Lessons from the Gospels – The Wedding, Part 3

In my blog “The Wedding, Part 1” we discussed people who refused to go to the banquet when called, citing all sorts of what seem to us to be ridiculous excuses, until we consider some of the things that keep us from spending time with Jesus. In The Wedding, Part 2, we discussed how it can be that people who do show up are not properly “dressed” for the event.

But just because people showed up doesn't mean they were actually ready for the banquet.

Today, we let’s look at what can happen, when you think you can just “pop in” for a wedding.

1.      Pre-ceremony drama

I have never understood long engagements. Personally, I went 3 months between engagement and wedding. Just long enough to find a dress and location.

However, the long engagement was a practical arrangement in Biblical times. As I understand it, the tradition was to have the engagement and then for the groom to go build a room in his father’s home or otherwise make housing and other arrangements and then come back for the bride and the wedding.

This is the more accurate view of the wedding of the Bride of Christ (the church) and Christ Jesus. He came to this earth, paid the bride price for us in His death, was resurrected to go back to the Father and prepare a place for us. Now we wait for His return.

Waiting can be tough – especially when you don’t know how long you will be waiting. That’s what it was like in Bible times.

Today, we, the called and chosen, must “occupy” until He comes, as we find in the Parable of the Money Usage found in Luke 19:1`1-27. We are given jobs to do now while we wait. Just like in a modern wedding you might be asked to help with picking a dress or a venue, creating invitations, doing a pre-wedding photo shoot with the bride, etc., Jesus has called us to be helpful in preparing ourselves and others for the marriage of the Bride.

Revelation 19:7 [KJV] Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.

It’s easier to be ever-vigilant and on our toes when the engagement is new – when we are in our “first love” phase. But we can get “weary in well doing” if we are not careful. [See Galatians 6:9 and 2 Thessalonians 3:13]

Let’s consider the parable of the 10 virgins. You can read it in Matthew 25:1-13. Like us, all 10 were waiting for Jesus (the Bridegroom) to return. They all had oil. But half of them knew the wait might be long and acted accordingly, by bringing more oil that what their lamps could hold at that time.

We, too, should never think we have enough time with Jesus, with study, with prayer, with learning, with using our talents and so forth. It could be a long wait. What if you live to be 100? What if your trial lasts longer than expected? What if you are asked to do or give more.

We must build up our stores of oil by learning and growing and serving and seeking to draw closer to Him. That is how I see the oil in the lamp being generated.

They all slept. Maybe this means all had times of complacency. Or simply that a long time of rest, free of trials, had come. Either way, as time passed, oil burned and supplies dwindled.

Then, suddenly the time was right, and the groom showed up. Then there was no time to run and clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the sick and so forth. [Matthew 25:31-46]

Sweet sisters, the time we have to wait between the engagement and the wedding ceremony could be very long. Around 2000 years have already passed. And you or I may have 5 more years or 25. We don’t know.

We must then, “walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” [Eph 5:15-16 NKJV]

Whatever life throws at, we must focus on our lamps and stores of oil, because the wait may be long.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments or email me at Nancy@dyamicchristianministries.org

Lessons from the Gospels – The Wedding, Part 2

In my blog “The Wedding, Part 1” we discussed people who refused to go to the banquet when called, citing all sorts of what seem to be ridiculous excuses.

But just because people showed up doesn't mean they were actually ready for the banquet.

Today, we will start taking a look at three wedding guests – or would-be guests – to learn a bit about what it means to be prepared to get the most out of the Wedding of the Lamb. We will consider proper wedding attire, the proper attitude actions of a guest, and how we might miss out even if we RSVP’d that we would be there.

1.      Proper attire

The last time I attended a wedding, I bought a special dress just for the occasion. That’s what women do. We don’t try to overshadow the bride, but we are not going to get caught being dressed for a casual, summer outdoor wedding when attending a winter, indoor wedding where the bride said, “cocktail or better attire”.

Amazingly, in Jesus’ parable, someone did show up in the wrong attire.

Recall that, in The Parable of the Wedding Banquet found in Matthew 22, the servants of the kind ended up going out into the streets and inviting just anyone they could find to come to the wedding.

Matthew 22:11-14 [NIV] 11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, 'How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?' The man was speechless. 13 "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 "For many are invited, but few are chosen."

This would seem like a draconian response to just having the wrong clothes, if we didn’t know importance of our spiritual garments, as outlined here:

Revelation 19:7-9 [NIV] 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God's holy people.) 9 Then the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" And he added, "These are the true words of God."

We are to be closed in fine linen, bright and clean. How are we clothed in these fine linen garments? Revelation 19:8 tells us it is by our righteous acts. This aligns perfectly with Matthew 25.

How do they get bright and clean? We find that in Revelation 7:13-14 [NIV] where it says, 13 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" 14 I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

It is the very blood of Jesus that gets our garments white and keeps them white.

Sweet sisters, when we are called to the marriage supper, we cannot just show up without the proper attire – disrespecting the bride and the Father of the bride by our lack of self-preparation. We must be wearing bright, white linen, created by our righteous acts – our loving, caring acts of service, and cleaned with the blood of Jesus whenever we repent of the sin that has dirtied them.

We have more to learn about attending the “wedding of all eternity”. So, I invite you to meet me here again next week.

In the meantime, I invite you to share your thoughts and question in the chat or via email at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Give Thanks Always

It’s Thanksgiving time in America and if you expected something other than a blog about being Thankful, you are probably not familiar with how hard it can sometimes be to find inspiration for yet another blog when you feel like you just wrote one a minute ago.

When it comes to Thanksgiving time, I think everyone feels a little more motivated to focus on our blessings, to be grateful for them, and to express thanks to God.

But, what about a commitment to thanking those whose lives only get harder from the week before Thanksgiving through the end of the calendar year? We might complain about long lines, inconvenient changes in the checkout help, rising prices, rigid store policies, etc. But what about the poor clerks who have to wait on us? Are their lives better or worse for having to wait on the frantic, frazzled and frustrated shoppers?

This came to mind this year when I, against my better judgment and my husband’s sound advice, headed to Wal-Mart mid-evening on the night before Thanksgiving day.

As I patiently stood in an exceptionally long line, super excited to have found Sonic the Hedgehog PJ’s in the right sizes to give my twin grandsons on Thanksgiving I maintained my patience. I even picked up a small bouquet of flowers that the guy behind me thought better of and just discarded on top of the candy at checkout. [Side note: Bet that was a story.]

I was feeling good, chatting up the cashier, who looked like she’d rather be having a root canal, and thinking I could charm a smile out of her. [I did not.]

