Lessons from the Gospel – Lazarus the Prophetic

Lessons from the Gospel – Mary who loved much, Martha the Provider, Lazarus the Prophetic – Part 3 – Lazarus the Prophetic.

Throughout the Gospels, we learn a lot about this family that supported the earthly ministry of Jesus in so many ways. But it seems like the movers and shakers were the sisters, Martha and Mary. And the activities of the sisters seem to get the most mention and attention. Lazarus is only a sidenote, until…

John 11:1 [NKJV] Now a certain [man] was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

And, just like that, Lazarus is front and center. And, boy, what a story it is going to be!

Here is the summary: Jesus gets word that Lazarus is sick, but does not return to Bethany immediately to heal him. When Jesus does return, Lazarus is dead and Jesus knows it.

John 11:14-15 [NKJV] 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15 "And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him."

It would seem that Jesus intended to allow Lazarus to die and that his death had an important role to play in shoring up the faith of the disciples.

Although they would not have known if Jesus deliberately delayed His coming or if something prevented it, both Martha and Mary believed that Jesus could have and would have saved Lazarus from death had He shown up in time. In fact, the scripture make it seem like these were the first words out of the mouths of each of the sisters: "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” [Martha = John 11:21; Mary v. 32] It seems a little accusatory to me, but we really don’t know the tone used or what the sisters were feeling. Maybe I’m projecting how I would have felt in that situation.

Have you ever been in a situation where you had faith that God would “show up” and handle a situation – a healing or some work trouble or a personal battle – and you felt that He didn’t show up in time to save the person from death or you from getting laid off or the personal battle from having difficult consequences? I have.

But God is never late.

John 11:25 [NKJV] 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

In the case of Lazarus, we get to see that Jesus had a plan and a purpose in allowing Lazarus to die. In the case of our own lives, we don’t know what is going on in heaven or in the heart of God. We don’t know His plans until we actually see them play out. Sometimes, we have to understand that we won’t see the full picture until Jesus returns.

Like Mary and Martha, we can know the ultimate plans of God for us and still feel disappointed, or simply wish for something different in the present circumstance. [John 11:24, 27]

Four days after Lazarus died, when no one could dispute that his death was real and Martha was concerned about the smell that would be coming from his body by that time, Jesus showed up and proved to everyone who He is, as He very pointedly told Martha: John 11:25 [NKJV] 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

John 11:40-44 [NKJV] 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" 41 Then they took away the stone [from the place] where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up [His] eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 "And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said [this], that they may believe that You sent Me." 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

Two days of nursing their sick brother while waiting for Jesus to come heal him – not doubt wondering when He would come. Four days of mourning their brother’s death – no doubt wondering why the Lord who loved them so much did not show up for Lazarus. [John 11:5]

They remained steadfast in faith and in their trust in Jesus.

Because they did, and because God had a purpose and plan it this whole incident, Mary and Martha saw their brother resurrected to life. Incredible! And everyone there knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the dead could be resurrected.

God works in mysterious ways. So often, like Mary and Martha, we know only His ultimate plan, and not His interim one for the moment of trial and trouble we are going through. Like them, we must remain steadfast through it all and wait for the time when we will understand and see the glory of God in action – whether in this life or in the next.

We have more to learn from this family that Jesus loved and from His interaction with them.

But here are the lessons that I hope you will take away from today:

·        Watch the quiet ones. God is working with them too and may be planning something HUGE.

·        Don’t worry if everyone else seems to be getting the attention from God, God has a plan for your life too.

·        Never think that God has arrived too late. His timing is always perfect.

I welcome your comments and questions. I invite you to tell me about a time when you waited for the Lord and either you are still waiting to understand why He didn’t show up as you had faith that He would or He showed up in a way you did not expect.

You can write me now in the comments section, or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

Lessons from the Gospel –Martha the Provider

Part two of my series on “Mary who loved much, Martha the Provider, Lazarus the Prophetic”

"Yes, Lord," she told him. "I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God."

Martha gets a bad rap, but one incident should not tempt us to pigeon-hole this supporter of Jesus. Nor should it cause us to neglect the great good that she did and all the positive things we can learn from her.

Martha reminds me of the stay-at-home brother in the story of the Prodigal Son. We know that her sister was the kind of sinner that a Pharisee would not want in his home [see Luke 7:36-39] – a lot like a young man who went off and wasted all of his inheritance on “wild living” [as the NLT puts it]. But Martha seems to have stayed responsible, build a home for herself, and gained enough income to help support Jesus.

Luke 10:38 [NLT] As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.

Somehow, SHE had a home, in a time when it seems like that would be highly unlikely or at least unusual. The scripture does not say “her family home” – not “their” home. But “her home”. It also never mentions a husband.

Martha was hospitable. She made a meal for Jesus and His disciples. More than that, remember that the scripture says “Martha welcomed Him into her home.” She welcomed them into her home. And, clearly, our Lord felt welcome and at ease there.

She was familiar enough with Jesus and had an intimate enough relationship with Him, that she felt comfortable interrupting His teaching to ask for a favor. In fact, I wonder if she wasn’t older than Jesus, because she comes across a little proprietary with Him, like an older sister might.

How incredible it must have been to be in that close of a relationship with our Lord and Savior! But, of course, we can be, sweet sisters. We may not be able to serve Him dinner, but we can, through prayer and study, know Him so well that we feel totally comfortable with the most mundane requests – like a request for some help with a stressful dinner party.

We know that Martha, like her sister Mary, must have spent a great deal of time learning from Jesus. Otherwise, the incident of Lazarus being sick and the conversation they had after Lazarus died would have gone differently.

Let’s take a closer look at the interaction between Martha and Jesus.

John 11:1, 5-6 [NIV] 1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.... 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,

Let’s first take note that the scripture specifically says that Jesus loved Martha. After Jesus mildly corrected Martha at the dinner party, we might be tempted to think He loved Mary a lot, but Martha He loved a little less. However, in verse 5 the scripture lists Martha first (as it lists Mary first in verse 1). I don’t think we can measure any difference between the love for Mary or for Martha in the Savior’s love for this family.

You might be tempted to think, “Well, Jesus loves us all.” That’s true. But take a look at how many times in the New Testament we find a written mention that Jesus specifically loved a particular person. The only other mention is John, who calls himself “the disciple Jesus loved”.

In the incident of her brother’s sickness and death, we find out a lot about Martha.

1.      She had faith

John 11:21-22 [NLT] 21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask."

2.      Martha knew the scriptures and the promises of God! And she trusted in those promises.

John 11:23-24 [NLT] 23 Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 "Yes," Martha said, "he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day."

3.      She knew Jesus was the Messiah, when there were still many others who were unsure.

John 11:25-27 [NLT] 25 Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?" 27 "Yes, Lord," she told him. "I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God."

And because of the faith, knowledge and service-mindedness of this family, they had a great and significant miracle performed for Lazarus.

I have often heard this phrase, “In a Martha world, be a Mary”. I think it over simplifies the relationship Martha had with Jesus and forces us to consider her in a one-sided perspective, which is unfair.

Martha was a provider. She was one of the women who supported Jesus in His ministry. She fed Jesus and the disciples. It seems as though both Mary and Lazarus lived in Martha’s home. She absolutely must have spent plenty of time at the feet of Jesus, learning scripture, understanding who He was, believing in Him. She built both her knowledge and her faith through that intimate relationship and felt comfortable bringing her daily needs and stresses to Him. And Jesus loved her.

Note that Jesus did not correct Martha for asking Him for something so mundane. He corrected Martha for her focus at that moment. It was a moment in time and John used it to help us learn to choose time with Jesus over our packed “to do” lists. It’s an important lesson.

But it is not the sole lesson that Martha’s life, and her love of the Messiah, can teach us.

As women of faith, what can we learn from Martha?

Ø  Provide for others with whatever blessings and means you have (including family and the church) as you have the means to do so.

Ø  Boldly ask Jesus for help with whatever needs you have, from healing of a sick family member to help with a particularly stressful day.

Ø  Get to know the Messiah by spending time with Him and the scriptures.

Ø  Trust in His promises for now and for the future.

In a world of Martha’s be one – be a provider. She lost her focus in that one incident. But she teaches us both in her one recorded mistake and in her life lived boldly, faithfully and knowledgeably. What do you think of Martha now?

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

Lessons from the Gospels – Mary Who Loved Much

Lessons from the Gospels 12 – Mary who loved much, Martha the Provider, Lazarus the Prophetic – Part 1.

Maybe you thought I’d never get back to the blog series on the Gospel. I didn’t forget. I just got distracted for weeks with the lessons of that incredible and interesting woman who raised our Savior, Mary. But we jump back into the Gospels with another equally interesting Mary, along with her sister, Martha, and her brother, Lazarus.

A family of faithful believers is a great blessing, even if they are not blood relatives. But siblings who are also in the faith? Now that is special.

The thing is, Mary the mother, must have known this family of believers because of their close ties to Jesus and their support of His ministry.

