1. Message: In Luke 21 Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple. When his disciples asked what kind of signs there would be he begins to describe the events of the end times. I hear people constantly talking about the end times as if it’s an event that wouldn’t begin until we were near the coming of Jesus. Every time bad things go on in the world people say “we’re in the end times”. When I read this I believe the end times began as soon as Jesus died on the cross. The earth has been in a state of decline since sin entered the world, but Jesus spoke about the end times specifically as he prepared for his death on the cross. They are described like labor- beginning slowly but progressively getting worse as time goes on. What surprises me is that the people that seem to talk obsessively about “the end times” seem to be the people who know about God, but live on their own terms. It seems like they see themselves as permanently “in”, and that their job is to point out the evil in the world.
2. Command: Know the signs.
3. Promise: God will give us what we need to not only survive the end times, but help other people thrive.
4. Warning: Don’t get caught sleeping or going through the motions!
5. Application: As I read about the end times I thought about all of the signs Jesus described and how everyone assumes these things will all happen at the “END”. I think many of these things have already been in progress for a long time so instead of wondering if we’re in or near the end times, I feel an urgency as I look around me. Many of the people I’m connected to on social media have a completely closed heart towards the idea of God. When I began my adventure of writing a blog, it was out of a desire to see people know who God really is without all of the built-in perceptions and reservations that people have developed out of their painful life experiences. I don’t know how to reach them all, but I pray that I could reach some, and help them discover who God is through their own journey of reading the word. The challenge for my own life is that I would be careful of getting stuck in a pattern of “going through the motions” as the world deteriorates. Just because I know I’m “in” does not mean I have the luxury of going to sleep and waiting it out until judgment day. Now more than ever it’s time to be passionate and filled with purpose. Not just for my own sake, but for the sake of millions of people who are lost, or stuck going through the motions.

1. Message: In Luke 20 the leading priests were questioning the authority of Jesus. They were convicted by the things he said, but they didn’t want to change, so instead they tried to discredit the authority of Jesus.
2. Command: Allow truth to illuminate. Don’t lose the value by projecting!
3. Promise: Truth will work for our good, even if the person speaking it isn’t.
4. Warning: We will miss out on wisdom if we discredit the truth-teller.
5. Application: Yikes! I see the yuck in my self with this one! I see this very same tendency at work in me when I’m offended by what is being said but I  know it’s true, or when I just don’t like who it is coming from. Truth is truth no matter who speaks it, and questioning whether someone has the right to speak truth to us does not negate the truth!

1. Message: In Luke 18 we read about the rich young ruler. Most of us are very familiar with this story. Even if you haven’t read it for yourself, you’ve probably heard it preached. I have always laughed at the part where he tells Jesus that he has obeyed every law since he was just a boy. I think it’s funny that Jesus didn’t call him out on his outlandish claim, but instead exposed the desire in him that held his heart back from following Jesus. I think most of us don’t feel like we relate to the rich young ruler because we aren’t rich or powerful. I don’t think this story has much to do with wealth, except that this is the thing that held back this young man from surrendering over to Jesus. He didn’t want to give it up. The disciples had given up their businesses and left their families behind to follow Jesus. If we were to ask the average Christian their commitment level to Jesus, I think many believe they have surrendered their whole lives over. The rich young ruler believed that he had obeyed all of the laws just like many Christians believe that they are fully surrendered.
2. Command: Surrender!
3. Promise: Anyone who gives up things to follow Jesus will be rewarded.
4. Warning: The deception is real! It’s easy to believe we’re not holding back. Don’t give in to the deception.
5. Application: When I think about the challenge that Jesus presented to the rich young ruler, I wonder what kind of challenge he would have for me. Everything in me wants to say (and believe) that my heart is fully surrendered, but if Jesus were to expose my heart right now, I wonder what I would discover that I have been unwilling to surrender. What am I unwilling to part with? Would I walk away from Jesus in my sadness because of something he would ask me to let go of? For me, it probably wouldn’t be money. It might be something else that God has given me. Things that I believe I own. Not just physical things, but abilities, status, security, comfort or even my family? There is literally nothing off the table when it comes to our surrender. God says that if we value anything above him then we aren’t worthy of him. My challenge to myself is to ask God to show mw what I’m hanging onto and hoping God won’t ask for it.

