Foolish Worship- John 12

I remember a time when I was working as the Children's Pastor at Evangel Assembly of God in Cortez, CO that something very embarrassing happened. One of our helpers was teaching an object lesson, and I went to the supply closet to get something. I squatted down to pick it up off of the floor and heard a very loud noise as my pants split from belt loops to zipper!! I was so embarrassed! I felt so foolish!!
We are so afraid of looking foolish. We are so afraid of what other people will think of us. We pick our clothes, pick our words, and dictate our actions based on how we think other people are going to accept what we do. We are afraid of looking foolish.
Mary wasn't afraid to look foolish in order to worship the King of Kings! She has a bunch of guests at her house... She should be serving them! But instead, she finds the most valuable think she can, and pours it out at Jesus' feet. She takes something of incredible value and uses it to worship her King. In today's economy, that bottle of perfume would have cost somewhere around $40,000.00!!!! And she just poured it out! That sounds foolish!
But her foolishness didn't stop there. Then she, the host of this dinner, begins to wipe the feet of Jesus with her hair! The Apostle Paul says that a woman's hair is her glory. She takes her glory, and uses it to wipe the dirt off of her Master's feet. Her glory meant nothing to her in comparison to His glory!! Sure she looked foolish, but she was worshipping the Lord of all Creation!
Sometimes worshipping God can look foolish. We give him 10% of our income, and people say, "What in the world are you doing?!?!?!?!" In worship, we hold back from places and activities that won't bring him glory. In worship, we give our lives for His purpose because He gave His life to save ours. Worship can seem pretty foolish. It can appear to be absurd. It doesn't add up.
When it seems the most foolish, that is when your worship is pure. You only care about what He thinks of you. Nothing else matters. You are worshipping.

But Lord...- John 11

You gotta love Mary and Martha. Typical siblings that don't exactly see eye to eye. They both have their good qualities, and they both have their bad (I suppose we all do!). Usually, they are the opposite of one another, but in this situation, they were the same. They expressed great faith in Jesus' ability to heal the sick. But raising the dead? They weren't so sure.
They statement that stand out to me is when Jesus tells them to roll the stone back, and Martha says, "But Lord...". Isn't that what we say all the time? God wants to do something incredible in us, but He asks us to do something that we think will make us look foolish. So we say, "But Lord...". Somehow, we get it in our head that for at least that one split second, we know something that God doesn't. If you read that last statement back, you will see just how silly that is!!
There are going to be times where God asks us to do something that doesn't make sense. It's not going to add up. It is going to seem foolish. But one thing about Jesus is: usually when He is going to do something big, He requires some action on our part too! We have to participate! And sometimes that participation isn't going to make sense. Sometimes we are going to want to say, "But Lord...".
It's kinda your call. You can have it your way, and have God's incredible blessing continue to rot in a cave if you want. Or, you can do do something foolish, roll back the stone, and see God's glory at work in your situation. It's your call. What are you gonna do?

Some Things Never Change- John 10

Everyone likes dependable things. No one goes to a car lot and asks for the biggest piece of junk they have. We want something dependable.
Jesus says in John 10:35 that “The Scriptures cannot be altered.” They are dependable. They are unchanged, and will remain that way. Nothing I can say, do, or teach can change the truth of the Scripture. If you hear someone say something about God that doesn’t sound right, you can always check it out, because the truth of Scripture cannot be changed. It is steady and unmovable.
It’s kinda nice to know that in a world where everything is constantly changing, some things never do. God’s word never changes. It is never found lacking. It is always sure and true.
Thank God that some things never change!

Blinded By Details- John 9

I hate details. I like to think of myself as a big picture person. Sometimes the details can just weigh something down so much that it’s no good anymore. I realize that we need the details in some respect, but I’m convinced that we stress too much about the details.
The Pharisees were definitely detail people. They made sure that they were “perfect” right down to the last detail. And when Jesus healed a blind man on the Sabbath in John 9, they freaked out! They said it was against the Law to heal on the Sabbath (I love Jesus’ response to them when the same thing happened in John 5 :17, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”). Jesus had violated one of their details.
Sometimes as Christians, I think we get way too worried about the details. We start talking doctrine, and before long a fist fight almost breaks out! It seems that sometimes, concentrating on the details too much can be destructive. They can tear down what God is trying to build up.
Let’s look at the big picture. Jesus is the only way to Heaven. He is the Risen Savior of all mankind. In him is hope, life, peace, and love. Let the details worry about themselves. The big picture is that I choose to follow him, no matter what the details are.

