Our Mouth, God's Word

Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. ³⁶I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; ³⁷for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. Matthew 12:33-37

Wow. Those last words really got my attention. Jesus tells us we will have to give an account for every careless word we utter. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but for me this would be a long list of careless words. Words of anger, words of hurt, words of judgment, words of gossip, words of hate, words of indifference, words of spite, words of violence, words that demean or belittle and on the list goes. There are so many words I have spoken that are careless and Godless, how could I ever give an account for the words I have spoken?


The real miracle is that any good words come out at all. This is Jesus' real point I believe. Whenever a kind, generous, thoughtful, uplifting, kind, gracious, merciful, encouraging or loving word comes from our mouth, it comes from God's work within us. Consider each time you could have or wanted to say something hurtful, but chose to say something kind (and not in a sarcastic way). This is God at work within us. This is God's work in the world.


The more God works on our heart, the greater the impact can be seen in our words. If mean-spirited, judgmental, an unkind words dominate my speech how can I truly say God is in my heart? Jesus knows the impact our words make on others and the daily opportunity we have to speak God's word to one another. Let us speak good things to one another and allow God to change our hearts.


Prayer: Change my heart O God, and let my words speak of the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that only comes from you. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Costly Faith

See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; ¹⁸and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. ¹⁹When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; ²⁰for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Matthew 10:16-20

²¹Doing God's work in the world is not without conflict. Jesus' ministry challenged the Roman and Jewish authorities in numerous ways on multiple occasions. Jesus spoke the truth to power and eventually is put to death. Jesus' teaching was in many cases a direct affront to the teachings of the Pharisees and chief priests. He had a large following and many thought he was the messiah they were waiting for. The Romans were most interested in keeping the people inline and peaceful and were always on the lookout for an uprising. Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and his popularity among the people would surely have been noticed. But God's mission called Jesus to the cross. He was to bring God's holy and powerful presence into the world, to show love in its purest form, and expose the sin and brokenness of the world. This is accomplished in the death and resurrection of Jesus. God's love is on display, sin and evil are defeated, and worldly powers are shown to be hollow. God is victorious in Christ, but it wasn't easy.


When Jesus tells the disciples they are being sent out "like sheep into the midst of wolves" he describes their biggest challenge and greatest opportunity. Each of the 12 apostles (minus Judas) played a key role in the development of the church. They were sent into the world to share the message of Jesus and invite others to follow. The church exists today because those sent by Jesus were obedient and faithful to their calling. Each was, like Jesus, martyred for their faith. They were brought before authorities, questioned for their faith, beaten and eventually killed. Along the way however, their testimony changed lives and facilitated the development of the church. Jesus sent them out knowing they would face danger, but also knowing how vital for God's kingdom their work would be.


There are still parts of the world where sharing the Christian faith is dangerous. There are martyrs today who lives bear witness to Jesus' words. For most of us this is not the case. In America, we are blessed to live in a country where freedom of religion is a bedrock principle. We can express our faith and worship freely, without fear of reprisal (although non-Christian groups are often targeted with hate crimes). But just because we can worship freely does not mean were not called to live out our faith in the midst of wolves.


To claim to be a disciple of Christ, we must seek to follow Jesus' example. Jesus spoke God's truth to those in power that all people are God's people. Jesus interacted with people on the margins of society to demonstrate that all people are valued by God. Jesus called out the hypocrisy of religious leaders who cared more about personal comfort and power than faithfulness to God. To be a follower of Jesus requires us to live with conviction and courage. To be willing to stand up for God's truth and stand with the most vulnerable. Yes, there are wolves in our midst, but God will be with us as we go.


Prayer: Lord, give me the courage to live out my faith. Give me strength to be the person you have created me to be. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

No Excuses

Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. ¹⁹A scribe then approached and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” ²⁰And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ²¹Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” ²²But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” Matthew 8:18-22

The ministry of Jesus drew crowds everywhere he went. He healed the sick, the blind, the deaf, and the diseased. He fed multitudes, taught with authority, and cast out demons. People noticed and told others, and in a short amount of time there were huge crowds everywhere Jesus went. Some came for healing or a miracle, others came because they believed God was at work, and others came to see the show. There were also those, after meeting Jesus, who were ready to follow him, or so they thought.