Don’t Ignore the Warnings

1. Message: Continuing in Exodus 11 I was anticipating the deliverance of Israel. Right from the start of chapter 3 it says that God told Moses he would strike Egypt with one final blow that would cause Pharaoh to not only release the people, but he would drive them out. It occurred to me that this final blow was the only plague that God actually warned about from the beginning. God didn’t sneak in this attack and he didn’t act out of and out of control rage response. God told Moses before he even went to Egypt that Israel was his firstborn son, and to let him go so that he can worship. He also said that the Lord would give the people favor with the Egyptians and that they would willingly give them jewelry and valuable items. Here in chapter 11  we see this all happening exactly the way God said it would.                                                                                                                                                                      
2. Command: Don’t ignore the warnings from God.
3. Promise: God gives us lots of opportunity to change.
4. Warning: God means business and when he warns us of consequences to come he means business.
5. Application: Reading this chapter today I realized that God didn’t just get angry on a whim and resort to killing Pharaoh’s son. From the beginning God had established the significance of the firstborn son. This seems so harsh when we read about the firstborn sons of Egypt dying as a result of Pharaoh’s stubborn heart, but this points to the significance of Jesus, God’s firstborn son who would later lay down his life to buy our freedom from our own stubborn hearts enslaved to sin.

The Promises of God Are Non-Negotiable

1. Message: Continuing on in Exodus Moses & Aaron speak the Lord’s words to Pharaoh saying “How long will you refuse to submit to me?” The same pattern continues with plagues happening and Pharaoh pretending to change his heart for a bit to make it stop. But then something new happens. We start seeing Pharaoh begin to negotiate with Moses about who would be leaving with him to go worship the Lord. Moses tells him that every man, woman and child and all of their flocks and herds would be going. Pharaoh is having none of that. He sees the writing on the wall and does not want to lose control of the people so he tries to tell Moses that only the men could go. But this was not the plan God gave Moses so he tells him no, announces the plague and leaves. This time even Pharaoh’s officials begin trying to talk some sense into him and they ask him how long he was going to let this continue. They urge him to let the people go and they say “don’t you realize that Egypt is in ruins?”
2. Command: Stop repeating patterns of destructive behavior!
3. Promise: God brings deliverance when we fully surrender to him.
4. Warning: You can’t negotiate with God!
5. Application: As I read this it reminded me so much of the behavior pattern of addiction. People who are addicted will continue on a negative pattern of behavior. Initially when they are confronted they may pretend to change, but they revert back as soon as the conflict is over. When they realize the confrontations and the consequences are going to continue, they resort to negotiating. They don’t necessarily intend to hold to the agreement but the negotiations serve as another attempt to manipulate the situation and pretend that they are going to change. This story can mirror plenty of other scenarios too but this is the one I have experienced. In Exodus Moses did not allow Pharaoh to negotiate. The instructions that God gave him were very clear and not negotiable. Moses was operating under the step-by-step instruction of God and he did not hold the power of negotiation. When I’m praying through the process of my own situations I have to remember that God does not negotiate with people. Not us, and not with people who are living a destructive life. His desire is to deliver his people and this can’t be done without complete surrender. My application to my own life is to pay attention to the things I am trying to negotiate about. What things have I refused to let go of, and where have I began to try negotiating with God?