We know that, during the time of His life on earth, Jesus’ own brothers (half-brothers) did not believe Him. [See John 7:5] It would seem that after the incident we read about in Mark 3:32-34, Jesus’ brothers no longer followed Him. Maybe they were offended by His words.

Jesus received the blessing of a “replacement family” that He spoke about in Luke 18:29-30, where He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 "who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life."

For a time, at least, He gave up His family (or they gave Him up) for the work of the Kingdom. But God gave Him another family that were with Him until His death, at the resurrection and beyond it. It is the family of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

Today, I want to focus on Mary. I call her “Mary who loved”. We first hear about Mary when she performs a shockingly intimate and touching act of service, love, and gratitude.

Luke 7:36-39 [NIV] 36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is--that she is a sinner."

If it wasn’t for John 11:1-2, we would not know that this was the Mary of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, since Luke protects the identity of this “sinner”. Thankfully, we do know that Mary loved much, and we know that this was because Jesus had forgiven much.

And here, where she first shows up at Jesus’ feet, you see why I call her “Mary who loved”.

We don’t know what she did to be called a sinner, but we know it was public enough that this Pharisee thought Jesus should also know about it and, therefore, should not be letting her touch Him. To see such an emotional and touching outpouring of love and appreciation must have been so moving. Yet all this Pharisee could think is “Eew! Why is He letting her touch Him?!” That guy was the one with the problem.

Jesus knew that Mary was a forgiven, repentant, new-life-living sinner who “loved much” in return.

We could all learn to be more grateful for the sacrifice and forgiven of Jesus. We could all learn to find more ways of showing it to the body of Jesus (His church). Since we don’t have His physical body here to anoint with oil, wash with tears and kiss, we must find ways to show love for Jesus, appreciation for Jesus and willingness to humble ourselves before Jesus in how we interact with and serve the part of Jesus’ body that we do have with us = the church.  

This humble and dramatic love of Jesus is probably why when we next see Mary, she is once again at the feet of Jesus. This time, she is sitting at Jesus’ feet, enthusiastic about hearing from Him, probably hanging on every word out of the Saviors mouth. [See Luke 10:38]

Luke 10:38-42  [NLT] 38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me." 41 But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her."

Mary wasn’t about to give up her place at the table of the Lord’s instruction in order to deal with food service. Especially when Jesus Himself did not seem too concerned about a physical meal at that time. I’m sure if He had asked her to go help, she would have done it. She had shown herself ready to serve Him in any way.

However, Jesus, at the moment, wanted her there (with the men, I might add), learning from Him.

We could all learn to do better at prioritizing time eating from the Lord’s table, and spending time with the Bread of life. That’s where our true nourishment comes from.

Mary did learn, there at the feet of Jesus, the one who forgave her sins.  Mary learned, undoubtedly among many other lessons, to have faith in Jesus, her teacher, even in a very sorrowful time.  

John 11:28-29, 32 [NKJV] 28 And when she (Martha) had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." 29 As soon as she heard [that], she arose quickly and came to Him…32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."

There she is, at His feet again. This time, worshipping Him even through the pain of losing her brother. She worshipped Him, even when she and Martha clearly had faith in Jesus’ ability to heal Lazarus, but He had not come in time to do that.

Her faith and faithful worship was rewarded by having her brother restored to life.

John 11:40, 43-44 [NKJV] 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" ... 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

When we spend time at Jesus’ feet, we find forgiveness, instruction, and faith. We see miracles there. Sometimes it is that awesome miracle of being able to have faith, trust and hope, and to stay obedient when the answer from God is a heart-breaking “no”. Mary, the one who loved, is an example of this steadfast faith in action. And she got an even bigger miracle than she’d asked for.

We don’t know if Mary and Martha were there looking on at Jesus’ death. But Matthew 27:55-56 [NKJV] tells us, 55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons. We know that Martha and Mary were women who ministered to Jesus (in opening their home, washing His feet, worshiping and learning from Him). It’s reasonable to propose that they might have been among the women there.

Whatever the case, I wonder if, upon hearing of her Savior’s death, Mary didn’t think of the recent resurrection of her own brother and believe.

There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.

Mary who loved much surely heard very quickly about Jesus’ resurrection. Other women, whom she must have known because they also followed Jesus and ministered to Him, learned of it first and started passing the happy news along.

What an amazing example Mary was. Frequently found at the feet of Jesus, she saw miracles, she experienced great love and chain-breaking forgiveness.

I hope she was among those gathered when the Holy Spirit rained down like tongues of fire and that she got to experience that first out-pouring. But the scripture doesn’t tell us.

Her example teaches us so much about what we can be as women, if only we choose to be at the feet of Jesus at every opportunity. You show me a woman at the feet of Jesus, and I will show you a strong, faithful saint who will hang on during the darkest times, knowing that ultimately she will see the light of all eternity.

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

“Mary the Mother” Part 7– Ain’t No Heartbreak Like a Mother’s Heartbreak

As we wrap up our study of Mary the mother of Jesus, we look in on the fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy and experience the breaking of a mother’s heart.

Let’s remember that while Jesus was the Divine, wrapped in human flesh, Mary was a very human mother. We have seen that she was told she would bear the Son of God. We have seen her faithfulness to that call beginning with what looked like a shocking and controversial teenage pregnancy. We considered that she had much to ponder in her life that so intertwined with her Savior (and ours).

Mary pushed Jesus to perform His first miracle that recorded in the Gospels. After that moment of pride and joy, she soon experienced what surely felt like rejection as Jesus focused on His earthly ministry. [See Matthew 12:48-50]

Then, things got worse. Mary had been promised that her heart would break. In spite of that, I can’t imagine that she was actually prepared for it when it happened. I can’t imagine that any mother could be prepared for what Jesus was about to go through: savagely beaten [Isa. 52:14], mocked and spit on [ Mark 14:65; 15:19], and crucified with common criminals [Luke 23:33].

But bless her mother’s heart, she was THERE until the bitter end.

John 19:25 [NKJV] 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the [wife] of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

How could a mother bear it? It probably helped that she had her tribe of women with her, including her sister, whom we hear nothing about other than this incident, Mary the wife of Clopas, whom we only meet here as well, and the dedicated support of Jesus, Mary Magdalene.

She was strong, this Mary the mother, in ways that we might miss if we don’t look closely.

While it had to be brutal on her heart and spirit, she was there for her oldest child in His darkest hour. Isn’t that what we mothers do? No matter how a child might break our hearts, whether by his/her life choices or by difficulties out of his/her control, we show up when they need us.

Because Mary acted like the loving mother she was, we get to witness one of the most touching interactions between Jesus and anyone. We are comforted by knowing that some of Jesus’ final thoughts were for the welfare of His earthly mother, ensuring that she was cared for when He was gone.

John 19:26-27 [NKJV] 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" 27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own [home].

We can only imagine her joy at Jesus’ resurrection and ascension back up to heaven. He was a gift to the world, of course. But He was also Mary’s child, grown in her womb, nourished at her breasts, wanted and loved, supported and encouraged through it all.

I’m trying to imagine what Mary’s prayers would have been like once she could pray in Jesus’ name. What did she say to her Heavenly Father, knowing that the one who’d been her first born was also His. Knowing that the one she bounced on her knee now advocated for her.

John 19:25 [NKJV] 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the [wife] of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

We can learn a lot from Mary. She was humble and willing to serve. She was bold enough to push Jesus toward His first miracle. She was supportive and faithful. She had tenacity, wisdom and strength. She had the courage to stand with Jesus through His suffering and crucifixion. She loved like a mother, and, like a mother, she held on to the end.

Mary was blessed to raise our Savior and He will raise her to new life when He returns. That would be awesome to witness.

I’d like to sit down with Mary and ask her to tell the story from her own vantage point. What a thrilling and spell-binding tail that must be!

Thank you for joining me on this journey to learn more about and from Mary the mother of Jesus.

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

“Mary the Mother” Part 6 – Mothers in the Back

Mary was always meant to take a backseat to her son. Any of my readers who are mothers know that you raise children to move on and no longer need you. You hope they have their own, successful, happy lives. We still worry and pray, especially when they are enduring troubles and trials of their own. We want to know about their lives. But we no longer have a primary place in them, until they eventually have to take care of us. More about that in our final blog about Mary the mother.

Matthew 12:48-50 [NIV] 48 He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

But with Mary and Jesus, since He came as Savior to us all, since He was foretold to be the perfect Lamb of sacrifice for us all, that relegation to the backseat of her oldest child’s life had additional consequences that no mother could truly prepare for. She could not protect Him, and so she witnessed the sacrifices He made for her and the whole world from her backseat position, beginning with giving up His family life (which may have seemed like giving up His family) to begin His ministry years.

Let’s look at some of the ways that Mary showed up in the ministry years of the life of our Savior, her child.

John, in his gospel, records the first known miracle Jesus performed. This incident also gives us a view into what Mary must have known or understood about who Jesus was. The way it is written, it seems like Mary was very comfortable with Jesus being able to perform a miracle. John 2:3-5 [ESV] “When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine’. And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever He tells you’.”

