journey in providing us with new "life."

That, indeed, is precisely what John says ...

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. What has come into being in him [in Jesus] was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:9,3b-5)

Without light, there is no life. So how is Jesus the light? He is the one who conquers the darkness. He defeats the stranglehold of sin and evil ... in the whole world ... and in each of us. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who used to have

a Scooby Doo night light

(but I'd rather trust in Jesus

to defeat my real darkness)

Mar 23 - 14 - Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things

God works for the good of those

who love him, who have been called

according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Bible Rank: 14

 

This is one of the most misunderstand passages in Scripture.

 

In fact, some Christians accidentally use it as a hammer!

 

The reasoning goes like this …

 

1.    If God is active (and he is)

2.    And if God is in control (and he is)

3.    And if God is good (and he is)

4.    And if God works all things for good for those who love him (and he does)

5.    Then if whatever you are experience must be God’s plan for you.

6.    So suck it up.

 

Five and six don’t necessarily follow from one, two, three, and four … even though sometimes it may seem like simple math.

 

Why?

 

Because of sin! The fact that God is in control doesn’t negate that he also allows us to be free. For example, if a man is free to drink and free to drive, he is equally free to crash into my car … and paralyze me … and kill my wife. (God forbid! But who would have caused this?) It’s not God who causes those horrors.

 

Yes, even though the Lord is “in control,” his control also allows choices and sin and paralysis and death. (It may not be how you’d run the world or how you’d like it to be run, but the incongruency of a good God and a great deal of pain reveals that this is how things work.)

 

·         Paralysis, likely, is not God’s plan for me (though I wouldn’t quit trusting God if it was).

·         A violent death for my wife in a drunk-driving car crash is hopefully not God’s plan for my bride or for me as her widower (though I wouldn’t quit trusting God if it was).

·         But what most certainly is God’s plan for me is that in spite of the worst that this world can do to me (cancer, car crashes, abuse, etc.), an active God will engage me wherever I’m at.

·         “God will work for [my] good” in whatever my earthly circumstances wind up being.

·         He will heal my heart, he will help me forgive, he will redeem my circumstance, he will challenge my pride, he will wait patiently while I’m angry and grieving, he will constantly work for my good … especially as I yield my heart to his care.

 

God’s being in control doesn’t always mean that he controls my every circumstance. What it means is that he’ll help me control how I respond to my circumstances in the midst of this broken world.

 

Does that make sense?

 

A piece of advice: Don’t quote this verse to person in turmoil, trial, and grief. It’ll probably come across as a lecture that says …

 

·         either “God is causing this pain to test you” (which God may occasionally be doing, but it’s rarely your job to presume!) …

·         or it will come off as “weak and broken friend, you just don’t have enough faith to see what God is doing.”

 

Rarely, rarely, rarely quote this verse to a person in turmoil! Nevertheless, quote it (as arguably the 14^th most important verse in scripture) to yourself …

 

“Life is hard, but God is good.”

“Lord, give me the patience to see you working … even in the midst of this world’s mess.”

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who, in life, has learned

a whole lot more from the messes

than the blessings (especially when I’m

patient enough to watch for God)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mar 22 - 13 - John 1:12

Yet to all who did receive him,

to those who believed in his name,

he gave the right to become children of God

John 1:12

Bible Rank: 13

 

Adoption is a powerful gift. And I love hearing adoptive parents say with joy, "Out of all the children in the world, we chose you!"

 

God chooses you!

 

That was the whole purpose of Christ's journey (which John 1 is introducing in this passage). God loved you enough to send Jesus his Son. Jesus loved you enough to step off the throne and come down to this broken planet (which would physically work to batter and break him).

 

Why? To adopt you into the family!

 

That's it. That's the purpose of the journey. Adoption!

 

When most of us think about adoption, we think about babies. Infants don't really have a choice in the matter of adoption. They lay in whichever crib they're put. 

 

So to understand the weight of this text, we need to think of adopting a sixteen-year-old from foster care. He has a will. He has a choice. "Would you like to come live with me? Would you like to be part of our family?" 

 

Imagine if Mary Louise and I made this offer to ten teens in foster care: To all who received (and accepted) this invitation, we would give the right to become children of the Thomas family. 

 

That's the purpose of Jesus' journey. He initiated the invitation. He came to the orphanage (earth). He offers the invitation. And  to all who receive him, to those who believe in his name, he give the power to become part of the Christ family (the Christ-ians), the power, indeed, to become children of God.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy with two last names

(one's from my father,

the other's from my Father)