1. Message: Continuing in Exodus I was thinking about all of the plagues that had happened and were continuing to happen, and how Pharaoh was responding to them all. He didn’t seem to be surprised by them. Just mildly irritated. To get rid of them he would act like he had a change of heart, only to revert back as soon as the immediate irritation was gone. He had picked up on a pattern and seemed to be manipulating the situation by promising to let the people go and asking Moses to pray to get rid of it. In chapter 9 we read about the livestock dying, the people breaking out in boils and then the thunder and hail that killed people and animals that were left outside in the open. What really caught my attention this time was that there was a very specific warning given to not only Pharaoh, but also to the people of Egypt. They were told that they needed to bring in their livestock and their servants from the open fields and get them under shelter. Those left out in the open would die. For the first time the Egyptians actually had a chance to avoid this particular plague if they would have only listened. Verse 20 says that some of Pharaoh’s officials were afraid when they heard what God said and they quickly brought in their flocks and servants, but those who paid no attention to the word of the Lord left theirs out in the open. There is a lot to think about here. First being that we could try to excuse Pharaoh for being stubborn because his heart was hardened by God, but what about the other people who paid no attention to the word of the Lord? Second, were those who paid no attention to God’s warning just following the example of their leader who disregarded God? Lastly, what a change-up this time around seeing that the people were actually able to choose for themselves whether they wanted to heed the warning from God or suffer through this plague! God was showing them not only his power, but he was also showing them that there was freedom and  protection in heeding his word. Some of Pharaoh’s leaders were wise and responded while Pharaoh continued in his stubborn ways.
2. Command: Heed the words of God!
3. Promise: God is faithful to his promises when we obey him.
4. Warning: If we continue to ignore warning signs, it becomes a familiar pattern to continue until one day it is too late.
5. Application: So much application here! I brought up a few different points in the message portion but what I’d really like to focus on here is the fact that we often have a tendency to become numb to warning signs in our lives. Where we might be initially concerned with a warning, we eventually discover that we get away with things without permanent consequences. When we disregard a warning more than once it becomes a pattern and we gradually learn how far we can push the boundaries. We also become numb to some of the consequences when they do start to happen and even learn to live with them. This develops a self-deception that keeps us repeating harmful behavior in spite of consequences. These warnings can be medical, financial, relational and spiritual. My challenge to myself is to look at some of the areas of my life, pay attention to the things that are out of order and evaluate the things that I have learned to be comfortable with. I have often wondered how long it takes a horder to become so comfortable living in a home filled with trash, but spiritually I have done the very same thing! Things I may have initially found uncomfortable may now become a normal part of life that no longer alarms me. I don’t want to be desensitized to the voice of God, or the natural warning signs for consequences in my life!

1. Message: Reading through Exodus I can’t help but find myself torn between being mind blown over the stubbornness of Pharaoh and also conflicted knowing God was hardening his heart. For years I wondered how different things might have been if God hadn’t done that. What I eventually came to terms with is that Pharaoh had already decided in his heart that he was not going to change. God hardened the decision that he already made. He didn’t cause him to make that decision against his own will. Since he had already chosen his position, God used it as an opportunity to show Israel and all of Egypt who he was. Egypt worshipped other gods and God came to show the people just how useless their gods were in comparison. Another thing I found interesting is that God prepared Moses ahead to do these powerful miracles, and then without giving him the heads-up, God also allowed the Egyptian magicians to perform the same miracles. Surprise!! This is what contributed to the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. What made a big, bold statement was the fact that after they were able to imitate some of the same miracles, they were not able to restore things back to health. The miracles they were performing were not good things. They were actually plagues of destruction, so I couldn’t help but wonder why would they would add more of a bad thing just to prove that they could. Especially since they didn’t have the power to restore it. Pharaoh was completely dependent upon Moses to pray and ask God to restore things. Pharaoh maintained his stubbornness, but each time things got unbearable Pharaoh would appear to have a change of heart and he would ask Moses to pray. But each time the plagues went away, Pharaoh’s heart reverted back and he refused to let the people go. It seemed that Pharaoh was picking up on a pattern and using it to his advantage. He was still very much in a stubborn state, and probably not having real heart changes. He just knew that if he asked Moses to pray that God would make it all go away. Then something interesting happened. The plague of frogs came, and just like before the magicians duplicated and multiplied the misery. Just like before, Pharaoh asked Moses to pray and Moses asked him “when” he wanted to deal with it and Pharaoh said “tomorrow”. Ummmm what? Why tomorrow? Why not now? Then he did the same thing with the gnats. But why? The plagues were miserable, but Pharaoh seemed to be having a power struggle. He was living with the misery and now seemed to be intentionally prolonging it. But why? Because he didn’t want to give up control?
2. Command: Surrender!!!!!
3. Promise: God will change a surrendered heart.
4. Warning: An un-surrendered heart will flip-flop with the appearance of change. But because the desire is only to make the consequences go away it will always revert back.
5. Application: Reading this I can clearly see this blatantly at work in someone else in my life, but what I really need to ask myself is what plagues of misery am I contributing to my own life and refusing to give up?? Where am I pretending to have a heart change, but actually deceiving myself and somehow believing I’m convincing God too. These are hard questions but I can see where I know what I’m supposed to be doing but struggling to follow through because my heart hasn’t truly changed. I want the pain and misery to go away but I’m not quite ready to give up the control. Lord please help me to want change. Not just the appearance of change!!