Much to my dismay, the cashier, noting that the PJ’s would not ring up, whipped out her phone, checked something and said, “those are Black Friday items. You’ll have to come back Friday.” My look must have said, “Are you INSANE, woman?”, because hers got suddenly very “deer in the headlights”. I said, “So they are out there for sale, but I cannot buy them?” “Not until Friday.”

As I mentally took a beat (which may have seemed like 20 minutes to the stressed-out cashier), I relaxed enough to mumble “Okay” and let her finish ringing me up. But that was not the end of my gratitude lesson.

I had divided my purchases into three sets – the PJ’s and other stuff for the grands, medicines that I buy with my FSA card, and some stuff for Sabbath school, which I buy on a card solely for church expenses. [I’m sure they love that kind of stuff.] Before she got to the third group, it hit 7:00 pm and my cashier was replaced so she could go home.

I am sorry to say that I was reaching the limit of my ability to deep breathe through it all, but a look at my first cashier broke my heart. She was about to slink off like a totally defeated, beaten down puppy. And I realized what the day might have been like for her, standing on her feet, dealing with a constant throng of never-ending, frazzled humanity who possibly even took out their unhappiness at Wal-Mart running out of pumpkin pie (I had to buy sweet potato pie) or the crazy policy about putting on display but not selling Black Friday items, on her.

I handed her the flowers and said, “these are for you.” She took them, but just stared like she had no idea what was going on for a beat, and then nodded, said “thanks”, and left.

The new cashier gushed effusively about how nice that was, though she affirmed that I could not buy those PJ’s today. [You cannot blame a Gigi for trying.]

I doubt I will see that cashier again. But I hope when she got home and put those flowers in a vase, that seeing them at least caused her to maybe move humanity up from an F to a D+ for that day.

I hope you are thankful to God, especially this time of year when we see all those posts about thankfulness and get all those reminders from friends.

But please also keep in mind that, like my stressed-out cashier, there are so many people dealing with the worst of human traits at this time that gets called the “most wonderful time of year”. If you are stressed by rising prices, products shortages, long lines and unfriendly company policies, give a moment of thought to those who hear the complaints every day just so they can put their own overprice food on the table or high-priced gas into their cars.

Take time to be thankful, not because you do or don’t celebrate whatever holiday might be causing the long lines at the gas station, grocery stores and fast-food restaurants, but because expressing thanks to God isn’t all that is required of us. We should be thankful to others as well. Even when it’s difficult.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 [NLT] Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Yep, even when the lines are long, and prices are high and store policies seem ridiculous, be thankful. And every other day of the year.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me know in the chat or any time at Nancy@dyanmicchristianministries.org

Lessons from the Gospels – The Wedding, Part 1

If you tried to stick to a budget when you got married, you likely found yourself trimming the guest list. Maybe rethinking if your best friend from third grade should be invited or if all your 20-person work pod really need to make the list.

Seems like God has the opposite problem when it comes to the marriage of the Lamb.

Matthew 22:1-10 [NLT] 1 Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2 "The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come! 4 "So he sent other servants to tell them, 'The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!' 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. 7 "The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 8 And he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren't worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.' 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests.”

Incredibly, the invited guests placed so little value on this invitation that they went about their daily business, ignoring the big day altogether. I don’t know about you, but I would never miss a wedding or a banquet if I could at all get there!

In a parallel parable found in Luke, we get an ever better look into the kinds of excuses these folks made.

Luke 14:17-20 [NLT] 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, 'Come, the banquet is ready.' 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, 'I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.' 19 Another said, 'I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.' 20 Another said, 'I now have a wife, so I can't come.'

Seems like any old excuse would do for these folks. I mean, was there no “plus one” option for the guy with the new wife? Are you telling me that the field couldn’t wait a day or two? Or that the oxen were going to forget how to plow?

The core of the excuses seems to be that their own day-to-day lives were too important to be bothered with the greatest marriage feast of all eternity. Unbelievable!

But then, I have to ask myself just how often I get up in the morning and get busy with prepping my lunch, answering emails, doing a few chores and getting ready for my workday without stopping to spend time with the King who has invited me to His banquet? How often do I find at the end of a day full of chores and errands that I have fallen, exhausted, into bed that I never took the time to study or to pray (other than over a meal)?

How often have I allowed something I wanted to do (or felt was necessary) to take my focus and left Jesus at the door, holding my invitation to a banquet of love, wisdom and fellowship He and the Father have prepared for me?

Motivational speaker and author Steven Covey is known for saying, “Begin with the end in mind”.

God did. When He created this earth and then formed man from the dust of the ground, He had already made plans for a big wedding feast. And He has been doing the prep work ever since.

Sweet sisters, we, too, must begin our days, our weeks, our months, our educational plans and work plans and family plans with the end in mind, if we intend to attend that wedding feast.

Make no mistake, you ARE invited. Jesus has given you an invitation. We must begin each day as one who is ready (or who is preparing to be ready) to drop all our daily tasks should that call of “Come, the banquet is ready” be made that day.

Brides are excited for their wedding day to come, whether they planned a small ceremony or a huge event. A bride may be so excited on that day that she doesn’t notice or care that her second cousin who RSVP’d “yes” failed to show up after all. But if daddy sees place settings empty when he has already paid the bill, HE might be a bit miffed.

It’s actually worse than a wedding guest being a “no show”, though. You see, WE are the bride. What bride would decline to attend her own wedding???!!!

Jesus paid for my place at the Bride’s table, and for your place too. We would do well to remember that the Father will not be amused if we make some sorry excuse for not showing up each day. The price He paid for that seat was very high – the blood of His only begotten Son.

The least I can do is accept the daily invitation to meet Him – to daily live with the end in mind – knowing that it is a banquet like no other AND the soon-to-be bride is me.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me now in the comments section or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMInistries.org.

Makeover

I have a confession to make: I am sort of addicted to those makeover videos where someone is in the hairdresser or stylist’s chair with visible roots, frizzy ends and bad coloring, looking sad, and they pull up the cap and “BAM!” their hair is gorgeous and their makeup is perfect. Total makeover in seconds – although I am sure it took hours for the process to work. I mean, it takes four hours for me to get my roots touched up and get a trim.

Our spiritual change will be just like that:

I Corinthians 15:51-52 [NKJV] 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

BAM! No more flesh and blood, but now incorruptible. Just like that.

But, behind the scenes, in the years of our life, there is an important process going on every single day. It doesn’t just take hours, it takes decades.