Jesus hand-picked his disciples and invited them to follow him. Those chosen immediately left their lives behind and followed. In this story, two people ask Jesus for permission to follow. In the first instance, Jesus tells the scribe that if he follows Jesus he will be homeless. Scribes were respected members of society and religious leaders. The idea of an itinerant ministry with no home would have been a big change in lifestyle for the scribe. The second potential follower of Jesus wants to first bury his father and attend to his family obligations. Jesus saying "follow me and let the dead bury the dead" comes across as extremely harsh but highlights the ultimate priority that discipleship entails.


Jesus calls each of us into a life-changing relationship, whereby our lives are transformed by God's amazing love and grace. We are given the gift of salvation as a free gift, but we are also given an invitation to live our lives as disciples. To be a follower of Christ, God has to be in first place. There are no excuses with God and God cannot be fooled. God wants our whole heart not leftovers. This requires ordering our life in new ways and establishing priorities that put faith first.


As a pastor I know how busy the lives of the people I serve are. We are busy and have many important responsibilities and tasks to attend to that establishing discipleship practices can seem like another thing on an already long to-do list. I know it and I get it. But the truth is God is not impressed with how busy we are. God is not rewarding us for our efficiency or effectiveness at accomplishing tasks, however God pleasing they might be. No, God has already made a decision about us. We are unconditionally loved by the creator of all things. Our relationship with God is made whole through Christ and we are children of God. No amount of busyness or productivity will change God's mind about you.


What God desires is to set us free from our burdens and to live life abundantly. Life with and for God shifts our priorities and messes up our "plans," but also opens us up to something so much deeper and transforming.Discipleship is not easy. It is costly and countercultural, but it can set us free to be who we were created to be.


Prayer: Lord, help me to move past my excuses and follow you more fully. Help me to prioritize my time and actions to keep you in first place. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Storms Will Come

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!

Matthew 7:24-27

One of the biggest lies Satan tells is: God rewards the good and punishes the evil. This lie implies that when things are going well, God is pleased with us. Conversely, when things are going bad, God is upset with us. This lie distorts reality in many important ways.

When we believe this lie, we begin to see others who are "successful" and assume God is blessing their lives and thus baptize their behavior, whether it is God pleasing or not. The so-called prosperity gospel of TV evangelists glorifies this lie to such an extent that they have massive followers and mega-churches. People want to be successful and rich and how much more enthralling to believe this is God's blessing!

The even more insidious consequence of this lie is that it tells people who are struggling that it is their fault. The lie tells us that it is their fault for health struggles; their fault for financial difficulty, their fault for family problem, their fault for all of life ills and God is punishing them for their sins. This shame and embarrassment that accompanies these struggles also tends to keep people away from their faith communities when they need them the most.

Jesus eradicates Satan's lie. He does not say that those who build their house on rock will avoid the storms. He doesn't say that only perfect people with perfect faith can be accepted. Rather, life brings storms no matter who you are. If you have a foundation of faith, a life built on rock, you can withstand storms much better than those without faith. Christians are not immune to struggles and difficulty, rather we are better equipped to handle them.

We must build a foundation of faith great enough to trust and believe in God in the most trying times. Faith is preventive medicine rather than emergency room care. We lay a foundation of prayer, scripture, serving and giving throughout our lives and become changed people. People of faith have complete assurance, by God's grace, their place with God is secure and complete. The storms will come, but God is already victorious!

Prayer: Lord, help my life be founded on your love and your ways. Equip me to deal with the storms in life in a way that gives witness to your amazing grace and mercy, in Jesus' name, AMEN.



Jesus is Calling

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. ¹⁹And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” ²⁰Immediately they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:18-21

I have always been struck by the immediacy of the disciples following Jesus. They did not ask questions or hesitate, they immediately left their nets and followed. The disciples left their jobs, their relationships, and their homes to follow someone they had never even met before. Their immediate response leads me to think two things: they had great faith and Jesus gave a powerful invitation.