1. Message: In Exodus 7 we are anticipating the rescue of Israel. Moses and Aaron confronted Pharaoh and it didn’t go so well. Now things are even worse than they were to begin with and the people are mad at them. They don’t want anything to do with Moses and Aaron because they believe their intervention was the cause of their suffering. It certainly was, but there were much bigger factors involved that they couldn’t have known about. God was hardening the heart of Pharaoh and preparing Moses and Aaron to display the power of God in front of Pharaoh and all of Egypt. This rescue operation was much bigger than a rescue operation and it was bigger than Israel.
2. Command: Cooperate with God’s plan!
3. Promise: God loves other people so much that he’s willing to interrupt my miracle to help someone es
4. Warning: It’s not what it looks like!! Things are going on in the background!
5. Application: Reading this was both encouraging and discouraging all at the same time. We all have things we are praying for and I have some very particular things very close to my heart that I thought about as I read this. For me the challenge is to look outside of the things I’m praying for so that my focus is not so narrow. God is working on things that are bigger than me. If I can view things from a broader perspective I won’t get so stuck while I’m waiting for the miracle.

1. Message: Jesus covers a lot of things in Luke 12, but in verse 35 he starts talking about the importance of being ready and ‘dressed for service”. Making sure we have what we need, being mentally ready and aware, and being productive and busy even when the boss is not looking. This passage talks about how important it is to not only have our things ready, but be actively working wit or without the “boss” looking over our shoulders. We need to be trusted to do the things God has commanded us to do and he will trust us to do even more.
2. Command: Be diligent about doing the things God commanded of us
3. Promise: God will reward those who finds doing his work
4. Warning: It’s easy to slack off and get lazy when the boss is not around.
5. Application: This applies to both our physical and spiritual life. We should be working at our jobs-no matter what it is with our best work. The same when it comes to spiritual matters. Reading the word and being obedient regardless of our audience or circumstance. We should treat every day like it might be the day that the Lord comes.

D

1. Message: Reading Exodus 5 felt like such a familiar parallel to times in my life. When the tribe leaders of Israel met with Moses and Aaron they were promised freedom. They had been crying out to God a long time and God had finally sent someone to deliver them. I can’t imagine how elated they were with anticipation. This generation of Israel had never known freedom in their entire lifetime and it seemed that they were right on the edge of seeing it. But after Moses and Aaron confronted Pharaoh, he became enraged and instead of freeing them he punished them for crying for it. He increased the demand on them and enforced greater punishment. The people were frustrated and defeated. They were angry at Moses and they were angry at God.
2. Command: Focus on working hard while waiting for the miracle.
3. Promise: There is something bigger than me in this and it will be worth it.
4. Warning: Defeat and depression can set in if I focus on the people and the circumstances but miss the bigger picture.
5. Application: What I really identify with in this story is going from a place of accepting circumstances as they have always been to actually daring to entertain the idea of freedom and change. The excitement and anticipation of a miracle before the rug is pulled out from you, and then watching helplessly as things go from bad to worse. It’s so defeating and it’s easy to become so consumed with defeat that you go into depression. In fact, I have personally gone from seasons of depression to seasons of stubborn fight. It’s emotionally exhausting but there has to be a focus on something more constant than the situation. We’ve all heard the terrible quote “things will get worse before they get better”. This is often true but the most important thing I have to remind myself is that my comfort is not the main point. It’s not that God doesn’t care about my comfort. It’s that he is a master at using situations to benefit and teach more people than just myself. I’m suffering, but I’m still not the main point. This is a tough pill to swallow but it also helps to keep me focused on God and not my circumstance.