Go Towards The Light- John 8

We’ve all heard those stories where someone has a near death experience, and they go toward the light. I’ve always wondered if fish have a similar experience when you throw them back after catching them…. Anyway, back to the subject… What would happen if we went toward the Light?
Jesus says in John 8:12 that he is the Light of the world, and if you follow Him, you won’t have to walk in darkness. I’m not sure about you, but I see darkness everywhere in this world. We live in a very dark place. But Jesus said we could escape this darkness by following Him.
Are you in the middle of a dark time right now? Have you found your life in a dark place that you never expected to be in? Follow the Light!! 1 John says that there is no darkness in Him! Follow the Light and watch the darkness scatter.
It sounds simple, because it is…. Just follow Him!

Confused?- John 7

I am in a constant state of confusion. I think most people are, but how would I know, I’m confused about it? I’m unsure sometimes about how to act or think. Certain situations definitely leave me wondering.
Jerusalem was a confusing place when Jesus was there in John 6. No one really knew what to think about Jesus. They knew what they heard him say. They knew the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Him. They knew He was a good teacher. They knew some said He was Messiah. They knew He was certainly powerful enough to be Messiah. They knew lots of stuff. And knowing all that stuff is pretty confusing.
I don’t think things are much different in our world today. We say we know what we think about Jesus, but do we know? We say He is the Messiah. We say He is the Son of God. We say that nothing is impossible for Him. We say we serve Him. We say He is the one and only object of our affection. But do our actions back up our words? I think we’re a little confused.
If He really is everything we say He is, then why don’t we act like it? If He is so powerful, why do we have a hard time believing in the impossible? If He is the son of God, then why do we have a hard time pulling our hearts away from the ideals of this world, and truly loving Him? If we really serve Him, then why does every decision we make only benefit ourselves?
I think we’re confused. But how would I know?… I’m confused….

A Little Goes a Long Way- John 6

I am a huge cheap-skate. I hate to spend money if I don’t have to. I am constantly walking around my house lecturing the family about wasted heat, and energy. So, being the cheap-o that I am, I love a good deal. I love it when you can buy a lot of something cheap, or when you can get something where a little goes a long way.
In John 6, Jesus sees an enormous crowd coming His way, and asks Phillip where they can get some bread. Phillip answers like he h=thinks Jesus is crazy for even bringing it up!
But then Andrew sees something. Its not much, but it is something. Andrew sees that there is a boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish. There is no possible way to make that little go far enough to feed everyone. So then, why does he even bring it up? Why would Andrew even mention such a little bit of food in the middle of such an enormous need?
I think Andrew understood something fundamental about his Master. Can you think of one time Jesus walked into a situation of abundance and did something logic-defying? I can’t! In fact, every time Jesus did something miraculous, there was a huge need, and nothing to work with. I think Andrew said to himself, “There isn’t much here, but I’m not so sure He needs that much.” (I like this event so much, it makes me want to start going by my full name!)
Jesus doesn’t need much from you. All He really needs is the little you have, and the realization that, for Him, that is more than enough. Don’t be afraid to serve God because you feel like you have nothing to give. Jesus loves nothing! He does His best work with nothing! Jesus has a membership to go and visit the Nothing Hall of Fame, He loves it so much.
You don’t need much. Just give Him what you have, and know that it will be enough.

Searching For Approval- John 5

We all like approval. We like to know our vitamins are FDA approved. We want the meat from the grocery store to be USDA approved. We like it when our loan application gets approved. And, we like it when people approve of us.
In general, most of what every person wants is the approval of another. We want to know that people like us. We want them to think we are smart, or funny, or attractive, or kind. We want people to approve of our behavior. And on a more intimate level, we want the people close to us to approve of who we are… our thoughts, feelings, and emotions. We want to be approved by others.
Check out John 5:41. Jesus is talking about the approval, but not in the way we do. He says, “Your approval means nothing to me.” (NLT) Wow! That sounds pretty harsh. But if you dig into the rest of what Jesus is saying here, you’ll see that He really means it. He’s not looking for the approval of me, you, or anyone else. He doesn’t care if you put a gold star next to His name on your chart of importance. He is not looking for you to approve of Him. When Jesus was on the earth, He was only looking for the approval of the Father. As long as the Father was pleased, who cares what anyone else thinks?
What would happen if for just one day, you didn’t care what anyone else thought? What would happen if you stopped looking for the approval of others? What would happen if you were only looking for the approval of the Father?
Just this morning, I read the story of a French woman named Blandina that lived in the 3rd century. She was arrested and tortured for being a Christian. She was beaten so severely that her torturers would get worn out and have to stop. They did this day after day after day. They tried to feed her to wild beasts, but she survived, so they went back to daily torture. Finally, they wrapped her in a fishing net, and left her at the mercy of an angry bull that eventually killed her. Something tells me that Blandina didn’t really care if she had the approval of anyone that might have been watching. Something tells me she was only interested in the approval of the Father.
If you are going to spend your life searching for approval, whose approval is it that you seek?