We are turning from roots of gray and brown and black to perfectly styled blond or red or brown or whatever. Dull, sad eyes now sparkle with joy (and mascara). The chemicals (or spiritual changing process) may be smelly. Our necks may get bruised (or our egos get battered) from bending backwards over the rinsing bowl (or enduring trials and change). Our legs may go numb from sitting so long (or we may get tired of this life and painful process of change). And we may get a bit bored because we feel it is taking too long. [Have I completely lost any men who were reading?]

The Christian makeover process can be exciting in a good way or a bad way. It is often painful and smelly. Definitely not pretty at times with all those foils in your hair - I mean life-changing trials. Old things need to be stripped out and new things applied.  [See Romans 6:6; Ephesians 4:22; Colossians 3:9]

But God begins with a vision of who you will be.

Isaiah 46:10 [NKJV] Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times [things] that are not [yet] done…

And along the way He is the stylist with a vision, if I may use that analogy, developing the incorruptible person who will be seen by all in the “big reveal” at the end. He does not randomly start cropping or stripping or styling. He always begins with the end in mind.

These makeover clips would not be fun to watch if everyone had started out looking the same. In the same way, God knows we start in different places and need different processes.

These makeover clips would not be fun to watch if everyone ended up with the same hair cut and style. In the same way, God is styling us for different roles.

These makeovers would not be fun to watch if I had to watch the whole process from consultation, to hair color, to shampoo, and finally styling and makeup. In fact, I won’t even watch the ones that have more conversation/consultation at the beginning. Just lift the cape and show me the new!

Isaiah 46:10 [NKJV] Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times [things] that are not [yet] done…

Sometimes I feel that way about my own process of change. I get impatient with how long it takes me. I don’t want to deal with this toxic world or my own roots of sin. I just want to jump to the end when I am who God envisioned me to be when I first came to Him for that makeover. I wonder, “Why is this taking so long??!!!” But God is patient. He knows what He is doing. He has the end in mind.

Okay, the bible talks about God being the Potter and us the clay. [Isaiah 64:8] Same type of analogy. But I don’t know anyone who makes their own pitchers out of clay. I do know women who go to a stylist regularly to get a cut, color or style (or all three).

Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”

We know God is working with us, preparing, trimming, cutting us toward the big reveal in that day.

Then, BAM, we will be a new creation. Who know that God was the inventor of the dramatic reveal? I can’t wait to see the finished product!

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me now in the chat or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org.

Thoughts on a No Good, Very Bad Day

The other day I was having what might be called a “no good, very bad day”. If you read the children’s book titled “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” by Judith Viorst, you know it is nothing more than a series of things that would frustrate an elementary school aged child.

And that is exactly what it was: a series of things that would frustrate an elementary school aged child and also me.

The place I planned to stop for a latte and egg bites for breakfast was closed due to internet issues and option 2 had a line long enough to make me very late for work. When I got to work, I spilled the free, but joyless coffee from the breakroom on myself, my wireless mouse quit and I found out that I was out of spare batteries. Frustrating, but not life altering.

My annoyance-o-meter was then on high alert. You know how a few small things can add up to make you dissatisfied with things that would typically be no big deal or can cause you to want to be snappy with people who are just trying to do their job or consider quitting your job to become a recluse. Anyone know what I’m talking about? Or is it just me?

The internal peace and joyful expectation with which I’d begun the day had fled like a guilty puppy caught gnawing on your favorite shoe.

But I did not want to stay in that frame of mind. It benefits no one, least of all me.

So, what is a Christian woman to do?

First, knowing that the answer to everything Christian starts with prayer, I prayed. Then I started counting my blessings that are specifically related to the things that seemed to go wrong. For example, I may have neglected to stock up on AA batteries, but I had just stocked up on Tide stain stick = tan pants saved from disaster. I also had some milk in the company fridge and a frother in my desk drawer = passable latte made with office coffee.

And then, because one never wants to add hunger to duress (unless you are specifically fasting before God), I went to our newly expanded vending area for an egg salad sandwich and some baked chips = hanger averted.

1 Peter 5:7 [NKJV] 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

You might think God doesn’t care so much about tan pants and the love of lattes on the day of the the most contentious presidential election in America that I can remember, with innocent people dying from war and weather disasters around the world, when I have not less that 12 friends or family members going through major health trials. Maybe. But He cares about His child having a “no good, very bad” day.

Why would He track the hairs on our head and not want us to express our concern that we may be losing too many?

Why would Jesus point out the beauty with which He clothes the grass, if He didn’t care when we

I look at it like this: when my children were young, even if I was paying bills while keeping an eye dinner, if one of them came to me with a scraped knee that needed attention or their 100th crayon drawing of the evening, I’d stop and give them the support, the help, the kudos they were seeking (most nights).

Nothing is too little for God to help us through. He doesn’t get exasperated with His children who ask Him to help them make it through a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day” of minor, irritations. You don’t have to wait for a cancer diagnosis or war at your back door to bring your day before God and ask for His help.

In fact, I believe that bringing the little things to Him every single day – both the joys and irritations – helps us to put our lives in perspective and is great practice for communicating with Him when something big comes along.

Personally, I know that if I had not taken this day of minor annoyances to Him, I might have found myself letting it escalate to sin within me. It might have caused me to be impatient or snappy with others or to act in other ways that just are not what a child of God should find herself doing.  

It was a good day, really. I knew that. And, because I sought my Heavenly Father in the small things, I was able to put them in perspective and to keep in the practice of casting all my cares on Him because He cares for me. [ Peter 5:6-7]

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

ROOM FOR JESUS #8 - Eternal Room

You’ve probably read or heard someone talk about how the light of God shines through the cracks of our earthly vessels – maybe using a pitcher as that symbol. You’ve probably also seen the story of how some cultures fill in the cracks in pottery with gold, making it stronger and more beautiful than it was before. Both are great analogies.

However, as with all analogies, there are cracks in both.

The Bible tells us that God is the Potter and we are the clay. [Isaiah 64:8; Jermiah 18:6]

The idea that God works in our broken places, which is true, is, I think, an incomplete thought. It is also true that often the light of God is best seen when the hard times come (the cracks in the pitcher). When God fills in our broken places with His character, purpose and processes it IS pure gold.

But, I invite you to consider whether the ultimate purpose of God is to shine through or fill in our broken places or if, ultimately, His goal is to completely break through who we are as humans and completely replace it with who we are in Him.

Sure, that would happen in this life. God, the Potter, creates us as a vessel that service Him – whether we feel He create an intricately decorated tea pot, or a useful chamber pot. His will is to be housed in and to be done from that earthen vessel.

But we are only earthen vessels for a short time and then, that vessel gets completely transformed. We stop being vessels wherein the Spirit of God is housed. We stop being vessels all together and become more like what we once housed. “For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.” [1Co 15:53 NLT]

We become immortal beings – entirely spirit. No more a container, but now no longer contained in flesh at all.