1. Message: Reading Exodus 4 was very familiar until I realized that when it was time for Moses to go to Egypt he actually took his wife and son with him and God used his son to show him the severity of it all. First he told Moses to tell Pharaoh that Israel is God’s firstborn son. Then on the way to Egypt God stopped Moses and his family and confronted him with a threat to kill his son. His wife sprung to action by circumcising her son with a flint rock to save his life. She wasn’t pleased about it but she seemed to understand that this is what God required. These two things were very symbolic ways of showing Moses how serious he was about saving his firstborn son, Israel, and how important was for his firstborn son to be circumcised to represent the covenant he was making with God.
2. Command: Circumcise my own heart and teach other people to circumcise theirs.
3. Promise: People will respond to and respect what they see modeled for them. My story is more powerful when it has been experienced.
4. Warning: I’ll be tempted to skip the hard stuff and go back to what is comfortable.
5. Application: Reading about the symbolic lessons that Moses learned on the way to Egypt made me realize that God wanted him to understand that his commitment to Israel was like Moses’ commitment to his own son. I’m sure the reality of seeing this illustrated with his own son was powerful and unforgettable. Moses would need this understanding to push him through the difficulty he was about to face with Pharaoh. He was also going to show Pharaoh a similar illustrative lesson with his first born son. What I see in my own life is some of the hard standards God has held me to in order to help me communicate the importance to someone else. If I haven’t experienced the pain of spiritual circumcision in my life how can I possibly communicate it to someone else?

1. Message: Reading through Luke 9 what stood out to me today was starting in verse 59 when he was calling people to follow him and each one said they wanted to, but they all had something they wanted to do first. When you read it superficially the reasons sound logical, and Jesus’ response to them seems a bit harsh. One wanted to bury his father first. That sounds reasonable until you realize that what he actually wanted to do was go home and wait for his dad to die first.
2. Command: Don’t wait for my life to feel “in order” to be ready to follow Jesus into whatever he’s calling me to do.
3. Promise:
4. Warning: Waiting gives me more time to procrastinate and eventually choose not to follow through.
5. Application: When I read this I initially glossed over it because I’ve always known this passage to be about salvation. The more I grow in Christ the more I have come to understand that salvation is not just a one-time event where we pray to receive Jesus. It is a lifetime commitment to FOLLOW Jesus. Putting that into perspective I started thinking about what Jesus was and is still asking of us. He gave all of himself and he wants all of us in surrender. The excuses people gave him sounded logical at first until I thought more about it. When my kids got out of high school I remember them all talking about taking a year off before starting college. Everything inside me screamed NO because I knew that if they didn’t start immediately, they would get caught up with in living life, working a job and the priority to go to college would eventually get buried. As I look at my life I see that my life was marked with distractions. I remember thinking as a young teenager that it would be easier to serve God when I was a grown-up. I put it off for later and although I have served God my entire adult life I see where for long periods of time I prioritized other things. Raising kids, being a wife and eventually going back into the work force. This isn’t to say I didn’t have a relationship with God this whole time. I just didn’t run with full intensity. I put off the commitment to do things I felt called to do because I was busy raising a family. This stung a bit but I see even lately where some of the vision and goals God gave me sat on hold for a while. I kept trying to “get my priorities in order” and only recently did I seriously begin to tackle them. While I’m thankful that I’m forward moving I feel convicted to press forward with more fervency to do what God is asking me to do. We also read about Moses today in Exodus and it caused me to wonder what would have happened if Moses blew off God when he was called to go to Egypt to set the Israeli people free. What if he procrastinated? What if he chose to stay in his comfort zone by staying with his wife and caring for the flocks? My challenge to myself is to really press in on these visions. For my own sake but because God is calling me to it.