Had He done miracles in her presence already? Or had the incidents she’d experienced in His earlier life given her this confidence? The visits from angels with good news and warnings, the prophecies of Anna and Simeon, His teaching the temple – all the things she kept in her heart – may have culminated in this confident request.

Let’s not miss that she was confident both that He could do it and that He would do it because she asked Him to.

After this, Jesus left the area with His disciples and His family. [See John 2:12] But things started changing at some point. Perhaps the incident where He turned over the money changers tables in the temple at the time of the Passover. [John 2:13-25]

Perhaps His siblings got embarrassed by that. Or maybe they just had their own busy lives and didn’t want to follow their older brother around while He went off to do His work.

Or maybe this incident did it for them. Mark 3:32-34 [KJV] 32 And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. 33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? 34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

I could see myself saying about my own sibling, “Well, if that is how he feels, then I’m just going to move on. He obviously isn’t concerned about me. Why should I support him?”

Whatever the cause, we find a changed relationship between Jesus and His brothers in John 7:2-5 [ESV] 2 Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So His brothers said to him, "Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world." 5 For not even His brothers believed in Him. Notice, though, that we can safely assume that Mary did still believed in Him. And isn’t that the way it is with us mothers? We believe in, have faith in, our children, even when no one else does.

Like so much of what we experience, Jesus went through this loss of family support and also gave us instruction regarding this happening to us. Mark 10:29-30 [KJV] 29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

It was necessary that Jesus leave His family home and His family to do the work that would save us all. The Father fulfilled for Him, as He will for us, the promise made in Mark 10:30. Matthew 12:48-50 [NIV] 48 He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

While it seems that Mary no longer traveled with Jesus for the remainder of His ministry, it seems like she never lost faith in Him. We will cover more about that in the next blog. The things Mary “kept in her heart” may have sustained her when her other sons doubted Jesus.

Sweet sisters, we also need to keep the teachings, the love, the answered prayer and the other blessings we have received forefront in our minds and tucked into our hearts to be a shield and source of strength when trouble comes for our children, and belief might falter. Like Mary, these things will help sustain us in those tough times when our children have grown and moved on to fulfill their own purposes in life.

We have one more lesson to learn from Mary, the mother of our Savior. And it spans the gamut of human emotions from heart break to joy.

Thanks for coming along with me on this journey.

You can write me now in the chat, or any time at Nancy@DymanicChristianMinistries.org.

“Mary the Mother” Part 5 – Nothing to see here.

Once Mary and Joseph settle back in their native land, in the town of Nazareth they disappear from scripture for what may have been seven or eight years. Traditionally they were thought to have been in Egypt for about 4 years, meaning Jesus would have been around 4, maybe 5.  At the time of the next incident that we read about in scripture Jesus is 12.

There is nothing in the inspired scripture about the early childhood of Jesus. Maybe it was simply a normal childhood of those times. We know that siblings came along – four brothers (James, Joses, Simon and Judas) as well as at least two sisters. [See Matthew 13:55-56] Perhaps He learned carpentry with His adoptive father, Joseph. Maybe He and His siblings played games together. Maybe He helped with a garden or animals. He learned the Old Testament scripture (that He had inspired) and history of the Israelite people, whom He had guided in the Old Testament times.

Maybe the family was just a family in very many ways. Maybe Satan simply bided his time until Jesus was ready for His ministry. Or perhaps Satan was prevented from doing any of the things he might have wanted to try – held back by the Father so that the Son could grow up into the One who would take on the one act that would allow the tectonic shift in mankind’s destiny.

It feels like the inspired silence as though the Father said, “nothing to see here”.

But we do get to look in on one incident between the return from Egypt and Jesus beginning His earthly ministry at around age 30.

Luke 2:41-50 [NLT] 41 Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. 42 When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. 43 After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn't miss him at first, 44 because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn't show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they couldn't find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. 46 Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 His parents didn't know what to think. "Son," his mother said to him, "why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere." 49 "But why did you need to search?" he asked. "Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" 50 But they didn't understand what he meant.

If I were to view this from a modern viewpoint, I’d paraphrase Jesus’ response to His parents into something like, “There’s nothing to see here. I’m just doing my job.” We don’t know the tone of voice Jesus used or exactly how His words fell on Mary and Joseph’s ears. But it seems clear that He didn’t think it was a big deal to have chosen time in the house of God over time with His human family.

Mary and Joseph were parents, though, and had the natural sense of panic that any of us would. Mary and Joseph were told that Jesus was the coming Messiah. So, I doubt they were confused by Jesus feeling called to be in the temple - His Father’s house.  

The New King James puts it this way: Luke 2:49-50 [NKJV] 49 And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

Perhaps they did not understand what business a 12-year-old would have in the temple. Or why Jesus thought they’d know to look there first.

Luke 2:51-52 [NLT] 51 Then He returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And His mother stored all these things in her heart. 52 Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.

Though she didn’t understand it, Mary kept this event and Jesus’ words in her heart with other things she did not fully understand.

We have to do that too. When we don’t immediately understand the word of God or an incident, a trial, or an answer (or lack of one), we should keep it stored inside and consider it in light of other things that come after.

Mary would have plenty more incidents and sayings to ponder once her child and our Savior began His earthly ministry. Perhaps this incident came to mind the next time she saw Him in the temple, teaching. But for now, they went home for 18 more silent years. Maybe they were largely peaceful and normal. Nothing to see here.

Luke 2:51-52 [NLT] 51 Then He returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And His mother stored all these things in her heart. 52 Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.

But time was marching inexorably forward toward the inevitable showdown between the Good Shepherd and the pretenders. The Light and the darkness. Sin and salvation.

Just because we don’t see anything of the life of Jesus and Mary doesn’t mean that the stage wasn’t being set and devilish plans being made to try to thwart the plan of God.

When the story emerges on the other side of this quiet, Joseph is dead and Jesus’ time is short. But mamma Mary will be with her child, the Son of God, until His last human breath. Until her heart breaks and perhaps she calls to mind the words of Simeon at the dedication of Jesus in the temple, “And a sword will pierce your very soul”. [Like 2:35]

Nothing to see here in these intervening years. We, too, can and do often enjoy a time of quiet between trails and troubles. It is a great blessing to just have nothing special going on and to live our lives growing and serving and preparing ourselves. In those cases, we should not think there is nothing going on in the spirit realm. There may be battles. Satan is certainly making plans to attack. And God is most assuredly working with us as we rest between battles and major event. We should trust in that.

In the case of Jesus, we know the plan was in play, the stage was being set, and He was being prepared for the battle for our very souls. Big things are about to happen in the life of Jesus and in the plan of God. And in Mary’s life too. Her mother’s heart is set to be broken in two, as much of the world around her rejoices.

We have more to learn from Mary the mother of our Savior. Thanks for coming along with me on this journey.

You can write me now in the chat, or any time at Nancy@DymanicChristianMinistries.org.

“Mary the Mother” Part 4

Has your life been like a flat roadway in West Texas, where you can see so far out that the curvature of the earth is visible? With clear road signs warning you in plenty of time about what lies ahead? Or has it sometimes felt more like driving down a mountain with twists and turns that you must navigate with “iffy” breaks in the driving rain and around road construction, punctuated by clear and straight roads from time-to-time?

Psalm 37:5 [NLT] Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.

The latter option for me.

It was like that for Mary the mother of Jesus too. After the surprise of being told she, as an unmarried teenager, would get pregnant by the Holy Spirit, and the traveling to Bethlehem while pregnant, the joy of the baby’s birth (albeit in a barn) and surprising visits with shepherds, prophets and magi, Mary (and Joseph) experience a new hairpin turn. An angel visits Joseph with a warning and this little family makes a hasty run for their lives and out of town.

Matthew 2:13-14 [NLT] 13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother," the angel said. "Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother”.

Note that they left “that night”. The warning was that dire. However, I think it also tells us a little bit about Joseph. That is: when God told him to do something, he did not delay in his obedience.

Therefore, for a time in his young life, Jesus and his parents lived as strangers in a foreign land. Even after Herod died and an angel told Joseph to take Jesus and Mary home, it was not safe for them to go fully home to Judea. Instead, they made a new home in Nazareth. And it seems like they were able to settle there for the rest of Jesus’ growing up years, until He was ready for His ministry.

I know we are studying the life and lessons of Mary the mother of Jesus. However, I think it is important to give some “props” to Joseph who clearly took his role as husband and father very seriously. We see time and again that when God directed Joseph, he responded without question or quarrel. Can there be any doubt that God put Joseph and Mary together long before He announced His plan for them?

Joseph and Mary experienced this once-in-all-eternity calling together as a team. And because of Joseph’s faithfulness and love, Mary and Jesus were kept safe while the Son of God was in their care.

When life’s twists and turns come your way, I hope, like Mary, you have a good mate by your side. I cannot say that Mary choose her mate well, for it would have been highly unusual for her to have any say in the matter of choosing her mate in those days.