The Holy Spirit that seals us now is the promise of something greater than just carrying the Spirit in this life.

Ephesians 1:13-14 [NIV] 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.

It is the promise of transformation. If the Spirit is in you, God will shine through the cracks in this earthen vessel, we make room for God and He chooses to fill in those cracks with the beauty of His love and truth, which are great than pure gold, the we signify that we know that ultimately there will be no “room” for God. Rather, we will exist with Him for all eternity. He will be with us and we will be with Him, filling the universe and all eternity.

Right now, we don’t have room in these earthen vessels for that. But we won’t always be in these earthen vessels.

Jesus left to prepare rooms for us – mansions in His Father’s house. We can only inhabit those rooms if we make room for Jesus in every aspect of our lives here on earth now.

So, sweet sisters, let’s focus on making room for Jesus in all things until they day these vessels are gone and we come to exist in the mansion of eternity.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or any time at Nancy@DyanmicChristianMinistries.org

ROOM FOR JESUS - Day 7 of 8 - Hope

Life can be tough. I currently have friends dealing with financial issues, unemployment, major health concerns, family struggles and more.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope,”

When life hands us disappointments, struggles and trials, do we leave room for the God of hope?

Romans 15:13 [NKJV] Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God wants us to abound in hope. He isn’t looking for us to have just a ray of hope – a small sliver of assurance that there is something better ahead. Before we made room for Jesus in our lives, we did not have real or abundant hope.

Ephesians 2:12 [NKJV] that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Now we have hope in this life because our hope is pinned on something more, something greater, something eternal that is coming and because Jesus, as with all things, has gone before us into that hope.

Hebrews 6:18-20 [NLT] 18 So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. 20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Sweet friends, God is faithful. Long ago, He called us His children and created us to be just that. So, in this life we must make room for Jesus in our lives. He is our hope.

1 Corinthians 15:19 [NKJV] If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

But we are not “of all men the most pitiable” because we have hope in this life that is based on looking toward the hope we have in the promises of God. The Father faithfully sent His son to die for us, as He outlined in the beginning. He will faithfully complete that work. So we can hold onto that hope – we can have hope when situations seem hopeless and we cannot see a way – because Jesus made the way and went on before us.

Hebrews 10:23 [NLT] Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

Is there room for Jesus when we need hope?

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or any time at Nancy@DyanmicChristianMinistries.org

ROOM FOR JESUS – DAY 6 of 8 – Earth

Don’t worry, I am not going to offer my theories on global warming or electric cars or the shape of the earth itself. I just want to remind us today that the first job man ever had was given to him directly by God, and it was to take care of the plot of earth God developed for him.

Genesis 2:15 [NKJV] Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

Christians have a responsibility to take care of every blessing God provides. One of our greatest human blessings is the earth itself, which He carefully and lovingly crafted for our benefit. The purpose of the earth is to provide mankind with food, water, and other resources for our physical needs (like shelter).

You don’t have to believe in the political spin news sources put on climate change or the lack of it to know that some things that mankind does are bad for the planet – like dumping chemicals into the water we drink or filling the air with toxic byproducts from manufacturing.

But this blog series is about finding room in our own lives for Jesus, not what someone else should do. So, today, I want to invite each of us to ask ourselves if there is anything we could be doing to take better care of the earth that God gave us. Is there room in our lives for Jesus in the decisions we make that directly impact this planet?

Could I do something so that I contribute less to a land fill? Could I do something that helps with the care for the earth (like planting a tree or composting food scraps)?

I read a book titled, “Serve God, Save the Planet” by Matthew Sleeth, MD, that I feel has a very balanced view on small steps we can take to take better care of the earth. It’s okay if you disagree with me on that. But I hope you will consider making room for Jesus in how we consider the use and care of the planet that the Father created to support us.

In the time that Jesus walked the earth there was no pollution or forever plastics. So, we don’t have an example of Jesus recycling (or not recycling). All we have is that scripture from Genesis and this:

Luke 19:17 [NKJV] And he said to him, “Well [done], good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.”

Until God brings us the new heaven and new earth [See 2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21:1], we only have this earth to rely on for our physical needs. Shouldn’t there be room for Jesus in how we treat this fantastic gift from God?

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

ROOM FOR JESUS – DAY 5 of 8 – Healthcare

Is there room for Jesus in your decisions about health and healthcare? Don’t worry, I’m not coming out as pro or anti vax. I’m certainly not recommending some kind of root or herb to replace going to the doctor, or vice versa.

Whatever your healthcare and wellness choices, we have one New Testament “when you are sick do this” scripture. One direct to do scripture. Go ahead and use a Bible search app and search the New Testament for the word “sick”. You will find that Jesus and the disciples healed the sick. You will find that we are told to visit the sick.

And then there is James 5:14-15 [NIV] 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.

There you go. Call for the elders and have them anoint and pray over you.

The great thing about this is that it does not prevent whatever else you may need to do or feel that it is important to do. It works well when combined with seeing and MD or chiropractor or nutritionist or choosing not to.

This came to mind to me because I’ve been having trouble with my left hip as a result of an old injury and it hit me that I had not even told my husband about it, let alone asked him (he is an ordained minister) to anoint and pray over me.

Far too often, I make room for Jesus after, and not first, in my health journey. And that is just wrong – especially when I’ve got an “elder of the church” right there in my own home.

Now, to be sure, there are occasions when you’ll end up in the hospital first, like a wreck or heart attack. I get that. I encourage you not to take a risk like waiting for an anointed cloth to be mailed to you before having a broken leg mended. But most of the time there is room for Jesus first and other steps after.

Is anyone sick? I encourage you to make room for Jesus, as James instructs us, and then take the other steps you feel are best for your health and recovery.

I welcome your comments and questions along the way. You can write me in the comments/chat section or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

ROOM FOR JESUS – DAY 4 of 8 - Gifts of the Spirit

Is there room for Jesus in your spiritual gifts and talents? We all have them. [See 1 Corinthians 12:4-11] Every gift of the spirit is of the same value to God. Hopefully, since they are given us for the purpose of service to others, we all use them or seek to use them to serve.

However, if we are not careful, we can find ourselves guilty of edging Jesus out of our use of those gifts. Let me give you a recent example from my life.

I was asked to give a scripture-based seminar to a mixed group of adults. It is a presentation I have done many times before. But I always practice a couple of times before any presentation to ensure that it comes out smoothly and I don’t miss any important points. Even with written out notes in front of me, without practice I might stumble over words or points.

My first run through was way more difficult than I expected. I wasn’t “feeling it”. Didn’t feel like I was connecting to the message or that it was flowing. I knew that I had the right message. I’d put in the time to craft it. It was not unfamiliar territory. Why was I feeling unconnected?