The amount of trust the disciples had in Jesus is hard to comprehend. I would probably need a lot more explanation from Jesus to leave everything behind, and even then I would most likely cling to my own life than follow Jesus blindly. I suppose this is why he chose them. He knew their hearts and their readiness to say "yes" to God's call. What we don't know is what their lives were like before they met Jesus. Perhaps they had a series of dreams or visions from God to prepare their hearts. Or perhaps they had someone encourage them to think of how they could serve God and others. Like the disciples, we all are called by Jesus to be disciples. Each call is different and we are all prepared by our life experience to pursue this call in our own way. We must remain open to God's call in our life and be prepared to say "yes" when the opportunity comes.

The other aspect of this story that strikes me is the power of Jesus' invitation. Jesus doesn't have to say much to cause such a powerful response. He doesn't outline their mission, or detail the benefits of becoming a disciple, or what they will do, where they will go, and for how long. Jesus invites them to follow and they do. It defies human reason and logic to simply walk away under such conditions. Perhaps it is not what Jesus said that matters, but Jesus himself. Jesus, as God incarnate, had a powerful presence that affected the people he met. Perhaps Jesus didn't even need to say anything to cause such a response. He could have simply looked into their hearts and offered a welcoming and loving glance or embrace. When we are in the presence of God we don't need explanations or logic, we simply need an open heart.

The disciples were chosen for their openness and trust, and when given the opportunity they responded to Jesus' powerful invitation. May we remain open and ready to trust God on our journey.

Prayer: Lord, help me to see your presence in my life; help me to remain open to your call; help me to say "yes" when you call me; help me to have the strength and courage to follow you. In Jesus, name, AMEN.

Tempted and Tested

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. Matthew 4:1-2



The story of Jesus' temptation is often connected to the season of Lent. Just as Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and nights, so we journey for 40 days in this season. For Jesus, his time in the wilderness was a time of great testing, after which he begins his public ministry. The text tells us he was led by the Spirit into this time of testing, which implies God not only knew about it, but was the driving force behind it. In mysterious and often confounding ways, life's biggest challenges and difficulties provide us with the opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and emerge stronger and more mature in our faith. It doesn't mean that God is causing our suffering or difficulty, but it does suggest that even the most difficult and trying circumstances can be redeemed by God.

Jesus had a high and holy calling in his earthly life. He was called to preach and teach God's word, heal the sick and suffering, bring hope to the oppressed, and give his life for all. And while Jesus is God incarnate, he was also fully human. The humanity of Jesus was susceptible to temptation and his time in the wilderness provided spiritual training to ward off the temptation to avoid pain and his calling to give himself completely to God's mission. Jesus spent 40 days and nights fasting and becoming completely famished. It is then that Satan pounced. At his weakest and most vulnerable, the devil tempts Jesus to turn a stone into bread (Matthew 4:3), to show he had divine powers by throwing himself off the pinnacle of the temple (4:5-6), and to assume all earthly powers if he would worship Satan (4:8-9). Jesus was tested by these temptations, but at each turn he resisted Satan by reciting words of scripture which contradicted the devil's lies. This time of testing forced Jesus to fully rely upon God's Word to follow God's path. The time of testing allowed Jesus to emerge with stronger trust in God and a deeper capacity to withstand testing.

The concept of growing through testing is fundamental in life. It is true for our body, mind, and spirit. Just as an athlete trains their body for competition by building endurance and strength through strenuous work, we build our spiritual strength through relying upon God in difficult times. We build our spiritual strength through developing a rich prayer life and immersing our self in God's word. Reading the Word allows us to differentiate God's trust from Satan's lies. Reading the Word allows us to develop a storehouse of spiritual insight that can be utilized when difficulties arise. Testing will come, that is the nature of human life, but we can be spiritually prepared and strong. This spiritual preparation means that any challenge or difficulty can be the opportunity to grow in faith and trust of God.

Prayer: Lord, let these 40 days of Lent be filled with your Holy presence. Let your word fill my heart and speak to me directly. Help me to be prepared for all the challenges I face and fully rely upon you. In Jesus' name, AMEN.