But I can say that God was in the choosing. For her part, this is another area in which Mary trusted the God who had called her for this pivotal role in the plan of God. Her faith once again stands as an example for us as women today.

Perhaps she and her family prayed that they would find a good match for Mary. As a woman of God, if you have children, you probably do that too. If not, I recommend that you pray for good and godly mates for your children and then cover them in prayer as they navigate God’s plan for their lives together.

I hope, if you are married, that you pray for your relationship and your mate often.

Because, when life seems like driving down a mountain with twists and turns that you must navigate with “iffy” breaks in the driving rain and around road construction, who do you trust at the wheel? I pray that you have learned to trust God to direct you and keep you safe. But it also helps to have a trustworthy and godly mate at your side.

Psalm 37:5 [NLT] Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.

Trust God first in all things, just as Psalm 37:5 tells us to do. Mary repeatedly showed that she trusted God. Just as Joseph as showed by his responsiveness to God’s direction. And because they did, they could trust each other as well. We would do well to follow their example, whatever kind of road we find ourselves traveling.

We have more to learn from Mary the mother. Thanks for coming along with me on this journey.

You can write me now in the chat, or any time at Nancy@DymanicChristianMinistries.org.

“Mary the Mother” Part 3

Even stranger than giving birth to the Son of God in a barn, were the comments of those who met Him in His newborn life.  

When I had my children, only my sisters, mother and mother-in-law came to see them immediately after their birth. Friends and other family waited awhile visit, giving me time to heal and the baby time to get a stronger immune system.

Today healthcare professionals suggest keeping babies out of crowded public places for the first 6-8 weeks of life, although you don’t have to say holed up at home.

If you’ve ever seen a traditional nativity scene, they depict a pretty crowded stall, including wisemen, shepherds, angels and animals. But, of course, that is not an accurate depiction.

Let’s see who did show up, and what we might learn from Jesus’ first visitors.

Luke tells us that angels visited some nearby shepherds and gave them the good news:

Luke 2:10-12 [NKJV] 10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 "And this [will be] the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

The shepherds rushed over to see Christ the Lord while hew was still lying in the manger [verse 16]. Then, they ran around telling everyone else about it [verse17-18].

Note that they got the announcement the same day that Jesus was born.

What did Mary think? How did she react to their story of seeing the Messiah’s star and hearing about the message the angel brought to them.

Luke 2:19 [NKJV] But Mary kept all these things and pondered [them] in her heart.

She was a thinker, this Mary.

When Jesus was 8 days old and it was time for Him to be circumcised and the sacrifice for a first son that was required by the law, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple and offered the sacrifice of poor people [compare Lk 2:24 with Leviticus 12:8]. There, they encounter two more people who were excited to see Jesus, the Messiah.

Simeon, to whom God had made the promise that he would not die before seeing the Messiah, had words of prophesy about Jesus being “a light to reveal God to the nations”. Anna, a widow, who spent her time at the Temple, worshipping with prayer and fasting, gave thanks and then spread the good news to everyone looking for the Messiah to come.

The scripture tells us that Mary and Joseph were amazed. [See Luke 2:33] It cannot be that they were amazed that Jesus was the Messiah. Afterall, they were told he would be. I think they were amazed at how quickly the word got out. And it was likely amazing to them that these two people knew that Jesus was the Messiah when Mary and Joseph hadn’t said anything about it. The shepherds had been visited by angels. Who told Anna and Simeon, they must have wondered.

There is a joke that says there are three ways to get the news out – “telegram, telephone and tell a woman”. Well, the gossip hot line has nothing on the angel and Holy Spirit network!

Then the “wise men” showed up. Unlike the shepherds, the star did not take the wise men all the way to the place where Jesus was sleeping. Instead, they got as far as Jerusalem and needed to ask for directions. Assuming he would have heard and known everything about it, they went to the chief Hebrew ruler of the day, Herod.

Incredibly, some random shepherds knew all about it, Simeon and Anna knew all about it, and we know that at least Anna and the Shepherds ran around telling everyone about it, but the leader at the time was clueless.

Luke 2:19 [NKJV] But Mary kept all these things and pondered [them] in her heart.

These wisemen must have shown up sometime after the Jesus was circumcised and could have even weeks. Why? First of all, they brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Had Joseph and Mary had these precious items in their possession, there would have been no excuse for giving the poor person’s sacrifice of two doves or pigeons, instead of something more. Second, Mary, Joseph and Jesus were in a house by that time.

Matthew 2:11 [NLT] They (the wise men) entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

They opened their treasure chests! And they bowed down and worshiped the little baby. Amazing.

Mary’s head must have been swimming. In addition to the strangeness of shepherds telling tales of angelic proclamations, prophets blessing Him, visitors from afar worshipping Jesus, their lives went from impoverished to (at least comparatively) wealthy overnight.

What can we learn from this part of the life of Mary? Well, when God calls you, and you humbly obey, not knowing what will happen or even how you are going to accomplish what He asks, there are beautiful and unbelievable things in store for you.

Count on it.

Thank you for joining me in this study of Mary. We aren’t finished learning from this young woman who bore and raised the Son of God.

You can write me now in the chat, or any time at Nancy@DymanicChristianMinistries.org.

Mary the Mother, Part 2

While I do not believe in worshipping Mary, the mother of Jesus because she was fully human – like you and me and only God the Father and His Son, our Savior, Jesus, are to be worshipped, I do believe that we all can learn something from this pillar of faith, who accepted a once-in-all-eternity call to be the mother of the Son of God. 

Let’s talk about the circumstances surrounding the actual birth of the promised Son. We again go to Luke for details.

Luke 2:1-7 [NLT] 1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

Picture this: You and your fiancé know that you are carrying the Son of God and yet…

1.      You have to make a long, arduous trip when you are “big pregnant”.

According to my research, Nazareth is/was 65 miles north of Bethlehem. This journey would take four or five days on foot with Mary, I assume, mostly riding on a donkey. But that is just what I have seen in pictures. The Gospel accounts don’t say whether she walked or rode.

I love how the New Living translations puts it “Mary, his fiancée, who was no obviously pregnant.” She didn’t have a “cute baby bump” at this point. At the time of this writing, my own daughter is 8 months+ pregnant. I can’t fathom her driving 65 miles with that big belly, let alone walking or riding on a donkey for four or five days to cover that distance.

I wonder what Mary was thinking during this arduous journey. The scripture does not say that they were told by an angel that Joseph should take Mary with him. Joseph could have left her back at home, maybe in the care of friends who would have helped her, but we don’t think they had any family there.

Is that why he brought her along – so that they’d be close to family? Or did Joseph know the scriptures that foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem?

Micah 5:2 [NLT] But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.

Picture this: You and your fiancé know that you are carrying the Son of God and yet…

2.      You have to make do with a barn for your living quarters.

Now, God had already done a really great miracle with Mary, in that she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. She was now “obviously pregnant” with the Son of God as proof that it happened. And yet, here they were with no fancy accommodations, miraculously provided, making do with a very humble place to have the Savior of the world.

It was all in God’s plan and it would seem that Mary did not question or complain – nor did Joseph for that matter. What kind of rearing did she receive to be so steadfast and strong in light of both the mental struggle of being seen (an maybe condemned) as an unmarried pregnant woman and the physical inconvenience of giving birth in a barn?

Maybe once you’ve talked to an angel face-to-face you never doubt again. I wouldn’t know.

Sweet sisters, what does it take to break us down? Can we be reduced to frustration at God when things do not seem to be going the way we think they should or the way we’d hoped they would?

Could I remain calm and steadfast – could I serve without question – if God turn my life upside down, send me on a long walk, then ask me to accept pain and struggle when it already seemed like He was not smoothing my way at all?

Again, we cannot know what Mary was thinking through all this. However, we can think about how we handle the big, stretch trials or service projects God asks us to do. And we can think about whether or not we would be as happy and steadfast in performing that service if God did intervene to make it easier to do.

Micah 5:2 [NLT] But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.

I’m reminded of when I volunteered on a cleaning crew for church. I dislike cleaning. I like a clean house, just would prefer not to be the one who cleans it.  But they needed help and I felt pressured to volunteer.  One night, I was vacuuming, and the vacuum had a screw or something missing and kept coming apart. I kept putting it back together and trying to vacuum. I gave up after that and quit the cleaning crew. Now, I’m not sure God asked me to serve on the cleaning crew. But you get my point: a little bit struggle and I was out.

We should definitely be as sure as we can that God is calling us to a task or line of service. However, we cannot let a wonky vacuum cause us to doubt that calling. The apostles faced many struggles in fulfilling their destinies, as did the patriarchs of the Old Testament and we will too.

We can learn a lot from the example of steadfast Mary, who continued to follow through with her calling, even though its earliest days she faced both mental and physical trials and struggles. 

Thank you for joining me in this study of Mary. We aren’t finished learning from this young woman who bore and raised the Son of God.