1. Message: We read yesterday that because of the king’s fear of the Hebrew people multiplying he had commanded the midwives to kill all of the Hebrew baby boys. They feared God more than the king so they didn’t do this, and when the king asked why, they told him that the Hebrew women delivered too quickly and the babies were born before they could get there. Since that plan didn’t work the king made a new command to all of the people of Egypt to throw any Hebrew infant baby boy they saw into the Nile river. Today in Exodus 2 we read about a Hebrew couple who had a baby in the middle of the slavery and oppression in Egypt. This passage tells us that the mother of the baby “saw that he was special”. I’m curious as to what she saw that was special but the scripture doesn’t tell us that. Because of the king’s commands the Hebrew parents were faced with a very difficult decision. The mother hid her baby boy for three months and then did something extremely bold and scary. She made a basket out of papyrus, sealed it with tar and put her baby boy in the basket and floated him down the Nile river. Reading this stops my heart because I can’t imagine putting my baby alone in the very place that was intended for his death…on purpose!! The scripture doesn’t tell us whether she had an encounter with God or an angel telling her to do this, or whether she was inspired by the Holy Spirit but I can’t imagine how this must have felt! The baby’s sister followed from a distance and was able to not only watch where he went without suspicion, but she was there to suggest and orchestrate his care when the princess found the baby. This brought baby Moses right back to the safety of his own mother and gave his mother the ability to care for her son without fear of his death.
2. Command: Cooperate with the vision that God has marked my life with. It may not be what or how I think it is and I need to communicate with God to stay on track with where he is leading me. Even when it looks like he is leading me to place that vision in the path of disaster.
3. Promise: God will fulfill the things in us that he marked our lives to accomplish.
4. Warning: When I acknowledge that my life is marked with vision, I have to be careful that pride doesn’t come in and make me believe it is about me.
5. Application: This whole story amazes me because I think about what I would have done as a mother. Run away? Hide a baby? Who knows! When I think of this story I think about what we all do as parents to try to protect our children and shield them from danger. I’m not suggesting we all take our children and leave them in the middle of danger. This was obviously a plan that God orchestrated and every last detail was covered. This got me thinking about the fact that his mother knew he was “special”. Obviously we believe that all babies and all people are special but in this case, Moses represented a plan that was much bigger than his tiny infant self being rescued from death in the river. He represented the deliverance of Israel from the oppression of Egypt. This whole plan was larger than him and he had done nothing to choose it. He was simply born for it. Literally! When I think about my own life and the plans and desires I have for it in contrast with this story I realize that there is a bigger picture that is so much more than what it might do for me. The things God has called me to do and to be aren’t just for the sake of blessing me or making me feel special. They are intended to impact people. In Moses’s case his life impacted not only the tribes of Israel in their deliverance, but he also impacted Egypt also. God used Moses to show Egypt that he was bigger than all of the gods they were serving. My challenge to myself is to put my dreams, plans and visions into proper perspective. I know that God loves me and is for me, but when I am praying for these things, I need to remember that they aren’t for my own sake, or for my own glory. They are for the sake of other people. This is humbling and keeps pride from hijacking the vision for a wrong purpose.

1. Message: In Exodus 1 Joseph and all of his brothers had died and there was a new king that didn’t know anything about Joseph. I thought it was interesting that he didn’t know the history of the land and wasn’t aware of a man that was so powerful and instrumental in Egypt. What he did know was that there were a lot of Israeli people and they were continuing to multiply. They already lived segregated from the rest of Egypt because even though Joseph was the #2 in command of Egypt and lived in a palace, his family members were all shepherds. Egyptians despised shepherds and didn’t want to live among them. Instead Pharaoh had given them “the best of the land” and also put them in charge of his own livestock. God blessed them because of the blessing over Jacob and the favor given to Joseph. The king was afraid of the Israeli people because they were thriving and growing. He was afraid that they would continue to outgrow them, outsmart them and eventually take sides with their enemies in battle and defeat them. Instead of strengthening a relationship with them he decided to oppress them and make them their slaves in order to “wear them down”. He underestimated their stubborn ways (they are the descendants of a very stubborn Jacob) and of the favor of God over them. The more he oppressed them, the more they multiplied and thrived even in slavery.
2. Command: Don’t let fear and insecurity get in the driver’s seat.
3. Promise: As I appreciate the value of others, my own value increases.
4. Warning: My own self-preservation instincts will lie to me when I try to push past fear and insecurity. Keep pushing past those lies!
5. Application: As I read this I thought about how much people have not changed since the beginning of time. There are patterns throughout history and we can see them at varying degrees in our personal relationships. When people fear the strength, blessing or abilities of other people, they try to shut them down, oppress them, eliminate them, discredit them or enslave them to try to stop the threat of their success. This is the work of weak, insecure people. People that are more secure know that teaming up with people who have strengths that they don’t have will make them better and more successful. Weak, insecure people fear the success of others. Their fear drives them to try to control either with power, or passively with a victim mentality. If they are in a position of power they will abuse it and if they have no power or position they will isolate and rehearse a false narrative in their own minds. This behavior can be as broad as racism and bigotry, it can show up through jealousy and rivalry of a smart or successful coworker, or in the dislike of a good looking or talented person. It is the same spirit behind all of these situations and it shows up in all types of day to day encounters where insecurity drives people. We all have insecurities and we all can find ourselves on both the giving and receiving end of this in different situations. When I look at this I have to ask myself who I have seen as a threat to my own value on any level at all. Even if I don’t act out of that insecurity, what internal narratives are in the background of my mind that would try to feed my insecurity with false justifications? These are hard questions. Nobody wants to view their insecurities for what they are and we are so quick to deceive ourselves with plenty of excuses. My challenge to myself is to identify those moments when I feel that twinge of insecurity rise up, and then intentionally find or create opportunities to defeat it by building relationship, encouraging and supporting that person. I have had people tell me in the past that they thought of me a certain way when they observed me from a distance, but once they got to know me the image they originally believed was shattered as we became friends. I have done the very same thing and laughed later on as I thought about my first impression of some of the people in my life that I love the most.