I stopped and prayed, asking for Jesus to help me, to speak through me and get this message, which I had been asked to give, out with feeling and connection. I asked Jesus to speak through me – to connect to His brothers and sisters in a meaningful way.

I stepped aside and made room for Jesus to speak through me. And He did. The next run through felt perfectly aligned. And the presentation went beautifully.

What was missing was that I had assumed, given all my work on it, that I could give the message myself. I had neglected to make room for Jesus.

God gives us talent and gifts that He intends for us to use. But even a God-given gift will not serve its purpose unless we purposefully, specifically and with intent make room for Jesus in its use.

I welcome your comments and questions along the way. You can write me in the comments/chat section or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

ROOM FOR JESUS – DAY 3 of 8

Is there room for Jesus at your church? Seems like that last place we should have to ask that question. Right? But remember that when Jesus showed up at the temple, He did not look like, speak like or act like the religious leaders expected the Messiah to look, speak and act.

So, maybe the better question would be, “Is there room in your church (or fellowship group) for a follower of Jesus who looks, speaks and acts differently than what is ‘normal’ for your congregation?”.

Do you know the difference between inclusion and belonging? From a work perspective, Dave Wilkin, CEO of 10KC, a mentoring and networking platform for companies like Nike, GE and more, describes inclusion as having a seat at the table, but belonging is not only being at that table, but having your voice heard and valued. * 

Thinking about this from a church perspective, inclusion means that you allow someone to attend, let them sit in a pew and listen to the sermon, but never give them a voice, or responsibility or a real place in the congregation. Never make them feel truly welcome or that they have a part in the work of God.

I once asked a minister what would happen if a transgender person showed up at services. Someone who had already transitioned. He asked for some time to think about it. Clearly, it was not something that the leaders had discussed. Yet, if we are casting the net as fishers of men, we are going to be catching all kinds of fish. You think God will never call someone who had transitioned to the other sex? Why not?

With issues such as this – issues new to our current society – it is wise to take some time to consider what you would do if Jesus or an angel showed up in a form like this, specifically to see if the church could make room for such a beloved child of God.

Sisters in Christ, it is important that we consider it, pray about it, maybe even fast about it, and seek wise counsel from the Bible. We would do well to see what we can learn from how Jesus treated the unwelcome of His time - the lepers, adulteresses, tax collectors and others who were generally not given the gift of belonging at dinner tables, let alone in the temple.

I won’t tell you what the minister eventually said because I am asking you if there is room for Jesus in your congregation if He shows up looking so differently from most of the children of God in you group, or if it is someone who sins differently or struggles with different issues that are “allowed” or “acceptable struggles” in your congregation.

I’m not going to tell you what he said, because when it comes to something besides the question of restrooms (which seems to be the one that immediately comes to most people’s minds), the real question is about welcoming sinners and how that works in hearts and minds of your congregation.

It may seem like the one place we should not have to ask if there is room for Jesus is when it comes to church congregations.  However, congregations are made up of repentant sinners who are not done learning about their own sins, about God, about Jesus, about love, about the scripture and about our Christian walk. How do I know? Because I am one of those congregants myself, still learning and growing, and working to expand the room for Jesus in my own life.

I welcome your comments and questions along the way. You can write me in the comments/chat section or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

* https://www.worklife.news/culture/inclusion-and-belongi/

ROOM FOR JESUS – DAY 2 of 8

Yesterday, at a women’s tea, one of the “get to know you” question was about leisure activities. If I had a day off, how would I spend my time? My sister and I both said “shopping”. The “with my sister” part was implied. We do love to shop, whether we buy something or not. Shopping involves a lot of talking and laughing and bonding. Often, there is very little buying. Except for lattes. There are always lattes.

Is there room for Jesus in your shopping? Other than work, this may be the number one way that we interact with people we don’t know to be believers, and we have the greatest opportunity to stand out from the crowd as believers ourselves. I’m thinking about how we treat those hired to serve us in our shopping.

Is there room for Jesus in how we treat the waitstaff at restaurants, especially when the food is not right. Is there room for Jesus in how we treat the checkout folks at the grocery clothing store when the lines are long? Is there room for Jesus in how we treat the airline staff when the flight is delayed, and you are going to miss your grandchild’s birthday because of it?

These are the times that try our patience. These are the times that can stretch and expand the place of the Holy Spirit in us. These are the times when we can stand out as those for whom love is more important than anything else.

Given the times He lived in, we know Jesus didn’t face the same shopping frustrations as we do. He was never impacted by a late flight. But issues like this often come down to shared resources and how we react when they are scarce. He did have to deal with that.

Here are a few incidents to consider and discuss how they might apply to our lives today.

1.        When the Pharisees accused the disciples of breaking the Sabbath.

2.        When followers were tired and hungry.

3.        When people followed Him out of town and interrupted what was supposed to be His time for recharging to ask for healing.

The way I see it is that Jesus’ reaction in both cases was to focus on compassion. He showed that caring for other humans and their needs was more important that other considerations.

My father used to have a saying that was something like, “If you kids fight now, when we have plenty, what will you do when things are scare?”. I think about that when I see people cussing out a ticket counter agent over a delayed flight.

What other places and buying situations can you think of where room for Jesus would cause you to react differently?

Life can be frustrating. Decisions of others can inconvenience us, cost us money, waste our time. In this case, I am not asking you to consider situations that might endanger you.

I’m asking if when everyday life, like shopping, flying or driving, gets frustrating, is there room for Jesus in how you respond? As my father was trying to impress upon my siblings and me, the way you react in these inconvenient or frustrating situations now is practice for the day that a greater call to respond like Jesus may occur.

Is there room for Jesus in the day-to-day frustrations of living?

I welcome your comments and questions along the way. You can write me in the comments/chat section or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

ROOM FOR JESUS – DAY 1 of 8

I am a fan of tiny houses. I enjoy looking at the floor plans and exteriors. If it comes into my social media feed, I’m going to look at it in detail. Given the current size of my home and all the stuff I have in use and in storage – shoot even just looking at my walk-in closet – it is obvious that I am not ready for a tiny home. But maybe someday…

One of my favorite scriptures is this: John 14:1-3 [NKJV] 1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 "In My Father's house are many mansions; if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, [there] you may be also.

When I read “in my Father’s house are many mansions”, that doesn’t exactly sound right in concept. I mean we can think of many rooms in a mansion, but it seems odd to consider many mansions within a single house.

However, God, who exists beyond time and space, who inhabits eternity in both directions (past and future) is not limited by our human concepts.