You can write me now in the chat, or any time at Nancy@DymanicChristianMinistries.org.

“Mary the Mother” Part 1

With Mother’s Day just behind us, it seems appropriate to begin a short series of blogs about Mary the mother of Jesus. It’s not truly a break in our Lessons from the Gospels series – just a special focus.

Let’s get one thing straight before I get into this blog series. I do not believe in worshipping Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was fully human – like you and me. Only God the Father and His Son, our Savior, Jesus, are to be worshipped.

However, I believe that she was an extraordinary human being, a one-of-a-kind woman who faced a once-in-all-eternity opportunity. As an unmarried woman, Mary accepted the call of God to bear His son – a call that changed her life (and all of ours) forever.

I also believe that we all can learn something from this pillar of faith, who, it seems, began this incredible journey as the human mother of God when she was just a teenager.  

We can learn a lot, in fact, from Mary the mother. And so, I begin this series, titled “Mary the Mother”, looking at the faith it took to accept this singular call to not only carry, but also to raise the Son of God. We will try to walk beside her in her journey as the mother of Jesus until we read the last scripture that mentions her and the closing days of her life.

Let’s begin in the book of Luke, as he provides the most detailed description of young Mary’s encounter with an angel sent by God and to announce to her an incredible destiny.

Luke 1:26-38 [NLT] 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!" 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.

Confused and disturbed. I’d be scared spitless if an angel just showed up at my house to talk to me.

The Greek word used here means “to disturb wholly, e.g. agitate (with alarm): trouble”. I’ll say! An angel shows up and calls you “favored woman”. What do you make of that?! Favored woman? Mary is barely a woman – closer to the age of a child in our minds. Of course she is thinking, “what are you talking about?”. Or maybe, “what have I every done that warrants being called “favored woman”.

This is the only time in the Bible that we find this word used. I wonder if God inspired it to be so because what other incident held the impact of that meeting or that greeting? It does remind me of Gideon of the Old Testament.

In Judges chapter 11, Gideon is threshing wheat in a secret place to hide from the Midianites. In verse 12, and angel of the Lord appears and says, “The Lord is with you, mighty man of valor.”. At that point in his life, Gideon must have felt like anything but a “mighty man of valor”.

But God calls it like He sees it – not like we see it.

Please note that while the greeting reminds me of the angel showing up to talk to Gideon about what God would make of him – the kind of life and purpose God was calling him to – God sent an unnamed angel to Gideon.

However, when it came to what might be the weightiest news of all time, God send an archangel, Gabriel to speak to Mary. Gabriel (“man of God”) was also sent to Zacharias to bring the news that the one who would pave the way for our Savior would be born to him and his wife, Elizabeth.

Gabriel appeared twice to Daniel as well. In both incidences, Gabriel came to give Daniel understanding about a vision he had received. The latter vision included the coming of the Messiah.

I love the connection of that. Gabriel, an archangel, is specifically named in three incidents of bringing the news about the coming Messiah.

The weight of this news is HUGE. And Mary, our young woman (maybe just a girl, really) is rightly disturbed, alarmed and troubled by Gabriel’s appearing in front of her.

Also, please note that there is only one other incident that I can find where an angel came and spoke to a woman. Even in the case of the announcement of John the baptizer, Gabriel went to Zacharias, not Elizabeth.

The other incident is when God told Manoah’s wife (we are not told her name) that she would carry Samuel – another rescuer of Israel – but in a physical way. In both of these cases, the angel also spoke to the husband after having told the woman.

We find the interaction with Gabriel and Mary in Luke 1:26-38 [NLT] 30 "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!" 34 Mary asked the angel, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin." 35 The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and He will be called the Son of God. 36 What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God." 38 Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." And then the angel left her.

One of the most incredible things about Mary’s faith is that she was a teenager when this happened. If she was at the top of the age range that scholars estimate, she would have been 16. Some say she was younger. I say that even if she’d reached 21 (what we think of as adult these days), it was still a huge responsibility and commitment.

So, our first three points in this study of Mary the mother are:

1.      When God has a big ask for us, He will be sure that we are sure it comes from Him. He may not send an angel, but He certainly will be patient if we ask for confirmation in some form. [See the stories of Gideon and Ahaz.] We should pray and meditate, seek counsel in the Word of God and others if we feel God is calling us to something big – unless, of course, an angel shows up to give you the news.

2.      We need to be spiritually, mentally, and emotionally ready for God to call us to great things. That means always being close to Him. Studying and meditating on His Word daily. Working on our personal growth. Relying on faith in and trust. Staying obedient in the little things.

3.      Let God decide if you are ready and up to the task. Don’t doubt His timing and plans for you, and maybe miss out on an opportunity to do something big just because you don’t think you are ready.

Sweet sister, you are not too young, or too old, or too sick, or too rich or poor, or too much of any other thing for God to use you in a big way. God has a plan and purpose for you. Get ready for it by staying close to Him and being open to opportunities. Then, when it comes, you will be ready to walk by faith.

Thank you for joining me in this study of Mary. We aren’t finished learning from this young woman who bore and raised the Son of God.

You can write me now in the chat, or any time at Nancy@DymanicChristianMinistries.org.

Toes in the Sand 2: Feet on the Water

Again, this week, I am interrupting my Lessons from the Gospels study to bring you another message from the Toes in the Sand women’s retreat that I attended, April 24-27 in Crytal Beach, Texas. Although, the lessons from the Gospels and from the beach very much converge here.

Back as far as the book of Job we see that God alone is the One who walks on water.

Job 9:8 [NKJV] He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea;

Because He created the heavens and the earth, the natural laws and principles that He crafted into existence do not apply. But is it possible for a human being to walk on water?

Recently, I posted a blog titled “Jesus Walks on Water, Peter Doesn’t”. In it, I point out that Peter could not walk on water because he focused on the storm and not the One who controls it.

But Peter DID walk on water, didn’t he? At least for a short period of time. Let’s not let that part get lost on us.

Matthew 14:28-29 [NKJV] 28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.”

We don’t know how many steps Peter took toward Jesus before fear got the better of him, but I know that he got out of the boat and walked on water.

This scripture came to mind again during the Toes in the Sand retreat, during some of our “Soul Time” – time devoted to meditation and soul searching. As I headed out to sit on the porch where I could see the waves and smell the ocean while meditating on our latest discussion, the song “Oceans” was playing softly in the background. That is one of my very favorite praise songs.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to hear it from the porch, so I looked it up on YouTube and played it on my phone while I was meditating. It starts out like this:

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown
Where feet may fail

What? Wait! Does Jesus call us to walk on water? Are we supposed to walk on water? Or was that just the one time and just for Peter?

Sweet sisters, we walk on water every time we overcome a sin by His power. We walk on water every time we step out in faith, not knowing what will happen but trusting in Him anyway. We walk on water when we remain faithful even when the answer from God is “no, my child” or “not now” to a heartfelt, faith-filled prayer and we continue to trust in His will. Why?

Mark 10:27 [NKJV] “But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men [it is] impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible." Why is that a rich person would struggle to enter the Kingdom?

Because the kind of faith, strength, growth required to give up riches for God is not possible without walking on spiritual water holding onto the hand of Jesus. I would say that the same is true of struggles with addiction, pride, gossip and any other sin.

True change for anyone is not possible without walking on the water of faith while holding Jesus’ hand. The tougher the challenge the rougher the water and, therefore, the more focused on Jesus we need to be and the tighter we need to hold onto Him.

Jesus spoke a very similar phrase during what I would call the most pivotal night of His human life:

Mark 14:36 [NKJV] 36 And He said, "Abba, Father, all things [are] possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You [will]."

God called Jesus to walk on the stormy path laid out for Him from the foundation of the world [Re. 13:8]: that of a brutal and lonely death. The Father sent angels to minister to Jesus as He faced the fact that this cup would not be removed, and He would once again walk on water (spiritually speaking) – doing something that no other in heaven or on earth was capable of doing.

Mark 10:27 [NKJV] “But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men [it is] impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."

2 Corinthians 5:7 [NKJV] reminds us that: “…we walk by faith, not by sight”. Because He has gone back to the Father, we don’t see Jesus on the water with our natural eyes. We only see Him with eyes of faith. By faith we also reach out our hands to Him, so that we can walk on whatever choppy water the Father bids us to traverse.

So, we can also find the key to walking on water in the chorus of “Oceans”:

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

Where is your Savior calling you to walk on water, sweet sister? Is He calling you to take the risk of inviting someone to church? To go into full-time ministry or become a missionary? Get involved in supporting single mom’s or immigrants or disabled veterans or the homeless? Change careers?

Is He calling you to remain obedient in a situation when taking the easy road of giving up or giving in would be far less taxing? Is He calling you to be silent in a situation where you want to speak up and wait for Him to intervene?

Sweet sisters, I encourage you to listen to the still, small voice of God’s guidance, and then take Jesus’ hand, get out of the boat, and walk on the water.

You CAN walk on water holding His hand. He is bidding you to do just that.

