Luke 7:13: When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." NIV

The amazing thing that we encounter in our walk with God is that no one can figure Him out.  We don’t know what He will do next nor when.  It is glorious when our Lord just sweeps in on us unannounced.  We didn’t see it coming.  What great favor Jesus must have with us when He comes in by surprise.

The Widow of Nain had just such an experience.  It came at the very moment when Jesus was most needed.  She didn’t expect Him to do what He did.  She was not asked how much faith she had nor was she asked any questions.  She just saw a large crowd coming down the road ahead of her as she was going to the grave yard.  She was going to bury her only means of support, her only family member left. Her life was going to take a real turn for the worst. She was in the direst of situations.

I think that if we had put this event up against the other events of scripture we would have a hard time making a comparison.  We need to understand that we will never know exactly what our Lord will do, or when.  We will never be able to figure Him out.  His ways are so much higher than our ways we cannot see that high. Many times reason will not answer the questions we have and never will.

Jesus was moved with compassion for the weeping of this woman.  His heart was broken along with hers.  “His heart went out to her.”  He only had one command for her: “stop weeping!”  If I can take the liberty of expressing what I see it is that Jesus was saying is: “Stop weeping, woman because you are breaking my heart, too!”  Oh, what complete empathy Jesus had for this woman in such a situation.  She didn’t know that there was any help anywhere that could overcome her problem.  Her feeling was all is lost!

I wonder how many of us feel the same way, sometimes.  We feel that there is no hope for situation we are in.  The situation may be one of our own making and still we feel that there is no relief from the pain.

We have a great deal more in our favor than the Widow of Nain.  Can I remind you that we have a risen Savior that knows our every care.  We have the Word of God to help bolster our faith.  We have the Holy Spirit that gives us guidance and strength in the time of need!  What more could we want or need?

Just a thought

Stay in your square!

Another level of staying in my “square” is found in the conversation Jesus had with Peter in John, Chapter 21.  Jesus revealed how Peter would meet his death and how he would glorify God.  Peter being Peter “turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?")  When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"

Jesus’ response resonates in my ears to this day, “What is that to you?”

What is that to me?  The only way I can explain this truth is to make up a story that reveals the Truth of God’s love as he taught it to me over a period of time.  It goes something like this:

Me: (praying) Lord please help this family I am helping with their problem.  Give me the wisdom that I need to help them. Give me insight so that I can make it all better for them.

Jesus: What is their problem to you?

Me: Lord, I want to help them so that they will not be in so much pain. 

Jesus: I have been trying to get them to see ME through their pain.  You just follow me!

Me: What then is my role in helping them?

Jesus: You are to point them in my direction.  That is all you are required to do.  You are to follow me!

Me: Just point them in your direction?  Can’t you give me some wise   counsel to relay to them?

Jesus: No, you just point them to me and My Holy Spirit will do the rest. You follow me!

Me: How do I point them to you, Lord?

Jesus:  Ask them if they have prayed together about their problem.  Ask them if they have taken time to ask God for His answer.  I am the answer to all problems.  You just follow me!

Me: Lord, forgive me for my intrusion into your workings.  I could not see what you are doing and didn’t know that you were involved.   I was just trying to help.

Jesus: I appreciate your concern for others but there are times when you get in My way and hinder what I am trying to do in their lives.  I have given you your path to walk and I am eager to help them find their path.  You must let them go so that I can work with them. You just follow me!

I don’t have to have the answer to people’s problems. Jesus is always the answer. If I follow Him with all my heart, others will see that I do.  Being the best example of a Christ following believer is what people need to see.  Are you ready to let go and let God!

Just a thought.

Jerry

John 13:16

When I first became serious about my relationship with Jesus Christ, I had so many conflicts in my mind.  I had heard so many different things that were “right or wrong” that I was confused. I did something that I had never heard of anyone doing before, but was so eager to serve the Lord that I prayed this way:  “Dear Lord, I am so confused about what to believe for my life with you.  Lord, I am a very concrete thinker and there are concepts that I do not understand. (I thought that I would educate God on me :)!  I said, “I will UNLEARN everything so that You might teach me afresh and new.  Just let me learn what You want me to learn that I may serve you better!”

For two years I did not go to church nor did I have a mentor, except the Word of God, to guide me in my learning.  Many of these thoughts, that I have written, are what the Lord has shown me and I know that they are true because He has made them who I am.  I only wanted TRUTH!

When I was young, there were many preachers and bible teachers that tried to teach conflicting values.  One of the main reasons was that I grew up in a church that had a lot of criticism built into it.  It was nothing to hear so called holy people down one another in private and would sometimes oppose them in public.  I remember a church that had two factions.  One side did not even talk to one another or shake hands or have fellowship.

At a camp meeting on summer, there were two preachers that almost came to blows over whether it was wrong to wear suspenders and a belt at the same time. My grandfather said when he was younger it was a sin to have a windshield in your automobile.  It was too worldly.  So you can see where I was coming from.

I read: John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. ^NIV When I read this it was like a light came on in the depth of my soul.  I began to read and the Lord made it plain.  I believe that God gave me His word and he expects me to abide by it. No matter what may come I am determined to be deep in His Word and applying it to my life.

Just a thought.

Jerry

2 Chronicles 7:14

It seems that God’s Word is full of surprises.  There is“aliveness” to God’s Word when I read it with an open heart.  In this day and age there are so many things that need to be done and so many things to occupy my mind.  Some days I don’t know where the time has gone because of the busyness.  Everything is a big rush.  There is a plaque in one of the offices where I work and it says: “your bad planning yesterday does not necessarily become my emergency today.”

With all the hustle and bustle of 21^st Century life, it’s no wonder I am so forgetful. Memorizing deadlines, schedules, names, and appointments has become so necessary that there seems little time to become quiet and listen to God’s voice.  Even my word processor, just now, wants to change quiet into quite!

I am very much an advocate of meditating. I read in 2 Chronicles 7:14, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.^NIV  

Do you realize what “seek My face” is in today’s language is?  It means He wants us to “look Him in the eye!”  I remember when my mother used to say to me, “Jerry, look me in the eye and tell me that!” She wanted to know if I was telling her the truth.  Most of the time I wasn’t telling the truth and she always knew it.  God knows, too.

It is the most humbling experience when I stop! Meditate! And want to look Jesus in the eye. There is better communication than when I am quiet and seeking an audience with My Lord.  It is not that He is not there, because He always is there.  The truth is that I am not always there.  When I want to talk to Jesus “face to face” I have to prepare myself for the experience. Even when He wants to talk to me, I have to prepare myself. There is no hurry in God’s economy.

It is an awesome thing to come face to face with my maker.  I do that, not only to find His will for my life, but also because when Judgment Day comes I don’t want us to be strangers. I want to fully know Him and I want Him to fully know me!!  Better yet, I want to know myself better because when I am “face to face” with Him, I want to see me through HIS eyes.

There are fewer misunderstandings, directions become clearer, and there is an unspeakable peace!

Just a thought.