I believe that Jesus wanted us to understand two things in this scripture:
1. There is plenty of room in God’s home. Salvation is not a finite string with no stretch. It is a rubber band that stretches toward all who wish to be included. God is not offering tiny homes where you cannot conceive of your family, friends, neighbors, or even those who consider themselves your enemies coming over for a BBQ. He is offering lots of room. We should not limit Him or salvation in our own minds. The way is narrow. I get that. But it is not OUR job to limit God’s ability to bring people in or monitor the eye of the needle to make sure no unwanted camels get through.

2. Although He left this earth, Jesus has not stopped wanting to be with us, or working toward our ability to join Him in the Father’s house. He is getting the spaces – our places – ready for the day He comes again to receive us to Him.

This reminds me of Thanksgiving with my family. For weeks ahead of time I’d be thinking about spaces for everyone. Maybe buying new air mattresses or blankets or towels to ensure everyone had what they needed to feel comfortable – to feel at home. I’d plan menus for breakfast and snacks. Our typical communal meals were lunch and dinner when the rest of the family – those not staying with me would arrive (or we’d all take off for my sister’s house). Crockpot egg scrambles, homemade cinnamon rolls, bowls of snack bars, candy and fruit.

In my excitement, I over-prepared. I’m not saying that Jesus will over prepare. He is our perfect Savior. He’ll prepare just right. But I am suggesting He is every bit as excited (and maybe more) to prepare a beautiful place for each of us, a MANSION of our own, and to welcome us in.

Now to the crux of this eight-day blog series: Do you have room for Jesus? What kind of room?

I invite you to join me as we explore the rooms of our lives and ask ourselves, “Am I making room for Jesus here?”

I welcome your comments and questions along the way. You can write me in the comments/chat section or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Lessons from the Gospels – G.O.A.T. or L.A.M.B.?

We all have opinions on who is the “G.O.A.T.” (greatest of all time) in the sports or politics or music. When it comes to those who walked the earth in human form, hands down Jesus is the Greatest of All Time.

But what about prophets and apostles, leaders and healers, believers and followers? Is there a greatest among us? That is a trick question. Tricky to justify even asking it, let alone try to come up with an answer.

Jesus did name the greatest prophet in Luke 7:28 where He said, “For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a great prophet than John the Baptist…” But, there is a huge “but” after that: … “but he who is the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

The real concern for those of us who might like to be the “goat” in this life is that the path to being great in the Kingdom is actually in the opposite direction from what might seem to be the logical path to earning the Greatest of All Time designation.

The path to greatness is the path of serving others: Matthew 23:11 [NLT] 11 The greatest among you must be a servant.

The path to greatness is the path of being like a child: Luke 9:46-48 [NIV] 46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest."

And it won’t go well for you, if you are trying to be the greatest: Luke 14:7-11 [NLT] 7 When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: 8 "When you are invited to a wedding feast, don't sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? 9 The host will come and say, 'Give this person your seat.' Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! 10 "Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, 'Friend, we have a better place for you!' Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. 11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

Even if you do achieve the level of “goat” now, it won’t last: Luke 13:30 [NLT] And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then."

Add in the parable where Jesus is seen separating sheep from “goats”, you don’t want to be a goat at all. [See Matthew 25:32-46]

Jesus was, is and always will be the Greatest of All Time. He walked this earth clothed in human flesh and never stumbled nor sinned. We should seek to be as much like Him as is possible with the power of the Holy Spirit working in us to have the desire and the will to live that way.

But rather than seeking to be “G.O.A.T.S.”, we should be seeking to be L.A.M.B.S., like the Perfect Lamb of God, Jesus. John 1:29 [NKJV] The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! That is, we should be seeking to be Loving, Acting, Meek, Blessing-counting, Servants. That includes feeding other of His lambs and He told Peter [See John 21:15-17].

Matthew 23:11 [NLT] 11 The greatest among you must be a servant.

The way to greatness is found in not seeking it at all, but in being His servants in this world – serving Him, feeding His lambs, caring for the needy from all walks of life, accepting “last place” now for the sake of future glory in Him.

Have a great week, my fellow L.A.M.B.S. And feel free to LMK if you can come up with a better acronym for L.A.M.B.S. I’d love to hear it.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Lessons from the Gospels – Do you have the answer?

“You have an answer for everything!”  Have you ever heard this accusation leveled at someone? I remember hearing it used toward so called, “smart mouthed” children. It may be a phrase that is out of favor these days, and for good reason.

However, we might consider, as Christian women, if we should have – if we should be prepared with – an answer for every question about our faith, about God, about our Christian walk.

1 Peter 3:15 [NIV] tells us to be prepared to answer, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”

Perhaps this scripture also comes to mind: 2 Timothy 2:15 [KJV] “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

It is clearly a key factor of our Christian Walk that we should know the scriptures, the truth and the why of our faith well enough to explain it when asked.

However, what about accusations? Should we answer every accusation against our faith or walk?

Christ Jesus, at the trials before His crucifixion – first with the religious leaders and later with Pilot – set an example of not answering accusations.

Mark 14:60-61 [NKJV] 60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, "Do You answer nothing? What [is it] these men testify against You?" 61 But He kept silent and answered nothing…

Matthew 27:14 [NKJV] But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

Mark 15:3-5 [NKJV] 3 And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. 4 Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!" 5 But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.

They marveled that He did not try to convince them of His innocence or answer back for the accusations leveled against Him. Most people would.

Although He remained silent during the accusations, Jesus spoke up to confirm Who He was.

Mark 14:61-62 [NKJV] … Again, the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" 62 Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

How might we put this into effect in our own lives?

1.      Know the scriptures. 2 Timothy 2:15.

2.      Know who you are. 1 Peter 3:15; Mark 14:62.

3.      Know when to keep quiet and when to answer.

a.      The scripture, via Jesus’ own words, instructs us to let the Holy Spirit lead us in what to say when we are accused.

Luke 12:11-12, 14-15 [NKJV] 11 "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 "For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."… 14 "Therefore settle [it] in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; 15 "for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.

b.      In other conversations, when we do talk, lean into grace and salt.

Colossians 4:5-6 [NIV] 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

I know that my “go to” is to be defensive when accused, to justify my faith or stance or opinion. But the scripture tells us differently. And I am working on that.

I want to learn to ask myself, “Are these words I am about to say full of grace? Are they seasoned with salt as we are told to be the salt of the earth (to make lives around us better)?”. If not, perhaps I should just remain silent, even if I am being accused of something.

Even as Christ-followers, we can be tempted to jump into rhetoric, especially online, where we think we “must” in order to defend our faith, church, beliefs, etc. We have to defend the rights we feel are being taken away. We must weigh in on the validity of someone else’s religion, politics, belief, etc. so no one could even consider that we might not be opposed to it.