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

Toes in the Sand 1: Be Still

I do not like to sit still. I will sit for a movie or TV show that my husband and I are watching together, although sometimes I am also doing something on my phone because I have trouble just sitting there. Typically, though, I am ironing or doing some other chore if I am watching TV. 

I listen to books on Audible so that I can learn or be entertained while I am driving in my car or taking a walk. My Bible time is spent learning while I search the scriptures for material for a blog post, teen devotional, or children’s class for church. If feels more like “killing two birds with one stone” when I do it that way. (Yes, that is what I’m doing right now.)

I sometimes walk and pray, especially when I am dealing with tough things. I find that moving my body helps me process strong emotions.

I get frustrated when I have 20 things on my “to do” list and only have 10 of them done by 9:00 am.

Following this scripture is tough for me: Psalm 46:10 {NKJV] “Be still, and know that I [am] God…”

So, when I saw the schedule for the Toes in The Sand retreat with “Soul Time” for reflecting in the morning and then HOURS of “Toes in the Sand” time for doing whatever you want in the afternoon, I confess that I freaked out a little. How was I possibly going to handle that without chewing my cuticles raw? I don’t sunbathe because of my skin cancer (and also because it involves sitting for periods of time), I could not take long walks due to a minor injury of my foot.

Then, in Mark 4:39 [NKJV], I read this, “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.”

And my spirit understood that Jesus could and would also rebuke the storm in my mind, the whirling thoughts of work and family and responsibilities and worry and planning and a thousand things to do. “Peace, be still”, He said. Or maybe “Just try being still. Just this once, give stillness a chance.”

And that is what I did. I gave stillness a chance at least for some of the time. (I am a work in progress.) It was not easy but I made an effort to focus on quieting my brain and being present. Being at the beach helped because that is my happy place. I can focus on experiencing the sound of the waves, the smell of the salt, the feel of the breeze. I am happy to report that my cuticles are intact.

There in my hard-won stillness, I did feel like I was able to “hear” from God – not some revelation about myself, not some prophesy for the future, but a message that touched my heart and impacts my plans. (I will share what I “heard” in the next blog.)

1 Kings 19:11-13 [NKJV] 11 Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, [but] the LORD [was] not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, [but] the LORD [was] not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard [it], that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice [came] to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

It seems to me that we are far too quick to give God credit for speaking in the disasters of life. Floods, tornados, drought, etc. are too frequently seen as His hand in punishing the nation or the people for their sins. Yes, sin does bring consequences. However, according to 1 Kings 19:11-13, we might be better served to listen for God’s message for the nation, the people around us and ourselves in the quiet times.

I know that, as a parent, I would typically start instructing my children with a calm voice and ramp up the volume and power if I felt that they were not listening. God can work that way too.

This scripture seems to indicate that God did just the opposite to get Elijah’s attention. God spoke to him in the quiet after the storm.

In Mark 4:40 [NLT] we see that Jesus had a word for His disciples after He quieted the storm too.  Then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

So, I have to ask, “Where is my faith when I only focus on the storm?” Where is my faith if I only focus on the activity, on doing? Where is my faith if I’m not offering Him quiet time that is specifically devoted to listening for His voice?

This is the purpose of Biblical meditation – to read the word and then think about it, “listening” for what it is saying to me.

Psalm 46:10 {NKJV] “Be still, and know that I [am] God…”

We have plenty of activity at the Toes in the Sand retreat, including interactive discussions, stretching on the beach, collecting shells, lessons/instruction, making dream boards, helping with cooking and cleaning up, and even some dancing. We also had “soul time” for meditating on Bible discussions/lessons.

I came back with a renewed commitment to quiet time - when I am neither reading nor writing, but just thinking about what God might be saying to me in the scripture. I already know that God will meet me there and my soul will be blessed. I know it will be worth the time.

I also know that I’m just going to have to work at it because I didn’t miraculously lose my desire to “be productive” in every moment, or then nagging feeling that stillness is not an effective use of my time. I will work at it because the “knowing God” part comes in the times when we choose to be still. And I would like to know Him more. I believe that He has fresh words for me still – after all these years of walking with Him.

I feel Him saying, “Dear daughter, be still and know Me.”

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

Lessons from the Gospels – Heart of the Matter

Today, a part of a Don Henley/Eagles song came to mind:

I've been tryin' to get down

To the heart of the matter

But my will gets weak

And my thoughts seem to scatter

But I think it's about

Forgiveness, forgiveness

The heart of the matter in the Christian walk is forgiveness. Without the forgivenesss of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, there is no hope for us. Forgiveness is the heart of God and we are saved from eternal death by it

Jesus had plenty to say about our hearts too. Let’s examine our hearts through His words.

Matthew 15:8 [NIV] " 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

Why would the people of God simply pay lip service to Him? Jesus says that can happened when our treasure, our dreams, and our goals, are not laser focused on the hope of the future.

Matthew 6:21 [NIV] “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

We do not want to be “just going through the motions” of walking through life in tune (thought, word, and deed) with God’s will for us, while being distracted by the next shiny thing we could learn, earn, do or be in this life. And we definitely don’t want to be distracted by some political bruhaha or doomsday news prediction about what “they” are going to do if we don’t stop them.

One way we can tell if our hearts are not in the right place is by considering what comes out of our mouths. Gossip? Prejudice? Lies? Judgmental phrases?

Matthew 15:18-20 [NKJV] 18 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 "These are [the things] which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

What is in our hearts comes out in our words and actions – good or evil.

Luke 6:45 [NIV] “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

So, what does God really want from us? Everything.

Mark 12:30 [NIV] “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Our WHOLE hearts. ALL of our love. EVERY corner of our minds. EVERY part of our souls. ALL of our strength.  He wants it all.

Our relationships must be passed through the filter of giving everything to God. Our jobs must be passed through the filter of giving everything to God. Our worship must be passed through the filter of giving everything to God. And so forth.

That kind of life is one that begins with a heart close to God – a heart entirely given to Him in whole-heart devotion and focus.

Mark 12:30 [NIV] “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

God wants our whole hearts and when we give them to Him, everything else falls into line.

And THAT is the heart of the matter.

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

Lessons from the Gospels – Jesus walks on water, Peter doesn’t

Previously, we discussed Luke 8:22-25, where Jesus calmed a storm and the disciples asked, “Who is this?” because He commanded even the wind and water.

Today, let’s look at another storm incident.

Matthew 14:22-33 [NKJV] 22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." 28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind [was] boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out [His] hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

There is so much we can learn from these two incidences, but I’ll stick to one key point: We cannot walk above the storms of life unless our eyes are firmly fixed on Jesus who is there to either hold our hands or calm the storm.

In the first case, Jesus immediately calmed the storm. In the second, He walked above the stormy waters. Peter wanted to do that too. He couldn’t because he focused on the storm, rather than the One who could control it.

Storms are an inevitable and natural product of nature, whether short, gentle rains, or those that include gale-force winds, boat-swamping waves, deafening thunder and destructive lightning. Same with our spiritual lives.

A friend of mine just lost her battle against the hurricane of a sudden cancer that took her out in a matter of months between diagnosis and death. She held His hand to walk through it. He chose not to calm the storm, but instead brought her to the sleep of death so that she might await that new life in eternity with Him.

I know people locked in a storm of MS and other incurable, progressive diseases, which include the constant threat of a storm surge when things flare up.  They know they must hold His hand each day the storms both small and great or be swamped by the waves.

I know people whose children are themselves in danger of drowning in choppy seas of their own creation due to sin and the resulting struggles. When your child (even a grown adult one) is struggling in a stormy sea of life, you, as a parent, taste that salty water too.

And then there are the regular rains of everyday life’s struggles against sin, that can also cause us to pitch out of the boat and into the deep if we do not grab the hand of Jesus when we are falling.

How often do I get caught up in the storms of life, desperately swimming when there is a hand I could be holding in order to walk above the fray?  

Sweet sisters, ultimately, there is no surviving past all of the storms of life. None of us make it through life alive. And none of us will face only calm waters along the way.

Praise God, we walk this walk knowing that forecast of our futures is for still waters that last all eternity.

But right now, we don’t always know what kind of rough seas lie ahead for us or when the storms will hit.

In times of quiet, we must ensure we are in His boat, moving forward to His goals for us in this life and in the next.

Then, when we are bid to walk out onto stormy seas, we better have our hand in His, looking at only Him. Although we will not be oblivious to the storm, we can walk above it, eyes locked on the Calmer of Storms, who commands the winds and rain.

Storms don’t mean He isn’t in control. They mean it is time to walk on the water with our Savior.

Last Sabbath, we sang the song “Oceans” (Hillsong), which calls to mind Matthew 14:22-23.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

If you haven’t been called to out of the boat and into the choppy sea yet, you will be at some point. And whether He then calms the sea or leads you across it, hold firmly to the Savior’s hand. He is yours and you are His.

In His presence, your faith will be stronger, and you will walk on water toward a future of rest in forever calm seas.