1. Message: In Luke 6 I wasreading about all of the miracles Jesus was doing under the constant watch of the religious. They were waiting for just one little thing he would do to go against the law. Even if it was a stretch. Jesus was aware of it all and he unapologetically continued the miracles, but did them creatively at times in order to turn it into a lesson. They were missing the point of it all because they didn’t understand that the rules were made to protect and preserve, not to enslave. When Jesus told them he was the Lord of the Sabbath he was reminding them that without him there was no sabbath, and without the sabbath there is no need for rules.
2. Command: Examine my motives for calling out truth.
3. Promise: Truth will set people free if its done with a heart of love and a motive to help someone gain freedom.
4. Warning: Jealousy is a terrible motive!
5. Application: Once again as I read this I was tempted to put myself on the right side of things, but truthfully, we have all been on the right side of truth, and we have all been like the religious leaders. They were jealous of his power, and of his freedom. His power and ability to teach and lead was a threat to them. They had a system where people looked to them for power and authority, and they were highly honored because of their position, not their influence. They used the law to control people so when Jesus came in he threatened the whole system they had built for themselves. He connected with people, spoke with authority and acted in freedom. Not only could they not compete, but Jesus was teaching them how to depend on God and not on the religious leaders. My challenge to myself is to evaluate my own motives. Am I one who tries to control people by pointing out their wrongs? Or do I truly care about the welfare of people and desire to help them obey God for their own sakes? There are times I have literally prayed this and asked God to show me my own motives. Is my influence a way to gain honor for myself, or do I honestly have their best interest at heart? If I answer this honestly, there is probably a lot of both. There are definitely times that I have been out to prove a point, and there are times when I have privately cried and prayed for someone who was stumbling. I don’t always recognize my motives right away. We deceive ourselves better than we deceive anyone else. My challenge to myself is that I would take time to bring it to God every single time I want to call out someone else. Check my motives and ask God to reveal anything selfish and impure.

1. Message: In Luke 5 Peter is minding his own business cleaning his nets after a long night of work with nothing to show for it. Jesus first asked him permission to sit in his empty boat to teach the people. After this is he told Peter to put his nets back in the water on the other side. Peter felt reluctant about it, but did it anyway because Jesus told him to. The result was an unbelievable overflow of fish that shocked Peter and his fishing partners. At this point Peter was completely humbled before Jesus and told him to get away from him because he knew he was a sinful man. Peter knew he was standing next to someone holy. Even though he didn’t even know the gravity of it all yet. This is when Jesus tells Peter to follow him and he did. He literally left the fishing business with his father and went with Jesus.
2. Command: Leave behind the security of trusting in what we know or have always done.
3. Promise: If God calls you away from something that he has blessed, he will walk with you in whatever he has next.
4. Warning: Walking away from our comfort will be hard!
5. Application: As I contemplated this story I thought about the fact that Jesus had just blessed Peter’s fishing business in just a quick moment! The temptation would have been to stick with that and ride that wave for a while. Jesus basically told him “you think that’s great? I’m gonna do the same thing in you but with people!”. Peter was completely humbled and he left everything he knew to follow Jesus. As I read that I thought about my own tendencies and comfort places. I have been at the same job for many years and if God suddenly blessed it and then told me to leave it I might be tempted to question that move and opt for the blessing in my comfort zone. I really want to believe that I would take off and follow Jesus into the unknown, but if I’m really honest I don’t know how I would respond. The challenge to myself is to follow his lead and not make my decisions to stay or move on based upon the success or failure.