I'm Full- John 4

If you know me, you know I like to eat. I am no stranger to the dinner table (although lately I've been on a stupid diet!). If there are words that I rarely utter, then they are probably "I'm full"! I can almost always find room for more. The only time I'm ever full is when I go to God's gift to mankind: a Chinese buffet!!
In verse 34 of John 4, Jesus talks about being full. But He isn't talking about food. He says that He finds His satisfaction in doing the work of God. He gets everything He needs through serving the Father.
When was the last time you really felt satisfied with life? When was the last time that you looked at your life and thought, "I'm full"? When was the last time you let yourself be satisfied through your service to the Father.
He is everything we could ever need. We don't need cars, or houses, or money, or members of the opposite sex, or positions, or titles, or power. We need Him. We need our fulfillment to come from serving the King of all Creation.
I pray that today you can look back at your day and say, "I'm full!"

The Gift- John 3

I think everyone likes to get a gift. Even if you are pretty sure the gift is going to be lame, there is still some excitement in finding out. It’s just the way we are. We like gifts.
The Father gave us the greatest gift ever when He sent Jesus to come and redeem us. There is nothing more valuable in all of the world than the gift of Jesus Christ. Every day with Him is like the suspense and surprise of unwrapping a present, and there is never any disappointment with what you get.
The problem is, we forget that He is the gift. John 3:16 says that the Father sent Him as the gift! But too often, we get confused into thinking we are the gift! We think we are giving God a gift when we choose to serve Him. We act like He needs us.
The reality is: God doesn’t need you! Now, before you stop reading and get ready to call and yell at me, hear me out. God doesn’t need you, He has chosen you. He chose to give himself to you. We act like God would never be able to accomplish anything without us. We think that without us, God is rendered utterly useless. But He is God!! If you won’t serve Him and be used by Him, He will just do things another way. He is God! For him, nothing is impossible. Nothing is beyond His reach.
Let me challenge you today not to see yourself as a gift to God, but see Him as a wonderfully powerful, and loving gift to you. Have fun unwrapping it!

Trust Him- John 2

Trust is a funny thing. You know people you can totally trust, and then there are those shifty-eyed people you’re not really sure about. Some people trust you, and other people don’t. No matter how trustworthy you are, if you wear baggy clothes into a convenience store late at night, they definitely won’t trust you.
One thing I know for sure: Mary trusted Jesus. She proves it in John 2 when she asks Him to do something to solve the drink situation at the wedding they were attending. I actually don’t think she was asking Him to perform a miracle. Tradition says that Joseph had died already, and as the oldest boy, Jesus had a responsibility to help His mom. Mary would have probably asked Joseph to help if he had been there. But even though Jesus gives her a kind of weird answer, she still tells the servants to do whatever He says. She trusts Him to do something about it.
I don’t think she was counting on a miracle, because, for all we know, she didn’t know He was capable. But she trusted Him to act. She trusted Him to do something. Something about His character told her that He wouldn’t let this problem go unsolved.
We need to learn to trust Jesus in this way. We need to learn that it is in His character to act. He will do something to bring a solution to the situation. But, like Mary, maybe we shouldn’t always been looking for the miraculous. Maybe we should just trust that He will do something, and leave it at that.

God Sent A Man- John 1

You know, sometimes I wonder why we are necessary. I wonder why or if God really needs us. The truth is, He doesn't really need us, but He loves us, and, He has chosen us. God has chosen to work in our world through people. So, in John 1 it says, "God sent a man."
God has sent people like you and me into our world with His message. He has a message of hope and freedom for the world, and He has sent us to spread the Word. So, let's get to it! He sent us, let's go! There's a big world out there that needs to hear the Gospel... Let's go!!!

At His Own Expense- Acts 28

I love the New Living translation of the Bible. I think a lot of us like one version or another, and we like them for a variety of reasons. In the NLT, there is some interesting wording that closes our the book of Acts. The first part of Acts28:30 reads like this, “For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense.” This is kind of a loaded statement when it comes to Paul.
Paul had the right to seek "employment" from the local Christians, but he didn't. He lived at his own expense. He didn't want to burden anyone. This just shows how selfless Paul was. He was arguably one of the most Spiritually powerful men alive, but he cared more about the needs of others than he cared about his own. Maybe this isn't really a coincidence. Maybe his spiritual power has something to do with his selflessness...???
Living at his own expense can also been seen another way for Paul. It seemed like everywhere that Paul went, it cost him something physically. Just think of how many times he was beaten, run out of town, shipwrecked, and even stoned!! That definitely had a physical price. Really, you could say that Paul's entire ministry was at his own expense. But it really didn't seem to matter to Paul. His only concern was advancing the Kingdom of God.
Wow! Paul was so humble, he'd probably be bummed out if he knew how much we talk about him now. I pray that I can become so Christ-like that I can show this kind of humility.
Lord, humble me.....