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

Lessons from the Gospels 9 – What is the lesson here?

We who read the scriptures to learn more about God and Christ, their plan, will and promises, can still miss or gloss over important lessons, or even miss them entirely if we are not diligent in mining the Word for all we can learn.

In Matthew 12, we find what I have always considered to be a lesson about the Sabbath.

Matthew 12:1-2 [NLT] 1 At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them. 2 But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, "Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath."

Once again, the Pharisees focused on their strict interpretation of how to keep the Sabbath. And once again, Jesus showed them that they did not really understand God.

Matthew 12:3-6, 8 [NLT] 3 Jesus said to them, "Haven't you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and he and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. 5 And haven't you read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? 6 I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! ... 8 For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!"

It strikes me now that the lesson of Matthew 12:1-8 isn’t just about the Sabbath. It is not just about Who it is who decides what is right and wrong behavior for the Sabbath day.  It is also about God’s love and mercy. And, perhaps, the lesson is really meant to be more about God’s love and mercy than the Sabbath.

Sabbath-breaking had landed the people of Israel in captivity more than once. That is why the Pharisees were so strict. It is why they added additional laws around it – putting their own traditions on par with the law of God.

Jesus showed the Pharisees not only that the Sabbath was not meant to be a burden, but, more importantly, that nothing God gives us is meant to be a burden. In showing them this, He was pointing them and us to the greater point of all the law and scripture.

Therefore, I believe that verse 7 outlines Jesus’ key point for them and for us. Matthew 12:1 7 [NKJV] 7 "But if you had known what [this] means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.”

That God is more concerned with mercy for we frail humans is evidenced in the story of David and his men eating the showbread/sacred loaves when they were starving, something forbidden for non-priests.

And this is not the only time that Jesus had to school the leaders of that love and mercy are more important than their own interpretation of what it meant to keep the law.

Time and again, when Jesus healed on the Sabbath, He ran up against the Pharisees thinking He didn’t keep the law correctly. In fact, it appears in the very next verses of Matthew 12.

Matthew 12:9-14 [NKJV] 9 Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--that they might accuse Him. 11 Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift [it] out? 12 "Of how much more value than is a man than a sheep? Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 13 Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched [it] out, and it was restored as whole as the other. 14 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

In this segment, Jesus not only advocates for mercy toward suffering humans, but also mercy toward suffering animals. God cares about the sparrows that falls. [Luke 12:6]

God does expect us to make sacrifices. We must sacrifice our own will, our time, our money, our praise and so forth in the service of Him and of preaching the gospel. But He is much more focused on mercy than money. Much more focused on mercy than sacrifice.

Perhaps 1 Corinthians 13 comes to your mind now. I think it perfectly aligns for us. Love, the driver of mercy, is more important than speaking in tongues, giving away all our goods or sacrificing even our own bodies.

The Psalms are filled with praise for the enduring mercy of our Heavenly Father.

Psalm 107:1 [NKJV] 1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for [He is] good! For His mercy [endures] forever.

[See also Psalm 106:1; 118:1-4, 29; all of Psalm 136]

So, it is little wonder that David understood that God would be more concerned with his starving men than with saving the shewbread for the priests, and they could only eat the old shewbread after it had been replaced by the new showbread. If you don’t know the mercy of God, you might be afraid of getting struck by lightening for doing something like that.

But David knew God’s mercy and he fully trusted in it.

Matthew 12:1 7 [NKJV] 7 "But if you had known what [this] means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.”

What about us, sweet sisters? Do we truly know, understand, accept and lean on God’s mercy? Or do we shackle ourselves to fear because we are unsure of its depth and breadth?

Praise God for His mercy and count on it every day. You can trust in it always. And, because of that, we, too, should extend it generously to others.

I am very glad that mercy is of the utmost importance to our loving Father. Without it, I would have no hope. I seek to be like Him, in all things, including extending mercy to others. But it begins with accepting God’s mercy and experiencing it for ourselves.

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

Lessons from the Gospels 8 – Burdened

I am tired, sweet sisters. My job is currently very busy with opportunities that I, as director of sales, am tasked with turning into clients. I have a lot going on at church with teaching opportunities and events, kids classes, blogging and SOS. I’ve been traveling for work and for pleasure. Family birthdays and anniversaries, getting together with friends, and babysitting grandkids. Add to those good things the starting of a new entrepreneurial business venture and am training for a 5k.

I am very much over 21 and I don’t last as long or spring back as fast as I used to. But these are sweet “burdens” that I enjoy bearing, even though they tire me out. These are physical “burdens” that actually feel light to me due to the joy I have in them.

You know what wears me out more than those activities? The emotional and mental stress of the suffering of the world – from friends and family facing health, financial or interpersonal issues to the various wars, depressing and unnecessarily adversarial political environment, famine, prejudice, abuse and more going on in the world around me. These are too much for a human to bear and I sometimes ask God how He can look down on the earth and see it ALL (He sees so much more than I can), and not just send Jesus back right now!

You know what is not a burden? My relationship with God.

Matthew 11:28-30 [NLT] 28 Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

When Jesus calls us, He calls us to “light duty”. The Greek work translated “easy to bear” in the New Living Version above is translated and just “easy” in the King James, and it means “fit, fit for use, useful, good, virtuous or manageable”.

Something that is fit for use or useful hardly seems like it should be called a burden. God does ask us to carry a load, but it is a light load, and easy load.

We are not asked to carry the guilt or debt of our own sins. Those were pinned to the stake with Jesus.

We are not asked to carry the mental burdens of this world. Those Jesus promises to hold for us.

We are not asked to carry the burden of trying to save others. God does the calling in His own time.

We are not asked to carry the burden of “pay back” and revenge. Revenge-taking can be exhausting, and God offers to take that burden off of us. [Romans 12:17, 19] How much more peaceful would this world be without individuals or nations seeking revenge or to “get their own” back?

Matthew 11:28-30 [NLT] 28 Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

The burden He asks us to bear is light. And we can think of it in two ways. (1) It is light as the opposite of heavy. Not so much to ask of us.  (2) It is to BE the light in the world. [Matthew 5:14]

Our “light burden” sweet sisters is to be the light of this world - light that shines this suffering world toward God. Light that brings hope and happiness. Light that brings the warmth and comfort of peace rather than conflict.

Our churches should be a haven of peace and joy in this world so void of both. They should be places where the world-weary souls can come to find rest from struggle, doubt, gossip, ladder climbing, etc.

Our relationships should, to the best of our abilities, be sewn in peace. [Romans 12:18] We should be the people who do not “bring the drama” to our workplaces.

Why? Because we follow Jesus who healed people, taking away that burden. We follow Jesus who lifted the burden of adherence to all the extra things the leaders had added to the perfect law of liberty. [James 1:25] Our congregations and 501c3 organizations should not be places that add to the law what are really just the man-made burdens of “tradition” or opinion.

He asks us to help others who are burdened by sin – NOT to add to their burdens with opinions and rituals. [Galatians 6:1-2]

I know that Matthew 7:14 says the way that leads to life if difficult, but that is not because it is a heavy burden. That is because we, as humans in a world led by Satan, struggle against the good way, the peaceful way. That is because we, as humans in a world led by Satan, too willingly take on the burden of sin and its consequences.

God and Jesus offer us peace, hope, a future. We know God’s plans are for exactly that. [Jeremiah 29:11]

We bear the “burden” of being the beacons of peace, light, and hope in this world, and of spreading that message of a beautiful, bright future out into the world.

That is no great burden to bear.

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

Lessons from the Gospels 7 – Two things

In the movie City Slickers, the character named Curly, tells Mitch to find his own “one thing” to guide his life. Well, today’s blog is about the two things that Jesus gave us.

1 John 4:20 [NKJV] If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

Three out of the four Gospel accounts address incidences where the two great commandments are addressed. In both Matthew and Mark, Jesus was asked for the greatest or the first commandment and He responded that the first or great commandment is “Love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.” But He did not stop there. Although no one asked, Jesus volunteered that there is a second commandment that is like the first. That is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

In incident found in Matthew, Jesus concluded with, “On these two commandments hand all the Law and the Prophets.” [Matthew 22:34-40]

In Mark’s incident, Jesus concludes with “There is no other commandment greater than these.” [Mark 12:28-34]

In the incident recorded in Luke, Jesus was asked what to do to inherit eternal life. He turns it back on the lawyer who asked, saying, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” The lawyer then outlines the two great commandments and Jesus says he is correct. [Luke 10:25-28]

It is of great importance to us, sweet sisters, to see that these two great commandments are inextricably linked.

Although he does not address a similar incident in his own Gospel, John does show that he knew the importance of and the link between loving God and fellow man in one of his letters.

1 John 4:20 [NKJV] If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

John goes as far as saying you are liar if you say you love God if you hate a brother.

In a previous blog, I mentioned that I believed if the only scripture one had from the Bible was Matthew chapter 5, one would have everything needed in order to live as a Christ follower in this world.