1. Message: Reading through Luke 4 I noticed that everywhere Jesus went people were trying to figure out who he was and whether he was legit or not. He was not recognized as the Messiah by most people even though they had past scripture pointing in his direction. On the contrary, the demons recognized him at literally every encounter. They knew exactly who he was and Jesus had to silence them to keep them from blowing his cover prematurely. I also noticed that when Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness the devil knew exactly how to tempt him. He chose the things that appeared missing or weak at each particular moment because he knew man’s tendency to choose poorly during vulnerable moments. Jesus knew who he was before the temptation, so the decision was already firm during the vulnerable time of his temptation.
2. Command: Know who we are and what lines are non-negotiable before temptation hits. Don’t wait to decide in the moment.
3. Promise: God will not allow us to be overtaken without providing a way out.
4. Warning: We need to know our God better than our enemies, and we need to be aware that our enemies have studied us and learned our weaknesses.
5. Application: Reading through this made me realize how much of God we overlook in our daily lives, and it was more disturbing to realize just how aware of God the devil is. If we aren’t paying attention we’ll be caught off guard. I recognize in my own life that when I make a from decision to do something, I am unmovable and I will not waiver. When I have only half-heartedly committed to an idea or plan, I will cave under temptation because I have already entertained the idea. I’m currently trying to get my exercise and diet under control. I have allowed a few excuses to hang out, and although they are somewhat reasonable excuses, I have already caved on both my diet and exercise plans at different times because I entertained the excuses and allowed my feelings in the moment to choose for me what I should do.

1. Message: Salvation is more than just a prayer that we pray to make it to the heaven list. It means to repent and surrender our lives over. In this case they were feeling safe because they were Jews. Christians often feel safe because we go to church.
2. Command: Prove by the way that you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.
3. Promise: Salvation
4. Warning: Don’t just say to each other “we’re safe. We’re the descendants of Abraham.”
5. Application: To me, this passage calls us deeper than just doing the church things and being a part of the club. In this case the Jews felt safe because of their lineage. Christians usually feel safe because they go to church and do moral things. This passage challenges further than that. Several people in the crowd asked “how?” and he responded differently to each of them because the hang-ups they all had were different. The same is true of us because the surrender of our sin is supposed to bring change. We can’t compare ourselves to others to make ourselves look and feel better. For me this challenge pushes me past the church things and the discipline habits. What in me has not changed over the years? What am I still holding onto because I already feel like I’m in?

Ponder the Promises

1. Message: Reading through Luke 2 was so familiar. Even people who don’t go to church have heard this narration of the birth of Jesus so pushing past the familiarity of this chapter, I noticed a pattern about Mary even though I have heard these words more times than I can count…”Mary pondered these things in her heart.” This was said when the shepherds came to see baby Jesus and they told Mary & Joseph what God had shown them. The same thing was said again when Jesus was left behind in Jerusalem at twelve years old and he told his parents “why did you need to search? Didn’t you know I must be in my Father’s house?” Mary had heard from an angel, she had heard from prophets and she was hearing from the mouth of her son a lot of incredible things about his life. Although these prophecies had some very specific things in them I can’t imagine the awe and wonder she felt as she walked it out and watched things unfold. I love that her response was quiet and she pondered these things in her heart.
2. Command: Don’t try to figure out the details of God’s promises. You never will! Instead we should ponder them in our hearts as we watch them unfold over time.
3. Promise: God’s promises never fail.
4. Warning: Often times God’s promises take longer than we would have hoped, and they rarely come out looking the way we imagined them to look. We can’t get stuck in our own imagination. We need to ponder these promises in our hearts so we don’t get off track and miss it entirely!
5. Application: I was so amazed by Mary’s response. She was quiet and she pondered everything in her heart that was told to her. This was wisdom modeled for us because the truth is, none of us knows what God’s promises will actually look like. We have an outline idea at best and if we aren’t thinking about what God said, we will be concocting our own ideas based upon our own ideas and our own desires. This spoke loudly to me as I have thought about the dreams and visions in my heart and how much my imagination has gotten carried away with them. It’s good to know God has plans and promises for me but I really need to ponder them and pray as they unfold so I don’t chase a rabbit trail to my own ideas and miss the actual plan God has completely!