Colossians 4:5-6 [NIV] 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

But that is not the example Jesus set for us, nor the instruction that we read in scripture.

We learn the scriptures to be prepared. We must then leave it to the Holy Spirit to give us the right words at the right time. We are to focus on speaking words of grace and salt always.

We must also consider that more often than we might like to consider, keeping quite might be exactly what the Spirit is leading us to do. Even when we feel accused.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Lessons from the Gospels – The Worst Sinners Revealed!

Comparing ourselves to others seems to be a deeply ingrained human fault. We are either declaring “Well, at least I’m not as bad as ‘you know who’!” or we feel that we must hide our sins from others, so they don’t judge us for how bad we really are.

2 Corinthians 10:12 [NKJV] clearly tells us that this habit is not wise, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”

The trouble stems from measuring ourselves against each other. The yardstick of our mate’s, child’s, parent’s or neighbor's behavior is the wrong measuring tool.  

Who are the worst sinners? How can we know?

1.      We cannot judge people (including ourselves) or their level of sin by the troubles they have.

Luke 13:1-5 [NLT] 1 About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. 2 "Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?" Jesus asked. "Is that why they suffered? 3 Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. 4 And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? 5 No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too."

Jesus says that time and chance happen to all of us. So, while we should really be diligent in working on our own sinful natures, we cannot use persecution or disaster to measure the level of our own level of sin – let alone anyone else’s!

This flies in the face of some comments that I have seen when disaster strikes – comments attributing that disaster to the level of sin in a nation, town or area. A better reaction is to pray for the people of an area that they be kept safe, including the innocent and the guilty.

Remember that God sends rain on the just and unjust [Matt. 5:45]. We are never wrong to ask for mercy for others, rather than assuming they deserve what they get. It is not weak. It is Christ like [Luke 24:34].  

2.      It is useless to judge levels of sin in ourselves and others because all sin carries the same penalty.

Romans 6:23 [NLT] For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Doesn’t matter what sins trip us, or others, up, because the penalty for any sin is death. Sabbath breaking? Death. Bearing false witness? Death. Murder? Death. Idol worship? Death. Coveting? Death.

Need more proof? Look at this list of those who are left outside the Kingdom.

Revelation 21:8 [NKJV] "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

Revelation 22:14-15 [NKJV] 14 Blessed [are] those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside [are] dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Note that lying, which often gets a “pass” from us as being “not so bad” is among the sins that keep people out of the Kingdom. I would assume that includes lying to get out of trouble, when honest truth and accepting responsibility is a much better reaction. I assume it also includes lying to “spare someone’s feelings”, when either honest and kind delivery of truth or just keeping quiet would be better reactions.

And I assume it includes posting false information on social media, when we should either run down all claims to ensure they are true or just don’t post stuff you cannot fully verify.

I don’t want to dive any deeper into that. But I wanted to point out that sin is sin. God does not rank sin. All sin requires the blood of Jesus. While it is true that some sins garner penalties in this secular world and some do not, all sin garners the penalty of death from God.

The title of this blog is “the worst sinners revealed!”. Here is what I want to reveal: it’s every one of us. We are the worst because God doesn’t rank sin.

Romans 6:23 [NLT] For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

The good news is that once we repent, ask for forgiveness and the blood of Christ is applied to are sins, we are washed as white as snow. No longer the worst of sinners, but now sin free. And it happens every single time. Praise God that He takes the worst of sinners and frees us from sins penalty by the blood of our Savior.

Think you are the worst sinner? You are. So am I. But in the next moment we can be the purest of people as Jesus applies His own righteousness to us.

Let me leave you with this:

Romans 3:23-26 [NKJV] 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth [as] a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat, or any time at Nancy@DyanmicChristianMinistries.org

Lessons from the Gospel – Active Waiting

We find several parables about servants waiting for the return of their master. It is very clear that we are these servants and the Master who will return is Jesus. But what can we learn about what we should be doing while we wait?

1.      Be “dressed ready for service” Luke 12:35 [NIV]

What does it mean to be dressed ready to serve? Well, we can find other scriptures that show what we should be wearing, as Christ followers. 1 Peter 5:5 tells us to be clothed with humility, and Psalms 132:9 talks about being clothed in righteousness. This is also repeated in Revelation 19:8 where it says that “fine linen, clean and white” is the “righteousness of the saints”.

How are we clothed in righteousness? Is it by acts we perform? No, it is by faith. [See Romans 3:22]

While we are waiting, we should be sure we have on the garments of humility and faith [His righteousness].

2.      We should be feeding God’s fellow servants. Luke 12:42 [NKJV]

 a.      The implication here is spiritual meat, like Jesus instructed Peter after His resurrection. John 21:16-17.

While we are waiting, we should be feeding others the word of God appropriately to the “due season”. I’ve heard this explained that pastors should be preaching the right messages for the time of year.

But that is a very narrow interpretation, especially since Luke 12 talks about the Lord’s servants, which would include all believers, not just preachers. Perhaps there are other factors we can consider for the “season” we are serving in. Can we consider that if we are speaking with a widow about the Gospel message and the love of God, we might focus on the resurrection, when she will see her loved one again. If we are speaking to someone going through a severe health trail, we might focus on the message of mercy and healing found in the Gospel. You get the picture.

When we are “feeding” the hungry, we must consider what their needs are at that time. The Gospel is good new for all seasons of our lives, and there is no lack of appropriate “meat” in it for any give “season” or situation.

While we are waiting, we should be feeding our fellow servants the right spiritual meat.

b.      We should be feeding the literally hungry too.

Luke 12: 47 [NLT] "And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn't prepared and doesn't carry out those instructions, will be severely punished.”

While I do believe John 21 is talking about spiritual meat. We cannot forget that we are tasked with feeding literal food to those needing it as well. In the parable found in Matthew 25 we find a requirement to serving all types of physical needs – hunger, thirst, clothing, comfort, etc.

While we are waiting, we should be taking care of the physical needs of those around us.

3.      We should NOT be abusing our fellow servants. Luke 12:45.

 I do not think that I need to go into great detail about not abusing others, whether physical, mental or emotional abuse. But I will say that those who are clothed in humility and His righteousness are not going to have the kind of lust for power and control that leads people to abuse those fellow servants that they are meant to serve. That includes unbelieving fellow employees we might be in charge of, our fellow believers in our congregations (or other congregations/organizations), and those in our own homes. If you are tempted to “lord it over” someone, check your garments.

Luke 12: 47 [NLT] warns us about ignoring these actions while we wait, "And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn't prepared and doesn't carry out those instructions, will be severely punished.”