Turns out, all we really need is a couple of sentences: Love God with every part of you. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus Himself said that the entirety of the Old Testament teachings/law and all prophesy hinged on these two.

Since prophesy has the role of outlining God’s plan of salvation for all people, we know that they tell us about God’s great love for us. If you study into God’s interaction with His people, Israel, you will see that He often took them to task or even punished them for either not loving Him (often shown in idol worship or Sabbath-breaking) or not loving their fellow man (search for scriptures about mistreating the widows or the poor or oppressing the immigrant).

Jesus said there is no other commandment greater. We can clearly see that the 10 Commandments [Exodus 20] can be broken into two parts – Commandments 1-4 showing how to love god and Commandments 5-10 showing how to love our fellow man. The 10 are just a more granular version of the two great commandments.

Jesus also showed how to love our neighbors or fellow man in Matthew 25:31-46. Feed the hungry. Clothe those in need. Visit the sick and those imprisoned. Take in strangers. NEWS FLASH: That word translated “stranger” is “foreigner”. I’ll let you explore that on your own for now. Might be a subject for a future blog.

Sisters, Christianity is not a complex set of rules and laws. It boils down to love. Love God. Love your fellow man. Show those by your actions and you will find that you have kept all the law and will have gained eternal life.

If the world does not see love when it sees Christians, we have failed to keep the two great commandments on which everything else hinges.

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

Lessons from the Gospels 6– Who IS this man?

Matthew chapter 8 is full of the miracles of Jesus. It’s all about miracles and little else. Miracles that surely confirmed He was the Messiah.

But in the midst of this chapter of miracles, we find this interesting miracle:

Matthew 8:23-27 [NLT] 23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26 Jesus responded, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

Jesus “rebuked” the wind. To be clear, our Savior was sleeping through this “fierce storm” – apparently not in the least concerned about it. Not the disciples. They were scared.

"Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

But when they woke Him, Jesus got up and “rebuked” the WIND. Wonder if He went right back to sleep, while the disciples stood there with gaping mouths.

Matthew 8:27  tells us, “The disciples were amazed. "Who is this man?" they asked. "Even the winds and waves obey him!"

Who IS this man?! They had just seen Him heal a man with leprosy by touching him – something forbidden as making you unclean.

He commanded the healing of a young servant, from a distance.

He healed Peter’s mother-in-law and then, “That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.”

With a “simple command” the evil spirits left.

Amazing miracles. We don’t even have actual numbers it was “many”. Too many to be counted?

Who is this man who sends healings, touches lepers, simply commands the demons to get out?

But what drops the jaws (metaphorically) of the disciples is His command of the weather? Perhaps because they felt He saved their lives when all seemed lost.

This is not the only time that the actions of Jesus drew the phrase “who is this man”.

Luke 7:47-49 [NLT] 47 "I tell you, her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love." 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 The men at the table said among themselves, "Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?"

Who is this man to forgive sin?

Well, if He was JUST a man these things would be astounding. What’s more astounding is this:

Phillipians 2:5-8 [NLT] 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.

Who IS this Son of God that even my life was worthy of His loving sacrifice. Who is this Being, that even for me He gave up “His divine privileges” and took on a human body, with all it’s pains and weaknesses, and then gave that up too?

Who IS this Jesus? Immanuel. Messiah. Son of God. Healer. Good Shephard. Perfect Lamb. Coming King. My Savior. My Lord. My hope. The Rock I build on. The One I follow.

Who IS this Jesus? The Way. The Door. The Gate.

Who IS this Jesus? The Father’s gift to us.

Who IS this Jesus? He is everything – all our hopes and dreams – our future. He is OURS. 

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

Lessons from the Gospels 5– The Ultimate “Karma”

 People believe in karma – that the universe pays you back for good or bad deeds. It is not real. I think it might be an attempt by non-believers to explain why what you do seems to come back to you.

But it really is a law of God that what you do comes back to you, and it is not “karma” or coincidence. We see it here, in chapter 7 of Matthew.

Matthew 7:1-2 {NLT] 1 "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”

Judge others and you get judged by the same standard of measure.

Matthew 7:12 [NLT] 12 "Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

Here is the Bible version of “you make your own luck” or “karma”. Now, it is not saying that what you do to others will be done exactly you. It is saying that how you treat others should be how you want them to treat you. Too often we see that when someone treats others badly, they still expect to be treated nicely or with respect. You’ve seen the videos where a store employee treats a shopper badly or a shopper treats a store employee badly and then gets surprised when it turns back on them.

Matthew 5:7 [NLT] 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Now, if you treat a Christian badly, they are going to still treat you with love and respect because THEY live the Golden Rule, even if you do not. I’m just saying that we would not find the same to be true of people without any kind of faith walk to guide them.

Bible readers will know that even the Old Testament shows that this is how God intended for life to work – that what you put out there will come back to you.

Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 [NKJV] 1 Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days. 2 Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

Peek back at Matthew 5:7 [NLT] 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

God is the ultimate assurer that “what goes around, comes around”. Even if others don’t pay you back in kind, God will see that you get back what you give out – for good or bad.

It is HE who pays back good for good or evil for evil, not some mystic karma. We believers are to pay back good for good and good for evil. We are not the arbiters of what others deserve.

The ultimate and just Judge sees what others do AND what we do (the good, the bad or the ugly) and He gives us the opportunity to experience it right back – from Him.

We might weather a payback of ugliness in this life, be we certainly don’t want that on judgment day. No. Instead we count on God’s mercy over our sins, faults and mistakes.

So, again, we need to remember the scripture we started with. Matthew 7:1-2 {NLT] 1 "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”

Come judgment day, “ain’t nobody got time for ‘karma’”. Mercy, patience, forgiveness, grace… If we want these on judgment day, sweet sisters, we must by using that measuring stick on others.

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

Lessons from the Gospels 4 – Be

If you read nothing else in the Bible other than Matthew 5, I believe you would know all you need to know about being a Christian, from day-to-day interactions to our eternal hope. You’d still need baptism and indwelling of the Holdy Spirit, of course. More details about God’s plan and Jesus’ sacrifice would certainly be better. But you could live as God intended His children to live if the only part of the Bible you had was Matthew 5. In fact, we are just going to look at the “Beatitudes” to see how we should “be” as Christians in this world.

I believe if you grew up with only this chapter the Bible to read, and you followed it, you would hear “Well done, my good and faithful servant” at the time of the judgement.

One blog cannot cover all the important learnings from Matthew 5, but I’ll try to hit a few. I’ll again be using the New Living Translation for its more modern wording. Rather than “blessed are”, it says, “God blesses those”, making it clearer that this isn’t a coincidence (or “karma”, which I’ll get into more in chapter 8) but a planned response by God to His much-loved children.

So, here are the basics of Christianity:

Matthew 5:3 [NLT] 3 "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. Matthew 5:5 “God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.”

My paraphrase: Know your place in the universe and let it make you humble, because then God will bless you. You only need to go to the Psalms to read more about this. Here are a few examples: Psalm 18:27; 69:32; 138:6; 149:4]

Matthew 5:4, 6 [NLT] 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ... 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

You will suffer in this life – for your faith, because people can be cruel, and just because we are fragile beings. So will the rest of the world – the non-believers -- suffer. But your mourning for loss or for the condition of the world, and your desire for justice will result in God’s blessing.

Matthew 5:7 [NLT] 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Show mercy to others or no mercy is coming your way. For further info on showing mercy see Luke 6:36. Also, see the parable in Matthew 18:22-35. It is just to great of a risk to withhold mercy from others. None of us can afford to be without the mercy God can show to us.

Matthew 5:8 [NLT] 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

When we do good things for the right reasons, when we serve God and His people from the heart, we see the Father in them. They are His children too. If those we serve see God nowhere else, they should see Him in OUR words and deeds. I’ say that others see Him too. Our good deeds do not garner this blessing if they are not done from a pure heart. See 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 for more on that.

Matthew 5:9 [NLT] 9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. See Isaiah 9:6. If call Him our Lord and King, we should be peacemakers as well. The more contentious this world or any particular situation gets, the more we should stand out as those who stand for, crave and create peace. For further instruction on seeking peace see Psalm 34:14; Romans 12:18 and Hebrews 12:14.

God does not lie to us, nor hide from us the things that we will face during our lives on earth.

Matthew 5:11-12 [NLT] 11 "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

We are in good company when we face persecution. Not only the ancient prophets faced the same – Jesus did too!

But the Father tells us that we should “be” happy about these troubles that come as a result of our obedience to Him. Why? Because He promises us a great reward for enduring through it.

We should “be” different in this world. God blesses us when we are aligned with Him, as peacemakers, as those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, as those who mourn for the suffering in the world and as those who suffer persecution with joy.

What do you think? Is the whole – or at least the greater part – of our Christian duty outlined in just these first 12 verses of Matthew? Well, we have more of this important chapter to go. I’ll continue exploring Matthew 5 in the next blog.

Sweet sisters, I hope you will “be” as Jesus was in this world.

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