Sweet sisters, I encourage us all to be actively waiting for the return of Jesus by ensuring we are properly dressed and are also properly caring for all of God’s children.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat, or any time at Nancy@DyanmicChristianMinistries.org

Lessons from the Gospels – Teach Us to Pray

When you think about Jesus’ teachings about prayer, does your mind immediately go to the “time His disciples ask for instruction on prayer and He provided what we call the “model prayer”?

Luke 11:1-4 [NKJV] 1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, [that] one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." 2 So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as [it is] in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one."

This seems to be the starting point for prayer, though, rather than the total of Jesus’ instructions on prayer. This is a basic outline that includes praising God, praying for His Kingdom and His will, and asking for our physical and spiritual needs.

But Jesus had so much more to teach His disciples and us about prayer.

1.     Go to God with your need, at the time of your need, and be persistent:

Luke 11:5-10 [NKJV] 5 And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 'for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; 7 "and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'? 8 "I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. 9 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

2.     It is God’s desire to give you the good things you ask for:

Luke 11:11-13 [NKJV] 11 "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if [he asks] for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 "Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

3.     Prayer is meant to be about relationship, not self-importance:

Matthew 6:6 [NKJV] 6 "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who [is] in the secret [place]; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

I don’t believe Jesus was saying you can never pray in public. He certainly did – for example: when He prayed over the little children. [Matthew 19:13-15]  

I believe that the issue He points out is that we should be more focused on who we are praying to, than on who we are praying with. Prayer that is meant to boost self is not effective prayer.

Jesus sent an example of praying in public and in private – going into a private place or space to be alone with our Father. Mark 6:46 [NKJV] And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. See also Mark 14:32-39.

Luke 22:40 [NKJV] 40 When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."

4.     Be humble and show some respect:

Luke 18:10-14 [NKJV] 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' 13 "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise [his] eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' 14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Perhaps the most telling part of this parable is the phrase “prayed thus with himself”. God knows who we are – both our good and our evil. He also knows Who He is by comparison. We should not forget that we are sinful mortals, and He is the All-Knowing, All-Wise, Eternal Father.

He is a merciful Father, who desires to give us good things. He is not like a boss here on earth whom you must try to impress with all your hard work.

5.     Prayer changes things. Most importantly, it changes us.

Matthew 9:38 [NKJV] 38 "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

Matthew 24:20 [NKJV] 20 "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.

Luke 21:36 [NKJV] 36 "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Luke 22:40 [NKJV] 40 When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."

When the disciples said, “teach us to pray”, Jesus provided a lesson on prayer. However, there were many other times throughout His earthly ministry where He both modeled and taught them – and us – the way to have effective, impactful prayer.

I welcome your comments and questions. Did I miss any scriptures where Jesus taught us to pray? Let me know in the comments section or write me any time at Nancy@DyanmicChristianMinistries.org.

Lessons from the Gospel - Lazarus Vs. Lazarus

We have been discussing the unique place that the siblings Mary, Martha and Lazarus had in the life of Jesus during His earthly ministry. In the incident of Jesus resurrecting Lazarus four days after he’d been in the grave, Jesus reminded us all that HE IS the resurrection, connecting (at least in my mind) Lazarus’ resurrection to His own.

And that makes me curious about the story that Jesus told about Lazarus and the Rich man. Now, I know there is a debate about whether this is all parable or all true. I’m not getting into that. And I am not saying that this was about Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary.

I do think that it is interesting that Jesus used the name Lazarus, only because it seems like an interesting thing and a curious coincidence if it was not on purpose.

What I want to focus on regarding Lazarus and the Rich Man is the one point of specific and important connection between that story and the narrative about Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary.

So, let’s first talk a little about the resurrection of Lazarus. If you recall from my last blog, Jesus told His disciples that he was glad that He had not been there to heal Lazarus “that you may believe”. Then He reminded Martha (and the disciples standing with Him) of His role (as I said above) as the “resurrection and the life”. And finally, at the graveside, just before calling Lazarus back to life, He reminded Mary and Martha (plus the disciples or any of the mourners close enough to hear it) of this John 11:40 [NKJV] 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

Jesus’ words seem to focus a lot on believing in who He is and what His role is for not only those who knew Him during His earthly ministry but also all of us now.

Incredibly, after Lazarus was resurrected, we find this in the next chapter of John.

John 12:1-2, 9-10, 17 [NLT] 1 Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus--the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus' honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. ... 9 When all the people heard of Jesus' arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. 10 Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, ... 17 Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it.

I am astounded by this turn of events and the hardness of the hearts of those “leading priests”. Rather than believing and glorifying God for the resurrection of Lazarus, they decided that they should kill him too.  

And now the connection to Lazarus and the Rich Man, which we find in Luke 16:19-31. Jesus told this Parable before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. According to John 12, the time of His triumphal entry was after the resurrection of Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, and also the point at which the priest decided they should kill Lazarus too.

I’m unclear on if the parable was told before Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, was resurrected or after it, because the Parable is only told in the Gospel of Luke and the resurrection of Lazarus is only told in the Gospel of John.

However, here is the very clear connection between the two: Luke 16:30-31 [NLT] 30 "The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.' 31 "But Abraham said, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Jesus knew that even the testimony of one resurrected from the dead would not cause people to believe if their hearts were too hardened to listen to the scriptures. This understanding is prophetic about the people of the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry who did not believe and repent, either at the resurrection of Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, or at Jesus’ own resurrection.

It is also a cautionary tale for all of us, sweet sisters. None of us may be so hard hearted and self-serving as to seek to kill someone who we felt to be a threat to our own power and importance, as the religious leaders of Jesus’ day did.

However, we must be careful that there isn’t anything that would get in the way of us hearing and implementing the messages of the scripture. Even if it is something hard to hear because it goes against our traditions or requires a big change in behavior. We must be easily convicted by the Word of God.

'If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even if someone rises from the dead.'"

The phrase “he who has ears to hear, let him hear” is recorded six times in the Gospels. A similar phrase – “he who has an ear, let him hear” – is used seven times in the first three chapters of the book of Revelation.  

Jesus knew that people would find His message difficult to hear and challenging to follow – not because it is hard, but because humans can be “hard of hearing” when a message is one of radical change in our culture or our own behavior.

Years after Jesus raised Lazarus to life; years after His own death and resurrection, James reminds us of our responsibility toward scripture.

James 1:19, 21-22 [NIV] 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ... 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

We must be willing to read scripture and use it to change, unlike the leaders of Jesus’ day who would not let the dramatic miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus convince them to accept the message and person of Jesus.

I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the chat, or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org